51 replies to this topic

[RedDevil]

I thought machine guns don't aim but shoot in a cone? It would be insane luck if MGs took out the left eye of an Atlus.

[Zeleglok]

Having 0 armor in head is not a good idea - you can get hit by arty / airstrike, you can catch a random gauss slug and so on.

Every mech building starts from having full armor everywhere, and dropping armor is the last weight-saving option. It depends on the mech and build which components are quite safe to run without full armor, and head is not an exception.

Full armor is commonly important for big guys to survive several arty / airstrikes and random hits or a single precise double-gauss shot. Fast mediums and especially lights don't depend on it so much. but there's no reason to intentionally drop head armor - do so only if your build requires that.

For example : FS9-A
You need only 0.15 tons more to place that jumpjet if you have full armor everywhere. Head is the most safe component to drop armor.

Edited by Zeleglok, 13 February 2015 - 03:36 PM.

[terrycloth]

At facehugging range machine guns are basically pinpoint. From a distance it would never work, no.

[RedlineHunter]

I normally won't run mechs with less than 12 points of armor on the head. Not so much to protect against headshots but to help protect against laser sweeps across the torso.

[RedDevil]

terrycloth, on 13 February 2015 - 05:08 PM, said:

At facehugging range machine guns are basically pinpoint. From a distance it would never work, no.

I'm still not so sure this is common. Face hugging a Atlas with a light mech is more like crotch hugging

Not going to hit that single eye with MG's over and over.

[John Mechlane]

Like people said before me, if you have 0 armor, your enemy will see it, and try to aim for it. only viable(-ish) on light mechs...

My own rules that i try to uphold myself:
-Keep at least 6points of armor on light mechs
-At least 10-12points on everything else
-Maximum on mechs with giant cockpit hitboxes, or anything heavier than 60-70t (unless you really really really can't free up that weight from anywhere else)

[Johnny Two Legs]

joelmuzz, on 12 February 2015 - 02:26 AM, said:

If you go zero then people will see that it is zero and be encouraged to shoot your face.
So have 1 at least, so it looks like armor is there.

I can't even...

How can another player see that you have 0 armour compared to "have at least 1 armour... so it looks like armour is there"...
huh?

JaniTheWeedman, on 16 February 2015 - 07:29 AM, said:

Like people said before me, if you have 0 armor, your enemy will see it, and try to aim for it. only viable(-ish) on light mechs...

How?
Does it change to the paper doll image to internal only?

If not, I can't even...

J2L

Edited by Johnny Two Legs, 16 February 2015 - 08:16 PM.

[SethAbercromby]

The paper-doll shows an outline arund the components to show the armor status in a rough percentage compared to what they started in. If your armor is 0, that outline will be missing to show that the component can noe be dmaged directly.

[EAP10]

I always max out head armour on every mech, especially after I one shot headshot a firestarter with dual gauss. Also after a full 35 point arty hit my friend in the head, giving him 1 point left. Dual gauss is definitly dangerous for heads.



(It was my arty BTW. Sorry heydiddly. ): )

[RedDevil]

So, I'm convinced to not run 0 head armour; the weight savings is pretty minimal. However, I can see shaving some off to beef up the legs on a light a little bit more.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

[Nightshade24]

risky... 1 lucky enemy shot (or depending on mech, on purpose skill shot) could kill you as well as artillery strikes... arties do drop on heads quite often...

[Thor Sten]

My locust has 2 points of armor in the head, and that's been cracked only twice. I think with an Artillery strike, or with LRM. Strangely my MG-Amunition, stored under the drivers seat, always was destroyed. Without exploding