12 replies to this topic

[Sunstruck]

Is there any bonus if heatsinks are closer to a weapon, say in the RT/LT or arms rather than someplace else like the legs or CT?

Edited by Sunstruck, 11 February 2016 - 05:44 AM.

[DoubleFlip]

Sunstruck, on 11 February 2016 - 05:44 AM, said:

Is there any bonus if heatsinks are closer to a weapon, say in the RT/LT or arms rather than someplace else like the legs or CT?

To my knowledge, it doesn't matter. Just don't put them in your arms, since they get blown off easily. Only advantage that exists that i know off is if you have dhs in your legs and they're in the water, they cool better.

Edited by DoubleFlip, 11 February 2016 - 05:46 AM.

[Sandpit]

The placement of heatsinks has no affect on their performance with one exception.

If the heatsink is submerged in water it becomes more effective. Generally it won't affect anything but light mechs as DHS (the most common HS used in IS builds) are 3 slots which means they're too big for placement there. Smaller mechs cna really take advantage of this in some maps since they're nearly completely submerged

[epikt]

There is a reason to mount the DHS next to the weapon though: crit padding.
When your internal structure is exposed, the internal components can be destroyed by critical hits. If you place DHS next to your weapons, there is a chance they will be destroyed first and your weapons still be operational.
That's why you might have seen builds with DHS in the same location as weapons, nothing to do with heat dissipation.

[Ritual Hammer]

What is the point of crit padding? You can only get crit after your armor is shredded, right? And once your armor is shredded, chances are you're about to lose that whole section anyhow. I don't see anyone ever bothering to laser your armor off and then just switch to MGs to just crit your weapons and leave you the exposed section still intact. Nah, they're gonna blow it right off. People rarely carry MGs, Flammers, or LB10-X's, anyways.

[Accused]

Regardless, having something other than your main weapon in a torso can save that weapon. There are people who most certainly will use machine guns on exposed components. Namely spider pilots and firestarters.

[epikt]

"Crit weapons" are mostly bad, we all know that, and crit-padding was never intended to counter them.
Indeed, when your armor is open you will most likely lose this component sooner or later. If you're good enough at shielding/twisting, or if you're lucky, it might last quite a long time, especially on long range skirmishes.
And even if crit-padding protects your weapon the time for only one single more alpha strike, that still worth it. It might even win you a close game or duel.
Also, crit-padding is not about adding unnecessary DHS to serve as protection. It's optimizing the location of the DHS you need for your heat dissipation. Let's take a classic 6 MLas Jenner-F as an example, with the XL300 and 2 jets you have tonnage for 4 DHS and room for 5: will you use the 2 engine slots? It would give you no benefit. Instead, you place as many DHS as possible near your lasers, because better a DHS destroyed than a laser.

Edited by epikt, 29 February 2016 - 04:40 AM.

[Rushin Roulette]

Austiclyse, on 20 February 2016 - 05:06 PM, said:

What is the point of crit padding? You can only get crit after your armor is shredded, right? And once your armor is shredded, chances are you're about to lose that whole section anyhow. I don't see anyone ever bothering to laser your armor off and then just switch to MGs to just crit your weapons and leave you the exposed section still intact. Nah, they're gonna blow it right off. People rarely carry MGs, Flammers, or LB10-X's, anyways.

The point is, (for example) if your AC20 survives long enough to shoot once more because a DHS was destroyed instead, you have the chance to deal 20 more damage to your opponent and therefore also a chance of destroying your opponent before he actually manages to destroy your mech.

[BackBreaker]

Sandpit, on 11 February 2016 - 10:23 AM, said:

The placement of heatsinks has no affect on their performance with one exception.

If the heatsink is submerged in water it becomes more effective. Generally it won't affect anything but light mechs as DHS (the most common HS used in IS builds) are 3 slots which means they're too big for placement there. Smaller mechs cna really take advantage of this in some maps since they're nearly completely submerged

Submerging your HS does not make them more effective, thats too general and not true - only legs mounted HS can get more effective and you don't have to submerge them - all you need is your legs to touch water.

epikt, on 29 February 2016 - 04:39 AM, said:

...
Also, crit-padding is not about adding unnecessary DHS to serve as protection. It's optimizing the location of the DHS you need for your heat dissipation. Let's take a classic 6 MLas Jenner-F as an example, with the XL300 and 2 jets you have tonnage for 4 DHS and room for 5: will you use the 2 engine slots? It would give you no benefit.
...

Not true either. You will get benefit of additional crit-padding the engine (not really important as of now) and any equipment in CT (weapons, ammo, etc.).

Edited by BackBreaker, 29 February 2016 - 06:26 AM.

[epikt]

BackBreaker, on 29 February 2016 - 06:26 AM, said:

Not true either. You will get benefit of additional crit-padding the engine (not really important as of now) and any equipment in CT (weapons, ammo, etc.).

The engine can not be destroyed by critical hits, the torso must be destroyed in order to destroy the engine, so crit-padding the engine is useless.
But indeed DHS would protect my CT jump jets, though in my opinion the lasers are more important than the jets. (and the way I take damage on this mech, I'm most likely to take spread laser on my arms when I roll the armor, and thus be exposed to crited arm components while the arm is still attached ; while most of CT damage come from straight blows, that probably will destroy the CT fast anyway)

[BackBreaker]

epikt, on 29 February 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

The engine can not be destroyed by critical hits, the torso must be destroyed in order to destroy the engine, so crit-padding the engine is useless.

If you look reeeealy closely you will see i posted that engine-padding is not important right now. But if engine crits will ever come to play in MOW it will be. The mechanic is there, it's just not used.

epikt, on 29 February 2016 - 06:42 AM, said:

But indeed DHS would protect my CT jump jets, though in my opinion the lasers are more important than the jets. (and the way I take damage on this mech, I'm most likely to take spread laser on my arms when I roll the armor, and thus be exposed to crited arm components while the arm is still attached ; while most of CT damage come from straight blows, that probably will destroy the CT fast anyway)

Now, come to think of it, if you take a top XL STD mech with filled 6 HS slots you get a double crit padding in CT - that basically means your zombie will have it's weapon till his death .

That is if in case of DHS they count as 1 crit in engine (i guess so - it looks like it) but if it would count as 3 (like in other places) that would be a massive padding not achievable in any other location (6 engine and 18 DHS = 24crits ).

Edited by BackBreaker, 29 February 2016 - 03:12 PM.

[epikt]

BackBreaker, on 29 February 2016 - 07:29 AM, said:

Now, come to think of it, if you take a top XL mech with filled 6 HS slots you get a double crit padding in CT - that basically means your zombie will have it's weapon till his death

Don't forget my example was a Jenner with its weapons in the arms, not a zombie mech (by the way, you don't zombie with an XL engine).
If your objective is to protect the weapon you have in the CT, sure, fill up the engine slots.

[Digital_Angel]

Austiclyse, on 20 February 2016 - 05:06 PM, said:

What is the point of crit padding? You can only get crit after your armor is shredded, right? And once your armor is shredded, chances are you're about to lose that whole section anyhow. I don't see anyone ever bothering to laser your armor off and then just switch to MGs to just crit your weapons and leave you the exposed section still intact. Nah, they're gonna blow it right off. People rarely carry MGs, Flammers, or LB10-X's, anyways.

Remind me to keep an eye out for you when taking my Huginn out for a spin some time