Patch PATCH NOTES - 1.4.175.0 - 17-JUL-2018 - MORE WEAPON BALANCE CHANGES

Thread in 'Official 'Mech News' started by Remover of Obstacles, Jul 13, 2018.

  1. https://mwomercs.com/news/2018/07/2104-patch-notes-141750-17jul2018

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    Missiles
    LRMs
    • LRM 5
    - Heat reduced to 2.2 (from 2.4)
    • LRM 10
    - Heat reduced to 3.6 (from 4)
    • LRM 15
    - Heat reduced to 4.5 (from 5)
    • LRM 20
    - Heat reduced to 5.4 (from 6)

    Clan LRMs
    • Clan LRM 5
    - Heat reduced to 2.25 (from 2.4)
    - Spread increased to 4.55 (from 4.2)
    • Clan LRM 10
    - Heat reduced to 3.7 (from 4)
    - Spread increased to 4.55 (from 4.2)
    • Clan LRM 15
    - Heat reduced to 4.65 (from 5)
    - Spread increased to 5.55 (from 5.2)
    • Clan LRM 20
    - Heat reduced to 5.6 (from 6)
    - Spread increased to 5.55 (from 5.2)

    LRM Design Notes: The core role of the LRM in the greater weapon lineup is to have a ranged DPS weapon option at an economic tonnage investment point with the core drawbacks coming in the form of inconsistent DPS due to weapon spread and a number of options available to the opposing player that blunt incoming damage (AMS) or counteract the locking mechanics that can often hard counter the weapon system. After review of community suggestions and aligning it with our own internal data, we feel that the general proposal aligns with our overall goals for the weapon and agree that they could use a bit of a boost to their sustainability provided they can maintain solid weapon locks.
    Where we will deviate in opinion from the commonly reference community proposal is in its assessment of the Clan factions version of the weapons. Despite the IS and the Clans being treated as separate factions, we want to keep design consistency when it comes to the core roles for the weapons that are shared between the factions. Having such a separation goes against the core role we want the weapon to occupy. While we understand where the feedback is coming from when it comes to certain clan performers, this is not consistent with the entirely of the clan lineup. As 'Mechs that are limited more on a tonnage basis due to weight class or locked equipment need to be accounted for just as much as those that can effectively utilize more heat sinks. So we have opted instead to shift the properties on the clan launchers to be more consistent with other clan missile systems such as SRM which come in at significantly less tonnage then their IS counterparts. The Clans will still benefit from improvements with overall sustainability of the weapon system to play into the weapon's core role, but that damage, much like their SRM counterparts, will be less focused overall to account for their significantly lighter tonnage launchers.
    As mentioned with the design notes for the previous LRM velocity changes, these are changes that we are closely monitoring at all levels and do have plans to bring elements of the LRMs into line should we determine that they are swinging in an undesirable direction. Up until this point we feel it has not crossed that line yet, but we do recognize the increased feedback on the current state of LRM play and should these changes push it over that point, we will take action to bring the weapon system into line.
    SRM / Streak SRM
    • SRM 6
    - Heat reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Cooldown reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Heat penalty increased to 2.6 (from 1.75)
    • Clan SRM 6
    -Heat reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Cooldown reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Heat penalty increased to 2.6 (from 1.75)
    • Streak SRM 6
    -Heat reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Cooldown reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Heat penalty increased to 2.6 (from 1.75)
    • Clan Streak SRM 6
    -Heat reduced to 3.75 (from 4)
    -Heat Penalty increased to 2.75 (from 1.85)
    SRM Design Notes: While well represented, we feel that the current use of SRM 6's depends too much on a 'Mechs ability to bring a significant amount of launchers into play. Most of the time when hard points are of little concern, we find that SRM 4s tend to be the more individually effective weapon system at the niche we wish SRM's to occupy, while effective SRM 6 use tend to solely be reserved for Mass damage alpha strikes often shrugging off the current heat penalties when hard-points allow for it. This is not the spot we wish to see the SRM 6 occupy. Not only because it only places value in the weapon if you have the capability to bring a large amount of launchers, but also because it puts it into more direct comparisons to the potential up-front damage of high tube MRM launchers. We feel this leads into a situation where large numbered SRM vs. MRMs overall roles tend to overlap with not enough distinction between the capabilities of SRM6s vs. MRM's at closer ranges.
    To this end, we are improving the overall heat and cooldown properties of the SRM 6 to better align with the other SRM launchers to reinforce SRM 6's as the most heat efficient and tonnage efficient launcher, but still leaving the faster cooldowns and tighter missile spreads firmly in the realms of the SRM 4 and 2. But still more effective DPS at a much more efficient heat rate then MRMs. Because of this reduction in heat, and us not desiring the primary function of SRM's to remain only when you are deliberately breaking the heat scale on the weapon, we are increasing the penalty to the weapon's heat scale. This change is tuned to have comparable total heat when you fire 5-6 launchers simultaneously to where it was prior to these changes, but past this point higher number of launchers will face stiffer penalties, and deliberately breaking the heat scale will completely negate the heat buff we are attempting to give the base launcher. This was done so that the overlap that currently exists between the mass damage alphas of SRM's vs. MRMs can remain comparable to where it is now in short engagement windows, but with split fire, or a lower number of launchers, the SRM 6's will have a much more efficient DPS and sustainable heat which should allow them to more easily beat out MRM based builds when engaging at close ranges.
    ATM
    • ATM 3
    -Missile Volley duration reduced by 50%
    ATM design notes: On our end the core thing we find holds the ATM 3 back is the ability for AMS to effectively hard counter the launcher. We are tightening the spread by 50% to account for the low number of missiles to make this form of launcher a bit more effective at being able to cut through AMS fire a bit more efficiently.


    • AMS
    -Ammo increased to 2200 per ton (from 2000)
    -Ammo increased to 1100 per half ton (from 1000)
    • Clan AMS
    -Ammo increased to 2200 per ton (from 2000)
    -Ammo increased to 1100 per half ton (from 1000)
    • Laser AMS
    -Heat reduced to 2.85 (from 3)
    • Clan Laser AMS
    -Heat reduced to 2.85 (from 3)
    AMS Design notes: With the increases in LRM sustainability with this patch, we also wanted to target increases in the sustainability of the AMS systems.
     
    Dagonus and Excalibaard like this.
  2. Excalibaard

    Excalibaard 101 010 Staff Member

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    I'll put it in the official news, thanks for the thread.
     
  3. Excalibaard

    Excalibaard 101 010 Staff Member

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