11 replies to this topic

[Saiphas Cain]

I saw someone mention mounting their ammunition in the Torso because "they get legged a lot " which got me wondering about how others decide on ammo placement with IS mechs. Personally, I don't use C.A.S.E. at all, feeling the half ton and crit is best used elsewhere. I tend to begin with brawling ammunition in the head and legs assuming I will still be holding most of that by the time I close. I'd rather mount LRM ammo in the Torso than any other kind in the assumption I'll have burned through most of it by the time things get really ugly. The only time I mount ammo in an arm is when the weapon is in that arm and the legs are filled since that's liable to detonate when I lose said arm. I don't feel too badly about mounting ammo in the CT since by the time that's taking crits I'm in trouble anyway and a destroyed engine is a destroyed engine regardless of whether it takes a direct hit or the bullets next to it does. Side torso's are fine for overflow ammunition but I try to calculate about how much I should, on average, burn through before losing torso armor. Atlas example, 1 ton of AC/20 ammo in a torso isn't bad, 2 would be. I also split ammo between the legs rather than bunching it so if I do lose one and survive, I still have some of the ammo regardless of which leg it is.

[Bluefalcon13]

Depends on the mech. With my clan mechs with free case, I drop my ammo where the weapon is if it fits. On most of my IS mechs, head and ct take priority, except on my standard engine wang. I had the room for case so the gun arm st holds my ac20 ammo and a case. If I lose that side torso, I lose the gun, and the legs are vital for zombie cent....

[Escef]

Head first, legs second, arms if I must, avoid torsos.

[Bluefalcon13]

Let me say something about my last post... As far as IS mechs go, I run mostly lights... Hence the legs being off limits....

[Escef]

Bluefalcon13, on 30 October 2014 - 04:51 AM, said:

Let me say something about my last post... As far as IS mechs go, I run mostly lights... Hence the legs being off limits....

Honestly, the head is the only good place to put ammo in a light. Everywhere else is just bad. But sometimes you just need that second ton of ammo. Do what have to.

[TercieI]

It's more art than science and varies tremendously by the mech (hitboxes/weapon locations, etc).

Some things to consider:
-Order of consumption (CT-RT-LT-RA-LA-LL-RL-HD)
-Where the mech is typically damaged
-Do you have a shield side you plan to lose
-Playstyle
-XL/STD considerations
-Speed of consumption (CT is often safe because it goes first and you burn it off)
-Distance from CT (Arm explodes, you usually live, ST less so)
-Can you benefit from half-ton usage (this is new, lots forget it)

There are more, but that's just a short list off the top of my head of factors to consider. I make no hard and fast rules.

Escef, on 30 October 2014 - 05:37 AM, said:

Honestly, the head is the only good place to put ammo in a light. Everywhere else is just bad. But sometimes you just need that second ton of ammo. Do what have to.

Meh. ST on a Jenner-D/O is fine. If you're shot in an exposed ST, you're dead anyway.

[Saiphas Cain]

Bluefalcon13, on 30 October 2014 - 04:51 AM, said:

Let me say something about my last post... As far as IS mechs go, I run mostly lights... Hence the legs being off limits....

Does this vary by light? I run mostly Commando's and Locusts as speed freaks and tend to die to torso engine hits more often than leggings. The Raven has larger legs but I run that as a sniper. I don't have any Spiders, Jenners, etc.

[DEMAX51]

Escef, on 30 October 2014 - 05:37 AM, said:

Honestly, the head is the only good place to put ammo in a light. Everywhere else is just bad. But sometimes you just need that second ton of ammo. Do what have to.

The Head is certainly the best place to put ammo in a Light, but Lights' Side Torsos aren't exactly easy to hit either - so STs are generally pretty safe too, for any builds where you need more than 1 ton of ammo. It's even less risky if you have anything else in the same ST with the ammo, like some heatsinks or jumpjets, that can act as crit-buffers, too.

Edited by DEMAX51, 30 October 2014 - 08:48 AM.

[3xnihilo]

In my lights I put first ton in the head, second ton in ct if available then whichever st is the fullest (greater chance another component takes the crit). But honestly when your armor is gone off any piece of torso you are dead next time it takes a hit anyway.

[Lily from animove]

Escef, on 30 October 2014 - 05:37 AM, said:

Honestly, the head is the only good place to put ammo in a light. Everywhere else is just bad. But sometimes you just need that second ton of ammo. Do what have to.

true, the chance of it exploding is very low. I randomly headshotted a locust once from fully armed head to death with 2 CERPPC, I still wonder if he had ammo in the head. But he died instant, and ammo explosion is a bit delayed, isn't it?

[Escef]

Lily from animove, on 02 November 2014 - 02:00 AM, said:

But he died instant, and ammo explosion is a bit delayed, isn't it?

That's been my experience.

[DEMAX51]

3xnihilo, on 30 October 2014 - 02:19 PM, said:

In my lights I put first ton in the head, second ton in ct if available then whichever st is the fullest (greater chance another component takes the crit). But honestly when your armor is gone off any piece of torso you are dead next time it takes a hit anyway.

CT is a bad spot for ammo on a Light, even though Ammo is drawn from the CT first. You may feel like "well, if my CT is open I'm going to die soon anyway" but I can't tell you how many times I've taken a dual Gauss shot to my Jenner's CT early in the game, only to survive the rest of the game, bright red CT and all, and putting up 500+ damage. If I had ammo in my CT in those instances, there'd be a 20% chance I would have died straight-off.