8 replies to this topic

[Khanublikhan]

I have just played the Alpine Map piloting my Founder's Catapult. I am not a regular Catapult pilot, preferring light mechs - so this is the first proper chance I have had to pilot the mech in recent weeks. My C1 build has LRM's fitted to the arms and medium lasers fitted to the Centre Torso.

Whilst walking down the gentler slopes (covered in white snow, as opposed to mountain texture) from the upper base towards enemies coming from the lower base, I found I could neither:-

• Bring my LRM arms to bear to get an LRM lock.
  
• Lower the mech's nose enough to bring the medium lasers to bear.

I simply could not fire any weapon.

Questions:-

• Would Arm Lock be a factor in this?
  
• The C1 torso elevation, was recently nerfed (overnerfed?) Why elevation and not torso twist only?
  
• Does the Alpine Map suffer from bad design? i.e. Excessive elevation changes? Look to the new Desert Map screenshots. The elevation changes there show up as 'steps' - is this by choice, by the designers?
  
• The pilot talent 'Twist X'. Does this properly effect torso elevation as well as twist?

Since I as a player have no choice on what map I join, so I cannot bring the right build mech, it strikes me as a very dangerous design choice to have excessive map elevation changes (above and beyond the elevation capacity of a mech) to bring weapons to bear. Imagine if it was a new player - getting shot up with no capacity to defend themselves...

To reiterate though - this was on a white snow region of the map looking downhill (near the tall tower).

Anyone else had excessive troubles with elevation, bringing guns to bear, on this or other maps?

Edited by Khanublikhan, 07 April 2013 - 03:38 AM.

[Alex Warden]

dunno why they nerfed the cat at all...probably because some ppl here think that would solve the srm boating problem..

i can still use my founders cat pretty well... but the nerf is distinct...

armlock locks your arms to the torso reticle, so yes, it IS a factor, if activated

alpine is what it is, a mountain map, with many many elevation changes, rather "randomly", for most arm weapons not a real problem...both my catapult and my stalker can shoot up to places where others can´t (shoot down from)...

but as i said, the cat nerf is significant, and i still don´t get why they nerfed the c1

Edited by Alex Warden, 07 April 2013 - 05:03 AM.

[Gtbuck]

Yeah, for sure check your arm lock setting, if it's on it will lower your up/down targeting range for your missiles significantly.

[Khanublikhan]

I understand there may have been a need for a torso twist change. I don't comprehend the need for a torso elevation change. The Catapult is intended as an LRM support mech, like the Jagermech is a support mech - which might include responding to aerial threats. So why nerf elevation, which seems to have had a knock on effect on the Alpine map.

Gtbuck, on 07 April 2013 - 04:00 AM, said:

Yeah, for sure check your arm lock setting, if it's on it will lower your up/down targeting range for your missiles significantly.

Isn't arm lock on by default for new players? See my point - arm lock could therefore hinder new players on the Alpine map?

Above and beyond arm lock (arm mounted LRM's) I also could not get a target into reticle with a central torso weapon.

Edited by Khanublikhan, 07 April 2013 - 04:06 AM.

[Aaren Kai]

Because the Cat is their favorite whipping boy/girl.

SSRM and ECM are getting complaints... Let's increase head hitbox on the Cat!

[AnnoyingCat]

How unfortunate

[Enig]

Make sure if you're running with the Arm Lock option enabled (which it is by default) that you hold Shift in order to unlock your arms. This lets your arm reticle act as your target acquisition point so you can lock your LRM/SSRM's on targets at greater elevation changes than your torso can handle.

I would however advise simply disabling the Arm Lock option altogether, then only using Shift to temporarily re-enable it for sniping or alphas.

[TerebNeerg]

I had to move 400 meters away from a ridge so I could turn around and shoot up at a 3L who had circled behind us on Tourmaline...

[Royalewithcheese]

There's no point to arm lock on a Catapult anyway - your arms are already laterally locked to your torso.