36 replies to this topic

[Shotor]

Yay or Nay?




(I'm trying to make an effective hunter-killer design. XL engines are looking interesting, but I'm not sure whether a hunchback can deal with having one. Anyone have experience or insight in this?)

[Reoh]

Anyone with hands on knowledge of the MWO mechlab would be bound by NDA not to answer, the best we can give you is TT examples etc. mate.

[Shotor]

Reoh, on 05 July 2012 - 11:34 PM, said:

Anyone with hands on knowledge of the MWO mechlab would be bound by NDA not to answer, the best we can give you is TT examples etc. mate.

Argh, forgot about that >.<

Right, ignore this topic

[William Petersen]

I generally don't like seeing XL engines on mediums. Usually not on lights either, unless they're moving really fast (9/14 at least).

I'll put them on heavies and assaults sometimes if I have a specific build I'm trying to do. Heavies and assaults are usually much more durable, easier to hit, so the enemy is probably going to be a lot better about hitting your CT, and a few cursory shots to your side aren't going to make a difference. Of course, in a slow medium like the HBK, I suppose the same argument could be applied.

What are the other parameters of the configuration you're hoping to achieve?

EDIT:
Psh, you don't need to play the beta and/or break an NDA for a good round of "let's play supposition".

Edited by William Petersen, 05 July 2012 - 11:40 PM.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

We don't know how they are treated in game well enough to give you a full answer. As someone who intends to pilot a Hunchback you can't effectively go faster than 85kph without an XL. With an XL you can get up to Jenner speed with max armour and enough tonnage left over for a reasonable weapon loadout. All the higher tech extras will come at a high price, but yes you can (and people no doubt will) make such HKs

[Nacon]

Maybe better acceleration than max speed?

[Tommytools]

I've always loved the hunchie and generally play it as a brawler. Personally I don't like XLs in hunchies mainly because I expect to take a metric crapload of damage. I usually do put XLs in scout (light) mechs, because there's nothing like eating up terrain at 120+ kph, but every other mech I tend to go for more weapons/ammo/armor/heatsinks/etc.

[Tincan Nightmare]

Nik Van Rhijn, on 05 July 2012 - 11:41 PM, said:

We don't know how they are treated in game well enough to give you a full answer. As someone who intends to pilot a Hunchback you can't effectively go faster than 85kph without an XL. With an XL you can get up to Jenner speed with max armour and enough tonnage left over for a reasonable weapon loadout. All the higher tech extras will come at a high price, but yes you can (and people no doubt will) make such HKs

Well you could go faster without an XL but you'd have to get rid of that AC/20, maybe downgrade to a AC/10 or 5 (possibly Ultra AC/5 or LB-X AC/10.) Then you would just have to factor if the speed is worth the cost in firepower.

[Reoh]

William Petersen, on 05 July 2012 - 11:39 PM, said:

EDIT:
Psh, you don't need to play the beta and/or break an NDA for a good round of "let's play supposition".

Oh absaloutely, I agree with that. It's just we can only give estimates to help people have an idea of what to expect but not to feel like this will 100% work out in game that way.

[Broceratops]

well the downsides of the XL in battletech would be

1) moves your engine criticals to your side torsos, therefore you might die faster due to generally lighter armor in the RT/LT than the CT. once that armor is gone and you take a hit to the engine its over.

2) if you're not a heavy or assault mech, you might actually need that room that is now dedicated to engine space. especially if you're a mech like the hunchback which puts an assault mech's weapon in your torso.

[Feindfeuer]

The Hunchback has very pronounced left and right torso areas from what we are able to see in the mechlab videos. So you realy have to rely on your speed and spread your armor evenly around the whole torso section, as damage to that XL engine in any of the torso areas will probably make you very dead very fast.
Not saying it is a bad idea, i certainly like speedy things. But it does not come without disadvantages... especially on a mech designed like the hunchback with pronounced side-torso areas.

Edit: Broceratops was faster.

Edited by Feindfeuer, 06 July 2012 - 12:18 AM.

[Ricama]

It all depends on if you can split the crits of an ac-20 in this game like on TT, otherwise you won't have the space.

[Kaelin]

I'd vote

Nay.

XL's are liability on brawlers.

unless you're overhauling your mech's intention completely, i.e. using it as a ranged platform.

[Riptor]

He has enough armor for an XL engine. So go for it.

[OJ191]

I plan to run one on my cicada once I get me some endosteel (unsure if I'll wait for FF armour).

8/12/8 with a center-mounter PPC and two medium lasers, then through trial and error decide what is better - extra armour and using the movement time to wait out heat, extra heatsinks, or (maybe I guess...) extra speed.

Edited by OJ191, 06 July 2012 - 01:43 AM.

[UglySniper]

I wouldnt put an XL in a Hunch if you cant still fit your AC 20 all in the torso

If you can...then i would put an XL in a Hunch, and have 2 AC 20s

Going crazy Hunch IIC would be awesome...which is why it probably wont be possible

[Ebynfel]

To be honest, I don't think it'll be possible. from what they have shown us so far, they are using TT critical allocations, and those 3 side torso slots for an IS XL Engine gives you one slot too few for the AC20. If you were to go, say Gauss Rifle instead, that's a completely different story. But being as the hardpoint is in the torso, and an XL takes up extra space you can't reallocate elsewhere, the AC20 just wont be viable. Now a Centurion with an AC 20 and an XL engine, on the other hand....

[UglySniper]

Ebynfel, on 06 July 2012 - 01:55 AM, said:

To be honest, I don't think it'll be possible. from what they have shown us so far, they are using TT critical allocations, and those 3 side torso slots for an IS XL Engine gives you one slot too few for the AC20. If you were to go, say Gauss Rifle instead, that's a completely different story. But being as the hardpoint is in the torso, and an XL takes up extra space you can't reallocate elsewhere, the AC20 just wont be viable. Now a Centurion with an AC 20 and an XL engine, on the other hand....

IN the other hand would be a hatchet (fingers crossed) and you would be one step closer to Yin Lo Wang

[HANGMAN1962]

to my knowlage you cant fit ac-20 or 2ultra ac-5 in a hunchy with an xl in it,as i've been using remlab to research loadouts and it gives me negative numbers in the torso if i try to do this.
an ac-10/lb-x/guass rifle will fit tho
and you can place case and all the ammo in other side torso tho and not worry about any cross feed issues
{in the case of guass you can fit it abs 1/2ton of CASE w/ an xl
the hunchy's 1 of the few mechs w/ known stock hardpionts so you can explore its changable loadout as a starter mech
now if you want go fast enough to make it harder to be hit then you need an xl all so allows you to add max standerd armer wtch off sets the risks of an xl on a med mech.
max armer and the extra speed afforded from the xl offsets the negative side affects of the xl
IE:your new walk speed gives you the same bonus as your old run speed and th new max speed puts you in the next stage of speed bonus for being shot at.
most assualts will never excead 60 kph max speed and ar much ezer to hit then a locusts walking speep that's only 80 kph.
i find the hole argument of an xl on a brawler hunchy overrated as if you lose the torsos on a hunchy you only have the head mounted small laser left to fight with{if you didnt remove it from stock loadout to begin with}
add the fact that you cant fit the ac-20 with xl and its a muted piont!
soo if if you want to run an non ac20 hunchy{say guass} it works just fine.
as the extra speed and max armer lets you dictate the range war to most other mechs.
hope this helps you m8

sincerly the"hangman"

[SilentSooYun]

As designed, it's a fairly bad idea. The Hunchie is too slow and it's weapons too close-range (not to mention the AC/20 is too big). You'd take too much damage trying to close that finishing you off with close-range torso shots would be relatively trivial, especially if you continue keeping your ammo in the torso. Yes, you can do considerable damage at close range, but smaller Mechs can maneuver out of the way while heavier Mechs can soak that kind of punishment while returning in kind.

Now a faster Hunchie with a longer range, that could shake things up a bit. But it would all but require a firepower downgrade.