13 replies to this topic

[MisterFiveSeven]

How many people consistently play with non-minmaxed mechs?

It's something that I've really been curious about, especially with all the whining about JJs (let's be honest, highlanders are pretty damn good).

I have an AC40 jager that kicks ***. My misery with x2erppc ac20 is even better (KDR ~4.0). After a while, though, they get really boring. I only pug (maybe with a friend), but the gameplay of each of these mechs is the exact same. Alpha, twist, wait for return fire, rinse, and repeat. It really is boring.

Now keep in mind, I feel very strongly that PPCs and ballistics are hands-down the best weapon systems in the game. Convergence may be an issue, but in all honesty I think the ac40 jager is really working as intended (with maybe the eventual addition of movement-accuracy penalties). That said, the reason this game is fun for me is because I can make it challenging.

I love playing subpar mechs. I love having good KDRs and win ratios with garbage. Anyone with a pulse can get 3.0 in a stalker; it has the most forgiving hitboxes and boatable hardpoints in the game. That said, I've always felt the stalker should be a machine of death (again working as intended).
I've been running my CTF-3D (no JJ's, std300, ES, DHS, and x4LL) because it teaches good fundamentals. It makes you a better pilot. You have to focus, you have to know where your teammates are, you have to guess your (location unknown) opponents' LOS and resultant target priority. You are FORCED to show your CT to them for sustained fire, so to do any damage you either have to surprise them or make damn sure your shots count (****** love those high torso energy harpoints). I'm sure all those good dragon pilots out there know what I'm talking about.

Long story short, if you derive pleasure from stomping face, this is probably not the game for you. It will get tiresome quickly, because there are obviously best chassis, variants, and loadouts. Their playstyles are all very similar, and balance in MWO will never exist if it's foundation comes from TT rules (I've played since I was 8, so I mean it when I say it).

So take out a subpar mech. Use intelligent weapons, but have some fun with them. Imagine the shame of the enemy jenner (x6 med las) you're dueling with when you rip off his leg with small pulse lasers and then run away like a ninny (I'm positive that he's furiously screaming "NOOB, NO ONE USES SPLs!" at his monitor). It is glorious, and far more rewarding than the 9 seconds it takes me to core you in my jager at 70m.

Anyone else feel the same way? Am I weird for dropping in mechs that I know aren't optimized?

[Soy]

I just like having fun, I have lots of stupid builds or balanced/ecclectic builds... You have to play it by ear though, and if it's expected that you're rolling a legitimate build or playing serious, then I'll usually take something stronger or more appropriate...

[WolvesX]

I play 5 LL 23 DHS Stalker often, just for the fun of it.

[NRP]

The OP should play an Awesome. Cataphracts are easy mode in comparison.

[General Taskeen]

Most of my builds are all based on record sheets.

[Crackerz]

I built a 5 mpl HBK-4SP last night, and had loads of fun with it.

Doesn't hurt that I got some pretty good scores with it too.

Pulse is so underrated.

[MisterFiveSeven]

NRP, on 06 June 2013 - 03:08 PM, said:

The OP should play an Awesome. Cataphracts are easy mode in comparison.

I like a challenge. I didn't say I enjoy pain lol.

PS I've mastered the awesome. Enjoy srm6+arty+medlas build even now (if I'm drunk)

[Waking One]

WolvesX, on 06 June 2013 - 03:06 PM, said:

I play 5 LL 23 DHS Stalker often, just for the fun of it.

That's actually a very monstrous build, not sure what does it have to do with the thread. Sure it's not ppc or gauss but...

[Noodlesoup]

play a blackjack. those are hard to min-max. same goes for tbt. the medium mechs currently appear to me to be the most difficult chassis to be "overpowered" in currently.

[HAV0C]

<S>

My highlander, Pale Horse (HGN 732) is kitted out as a very slightly modified HGN 732b from the TRO's.

It has the following:
1x Gauss Rifle in the right arm with 3 tons of ammo
3x Medium Lasers in the right torso
1x LRM 20 with Artemis in the Left Torso with 2 tons of ammo
1x SRM 6 with Artemis in the Left Arm with 1 ton of ammo
All ammo is CASE'd
3x Jump Jets.
11 Double Heat Sinks (10+1 in the engine)
I replaced the Ferro Fiberous Armor for Endo Steel internals, bumped the engine up to a 285 rating standard, and the armor is sitting pretty at 528 of 550 total.
Moduals are swapped out reguarly but I almost always use Advanced Sensor Range and Advance Target Decay at least, and will use Target Info Gathering typically unless I need something like Seismic.

If you see me in game, odds are good I'm in this 'mech, or my Heavy Metal armed exactly the same way but with weapons in different locations (lasers in the left arm, SRM and LRM in the left torso).

I do well enough with this build in all situations, and it's fun for me. It's rewarding to get 3 to 5 kills in this 'mech with 500+ damage. My best match to date in it is 6 kills, 2 assists, 986 damage. Sadly I didn't get a screen shot of this game. But here's a screen of Pale Horse at least.



Good thread, I hope to see more people running balanced builds and challenging themselves vs. running whatever the FOTM is.

See you rowdy lot dirtside. <S>

-Colonel Andrew "Havoc" Davis
Death's Hand Brigade Mercenaries

[Finn McShae]

HAV0C, on 07 June 2013 - 03:01 PM, said:

Good stuff

I used to run my 732 almost exactly the same, and that's basically how my HM is still setup (though I haven't run it in a long while). I tend to keep my mechs pretty close to the variants from record sheets that make me think of my old TT days. Though I didn run a Jager AC/40 for a while and it was fun and all, but kinda boring (also, Alpine comes up 90% of the time I roll it or my Hunch SP).

Two Jagers I've been playing have been fun, successfull and considered pretty "suboptimal" I'd imagine.

I run a S with 2 AC 10, 4 mLAS and 2 machine guns. Yes, both AC 10's AND machine guns! Mostly the MGs are there for the sound they make (and MOAR DAKKA), but I got a kill with them once.

I also like to run my A as a quasi-Orion (especially since I won't get mine for a while) with LRM 15, SRM 4, AC 10, 2 mLAS and Arty for the missiles. It was surpisingly solid before the LRM buff, and a bit better now. Usually good for raining LRMS down and finishing wounded mechs (read: Kill stealing) with the close range stuff.

Still getting a feel for the Firebrand, but I've been liking 2 PPC, 2 AC5, 2 MLAS and a couple heat sinks. Not quite enough ammo for the AC's to go hog wild, but it seems to work OK.

[Zerberus]

I play everthing from competitive builds like my D-DC and Trollmando to complete jokebuilds like a 9 Flamer Hunch and LRM 90 catapult. It`s all about "How do I want to have fun"... that can, at any time, be completely ruining someone`s day, luring someone into an evil trap, trolling entire teams, humiliating a player that makes a stupid mistake (On that note: we really need a Quake III style "humiliation" announcement when someone gets killed w/ flamers), flat out smashing someone`s face in while his buddies are nigh powerless to stop me, or any number of other reasons.

In other words, if somebody on the other team is mad at me after the match for any number of reasons, I probably had fun and did my job properly

Edited by Zerberus, 07 June 2013 - 03:47 PM.

[HAV0C]

<S>

I should clarify, I do on occation run a brawler Atlas D-DC, but I do so only for 8 mans and I spend every moment wishing it was Pale Horse.

Hopefully more people will chime in here and try out TRO builds. They're a helluva lot of fun.

<S> See y'all dirtside.

-Colonel Andrew "Havoc" Davis
Death's Hand Brigade Mercenaries

[Sephlock]

I am offended by the topic title! It is entirely possible to be both subpar and min-maxed!