33 replies to this topic

[Topshot Tiger]

Well just an update: I ended up buying him, and I love him! Awesome name (which means war wolf in french btw). So far i run him with 4 srm 4's with artemis, 2 ml, 3 jump jets, and sporting a standard 210 engine. He may not be as fast as he could be with an xl, but iv found i last alot longer in battles due to the increased durability.

[Myke Pantera]

TopshotTiger, on 29 July 2014 - 08:04 PM, said:

Well just an update: I ended up buying him, and I love him! Awesome name (which means war wolf in french btw). So far i run him with 4 srm 4's with artemis, 2 ml, 3 jump jets, and sporting a standard 210 engine. He may not be as fast as he could be with an xl, but iv found i last alot longer in battles due to the increased durability.

And since you're using the War Wolf as Brawler, STD engine is the way to go anyway! *thumbs up*

[STEF_]

TopshotTiger, on 29 July 2014 - 08:04 PM, said:

Well just an update: I ended up buying him, and I love him! Awesome name (which means war wolf in french btw). So far i run him with 4 srm 4's with artemis, 2 ml, 3 jump jets, and sporting a standard 210 engine. He may not be as fast as he could be with an xl, but iv found i last alot longer in battles due to the increased durability.

Good choice! Congrat.
Anyway with xl its manuevrability means durability, and you can replace 3 srm4 with 3 srm6 in your above config.
Yesterday, in a few played games, with this 50 tons I wrecked an atlas, an Ilya and a stalker all by my own. Never happened to me using a nova.
So I decided to master trebbies

[Sug]

Nothing wrong with brawling with an XL. I'd rather be going 106kph.

[Myke Pantera]

Sug, on 29 July 2014 - 11:04 PM, said:

Nothing wrong with brawling with an XL. I'd rather be going 106kph.

I'd call that flanking You won't survive an honest brawl for very long with an XL. But yeah i have some mediums with classic brawling weapons and XL engines, but i play them on the flanks and for hit & run attacks, not plain brawls.

[Sug]

By brawling I just mean close ranged fighting. Not standing still facing your opponent head on breathing through your mouth while you trade shots with him like musket volleys from the Revolutionary War.

[Myke Pantera]

To each his own, but i'll stick with the definition of mercenarystar

Quote

Brawlers
Description: This role is filled by mechs that stomp slowly and carry bigass guns. The role has dual purposes, the first being to put out a metric buttload of damage at short range, and the second to provide cover for your other mechs. For both of these purposes, it is important that you stay alive, which leads us onto one of the most important techniques for a brawler: arm shielding. Whenever your trigger is not being pulled, you want to be facing perpendicular to the largest contingent of enemies, or as close to it without putting enemy mechs into your rear arc. This also includes leading with your arm when you are pushing en masse and are not yet in range to start brawling.
Weapons: In order to facilitate this playstyle, your goal should be to use fire-and-forget weapons, just like with alpha fire mechs except for the damage does not need to be long range or pinpoint. This pretty much leaves us with only the AC/20 and SRMs as far as brawling weapon options go. While you do not want to rely on any others, having backup weapons is also a good idea for this playstyle, with the support weapon of choice being the medium laser (in groups of at least two).
Engine: Speed is one of those things that would be really nice if it was an option, but oftentimes you can not afford it tonnage-wise since running anything but a standard engine in a brawler is almost always a bad idea and very large standard engines are not exactly efficient. That being said, if you can afford to fit a big engine in without sacrificing much, go for it.
Utility: Extra equipment like jump jets and ECM help a lot, but are not absolutely vital. That being said, if you can take them, do.

If you can't soak up quite a bit damage you aren't a brawler. You might be a glass-cannon dps fire support or whatever, but not a brawler. But i will accept that we won't agree on this matter.

[STEF_]

This reminds to me the difference between books and real practice.
Always, the best thing to do is using your own mech reading correcly the situation on the field.
I don't know if I'm using my loup de guerre as brawler or hit and run mech, but I think in every close range situation speed is not an option but a necessity, above all for a medium mech.
So, with a 210 engine (and 68-74.8kph after tweek), a TBT is too slow for approching close range (time counts), and, when engaged, too slow for covering or taking advantage of his thin profile: we are talking about a medium mech with 50pt ct-armour, and 34p torso-armour: a good alpha and you are out.
With a 280xl-300xl, you can approch efficiently, it is difficult to hit when it offers its profile, and you can still blow up bearing around 58-60 firepower (srm4-6 and medium laser), you can run away when things go dirty, ecc.
If it is a brawler or an hit-and run, judge yourself; maybe they are just definitions on a book.

[Myke Pantera]

Well, the above definition of Brawler is more tailored to Heavies & Assaults, but the fakt that STD engines are recommended remains. On a medium you certainly want to be able to run above 80kph, which can easily be done with a STD 250 on a 50t mech. But you don't have to defend your playstyle to me. If you think running a close range mech with XL is the way to go, just do so. I run my SHD-2K with 3xML, 3xSMR4+A and an XL 320, so i do it myself, because it is fun.

[STEF_]

I never need to defend my "anything" to anyone.
I was suggesting to TopshotTiger that a 210 engine is too way slow.

[Tahribator]

Myke Pantera, on 30 July 2014 - 01:50 AM, said:

I'd call that flanking You won't survive an honest brawl for very long with an XL. But yeah i have some mediums with classic brawling weapons and XL engines, but i play them on the flanks and for hit & run attacks, not plain brawls.

It's nearly impossible to lose sides first in a Treb, to the point that you can actually safely take off armor from sides if you need it. XL's are brawl safe for them.

[Modo44]

Tahribator, on 31 July 2014 - 01:23 AM, said:

It's nearly impossible to lose sides first in a Treb [snip]

Unless you, like, torso twist and ****.

[Tahribator]

Modo44, on 31 July 2014 - 01:27 AM, said:

Unless you, like, torso twist and ****.

What an insightful argument.

Different mechs react different to torso twisting. Play with Trebs, try your hardest to torso twist and keep statistic of your deaths. It will be about 80% CT, 15% legs and maybe 5% side torsos. That's my verdict after 65 hours of gametime in them and exclusively brawling.

Edited by Tahribator, 31 July 2014 - 11:33 AM.

[Topshot Tiger]

I initially tried Treb with an XL, but even with torso twisting i still got killed several times by getting my side torso blown up. I just prefer my standard engines just for living longer.