I think we're misunderstanding each other, I was talking about not siming things like bullet drop and windage, as opposed to the lock times and barrel heat that I believe you have already coded. In fact I think those things are all the more needed if you don't take a more realistic approach toward the aim mechanic, but could coexist with it nicely by adjusting the delay in aim so that it 'feels' right. Incidently the pre-alpha state of things is why I started this thread, I hoped to be able to start a dialog about some of the mechanics before they got set in stone. In that way, even if my ideas are not used directly, perhaps the dialog might cause ideas to come about that might not have been thought of otherwise.
It is, indeed, possible we are. It happens allot over the net. The dialog for ideas and such is exactly why I, and allot of my fellow teammates, participate in this forum. This game is as much about us making a product we can be proud of, and one that we, and others will enjoy playing for a very long time to come. Who knows when the next commercial MechWarrior product will come out, or even if it'll be anything we'll trully enjoy as a MW product, or just some ok game, so this is a product for all the MW fans out there by MW fans, so we want everyone's input and ideas. That's why I provide so much information about what I'm up to.
I'm glad to hear that you guys have an eye on tactics while you are creating this mod. As for the Mad Dog/Demolisher engagement, in CBT, just for reference, that exchange would end badly for the Demolisher most of the time, simply because it has fewer armor locations to spread the damage over, while the Mad Dog would be heavily damaged, perhaps even crippled, it would definitely be the expected winner, despite giving up 20 tons. I think I get what your trying to get at by setting it in an urban setting, that good tactics and use of terrain by the Demolisher could nullify some of the mechs advantages, but were I facing that situation in CBT, the best I would hope for would be to prolong the fight until I could get some help in play. I think the steep learning curve is a good thing, after all, it's supposed to be easy to learn to pilot a mech, but very difficult to master.
Well, fair enough. Realistically, there's not really much to be done for tactics, they evolve on their own. We're making it as realistic and fun as we can and the rest is up to the individual players, since everyone will develop their own tactics and adopt/modify the good tactics of others. It's the same as anywhere in real life, improve upon what works, and get rid of what doesn't. That's part of what I mean by steep learning curve. Especially after the game's been in use for a while and good tactics get more refined. Also, this game is likely to have as many key bindings as Microsoft Flight Simulator, so getting to where the controls are instinctive rather than requiring conscious thought will take time too.
With out knowing the particulars, I still find myself wondering if the damage will end up being too locally grouped, but rather than asking you to explain it, I'll just mention that missile systems are the shotguns of CBT. I know some people think that of the LBX, but they're more like AAA firing proximity fused rounds.
When you fire the missiles, they don't all leave the tube at the same time, they ripple fire for the salvo. Of course the mech bucks from recoil some and since both you and your target are moving it's highly unlikely that all the missiles will actually hit and even less likely they'll hit the same location. The exception to this is, or course LRM's which have a good guidance package but even those don't all hit the same spot, and some even miss completely. Incidentally, weapons ranges are not true to CBT because of map sizes and limitations we realized after trying some of that stuff out in the game. They are, I believe, true to the spirit of CBT though, which is what we're really trying for.
Agreed on the mortal combat thing not being good. DFA(Death from Above) and Charge attacks seem like they would be the easiest to implement, but without falls and their associated damage, the former would probably be used to often (it's supposed to be a high risk/desperation move) and the latter would lose some of its effectiveness. Are there plans for mechs to fall over? If so, will getting back up be automatic?
I'd really like for both to be supported. One of the major obstacles I can foresee, just thinking about it is having the mechs stand back up. This is actually even more technically challenging than making them walk, and that's not a fun project either, though in the end it'll be worth it.
