Current Project: Random Mission Generator, Testing, & MORE MAPS

I am realizing that Jumping Jack + Natural Aptitude/Sniper is INCREDIBLY BROKEN. I think Sniper is fine as is because it is balanced well against the other gunnery abilities. The problem is Jumping Jack. Factors to consider:

Sniper Pros:
-halves gunnery range penalties (+2/+4/+6 becomes +1/+2/+3); ability works best at extreme ranges (3 point difference)
-works with any mech and any weapons

Sniper Cons:
-costs 32 XP (A LOT!)
-cannot be combined with other "gunnery abilities"
-totally useless at short range

Natural Aptitude Pros:
-allows you to roll 3 dice instead of 2 and choose the best two for gunnery rolls; works the same at any range!
-works with any mech and any weapon

Natural Aptitude Cons:
-costs 32 XP
-inferior to Sniper at extreme ranges
-cannot be combined with other "gunnery abilities"

Jumping Jack Pros:
-reduces your gunnery penalties for jumping from +3 to +1 (Sniper beats this slightly by 1 point if firing from extreme range)
-ability becomes more powerful as your jump distance increases: at 4 jump MP, your enemy needs +2 to hit; at 5 MP, your enemy needs +3 to hit; at 7 MP, your enemy needs +4 to hit; etc.
-works with any jump capable mech and with any weapons

Jumping Jack Cons:
-costs 16 XP (used to be 12 XP); still cheaper than the other two abilities above
-only activated when jumping (sometimes running may be a better option)
-increases heat of mech equal to number of jump MP used (greater distances = more heat)
-requires jump jets (jumpjets cost weight and space on your mech)

There are a couple of different options we could take in balancing these. The easiest would be to add Jumping Jack to the list of "gunnery abilities" so it can't be combined with Natural Aptitude or Sniper. I think this would make sense as when you think "sniper" one thing you don't think of is someone jumping up 90 meters to snipe targets... except in MWO... which I think we can all agree, poptarting is very unrealistic.

Other things to consider:
-Is 16 XP for Jumping Jack enough? Should it be more?
-Jumping Jill is a new ability similar to Jumping Jack but the jump penalty is reduced only by 1 instead of 2 (basically a weaker version of Jumping Jack). How should we balance this one?
-Should Natural Aptitude be adjusted in cost at all? It seems to be overall less useful than Sniper at higher gunnery levels.

 

My question is this... what if, in the Skjaldborg Commando campaign, someone has saved up the XP and actually gotten Sniper and Jumping Jack?

 

conversation with val:

Spoiler

2:43 PM - Val: make it 20xp
2:43 PM - Val: fixed
2:45 PM - MagnusEffect: no.. i'm dead set on not allowing jumping jack to stack with sniper
2:45 PM - MagnusEffect: that would be WAAAY OP
2:45 PM - Val: only allow one or the other
2:45 PM - Val: and keep exp as it is
2:46 PM - Val: jumping jack has downsides
2:46 PM - Val: like you need jumpjets
2:46 PM - Val: your aim still gets worsened
2:46 PM - Val: etc
2:46 PM - Val: sniper ahs none except for the price
2:46 PM - Val: and the ehat jj generate
2:46 PM - Val: heat*
2:46 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah, but the worse aim doesn't really matter when you consider that the enemy's aim is x2 or x3 worse
2:47 PM - Val: as i said
2:47 PM - Val: onbly allopw one or the other
2:47 PM - Val: Jumping Jack by itself is fine
2:47 PM - Val: imo
2:47 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm....
2:47 PM - Val: its more of a thing for lights anyway and they have low armor
2:47 PM - MagnusEffect: 16 XP you mean right? not the old 12?
2:47 PM - Val: its a compensaion
2:47 PM - Val: yea
2:47 PM - Val: 16 sounds fine
2:47 PM - Val: they are op together
2:48 PM - Val: but by itself
2:48 PM - Val: i think
2:48 PM - Val: jack is worse than sniper
2:48 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah... that is what i was thinking too
2:48 PM - Val: and more situational
2:48 PM - MagnusEffect: well... worse than sniper unless...
2:48 PM - MagnusEffect: you use jump jets a lot
2:48 PM - Val: which menas you can fire less weapons
2:48 PM - Val: deal less damage
2:49 PM - MagnusEffect: true
2:49 PM - MagnusEffect: and JUmping Jill?
2:49 PM - Val: i dont jump
2:49 PM - MagnusEffect: it is far less exploitable i think
2:50 PM - MagnusEffect: i am considering allowing it to stack with other gunnery abilities
2:50 PM - MagnusEffect: as by itself, there is no good reason to take it over jumping jack
2:51 PM - MagnusEffect: the XP cost is only a minor inconvenience
2:51 PM - MagnusEffect: XP isn't really a limitation for older characters
2:51 PM - Val: hm
2:51 PM - Val: there is a doom boardgame
2:51 PM - Val: oO
2:51 PM - Val: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Doom_Boardgame.jpg
2:51 PM - MagnusEffect: the high XP cost for some abilities is just to prevent players from starting with them out the gate
2:52 PM - MagnusEffect: lol
2:53 PM - Val: iam not sure about jill and sniper
2:53 PM - Val: but it should be allowed with natural aptitude
2:54 PM - Val: not entirely sure abotu with sniper though
2:54 PM - MagnusEffect: that would require putting sniper in a different category than the rest... i hate complicating rules that are already complicated :\
2:55 PM - Val: btw in the first second i thought the jumping jiull was a lame pun with my name
2:55 PM - Val:
2:55 PM - MagnusEffect: something to consider anyway
2:55 PM - MagnusEffect: lol
2:56 PM - MagnusEffect: i will think about it. need to get skwi's opinion on it too. thanks for the input anyway
2:56 PM - Val: on 2nd thought
2:56 PM - Val: jill + natural aptitude
2:56 PM - Val: are kinda insanely cost-wise
2:56 PM - Val: as combo
2:57 PM - MagnusEffect: XP you mean?
2:57 PM - Val: while doing essentialy the same for JJ
2:57 PM - Val: grante natural works better
2:57 PM - Val: and if its the only option
2:57 PM - Val: cause you dont allow
2:57 PM - MagnusEffect: do you think nat. apt. should cost a little less than Sniper?
2:57 PM - Val: the combo
2:57 PM - Val: yea
2:58 PM - Val: wait a min
2:58 PM - Val: let me take a look
2:58 PM - Val: at the exp needed to lvl gunery
2:58 PM - MagnusEffect: lvl 6 and 7 for gunnery are insanely high too
2:58 PM - Val: well
2:58 PM - Val: while the 3 dice thing is nice early
2:59 PM - Val: its not as great later
2:59 PM - Val: and its still luck based
2:59 PM - Val: you can roll 3 times crap
2:59 PM - MagnusEffect: exactly
2:59 PM - Val: which isnt unlikely with crap gunnery
2:59 PM - MagnusEffect: i was thinking the same thing
2:59 PM - Val: it shouldnt be too cheap
3:00 PM - Val: but i would palce it in mid to high 20's range
3:00 PM - Val: in cos
3:00 PM - Val: t
3:00 PM - MagnusEffect: nat apt seems to be only helpful in improving odds that are already 50/50-ish
3:00 PM - Val: its luck yea
3:00 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah... i think you are right
3:00 PM - Val: but increases your ods
3:01 PM - Val: funny is it helps out more with higher gunnery where you dont actually need it anymore
3:01 PM - Val: xD
3:01 PM - MagnusEffect: the only way i see it being helpful at higher gunnery levels is when you want to make insanely difficult shots from acoss the map
3:01 PM - Val: it should be an alternative to lvling up gunnery around the mid range of the gunnery skill
3:02 PM - MagnusEffect: which.. to be fair... is a HUGE advantage in that specific situation
3:02 PM - MagnusEffect: you have to figure....
3:02 PM - MagnusEffect: a player with max gunnery and nat. apt.
3:03 PM - Val: we wont have that
3:03 PM - MagnusEffect: only needs a 3 to hit a stationary target at extreme range
3:03 PM - MagnusEffect: wait.. thats not right
3:03 PM - Val: an idea would be natural aptitude increases your luck but since you get lucky mor often your char hones his skill / trains less often adn cant reach gunner 1 or 0 anymore
3:03 PM - Val: how about that
3:03 PM - MagnusEffect: i meant 4
3:04 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm....
3:05 PM - Val: would need testing
3:05 PM - Val: or match
3:05 PM - Val: math*
3:05 PM - MagnusEffect: remove the last two levels of primary skills?... that is an idea i had not considered...
3:05 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah...
3:05 PM - Val: in theory
3:05 PM - Val: nat apt
3:05 PM - Val: is a cheap alternative
3:05 PM - Val: to the alst 2 primary leves
3:05 PM - Val: in a way
3:05 PM - Val: you increase your ods
3:06 PM - Val: of hitting with current skill
3:06 PM - Val: instead of decreasing the roll needed
3:06 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm...
3:06 PM - Val: the cost is
3:06 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah.... i think we need to do more testing....
3:06 PM - Val: that it takes up an ability slot
3:06 PM - Val: which are limited
3:07 PM - Val: upside is
3:07 PM - Val: its cheaper
3:07 PM - Val: its a tradeoff
3:07 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah
3:07 PM - Val: we just have to run the numbers for chances
3:07 PM - Val: and skill levels
3:07 PM - MagnusEffect: that was what i had originally intended
3:08 PM - Val: and my "since3 your char is lucky he trains less"
3:08 PM - Val: is kind alfuff
3:08 PM - Val: that makes sense on a personal level
3:08 PM - MagnusEffect: a tradeoff....
3:08 PM - Val: and the price for the ability
3:08 PM - Val: we get that
3:08 PM - Val: by looking at the gunnery level prices
3:09 PM - Val: in the range we calc for it
3:09 PM - MagnusEffect: i think the easiest fix would be altering the cost of nat. apt.
3:09 PM - Val: but remember added cost of using up an ability slot
3:09 PM - Val: shoudl count for something
3:09 PM - MagnusEffect: right
3:10 PM - MagnusEffect: a cheaper nat. apt. cost would make it more attractive, would allow for better rolls with new characters
3:11 PM - Val: atm i see no reason for anyone to take it
3:11 PM - Val: anytime soon
3:11 PM - MagnusEffect: but for people in it for the long haul, spending even 20 XP would be XP they would never get back... so for them, saving and waiting would be a better option
3:12 PM - MagnusEffect: it seems nat. apt. falls under the "i want it now" category of players
3:12 PM - MagnusEffect: which i guess from a fluff perspective makes sense
3:13 PM - MagnusEffect: having a "natural aptitude" for something means you are initially gifted... but it doesn't mean you are the best
3:13 PM - Val: atm nat apt costs like 2 levels of gunnery
3:13 PM - Val: and i believe with 2 levels of gunnery
3:13 PM - Val: you would be better off
3:13 PM - MagnusEffect: maybe closer to 16 xp then?
3:14 PM - MagnusEffect: make it cost the same as jumping jack?
3:14 PM - Val: not sure but certainly below 30
3:14 PM - Val: so you can buiy it on char creation
3:14 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah. at most, I was thinking 24... but the more i think about it, maybe 20 or even 16
3:15 PM - Val: dont make it too cheap
3:15 PM - Val: remember it decreases your odds
3:15 PM - Val: of rolling a 2
3:15 PM - Val: dramaticly
3:15 PM - MagnusEffect: right
3:15 PM - MagnusEffect: 24 or 20... perhaps start with 24 just to test the waters...
3:16 PM - Val: it absicly nudges the bar of likely roles slightly to the right / higher end of the spectrum
3:16 PM - Val: its still luck though
3:16 PM - Val: 24 sounds fine
3:16 PM - Val: it shopuld still be an investment
3:16 PM - Val: wait
3:16 PM - Val: make it 22
3:16 PM - Val: people can still grab a 2nd cheap
3:16 PM - Val: ability
3:16 PM - Val: if wanted
3:16 PM - Val: if they keep all 30 max xp
3:16 PM - MagnusEffect: on the bonus side, it means you could have it at character creation. on the negative... for characters with maxed out ability slots, that is 24 XP you can't get back... you ciould only drop the ability
3:17 PM - Val: from secondarys
3:17 PM - Val: the 8 xp abilities
3:17 PM - MagnusEffect: you can only get 1 ability at character creation
3:17 PM - Val: wasnt it 2
3:17 PM - MagnusEffect: and have to wait 6 mo. to get a second one
3:17 PM - Val: my bad
3:17 PM - Val: old sheet
3:17 PM - Val: nvm
3:17 PM - Val: 24 is fine
3:18 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah.. that feels about right
3:19 PM - MagnusEffect: a starting character with 4/5 gun/pil and nat. apt. doesn't feel that over powered compared to a 3/4 starting pilot
3:19 PM - MagnusEffect: the 4/5 pilot would have an advatage early on after a few missions, but the 3/4 pilot would have the advantage late game
3:20 PM - Val: yea
3:20 PM - Val: hes less likely to fumble
3:20 PM - Val: due to his inability to pilot right
3:20 PM - MagnusEffect: right
3:20 PM - Val: while the 3/4 just doesnt need that big a roll
3:20 PM - Val: anyway
3:20 PM - Val: i would still limit amx gunnery
3:20 PM - Val: with nat apt
3:20 PM - Val: it is op with high skill levels
3:21 PM - MagnusEffect: limit max gunnery... you mean reduce primary skill max levels?
3:21 PM - Val: a maxed gunnery with nat apt
3:21 PM - Val: is insane
3:21 PM - Val: you need like a 3 to hit
3:21 PM - Val: and are much less likely to roll a 2
3:22 PM - MagnusEffect: well...
3:22 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm
3:23 PM - MagnusEffect: couldn't the same be said with sniper though?
3:24 PM - MagnusEffect: the only advatage nat. apt has over sniper at higher levels is that nat. apt. would reduce the risk of rolling 2 (which triggers various bad things)
3:25 PM - Val: roughly speaking the chance of 2d6 rolling a 2 is 2.78% the chance of 3d6 rolling 1's is 0.46%
3:25 PM - MagnusEffect: sniper is also far more effective at longer ranges
3:25 PM - Val: but also
3:25 PM - Val: high rolls
3:25 PM - Val: are more likely
3:26 PM - Val: which emans crit and headshots
3:26 PM - Val: and stuff
3:26 PM - MagnusEffect: right.. but say you needed a 7 at long range. with nat. apt. you still need a 7, but with sniper you might only need 4 or 5.
3:26 PM - Val: but with nat apt
3:26 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm
3:26 PM - Val: your chacnes
3:26 PM - Val: of getting a 7 are much higher
3:26 PM - MagnusEffect: i'm not sure crits and headshots are affected by nat. apt.
3:27 PM - MagnusEffect: pretty sure nat. apt. ONLY affects your ability to hit your target, not where it hits
3:27 PM - Val: still as i said
3:27 PM - Val: youre chances of getting a 7+ are much higher
3:27 PM - MagnusEffect: right.. but i guess the real question here is...
3:28 PM - Val: let me calc em
3:28 PM - MagnusEffect: is it easier to get 7 with 3 dice than it is a 4 or 5 with 2 dice... my math sucks
3:28 PM - MagnusEffect: also keep in mind...
3:29 PM - MagnusEffect: an incredibly tough shot is far more likely to fail with nat. apt. than it would sniper... for example 10 vs. 8 or 7
3:30 PM - MagnusEffect: at least... *i think*
3:30 PM - Val: 80% chance roughly with sniper to hit a 4 and ... 91% with nat apt to hit a 7
3:31 PM - MagnusEffect: reeeeaaaally?..... hmmm
3:31 PM - Val: sry 85%
3:31 PM - MagnusEffect: is that for 7 vs 5 or 7 vs 4?
3:31 PM - Val: ish
3:32 PM - Val: 7 vs 4 more closely calculated
3:32 PM - Val: aboutn the same
3:32 PM - Val: was a rough estimate
3:32 PM - Val: but remember
3:32 PM - Val: nat apt
3:32 PM - Val: is cheaper
3:32 PM - MagnusEffect: well... if we made it cheaper
3:33 PM - Val: yea
3:33 PM - Val: but if we dont its unattractive
3:33 PM - Val: for the early levels where it helps
3:33 PM - Val: or waht we intended here
3:34 PM - MagnusEffect: well i thought we just pointed out that both sniper and nat. apt. are roughly equal, right?
3:34 PM - Val: with max gunnery
3:35 PM - MagnusEffect: hmmm
3:36 PM - MagnusEffect: the problem is that at max gunnery, nat. apt. becomes the far more effective choice of the two at medium or short range...
3:37 PM - Val: which is why i said limit gunnery levels
3:37 PM - MagnusEffect: but then at short range, it is doubtful you need any help with max stats
3:37 PM - Val: to balance it out
3:37 PM - Val: 2 levels
3:37 PM - Val: and its fine
3:37 PM - Val: its strong early on
3:37 PM - Val: and compareable
3:37 PM - Val: / slightly worse than gunnery and sniper late
3:37 PM - Val: and still roughly the same
3:37 PM - Val: on medium to short
3:38 PM - Val: at the price of taking up an ability slot
3:39 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah... i think you are right... there are perhaps other options too... but removing two levels from the primary skills would be the easiest of effective solutions...
3:39 PM - Val: its still better than without
3:39 PM - Val: given the lower chance for low roles
3:39 PM - MagnusEffect: i will run it by skwi
3:39 PM - Val: but it makes it useful
3:39 PM - Val: and not op
3:40 PM - Val: with the 2 level fix
3:40 PM - Val: you could even allow it with sniper
3:40 PM - MagnusEffect: the one drawback to less gunnery levels is that there is less overall progress to make on characters
3:41 PM - Val: it means
3:41 PM - Val: nat apt
3:41 PM - Val: allows more focus
3:41 PM - Val: on secondary chars
3:41 PM - Val: er abiltieis
3:41 PM - Val: its a quick
3:41 PM - Val: very late
3:41 PM - Val: less good
3:41 PM - Val: way
3:41 PM - Val: to focus more on secondary abilities
3:42 PM - Val: for the team
3:42 PM - Val: like mechanic
3:42 PM - MagnusEffect: true
3:42 PM - MagnusEffect: ugh.. mechanic.. that is another thing i need to work on
3:42 PM - Val: and given how long the normal megamek campaign ran
3:42 PM - Val: and the progrss
3:42 PM - Val: during the entire time
3:42 PM - Val: i doubt
3:42 PM - Val: it will get to the point
3:42 PM - Val: anytime soon
3:43 PM - MagnusEffect: well by your suggestions, my character already has maxed gunnery
3:43 PM - MagnusEffect: in the other campaign
3:44 PM - Val: ^^
3:44 PM - Val: well just saying
3:44 PM - MagnusEffect: i know
3:44 PM - Val: you still sacrificed secondary skill progression etc
3:44 PM - Val: for it
3:45 PM - Val: and the max on gunnery makes sense
3:45 PM - Val: for ant apt
3:45 PM - Val: nat*
3:45 PM - Val: even in fluff
3:45 PM - MagnusEffect: it is all a very good suggestion though
3:45 PM - Val: 2 levels is fair that way the abilitiy + gunnery are still better than max gunnery
3:45 PM - MagnusEffect: i need to get skwi's opinion too before doing anything
3:46 PM - Val: at the cost that you cant go the last bit to the finish line
3:46 PM - Val: ^^
3:46 PM - Val: its still nice mid game
3:46 PM - Val: and in general
3:46 PM - MagnusEffect: yeah
3:46 PM - Val: anyway
3:46 PM - Val: my 2 cents
3:46 PM - MagnusEffect: thank you

 

The more I think about it, the more I believe Jumping Jack needs to fall under the list of "gunnery abilities"; by that, i mean you can only pick one of them. Afterall, Jumping Jack is essentially the "poptart" ability; piloting isn't affected by it at all.

I agree with your synopsis of the three, however, the difference is that I am seeing Jumping Jack, Nat. Apt. and Sniper as equally powerful skills (which they generally are in different ways). any combination of the three will make a character incredibly OP. By your reasoning, if you allow Nat. Apt. to stack with Jumping Jack, you should also allow Nat. Apt. to stack with Sniper. While in theory I don't disagree that these combinations make the most "realistic" sense, the fact remains that abilities don't affect BV at all (our main balancing factor for missions)... so allowing these to combine will make the character incredibly broken. I'm okay with tipping odds a little in favor of players, but combining any of these will break everything. We need to think bigger than just in the context of this Reunification War campaign... these rules are for ANY campaign we do.

Remember also that you only get 4 ability slots. I want all the abilities to be attractive and the main focus to be not on what is "most powerful" but which caters to an individual's playstyle.

That is perhaps the easiest problem to deal with. Players will be reimbursed the XP for one of those abilities (amount based on original cost before changes). Which they can then spend immediately on either a replacement ability (6 month new-ability cooldown will not change) or whatever skills they need.

Also, keep in mind Jumping Jill is much less broken in terms of combining with other abilities... remember that it would still take up one of your valuable 4 ability slots.

 

Something else to consider:

Natural Aptitude seems to be what keeps messing me up. It is essentially a "catch all" gunnery buff. Compare it to other more "role specific" abilities such as Sniper and Jumping Jack.

Also, what I really don't like is that Nat. Apt. basically makes it ALMOST impossible to roll snake eyes (about .46% chance if I recall correctly). It completely breaks the "fumble" mechanic: for those who don't know, "fumbles" basically account for rare instances where even the most experienced will occasionally screw up despite their best efforts... no one is perfect afterall.

Also, from a fluff standpoint, "natural aptitude" would imply it is an inherent ability gained since birth... which means "realistically", the player should only be able to gain it during character creation... I'm not even going to explain how game breaking that is.

For all these reasons, I'm inclined to just remove natural aptitude completely. The fumble mechanic is pretty damn important in counteracting power-creep and if you are that concerned about missing, just get sniper or jumping jack or... you know... level up your gunnery more.

Alternatively, I could see natural aptitude as a "new player buff"... basically, it would be available only to players whose gunnery/piloting stayed below a certain level (probably keep it below veteran). In terms of fluff, this could help explain how some new recruits might perform better at the most basic level but as they gain more experience, training would take over and expand/replace their "raw natural gift". In this way, it could really help give "support characters" who want to focus on secondary skills a bit more bite in straight up fights (XP cost would have to be adjusted appropriately, of course).

 

Proposed new costs for abilities:
-new pilot and skill based requirements to prevent early acquisition of most powerful abilities
-some skills made cheaper to offset new requirements
-some skills made cheaper to be more attractive for new characters



EDIT: OOPS! requirement for Nat. Aptitude should be Gun < 4!

If you havn't noticed, I'm trying to keep a natural curve on ability costs; as abilities go up in cost, there are less options. Count for above list:
x5 abilities = 8 XP
x4 abilities = 12 XP
x2 abilities = 16 XP
x1 abilty = 20 XP
x1 abilty = 24 XP
x1 abilty = 28 XP

Other alternatives:
-keep Sniper at 32 (it is very powerful)
-increase Tactical Genius to 24 (also very powerful)
-increase Nat. Aptitude to 16 (Gun req. remains the same)
x4 abilities = 8 XP
x4 abilities = 12 XP
x3 abilities = 16 XP
x2 abilty = 24 XP
x1 abilty = 32 XP

 

speak now or forever hold your piece.

(spelling intentional)

 

yes it does... a simple thing, but yes. i would wait until the new costs are finalized. just waiting on skwi. should have it sorted out in the next 24 hours.

worse case scenario for tomorrow we will just run whatever you got

 

Charts are cool:



The second chart needs a bit of explaining. I have seperated the Abilities according to "power" by Tiers. Tier 1 Abilities are the least powerful but also the cheapest. Tier 5 are the most powerful, but also the most expensive.

Ability Tiers Breakdown:
-Tier 1 (x4) = Dodge, Hot Dog, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 (x4) = Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Gunnery Specialist*, Weapon Specialist*
-Tier 3 (x3) = Jumping Jill, Maneuvering Ace, (Natural Aptitude*: SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
-Tier 4 (x2) = Jumping Jack*, Tactical Genius
-Tier 5 (x1) = Sniper*

*Gunnery Abilities do NOT stack!

Also, instead of limiting a player to a flat maximum of 4 Abilities, we could implement a "slot" system similar to the MWO modules system. Each Ability could take up a certain number of slots equal to their designated tiers. For example:

Player 1 wants to play as a sniper.
Player 1's Abilities: (6 slots total)
Tier 5 = Sniper
Tier 1 = Hot Dog

Player 2 wants to play as a brawler.
Player 2's Abilities: (6 slots total)
Tier 3 = Jumping Jill
Tier 2 = Gunnery Specialist: Medium Laser
Tier 1 = Dodge

NOTE TO SELF: Need to test Manuevering Ace and Oblique Attacker again.

 

I like this change. Mind you, I'll miss having OP skills of Jumping Jack and Sniper.....

 

Ability Tiers Breakdown: REMIX! (6 slots total)
-Tier 1 (x4) = Dodge, Hot Dog, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 (x4) = Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Gunnery Specialist*, Weapon Specialist*
-Tier 3 (x2) = Jumping Jill, Maneuvering Ace
-Tier 4 (x3) = Jumping Jack*, Sniper*, Tactical Genius

EDIT: after testing manuevering ace and realizing it isn't that great:

VERSION 1: (6 slots total)
-Tier 1 = 8 XP = Dodge, Hot Dog, Maneuvering Ace, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 = 16 XP = Jumping Jill, Gunnery Specialist*, Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Weapon Specialist*
-Tier 3 = 32 XP = Jumping Jack*, Sniper*, Tactical Genius

VERSION 2: (7 slots total)
-Tier 1 = 8 XP = Dodge, Hot Dog, Maneuvering Ace, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 = 12 XP = Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Tactical Genius
-Tier 3 = 18 XP = Jumping Jill, Gunnery Specialist*, Weapon Specialist*,
-Tier 4 = 26 XP = Jumping Jack*
-Tier 5 = 36 XP = Sniper*

 

Proposed Illegal Combos:

Sniper with: Jumping Jack, Gun Spec, or Weapon Spec
Jumping Jack with: Jumping Jill, Sniper, Gun Spec, or Weapon Spec
Gun Spec with Weapon Spec

Also: 6 slots or 5? (remember that an ability costs a number of slots equal to its Tier)

 

You are dead on about game balancing... I DO NOT WANT gun spec to stack with weapon spec as it would be all too easy to abuse the crap out of it: Weapon Spec: Medium Laser and Gunnery Spec: Energy.... that is -3 to-hit at any range. Combined with the fact that you can fit a whole bunch of those on a mech... ugh...

But more to your point: if you are a "weapon specialist", can you also be a general "gunnery specialist"? (specialist being the key word here) If that is the case, a Hunchback pilot could wep spec in AC/20 and gunnery spec in energy weapons... is that really "specializing"? Doesn't really seem like it to me. The whole point of the abilities is to allow players to focus on a particular play style. If you are interested in a more "jack of all trades" style, you are better off just buffing your actual gunnery skill and ignoring abilities until later.

 

That is a good point... my main concern is that jumping jack combined with any other gunnery skill is a very powerful combination.... but then again, not quite as powerful as say... jumping jack and sniper. afterall, jumping jack requires JJs (which require tonnage and space) and you must use your JJ to their maximum distance to get the greatest return on the skill (which also causes a lot of heat). so perhaps it isn't outside the realm of possibility... i will think on it.

Repost from earlier:

VERSION 1: (6 slots total)
-Tier 1 = 8 XP = Dodge, Hot Dog, Maneuvering Ace, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 = 16 XP = Jumping Jill**, Gunnery Specialist*, Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Weapon Specialist*
-Tier 3 = 32 XP = Jumping Jack*, Sniper*, Tactical Genius

-OR-

VERSION 2: (7 slots total)
-Tier 1 = 8 XP = Dodge, Hot Dog, Maneuvering Ace, Multi-Tasker, Oblique Attacker
-Tier 2 = 12 XP = Melee Specialist, Pain Resistance, Tactical Genius (this may not be working correctly)
-Tier 3 = 18 XP = Jumping Jill**, Gunnery Specialist*, Weapon Specialist*,
-Tier 4 = 26 XP = Jumping Jack*
-Tier 5 = 36 XP = Sniper*

*Gunnery Abilities do not stack
**Jumping Jack and Jill do not stack