26 replies to this topic

[ReissTC]

"Old Reliant"

My most used mech is the CN9-AL; the loadout has changed bit by bit over time, but the basic loadout is:

Large laser and medium laser on the arm;
2x medium lasers on the CT;
Either LRM-15 +2 ammo (though may toy around with LRM10+BAP since buff), or SRM6 + SRM4 +3 ammo on the LT. Depends on which of the two is less useless on the current game version.

Works for me. So, one weakness I noticed is that tracking with the CT lasers can be a pain due to floaty/slow torso movement. So I replaced those with a pair of medium pulse lasers, at the expense of a heatsink and some armour. Figured it should work pretty well.

'Cept in practice I often use those medium lasers for enhanced alpha capability up to about 400m. End result was that it really diminished the build and was just awful to use as the primary and secondary weapon ranges didn't really match at all. Additionally, the shield arm (which lost most of its armour) wasn't quite so useful, and the loss of a heatsink + the hotter running pulse lasers wasn't a good combination. Didn't think such a small change would hurt it so much.

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"Jagerphract"

Next, fairly simple CTF-4X build copying the Jagermech - two AC/5s, two AC/2s. Great firepower and range, and dual AC/2s are pretty brutal if you can keep them on target. Even accounting for the DPS-type weapon weakness vs light mechs, I thought it was pretty good.

Then I ran out of ammo.
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"Support Atlas"

Long range-oriented brawler AS7-D-DC. Large lasers, dual AC5s, LRMs, ECM and an AMS. In theory was alright. In practice, the slow speed of the Atlas resulted in the LRMs becoming useless as an Atlas is about as good as a glacier at disengaging and widening the gap between itself and the target. Wasn't too good.
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"Bug Sniper"

Cicada 3M with dual ERPPC and ECM. Worked on exactly one map: Alpine. Big and cold. Every other map? No.
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"Cicada 3C In General."

Everything with the Cicada 3C ever. Probably more failures with this than there are lines in this post.
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...all the ones that come to mind!

Edited by ReissTC, 07 June 2013 - 03:40 PM.

[MouseNo4]

For me, in the light arena, i just cant get a Commando build that i am both happy with... and does the job i intend for it. It has to be superman fast, have decent armour for a Commando... but have at least SOMETHING more than a peashooter... Those things are so freakin light that in order to command a decent weapon... you have to strip the freakin kitchen sink.

PPC? Sure... but go at medium mech speeds. LRM? No problem, just be preprared to only fire a couple times. Hell even a LLaser is pathetic... when that is ALL you can carry and still be actively mobile.

[Sephlock]

Btw I've actually tried the 3x Gauss Ilya. I struggled mightily to convince myself that "its good, you just have to make sure you don't miss".

After months of rehab, I'm finally past the denial phase and well on my way along the path to healing .

[One Medic Army]

In a lighter vein, here's some of the builds I did on a lark and expected to be terrible, yet they worked:
Cicada 3M: XL320, ERPPC, 3 small lasers. I can only attribute the effectiveness of this build to everyone underestimating and ignoring it. I've also killed many many light mechs with it.
Highlander 733P: XL325, 2xPPC, 2xML, 3xASRM6. Many an atlas has charged at me and been surprised what the SRMs can do at close range.

[oldradagast]

Shakespeare:

Interesting to hear of your own experiences regarding the dual UAC 5 Atlas. Nice to hear an Atlas K working out - they are tough ones to get to work at all, though they are still an Atlas, and thus scary.

As for the Hunchback H, I'm goofing around with an AC 10, 1 medium laser per arm, and 1 on the head with a standard 225 engine. It's not great, and arguments could be made to go with the AC 20, but it seems to work and even if it loses the weapon pod, it still has 2 medium lasers.

Okay, back to the topic:

An LRM Catapult back in the days when ECM was unbreakable (No BAP, no PPC's, nothing.) but when LRM's did a lot more damage. Oh, i was proud of myself - look at that staggering damage number with 2 LRM 15's and a bunch of lasers! Yes, i would bring the rain... yeah, that was a disaster on so many levels. Nothing like hiding from clouds of DDC's Atlas's while trying to find a target - any target - that's can be locked onto with a missile. Yeah, 3 medium lasers and a TAG aren't enough to save you.

[The Mech behind you]

Cicada with 3 AC2

[The Cheese]

I play bad builds all the time. I love it. The most recent one was a Misery with an LBX, an SRM6, an ERPPC and 4 Med Lasers.

The idea was that it was supposed to be able to kill lights and mediums really fast, while still being able to help with minor long range support. It might have worked too, if the hit reg wasn't rooted. I put an alpha into a legged spider at point blank and he just kept on hobbling along.