10 replies to this topic

[Serapth]

I dont think I have ever had such a rollercoaster ride with a mech series as I have the trebuchet.


When it was first released, I picked up the 3c. It shipped with Artemis, so it seemed a natural fit as a fast missile boat. So I put 2xLRM15 and a couple ML on it, and I had pretty good success. Over all I enjoyed the mech and did pretty well in it. Not great, not bad. Generally got a kill or two and a few hundred damage. Over all, pretty happy with it.

Then came the founders/hero weekend, and I put it down and ground $ in my hero mechs.

Then yesterday I picked up the next in the series. In my case, the 7m. Let's just say my Elo score took a kicking... I have never been so bad in a mech, EVER. I tried about 20 different combos with this mech and simply couldnt get one that worked until I was pretty much done grinding it. At that point I found 2xERPPC + 3xSSRM2 worked for me, and I started to get some decent scoreboard showings with this mech. Simply put though, over it's lifespan this was my very worst mech ever.

I was about to give up on the TBT... one so-so experience and one awful experience, just wasnt working for me... and these are the chassis that people tend to prefer. In the end, I found versions that worked, but compared to say... a 4S HBK, I tended to do much worse in.

I somewhat reluctantly picked up a 5j and BLAMMO... fits like a #@$@#$ing glove. Im running a somewhat unorthodox build ( 280XL, 3xERLL, 5jj ) and its the perfect fit. Its a lot like running around in my Flame, just slightly less firepower and 10x the sniping ability.



I really dont think Ive experienced a mech where I have had such varied experiences going between chassis...


Anyone else experience the same in the Trebuchet, or in a different mech?

[One Medic Army]

Yup, pretty much mirrors my experiences.
Some Trebuchet builds work good, some great, and some are so godawful you never want to touch it again. And which is which isn't immediately obvious, and changes on a player by player basis.

I tend to run into problems with having enough firepower to deal with anything that gets close. I run big engines in all of mine (300, 325, 350)

Edited by One Medic Army, 01 March 2013 - 09:55 PM.

[Serapth]

One Medic Army, on 01 March 2013 - 09:53 PM, said:

Yup, pretty much mirrors my experiences.
Some Trebuchet builds work good, some great, and some are so godawful you never want to touch it again. And which is which isn't immediately obvious, and changes on a player by player basis.

I tend to run into problems with having enough firepower to deal with anything that gets close. I run big engines in all of mine (300, 325, 350)

I found if I put too big of an engine in, I was undergunned massively.

That tended to be my experience with the Trebuchet... you could make it whatever you wanted it to be... fast... an LRM mech... a sniper... a brawler... but in everyone one of those categories it was always "meh". It was probably the most versatile mech I've encountered, but didnt really thrive in any way at all.

When I finally started finding success with the TBT was when I built entirely around the concept of having jumpjets.

Edited by Serapth, 01 March 2013 - 10:07 PM.

[Mechabrozilla]

Man I love the Trebuchet its been the medium I was waiting for I hated all of the Hunchies cept the 4SP (mainly due to everybody knowing takeout the big shoulder part on the other variants and you have gimped the mechs offense).

I had better success with the Treb 7k then I thought I was mainly cause the missile tube on the arm lets you fire SRMs really accurate at about 200m at that range with that accuracy its better then having a ac20. I ran my 7m with 2 lrg pulses and 3 streaks and its been pretty good as long as you can keep your speed up to run circles around guys. Trying the 3C and still using the default setup (did take a chest mlaser out for a tag though) its actually decent if you have a team that holds lock ons.

[Khobai]

The problem with the Trebuchet is that it's as tall as an Awesome. It's so easy to hit from the front or side. Even my Trebuchet 3C with a 390XL engine that goes 139kph gets hit way too easily by everything.

[Corvus Antaka]

Try it with a Standard engine. They can be quite heat efficient and pretty tough to kill and still go respectable speeds. I find the SRM's work well with them. For fast brawling the hunchie is really better. I've had good luck with an LRM 20 ER large combo too.

[Sephlock]

Serapth, on 01 March 2013 - 10:05 PM, said:

I found if I put too big of an engine in, I was undergunned massively.

That tended to be my experience with the Trebuchet... you could make it whatever you wanted it to be... fast... an LRM mech... a sniper... a brawler... but in everyone one of those categories it was always "meh". It was probably the most versatile mech I've encountered, but didnt really thrive in any way at all.

When I finally started finding success with the TBT was when I built entirely around the concept of having jumpjets.

Kinda reminds me of the fluff description of the Grizzly.

[Josef Nader]

5J's my favorite too. One LRM 15, XL300, max JJ, and a few tons of reloads and heat sinks. It's agile as hell and makes a fantastic harrier mech. Easily my favorite.

[Bishop Steiner]

Agreed.

I tried the 3C first.... ya know, fast, hard hitting Star League baddie..... and found myself doing.... MEH. I think the uber fast 50 tonner role is better filled by the CN9-D, TBH.

Tried the JJs...7M and 5J.... and reaffirmed that without a good joystick, I am just not good enough with JJs. Mind you, I see some guys hovering around the Battlefield like Superman... so I know it CAN be done, but I don't seem to have the knack.

Was going to write them off, but on a whim (and stubbornness) tried out the 7K.

Finally found the mech that rivals my love of the CN9 series, or Cataphracts. It seems to maneuver with the same grace and ease that Cents do, and the hardpoint is not really anything special, but it just clicks for me.

I toss Endo, Ferro, DHS and a 300XL on mine, then kit it out with max armor, an ER PPC, an UAC/5 with 3 tons and 2 Streak packs with 1 ton. Doesn't win to to toe, but when I stay on the fringes, it lets me pour a ridiculous amount of fire in, and generally speaking, I seem to have better serviceability then in Cents and HBKs. I can't count the number of matches where I finish a shambling stick with no arms, don to one or 2 functioning weapons (usually just my ER PPC), but I have often been the last mech standing, looking like Ash at the end of an Evil Dead flik...... but victorious.



Shop smart gentle viewers... shop S Mart.

[Merky Merc]

I like the bucket in theory, but it's quite large for what it is. And it's hardpoints are all over the damned place. Is it too much to ask for a mech with arm lasers and torso missiles???

That said I really like my 125 kph 3C and my mad hops 7M

[OneEyed Jack]

Merky Merc, on 01 March 2013 - 10:52 PM, said:

That said I really like my 125 kph 3C and my mad hops 7M

Same. 3C is like a 4SP but FAST. I also tried it as a basically stock missile boat and was suitably impressed. GHaven't managed to find a 7K build that works for me. My best success was in a light-hunting build with LBX, MLs and Streaks. I think I'd really like it if the missile arm had enough tubes for a decent LRM launcher. Saw a heavily-armed build I wanted to try until I realized the arm was a missile hose. It's amusing, but not terribly useful. My favorite, though, is my 7M with PPC/2xML/3xSSRM and JJs. Multi-purpose, heat-efficient and agile as hell.

The Trenchbucket is the first medium that's felt like it properly filled the gap between light and heavy and light to me. It doesn't hurt that between the variants it can fill pretty much every role you could want from a medium.