CYBRN4CR
04/01/10 10:29 AM
71.236.221.45
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Stealth armor or shared telemetry data (C3/C3i)? Since both can be equipped, but only one can be active at one time, if you had to chose one over the other, what would you pick?
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KitK
04/01/10 12:57 PM
128.233.93.203
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I guess it depends. Is the sniper working in a lance or working solo? In a lance - C3/C3i; going solo - stealth armor, and even then only for fluff reasons (my opinion).
I've been fooling around with Null Signature/Stealth Armor for my SB Series (the fluff for the 3rd mech is about half ready for posting), and as far as one-on-one goes, I don't think the armor/NSS is worth the heat. In a lance it might make the mech the least favorable target, keeping it safer. But the C3/C3i will actually help the sniper snipe. On the other hand, if you've seen Sniper, starring Tom Beringer, stealth armor would make better fluff.
And there are other factors, too. I test with 3/3 pilots in MegaMek. Go back to 4/5 and the armor helps more, but then again you need a close C3 spotter even more. Can you afford the heatsink space and weight? What's the map like? Can LOS be maintained for the C3/C3i? The armor isn't interdependent.
I've never had a chance to put C3/C3i into real practice. So, I'd probably still go with the armor out of familiarity.
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CYBRN4CR
04/02/10 09:10 AM
71.236.221.45
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Well, I've done some tests, and found some interesting things about the C3/C3i telemetry:
Assuming friendly, network-capable mechs are placed at extreme range, in order for them to think they are within medium range of an enemy mech (meaning a -4 bonus to targeting), the spotter needs to be 7 hexes away from the target (just outside ECM range).
In order for friendly units with LRMs equipped to think they are within long range of an enemy mech (-2 bonus to targeting), the maximum hexes a spotter can be is 10 hexes from an enemy. This bonus only applies if the unit with the LRMs is not firing them indirectly.
In order for friendly units with ERPPCs or Gausses equipped to think they are within long range of an enemy mech, the maximum hexes a spotter can be is 14 for the ERPPC and 15 for the Gauss rifle (the same distance as their high-end medium ranges).
So if the spotter is a scout, the best you can hope for is a -2 to the bonus at about the range they would be firing their TAG, while at the same time opponents have long to medium bonuses to hit the poor spotter...
So unless the spotter is going to be a mech that is built to get right in another mech's face, it seems that a safer, more predictable benefit to snipers is to have stealth/void sig equipped (null sig only if you are playing Terran Hegemony scenarios).
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CYBRN4CR
04/03/10 07:44 PM
71.236.221.45
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The other advantage to the stealth/null/void systems is when playing double-blind rules where all players have to rely on LOS to find targets; I read that if any unit has stealth/null/void activated, they cannot be located unless the enemy has an active/bloodhound probe and is in range of said sensors. And if they do spot you, units with stealth/null/void activated cannot be secondary targets, or if fired upon, the attacker cannot fire on any other unit that turn.
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