Got a tech balancing question here: reduced weight for increased bulk & heat?

[Izzy193]

I'm still working on my WiP tech base and was wondering with the weapons, heatsinks and equipment, would decreasing the weight for more bulk and in the case of weapons heat generation be a viable thing to do? I'll give an prototypical example below using the medium laser as a basis for the concept.


(Guild) Medium Laser:
Damage: 5
Heat: 5
Weight: 0.5 tons
Crits: 2
Range(in hexes): 0/3/6/9

As you can see, the idea is simple enough: Reduce the weight but at the cost of increasing heat and bulk in terms of where weapons are concerned. 50% weight reduction for Energy and Ballistics and a 75% weight reduction for Missile systems. Ranges and damage are the same as Inner Sphere weapons.

[AlphaMirage]

They are certainly valid options as those are the main methods used in the game to balance (FF, ES, DHS, being the best examples). It would make things fairly interesting in your meta the same way only allowing SHS has done for my AU.

[Hazard Pay]

I had the idea for a "Light(weight) Heat Sink" some time back. Trades fragility and volume for lower weight.

Weight: 0.5 Tons

Crits: 2

Sinks One/1 Heat per turn

Very fragile, will be destroyed from pretty much any hit to it no matter the damage.

[Daryk]

A half-ton Medium Laser illustrates why you need to be careful.  Like Hazard Pay, I did a thread on other grades of heat sink: https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,62762.0.html

[Charistoph]

Or just get a Clan ER Small Laser...

[Izzy193]

Or just get a Clan ER Small Laser...

tbh I see 'just give them clantech' as cutting corners too much. these guys I am working on have no connection to the clans or the Inner Sphere like at all(they are so far removed they'd might as well be their own timeline).

[VanVelding]

Or just get a Clan ER Small Laser...

Infamously balanced Clan equipment to...not achieve OP's goals.

Trading crits and tons are a classic balancing mechanic in Battletech. I get the concept exemplified in the Medium Laser, but it's already at the peak of efficiency. I'd bump it up to 3 crits at least.

When running the numbers I usually run value (rough accuracy over several hexes * average damage) over cost (tons + crits + tons for heat).

I throw some coefficients over there to help compensate for the fact that crits and heat can't be constantly equated to tonnage, but that's the rough idea.

[Charistoph]

tbh I see 'just give them clantech' as cutting corners too much. these guys I am working on have no connection to the clans or the Inner Sphere like at all(they are so far removed they'd might as well be their own timeline).

Well, aside from the Crits and the Heat, that is basically what is being proposed.