Magic Pain Glove, on 01 February 2024 - 06:14 AM, said:
It seems like people are blind to some of the changes that happened over the course of the past year but I remind folks of things that directly benefited LRMS :
- Artemis ( kept all of its benefits vs standard launchers giving people who were already using it previously all the benefits of the below mentioned changes without it loosing anything in return)
- Missile health ( got increased ) , especially on smaller launchers making them more useful and resistant to AMS .
- Radar Depravation ( got nerfed twice , once to prevent small targets interrupting locks which was the initial 1% decrease for each node and 2nd time now to increase overall target lock time ) giving you almost 1 second of additional lock on time on target.
- ASP is now a thing in the game and it stacks with BAP , those who understand how sensor range works will know why this is a massive LRM boost. Provides a range boost for TAG to match it with max LRM range.
- BAP on the IS side got reduced in tonnage to 1 ton.
- LRM 5 is now using its own heat penalty group, unlinked from other LRMs . Which gives mechs with extra hardpoints ability to combine them and avoid ghost heat entirely.
- ECM Bubble size reduction , meaning less enemies will be under ECM Umbrellas on average
- ECM Skill tree node reduction ( enhanced ECM nodes )
There are discussions on making TAG less visible as well among other things .I would even argue that arc changes reducing flight time to target were a buff (even if by a little bit , especially for direct fire where you maintain direct line of sight on your target ) but that may be changed or reverted so there is that. I cant say I am the biggest fan of Standard LRM Velocity reduction but during the past year a lot was done to make them more consistent and it was normal that they were hit a bit as well since all those systems stack on top of one another and interact with each other . Artemis didn't even receive a penalty so if you were using it before
you got nothing but buffs to your builds.
1. Almost no one was using Artemis. And even if so, those who were using it still got hit by height reduction nerf. Not a buff.
2. At the same that missile health got buffed, AMS got buffed even more. Not a buff.
3. 1% decrease gave us 0.1 second more seconds until we lose target out of sight. Right now with Target Decay you can "see" target for 1.1 second after your direct vision on it, without TD you get 0.4 second of vision. To be able to hit target after it moves out of sight, your target has to be 300 meters away from you. Radar Derp still counters LRM at longer ranges. That's a slight buff.
4. ASP is useful, yes. But it weights 1.5 ton and 1 slot. How 20% TAG range increase is a massive boost? Since it requires space and weight, I might just as well equip more ammo or put more tubes, not a buff.
5. BAP doesn't give any bonuses to LRM boat. And "targeting gain time boost" doesn't affect lock speed, only "target info" gathering sped. Not a buff.
6. There's probably only couple of mechs with many missile slots that you utilize this build, doesn't affect 99% of them Lurm boats. Not a buff.
7. ECM nerf will provide more stable locks on your targets. Yes, this is a buff.
As I said - almost no one was using Artemis before this nerf. So most players Lurm boating got nerfed.
Distance decrease is 2%, insignificant boost, compared to overall nerfs.
By your logic, if I equip 5.5 tons and 5 slots more modules, the game will be the same for me as before. But where will I get that space? I will have to reduce amount of launch tubes on my mech, that is less painful than downgrading engine or removing ammo. And still my mech won't be as good as it was before the nerf.
Edited by Viltor, 02 February 2024 - 11:10 PM.