2 replies to this topic

[Grospoliner]

There is an argument to be made for adjusting the IS-LRM damage profile.

Currently, this weapon system actively punishes the player for taking them with the 180m minimum range dead zone, as within the dead zone they're 100% useless. This discourages the use of IS-LRMs outright (even above other reasons not to use them like ECM and AMS).

In the table top and narrative of Battletech, the entire concept of minimums is to force a varied load out to ensure that a mech has weapon systems to engage at different ranges (essentially for anti-boating). In table top; PPCs also have minimum distances to avoid damage/interference to the mech that fires them, yet this is completely ignored in MWO as anyone and everyone can pointblank spam PPC all they like.

The IS-LRM damage profile should be adjusted to provide reduced damage from 0m-180m, similar to the C-LRM damage profile. This removes the outright penalty for taking LRMs. The damage penalty could be more severe than C-LRMs, but it should not be a 100% penalty.

Between the damage spread of larger IS-LRMs and say a 0-75% (180m-0m) damage profile, LRMs in direct fire would not be overpowered or imbalancing. We know this for a fact because C-LRMs already do this.

In fact I think the current C-LRM profile would fit IS-LRMs better so there might also be an argument for actually improving the C-LRM damage profile as well to help maintain clan superior technology, such as having a linear damage profile from 0-180m rather than a logarithmic one (flat damage boost), or having a lower minimum range than 180m, as in table top (flat damage at range boost), the C-LRMs do not have minimums.

[KursedVixen]

I thought the dead zone was 120 meters for Is larm.

[ScrapIron Prime]

KursedVixen, on 15 December 2023 - 05:14 PM, said:

I thought the dead zone was 120 meters for Is larm.

Nope, 180m. At 179m, damage drops to zero.

Plus, with a velocity of only 190m/s, they're too slow to dumb fire without a lock. And you lose locks almost instantly.

To be a truly viable weapon system, trailing the damage off to zero instead of going to zero at 179m is a start. But they also need to buff direct fire velocity and reduce direct fire lock times. Then they would function as half damage MRM's with a minimum range penalty that can also sometimes fire indirect. And it avoids adding anything to indirect fire, because we don't want the doom from the skies to return.