28 replies to this topic

[madMAx666]

Did you know what this patch did? It nerfed this and that yeah i don't care.

But get this: it made the AS7-K a pretty viable mech.
Now i know most of you will stop reading now, but hold on. Not every mech has 2 AMS systems and they are pretty handy right now.

So how did i manage to make the AS7-K with the least hardpoints into something viable? First i've strapped an XL300 engine on it, oh yeah.
Maybe some of you are still with me, hang on.

So now i got minimum hardpoints and maximum free tonnage, of course i've put a gauss into the RT to make proper use of the only ballistic hardpoint. The same with the only missile hardpoint: LRM20 (this is where the LRM buff comes in). Now to finish it off there are 2 LL in the arms and 2 MPL in the CT. And still 2 AMS of course.
You'll notice the loadout is almost stock, imagine that. Thanks to the XL there is enough tonnage left for lots of ammo: 4 ton gauss, 4 ton lrm, 2 ton ams.

Now, here's the catch, you need the right tactics to survive with this mech. No more frontlines for this atlas. You gotta keep back, chill out, lob some LRMs and wait for the enemy to move out of cover.
Let the mediums take all the attention, they can pop in and out of cover as they wish. One false move with this beast and your done.
And this is where the new patch comes most into play, thanks to LRMs being viable again there is no PPC camping going on, which is deadly for any atlas.

Hail to the new patch, it made the lost AS7-K viable. I've managed to get over 900 dmg with this build and averaging at 500 maybe. Still adjusting to the 4 weapon systems, never used more than 3 before.

[Flak Kannon]

Funny...

That is how I run one of my Atlas also.. I think the K. 3 LL, 1 Gauss, 1 ArtemisLRM20. Its a BAck line support Mech supreme. It makes most all mechs keep their head down, lest they take 50 points damage in a second...

But now that Anti missle is needed, I may have to rebuild my stable of mechs to include AMS.. I removed it a couple months ago from every mech I own.

[Bishop Steiner]

cool. just what w need, one more excuse for the Assault Mechs to cower in the rear while the rest of do the actual ASSAULT-ing (notice the word ASSAULT?).

yay to using the Hammer for support duty!

[madMAx666]

Bishop Steiner, on 04 June 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

cool. just what w need, one more excuse for the Assault Mechs to cower in the rear while the rest of do the actual ASSAULT-ing (notice the word ASSAULT?).

yay to using the Hammer for support duty!

Well the atlas is an old design with all its weapons in the lower half of the mech, almost all new mechs have weapons on top. Try to compete with a stalker in his territorry (which is 90% behind cover) and you'll loose.
It's just how the meta has turned out for the atlai.

[FireSlade]

Truth be told on a battle field how many Assault mechs would you see up front? Not much and with the 12 versus 12 you will see more diversity of weight classes. Assault are slow heavily armed heavily armored machines designed to be in prolonged battles ripping the enemy apart at the cost of speed and size. The problem I always see is the lighter mechs treating the assault mechs like this is WoW and that the assault should be in the front tanking the damage. Works great in WoW where there are healers but in tank warfare it is just plain stupid to do by sacrificing the assault early. Any commander with a brain is going to have their faster mechs out front harassing the enemy with hit and fade tactics and use the assault to push the enemy lines back or break them. So yes at the beginning of the battle you want to lob LRMs to halt the enemy advance and soften them up. The design that the OP came up with seems very well balanced with a mix of direct fire weapons and bombardment ones, plenty of defense (AMS basically acts like a missile shield and reduces the total incoming damage), and enough speed to not be left behind.

[ShadowbaneX]

Bishop Steiner, on 04 June 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

cool. just what w need, one more excuse for the Assault Mechs to cower in the rear while the rest of do the actual ASSAULT-ing (notice the word ASSAULT?).

yay to using the Hammer for support duty!

While I'll largely agree with this sentiment, there is something to be said for hanging back. A friend of mine runs 2*ams, ac/20, 4*ml & lrm10. He and I were playing last night (me in a 2*uAC/5 K2) just hanging back. I was sniping with my ACs and him popping things with missiles whenever he got a lock and we did quite a bit of damage and then held the line when a pair of spiders rushed the base. Note we likely would have lost the match if we hadn't been there. At other times we wandered in fresh later in the fight and mopped up.

Yes, assaults are supposed to assault frequently, and if you're hanging back with nothing but missiles it's a waste...that said, they're also supposed to be the anchors in a defensive line and area denial platforms. They can do that with a single LRM launcher and still be able to show up later in a fight and be very effective.

[One Medic Army]

You're using an XL300, with a torso gauss, on an atlas where most players will aim straight for your RT as soon as they see you.
Yes, I can see why you'd hang in the back.

Realistically, you're asking to get killed by lights and mediums in a build like this, they know your weak point and will blow out your side torso with ease.

If you must use an XL engine, is suggest dropping the gauss for an AC/10, and using the weight saved to upgrade your engine to something that isn't so painfully slow.

Edited by One Medic Army, 05 June 2013 - 12:22 PM.

[Lord Perversor]

Bishop Steiner, on 04 June 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

cool. just what w need, one more excuse for the Assault Mechs to cower in the rear while the rest of do the actual ASSAULT-ing (notice the word ASSAULT?).

yay to using the Hammer for support duty!

I can understand your feelings Bishop i'm also the kind of pilot who likes to lead the charge and take all the enemy punishment when driving an Assault to let my teammates crush the lines while i broke them.

But still he's playing a bit truly how some Assault mechs are mean to play specifically the Juggernauts ones.

[Shadowsword8]

Gauss + XL engine = death if even just 5 damage get past the side armor.

So the end result is a 100-ton mech with the toughness and firepower you'd expect of a 65-ton mech.

[Bishop Steiner]

Lord Perversor, on 05 June 2013 - 12:36 PM, said:

I can understand your feelings Bishop i'm also the kind of pilot who likes to lead the charge and take all the enemy punishment when driving an Assault to let my teammates crush the lines while i broke them.

But still he's playing a bit truly how some Assault mechs are mean to play specifically the Juggernauts ones.

Great. And if he were driving a Longbow, Stalker or Viking, I would be OK. An Atlas is not meant to snipe, and dance. It was designed for one purpose, to be the hammer driven right smack thru the middle, right thru your enemies skull!

[Av4tar]

Cool the ATLAI is the best mech eva!!

[aniviron]

madMAx666, on 04 June 2013 - 03:23 PM, said:

Now, here's the catch, you need the right tactics to survive with this mech. No more frontlines for this atlas. You gotta keep back, chill out, lob some LRMs and wait for the enemy to move out of cover.
Let the mediums take all the attention, they can pop in and out of cover as they wish. One false move with this beast and your done.

I was with you up until the part where you think the mediums are going to be able to soak up the damage that you're not taking. That should last for all of about 30 seconds, enough for two well-placed alphas.

[Hillslam]

ASSAULTS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN FRONT!!!

frigging idiotic and often repeated noob tactical assumption. pro-tip: wow and other rpg teach **** for tactics.

Assaults, like battleship, are supposed to be in the middle of the formation. Think naval, not wizards.

The front needs to be mobile. assaults are not mobile.
The flanks need to be mobile. assaults are not mobile.
the center needs to stand and be the anchor. Assaults ARE anchors.

rpg tactics don't apply. do that and you're doing it wrong.

Edited by Hillslam, 06 June 2013 - 09:49 AM.

[Bishop Steiner]

Hillslam, on 06 June 2013 - 09:47 AM, said:

ASSAULTS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN FRONT!!!

frigging idiotic and often repeated noob tactical assumption. pro-tip: wow and other rpg teach **** for tactics.

Assaults, like battleship, are supposed to be in the middle of the formation. Think naval, not wizards.

The front needs to be mobile. assaults are not mobile.
The flanks need to be mobile. assaults are not mobile.
the center needs to stand and be the anchor. Assaults ARE anchors.

rpg tactics don't apply. do that and you're doing it wrong.

Different Assaults serve different purposes. Yes, the Atlas needs it "Corvettes" to be most effective (and a Good Medium should join himself to an Atlas' hip...except most Atlas are in the back lobbing LRMs), but an Atlas is indeed meant to be in the front (Hence it's comparably paltry long range arsenal in most configs, whilst the The Awesome is a Long to Medium Range Sniper, Stalker is a Support Mech, and the jump jets on a Highlander weren't meant for Poptarting, but for CQB.). The Lights and Mediums do indeed engage first in most cases, but that is more a matter of speed than tactics. Those mechs are going to be most effective flanking and acting as escorts, not the front line of the fight.

Hence, your blanket statement is as wrong as the ones you are lambasting.

[Carrioncrows]

For the longest time this is pretty close to the build i ran in my Atlas, but it was a DDC

x2 Larges
Gauss Rifle
LRM20
x2 SRM6's

XL Engine.

You'd just play it chill in the back gunning people down and the closer they got the more firepower you brought to the table.

[General Taskeen]

Bishop Steiner, on 04 June 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

cool. just what w need, one more excuse for the Assault Mechs to cower in the rear while the rest of do the actual ASSAULT-ing (notice the word ASSAULT?).

yay to using the Hammer for support duty!

Right, but the Atlas-K original build was intended for longer range engagements. An Assault Mech can be any kind of build, short, medium, or long range. The guy is just keeping to the spirit of the original build. Surprising you would post something like this Bishop.

[StonedVet]

I agree with the OP and the others stating the true purpose of certain assaults. Those saying the atlas is the mech that runs into a lance of enemy to emerge as the hero victorious are smoking some really good stuff. Keep goin Bishop, you are on a roll with your utter crap posts and ideas in this game

[Doomstryke]

Gata agree with most. Pop tarting might be gone but PPC's are not. That means almost any mech with 30 point alpha or more from 700M will destroy you the second they see you in the back. 2 shots and you blow up if your not lucky 3 if you are.

you should be able to make that build work close to the same with a standard 300. At least then you won't die right away and can be a damage spunge if need be

[Hillslam]

Bishop Steiner, on 06 June 2013 - 10:07 AM, said:

Different Assaults serve different purposes. Yes, the Atlas needs it "Corvettes" to be most effective (and a Good Medium should join himself to an Atlas' hip...except most Atlas are in the back lobbing LRMs), but an Atlas is indeed meant to be in the front (Hence it's comparably paltry long range arsenal in most configs, whilst the The Awesome is a Long to Medium Range Sniper, Stalker is a Support Mech, and the jump jets on a Highlander weren't meant for Poptarting, but for CQB.). The Lights and Mediums do indeed engage first in most cases, but that is more a matter of speed than tactics. Those mechs are going to be most effective flanking and acting as escorts, not the front line of the fight.

Hence, your blanket statement is as wrong as the ones you are lambasting.

Yes if the formation is pushing forward, the Atlas should move up with it. I agree with you the Atlas is not meant as a long range support mech.

However, IN the front does not mean all the way forward AT the front.

As an Atlas pilot from since way back when they were first introduced, I know you know that gets you: Abandoned at the front when the damage starts coming in, while the meds and lights around you evaporate swiftly to the rear (like you cannot) while you suck up the rain death. Result: you dead, your team severely down on firepower, and the enemy marginally disrupted.

My statement stands. The atlas in the center of the formation is the best place for it. Not right up front.

Edited by Hillslam, 06 June 2013 - 11:28 AM.

[pjfontillas]

Atlai should always be near the center/front. Protecting others while dishing out pain. The K is a nice missile counter measure and pairs nicely with a D-DC.

The only time an Atlas should be at the front is if it's initiating a push and encouraging others to go with it.