7 replies to this topic

[Adoyser]

Greetings Fellow Pilots,

I am new here. I am currently getting blown up quite nicely and in the process am trying to learn maps and controls. I am starting to get my cbills up there. Thank You MWO for the wonderful cadet bonus it helps a whole bunch. Anyway I plan on waiting till my Cadet bonus runs out before I buy a mech for myself so that I can get it set up farely well. This will also give me a chance to learn more about the game and some of the weapons systems. However I want to try to start thinking about some designs. So what I am going to do is give ya'll an idea of how I like to play and what roles I enjoy and see if you can give me some suggestions on my first mech and a good loadout for it. Remember I am still new but I do have a basic knowladge of the weapons and what they do. Also if anyone out there is willing to help me learn how to apply my playstyle and role to this fun and unique game I would be very appreciative. Anyway here is the info youll need to help me

Playstyle: Hang back and provide long range support - I am just not real good when close in I have trouble hitting my target. Even in the many FPS games which I have played I have better served my team as either a sniper or longer range assault. When I am in close I am not as good.

Role: Sniper/Long Range DPS

I have already scratched the light mechs for obvious reasons. I may make a half decent scout in finding the enemy but I can't avoid enemy fire long enough to be useful.

Edited by Adoyser, 24 March 2013 - 03:44 PM.

[PhDGreg]

If you want to spend big, you could consider an Atlas DDC. It has a good mix of hardpoints (3x missile, 2x laser, 2x ballistics) so you can load it out with just about anything. If you want to focus on long range, it can equip LRMs, PPCs, gauss rifles, AC2s, large lasers, etc... The ECM will give you some added protection and tends to cause at least 2 team mates to stick close to you (which can be handy if something comes up close).

If you want to focus more on a specific long-range tactic you'll be best off choosing between LRMs (no need to be accurate, but relies on some wisdom and team communication so that you don't just waste them) or sniping weapons (gauss rifles, PPCs, etc) - they rely on accuracy but if you can land hits then it does wads of damage.

It can be worth looking into some of the medium and heavy mechs - some maneuverability and discreteness can go a long way when it comes to positioning yourself to do damage at a distance.


Oh, and remember that you can play around in http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ to look up the stats of mechs and determine a nice loadout.

Edited by PhDGreg, 24 March 2013 - 04:38 PM.

[nungunz]

Probably a sniper build would work for you. Catapult-K2, Cataphract 3D, Jagermech. Anything that you could throw dual gauss rifles or 2-4 PPCs and still maintain some speed.

I'd probably suggest the K2 because it is a very versatile build and can do brawling as well as sniping. Plus you'll probably end up getting a few catapult variants as they are all very good and will be mastered in short order.

*EDIT

That being said, I personally find the Cataphract-3D a far superior sniper with 4 jump-jets and 2 PPC (or ERPPC) and one guass rifle. Usually an XL300.

The reason I suggest the K2 is because you have a lot of build options and you will probably be getting 2 other variants fairly quickly so you can finish off the mech tree in short order.

Edited by nungunz, 24 March 2013 - 04:45 PM.

[Adoyser]

ok I am finding so far that I am having better luck with missiles than with lasers and ac/2s and such. Of course my only experience at this point is limited to the trial mechs which have no real specialty build it is a little of everything. However looking at the options over on the Mechlab thanks for that link BTW I had found it once but couldn't remember where it was. Anyway I put this build together the only downfall is armor and I am wondering about the ECM which models have it. anyway here it is

My Amature Attempt

Poke holes rework it all you want. I want the best LRM boat I can get by the time I go to purchase it.

[Ceesa]

It's great that you know what you want. However, LRM boats (the good ones) are pretty expensive. Awesomes and Stalkers make the best ones right now because they can carry 4 LRM 15 and a few medium lasers. Go for an AWS-8R. I know this build is expensive and you won't be able to afford it right out of the gate, but it's a solid LRM boat:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b27ecec519a418f

Note that it has TAG, which is pretty essential if you're not dropping in a group. The AI can't do that. Also, I saw that you have LRM20's in your build. They aren't as good as LRM15s imo since they weigh so much more. Besides, the A1 can't fire all 20 missiles at once. Instead it'll fire 15 and then 5 a half second later. Use smurfy's to check how many missiles fire at once (it says in parentesis next to the number of missile hardpoints on the paperdoll).

If you're set on LRM, save up the money for the Awesome build. Otherwise go for the C1 or C4 catapult and make sure to give it a couple lasers along with the LRMs.

[PhDGreg]

I would definitely advise caution in a purely LRM build, because it leaves you entirely defenseless if you get caught in close combat without your team around - which if you're hanging back and firing from afar, is quite likely.

My first thought when I'm in a light and I see an LRM only mech on the enemy team is "yum" - unless you're communicating well with your team, a single light can slowly tear you apart and there will be nothing you can do about it. Even having a single Streak SRM2 or a couple of lasers can be enough to deter a light - at least for long enough for your team to respond.

The other thing to keep in mind is where to put your ammo - anywhere easy/likely to be hit is a bad idea, since you don't want your ammo to explode - either killing you or leaving you with nothing to shoot. Most people stash it in their legs, sometimes with a little bit in the arms or side torsos (the ammo in the arms and torso will get used first, so unless you get shot open really early it's likely that you'll have emptied those reserves before they have a chance to explode).

Previous post is full of solid build advice.

[jeffsw6]

I don't think an Atlas D-DC is a particularly good sniper. It's hard to pop in and out of cover, because the mech obviously doesn't change direction very fast. It also has a big hitbox. Finally, it can't aim up or down very much with anything except its arm weapons (lasers.) If you put a Gauss Rifle on an Atlas, good luck shooting anyone above or below you.

I think mechs with jump jets make the best snipers. They also give you some extra escape options once you get good at flying over hills, buildings, and other obstructions.

[Adoyser]

WNxFireDrake, on 24 March 2013 - 07:26 PM, said:

It's great that you know what you want. However, LRM boats (the good ones) are pretty expensive. Awesomes and Stalkers make the best ones right now because they can carry 4 LRM 15 and a few medium lasers. Go for an AWS-8R. I know this build is expensive and you won't be able to afford it right out of the gate, but it's a solid LRM boat:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b27ecec519a418f

Note that it has TAG, which is pretty essential if you're not dropping in a group. The AI can't do that. Also, I saw that you have LRM20's in your build. They aren't as good as LRM15s imo since they weigh so much more. Besides, the A1 can't fire all 20 missiles at once. Instead it'll fire 15 and then 5 a half second later. Use smurfy's to check how many missiles fire at once (it says in parentesis next to the number of missile hardpoints on the paperdoll).

If you're set on LRM, save up the money for the Awesome build. Otherwise go for the C1 or C4 catapult and make sure to give it a couple lasers along with the LRMs.

That awesome build looks WAY better than some I have seen and much better than mine. I will save up and purchase me one of them and run that bad boy. One of my biggest issues is going to be light mechs even with the mediums on there the lights can run circles around me I can't turn fast enough. Is there a good way to counter lights as an assault. Or am I in trouble if they get in close?