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Greetings MechWarriors,
The Energy Draw Public Test Server has been updated with a number of value adjustments based on feedback, discussions, and additional testing.
As highlighted in the original Energy Draw PTS post we want to stress that the values and features you'll see in this PTS, including any updates to it, are all subject to feedback and change. The Energy Draw system will not be placed onto the Live servers until it is determined to represent an improvement over the existing Heat Scale mechanics already present on the Live servers.
~ Previous Energy PTS details and updates ~
Heat Sink Changes
We feel that there is merit in testing - as part of the Energy Draw system - some often-requested pieces of feedback toward placing heavier restrictions on Heat Thresholds, and unifying the previously distinct Engine Heat Sink and External Heat Sink values. This test comes with certain caveats, however.
The first caveat is that we have run the numbers on the often-requested "flat 30" Heat Threshold value, and have subsequently concluded that this value would be too restrictive - even with full Double Heat Sink Dissipation rates - to be practical for builds heavily focused around Energy weaponry.
Heat Sinks will therefore still add to the total Heat Sink Threshold, but Double Heat Sinks will now only add 1 Threshold per Heat Sink. This will put the Total Heat Threshold at levels which long-time players will be familiar with from the days before Double Heat Sinks were introduced.
Single Heat Sinks will keep their current threshold values, but will unify their Dissipation Rates between Engine and External Heat Sinks. While this will give them a higher Heat Capacity, they will not have the Dissipation efficiency of Double Heat Sinks.
We will closely monitor these changes, and make further adjustments as needed.
The second caveat is that these changes, as currently structure in this PTS build, will not be a replacement for the Energy Draw system. We discussed that potential internally, and ultimately the Threshold change alone does not directly address the design goals intended with the implementation of the Energy Draw system.
Single Heat Sinks
• External Heat Sink Dissipation Rate: 0.12
• Engine Heat Sink Dissipation Rate: 0.12
• Heat Capacity: 1.2
• Engine Heat Sink Dissipation Rate: 0.12
• Heat Capacity: 1.2
Double Heat Sinks (Inner Sphere and Clan)
• External Heat Sink Dissipation Rate: 0.17
• Engine Heat Sink Dissipation Rate: 0.17
• Heat Capacity: 1
Skill Tree Changes
We are reducing the values for the following Skill Tree Efficiencies to assist with getting a better baseline reading on the above changes to Heat Sinks. These are not the final values.
• Cool Run decreased to 2.5% (from 7.5%).
• Heat Containment decreased to 2.5% (from 10%).
Weapon Changes
Gauss Rifles
With the heaver restrictions on Heat Thresholds in this update, we are re-introducing the Charge mechanic for Gauss Rifles and bringing the Energy Consumption values down to their original 1:1 values.
• Charge mechanic has been restored.
• Energy Consumption decreased to 15 (from 18).
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 6 (from 6.71).
PPCs
After reviewing the previous PTS testing data and evaluating the overall goals we wished to accomplish with Energy Draw, we feel that the previous PTS values for the Clan ERPPC presented too great a difference when compared against other weapons of similar weight, even with the drastic reduction to the Cooldown Duration of the Clan ERPPC. Restoring Splash Damage to the Clan ERPPC allows us to better justify a further reduction to its Cooldown Duration and Energy Consumption values, for roughly comparable Damage output.
For PPC weaponry in general we feel that we also had an opportunity to improve the Anti-ECM effect of PPC impacts, in an effort to provide the weapon with some additional utility.
Clan ERPPC
• Damage decreased to 10 (from 15).
• Splash Damage has been restored.
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 5 (from 6.8).
• Anti-ECM effect increased to 6s (from 4s).
• Energy Consumption decreased to 13.5 (from 15).
PPC
• Anti-ECM effect increased to 6s (from 4s).
ERPPC
• Anti-ECM effect increased to 10s (from 4s).
Lasers
Up until now, Lasers have been designed with the same Cooldown Duration values across the entire Laser size class, while Beam Duration has generally been the primary attribute that distinguishes the different Laser classes.
We feel that previous implementation left little room for adjusting the different Laser weapons without introducing undesirable results. We feel a better solution here is to unlock the Cooldown Duration attribute for different Laser types, allowing this attribute to better distinguish Lasers from each other and to give us greater flexibility in balancing Clan Lasers against Inner Sphere Lasers.
For this implementation we are tuning Laser weaponry under the following design directives:
Standard Lasers: Baseline lasers, which all other Laser types pivot around.
ER Lasers: Keep the same Beam Duration as Standard Lasers, but with longer Cooldown Durations to adhere to the previously-stated design goals regarding Cooldown differences between close and longer ranged weaponry.
Pulse Lasers: Beam Duration and Cooldown Duration will be lower than Standard Laser and ER Laser values, but some general tuning has been performed to shift Pulse Lasers into a slightly more DPS-focused role.
Clan Lasers: Will typically have longer Beam Durations compared to their IS counterparts to account for their greater Damage and Range values.
Large Laser
• Beam Duration decreased to 1.1 (from 1.15)
ER Large Laser
• Beam Duration decreased to 1.1 (from 1.3)
• Cooldown Duration increased to 3.9 (from 3.74)
Small Pulse Laser
• Beam Duration increased to 0.6 (from 0.5)
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 2.4 (from 2.59)
Medium Pulse Laser
• Beam Duration increased to 0.7 (from 0.6)
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 3.3 (from 3.45)
Large Pulse Laser
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 3.5 (from 3.74)
Clan ER Small Laser
• Cooldown Duration increased to 2.8 (from 2.59)
Clan ER Medium Laser
• Cooldown Duration increased to 3.7 (from 3.45)
• Max Range decreased to 749 (from 770)
Clan ER Large Laser
• Beam Duration decreased to 1.25 (from 1.35)
• Cooldown Duration increased to 3.9 (from 3.74)
Clan Small Pulse Laser
• Beam Duration increased to 0.85 (from 0.75)
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 2.5 (from 2.59)
Clan Medium Pulse Laser
• Beam Duration increased to 0.9 (from 0.85)
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 3.3 (from 3.45)
Clan Large Pulse Laser
• Cooldown Duration decreased to 3.5 (from 3.74)
LRMs
While our current PTS data has relatively limited information regarding the effectiveness of LRMs in the PTS environment, we have seen the feedback regarding a desire to generally improve the LRM dynamics within the PTS for testing and experimentation. We know that some normalization of the LRM class of weaponry has been a long time coming, so we examined a few methods by which we can better balance the different LRMs in relation to each other.
LRM 5
• Inner Sphere LRM 5 Cooldown Duration increased to 4 (from 3.74)
• Clan Cooldown LRM 5 Duration increased to 4.3 (from 3.74)
• Inner Sphere and Clan LRM 5 Spread increased to 4.2 (from 3)
LRM 10
• Inner Sphere LRM 10 Cooldown Duration increased to 4.3 (from 4.6)
• Clan LRM 10 Cooldown Duration decreased to 4.6 (from 5.18)
• Inner Sphere and Clan LRM 10 Heat decreased to 3.33 (from 4)
LRM 15
• Inner Sphere Cooldown Duration decreased to 4.6 (from 5.46)
• Clan Cooldown Duration decreased to 4.9 (from 6.33)
LRM 20
• Inner Sphere LRM 20 Cooldown Duration decreased to 5 (from 5.46)
• Clan LRM 20 Cooldown Duration decreased to 5.3 (from 7.48)
• Inner Sphere and Clan LRM 20 Heat decreased to 5.5 (from 6)
• Inner Sphere and Clan LRM 20 Spread decreased to 5.2 (from 6.2)
Ultra AutoCannons
Our initial Design for adjusting U-AC behavior called for distinct Jam Duration values across the U-AC line, centered around adjustments to the Clan U-AC/10 we pushed in the last patch on September 1st, but due to a communication mix-up the implementation of the Jam Duration changes ended up as a Global increase to 8s for all of the U-AC weaponry.
In this update we've fixed that Global 8s Jam Duration and have implemented the intended per-weapon Duration. As the Clan U-AC/10 is the reference point against which the other U-ACs are balanced, the Clan U-AC/10 keeps the 8s Jam Duration.
Inner Sphere U-AC/5
• Jam Chance increased to 15% (from 12%)
• Jam Duration reduced to 5.5s (from 8s)
Clan U-AC/2
• Jam Chance increased to 17% (from 7%)
• Jam Duration reduced to 2.3s (from 8s)
Clan U-AC/5
• Jam Chance increased to 17% (from 15%)
• Jam Duration reduced to 6.5s (from 8s)
Clan U-AC/20
• Jam Chance decreased to 17% (from 20%)
• Jam Duration increased to 10s (from 8s)
