23 replies to this topic

[Gierling]

Lets use this thread to discuss any positive/negatives with the visuals on the weapons that were changed/added in the last patch.

I have to say most of them look very good, but AC2 and AC5 on the Blackjack look overly short and stubby. They don't extend as far out as the Ultra AC2 (which looks way better).

[Jay Leon Hart]

Blood Asp nerf - DO NOT WANT

Glad the BattleMaster looks pretty much the same

[stealthraccoon]

Now if only we can get dynamic hunches for ALL HBK’s...

[Spheroid]

They didn't change anything old, they merely added the models for the civil war era weapons. Why are you going on about standard AC-2?

[Nightbird]

No images? I am disappoint

[Gierling]

Spheroid, on 19 June 2018 - 12:43 PM, said:

They didn't change anything old, they merely added the models for the civil war era weapons. Why are you going on about standard AC-2?

Because the AC2 and 5 are now different looking on the blackjack, which I believe to be a bug. They are shorter as can be seen clearly when comparing it to the mechlab preview screenshot.

[Spheroid]

My supply of old AC-2 and AC-5 images is quite limited. Had they not altered the mech portrait beauty shots after the mechlab walkaround patch this topic would be much easier. If there is an error it is more probable the previous AC-2 model was using the AC-5 visual.

Edited by Spheroid, 19 June 2018 - 02:33 PM.

[Spheroid]

[Gierling]

Spheroid, on 19 June 2018 - 02:58 PM, said:

The AC5 appears shortened as well, so I don't think this was a case of the AC2 using the AC5's visual as the AC5 visual has changed as well.

[feltonfolders]

PGI can I please get my long barrel AC/2 back on the blackjack. What is it a baby AC/20 barrel???
The original AC/2 barrel made sense, the longer the barrel the higher velocity which for the AC/2 is 2000.
I personally think it's a bug but can we please get this fixed.
And it kinda looks silly...

[ChapeL]

They changed the shoulders on the Battlemaster. The BLR-1G (P) now has gloss black special geometry. Geometry upon which you could apply a pattern and color before the patch. It now looks like permanent bolt ons. Would be cool if it could just be removed... then again they modified the shoulders on the regular Battlemaster too.

I realize this is the treatment the Clan omnis with special geometry got but what happened to "if it ain't broken don't fix it" ?

[Y E O N N E]

Standard ACs on the Blackjack are all too small; too short and too narrow. Rifleman has the same problem. You look at the same guns on a Jagermech and they are absolutely massive. The AC/10 is HUGE on the Jagermech.

Spheroid, on 19 June 2018 - 12:43 PM, said:

They didn't change anything old, they merely added the models for the civil war era weapons. Why are you going on about standard AC-2?

The Blackjack was actually missed by the earlier weapon geo update they did back in 2015, the one that resulted in VCRs strapped to Catapult ears; it was still using the old models from early 2014. They definitely updated them in this pass, and they are definitely shorter; they also lost the painted stripe they had on the muzzle that would color-key to your paint scheme. DItto PPCs.

The new AC/5 is closer to the diameter of the old AC/2, but also still shorter.

E: Also, the animation on the AC/2 for the BJ-1 cannot keep pace with the rate of fire, still.

E2: And the AC/10 doesn't animate at all; the new AC/10 has recoil animations on other 'Mechs, but not on the Blackjack.

Edited by Yeonne Greene, 19 June 2018 - 05:57 PM.

[Trenchbird]

I'm still utterly perplexed as to why it seems to many people were outright convinced that the Battlemaster was somehow going to grow HPs below the two MASSIVE HARDPOINT BOXES. Like, seriously, the cockpit-level triple laser setup is integral to the design. Not like PGI was going to change that anytime soon.

Edited by Catten Hart, 20 June 2018 - 08:28 AM.

[Eisenhorne]

Catten Hart, on 20 June 2018 - 08:27 AM, said:

I'm still utterly perplexed as to why it seems to many people were outright convinced that the Battlemaster was somehow going to grow HPs below the two MASSIVE HARDPOINT BOXES. Like, seriously, the cockpit-level triple laser setup is integral to the design. Not like PGI was going to change that anytime soon.

Look at the Banshee BNC-3M... it got ruined.

[JediPanther]

Haven't ran my shadow hawks. Does the gun barrel still take up 1/3rd the screen yet look perfectly straight in mech lab?

[Y E O N N E]

Eisenhorne, on 20 June 2018 - 08:37 AM, said:

Look at the Banshee BNC-3M... it got ruined.

The BNC-3M (and 3S and 3E) never had geo built into the model of the 'Mech to accommodate the lasers, it just had tiny lenses pasted on top as textures. The Battlemaster has actual, physical locations where those lasers have to go, otherwise they need to remodel it.

That said, this brings up a good point: why are the artists bothering to place laser boxes in places that already had dynamic laser lenses? What was wrong with the custom-tailored lenses that those 'Mechs had? The BJ, for example, had its lenses built right into the arms and it was seamless. Now it has ungainly boxes tacked over top and it looks silly.

[Alex Morgaine]

my hunchies lost the round laser wrist guns ;_;

[Cloves]

JediPanther, on 20 June 2018 - 09:08 AM, said:

Haven't ran my shadow hawks. Does the gun barrel still take up 1/3rd the screen yet look perfectly straight in mech lab?

Maybe 1/5 for the 3 rac2 build, yes the barrels are visible to the left as you look at the battlefield.

[Verilligo]

Yeonne Greene, on 20 June 2018 - 10:45 PM, said:

That said, this brings up a good point: why are the artists bothering to place laser boxes in places that already had dynamic laser lenses? What was wrong with the custom-tailored lenses that those 'Mechs had? The BJ, for example, had its lenses built right into the arms and it was seamless. Now it has ungainly boxes tacked over top and it looks silly.

Likely to make their job easier in the future, should they add more weapon systems later. A lot of the old mechs have custom-tailored geometries for their weapons. That means if you want to update a mech to allow for a new weapon system that goes in that slot, you have to tailor it to the mech again for another art update. Instead, if you simply have a hole that you can have a laser box stick into, all you have to do is create a certain sized box that is designed for all mechs of X tonnage and have the system auto-paste that sized box into the hole waiting for it. Thus why the BJ's ACs look so tiny, they have to look the same on the BJ as they do on the Phoenix Hawk. If you put super elongated or full-sized barrels on a Roc alongside all the other weapons it can have on the left arm, you'll run out of room in a hurry.

Basically, they don't ever want to have to do another art update. If that means squashing weapon geometry unique to each mech, so much the better in their minds.

[Y E O N N E]

Verilligo, on 21 June 2018 - 07:29 AM, said:

Likely to make their job easier in the future, should they add more weapon systems later. A lot of the old mechs have custom-tailored geometries for their weapons. That means if you want to update a mech to allow for a new weapon system that goes in that slot, you have to tailor it to the mech again for another art update. Instead, if you simply have a hole that you can have a laser box stick into, all you have to do is create a certain sized box that is designed for all mechs of X tonnage and have the system auto-paste that sized box into the hole waiting for it. Thus why the BJ's ACs look so tiny, they have to look the same on the BJ as they do on the Phoenix Hawk. If you put super elongated or full-sized barrels on a Roc alongside all the other weapons it can have on the left arm, you'll run out of room in a hurry.

Basically, they don't ever want to have to do another art update. If that means squashing weapon geometry unique to each mech, so much the better in their minds.

For lasers, specifically, it still doesn't make sense because they all look the same on a 'Mech regardless of type or size, so they can add as many lasers as they want and it makes no difference. I mean, I can sort of understand the Banshee case because other weapons have to mount into the same positions as those lasers might go and there was no room where they were, but for the Blackjack or Hunch? It was extra work that added no value.