21 replies to this topic

[JC Daxion]

Boy grinding C-bucks is work.. and with that work after earning them.. I must spend them quickly! Personally i think Reactor fuel has been making holes in the bottom of my pockets causing the problem, but i digress.....


I'm browsing the medium mechs, and i just have to wonder if that last slot open slot is for a medium.. I really am considering selling that HBK-4P as i really dislike this all energy and that would mean i could buy 2 mediums! But the blasted thing with upgrades cost me almost 6m for heat sinks/frame and the mech and i can only sell it for about 750k...I just don't want to regret selling.


money issues aside, while looking at mediums, a couple things struck me as curious


The Yen-lo-wang, has 2 energy/2 ballistic and AMS. comes stock with an AC-20. (seams very similar to the HBK-4G i have been running with an AC-20.. What would the main differences between those 2 mechs? (would be kinda pointless to have 2 mechs playing alike.) I did notice that the left arm, doesn't do anything, and doesn't seam to have as much customization as the HBK as that one has energy hard points in both arms, and the head. It must do something better right? Maybe its having the ballistics in the right arm, so you can aim further vrs high chest??


The other side of that, the Centurion CN9-D, hs 2 ballistic/2 energy and AMS, but also has 2 missile hard points on the left chest, In some ways that seems like a much better load than the Yen-lo-wang.. I have to wonder why it seems like the same chasis, yet has 2 bonus hard hard points. Again it has me wondering what the Yen-lo-wang might do better.



the cicada CDA-2A has 6 energy/AMS, while the 2B has 5 energy/AMS.. Why would you wan't the one with less hard points, does it have something else that is not listed? for me personally the 3C, 3M and X-5 look more my style anyway. but it really has me wondering.



Trebuchet, 5n and the 3C are another that look like they have the same hard points. The only differences i can see are the load out, where the 5n has a STD 250, while the 3C has an XL-300. This is a much larger price so i could see when new, getting that 5n to get into your own mech sooner. Again do these mechs have something different that i just don't see?


Sorry for being so full of questions today.. but what else am i to do on a rainy rainy afternoon all i can do is ponder..

[scJazz]

The Yen Lo is a Hero mech only available with MC. It is a modified Centurion. Yeah that left arm is useless. Always keep it pointed at the enemy and think of it as a shield.

Centurion... doesn't have JJs and therefore I hate it. Nuff said. Well not enough but all I feel like saying.

Cicada... think of it as a huge a$$ Jenner. Some builds are very scary. I don't see them on the battlefield often. I tend to ignore Cicadas for other targets. Until the ****** starts circling me and blowing me to hell.

Trebuchets... my specialty. That 5N is a freakin death trap. DO NOT GET IT! The 3C is basically a 5N with an XL engine. MEH! The 5J and 7M both have jump jets. I own them both. I love them and pet them and occasionally call them George. Basically, the same mech more or less although the 7M comes with an XL engine. 7M can also be setup with 3 SSRM2s which is widely considered very smart. I am using it very dumb atm because PGI fubared the LRMs and LRM Spam is tasty! The 5J can be configured with ERPPC and 4MLs for a very low price. I TBTs! Only 2 of them get JJs... nuff said.

[scJazz]

Had a moment and wondered... have you been introduced to Smerfy?

http://www.mechspecs.com/forum.php

No doubt someone has already linked this for you but on the off chance that no one has... well then.

[LordBraxton]

Centurion left arm is amazing

It is a shield, and it is big enough you can actually use it like one. One of the saving graces of the chassis.

Right now the TBT-7m and TBT-3c are the best medium mechs IMHO

my 7m has max armor, (almost max on legs)
PPC
2Mlas
3Streaks(with BAP)
JJs
and runs 110kph

my 3C USED to be an SRM striker going 128kph

Now it is a 120kph LRM20 with a tag and a couple medium lasers

It is actually quite nice to be able to get in any position you want really quickly and then unload OP lurms on unsuspecting enemies

cant wait for SRMs to be good though

when SRMs were useful

TBT-3C
128kph
4Mlas
2SRM6+Artemis

I loves this chassis, it is still a large target and very vulnerable, but if you could get a nice flanking position...

you could rip right through enemy mech's rear armor.

OH HOW I MISS THEE SRMS

THINE WERE THE BALANCE THAT KEPT SNIPERS AT BAY

KEPT LRMS SWEATING AND WORRIED ABOUT THAT 180m GAP

AND GAVE MEDIUMS THE PUNCH THEY OH SO DESPERATELY NEED

*CRYYYYY

[Alaskan Nobody]

Another thing to consider with Yenlo vs a Hunch is that because Yenlo's 2E are in the center torso it zombies rather well.

Yes you lose 60% or so of your firepower if that AC20 goes (and the AC20 is one of the big reasons to get one as the other Centurion cannot mount one) but people tend to ignore you after it goes and 2med/2medpulse can do a lot of damage over time especially when people ignore you.

As for the variants with outright lower hardpoints, not overly familiar with the Trebuchet or Cicada but in other mechs those variants tend to get bonuses like faster torso twisting.

[Koniving]

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

The other side of that, the Centurion CN9-D, hs 2 ballistic/2 energy and AMS, but also has 2 missile hard points on the left chest, In some ways that seems like a much better load than the Yen-lo-wang.. I have to wonder why it seems like the same chasis, yet has 2 bonus hard hard points. Again it has me wondering what the Yen-lo-wang might do better.

I'm about to drop into a mission so I can't go into lots of detail. In truth the Yen Lo Wang does nothing particularly better other than carry an AC/20 or twin UAC/5s. The Centurion CN9-AH could do the same, except it had two missile and no energy weapons. The Wang replaced it, sadly, as when the Wang was released the CN9-AH was completely deleted. It was their first hero mech, and it was put in and designed to "not" be overpowered.

On the plus side, it goes as fast as the CN9-D (which is the fastest Centurion), with similar or better twist speeds. This makes it boatloads faster than the Hunchbacks with speeds of 106 kph.

Edited by Koniving, 23 May 2013 - 12:30 PM.

[MajorChunks]

The Wang has no lower arm actuator so it can mount an AC/20 in the arm. The CN9-D cannot mount an AC/20, as there is not enough room. The disadvantage is that the Wang cannot move its arms left/right, only up/down. So pretty much the Wang is there for an AC/20 or dual ultra AC/5's, whereas the D gets a couple of missile points. Preference, really. I like my Wang more, so there's that.

Over the hunchbacks, Cents get the obvious shield arm (advantage or disadvantage, depending on your playstyle), and higher engine ratings. The Wang in particular can mount up to a 300 rating, making it a much faster potential AC/20 carrier than the 4G. It also has a ridiculous torso twist range. And there's the zombie potential if you go for a standard engine. On the other hand, Hunchies have a smaller profile and tend to be more symmetrical, so there's good points there, too.

The Treb 3C moves one of the 5N's arm-mounted energy points to the center torso, and is able to mount a much higher rated engine if that's your thing. The 5N has a larger twist range, though. Small differences, really.

As some people have noted, Smurfy's website (http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/) has hardpoint locations, max engine ratings, and quirks available for your reading pleasure.

Edited by MajorChunks, 23 May 2013 - 12:23 PM.

[Dan Nashe]

Never sell a mech.
Ylu lose too much money. Also if you don't sell the weapons and armor, you'll get like 1 mill back.

The Yen lo is an awesome mech, not op, but fun if limited. I would advise against getting a hero mech if you are concerned about real money though at ths stage. A YLW is like $17. $7 will get you 1250 mc, which is 4 mechbays and the ability to convert up to 50x50 xp to gxp on one of the fairly regular gxp conversion sale weekends.

Also every mech is way better with all elite skills. You want mechbays for that.

[IceSerpent]

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

The Yen-lo-wang, has 2 energy/2 ballistic and AMS. comes stock with an AC-20. (seams very similar to the HBK-4G i have been running with an AC-20.. What would the main differences between those 2 mechs? (would be kinda pointless to have 2 mechs playing alike.) I did notice that the left arm, doesn't do anything, and doesn't seam to have as much customization as the HBK as that one has energy hard points in both arms, and the head. It must do something better right? Maybe its having the ballistics in the right arm, so you can aim further vrs high chest??

YLW is a hero mech (MC only), it's the only Centurion that doesn't have a lower arm actuator in the right arm and therefore can mount AC20 in there. All cents also have 2 energy hardpoints in CT, so they can "zombie" really well with lasers in there.

Quote

The other side of that, the Centurion CN9-D, hs 2 ballistic/2 energy and AMS, but also has 2 missile hard points on the left chest, In some ways that seems like a much better load than the Yen-lo-wang.. I have to wonder why it seems like the same chasis, yet has 2 bonus hard hard points. Again it has me wondering what the Yen-lo-wang might do better.

9D can't mount AC20, but it is potentially the fastest of all Centurions.

Quote

the cicada CDA-2A has 6 energy/AMS, while the 2B has 5 energy/AMS.. Why would you wan't the one with less hard points, does it have something else that is not listed? for me personally the 3C, 3M and X-5 look more my style anyway. but it really has me wondering.

Any CDA is basically a large Jenner w/o JJs, which is why you should kill those pesky Jenners while they are little
The only good ones are 3M (can mount ECM) and possibly X-5 due to having missile hardpoints, but it's a hero (MC only) mech.

Quote

Trebuchet, 5n and the 3C are another that look like they have the same hard points. The only differences i can see are the load out, where the 5n has a STD 250, while the 3C has an XL-300. This is a much larger price so i could see when new, getting that 5n to get into your own mech sooner. Again do these mechs have something different that i just don't see?

The larger the stock engine = the larger the max engine that mech can mount = the faaster it can be. Personally, I prefer 7M because of 5 JJs though.

[Koniving]

DanNashe, on 23 May 2013 - 12:29 PM, said:

The Yen lo is an awesome mech, not op, but fun if limited. I would advise against getting a hero mech if you are concerned about real money though at ths stage. A YLW is like $17. $7 will get you 1250 mc, which is 4 mechbays and the ability to convert up to 50x50 xp to gxp on one of the fairly regular gxp conversion sale weekends.

These prices are in US dollars.
Pattern reads:
MC amount you buy : US dollars paid for MC = Wang's MC price : US dollars spent on the Wang.
1250 : 6.95 = 3750 : 20.85
3000 : 14.95 = 3750 : 18.69
6500 : 29.95 = 3750 : 17.28
12000 : 49.95 = 3750 : 15.61
25000 : 99.95 = 3750 : 14.99

This is without a sale.

Edited by Koniving, 23 May 2013 - 01:09 PM.

[TygerLily]

As people mentioned the empty arm is a damage sink when you "roll you damage." Not many mechs can put an AC/20 in the arm, which provides a huge field of fire (as compared to the limited range your torso can turn).

Plus, being a Hero Mech it gives you a 30% c-bill bonus each match so it's make a good grind mech!

Edited by TygerLily, 23 May 2013 - 03:48 PM.

[Traigus]

Here is some info other's missed.

Cent vs. hunch. Hunch AC 20 is in the chest and aims with the torso. If you turn arm lock off under settings(or hold down the overide key, which I can't remember). the gun arm on the Cent follows the little circle recticle not the crosshairs. you can shoot higher up and down plus left and right of your mech (effectively you can run forwards and shoot your main gun right without turning your torso. (The hunchback can do this with its arm lasers, but they are secondary weapons.

The Wang loses left/right movement to hold the AC/20. The Wang is a 1 big trick pony, it gets in fast and BOOM.. with a little laser action.

While the D has a lot of nice builds effective at different ranges (like a lot of hunchbacks). The aimable arm is the main feature, and also the main weakness (try not to get it blown off). Some people fill it full of missiles and chest lasers and ignore the gun arm, but that really is a waste.

If you leave arm lock on any Cent isn't nearly as good as it can be,

Cic 2A had all the lasers on the body, the 2B has a few on the small arms. The CiC arms don't have as much movement as a full arm (like a Cent), but the A uses its aras fully as armored body shields (which is what they look like). The B can lose some guns if it loses arms. Choice is how do you want to aim your energy weapons. The A can have trouble with baddies up and down hills, while the B can put a few of its guns in a position to go much higher up and down (and a little left and right) this breaks alpha striking a little with it though.

Again, if you have left arm lock on, it doesn't much matter.


Trebs ...The 3C is a partially tech upgraded 5N, only real difference is the 3C takes an energy point out of the rt arm and moves it to the Center torso. Buckets tend to have all their energy slots in the arms. The only exceptions are the 3C and the 7K (which is totally different than most buckets). So the C is nice if people blow your arms off a lot and you end up with nothing but your chest launcher. Rarely happens to me. I also prefer to have my lasers on my unlocked arms so I can aim them all over the place. having 1 torso locked (and away from the other energy weapons which are not) kind of limits that slot for a fast moving unit like a Bucket, where arm movement can really put a hurting on someone as you run/jump past.

Edited by Traigus, 23 May 2013 - 04:17 PM.

[Konril]

Nice conversation so far.

The Yen Lo Wang's advantages are a little bit different than most people expect. The AC/20 takes up 10 slots in whatever part mounts it. However, when the lower arm is present, an arm only has 9 slots to hold all its ballistics. So the AC/20 doesn't fit, and you can't quite manage two Ultra AC/5s. The best you could get in the CN9-D would be either one each of an Ultra and standard AC/5, or an Ultra-5 paired with an AC/2. At the same time, if you mount an XL engine, 3 of the 12 spaces in each of the side torsos get filled with the extra engine bulk. So on a Hunchback, mounting an AC 20 or two Ultra-5s would give you no choice but to use a heavier standard engine. Currently the Yen Lo Wang is one of only two mechs that can use the AC/20 with a decent XL engine. The other being the Jagermech.

The CN9-D along with the A and AL were the first mechs that I mastered. For a while it was the only medium mech that actually felt like a medium mech instead of an underweight heavy or an overweight light. But honestly, it's actually been hard to work with. The best I've been able to do with that ballistics arm was to mount a single Ultra-5, and then use the missile points for SRM 4s or Streak 2s with a Beagle Active Probe. Other mechs may have more firepower, but with the 300 XL engine, I can outrun anything that can out-shoot me and out-shoot anything that can catch up to me. However, I'm beginning to really miss the 3 missile 1 ballistic configuration of the CN9-A.

The Cicada 3M was the second chassis I got a mastery on. I can sum up why in 3 letters: E, C, and M. The 2A and 2B were the mechs I used to get through the basics. 6 energy ports looks better than 5 energy ports on paper, but in practice, having all 6 in the torso makes it very hard to use on any kind of hilly terrain. The torso can only aim up and down so far, so when there are a lot of hills in the particular battlefield, it gets hard to actually reach opponents. Jumping opponents are also trouble, as they can get out of your firing arc for a short time just by using their jump jets. The 5 energy ports may sound worse, but since 4 of them are in the arms, it's actually a lot easier to reach enemies who jump or climb hills. Mind you, if you really want a fast laser mech, I think you would be much better off with one of the Jenners. Only reason I considered piloting the Cicada at all was because the Jenner doesn't have an ECM option.

[Traigus]

I think people underestimate the vanilla AC/10 (and the vanilla AC/5 too). People tend to skip over both for an Ultra 5. I hate the ultras, they are never ready when I need them for an opportunity shot. People tend to ignore the AC 10 thinking it is a 5 too,

I have been using a AC/10, LL, 2 small laser blackjack this week. people ignore me and I get 400- 600 damage a round

I have been a Cent pilot forever, and miss my old AH, but I used the boring old ac/10 forever too.it is solid and reliable to a really good range.

I just want 1 more gun or something on the Wang.

[Koniving]

Mkay now I got some time.

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

The Yen-lo-wang, has 2 energy/2 ballistic and AMS. comes stock with an AC-20. (seams very similar to the HBK-4G i have been running with an AC-20.. What would the main differences between those 2 mechs? (would be kinda pointless to have 2 mechs playing alike.) I did notice that the left arm, doesn't do anything, and doesn't seam to have as much customization as the HBK as that one has energy hard points in both arms, and the head. It must do something better right? Maybe its having the ballistics in the right arm, so you can aim further vrs high chest??

Covered already.

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

The other side of that, the Centurion CN9-D, hs 2 ballistic/2 energy and AMS, but also has 2 missile hard points on the left chest, In some ways that seems like a much better load than the Yen-lo-wang.. I have to wonder why it seems like the same chasis, yet has 2 bonus hard hard points. Again it has me wondering what the Yen-lo-wang might do better.

The Wang has a 30% bonus. Beyond that the CN9-D is faster, has better hardpoints but sacrifices other benefits to fill all those points. Unlike the Wang, however, everyone automatically assumes the 9-D has an XL engine because there's no reason to run it without one. Meanwhile on the Wang, everyone is aiming for the difficult to hit arm.

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

the cicada CDA-2A has 6 energy/AMS, while the 2B has 5 energy/AMS.. Why would you wan't the one with less hard points, does it have something else that is not listed? for me personally the 3C, 3M and X-5 look more my style anyway. but it really has me wondering.

This is a matter of preference. the 2A has 6 energy. 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 CT. The Cicada 2B has 5 lasers. 1 CT, 2 LA, 2 RA. Some prefer torso lasers. Others prefer arm lasers. Long range energy weapons benefit more from the 2B's arm flexibility.

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

Trebuchet, 5n and the 3C are another that look like they have the same hard points. The only differences i can see are the load out, where the 5n has a STD 250, while the 3C has an XL-300. This is a much larger price so i could see when new, getting that 5n to get into your own mech sooner. Again do these mechs have something different that i just don't see?

In the case of the 5N and 3C, there's three differences. One, the 5N gets 25 degrees more horizontal torso twist. Two, the 3C gets larger engine caps. Three, the 5N has all energy in the arms while the 3C has 3 energy in the arms and one in the CT (allowing for a zombie build that the 5N can't be). However because of that, the 3C can't possibly carry as many PPCs as the 5N. It's all about trade-offs.

JC Daxion, on 23 May 2013 - 10:35 AM, said:

Sorry for being so full of questions today.. but what else am i to do on a rainy rainy afternoon all i can do is ponder..

No problem.

Traigus, on 23 May 2013 - 06:07 PM, said:

I think people underestimate the vanilla AC/10 (and the vanilla AC/5 too). People tend to skip over both for an Ultra 5. I hate the ultras, they are never ready when I need them for an opportunity shot. People tend to ignore the AC 10 thinking it is a 5 too,

I have been using a AC/10, LL, 2 small laser blackjack this week. people ignore me and I get 400- 600 damage a round

I have been a Cent pilot forever, and miss my old AH, but I used the boring old ac/10 forever too.it is solid and reliable to a really good range.

I just want 1 more gun or something on the Wang.

This is an exterior video of me recorded by Lordred in an Atlas. I have an AC/2 and AC/5 in it. This is NOT elited. Just basics. Despite the additional voices I am only grouped with Lordred. Other voices in the teamspeak are in a different match. Despite the beating I receive I only lose armor in one section and achieve 6 kills. (At the beginning I'm referring to someone who says "I have brought the almighty overpowered flamer" and a second guy who says "I don't know this person.")


And to your wishful thinking on the AH...

Personally I miss this mech. Can't recall if it could mount lasers or not but honestly even if it didn't who cares. It had 3 ballistic slots and missiles. While it could do the AC/20 just like the Wang, I think it was worth having yet couldn't replace the Wang.

Edited by Koniving, 23 May 2013 - 11:22 PM.

[JC Daxion]

ok.. and now i have officially gotten way more info than i can process... I think you over loaded my RAM, and now i have to reboot my brain..


many things to ponder on reboot. to decide what is the next purchase.. after the Atlas i should have enough money for this morning!


thanks a ton people..

[TheFlyingScotsman]

Centurion active shields:

When you hold L-CTRL, your arms begin to move independently while your torso locks. The left arm of the CNT locks with with torso. By facing the arm towards an enemy and holding L-CTRL, you can effectively fire around your own shield while facing your CT away from the enemy.

Enjoy!

[zraven7]

Alright! Now, about those mediums, I...

um...


...er...

Well, looks like everyone already said everything. So, yeah...

How bout those Clanners, eh?

[Gralzeim]

If you're going to sell a mech (like if you need the mechbay slot and you aren't going to play that mech any more, and have gotten basic/elite efficiencies on it), then make sure you only sell the chassis, not any of the stuff on it.

You will find a use for that spare equipment, trust me. Especially the engine, you never know when you'll want one of that type and rating. Never sell engines.

[Traigus]

Koniving, on 23 May 2013 - 11:17 PM, said:

Mkay now I got some time.



Personally I miss this mech. Can't recall if it could mount lasers or not but honestly even if it didn't who cares. It had 3 ballistic slots and missiles. While it could do the AC/20 just like the Wang, I think it was worth having yet couldn't replace the Wang.

Centurion CN9-AH
Tonnage: 50
Top Speed: 64.8 km/h
Armor: 272 points
Weapons: 1 LRM 10, 1 Autocannon/20
Hardpoints: 3 Ballistic, 2 Missile

Had a lot of options. could AC/20 + SRM and goon it up Lighter AC+ LRM. Long range it

I used to run it with an AC10, an LRM and a SRM

Wang is way faster, but i'd still like to have the AH as a free option

Edited by Traigus, 24 May 2013 - 02:41 PM.