stjobe, on 09 January 2013 - 08:51 AM, said:
I'll say it again to see if it sticks this time: With the Small Laser you only need to be on target 0.75 seconds out of 3, whereas the hypothetical 1.2 DPS MG needs to be on target for the full 2.5 seconds to do the same 3 damage as the SL.
Agreed. I see your point.
Let's see if you see mine: You are considering that the Small Laser mech is going to hold the target perfectly still in his reticule for 0.75 seconds, while the MG won't be able to do it for 3 seconds.
Why are you handicapping the pilot of the MG mech to support your argument? That's cheating.
Assuming both pilots of equal skill, if your point is that a MG will only hit his target, for example, a 66% of the time, then
you should assume that the Laser Pilot will do the same, thus hitting for less than maximun damage.
Lets run some numbers: Small Laser 1 DPS damage. Buffed MG 1,2 DPS. Both pilots hit 66% of the time they are actually shooting. Time= 3 seconds.
- Small Laser: Shoots a 3 damage laser beam for 0.75 seconds, but fails to hit his target for more than 0.5 seconds, then waits until it can shoot again for 2.25 seconds= Damage 2
- MG: Shoots during 3 seconds at a damage rate of 1.2 DPS. Again he fails to hit for more than a 66% of the time= Damage 2.4
So, a 1.2 DPS weapon does 1.2 times more damage than a 1DPS weapon in any amount of time. It seems logical, doesn't it?
And before you say that having perfect aim during 0.75 seconds is easier than doing it during 3 seconds consider this: if the target of the laser guy managed to avoid the beam during .25 seconds, the accuracy of the laser is down to 66%. To the MG robot, a 66% accuracy means that he has failed to hit his target for 1 full second in a 3 second period.
stjobe, on 09 January 2013 - 08:51 AM, said:
Finally, even if it does achieve its full 1.2 DPS we're still talking Small Laser amounts of damage here. It's not like people will be quaking in their boots about it either way. It will be useful as a ballistic alternative to the Small Laser, but it won't be overpowered - unless you want to argue that the Small Laser is overpowered, but that's another discussion altogether.
Again, I'm not arguing that a MG should be more or less powerful than a Small Laser, a Gauss Rifle, a nuclear bomb or a fire sharpened stick. I'm asking that you get your maths right and think of a fully comparable scenario when you're trying to use them to prove something.