Future Role Of Light Mechs
#1
Posted 23 January 2013 - 06:53 PM
we can kill lights again!! huzz..wait
If lights have light armor, mobility was their primary survival advantage, and given the extraordinarily thin content as far as objectives and strategic support, lights were fast hit-and-strike brawlers or ECM platforms...what will lights become now?
I like light mechs. I think it's important that they have some role in the mechwarrior universe beyond "that mech that you start with and try to get out of as fast as possible into a bigger chassis and never look back"
Light's should be vulnerable - I'll be the first one to grant that their unprecedented survivability under the previous lag-shield issues relegated them to surprisingly effective brawlers. Light mechs could reasonably duel with much, much heavier mechs, or sweep through large companies of enemy mechs, marking/reconning targets before running out again
sadly, I feel they *needed* this for the current form of balance - with no significant recon ability thanks to the limited tactical intelligence features of the game, and no significant role in objective completion, thanks to the really thin objectives design, the only real feature for any mech is killing other mechs at the moment, and all that varied was *how* the mechs killed each other - devestating slugfests with walls of weaponry, or light dodgy harassing mechs with wolfpack type tactics
now that lights are easier to hit, the field currently lies considerably more in favor of heavier chassis.
I'd really like to encourage the development of more detailed tactical intelligence features, larger map design, and more complex objectives so that lights and fast mediums, and probably mediums in general, can still have a significant role to play.
#2
Posted 23 January 2013 - 06:56 PM
Sorry, you'll get no sympathy from me. A good light pilot will now be defined as the one staying out of harms way while feeding intel to his team and not the bum rushing, assault eating exploiter.
Edited by Biglead, 23 January 2013 - 07:00 PM.
#3
Posted 23 January 2013 - 06:58 PM
#4
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:00 PM
#5
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:01 PM
Especially with the bigger maps coming, lights will still be extremely important.
Edited by Llyranor, 23 January 2013 - 07:03 PM.
#6
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:01 PM
Edited by Terran123rd, 23 January 2013 - 07:02 PM.
#7
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:02 PM
#8
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:02 PM
Once they incorporate more objectives other than the redundant "kill/cap" objective, lights will serve a more useful purpose other than being just an annoyance.
Edited by Bhael Fire, 23 January 2013 - 07:03 PM.
#9
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:03 PM
I also foresee that LRMs will become a major thing again with all the heavier chassis running around, so a light with ECM can get behind enemy lines and jam up their fire support. Assuming it isn't a trio of D-DCs, which I also foresee returning in force.
#10
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:04 PM
Some really good light pilots I saw did some good scouting and spotting. There were the ones that found LRM boats and harassed killed the hell out of those. And I think the ones that impressed me the most, were the ones that would "shadow" the heavys and assaults. Those were rare but they were awesome, they wouldn't circle you relying on their amazing lag shield skills, they would get behind you and match your speed, and keep moving so they would never be able to even see them, you really needed teammates then.
Now since then, the damage you could do got increased (better heat dissipation) , so I don't see why good pilots couldn't do that again. Now the A7S clowns that only knew how to run around in circles... well sucks to be you. Just wait till collisions are brought back, all of you will be crying how terrible lights are, and making threads "why run anything other then assault mechs"
#11
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:05 PM
They have the same role they had before in CB: scouting, tagging, identifying, flanking, capping. And they can do all that from the flanks and sides and at stand off ranges.
They just cant flit into the battleline with the warwagons and shrug off fire like raindrops.
Lights are akin to Frigates, Escorts and Destroyers in the battle formations of naval combat. They should never have been in the battleline with the heavy guns of the battleships and battlecruisers. And the fact that this game let them be there was a glaring gaping huge hole that needed fixed.
I also think that the natural progression of this fixed situation will be toward light pilots moving into the medium mech ranks.
Edited by Hillslam, 23 January 2013 - 07:09 PM.
#12
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:06 PM
as an exclusive COM-2D (I've tried others, don't care for them) pilot I don't find collisions would be a problem is the maps were larger, and less congested.
Think of the classic "SNAKE" game, more room; less collisions.
#13
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:06 PM
#14
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:07 PM
#15
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:09 PM
Edited by Arthel, 23 January 2013 - 07:10 PM.
#16
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:10 PM
Peekaboo I C JU, on 23 January 2013 - 07:00 PM, said:
Ermm, if I am understanding you correctly, I'll have to disagree. Customization can only take you so far. Yes you do have some options, but roles are very much alive here... You can only stick so much armor and weapons on a 30 ton chassis (only so much s...tuff you can fit in a 5 pound bag). I also don't see you being a very effective scout in an atlas, unless you are a part of 2 Steiner lances.
#17
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:20 PM
#18
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:30 PM
#19
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:31 PM
During Closed Beta we had Knock Downs.... and that REALLY showed you who the skilled pilots were. You only dare'd pilot a light if you were competent in your piloting and disciplined in your route planning. They were winning force of your team because with the evasive game in mind, they played the information warfare card, and really helped the team come out on top. Since the removal of knock down, you started to see a lot of brawling jenners.... and that's when the issues started. The lights went from the most skilled required, to none at all, just strafe and win.
Light's will become what they were built to be, fragile to the unskillful.
#20
Posted 23 January 2013 - 07:35 PM
Tex1013, on 23 January 2013 - 06:53 PM, said:
i
and what is the problem with this?
Seriously, role of lights? your joking right.
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