58 replies to this topic

[Bless_O_Blee]

Has anyone else been raging at the obvious bs amount of airstrikes and artillery people carry in games now with the new skill tree?
I have had so many damn games now where I will get bombarded by air strikes and artillery. Got hit by a airstrike and couldn't get out of it so I had to suffer it bringing me down to 75% health then another arty to put the cherry on top to put me at 65% health. I may be just venting my anger about this but doesn't anyone else here having the same problem with "spamming" airstrikes and arty?

[Thorqemada]

https://mwomercs.com...ewarrioronline/

[Kiiyor]

There is a lot of rage.

It's justified too. They offer a huge advantage - they can blunt pushes, they can hit mechs in cover, they can force mechs into cover, they can strip huge amounts of armour from the enemy team if you hit multiple mechs, they can wreck already damaged mechs...

I sometimes use 2 of them on my mechs. I'm part of the problem.

I don't judge others for using them though. If there's a system that gives you an advantage, why not use it?

Maybe if everyone equips them, the whining might reach critical mass.

Personally, I really only have an issue with Airstrikes. Artillery is far easier to dodge, or get out of the blast zone. Airstrikes in the hands of a skilled user can nail you a long way from the smoke point.

As for fixes, I think there should be a radar and HUD warning for airstrikes. It's easy to hide the smoke. It only makes sense that an incoming fighter would trigger radar warnings somewhere. A hud alert and direction of incoming fire would go a long way to balancing that.

For Artillery... triple the duration of the strike. You could even increase the damage, but make it more of an area bombardment and denial tool, rather than a surgical artillery sniper strike.

[vettie]

while I dont disagree having more than 1 strike per mech can be a problem, it is a trade off for the using more than 1. the pilot must decide what enhancement to do without.

Also, at one time in the not to distant past, PGI shutdown the ability to carry more than 1 strike. at that time, to paraphrase the reasoning, the possibility of 2 per mech was just too much...

[nehebkau]

I strike twice every match.... at solo mechs, at groups, sometimes even at nothing at all just so I can see the smoke. You see, the only way to get something changed is to abuse the CRAP out of it....

[Bohxim]

Tbh, you're welcome to spend that 6-7 skill points and the associated cost of 80-160k of consumables per match to join in the fun. Most people won't be able to strike to make it worth the cost, eating into their cbill generation. So it's a pay off they are willing to take

[King Harkinian]

Kiiyor, on 13 July 2017 - 04:41 PM, said:

If there's a system that gives you an advantage, why not use it?

Integrity.

[Alcom Isst]

Kiiyor, on 13 July 2017 - 04:41 PM, said:

If there's a system that gives you an advantage, why not use it?

Money.

Bohxim, on 13 July 2017 - 07:20 PM, said:

Tbh, you're welcome to spend that 6-7 skill points and the associated cost of 80-160k

That's not welcoming at all.

Edited by Alcom Isst, 13 July 2017 - 07:56 PM.

[Kiiyor]

King Harkinian, on 13 July 2017 - 07:33 PM, said:

Integrity.

Fair enough. Something lacking in most competitive games.

I'm all for restricting or balancing strong/exploitive game mechanics, but judging people or placing the expectation on them not to run effective builds/equipment/tactics isn't addressing the problem - it's simply shifting blame from the system itself to the players.

It's hard to avoid falling down that rabbit hole though when some ****** lands a double air strike on you through cover.

[King Harkinian]

I don't disagree.

Intent of design is usually what allows us to differentiate between an inherent balance issue, or whether or not a mechanic is being exploited or circumvented.

In the case of consumes, intent of design is quite obvious, just the balance is a bit off.

So therefore I don't hold the use of them against the community or place a lot of expectation on them to abstain from using them. They're in the game, the intent of design is clear - fair game for the community to go wild with in my opinion.

But it is a crutch at the end of the day, regardless.

[LordNothing]

running airstrikes is a lot like running rocket launchers. you might get one very good hit in, but thats it. or you can invest those skill points elsewhere and get a more consistent improvement. two strike limit is ok with me, people are paying their dues to get them and its not like you cant counter them.

[Admiral-Dan]

The air/arti strike spam is getting really annoying.

[Savage Wolf]

It's really an issue that illustrates that just because consumables costs 40k a piece does not in any way hinder it's use making it blatantly stupid that it's even a thing. For some people c-bills is not an issue and therefore it does not in any way balance the game.

So while we should no doubt balance the amount of specific consumables we should really also make them free to use so that it's not only the c-bills rich that get to enjoy this entire mechanic.

[El Bandito]

LordNothing, on 13 July 2017 - 11:06 PM, said:

running airstrikes is a lot like running rocket launchers. you might get one very good hit in, but thats it. or you can invest those skill points elsewhere and get a more consistent improvement. two strike limit is ok with me, people are paying their dues to get them and its not like you cant counter them.

Each Air Strike nets me on average about 50-100 damage, although I had gotten about 300 damage with a single strike on a lucky day. That's 100-200 additional damage per game. For the low low price of four nodes. No other skill tree offers such an improvement with just four nodes. Double strike is insanely good. Strikes not only damage the enemy, but they also force the other side to abandon their spot.

My WLR and KDR had noticeably improved once I am able to use up to 4 consumables per game (2 coolshots and 2 strikes). Just compare my Season 13 stats with previous seasons. Consumables are literally Pay to Win in the in-game money sense. I don't mind spending 160,000 C-Bills per match since I am rich in C-Bills, but it only serves to further distance the performance of veterans from the newbies--which is not healthy for this game.

Edited by El Bandito, 14 July 2017 - 04:25 AM.

[Greyhart]

perhaps consumables should only be equipable if you take that 3ton command module. at least it would give a reason to take the thing.

[Coolant]

I think PGI should add a flare or something in addition to the smoke so that it can be seen in Thermal Vision....as of now you cannot see the smoke in Thermal

[Gwahlur]

I present to you, the original prescient thread that i posted over a month ago:

https://mwomercs.com...esairstrikes-op

[Gwahlur]

LordNothing, on 13 July 2017 - 11:06 PM, said:

two strike limit is ok with me, people are paying their dues to get them and its not like you cant counter them.

Two strike limit pr person. 24 strike limit pr match.

[Escef]

King Harkinian, on 13 July 2017 - 07:33 PM, said:

Integrity.

No, that's basically the definition of being a scrub. And I'm not one to toss that around lightly (especially as I'm a very casual player myself, unapologetic member of the Barely Adequate Gamers). You are literally inventing rules that are not part of the game and finding some kind of excuse to look down your nose at people that dare to play the game differently than you think it should be played. Back in middle school we called things like throws and boxing the opponent into the corner in Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat "cheese" and "corner crap", And what it really was? It was us being scrubs.

So don't sit there and imagine you have some kind of "integrity" because you set up rules for the game that other players have no way to know about.

As for myself, while getting hit by repeated strikes sucks, I recognize it as part of the game. Most of my mechs pack 2 consumables: a cool shot and a UAV. I don't bother with strikes most of the time because they're too unreliable in the solo queue (where most of my matches take place). That and I can usually find more consistent benefit from allocating my skill nodes more towards mobility, survival, and firepower.

[King Harkinian]

Escef, lol.

It's not a rule, it's a personal code of ethics to not use something that is skilless as a crutch.

If anyone is a scrub, it's people spamming strikes.