Leg Armor Question

[Checker]

I am curious about the leg armor and how it works. This past week it became real apparent that a mech can be taken down rather quickly by targeting the legs. No real surprise here just fact and we live with it.
Now before this thread gets flamed with “legging” talk allow me to say that I am quite aware that legs are attached to a mech just like all the other appendages and they should be fair targets just like the arms, HUD and torsos. You never hear any of the pilots crying foul over another pilot “Arming them” or “quit shooting my HUD”; so hear this please I AM IN FAVOR OF KILLING A MECH by whatever means presents itself including shooting the legs but there seems to be something odd about the legs and how the armor values work related to legs.
For example a mech has more armor on its legs than say the left or right torso but it seems it takes more damage to take a mech out by shooting a torso. I believe this may be related to the hit boxes and how they work; the torso would have to be blown thru and then more damage applied to that same torso that would travel to the CT and eventually incapacitate the mech. At least that’s my theory on torsos.
Now on to the legs theory, I believe the legs hit box is a wrap around design that takes damage no matter which angle it is taking damage from. I base this on others being able to leg my mech in say three alpha’s from a Uller (Laser, Gauss model) even though my mech is not taking damage from the same direction = first alpha is frontal, second is a side shot to the leg and the last is a shot from the rear. Having said all this and if all that is true to some degree I ask why a mechs legs armor is not structured such that the leg would have 4 panels of hit boxes; one for the front of the leg, each side and then the rear. Thus meaning if a mech has leg armor value it is applied to each panel of armor on the mechs leg and the attacker would have to consistently shoot from the same angle of the leg to damage the armor to the extent the mech leg fails. Again don’t turn this into a “anti legging thread” – I’m just sharing my observations and beliefs and would like to better understand how the armor on a leg works. 

[Leeko]

Legs aren't divided into sections like torsos, so you're correct in your observation. If it were divided into more zones, it would be really really hard to blow them off. The torso is generally a more attractive target, more so at higher weights especially, because it's easier to hit and has less armor and actually destroys the 'Mech. Legging doesn't always topple a 'Mech, especially not a stationary one, and you get more cbills if you blow the whole thing up.

[(TLL)KitLightning]

I am curious about the leg armor and how it works. This past week it became real apparent that a mech can be taken down rather quickly by targeting the legs. No real surprise here just fact and we live with it.

The Legs does not have a component besides them which the damage can or may be transfered to. The Legs have c. 3/4 of the Armor of the CT in general. Consult the WIKI if in doubt.

... If it were divided into more zones, it would be really really hard to blow them off...

Correction. It would be more challenging to take off the legs

[xInVicTuSx]

Some mechs just have to be legged to counter them *cough Owens B cough*, but I can say the I rarely leg even Scats, as it is easier to just go for a torso or weapon.
Legging simply isn't a problem for bigger mechs, I will say though that the current physics system of face planting below the ground geometry makes getting legged really REALLY annoying because you can't shoot back or anything.

Believe me, there have been long discussions of how the legging system is and if it should be changed, if I recall the poll ended up being the leg one leg get limp, leg both get fall, but I also recall that there was enough opposition to that fix that it remains inconclusive on what to do with it. Thus there are no changes I'm aware of planned, who knows what the devs will do though.

[Cujo]

Everyone could poll that they all want the atlas's head replaced by a heavy gauss rifle, doesn't mean it's gunna happen.  In the end, no matter what, someone's gunna be unhappy with something, it's just part of game design.  Legging is a huge argument and in the end it boils down to IS vs. Clan mindset.  IS pilot mindset see the legs as the weakest point on any bipedally mobile vehicle, and clan mindset see it as cheap and dishonorable.  Does not require further discussion as it's been beat to death, so further discussion is exceedingly pointless.
http://wiki.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php?title=Legging

[zombat]

Legs got buffed enough in the last patch.

Its far more viable to go for the easy torso shot than it is the harder leg shot now

[(TLL)KitLightning]

Everyone could poll that they all want the atlas's head replaced by a heavy gauss rifle, doesn't mean it's gunna happen.  In the end, no matter what, someone's gunna be unhappy with something, it's just part of game design.  Legging is a huge argument and in the end it boils down to IS vs. Clan mindset.  IS pilot mindset see the legs as the weakest point on any bipedally mobile vehicle, and clan mindset see it as cheap and dishonorable.  Does not require further discussion as it's been beat to death, so further discussion is exceedingly pointless.
http://wiki.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php?title=Legging

hnn you saden me Cujo, ' cause you forgot the mindset of a Mercenary. Legging equals a higher scrap value

[(TLL)Siilk]

Legs got buffed enough in the last patch.

Its far more viable to go for the easy torso shot than it is the harder leg shot now

 Yes, that's true. 0.2.0 was a huge legfest, now I rarely see deliberate legging attempt. Even Owens B is usually legged because it's legs having a real huge hitbox so that it seems wherever you shoot it, you end up dealing some damage to legs.

... If it were divided into more zones, it would be really really hard to blow them off...

 You, guys are forgetting that more hitzones for legs would mean less armour for each hitzone, as overall armour weight for a leg couldn't be increased.

Everyone could poll that they all want the atlas's head replaced by a heavy gauss rifle, doesn't mean it's gunna happen.  In the end, no matter what, someone's gunna be unhappy with something, it's just part of game design.  Legging is a huge argument and in the end it boils down to IS vs. Clan mindset.  IS pilot mindset see the legs as the weakest point on any bipedally mobile vehicle, and clan mindset see it as cheap and dishonorable.  Does not require further discussion as it's been beat to death, so further discussion is exceedingly pointless.
http://wiki.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php?title=Legging

hnn you saden me Cujo, ' cause you forgot the mindset of a Mercenary. Legging equals a higher scrap value

 Scrap is good, but you have to shoot CT sometimes too or you'll end up with huge stockpile of legless torsos. Anyway, as a clanner and a mercenary I must say, cockpit kills FTW!

[(TLL)KitLightning]

Since the CT/HD has the primary components such as Targeting Computer, ECM etc., that component is of higher value to me than the Legs, which carries nothing when looking at the minor bonus gained from sparing them. Legs are fairy cheap to replace imo. Disarming is another favoured approach but they tend to run away after their arms have been laid to rest in the field *shrugs*

[Taemien]

Everyone could poll that they all want the atlas's head replaced by a heavy gauss rifle, doesn't mean it's gunna happen.  In the end, no matter what, someone's gunna be unhappy with something, it's just part of game design.  Legging is a huge argument and in the end it boils down to IS vs. Clan mindset.  IS pilot mindset see the legs as the weakest point on any bipedally mobile vehicle, and clan mindset see it as cheap and dishonorable.  Does not require further discussion as it's been beat to death, so further discussion is exceedingly pointless.
http://wiki.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php?title=Legging

I think you have it backwards.

Clans hate to cause waste and destruction. Legging doesn't destroy the engine and doesn't hurt the mech. With modular omnimech design, legging is the way to go, less components need repairs. The worse thing is the pilot gets banged up a bit.

[Cujo]

hnn you saden me Cujo, ' cause you forgot the mindset of a Mercenary. Legging equals a higher scrap value

Sorry for forgetting mercs, they're cool to. 
And because I forgot pirates to...they just kill things as fast as they can (perhaps that means legging) so they can go back to their dropships for more...pirate beverages. 

[dCK-Ad_Hominem]

If an Owens comes my way I deliberately blow its legs off. I hate those flies. Hit and then masc run away at 180km/h. However this is the only case I resort to legging an enemy.

[Checker]

Everyone could poll that they all want the atlas's head replaced by a heavy gauss rifle, doesn't mean it's gunna happen.  In the end, no matter what, someone's gunna be unhappy with something, it's just part of game design.  Legging is a huge argument and in the end it boils down to IS vs. Clan mindset.  IS pilot mindset see the legs as the weakest point on any bipedally mobile vehicle, and clan mindset see it as cheap and dishonorable.  Does not require further discussion as it's been beat to death, so further discussion is exceedingly pointless.
http://wiki.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php?title=Legging

Not what I asked Cujo, I asked to understand the leg armor.

[Cujo]

terribly sorry, I wasn't quite responding to your question, I thought KitLightning had already answered your question quite well.

The Legs does not have a component besides them which the damage can or may be transfered to. The Legs have c. 3/4 of the Armor of the CT in general. Consult the WIKI if in doubt.

[MerfMerf]

Yeah. Legs are only two hitboxes. One for each leg. This is part of what makes them easy to hit. Another part being they are more likely to be in the correct position if I have understood the devs correctly.

I've typed about the implications of the current leg hitbox/armour situation previously here: http://forum.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php/topic,8023.msg111413.html#msg111413
Now it was explicitly asked that this would not be a discussion on legging so I'll not get into that beyond stating that I think it deserves being looked at so that it has its proper place as a valid stopping tactic while not being a dominant tactic for defeating your opponent.

/Merf - +1 to Taemien on the clan view of legging.