Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
Clan ER Large lasers are one of the most outclassed weapons in the current state of the game where most fights are sub-600m due to most maps allowing for safe, covered channels to approach well inside cERLL optimum range. Clan ERLL was changed more than a year ago to have a longer cooldown, and in the past year has been hit with both a duration nerf and a heat nerf.
The adjustment to the ghost heat multiplier is done as well, so firing 3 or more still nets you the same level of heat that you get now.
Effective use of cERLL often requires constant face time, to be able to leverage the range advantage. Once the fight moves within 600m. You immediately have an inferior weapon against basically anything else. The heat change will only affect firing of 2 cERLL at a time, which on a dedicated cERLL mech means multiple groups of them firing in sequence. The heat change keeps them in the fight a while longer before the fight inevitably moves closer.
Maybe you have heard about D A T A. He is one of the best players in the game. Well, just a week ago you were on the same team in the finale of the MWO Championship.
And this D A T A deployed in all three games in one 'Mech, armed just with one type of weapon:
And what was running, this D A T A? Let's check it:
So, he spammed six Clan ER Large lasers, running Clan
Warhammer IIC Assault 'Mech.
I bet that he took those
"ranged weapons that suck" to sabotage your - and his - own team in the most important game of the championship. Because
"one of the most outclassed weapons" is the right weapon for the most important game of the season.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
It's more than just, oh... Machine guns are going to be nerf'd (they aren't). It's directly targeted at CLAN HMG boats like the VPR-F and MLX-G, both punching way beyond their weight class and even roles.
While the nerf to effective DPS of CLAN HMG affects all mechs that use cHMG at a same percentage, but due to small change, it's effect will be more felt in mechs that boat 8 or more of them. cHMG will remain the ultimate brawling weapons with almost no competition.
1) Heavy Machine Guns are a part of the Machine Gun family.
2) The nerf is
"directly targeted at CLAN HMG boats like the VPR-F and MLX-G" and therefore "
affects all mechs that use cHMG". What an example of a
"directly targeted" nerf.
I have got a great idea: If you feel that VPR-F and MLX-G are outperforming, nerf just this pair of 'Mechs. Remove or reduce their MG ammo quirks. Remove their agility quirks. Etc.
3) And one bit of my personal observation: MLX-G is pretty rare and VPR-F is even rarer in the Quick Play, at least in my games. Many players have realized that using very short-ranged MGs or HMGs is very dangerous, especially on 'Mechs that are fragile, without ECM and lose their MG arms easily. So they do not run these 'Mechs all that often. Ditto for those
"ultimate brawling weapons".
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
First, PGI has had nothing to do with the nerfs to some mechs or weapons. These are all decisions made by players in an open feedback discord channel.
It has everything to do with PGI, since it is the official game patch, implemented by PGI. Without PGI adding them into the patch, no such nerfs would happen. But of course, I understand that PGI does what you tell them to do.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
Crusader-6T was nerf'd because it is out of this world broken. The only reason it was not nerf'd earlier was because teams were already using it in the championship semi-finals and the general consensus was not to make changes that can mess with how teams are planning their games.
Crusader was released in June.
If you felt that the the 'Mech is
"out of this world broken", you have had a half of a year to do something with it.
But obviously
Crusader was not
"out of this world broken" so much, if you felt that such nerf could wait for months. So either the game-wide balance was not so important in comparison with the MWO chamionship played by the minority of players, or that problem has not been so big as you say.
Also, MWO has hundreds of 'Mech variants. Surely those championship players could have found some other 'Mech they would like to use instead.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
December patch is the first patch after the competition is finished, and it is going out due to that. The mech being release for Cbills this same month is a coincidence. I wasn't even aware of this before someone brought it up after changes has been already submitted.
I have not noticed too many threads on the forums, starting with "CRD-6T is out of this world broken - do something with it".
Actually, I am glad if I see any
Crusader in the game, -6T or not.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
Also, to set your records right, the KDK-3 was first nerf'd in July 2016, one month before it was even released for MC (let alone Cbills), Nerfing its CT structure to a miniscule value, and removing literally all of its other quirks.
Furthermore, the KDK-3 received its second nerf in November 2016, Two months after it was released for Cbills, removing even that miniscule CT structure it had remaining.
btw... the main nerf to the KDK-3 was not the mech itself. It was the addition of massive ghost heat to Clan UAC10s and linking of Clan Guass rifle and cERPPCs that brought down the mech.
Also, note that UAC10s were hit by the GH hammer before the mech was even out for MC.
Kodiak was progressively nerfed. Paying customers enjoyed a full strength 'Mech to play, while when the rest of the playerbase could have tried the 'Mech too - the nerf came.
Crusader is just about to be nerfed. Paying customers enjoyed a full strength 'Mech to play for a half of a year, while now - when the rest of the playerbase can try the 'Mech - the nerf comes.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
And again note that if we wanted to treat Crusader-6T like PGI did with KDK-3, you would have been looking at ghost heat being introduced to small laser family.
Nerf is nerf, no matter if you use ghost heat or something else.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
So, regarding the Crusader-6T. The mech is changing from a literal god mode, to something that is so powerful that it is still making a lot of other stuff irrelevant. Faction Play Clan players in particular will have an easier time, not getting spawn camped with 48 of these (yes, you can bring 4 of them in a single deck). And quick play players will also have an easier time dealing with 4-man groups of these steam rolling their entire team.
1) As I said above, I am glad when I see
Crusader in the game. I do not think that the 'Mech is as common in the Quick Play as you think it is.
2)
"Faction Play"? You mean that zombie game mode that the majority of its players left years ago?
Anyway, if you feel that there is some problem in the Faction Play, solve it in the same Faction Play.
3) If you feel that there is some problem with
"4-man groups of these steam rolling their entire team" in the Quick Play, then deal with those
"4-man groups". Not every QP player running
Crusader is a member of a premade group. Also,
these "4-man groups of these steam rolling their entire team" use other 'Mechs with the same result too, not just
Crusader.
Navid A1, on 10 December 2022 - 02:35 AM, said:
At the end of the day, a change can't be liked by everyone. People will have their disagreements, even the people who decided on these had their disagreements, and this is the result of a compromise.
You are absolutely correct:
"a change can't be liked by everyone".
You can check those two screen captures:
That trend between Summer and Winter 2022 is interesting. I guess that some players did not like some changes - so they have left MWO.
Edited by martian, 11 December 2022 - 05:02 AM.