39 replies to this topic

[waterfowl]

Before I even say anything, I will counter the responses that always come up.


1. "DON'T CLUMP."

This response is really dumb. While airstrike / arty increase in value when used on clumped players, it is also very useful against solo players. Especially when you can have 12+ strikes on the team.


2. "MOVE AWAY FROM THEM."

This response is really dumb too. In order to move away from something, you need to be able to see it. In many instances, air strikes will be placed in a way that makes the smoke impossible to see. Thus the main warning the game gives the player is useless.

3. "DON'T CAMP."

This is a bloody tank game where cover is mandatory and anyone caught out in the open dies. Due to the map design, there are only so many cover options. Unless your suggestion is for people to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, behind the cover...

The game already punishes camping through the gameplay, with a maneuver called flanking


My suggestion :
Keep the damage as is. Make placing a strike require the mech to point a laser at the spot for maybe two seconds.

In addition, add a UI element and a warning sound that warns the player when they're within a certain distance of a placed strike.

And finally, placed strikes should cast a ray upwards in world space. If it doesn't hit the sky, the airstrike should be cancelled. This would make it so you cant place strikes under the overpass in crimson straight for example.

[Brain Cancer]

If you ever wonder why strikes are the way they are, remember that they're designed to suck C-bills from impulsive and power-hungry players as fast as possible.

If they're annoying to use or not potent, they fail to be the juicy carrot that leads you to spend, spend, spend and thus grind, grind, grind more, increasing average time spent playing and buffing the server numbers

[Antares102]

Brain Cancer, on 01 September 2017 - 02:08 PM, said:

If you ever wonder why strikes are the way they are, remember that they're designed to suck C-bills from impulsive and power-hungry players as fast as possible.

A airstrike/arty doing 200+ damage easy pays for itself.

But I agree to the OP, airstrike/arty should e toned down somewhat.

Edited by Antares102, 01 September 2017 - 02:13 PM.

[Kalimaster]

Release the Flying Monkeys. Then give them bombs and replace Air Strike.

Why....because ......

[Razorfish]

Last night I was in the targeted area of 9 air strikes, inside of about 2 minutes. NINE! in one game. Doesn’t that seem to be a little over kill to anyone. I was in an undamaged Stalker, and I managed to walk out of about half of them, based more on luck than skill. But I was fully and totally screwed before I actually got in to combat.

[Xmith]

I would admit that sometimes getting hit by strikes is tough after seeing how much armor I lose. But hey, it goes both ways. I will just dish it right back.

[Jun Watarase]

Strikes do pretty much no damage unless you invest in the skill tree and the target pretty much stands still in the area of effect.

Decent players often simply move out of the area and take minimal damage.

The only time i have felt "wow i took too much damage from that strike" was when i had strikes dumped on me in my ACH which is understandable, since light mechs have low armor and hitting them with strikes is hard in the first place due to obvious reasons.

[InfinityBall]

Brain Cancer, on 01 September 2017 - 02:08 PM, said:

If you ever wonder why strikes are the way they are, remember that they're designed to suck C-bills from impulsive and power-hungry players as fast as possible.

If they're annoying to use or not potent, they fail to be the juicy carrot that leads you to spend, spend, spend and thus grind, grind, grind more, increasing average time spent playing and buffing the server numbers

Which doesn't explain why they're so cheap, and why they give cbills for use

[Andi Nagasia]

in tests it seems like Arty strikes are mostly balanced, Airstrikes however do feel alittle strong,
i would suggest decreasing damage slightly, until they are balanced with their use,

[mailin]

Sorry, but I find this topic REALLY funny. Mainly because it's sooooo much whining. Get over it. If they're doing too much damage to you, here's a news flash, YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

[The6thMessenger]

Andi Nagasia, on 01 September 2017 - 06:12 PM, said:

in tests it seems like Arty strikes are mostly balanced, Airstrikes however do feel alittle strong,
i would suggest decreasing damage slightly, until they are balanced with their use,

And then it can kill fresh lights from behind. I think that should be stopped.

mailin, on 01 September 2017 - 06:15 PM, said:

Sorry, but I find this topic REALLY funny. Mainly because it's sooooo much whining. Get over it. If they're doing too much damage to you, here's a news flash, YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

Not necessarily. It could be because something is just so out of balance. That's it's why we discuss. And something like this -- without argumentation -- just kills discussion.

Edited by The6thMessenger, 01 September 2017 - 06:18 PM.

[Benjamin357]

Airstrikes in MWO are like grenades in Operation Metro BF3

[Rovertoo]

The best thing I can think of is to make Arty Strikes into an Area-denial weapon, increase the shell count by a TON but reduce the damage considerably, and increase the radius a bit and make the effect last for~20-30 seconds. Also add a big red circle to the map so people know to stay away. This way it can still be used to break up groups, which is the only argument I hear in favor of either strike anyways, with the added benefit of gaining some really good map/lane control, with the huge plus side of not feeling like you're paying to win!

Air Strikes though by nature can't really work like that, so I'd be fine if they stayed the way they are (maybe even with increased damage) only if we get a big 'Air Strike Inbound' and a map indicator, to keep it from being used all sneaky like people do but pretend that they aren't. One per mech obviously, and with a longer team cooldown to cut down on spam.

Edited by Rovertoo, 01 September 2017 - 06:29 PM.

[qS Sachiel]

Mining collective in a hellbringer with 6mpl. Assault lance didn't move for 30s. Madiic disconnect and did no return. Friendly light scouts control top centre and are obliterated by focussed enemy fire. Assault lance has not moved more than 1 grid yet, is still behind D4. Enemy ball pushed over centre and begins engaging absent assaults. Their whole team in their greed, ignorance and stupidity decides to nose to arse each other in the right turn ramp down from top centre. I had flanked around D4 because waiting for absent slow assaults is dumb.

Strike 1: near absolute saturation. War hammer is only mech to catch on an comes for me, turning after I'd cited his back. Enemy group still refuses to or incapable of fanning out so that they have 12 guns on target, not just the three at the front. Strike 2: 3/4 saturation. War hammer had now fully engaged and had a roughneck buddy. I've been laying mpulse into both of their primary shoulders the whole time, and also deployed cool shot during the round. Shoulder off roughneck, death to warhammer. Victory. 862 damage, 4kmdd, 2 comp, 1 solo kill, 263k cb with premium time and no other modifiers. I make that and more interesting shadowcat with just a uav if I feel like it. That's 140k profit after expenses on a complete group double air strike.

Crybabies eat your heart out.
If you play dumb you deserve whatever the enemy can level at you. If you want to take half your pack outside the wire then suffer the consequences. Coming here and whining about your inability to sustain breath only amplifies your bad gameplay. Consider if the problem is not with the mechanics but with the player. Strikes are not the golden goose world Enders you think they are unless you play a light mech like a baboon in heat.

[Brain Cancer]

InfinityBall, on 01 September 2017 - 06:08 PM, said:

Which doesn't explain why they're so cheap, and why they give cbills for use

Most players don't masterfully manage to get 40K worth of C-bills out of firing up the ol' redsmoke.

Much less 80k out of 2, etc. etc. You get a few C-bills back. You're still usually at a significant net loss.

[InfinityBall]

Brain Cancer, on 01 September 2017 - 07:25 PM, said:

Most players don't masterfully manage to get 40K worth of C-bills out of firing up the ol' redsmoke.

Much less 80k out of 2, etc. etc. You get a few C-bills back. You're still usually at a significant net loss.

Which is irrelevant, even if correct (you're also getting kill assists and conceivably KMDD and KB)

If it's a cbill sink, it should return nothing. Either you're right, and the returns are trivial, in which case they don't matter to the users, or you're wrong, in which case they're not working as intended for PGI

[An Innocent Urbie]

anyone who uses an airstrike really needs some counselling

[Dead Tom Kerensky]

Reduce damage significantly and cause the area hit to have a large increase in environmental heat

[Y E O N N E]

Dead Tom Kerensky, on 01 September 2017 - 07:33 PM, said:

Reduce damage significantly and cause the area hit to have a large increase in environmental heat

You know...that second idea? I think that has some merit, but as the targeted result rather than a token disincentive. If we had a strike that dropped combustion weapons dealing very little damage but jacking the heat up in an area, that would definitely break up a deathball without the hassle of insta-booping certain 'Mechs.

[Khobai]

need one strike per mech limit

it was fine when we had that. it would be fine if we went back to that.