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The Problem
Currently, shots from direct-fire weapons attempt to converge at the range of whatever is under the targeting reticle. This can cause problems on mechs with widely spaced weapons, such as an Atlas with arm mounted PPCs. Fast moving targets must be led significantly, which usually causes the reticle to float over distant terrain. This, in turn, causes the shots to be fired nearly parallel to one another, so that a dead-on salvo will merely bracket the target without causing damage (depending on its size). Also, the current system can cause shots to go wide if the reticle happens to lie over a radio antenna or other trivial obstacle at the instant of firing.
Proposed Solution
It should be possible to select an "auto-convergence" mode, in which the range to target is used in place of the range under the reticle. When no target is selected, the convergence system would revert to its current behavior.
The changes from the present system would be minimal except in situations involving long-range gunnery. New players would largely ignore the feature. If it were accidentally enabled, most would either not notice the difference or ask (and quickly be informed) why their shots were sometimes going wide (i.e., as might happen when firing at a mech other than the one targeted). Experienced players would appreciate the feature for its obvious beneficial effects when sniping.
To further reduce the possibility of confusion, the auto-convergence feature could be coded to take effect--even when toggled on--only when the reticle is within a few degrees of the current target (the exact figure to be determined by playtesting). This could even be determined dynamically, based on the largest necessary lead angle for the currently fitted weapons; the computation is inexpensive. Thus, the current range-under-reticle system would be retained for the vast majority of "secondary" targets, and auto-convergence would be used when firing at the "primary" target.
Edited by Amaris the Usurper, 11 November 2012 - 03:06 PM.
