3 replies to this topic

[FrostCollar]

TAG and NARC are both pieces of equipment that seem to epitomize role warfare. They do no damage themselves, but they provide bonuses to the rest of your team! They're advanced pieces of technology that have only recently been rediscovered by the Inner Sphere! And they don't seem to be terribly useful.

I think the release of ECM has helped crystallize these issues. TAG was explicitly identified as a counter yet is not very useful for that purpose. Thus, I have a set of possible suggestions for these two interesting yet lackluster pieces of wargear.


1. TAG: increase range. Perhaps provide diminishing returns the further the target is away. Alternately, add a larger and/or heavier version that has significantly longer range.

This is pretty self explanatory. I'm wondering if TAG can be improved to a point that some dedicated LRM carriers may consider taking it themselves. Right now, if you're going to fight within 450 meters then why take LRMs to begin with? This is doubly true if you are fighting fast mechs with ECM that can close the distance quite rapidly.

This would help make LRMs somewhat more effective in a post ECM environment and could serve to give LRM carriers a fighting chance against some ECM carriers, especially the Atlas at long range, if they are willing to expose themselves rather than fire indirectly. Risk and return.

2. NARC: Add explosive pod alternative ammunition.

This has been suggested by others before, but I wanted to put it in here because it sounds like a really cool idea. Not only would NARC beacons become a multi-purpose weapon that could be used to fight opponents as well as light up targets, but something far more important would happen. NARC beacons would become pretty cool.

This might open up a can of worms where people would start clamoring for more alternate ammunition types. However, I think this would be worth it. And anyways, I wouldn't be adverse to other alternate ammunition options for thinks like LB-X autocannons - another weapon of questionable effectiveness. Again, I've heard this idea mentioned before but it's good enough that I have to mention it again.

3. NARC: Make NARC pods trump ECM protection.

Simple. If someone manages to peg me with one of them, why not give them something in return?

4. TAG: Allow users of TAG to benefit from it even when inside an enemy ECM bubble.

Also simple. I understand that a mech cannot contact friendly units within an ECM bubble, but that's no reason it can't benefit itself.


What do you think of these options?

Edited by FrostCollar, 04 December 2012 - 06:03 PM.

[Brandeis]

I don't agree with the increased range idea of the TAG, as was stated in a previous thread, the TAG range was calculated based on the TT rules which puts it at 450 meters.

I have mixed feelings about NARC and ECM, on the one hand I don't think NARC should trump ECM as the ECM does interfere with a NARC beacon, but I do think the duration of a NARC pod should be for the rest of the match, as in TT the NARC was active for the duration of the encounter.

This would allow for some crowd control, as a fast enough Jenner can tag most of the mechs in an 8v8 match with narc beacons, and those mechs would then need to group on the one with the ECM, as any mech with a NARC pod attached will be easy pickings for a LRM/Streak lockon.

Edited by Brandeis, 04 December 2012 - 07:25 PM.

[FrostCollar]

Looks like I missed a rather important post: http://mwomercs.com/...apon-balancing/. TAG range is set be increased to 750m at the next patch. That's a problem solved then. Also, NARC beacons will last longer. I still don't think that will make them comparable, but we'll see it when it comes.

[Matthew Ace]

Increasing NARC duration to 20s will probably not have any effect. I reckon it'll probably need to last a bare minimum of 60s instead.