Posted 20 January 2013 - 12:24 AM
I got one to master after I mastered Dragons and Hunchbacks. I think it takes more skill than many want to give it credit.
It is a straight up brawler. Very short range. SRMs are good for 270m but have you seen the spread at that range, even with Artemis? This means effective distance is around <100m. They're "fast" but that is a relative term. They aren't what anyone would call a fast mover. I run all my 'cat builds with 300 XL. 82.3 kph, I believe, with speed tweak. Dragons are faster and more maneuverable, much better at the hit and run.
I can take on lights with some success. It takes patience and practice but I kill or run off about half the lights that try to take me 1 on 1. (Kudos to those that manage the win, btw!) While the potential Alpha is devastating, the miss rate compensates. Being able to hit lag-shielded 130ish kph lights takes more skill than any other weapon system in the game.
What attracts me to this particular build is that SRMs, with the delay between mouse press and actual launch, coupled with "lag shield" for the really fast movers makes aiming more art than science (for this game). It's harder to score a hit with SRMs than it is with lasers and even ballistics (not to mention SSRMs).
To be really good at it, you have to figure out how to approach. Not just get close, but how are you breaking contact - approach, strike, break off to repeat again (the "run" in "hit and run".) I use terrain a lot more with this 'cat (and Dragons) than I do with other mechs. And it's more challenging in a cat to hit and run than it is in a Dragon with its ~13 kph speed advantage (my Dragons move around 95kph). The cat forces me to pre-plan my escape whereas in the Dragon speed was the main element to break contact.
I wouldn't "alpha" either. If you miss, it's a miss with all weapons systems.
My build is Artemis with 2xSRM6 and 4xSRM4. (I might have 1 and 2 backward)
Weapon group 1: 2xSRM4 left side.
Weapon group 2: 2xSRM4 right side.
Weapon group 3: 2xSRM6 (both sides)
Fire 1, judge your lead then fire 2. Fire 3 if you've got a good line up or feel you have the lead distance pegged. Saves on ammo and gives 3 chances to hit.
I don't use what some call cheese tactics. I don't think so, anyway. I'm at/near the front. What I look for are loners, those that separate too far during battle, LRM heavy loadouts and anything with a lot of PPCs (get inside min range). Assaults I definitely do hit and run, anything else I try to double team (but that would be true in any chassis).
Biggest points: use terrain, fire intelligently, use terrain, if you get too much attention, fall back. Oh, and use terrain. DO NOT run out in open spaces without friends. Hills are great - many weapons are torso mounted and those have limited vertical traverse - so just going high ground can get you out of some of the weapons aimed your way, and spreads damage from torsos to legs.
It's a fun build, it really is. I wouldn't make it my go to mech, though. A smart team defangs it and you're left feeling less than useless.