105 replies to this topic

[MechanicalWraith]

Lore Mode Engaged.

Battletech 'Streak' type missiles are designed to refuse launch unless they're looking at a suitably interesting target (the launcher has an integrated microwave laser pinging the target for, presumably, shiny stuff) in order to save ammunition.

Lore Mode Disengaged.

With that said, I'm all for dumbfiring SSRMs pending Proper Streak Mechanics - namely, an all new and technically faithful locking mechanism involving launch-time guidance (like MW4 had, where Streak missiles would track to the location under your crosshairs at the moment of launch).

Now if you really wanted to you might argue that ECM could include microwave jammers and therefor prevent SSRM locks altogether while in LoS of the launcher but that particular feature was never provided for in the rulebooks to my knowledge, not to mention rather an excessive change for MWO's simplistic ECM model.

In conclusion, I'm all for dumbfiring streaks until they make proper Streaks. We could really use a better weapon for fighting light mechs, and as it happens this particular change wouldn't actually shift the balance of power in favor of large mechs, but rather nudge light mechs towards intelligent combat rather than exploitative tactics like lag-shielding and getting under the feet of foes five times their weight without consequences.

[Nema Nabojiv]

Rat of the Legion Vega, on 06 March 2018 - 11:43 AM, said:

There's something deeply ironic about streak boat players complaining about hard counters when their entire build is designed to exploit streak's ability to hard counter non-ecm light mechs.

The glee with which they rush toward your light the moment they detect you, like salivating hyenas, tells me everything I need to know about the kind of player who loves playing streak boats.

That reminds me of salty assault players blaming lights for being cowards and not fighting face to face

[Wil McCullough]

The GaussFather, on 05 March 2018 - 02:12 PM, said:

Hi, not sure if you are referring to me... I don't recall being a big lore pusher or lore quoter.

In fact I barely read it other than look up the occassional mech on sarna. You are actually making my point for me. If it makes the game better and makes the play experience better/more exciting then don't play "lore police" and knock it down because it violates the holy "lore".

MWO is a frustrating game for a lot of players and the learning curve is pretty steep. I'm not making a suggestions that will suddenly make the game so much easier for me and suddenly change my kill ratio to 1.2 or whatever it needs to be so I can brag about it. If you didn't notice from my handle, I prefer BALLISTIC weapons over missiles. Out of the last 100 or so matches I might have played 5 with streaks... because they pretty much suck except for certain builds or situations. Now that IS has SSRM6 at least I took a second look at them... still find them less interesting than SRMs, MRMs, ATMs, and LRMs....

But hey, if you want to cast stones go right ahead, its your right to post and time well spent.

you're trying to give streaks a dumbfire option.

why on earth would you think my "lore" comment is in response to you?

watface smh

[Khobai]

Quote

Battletech 'Streak' type missiles are designed to refuse launch unless they're looking at a suitably interesting target (the launcher has an integrated microwave laser pinging the target for, presumably, shiny stuff) in order to save ammunition.

no they arnt. theyre designed not to miss when they have a lock.

that doesnt mean they cant still fire if they dont have a lock.

thats why streaks still fire like normal srms when angel ecm jams their locking capability.


in battletech, even your normal SRMs are homing missiles though. Thats why they home in on NARC beacons. they have a rudimentary direct fire guidance system.

But in MWO SRMs are just dumbfire. So in MWO, streaks without a lock should logically get downgraded to normal SRMs, which means they would become dumbfire too.

It works just like in tabletop. Streaks without a lock get downgraded to normal SRMs. The only deviation from tabletop is that SRMs are dumbfire instead of homing missiles.

Edited by Khobai, 08 March 2018 - 09:28 PM.

[Lugin]

Khobai, on 08 March 2018 - 09:18 PM, said:

no they arnt. theyre designed not to miss when they have a lock.

that doesnt mean they cant still fire if they dont have a lock.

thats why streaks still fire like normal srms when angel ecm jams their locking capability.

Wrong. WRONG.

Total Warfare, p138 said:

Streak SRMs (Short-Range Missiles)
A player attempting to lock a Streak missile on target must make a standard to-hit roll during the Weapon Attack Phase as if he were firing a standard SRM. If successful, the player immediately fires his Streak SRM at the locked-on target. All Streak missiles automatically hit (no roll on the Cluster Hits Table is required), and the player rolls as normal to determine the hit locations. If the roll fails, the player does not achieve a lock and so does not fire the SRMs or build up any heat.
The player must roll for a targeting lock each turn, even if he achieved a lock in the previous turn. The player must make a separate to-hit roll for each individual Streak system being fired.

And again regarding Angel ECM:

Tactical Operations, pg 279 said:

ANGEL ECM SUITE

Rules Level: Experimental
Available To: BM, IM, CV, SV, BA, AF, CF, SC, DS, MS
Tech Base (Ratings): Both (F/X-X-F)

Game Rules: The Angel ECM Suite works like standard ECM (see p. 134, TW), but can also block the Bloodhound Active Probe, Artemis V and C3 Booster Systems, and even negates the locking systems of Streak missiles. Streak missiles fired into or through a hostile Angel ECM bubble will not fire if the to-hit roll fails, but on a successful Streak launcher attack, the attacker must roll on the Cluster table as though the launcher were a standard (non-Streak) model.

Units with multiple ECM suites (of any type) may use only one at a time in game play. Fighters, Small Craft, DropShips and other airborne units may only use ECM suites when interacting with ground units, or in accordance with the advanced rules for aerospace combat covered in Strategic Operations.

Units equipped with Stealth Armor can use the Angel ECM in place of the Guardian ECM for the same effect, using the same rules.

[Brain Cancer]

Yep. The only difference is that in MWO terms, a Streak launch fired at a target under Angel ECM will at least partially hit under most circumstances- that is, it still locks and would likely perform much like an ATM/LRM salvo instead of bone-seeking like normal Streak mode.

And MWO doesn't even have Angel ECM, it's the next step down, which should do nothing to Streaks whatsoever. But that's part and parcel of MWO's capacity to translate game functions over, breaking things that should never have been broken in the process.