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[TP1024]

Shortest version: Introduce dual lasers for IS - mounting two identical IS standard lasers on a single hardpoint.

They would have the same range and damage as s/m/l clan heavy lasers, but have three times their weight. This is balanced somewhat by their shorter duration, cooldown and lower heat. They would use 1,2 and 4 critical slots respectively. Ghost heat should kick in if more than 2, 3 or 4 are fired the same time.

Similarly, dual light/normal/heavy MGs could be implemented using two critical slots each, with 3 times the weight.

The weight penalty with ensure that newer mechs with more hardpoints (e.g. Osiris or Flea) will not be overpowered with their introduction and keep the power creep at bay - while allowing for more flexibility and interesting builds.

Why?

The older designs of IS mechs have a particularly hard time keeping up. No amount of skills or quirks can make up for having only 3 or 4 available hardpoints, with even some older assaults being limited to 6 - when many clan mechs can boast 10 or more. We see this problem being partly adressed in more recent mechs like the osiris or soon the flea.

This lack of hardpoints is not a universal problem. One or two large autocannons or RACs are a good armament for most mechs. New tech also adressed this issue for missle hardpoints, thanks to MRM 30s and MRM 40s, that can put out respectable amounts of damage, even in mechs that only have one or two missle hardpoints.

But two areas do stand out. Lasers and MGs. IS mechs simply cannot carry adequate numbers of machine guns (The Flea will be the first exception). IS mechs using dual MGs to make up for their shortness in hardpoints will have to sacrifice some available mass, but it would give the options and make for more interesting builds.

Clan mechs can also carry massive numbers of lasers (and especially heavy lasers) and do corresponding amounts of damage. Even with the dual lasers, IS will not be able to match them and the weight penalty will ensure they won't. (That's what the quirks and are for, and generally lower armor of clan mechs.)

1,5 ton dual small lasers will make pretty good knifes for light mechs. Trading weight for higher damage, at lower heat and lower range. They would do more damage than medium pulse lasers, but those have 50% more range. So it is balanced and a good choice, when the number of available hardpoints is an issue. While there is a mean Firestarter build with 8 dual light lasers - it would need to give up 4 tons compared to a medium laser build (which is the whole point of the weight penalty) and half the range.

3 ton dual mediums will bridge the gap between medium lasers and large lasers. They would be trading weight for range, which is exactly what several of the older light and medium mechs need. Of course, it would be a stupid choice for mechs with spare energy hardpoints (after all, they do as much damage as two medium lasers for the weight of three), but not for those that don't have those hardpoints.

While the 12 ton dual large laser is almost comically heavy compared to the merely 4 tons of the heavy large. But it would be a respectable weapon with lower heat, shorter duration and shorter cooldown. I would certainly put one in the single high energy hardpoint of my Dragon 1N. Stray energy hardpoints could be turned from supplementary to major damage dealer in some mechs, but always at the cost of two tons (and no option of going for ER lasers).

And again. Newer mechs with many hardpoints would see limited benefits, keeping reigns on the power creep, while making older mechs more attractive.

That said: Laser vomit (and also the most massive arrays of machine guns... so yeah ... the Piranaha ...) needs to be nerfed overall (and thankfully this is being done). But that is no reason not to keep lasers balanced among mechs.

[Sir Immortal Shadow]

I've thought very much the same thing myself.
One little note I want to make about machine guns though, I think MG arrays should have a fixed weight increase.
Something like Twin MGs weighing 2 Tons and Twin HMGs weighing 3
1.5 Ton twin MGs would make Heavy MGs basically obsolete. Even if they go with my idea to boost HMGs damage in exchange for lowering their crit bonus.

Edited by Sir Immortal Shadow, 07 March 2018 - 08:15 PM.