Any thing new and improved for Battle Armor?

I asked in 2 other threads and didnt get a reply....

If I missed it in all this I been reading, please excuse me my heads swimming with all this new stuff...

or are they being removed in MP4.. I havent read a thing about BA yet..

i don't think we changed them really...

i heard their radar signature has been toned down A LOT.

So no detecting BA/Infantry at 1000m

Really? thats a bummer!! if ecm and ammo didnt cost a ton I'm sure they'd see more action than they do...

Oh well I still enjoy using them in NHUA

I wish, not unlike CBT novels, you could have an option to plant an explosive or something on the mech that would then detonate several seconds later or something, and do enough damage to be worth while. I sometimes wish the claw did just a little more damage. I think as they are they are just a novelty. Granted, even with some upgrades to give them a little more hitting power they would be just that, but it would at least give them a chance to do something.

i still say - give them a TAG laser and that's all they need.

I think Jeho said something about needing to be ridiculously close to pick one up, like 50m

I definitely think the new radar model will indirectly benefit BA; they're hard to see as is, and i'm fairly sure they'll barely make a blip on seismic. You could use BA on high ground as spotters - very easy for them to get out of LOS, and they should be able to use seismic sensors as well.

The only major additional change i'd like to see is possibly making the BA claw an AP weapon, bypassing DR. An increase in damage for it wouldn't hurt all that much either... should give BAs at least a very slim chance against inattentive or shutdown mechs. Actually, BA weapons could probably benefit from having AP options in general, or making them AP by default?

Other possible change might be eliminating the tracers from BA weapons or otherwise decreasing their noticeability, so it's harder to see where attacks are coming from.

I like the idea of a BA electronic warfare options, such as the TAG/NARC beacon idea. Maybe the ability to mount C3 slaves? Or if that doesn't make sense on BA, maybe something similar to a NARC beacon that causes the targeted mech to register on radar more easily? (i.e. as per the TAG laser discussion going on in another thread)
Lighter BA versions of particular battlemech non-offensive weapons, like flares, might also be an option - shoot one into the cockpit of another mech to blind it, etc.

The issue from before was always tonnage.... because of the lack of source code MekTek said they couldnt make ECM, Ammo.. ect ect any less than a ton to add to Battle Armor...

i can see it now - an inferno boat shutting down a mech, and a couple BAs just popping out of nowhere, rending your legs while you're unable to start-up priceless

i like the battle armour and i've even been known to use infantry. it is definitely a shame they can't pack a few more electronics...

i think the BA/infantry should be used more in the scouting role, but it's the weight of the components that hinders there use (enhanced optics 1ton? heavy binoculars, those. even light amplification is free...)

weapon ranges could be tweaked a bit, too...

that's just my opinion.

The reduced radar signature should help. Getting in range of enemy mechs without getting torn to pieces was always hard, especially with the larger BA's.

while 200m is a good boost, we'll have to wait and see just how great it is.

I don't think added electronics are really all that necessary... most of my suggestions were concerning BA versions of mech utility items - like the NARC/TAG and flares. There are BA-only weapons that cost 0.5tons or less already, and since apparently the cap on weapons has been overcome you could potentially throw in BA-versions of those, like say a BA NARC beacon that goes in a missile slot and weighs 0.5 tons or something.

Actually, since the weapon cap is gone, another suggestion might be more inferno-style BA options.

Oh, so the BA detection reduction is 200m? Is that stackable with stealth armor / ECM?

Yep. The whole weight thing with BA is going to be addressed.

Awesome. I'm seriously wondering if there's a real end to the stuff you're doing to his game. Every time I think i've got mp4 figured out, you're all "Oh by the way we're going to make the game dispense liquid win in a commemorative mug while simultaneously causing you to crap bricks out of your rear due to sheer awesome overload".

i cannot wait. (mwah-hah-haaaah!)

It's not done until it pleasures me while playing.

how's the progress on that going, jeho?

Meaning? Ammo and ecm won't cost a ton a pop???

If so thats freaking awesome...

Is_hitching a ride on a mech still out of the question?

(the word filter is maybe a little too sensitive)

This ^

Can't count how many sunder matches I've played wishing I could latch onto the back of a friendly mech and go for a ride.

Hitching a ride on Soth would be dangerous though...

Well I hopethere a few new features. Its good that the radar signature of the BA is reduced. Makes em usable now. Does Soth still play? God its been too long since I had a chat with him. I really need to get the game. Anyone know whyere I can get a cheap copy of the game in the uk? Also I need to get a new joystick. Any recomendations? I've got the cash at the mo.

but then you get into things like..shouldnt this slow down the mother Fi-Con mech? (to paraphrase a term from bomber history)

and to... well if me and my buddies are hanging like christmas tree ornaments from a thor..how the heck is he able to jump so far?

levels of complexity that arent really needed

Not needed, but wanted by many. As for the speed/jump thing, shouldn't running a Mech underweight speed it up a little? It already doesn't matter about the little inconsistancies like that.

I just figure that if you see a "Hairy" Mech, blast at the BA before they can jump off and scatter to ruin your day. It really balances itself.

so now you want damage transference to the little danglers?...how much do you want them to code?... lol..i know what you mean, but seriously there are those who would argue that

and to the other side i see a cluster of "targets" grouped into one big squished up one that i have to select to target individually? kuh-huh?

Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-MechWarr...1946&sr=8-2


Not up to date with joystisks though, Ive just got a simple Logitech Attack3.

I can just imagine a 'mech with a loaded BA squad being hit by an Arrow IV cluster. Those poor guys

I am all for mechanized BA (BA that can ride on 'mechs). However they move faster than they would in CBT to start with, so I think that makes up for the lack of mechanization.

5 enemy battle armor + you in a assault mech is a bad idea.

I wouldn't say it would speed it up, but could potentially improve its acceleration -> a = F/m. ( the engine doesn't care how heavy you are)...

sounds like a nice feature to add

Ideally, it would also improve turn rates. Less inertia. I'd be REALLY impressed if that could be changed, though.

But, heck, most of what we're seeing in MP4 is stuff I would've considered totally impossible.

if it was possible to hang BA like christmas tree ornaments from a mech, wouldn't that be like carrying a bandolier of live grenades (if the splash damage from BA going 'foom' while attached is cumulative)?

sounds risky to me...

...but it'd be as funny as hell to see!



ps. please excuse the plea, Jeho, but could you furnish us with any further details on the changes/additions to the BA capabilities in MP4? sorry for pestering, but i think BA is really underused at present. i like the idea of being an ant at a mech picnic...

keep up the truly incredible work!

In regards to Battle Armour weaponry, I remember a discussion some time ago about a possible Anti-Mech Bomb.

From memory it was like a short range (100m-150m) AGL trajectory weapon that sticks to the target and deals massive damage when it detonates, balanced with very low ammo, very short range and being a Battle Armour only weapon (with all the fallbacks of Battle Armour speed/armour/etc.).

Has anything been done with it or has the idea been scrapped in lieu of the new changes?

Anyone else think that battle armor is annoying already... I hate being swarmed by them when I am plodding around the battlefield in an assault mech. They do incredible damage in large groups, especially if you are distracted by another mech. BA + Assault mech = Really Bad Day for everyone involved.

yeah, but large groups of BA, takes a large groups of players to pilot, which means a large group of players Not Piloting Assault Mechs. I still think it'll be balanced. one thing to really consider, Imagine if your in your assault mech, and caught one of those mechs carrying a squad? Think of the collateral damage!

so what about the reverse, one BA per Dasher / Flea w/ MASC , a sort of high speed delivery system

Hek, if BAs and their claws are such a threat to mechs just supersize their weapons and put them on a Flea or a Dasher.

That'll take teamwork, which im for rewarding, Don't forget 1 ba+light mech means 2 players not fielding heavier mechs. so honestly I think its a downside for them to do this.

You all don't seriously think that it's even remotely possible for them to code battle armor riding on other mechs, do you?

I'm pretty sure that's like, WAY out in left field.

Possibly, but it doesnt hurt to much to dream does it ?


"That'll take teamwork, which im for rewarding, Don't forget 1 ba+light mech means 2 players not fielding heavier mechs. so honestly I think its a downside for them to do this."

right , but you cant say you wouldnt get a good laugh to see the pair zip by...

I didn't think it would be even remotely possible to implement Directional Jump Jets, C3, Seismic Sensors, different Ammo types, different Armour types, etc. either, but they did and a couple of these look like they would be much harder to implement (at least on the outside) than Battle Armour riding on Mechs (especially without the Source Code).

It doesn't hurt to ask.

thank you

Didn't mean to sound offensive, sorry if I did.

Really, though - mechs riding on each other seems like a bird of a very different feather from new / changed electronics, altered jump jet performance, etc. from a coding standpoint.

we don't know until we try. sometimes things sound easy enough but prove to be hard... some other times it's the opposite i'm not counting the times when easy stuff is just plain easy, and when hard stuff just stays hard all along tho

I have no idea about coding, engine capabilities or what abilities Mektek has with regards to changes within the engine, but is it at all possible to take segments from different weapons and make a new one with a hybrid of abilities?

Maybe the 'sticky' from the Narc and the 'charge/fire' function from the Bombast Laser (if the code still exists in the Mercs engine) could be used for 'hold/release' to make something like this work?

I remember reading quite some time ago (maybe around the time of MP3's release) that the main problem with Battle Armour riding on mechs was the hitboxes 'bouncing off' one another. Maybe the 'sticky' part of the Claw could infact be applied to the entire Battle Armour or maybe even just a larger section or an area just off to the side of the arm (so the hitboxes dont actually come in contact with one another with a minuscule gap between them) when active to negate this?

Just bouncing ideas around.

An illustration of what I mean.



Or maybe a smaller point just off to the front of the claw if it would look better for animation purposes.

Again, just bouncing ideas around.

well BB if it can be done lets hope the Nova Cat gets to be the mech to do it . cbt kinda feel

You mean like this?

Exactly your on the ball. 4 points plus a mech for a star.