Weapons, Weapons Everywhere (boy do PPCs stink)
What’s the problem with introducing clan weapons to the Mechwarrior Online Game? Well, let’s look at I the Inner Sphere and Clan ER Medium Laser.
ER Medium Laser
The Clan Tech version of the same laser does 40% more damage and has +25%. One improvement would a huge advantage, but two is huge. The problem with Clan weapons is there are weapon systems where there is across the board improvement in performance over the Inner Sphere weapons. Weight, firepower, cooler running, etc. Each adds up to give Clan Mechs more firepower per ton than the Inner Sphere Mechs.
So the problem is: how do you balance weapons that are kilogram per kilogram better than what in the game already?
Starting with Mr. Inouye’s Post, On the ER Large Laser
It’s not hard to see that the Clan Large Laser is much better. But in Part 1, I talk a bit about balancing Clan heat sinks, and setting them apart from Inner Sphere heat sinks. Clan don’t drop heats as fast, but all the Clan Mech run hotter. As this is a laser weapon, you will see why those changes are so important.
So let’s go over Mr. Inouye design ideas one by one.
Giving Clan an edge in range works even better with the Heat Sink water bonus I wanted to give them in Part 1. Because In order to cool faster, Clan pilot might want to go stand in water. This leaves them in the open without cover. But it isn’t as bad for them, as they can engage Inner Sphere mechs from a distance where the IS weapons are not as effective. Once again, we can play into different play styles for the two sides.
We do need to give Inner Sphere is a tactical weakest to exploit, in order to keep the fun in the game. So add a soft minimum range to help balance out the edge of being to engage first. It would be a gamebreaker to have the laser to 25% less damage under 90m. So that Clan like to stay at long range and Inner Sphere want to close in reduce the blows.
What this means is an Inner Sphere laser in the Mechwarrior game is dealing 8 damage over 1 sec. And a lot of things happen in a second, and your target is moving, turning, etc. Getting that beam of laser light to burn in the same spot is hard to do. So for Clan that means dealing damage over say 1.25 secs. So basically this is a great idea! Totally the way to go.
Once again, plays into Inner Sphere’s advantage of more armor and larger engine choices. This is going to force Inner Sphere design to push a little more speed, so that it harder for the longer burning of the laser to focus on one spot. In addition this allows Inner Sphere mechs to use cover to their advantage, letting them have more time to react and dodge out of the way.
So now it takes skill to use Clan laser weapons, and Inner Sphere has a way of using cunning and design to counter.
Additional changes to the ones listed: I wouldn’t make the Clan Laser 1 Critical. This smaller size is pretty powerful. It reduces the chance for the weapon to be hit and knocked out, and Clan already have a space advantage with their other equipment. If anything, it needs to be left at 2 Critical Slots.
Starting with Mr. Inouye’s Post, On the ER Large Laser
ER Large Laser
Heat
|
Damage
|
Damage per Heat
|
Range
|
Tons
|
Criticals
|
Battle Value Points
| |
Inner Sphere Tech
|
12
|
8
|
.66
|
570m
|
5
|
1
|
163
|
Clan Tech
|
12
|
10
|
.83
|
750m
|
4
|
2
|
248
|
+25%
|
+31%
|
+24%
|
+50%
|
It’s not hard to see that the Clan Large Laser is much better. But in Part 1, I talk a bit about balancing Clan heat sinks, and setting them apart from Inner Sphere heat sinks. Clan don’t drop heats as fast, but all the Clan Mech run hotter. As this is a laser weapon, you will see why those changes are so important.
So let’s go over Mr. Inouye design ideas one by one.
As an example, what would will probably be applied to this weapon is the following:I don’t think we need to nerf/reduce the range of Clan Tech. It seems to work with the theme of needing skill to use. Long range shots are hard to make.
Reduce the max range but still give it a slight edge over IS tech. Change from 750m to 660m for a 90m increase over IS tech.
Giving Clan an edge in range works even better with the Heat Sink water bonus I wanted to give them in Part 1. Because In order to cool faster, Clan pilot might want to go stand in water. This leaves them in the open without cover. But it isn’t as bad for them, as they can engage Inner Sphere mechs from a distance where the IS weapons are not as effective. Once again, we can play into different play styles for the two sides.
We do need to give Inner Sphere is a tactical weakest to exploit, in order to keep the fun in the game. So add a soft minimum range to help balance out the edge of being to engage first. It would be a gamebreaker to have the laser to 25% less damage under 90m. So that Clan like to stay at long range and Inner Sphere want to close in reduce the blows.
Increase the beam duration of the laser to spread damage over more time.
Once again, plays into Inner Sphere’s advantage of more armor and larger engine choices. This is going to force Inner Sphere design to push a little more speed, so that it harder for the longer burning of the laser to focus on one spot. In addition this allows Inner Sphere mechs to use cover to their advantage, letting them have more time to react and dodge out of the way.
So now it takes skill to use Clan laser weapons, and Inner Sphere has a way of using cunning and design to counter.
Make the Heat Scale slightly higher than the IS version.So with my changes to Clan Heat sinks this will not be needed. A Clan Pilot with Clan heat sinks will have to manage their heat. Inner Sphere will want to keep a steady pressure on the Clan, but Clan will want have times to break off to rest between fights. Making for tension in a battle, and adding to the fun.
Additional changes to the ones listed: I wouldn’t make the Clan Laser 1 Critical. This smaller size is pretty powerful. It reduces the chance for the weapon to be hit and knocked out, and Clan already have a space advantage with their other equipment. If anything, it needs to be left at 2 Critical Slots.
Let’s get to the hardest weapon to balance, Long Range Missile (LRM) Launchers.
Clan LRMs are half the weight and small for the same performance. This might not seem like a lot of advantage, versus the other weapons having an increase performance in all categories, but it is.
LRMs are very long ranged, and when used in groups, super deadly. Because Clan tech versions are so light, most Clan mechs have one or more mounted. Combined with the lack of a minimum range, means that Clan mechs can rely on their LRMs at any range. Hence the iconic Mad Cat crushing foes with LRMs and lasers blazing.
As Mr. Inouye Posted,
This is not needed with the Heat Sink Changes. So we don’t have to balance this aspect. Plus we do want Clan to mount missile launchers with combination of other weapons that generate heat such as lasers.
Soft minimum range as I call it. This is where I got the idea for the ER Laser soft minimum range. This is definitely the way to go. Plus it works with the idea of Clan liking to attack at medium to long range, but not fully de-clawed at short range.
What can be done is drop the damage per missile to .8 over the Inner Sphere having 1.1. This damage reduction can be additionally balanced with Clan Missiles travel to their targets faster than Inner Sphere missiles. This makes them a little more effective to hit with over IS LRMs, but not as a strong hit so that Inner Sphere Mechs have a chance. But because they are so useful, Clan will have more launchers on the battlefield.
Still two more balancing points are needed. As I talked about in Part 1, Inner Sphere has ECM, and Clan will not. Because ECM will make it harder to for Clan to lock on. So the LRMs will not be a 1000 meter streak in a lot of cases. This also means that Clan Mechs need to rely on Tag and Narc system to get locks. Which are lighter, and longer ranged than Inner Sphere versions.
The other balance point is that Inner Sphere Mechs will all have at least an anti-missile system mount, where not all Clan Mechs will have one. This gives Inner Sphere Mechs a bit more survival against Clan missiles, even when the ECM veil is down. Because of the faster missiles, a Inner Sphere polit will have to maneuver or run from missiles to improve their ability to shoot down incoming damage.
So now you have the following tactics. Inner Sphere wants to keep distance over Clan so they can use their missile launchers, and Clan is looking to close in to make them less effective. But lasers work in the opposite way, so it because a situational call when to run away or close in. Now game play is more variable and fun.
For Clan to use their missile launcher more effectively, Missile Mechs need to rely on others to light the targets up, so that they can work together to take down a target. Effectively this gives a reason to have Clan Pilots to work together, instead of soloing each weaker Inner Sphere mech by themselves. Since most of them will have LRMs, mounting Narc and Tags will be worth it. Unlike games right now, where you can set yourself up to support Missile Mechs, and find out no one in the match has any.
I have two weapon systems Mr. Inouye didn’t talk about, but need to be balanced.
The problem now is Clan have every version of the Ultra, not just the one that does 5 damage. But one that can do 20 damage. Oh, and it’s lighter, longer ranged, and takes less space than a Inner Sphere version. So much so that the Iconic Hunchback from the Inner Sphere which carries a Single AC/20 on one Shoulder, the Clan version has 2 Ultra AC/20s!
What is needed for Ultras is an all new way to balance them. First, let’s fix how they work.
What I propose is that the First Shot will always be one round, unlike the current system and just like a normal Autocannon. If pilot holds down the trigger for another shot, the next shot will be a ‘double tapped’, two round shot. The player will have to wait for a whole reload before the Ultra mode kicks in. The larger the weapon, the longer the reload.
Each time the cannon fires in ‘double tapped’ mode, you will have twice the heat, plus 1 heat for each previous ‘double tap’, and a change to jam. Chance being 5% plus 2.5% for each previous ‘double tap’ shot. Making each prolonged shot have more heat and higher chance to stop working. Here, skill in burst fire tactics will allow a user to keep their weapon unjammed, where an unskilled warrior might hold the trigger down in a panic, locking all their cannons up.
This change alone should balance out the weapon pretty well.
LRMs
Clan Tech LRMs are insanely better than Inner Sphere. Take a look at LRM-20,
Heat
|
Damage
|
Minimum Range
|
Range
|
Tons
|
Criticals
|
Battle Value Points
| |
Inner Sphere Tech
|
6
|
1.1
|
180m
|
1000m
|
10
|
5
|
181
|
Clan Tech
|
6
|
1.1
|
0m
|
1000m
|
5
|
4
|
220
|
+Say What?%
|
+50%
|
+20%
|
Clan LRMs are half the weight and small for the same performance. This might not seem like a lot of advantage, versus the other weapons having an increase performance in all categories, but it is.
LRMs are very long ranged, and when used in groups, super deadly. Because Clan tech versions are so light, most Clan mechs have one or more mounted. Combined with the lack of a minimum range, means that Clan mechs can rely on their LRMs at any range. Hence the iconic Mad Cat crushing foes with LRMs and lasers blazing.As Mr. Inouye Posted,
The fact that the Clan version of LRM-20s have no minimum range is a huge problem. What you effectively now have is a Streak SRM-20 available to you if we cut minimum range to 0. The fact that this weapon weighs half as much and takes up 1 less slot makes this a significantly over powered system.
The following will probably be applied to this weapon system:
Base heat increase to [7]
Minimum range stays at 180m but LRMs can be fired. The damage ramps from 0 to 1.1 in an exponential curve. i.e. Damage is minimal in the [0]-[100]m range and increases to full damage between [101] and [180]m ranges.
Soft minimum range as I call it. This is where I got the idea for the ER Laser soft minimum range. This is definitely the way to go. Plus it works with the idea of Clan liking to attack at medium to long range, but not fully de-clawed at short range.
Possible adjustment to [7] tons.Sorry, this won’t work. That’s why it’s hard to balance the LRMs for Clan. The weight is very important to preserve. The increase in weight affects a lot of designs, and mechs will have less weight for heat sinks, making the weapon infuriating as the mech will run too hot. What we need is to balance it in some other way.
What can be done is drop the damage per missile to .8 over the Inner Sphere having 1.1. This damage reduction can be additionally balanced with Clan Missiles travel to their targets faster than Inner Sphere missiles. This makes them a little more effective to hit with over IS LRMs, but not as a strong hit so that Inner Sphere Mechs have a chance. But because they are so useful, Clan will have more launchers on the battlefield.
Still two more balancing points are needed. As I talked about in Part 1, Inner Sphere has ECM, and Clan will not. Because ECM will make it harder to for Clan to lock on. So the LRMs will not be a 1000 meter streak in a lot of cases. This also means that Clan Mechs need to rely on Tag and Narc system to get locks. Which are lighter, and longer ranged than Inner Sphere versions.
The other balance point is that Inner Sphere Mechs will all have at least an anti-missile system mount, where not all Clan Mechs will have one. This gives Inner Sphere Mechs a bit more survival against Clan missiles, even when the ECM veil is down. Because of the faster missiles, a Inner Sphere polit will have to maneuver or run from missiles to improve their ability to shoot down incoming damage.
So now you have the following tactics. Inner Sphere wants to keep distance over Clan so they can use their missile launchers, and Clan is looking to close in to make them less effective. But lasers work in the opposite way, so it because a situational call when to run away or close in. Now game play is more variable and fun.
For Clan to use their missile launcher more effectively, Missile Mechs need to rely on others to light the targets up, so that they can work together to take down a target. Effectively this gives a reason to have Clan Pilots to work together, instead of soloing each weaker Inner Sphere mech by themselves. Since most of them will have LRMs, mounting Narc and Tags will be worth it. Unlike games right now, where you can set yourself up to support Missile Mechs, and find out no one in the match has any.
Ultra Autocannons
Ultra ACs: Clan don’t have standard ACs, they only have Ultras and LBX models. Right now LBX only fires like a shotgun, leaving the Ultra types as clan solid shot alternative. During the closed beta and some of the open beta, the Inner Sphere version Ultra AC/5 became the weapon of choice, until they made the change to jam rate so that it was so common that this became nearly useless.The problem now is Clan have every version of the Ultra, not just the one that does 5 damage. But one that can do 20 damage. Oh, and it’s lighter, longer ranged, and takes less space than a Inner Sphere version. So much so that the Iconic Hunchback from the Inner Sphere which carries a Single AC/20 on one Shoulder, the Clan version has 2 Ultra AC/20s!
What is needed for Ultras is an all new way to balance them. First, let’s fix how they work.
What I propose is that the First Shot will always be one round, unlike the current system and just like a normal Autocannon. If pilot holds down the trigger for another shot, the next shot will be a ‘double tapped’, two round shot. The player will have to wait for a whole reload before the Ultra mode kicks in. The larger the weapon, the longer the reload.
Each time the cannon fires in ‘double tapped’ mode, you will have twice the heat, plus 1 heat for each previous ‘double tap’, and a change to jam. Chance being 5% plus 2.5% for each previous ‘double tap’ shot. Making each prolonged shot have more heat and higher chance to stop working. Here, skill in burst fire tactics will allow a user to keep their weapon unjammed, where an unskilled warrior might hold the trigger down in a panic, locking all their cannons up.
This change alone should balance out the weapon pretty well.
First, this fixes the Alpha Strike problem, outputting the most firepower in one blast. Ultra ACs go from a known as an Alpha Strike weapon, to a sustained damage weapon, making it dangerous if you tangle with a Mech packing Ultra too long. Plus, when you bring in the Clan AC/20, it doesn’t have an overwhelming super blast, but it’s still scary.
Second, this adds a skill component to the weapon, so that it works into the Clan theme of mechs for skillful pilots.
Finally, I’d like to look at one last weapon. The dreaded Clan Extended Range Particle Projector Cannon (ER PPC)
This monster deals out 15 damage for 15 heat. Where the Inner Sphere version is 10 damage for 15 heat. Changing this weapon too much, will get a lot of grief from players more than any other change made to balance Clan Mechs.
Simplest change: we are going to need a soft minimum range on this weapon, ramping damage from 0 to full under 80 meters.
Sadly, that is not enough. Unlike the other weapons, Clan ER PPCs offer range, firepower and strong alpha. So we need to do something crazy.
Normal PPC is a like a single lightning bolt that flies quickly to the target. The advantage over lasers is that the damage is dealt in one single strike. Remember how it’s hard to get a laser to strike one area? Not so with a PPC.
So to balance it out the Clan version will need to fire 2 bolts of 7.5 damage each, with a small delay between the bolts. Now the weapon takes some skill to focus all the damage on one section of the target. Still deadly, but gives the Inner Sphere a chance to distribute the damage.
Sure, that’s a few weapons, but I think that outlines how to balance Clan weapons in a way that gives them a different feel compared to Inner Sphere weapons, without changing them too much from the canon.
Basically what I am getting at is that changing weapons without balancing the Mech as a whole doesn’t work. We want people to use combined arms tactics and factor in other equipment. Make it so a Clan Pilot just don’t go out and solo the first Inner Sphere Mech they see. Make it so that pilots use skill and cunning to win on the battlefield.
Next post: Battlefield Gameplay Changes. This is where all these changes will come together in some awesome gameplay.
Finally, I’d like to look at one last weapon. The dreaded Clan Extended Range Particle Projector Cannon (ER PPC)
ER PPC
This monster deals out 15 damage for 15 heat. Where the Inner Sphere version is 10 damage for 15 heat. Changing this weapon too much, will get a lot of grief from players more than any other change made to balance Clan Mechs.Simplest change: we are going to need a soft minimum range on this weapon, ramping damage from 0 to full under 80 meters.
Sadly, that is not enough. Unlike the other weapons, Clan ER PPCs offer range, firepower and strong alpha. So we need to do something crazy.
Normal PPC is a like a single lightning bolt that flies quickly to the target. The advantage over lasers is that the damage is dealt in one single strike. Remember how it’s hard to get a laser to strike one area? Not so with a PPC.
So to balance it out the Clan version will need to fire 2 bolts of 7.5 damage each, with a small delay between the bolts. Now the weapon takes some skill to focus all the damage on one section of the target. Still deadly, but gives the Inner Sphere a chance to distribute the damage.
Sure, that’s a few weapons, but I think that outlines how to balance Clan weapons in a way that gives them a different feel compared to Inner Sphere weapons, without changing them too much from the canon.
Basically what I am getting at is that changing weapons without balancing the Mech as a whole doesn’t work. We want people to use combined arms tactics and factor in other equipment. Make it so a Clan Pilot just don’t go out and solo the first Inner Sphere Mech they see. Make it so that pilots use skill and cunning to win on the battlefield.
Next post: Battlefield Gameplay Changes. This is where all these changes will come together in some awesome gameplay.
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