12 replies to this topic

[Screaming Cruiser]

I'm just about ready to master the Hunchback and am looking to design a good Assault Mech around the use of SRM6 using a sustained chain-fire tactic.

So I've designed this Battlemaster 1S and would be interested in getting some feedback before I committed to buying and configuring it. Tks.


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...30e6557cc300701


It should be fast 76 KPH, high sustained DPS, with lots of armor.

[Modo44]

SRMs without Artemis spread too much. You want Artemis, and for sustained fire, ASRM4 is good. It also prevents a large ghost heat penalty.

You may want to downgrade the engine. The maximum possible rating is often overkill on assaults. Going just slightly slower opens up a lot of spare tonnage.

You have too much AMS ammo. 1 ton per AMS is enough -- it is supposed to let you close the distance or find cover, it will not act as an all-match LRM shield.

You have ammo in the torso. This can be OK with standard engines and C.A.S.E., but never with an XL engine.

You have too much back armor. With a large engine, you will be able to twist to virtually never show your back to enemies.

I would suggest 2 possible changes:

• XL375, 4xASRM4+2xERLL+2xML. Use the ERLLs at range, switch to MLs and SRMs up close. This is very useful on large maps where you may spend a long time before SRMs come into play.
  
• XL375, 4xASRM6+3xML+LPL. No ranged capability, but higher DPS. Since the LPL and the MLs have similar ranges, you can stick them in the same weapon group. Use separate torso and arms SRM groups to prevent ghost heat.

[Kjudoon]

Screaming Cruiser, on 15 September 2014 - 02:07 PM, said:

I'm just about ready to master the Hunchback and am looking to design a good Assault Mech around the use of SRM6 using a sustained chain-fire tactic.

So I've designed this Battlemaster 1S and would be interested in getting some feedback before I committed to buying and configuring it. Tks.


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...30e6557cc300701


It should be fast 76 KPH, high sustained DPS, with lots of armor.

Splatmasters with an XL engine? I think you're not going to be too happy with it. the 1S is the best assault LRM mech there is thanks to its high speed and solid armor (yes even better than the stalkers and awesomes, but its close).

BLRs are much squishier than you think and better served to get involved close range late in the game after spending the first part softening them up with LRM barrages.

But if determined to make a splatmaster, try this instead... you'll have a better chance for survival.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...764aa54eb04be3b

The worries I would have would be the ammo in the legs because you stripped armor there and I buffed it some, the standard engine is necessary for brawling as you're going to lose those side toros easy, and never store ammo or heatsinks in arms unless absolutely forced to.

Good luck, but I don't know how successful this mix will be. You'll have to let us know.

Edited by Kjudoon, 15 September 2014 - 03:13 PM.

[ImperialKnight]

There you go

XL400 is a completely pointless engine, unless you're going for a troll build. 70kph is fast enough for an Assault mech. And please, no XL. The ONLY Assault mechs that can/should run XL is the Victor.

If you want to play a SRM brawler, play a SRM brawler. SRMs are your primary weapon, go big or go home. Medium lasers are only backups and only used to surgically finish off a critical area. Remove a laser for ammo, if you find yourself constantly running out.

[Kjudoon]

knightsljx, on 15 September 2014 - 03:12 PM, said:

There you go

XL400 is a completely pointless engine, unless you're going for a troll build. 70kph is fast enough for an Assault mech. And please, no XL. The ONLY Assault mechs that can/should run XL is the Victor.

If you want to play a SRM brawler, play a SRM brawler. SRMs are your primary weapon, go big or go home. Medium lasers are only backups and only used to surgically finish off a critical area. Remove a laser for ammo, if you find yourself constantly running out.

Other than the XLs for Victors only, he's dead on the money. The BLR works great as a second line fighter (LRMs or Sniper) with enough armor to dive in quickly against a weakened foe or even flank like a heavy. Their ginormous hit boxes make it take a lot of damage as is, but the armor compensates. This does not excuse careless play, particularly with the weapon heavy builds based on XL engines. You just aren't getting in there and mixing it up like a Highlander can or Banshee. Play it for what it is: a quick assault that supports the real tanking assaults or anchors for heavies and mediums.

Edited by Kjudoon, 15 September 2014 - 03:21 PM.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Sometimes less is more, for the idea of using SRMs, I'd consider something like this: BLR-1S

I'd set three weapon groups: one for the ERLLs, one for torso SRMs and the third for arm SRMs. TAG will be set to all six groups.
Also, I wouldn't try chain firing with the four SRMs separated in two groups.

The high mounted Energy on the Torso allows you to utilize cover and still fire on the enemy.

This way you can support fire with the ERLLs and save the SRMs for any enemies that try to flank early and think they can take advantage of an Assault. Then you can have your SRMs for Mid and Late Game.

[Kjudoon]

I'd ditch the tag on that, and put in another ton of ammo. You're still light on SRM ammo. It takes 2 tons per launcher to be sustainably effective weaponry.

[Screaming Cruiser]

Thanks you everyone. I think I'll follow the advice on the XL engines and instead use standard engines, and I like replacing the ML's with ERLL's for early game sniping.

[Takashi Uchida]

I've played with the short range Battlemaster-1S and while it can be fun, it suffers from 2 main issues. As far as Inner Sphere assault brawlers go, you have much better options.
1. Hitboxes and profile vastly inferior to the Stalker
2. Not as well armored as the Atlas/no big brawler gun

In short, it doesn't have a lot of staying power. It also doesn't help that with the current "balance," a Heavy class T-Wolf can do the same idea but superior in pretty much every aspect.

Give the builds by Modo and Praetor that have the ERLL a look (I would personally stick w/ a standard engine) so you have more range. Fast as the BLR can potentially be compared to other assaults, it can be difficult to get in close with it and not die or be crippled, and if you are armed with all short ranged stuff you can be sidelined easily.

My advice: If I'm correctly interpreting what you want to do, get a Stalker instead. I will still vouch for the 1S as an LRM mech tho. As indirect fire support it's a beast.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Kjudoon, on 15 September 2014 - 04:50 PM, said:

I'd ditch the tag on that, and put in another ton of ammo. You're still light on SRM ammo. It takes 2 tons per launcher to be sustainably effective weaponry.

Yeah, that certainly can work. I tend to stay around 5 tons but if you regularly use more than certainly increase that ammo count.

I like to carry TAG and BAP since I if I have LOS on an ECM mech, I can illuminate it without need to type out the target and I've seen the team respond if they hadn't noticed it yet, and I like the Counter ECM effect of BAP since I've been in enough situations to have helped my team.

But if simply PUGging, yeah more ammo and/or DHS can work too. I know I can sometimes constantly tweak a build depending on what I'm seeing in matches.

Here's an alternate that trades the TAG and BAP for DHS and Armor on the arms. And if a player finds they keep running out of ammo than swapping a heat sink for another ton is a good trade for many builds like this one.

[IraqiWalker]

Yes, XLs can be fragile. However, the XL 400 will allow you to tank better than most Standard engines, simply because of the greatly increased torso twist speed, and well ... increased movement speed.

I'd recommend this set up. If you want to use Artemis.
Splatmaster

[Eaerie]

i am currently running my 1S with 2 LRM15's (artemis) 2 LPL's and 2ML's.

[STEF_]

BLR is the only assault I have, being a medium mech pilot.
I'm pretty happy with that.
Keep in mind that if a big and relatively slow mech with big hitboxes wants to go short range, it should have std engine.
Anyway srm weapons are effective at 270m, this means your blr should has enough speed to approach, and std engine will take a looooooot of tons.
That's why blr-1s is, imo, the best lrm boat (50-artemis-lrm+3ml+tag for example) with good speed.
For short range assault, Victor... sadly was nerfed....

Edited by Stefka Kerensky, 15 September 2014 - 11:08 PM.