448 replies to this topic

[I am]

Is the the right place to ask for criticisms on my newest DDC Atlas build?

I put 2 Large Lasers, an Ac 20, and 3 LRM 15's in it. I love how flexible it makes my mechanized unit at multiple ranges.

How awesome is that?! My Alpha is 119!

119!

[boomboom517]

personaly i think the atlas is overated non of its varients have the nessacry boating capability to feald 3 ac20 give me a highlander any day and ill burry thoes ravens alive

[Lee Ving]

Onmyoudo, on 13 March 2013 - 12:46 AM, said:

Q_Q

As a non Atlas pilot, keep in mind 52kph is speed tweak max for many Atlaii.

[Jay Kerensky]

Rushin Roulette, on 18 March 2013 - 04:55 AM, said:

Well, the best way to utilize your Atlaiis to keep the opponents buys by not hitting you. Keep close to cover if you encounter more firepower than you can surpress, but open enough so that you can use all of your firepower if anything else shows so that you can push them back behind cover again.

Once the opponent has been shot up, it is the job of the Atlaseneses to go ahead of the team and soak up damage while the others can fan out and deal damage to the preoccupied opponents.

P.S. who the heck cares how the plural is as long as it is understandable? It is a name for gods sake, not a general noun... you dont write Rushin Roulettes or Jay Kerenskies do you? So stop being so damn pedantic.

Actually a noun is a naming word - n...a...m....i....n...g. And I care, which is why I posted it. As I said, it annoys me.

Perfect place for a post really, where other people will read it and think - wow this annoys him.

Then others will post things like 'who cares?, just get back to the topic at hand will you - which was something that annoyed somebody else in the first place - then that annoyed a whole heap of other people and they posted, then people started agreeing with their chosen side, and so we're now at page 22 of a thread about what annoyed the OP about Atlas pilots.

Pedantry actually seems to be the norm as opposed to the exception in these threads. If everyone stopped being pedantic, we really wouldn't make it much past page 5, now would we?
Oh and while we're at it, you can only drive one Atlas at a time so "...the best way to utilize your Atlai....." is grammatically incorrect in the context of your sentence, as it should have been singular - Atlas. Also I think someone made that point about cover in the first page or two, so your argument is also redundant. However, you have every right to post it and far be it from me to burst your bubble or cast dispersions. Just pretend I didn't post and furiously ignore me

Have a nice day.

[Carnivoris]

You know, you could just stick next to that Atlas and let the enemy come to you. I promise you... they will... and while they're doing so, that Atlas could be laying down some SERIOUS damage before they can even touch you.

[Rushin Roulette]

What if the "your" sentence was directed at the community in general?

Your Atlas = The Atlas you are piloting
Your Atlai = The multiple Atlas various users are piöoting (Plural is correct in this case).

Why should I furiously ignore you? Everyone has their likes and dislikes. The Atlas / Atlai discussion deffinitely is one of the more meaningless ones on these forums though. I just didnt like the part where you were criticizing someone just because they use Atlai even if their arguments made sence.

Most of my post was actually on topic (except for the last sentence).

Now back to the topisc at hand
There are basically 4 ways to use an Atlas.

1. Use it as a bruiser and rush headlong into the enemy to soak up damage for your team. This is for me the worst way anyone could play their role as an Assault in MWO. It is basically rushing up ahead with the bigest amount of armor and weapons... and wasting it by saying "Look at me, Im a big fat target. Shoot me". Once the opposing team has focused the big slow Atlas for 30 seconds, a big chung of your overall firrepower has evaporated.

2. Back row LRM support. Terrible utilization of an Assault... but still better than the first example. At least he survives longer and has a chance of dealing damage against morons (or preocupied players fighting against other mechs on your team) who dont know how to take cover.

3. Sniper: Not the best role for an Atlas, but there are worse. The problems are the hard points placements are mostly too low for any serious sniping from behind cover. You have to exposte about 60% of your mech before you can shoot over any cover due to the arms being at about waist height.

4. Flanker/brawler: This is in most cases the best way to play an Atlas. If possible, you let the smaller, faster Mechs draw fire. Ideally, they will not be hit as their speed will give them the needed advantage and allow them to move in cover fast enough. Meanwhile, the Atlas can flank around the opponents adn hot them hard from behind. As soon as the enemy team turns around, your job as distraction, damage sponge and damage dealer starts so that the others on your team can hit them seriously in a pincer move. You are still a damage sponge... but your armor is not wasted on the way to the opponents.

[I am]

Rushin Roulette, on 18 March 2013 - 06:23 AM, said:

What if the "your" sentence was directed at the community in general?

Your Atlas = The Atlas you are piloting
Your Atlai = The multiple Atlas various users are piöoting (Plural is correct in this case).

Why should I furiously ignore you? Everyone has their likes and dislikes. The Atlas / Atlai discussion deffinitely is one of the more meaningless ones on these forums though. I just didnt like the part where you were criticizing someone just because they use Atlai even if their arguments made sence.

Most of my post was actually on topic (except for the last sentence).

Now back to the topisc at hand
There are basically 4 ways to use an Atlas.

1. Use it as a bruiser and rush headlong into the enemy to soak up damage for your team. This is for me the worst way anyone could play their role as an Assault in MWO. It is basically rushing up ahead with the bigest amount of armor and weapons... and wasting it by saying "Look at me, Im a big fat target. Shoot me". Once the opposing team has focused the big slow Atlas for 30 seconds, a big chung of your overall firrepower has evaporated.

2. Back row LRM support. Terrible utilization of an Assault... but still better than the first example. At least he survives longer and has a chance of dealing damage against morons (or preocupied players fighting against other mechs on your team) who dont know how to take cover.

3. Sniper: Not the best role for an Atlas, but there are worse. The problems are the hard points placements are mostly too low for any serious sniping from behind cover. You have to exposte about 60% of your mech before you can shoot over any cover due to the arms being at about waist height.

4. Flanker/brawler: This is in most cases the best way to play an Atlas. If possible, you let the smaller, faster Mechs draw fire. Ideally, they will not be hit as their speed will give them the needed advantage and allow them to move in cover fast enough. Meanwhile, the Atlas can flank around the opponents adn hot them hard from behind. As soon as the enemy team turns around, your job as distraction, damage sponge and damage dealer starts so that the others on your team can hit them seriously in a pincer move. You are still a damage sponge... but your armor is not wasted on the way to the opponents.

These categories are far too general and broad. They do not encapsulate the psuedo rush, dynamic LRM rain on flanked cover, reposition to brawl hybrid play style characteristic of my Atlas.

Question: Whats better than your Atlas getting the snot kicked out of him as you pick apart the enemy mechanized units firing at said teammate?

Answer: Having the enemy team wasting their shots, missing, and overheating themselves, in an effort to kick the snot out of your nimble Raven teammate, while you pick apart the enemy mechanized units firing at said teammate.

Edited by I am, 18 March 2013 - 06:40 AM.

[Forestal]

I am, on 18 March 2013 - 06:35 AM, said:

Question: Whats better than your Atlas getting the snot kicked out of him as you pick apart the enemy mechanized units firing at said teammate?

Answer: Having the enemy team wasting their shots, missing, and overheating themselves, in an effort to kick the snot out of your nimble Raven teammate, while you pick apart the enemy mechanized units firing at said teammate.

Having done the latter (rear-guard duty) for other lights and mediums, I can report that it is indeed very satisfying... except when your lights and mediums "counter-circles" the enemy and runs into your friendly fire-- oops, sorry!

So it would be much healthier for my blood pressure when doing the same for an atlas-- cos I would have time to re-direct my fire, should it inadvertently but slowly move into my reticle... cos my chain-firing PPCs are likely to have the impact on friendly as well as enemy lights/mediums.

Edited by Forestal, 18 March 2013 - 07:32 AM.

[Rushin Roulette]

I am, on 18 March 2013 - 06:35 AM, said:

These categories are far too general and broad. They do not encapsulate the psuedo rush, dynamic LRM rain on flanked cover, reposition to brawl hybrid play style characteristic of my Atlas.

An Atlas isnt too good at anything vaguely close to "Dynamic".

If you want a fast LRM flanker, then you need a Heavy or Medium who can move fast enough to get around the enemies cover while still keeping enough distance to shoot and to not be shot at too much.

You can of course use LRM launchers on an Atlas to pound the enemy from behind after you have flanked them whcih is a good idea on paper, as it can keep you behind cover for longer... but you are sacrificing a lot of close range damage if you do this, and it is guaranteed, that quite a few opponents will come at you fast leaving you still further away from your own team once they attack. This could mean that you are destroyed before the rest of your team is able to reach and save you.

A feinted rush is also dificult with an Atlas, as they are too slow to react to speed and direction changes. Where a light or a meduim can rush ahead and turn sharply so that the opponents are tricked into going after the feint rush.. an Assault is stuck lumbering in forward for another few secodns before it can think of stopping or turning.

A hybrid Assault is perfect in the end, as it has the tonnage and space for weapons to cover as many ranges as possible, The best setup is one that deals more damage the closer you get, but doesnt have any weapons with a minimum range such as LRMs (use UAC5, AC10 or ERPPC for long range)