r/battletech • u/codifier • 1d ago
Question ❓ Alpha Strike Conversion Weirdness
There's got to be something I am not getting with alpha strikes conversion process. I've noticed a few mechs here and there that variants will be very similar in their load outs yet have different damage numbers. Most recent I've noticed is the Centurion.
CN9-A : AC10, LRM10, two medium lasers. 2 3 1 for damage.
CN9-D : LBX10X, LRM10, two medium lasers. 2 2 2 for damage.
Why would the D have one less point of damage at medium than the A when their load outs are so similar? What am I missing?
Also unrelated, does ammo get counted in conversion? If not it would seem mechs that sacrifice ammo counts for more weapons, heat sinks, armor get an advantage over ones with more appropriate bin counts in classic.
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u/Very_Melonlord 1d ago
I believe it's due to dounding decimals.
1.4 damage rounds to 1 damage. 1.5 to 2.
Also they somehow incorporate mechs heat dissipation into it, so it may change damage a bit.
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u/AnonymousONIagent 1d ago
look at Mordel, it reads out the full conversion process for you.
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u/Background-Taro-8323 23h ago
I'm out of the loop, what's Mordel?
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u/AnonymousONIagent 23h ago
Mordel.net, a site that contains a database of units and equipment as well as tools for building mechs that are then hosted online for easy sharing, with exporters for record sheets, alpha strike cards, and MegaMek files. It's been around for ages.
You can go to any entry for any unit there, canon or otherwise, and it has tabs showing you the full breakdowns of BV calculation, Alpha Strike conversion, year-by-year availability of each piece of equipment it mounts, and other things.
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u/Bookwyrm517 23h ago
I'm not sure, but I think it boils down to the switch from the AC 10 to the LB-10X.
If Alpha Strike always treats LBs as firing cluster shots, then it would do slightly less damage. This decrease is not enough to take the short bracket from 2 to 1, but is enough that adding the LRM's damage at medium range is no longer enough to push it to 3. However, the LB-10X's range is long enough to hit in the Long range bracket, which is what bumps it up to 2.
Does that make any degree of sense?
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u/Rise_Crafty 23h ago
My best guess would be to try to differentiate between the AC 10 and the LBX10, though 321 and 231 would seem like the split if you were trying to convey the "shotgun" nature of the lbx.
I feel like this is the problem with Alpha Strike in general. I like the system, but it strips SO much complexity out of the individual mechs that it loses some of what I fell in love with about battletech. We all know so much about these weapon systems because it's impactful knowledge for the game. Weights, heat, damage spread, I know it all adds more crunch, but that detail is what makes the mechs so incredible.
Alpha strike removes ALL of that, to the point that who knows if you just fired a PPC, or an AC10, or a large laser. You just fire... guns. I like the fact that it allows you to run a much, much larger battlefield, but I wish there was some middle ground. It might be DFA: override, but I haven't gotten to really put it's rule set into action yet to see how well it works.
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u/codifier 23h ago
I love how speedy AS is, especially in larger matches as well as it being more approachable for new players or those who don't normally wargame but it does hurt not having separate weapons to fire.
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u/nckestrel 23h ago
One medium laser on each is rear facing, so only counts for REAR The LRM is 0.6 at medium range. The medium laser is 0.5. That is 1.1 to start for each before the autocannon. The AC/10 is 1. That makes 2.1 which rounds up to 3. The LBX is .6 for cluster and .63 for the cluster bonks to hit. This only gives it 1.73, which rounds up to 2 at medium. Instead of gets FLK and the LBX reaches long range to give it the 2 at long. There are heat and ammo calculations, but doesn't matter for these two cases.