Protection, on 25 March 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:
The other, last point, is generally try to keep yourself to 3 weapon groups or fewer. Having 4 or 5 weapon groups gets really hard to manage and control, and even if you are great at it, having so many different weapons means that you are often shooting and hitting enemies in different locations with each shot, making the damage really imprecise. 30 points of damage to one exact location is often better than 40 points of damage split across four different sections. So it helps to keep your weapon groups simple, organized and effective.
I usually use 4 weapon groups most of the time. I guess it depends on your key mapping. I use left shift for group 3 and space for group 4. I use groups 1,2 and 3 for different weapon types and group 4 for alpha. For example on my
PRETTY BABY:
1 == Left arm missle.
2 == Right arm LLas
3 == MLas
4 == all of the above
I usually go in alpha striking till I'm almost overheat and then I continue to poke with 1 until I am ready for another 4. Or if say I'm chasing something light and manoeuvrable I will not use 1, but 2 and 3 in stead so I don't waste (too) many missles.
If I would use only three weapon groups I would have to compromise somewhere which would probably mean getting rid of group 4. And this in turn would mean I'd have to press left shift and both mouse buttons at the same time with a negative effect on aiming.
And it's not just the build. Take this very common build for example:
AS7-D-DC
1 == Gauss
2 == Both LLas
3 == 3xSRM6 in chain
4 == all of the above alpha
Poke with 1 and 2 and when they get close 4. Or if you need to confuse them fire some srm's in chain. Group 3 might not be really necessary but it gives you a nice extra harassment tool.
I would really recommend against sticking with 3 weapon groups because 4 weapon groups gives you more versitility in loadout and better heat management. And it is not complex to handle. Maybe some getting used to but no more.