Best LRM Speeds

Based on most recent LRM changes, what do you feel like a good LRM speed would be? Did you hate that they changed it at all? Did you thoroughly enjoy the change?

We do know that it will be toned down to 160 m/s soon, but I want to get your opinions about the current speed as well.

 

I believe they are being too reactionary in their thinking... not saying that they shouldn't be listening to the players, but I think it's silly that they keep spending time on tweeking game dynamics when they are about to initiate fundimental changes to the game that may change the way matches flow anyway..... So, I think it was fine before.

 

it's always a mix of factors. I would be fine with the current speed if:
- adv target decay was lessened from 3.5 to 2.5 seconds
- lock-on time was increased for non-line of sight targeting
- flight path trajectory was flattened out a little more to provide a few more viable cover options
- i'd like to say to increase minimum range from 180 to 270, but that only works on the large maps; small maps that wouldn't be fair at all, so this isn't a real suggestion.

Mechs shouldn't be insta-gibbed from peaking behind a building for half a second from 5 lrmboats 500m away. Mechs also shouldn't have 5 seconds to slowly walk to find cover either.

Since those AREN'T changing, knowing how they were at 120 and how they are at 175, 140 seems appropriate.

 

Personally, I never had a problem racking up damage with the old stats. In Jagers, Kintaros, Shadowhawks and Battlemasters, I've had plenty of 700-900 damage games with 2-6 kills and LRMs being primary weapons. Granted, the Shadowhawks were trolls with 4x LRM5s for shake and 2x LLas to kill, however, the other builds were LRM focused and still preformed great.

A lot of the issue this last week has been with the overabundance of players using not only their own builds, but, the Trial Stalker. This has FLOODED the skies.

However, LRMs were never meant to be an anti-light weapon. The argument that they needed a speed increase because lights could evade them is like saying that BoomJagers should be able to lock on because lights were "hard to hit." LRM pilots should know better than to waste ammo on lights and likewise, a mech with paperthin armor should have the defense that their speed offers them. The LRM speed increase combined with NARC buff and SO many more players running Tag just created a perfect sh*tstorm.

I firmly believe that the former speed of LRMs made a perfect support weapon, as they should be. Enough speed to easily weaken advancing forces or support mechs already engaged in combat, but, not so fast as to prevent an Assault mech from movement.

 

I have an additional suggestion for tweaking. I am not that opposed to their speed as I have spent most of the last week piloting big mechs that shouldn't be able to get out of the way that quickly anyway. What I do hate about the current state of affairs is that on many many maps it is very very hard for me to be responsible about my positioning. I should have a way to counter LRMs by picking and choosing good positions where there is reasonable coverage from the incoming vector. On most maps right now, that is extremely difficult. The trajectory of the missile makes buildings that arn't twice the height of your mech, or cliff-sides that arn't steeply inclined useless at blocking missiles.

I would be happy to leave the time a missile takes to hit a mech about the same, as well as the current locking parameters. I would like the missiles to act more like the old MW2 missiles and have a modest parabolic trajectory. I don't think they should rain but they should volley.

 

I'm of two minds. I do feel that LRM's needed a boost as I had to literally force myself to learn and practice with them. They just didn't seem optimal for anything except screen rattle and psychological warfare. The 175 seemed a bit much but its hard to complain about 160 as that does increase the targets margin of safety, particularly for lights. The screen rattle reduction will hurt them quite a bit but significantly reduce the stress they're causing (for good and bad as they may not be loathed quite so much).

I have to be honest and say I never used AMS or ECM for the tournament but then I point damage volley rather than brawl. My problem wasn't directly with the LRM change its more that certain maps now start you spread out and totally in the open..... I can almost predict where I'll start in an assault and if lights headed straight to you you are waaaaay away from cover. Tourmaline I'm looking at you!

In fact all my rage inducing LRM deaths were on Tourmaline and Alpine Peaks but thats more the large area's with no effective cover or safe perch points for raining down LRM's with minimal danger, which left you feeling helpless to escape.

There were a few more "local" rage inducing deaths but those were raging at myself for getting lured out of cover or being plain bad. :blush:

The 160 and reduced screen shake...

 

Two things about the LRM speed:

1. It has made running my Jenners really hard. I'm fairly new at lights and getting targetted in most of these games is a death sentence. If one good volley hits I'm already down to 80%. Before the change I'd scurry for cover when LRMs were incoming and could usually avoid them. Now I get hit about 75% of the time which means I spend the whole game moving from cover to cover instead of making hit and run attacks on the enemy. Not too fun. I haven't won a game in a Jenner since Sunday and my average damage has dropped to about 100/game. I can't blame it completely on the LRM speed change, I admit I suck, but it certainly isn't helping.

2. My son really wanted to start an account and play an Atlas but only had 11M Cbills or so after the cadet bonus. He bought a D-DC and was trying to play it stock because he didn't have money to modify it to a more competitive build. The solution: sell the command module, pull the SRM and AC-20 and load up another LRM20 with about 2000 ammo and add ECM. Now he finds a good spot and hunkers down with ECM to unload his LRMs and then heads out to brawl with his 2 MLs. He can cycle through the targets and do damage to get kill assists. He is typically doing 300-400 damage and has a high of about 750. Good way for him to farm c-bills and get the basic done on his mech but also seems a little bit cheap. Wouldn't have tried the tactic without the LRM speed increase.

-Flea

 

Yes have to admit doubling up my oxide for the mastery slot has become "interesting" as anything except flyby passes, which are better with medium lasers, have become lethal. Used to routinely get 2-3 kills a match and now I'm happy with 1 and running the defenders ragged so they concentrate on me and our side whittes them down. Chained SSRM's seem more effective in that role as even atlases apparently hate being none stop hit.

Personally I'd ignore the oxide to take down the nasty target but I'm grateful they don't.

Paired up with a BNC-3E to take down a DDC, AS7-D, Firebrand and anther heavy hitter last night to hand the BNC 4 kills and survive with almost 350k C-Bills. The lack of kills (just 1 WVR LRM boat earlier) was galling as I did all the work but they must have been cursing it wasn't in the competition.

 

IMO the LRM speed increase is fine as it is - not because it is overpowered, but because it makes switching to higher priority targets take less time, as well as nearly doubling missile damage per ton.

the instakill problem can be attenuated by decreasing individual LRM damage from 1.1 back to 1 and significantly reducing screen shake/visual effect spam. currently, being targeted by multiple LRM boats doesn't kill by burst DPS, but by camera abuses disorienting you enough to make getting to cover nearly impossible.

 

wut?

Define OP.

I would love to double my Gauss damage per ton.

 

with the old missile speed, about 75% of missiles fired didn't hit at all because either the lock was broken or the target moved behind cover before they got there.

this still happens, but less often - to a point where it finally is competitive with ballistics now.

 

So, basically, you want an aimbot.

 

If shots were chosen wisely, LRM accuracy was not an issue. I think there may have been a better tutorial needed.

LRMs are support weapons. They are meant to soften up advancing forces while being spotted or offer additional support to mechs that are already engaged. This weapons platform was never meant to be a stand-alone killer like direct-fire weaponry. If a pilot chooses to rip off a salvo every time a new target pops up at 800m, they will waste a lot of missiles. However, if they work with a scout and fire at spotted (Tag or NARC preffered) targets or support their teammates that are actively engaged in combat, they can easily not only achieve high scores, but, add a significant benefit to their team.

There is no way to balance a locked-on weapon system if it can be fired and reach a target nearly as fast (or faster at some ranges) than they can react. I have seen many people suggest that LRMs should be treated as Streaks and each grouping of 5 locks onto a different structure point to spread damage more, however, this is still very difficult to balance with LRM60 boats able to lock on and drop 66 damage on a mech. There's no other build in game that can realistically alpha for 66 points of damage let alone get a lock on their target to guild their fire.

As I have previously stated, with the old LRM stats, a smart LRM pilot who chose their shots to support the team, instead of trying to be a one-man-hero, could commonly get upwards of 700 damage without having to even aim a weapon. Simply wait for the correct opportunity and support your team.

I know that none of my opinions will matter for anything. PGI has issued a mild reduction in speed and I'm sure that after a few weeks, the teams of 250LRM tubes per side will die down. I just do not agree that the weapons system needed a BUFF so much as some other kind of encouragement. People did not use them often, I know that, however, the system was sound.

 

Yeah I remember one of the HHoD and 07 team members trying to teach me effective LRM use before the Euro side split off.

Poor bastard but his willingness to put in literally hours of help and advice was thoroughly appreciated.

What he got in kills under the old system was impressive enough so just glad I never met him since the buff.

PS: Turns out I have very little ability with LRM's but at least I developed my own style to where I did ok.

 

Paul stated they will dial the speed down from 175 to 160 m/s and screenshake from 0,4s to 0,35s.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/153946-lrm-update-march-24/page__p__3246233#entry3246233

No mention if further adjustments are expected but this is a bet...sorry, forgot myself, this is a finished game so it will probably be static. Right?

 

While I agree with the sarcasm - would you really want the game to never change balance and weapon wise?

Silly comment of Paul's on weapon balance as imo you never come straight out like that as everyone just jumps on it. But then hasn't that always been PGI's problem - bad communication.

 

Haha, of course I like changes (improvements). I'm just sarcastic that it seems to always be an extreme we end up in with LRM's.