17 replies to this topic

[Paul Inouye]

This is a list of what is being tuned in the immediate future. There are no set dates for this. This is just a FYI as to what is coming down the pipe.
In Current Development:
PPCs are being investigated.

• Heat balance?

What we are planning:

• Special effect when you are hit by a PPC that is similar to EMP.
  
• MG's will be getting a damage boost.
  
• Flamers will be getting the heat generation on enemy scaled in a way that makes more sense. You're not going to overheat a Mech but you should be raising their temps to the point that if they fire anything they will shut down/overheat.

[Paul Inouye]

Streak-SRMs - OMG NERF THEM!
Nov 23 - Update

We are very aware of what the streaks are doing at the moment. They ARE going to be nerfed. How is still under internal discussion/testing at the moment.

What has happened (and as noted in the last patch notes), was that two bugs were fixed. The first was to make sure the missiles ALWAYS hit. The second one was some underlying bug that was preventing the SSRMs from doing full damage. Now that those two bugs were fixed, the amount of damage per volley has increased due to the combination of both of these fixes.

We will be addressing this ASAP and I'll keep you updated on the progress.


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UPDATE (Nov 26,2012):

Just so you guys know, I'm not looking into nerfing damage or operation right now. This nerf should not directly affect people using 1 or 2 launchers. We are trying to look into ways of reducing efficiency when you try to boat these systems. We are still discussing the implications of some planned routes and again, I'll let you know what we start to move forward with.

[Paul Inouye]

Apparently changes/updates don't show up unless I do this.

[Paul Inouye]

Dear MWO Forums,

I know this sounds too good to be true but...

I've just finished a quick pass at how much the screen shakes for all weapons. I showed the results to Bryan and he was like "OMG this isn't an earthquake simulator!". So I went back and tuned the numbers down to something more respectible and they seem to be a lot better.

The amount of screen shake will be reduced quite a bit. The only "big" hit will be from the AC/20.

The next thing I want to tune before pushing these numbers out for testing is the amount of smoke generated by AC fire in general. Again, I'll be working with the artists on this one to see if we can come up with something that doesn't make you blind yourself when firing the ACs.

One other update... I've sped the AC/20 up from 750 to 900 m/s. This means the lead time you need to put on targets is about 20-30% less and you should be able to put more rounds on target when playing in a fast paced match. The other ACs will scale up from there.

On the SSRM direct front, another fix has gone in where the SSRMs will now use arm and leg joints as viable lock-on targets. This spreads damage out more. I'll be working with David B on testing to see if the current implementation of SSRMs along with the reduced cockpit shake and smoke reduction will be enough of a nerf to help counter the SSRM effectiveness without having to directly hit damage/cooldown/heat etc.

New numbers will be coming out soon and again.. I'm not giving you a direct date but we should be able to get this stuff into testing within the next week.

-Paul

p.s. then there was a pillow fight.

[Paul Inouye]

Screen Shake on Weapon Impact Update:

Numbers have been set. Moving into our pre-release builds today or tomorrow. Once approved by QA/Testing, we will push this into the live servers. Again, what is happening is that the AC20 will still rock you pretty hard, the 10,5,2's not so much. The Gauss sits somewhere between the AC20 and the AC10 and all missiles are at about the same level as an AC2 (which is pretty small movement).

The artists will also be reducing the smokescreen effect when you start getting peppered by numerous projectiles (ACs Missiles etc.)

Again, this is all just FYI for now. I will give you an exact date for the patch when I find out.

[Paul Inouye]

Gauss Rifle Update:

This Gauss Rifle change is going live Dec. 4th.

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Gauss Rifle is going to become very fragile.

• The Gauss Rifle is going to have it's internal health dropped substantially.
  
• Once armor surrounding a Gauss Rifle has been removed, there is going to be a high probability that the Gauss Rifle will detonate via critical hits when that component gets hit by enemy fire.

[Paul Inouye]

As I said I would keep you up to date... going into test today... possibly live next patch...

1) AutoCannon projectile speeds increasing. AC/20 ~ 900m/s. AC/LBX10 ~ 1100m/s. AC/UAC/5 ~1300m/s.
2) PPC and ERPPC projectile speeds increasing to 2000m/s (AC/2 speed).

I've also looked into doing some tweaks with the NARC and TAG systems. So far I'm planning on increasing the time that a NARC beacon lasts from 15 seconds to 20 seconds. TAG range will be boosted from 450m to 750m.

These changes will go through testing and if it feels right, you'll see them next patch.

[Paul Inouye]

Update:

• The above mentioned AutoCannon changes, NARC change and TAG changes will be in the Dec. 18th patch.

Next on Deck:

• The PPC/ER-PPC/Large Laser/ER Large Lasers/Large Pulse Lasers will be investigated with possible heat nerfs..buffs.. (whichever you prefer in terms of LOWERING heat generated by these weapons).
  
• Possible damage buffs may be coming up as well for these weapons.
  
• I've been looking at Machine Guns lately (because they're equipped on my griefer Mech) and decided to make each bullet do 500 damage. Ok.. seriously I'm looking into either a very slight damage increase or to make them crit at a higher rate with a crit damage boost. What does that mean? When you blow off the armor on a component on an enemy Mech, every shot done to internals from a machine gun has a chance of doing much higher damage than normal. I'll be working with the engineers on this and will update you as we progress on this.
  
• Flamers... who hates flamers? I hate flamers... the engineering behind this needs to be reworked to get them to a place where I'm happy with their performance. Again, working with the programmers to get this working and will update when I can.

Stay tuned and I'll let you know of progress made on any of the above.

Edited by Paul Inouye, 13 December 2012 - 03:35 PM.
Forgot to mention LPLs.

[Paul Inouye]

Update on the above:

After review, it seems that Large Lasers are working at a rate that is fairly well balanced. That being said, the Large PULSE Laser and ER-Large Lasers seem to be generating too much heat. I've found some new numbers that work fairly well and we'll be putting this into test after the holidays.

The PPC and ER-PPCs also seem to be generating a bit too much heat and like above, I've found new numbers that seem to work and have those going into test as well.

Because this is a very sensitive subject with you all, I am expecting these changes to appear early to mid January because I want to make sure that numerous Mech builds are thoroughly tested before releasing it to the Live servers.

I'll keep you updated as this progresses.

[Paul Inouye]

Just a heads up.

Due to an ambitious programmer, the critical hit system has been addressed in terms of new functionality. This allows me to properly tune the effects of both the Machine Gun and the Flamer. Where does it currently sit? It's on my lap and I'm looking into it to see if it's working as intended.

Intended being:

IMPORTANT: Crits do not work like normal MMO type games.

The crit system in both BT and MWO take a percentage per shot of that shot hitting one of the items mounted on the component that has been targeted. There is also a percentage chance that that shot can crit 1,2 or 3 times the amount of damage the weapon deals normally.

For example, the current Machine Gun does 0.04 damage per bullet. IF the Machine Gun crits, it has the potential of doing 0.04, 0.08 or 0.12 damage to an internal item. Obviously that's not a lot of damage. Hence the new system implemented allows me to add a multiplier to this damage model.

What does that mean to you? After I've completed my first pass at multiplier numbers and after it goes through testing, you will notice that the Machine Gun will become a formidable weapon when used against a component that has no armor. Basically it will start to shred items that are mounted on the targeted component.

The same will go for the Flamer.

[Paul Inouye]

Concerning the Large Laser, ER Large Laser, Large Pulse Laser, PPC and ERPPCs:

The Large Laser was pretty much on point where we wanted it in terms of heat generation. A proper scaling has been done to the rest of the mentioned weapons (i.e. they have all been reduced in terms of heat generated).

You will see these changes in the next patch on Feb 5th and the exact numbers will be in the patch notes.

The PPC/ERPPC vs ECM

• Hitting an ECM enabled Mech with a PPC/ERPPC will disable the ECM functionality for 5 seconds.
  
• After 5 seconds, full ECM functionality returns.
  
• If an ECM is disabled and the ECM enabled Mech is hit with a PPC/ERPPC again, the 5 second counter resets to 5. It will be possible for a very skilled PPC/ERPPC shooter to disable ECM on a Mech for as long as they can keep chain hitting the ECM Mech.
  
• This will be going live on Feb 19th.

The modules "Sensor Range" and "Advanced Sensor Range"

• Will now affect ECM by increasing the detectable/targetable range of an ECM equipped Mech.
  
• "Sensor Range", the first tier, will allow players to detect/target an ECM equipped Mech 15% further away than normal (200m > 230m)
  
• "Advance Sensor Range", the second tier, will allow players to detect/target an ECM equipped Mech 25% further away than normal (200m > 250m)

How this affects gameplay:

• Normally an ECM equipped Mech can only be detected/targeted between 180m-200m. I.e. there was a 20m buffer where SSRMs/LRMs could lock and fire.
  
• With Sensor Range, that buffer is now 180-230m. A total of 50m buffer.
  
• With Advanced Sensor Range, that buffer becomes 180-250. A total of 70m buffer.
  
• Players will have an additional 50m of space to target and fire guided munitions on ECM enabled Mechs.

This too will be going live on Feb 19th.


In other news:

The crit system is taking a while to test and implement properly. We not only have to set crit chances, but we need to also adjust the health of every item equipped to a Mech. It is now at a state where we will be looking at how durable each weapon should be. Since this takes a lot of reiterative testing, this is a time consuming undertaking and will be a while before we can drop it on to the live servers. Again, I'll update you when we know more.

[Paul Inouye]

Sorry it's been a while but I'm inundated with other tasks at the moment. But it's high time I updated you on the next incoming set of numbers.

Currently under review:
MG range, RoF, and spread, slight damage adjustment.
LBX/10 Spread.
LRM speed adjustment (This has nothing to do with trajectory and clustering, just something that is needed overall).
AC/5 Range and possible dmg adjustment.
BAP improvements.

No, you can't have numbers, and no you can't have dates. They are under review at the moment and initial testing is being ramped up. This post is just so you know stuff IS still happening on the weapon balance front.

Edit: We are also looking into increasing damage caused by Air Strike/Artillery. This may be done by either increasing the damage per shell/bomb or by increasing the splash damage radius so it does more damage before falling off to 0.

Please post your feedback here: http://mwomercs.com/...cing-follow-up/

[Paul Inouye]

Update: SOME numbers, and a target date.

Machine Guns
MGs are getting their damage doubled to 0.08/shell.
MG range is going to be 120m and they will fall off to 0 damage at 240m.
MG Spread will remain unchanged for the moment.

LB10-X has had it's cone of fire reduced by 20%, giving it a bit more focused punch through it's travel space.

LRM speed will be increasing from 100m/s to 120m/s. This equates to about 5-10% more missiles hitting a moving target and it's quite a bit harder to dodge LRMs.

AC/5
After reading my last post, dunno where my head was when I said AC/5 damage would be changing. AC/5 damage is NOT changing. Their range however is increasing from 540m out to 620m.

NARC is going to have its firing distance increased as well as it's duration. This is still undergoing testing and will have numbers for you when they're ready.

BAP
Now here's the biggie. BAP is meant to increase your sensor range by amplifying your sensor systems. It allows you to get detail targeting information faster and also allows you to detect nearby shutdown Mechs. Yeah? So?... well...

BAP will now negate ECM within 150m (tuning number) of the enemy. Negate? What 'chu talkin' 'bout Paul?

If Mech X has BAP, and Mech Y has ECM, and Mech X gets within 150m or less of Mech Y, Mech Y loses all effects of ECM. It is a 100% counter to ECM. Mech Y is now vulnerable to LRMs/S-SRMs as long as Mech X stays within 150m. Any friendly Mechs to Mech Y will no longer be shielded until Mech X leaves the 150m area around Mech Y.

ECM is now a long range Mech item. A scout can now use it to remain hidden from LRMs while performing their job. A LRM/command Atlas can rain down death while maintaining LoS on their distant targets without worries of LRMs coming back at them.

ECM is now getting a dedicated hardpoint that works just like AMS. It will be located in a dedicated component such as the right or left torso.

ECM will also no longer mess with friendly IDF markings so you always know who's friend and foe.


Missile Update:
Missiles are coming along. A lot of stuff has been rewritten and we have to test and retune numbers to get them ready to be released back into the live game. So far LRM's are looking really good and SRM's are soon to be addressed as well. As of this writing we're putting the final numbers on LRMs so they'll be ready for large scale testing very soon.

DATE: All of the above is expected to be released in the May 21st patch.

As usual, responses can be posted here: http://mwomercs.com/...cing-follow-up/

[Paul Inouye]

Update: PPC/ERPPC cooldown bumped to 4.0s.

Flamers re-configured to heat a Mech up to 90% of it's heat threshold and is capped at that point. If the target Mech fires, chances are they will shut down. The more flamers you have on your Mech, the faster it will take the target Mech to its 90% cap. We do not want the flamers to directly shut down a Mech which would introduce a very nasty stun lock.

To be included in the May 21st patch.

Flame on! (here)

[Paul Inouye]

Forgot about the level of assumptions that would be made about the PPC change.

Let me clarify, this is not a change to "nerf" boating/high alpha builds/"poptarting". It's a change to put the refire rate of the PPC back in line with the rest of the large energy weapons.

Under investigation right now:
To curb boating with high alphas... we are testing a system that induces a heat scale when firing multiples of the same weapon within a specific time frame. The more weapons fired of the same type, the higher the scale climbs.

Possible internal damage on certain heat levels of the player's Mech. If you blast past your shutdown threshold and then some, you start to take damage internally.

Investigation items are not locked in and are exactly that... thoughts and tests. Do NOT go flying off the handle about how this won't work or that won't work until we make an official post. It will severely help your blood pressure.

Post your feedback here: http://mwomercs.com/...cing-follow-up/

[Paul Inouye]

Missiles Missiles Everywhere!


As you may have noticed, and if you haven't then hoooboy, the LRM/SRM flightpaths have been rewritten.

By default, there are a number of points along a flight path that tell the missiles when to change direction in their arc to target.



As you can see this is a standard arc flight path. This is not an issue at the moment.

There IS however an issue with in-direct fire. When you have a spotter spotting you and the LRM carrier does NOT have line-of-sight, we move the "dive now" point closer to the target to help hit people hiding behind minimal cover. The problem is, we've pushed this dive point too far out and have missiles dropping too steeply.



One other thing (and this was sorta mentioned in Ask the Devs 38), is that we missed the patch window by a day and were not able to get a splash damage reduction into the build for this patch. The splash damage is pushing a lot of damage to CT at the moment.

These issues will be fixed very soon. (Hopefully before the first June patch. If not, then it WILL be the first June patch)

Feedback can go here: http://mwomercs.com/...dback-21052013/

[Paul Inouye]

We are planning to push this fix out tomorrow. May 24th when we have our normal downtime for weekend specials.

[Paul Inouye]

Hi Folks,

Just wanted to let you know that I have just returned from a 2 week break so expect some new things to come when it comes to weapon updates/balancing.

Prior to leaving on break, I put in a series of requests for certain weapon subsystems to be implemented. These implementations have been completed but I have not had time to check them yet. Once I've checked and approved these changes, they make their way into a build. At that point QA attacks the feature set and I can start setting numbers.

Do not fear, I am VERY well aware of the hot topics right now and they will be addressed. I am not going to give numbers or timelines until the changes have been put forth into a pre-release build that will be about 2 weeks away from going live. At that time, I will fully let you know what the changes and implications of any balancing will have on the game.

From this point forward, in our quest to hit our launch date, you are going to see an aggressive series of weapon updates with each patch.

That being said, high on priority is the SRM spread/damage and the high alpha meta going on in the game. I'll update you on these as soon as the changes have been put into test.

-Paul

Post your feedback here!