(the beer is in the ice cooler to the left of the snack table and the hard liquor is in the cabinet under the bar)
Ken - I'm all for common sense penalties with gear and weapons as , well... they make sense. Examples being flying gear being susceptible to missiles, freeze gear being susceptible to projectiles, etc. I even agree with niode gear and weapons having a significant advantage over it's crystal counterparts.
What I find highly annoying (I believe I used the phrased "Pissed Off About") is limitation on the numbers of certain weapons that you can obtain. Do you have a full line of Fexts? Well unless you dump a shit tone of $$ into niodes, you'll be using lasers 40 levels below you to compensate for the numbers. Have 5 Ignis? Which is even more plausible since it's been a prize for so long? Same thing. You end up filling weapon slots with weaksauce flame-spitters. Unless a factory was taken out due to sabotage or incursions, putting a limit on the number of weapons manufactured is just idiotic.
Ron - Limitations on weapons is a raw topic for all of us....the previous round table on that one left us all with a bad taste in our mouths....I'm with you....if there are going to be any limitations on weapons there needs to be a sound and solid reason for it.....but, what I am asking in this discussion is should heavier gear require more slots than lighter gear
Ken - In a way, I feel the limitations are built in. An engine for a light mech will give you +25 speed while the comparable engine for a 100 tonner gives you +5. Why? Size.
Processors for light mechs will give you a +4 or +6 precision while processors for larger mechs go up over +10. Why? More room for processing chips.
Now at the same time, I do see inconsistencies to this formula. mech cockpits over 80 tons seem to suffer in the precision department as opposed to getting better. Why...
Without going back through, several pieces of gear exclusively made for 100 tonners suffers as opposed to the 80-95 ton gear range, when it had been doing nothing but improve up to that point.
This is an inconsistency that makes no sense. It's like we're being punished for fielding larger mechs.
Pat - Bigger equipment pieces to take up more slots and deliver more actual stat mods as opposed to the crap show we have now hell yes I'm all for it. Limits to me make no sense as I said in the last convo if you can afford it you should be able to buy it. Now if said item is on sale in the mystery vortex you have a chance at getting it so technically it is still available beyond the limits listed in the shop. But that is a one in however many chance. I want an option past the shop, past the pirate controlled vortex, gimme....a junk dealer! Yeah a junk dealer don't you see? Then we can go over the limits listed and the parts make sense to be vulnerable or take negatives to stats because they are refurbished parts.
Also we need to know basic stat limits of mechas . Okay for instance does the formula for mecha speed have a top number the rng just doesn't go above? What is it? What is the upper limit for things like Precision? Where is the line for dodge?
See that is what makes this game so frustrating, we have an idea of what we want the mecha to do in game and how it should look stat wise. But unless you seriously crunch the numbers and get all spread sheet with it no real explanation has been offered up. For instance.... Okay what does dodge do? It allows you to avoid incoming fire. But how? your number has to beat theirs and throw in some random luck with the rng. Okay well how do we build those numbers up, what effects what, where are the numerical cut offs and what past that is a waste of resources? Cause by rights I have a 129 Precision rating on my fave Boreas, and he hits maybe 50% of the time. I want to understand in game rules why he is missing, what I can do to correct this and how to pad for future fights. See that is a problem I'm level 117 been playing for over two years and still have very simple basic rules questions. Imagine what it is like for a newbie?
Ron - Now that opens up an entirely new possibility Patrick....used and refurbished parts.....bonuses and penalties based on the quality of the item in question....examples: poor, standard, above standard, premium.....giving mod.s of -5, 0, +5 and +10 to the speed bonuses on an engine.
David - I'm just making sure I have the topic right in my mind... would you be wanting to fit a 100 ton piece into a 50 ton chassis, on the understanding it will take 2 slots on the 50 instead of 1 on the 100?
Because to me, you already have larger 'sized' slots on bigger mechs, that's why they can take gear in the larger tonnage range.
Besides, bigger mechs have more slots anyway, so as an example, to get +10 speed, a 100 tonner has to use 2 x kinetic converters at +5 each vs a single Max Torque in a 75 ton.
Ron - True.......but if that is the case, then why does a 100 ton mech use one slot to equip an engine that is geared for 90 to 100 tonnage and also uses the same entire slot for an engine that is geared for mechs 50 to 95 tons? Seems to me you could fit two of those smaller engines in a space that large....or vice versa.
From there the discussion devolved into a comparison of mecha schematics and builds mixed with copious amounts of alcohol. Tune in next time....
Submitted by Ron Frye#879655, Kenneth Hicks#846092, David McCallum#701548, Pat Willis#224534