43 replies to this topic

[BenEEeees VAT GROWN BACON]

The Grand Dragon is one of my favourite mechs and apart from my inception package mech, I'd like to acquire a Dragon as my next mech. The thing is, the Dragon doesn't seem to possess a lot of bite and its role appears to be best suited as a hit-and-run skirmisher.

Given that the available modules might not offer the best synergies with the Mech's standard load-out and that I would also like to be more proactive on the battlefield and not just keep range while slowly whittling down the enemy, I was wondering how feasible a scout-hunter Dragon with Scouting Modules sound.

The idea is to "screen" your team against enemy scouts and prevent them from getting intel. It should be agile enough to chase down scouts, armed well enough to devastate a caught scout (I'll go for the legs first) and armoured enough to act as a forward mech that can utilise scout modules, this way I can still be useful after fulfilling my niche role. Against heavier mechs I'll switch to flanking and ambushing attacks while trying to stay out of their firing angles.

I'm thinking; an upgraded engine and removing the LRM-10 for a higher damage shorter ranged weapon (don't know what yet). But do you guys think that the Dragon is suitable for such a role? Or will this still be too slow to have any meaningful engagements with scouts and too weak to brawl with other equal or heavier mechs? Is the Dragon meant to be used with a totally different play-style meaning this role wouldn't work?

What are your views?

Also, I'm going to try and like my own post to see if it can be done

[Vulpesveritas]

Let's see... given what we would appear to have in mechlab according to the devs...
Remove LRM
Reduce left arm armor
Swap to endo and XL engine if possible
Remove AC/5 and put a PPC in if possible and add in heatsinks, otherwise swap for UAC/5 and an extra ton of ammo
Increase engine to the maximum size, or second to maximum size and add in a few small / medium lasers and/or heatsinks if possible.

Seems like a viable scout killer so long as they don't have a pack and they get behind you.

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 08 June 2012 - 10:22 AM.

[CCC Dober]

As a hardcore Clanner I'd be compelled to say that you would be wasting resources. Heavies are not meant to hunt Scouts, Mediums are.
However, I do know your pain from personal MW4 experience and all I can suggest is to maximize your punch, whatever range you finally settle for. The Heavy Gauss allowed the Mech to punch way above its weight. Seeing that it would probably not be available in 3050, you might settle for a normal Gauss or another ballistic weapon with a meaty punch and energy weapons to match each of them.

Cheers.

[RangerRob]

Well lets look at the other contenders for the role...

Cicada: Maybe...fast enough to find them. Might be out gunned and out armored by the Scout it is trying to find though.
Centurion: Depending on the variant. The slow one...no way, Upgraded quicker one...sure.
Hunchback: too slow

Any of the lights could counter scout...but then they are not doing their job...at least until they have eliminated the enemy scouts.

Dragon to me seems the favorite at this point. Think we have a Jumping Medium yet to be announced that will take the fore-front anti-scout role though.

[BenEEeees VAT GROWN BACON]

CCC Dober, on 08 June 2012 - 10:27 AM, said:

As a hardcore Clanner I'd be compelled to say that you would be wasting resources. Heavies are not meant to hunt Scouts, Mediums are.
However, I do know your pain from personal MW4 experience and all I can suggest is to maximize your punch, whatever range you finally settle for. The Heavy Gauss allowed the Mech to punch way above its weight. Seeing that it would probably not be available in 3050, you might settle for a normal Gauss or another ballistic weapon with a meaty punch and energy weapons to match each of them.

Cheers.

It's a weird 60 ton heavy though... too light to be a heavy "Heavy" and too heavy to be a Medium But it looks so sexy and I must have it, and if I have it I want to use it with maximum effectiveness.

Problem with Gauss is I'm a pretty bad shot at long range and I don't know when it'll be available to me.

[William Petersen]

Vulpesveritas, on 08 June 2012 - 10:22 AM, said:

Let's see... given what we would appear to have in mechlab according to the devs...
Remove LRM
Reduce left arm armor
Swap to endo and XL engine if possible
Remove AC/5 and put a PPC in if possible and add in heatsinks, otherwise swap for UAC/5 and an extra ton of ammo
Increase engine to the maximum size, or second to maximum size and add in a few small / medium lasers and/or heatsinks if possible.

Seems like a viable scout killer so long as they don't have a pack and they get behind you.

What on earth makes you think that's going to be an option?

[BenEEeees VAT GROWN BACON]

William Petersen, on 08 June 2012 - 10:36 AM, said:

What on earth makes you think that's going to be an option?

Mechwarrior 4?

[CCC Dober]

@Bob
Idk about you. If I happen to drive a Mech that is able to hurt those in the next weight class pretty bad, then I'm totally not wasting my time with the small fish hahaha

@Bene
So LBX it is then. You can't miss with a Mech-sized shotgun, can you? ;P

Edited by CCC Dober, 08 June 2012 - 10:42 AM.

[Vulpesveritas]

William Petersen, on 08 June 2012 - 10:36 AM, said:

What on earth makes you think that's going to be an option?

It has yet to be confirmed or denied to my knowledge. As such I had it in as an option as a possibility.

[Namwons]

i beleive scout hunters are going to be one the most important mechs a company can have. the first team to find and eliminate the others scout is going to have a huge advantage in combat. i know when i was playing shadowbane (old pvp mmo) scouts did little damage but every guild had one if they wanted to win. the scouts main job besides providing troop locations was eliminate all other scouts.

[TheMadTypist]

William Petersen, on 08 June 2012 - 10:36 AM, said:

What on earth makes you think that's going to be an option?

in this weekly wrap-up the highlighted Hunchback build involves stripping armor out of a section.

[tender bottom]

With putting so much weight to the engine, you may be better of getting a lighter frame and tuning it for heavier hits and maybe some counter electronics.

if I saw a Dragon coming after me at 90kph or what have you, I'm turning tail if I'm scouting, that would be scary!
Any way you do it, it sounds like a good plan for many chassis'

I was thinking of starting with a medium, something versatile that I could use for many roles effectively. If I get a light or assault mech, I'm limited to what I can do.

[BenEEeees VAT GROWN BACON]

CCC Dober, on 08 June 2012 - 10:40 AM, said:

@Bene
So LBX it is then. You can't miss with a Mech-sized shotgun, can you? ;P

If I can catch up with a Cicada or Jenner first that is

*pant* pant*, "COME BACK I JUST WANNA TALK!"

[Garth Erlam]

Dragon + LBX10 = lol Jenner
(Translation: Dragons with LBX-10 AC's tend to eat Jenners for breakfast, lunch, and also dinner.)

[Vulpesveritas]

BenEEeees VAT GROWN BACON, on 08 June 2012 - 10:49 AM, said:

If I can catch up with a Cicada or Jenner first that is

*pant* pant*, "COME BACK I JUST WANNA TALK!"

So yeah... UAC/5 might be a better option for the extra bit of range so if you can't keep up at least you can do some damage to them. XD

Garth Erlam, on 08 June 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

Dragon + LBX10 = lol Jenner
(Translation: Dragons with LBX-10 AC's tend to eat Jenners for breakfast, lunch, and also dinner.)

Le gasp! A dev response!

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 08 June 2012 - 10:52 AM.

[tender bottom]

Garth Erlam, on 08 June 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

Dragon + LBX10 = lol Jenner
(Translation: Dragons with LBX-10 AC's tend to eat Jenners for breakfast, lunch, and also dinner.)

*SPOILER ALERT*

[RangerRob]

CCC Dober, on 08 June 2012 - 10:40 AM, said:

@Bob
Idk about you. If I happen to drive a Mech that is able to hurt those in the next weight class pretty bad, then I'm totally not wasting my time with the small fish hahaha

Can't recall a time I've ever seen a (Non Grand) Dragon hurt any Assault mech "pretty bad". They just don't have the firepower.

Best suited for the role was the question...I think the Dragon Fits. Just like the Hunchback fits the role of mixing it up with the Assaults...even though they are two weight classes heavier.

[Solis Obscuri]

DRG-1N Sounds pretty viable. I'd say even the default layout would probably give scouts a hard time if they were caught out in the open, and do the same to the slower mediums. Don't know that it'd have the punch to be very effective against assaults for anything but harassment, though.

[Ian]

The Grand Dragon is almost certainly going to be one of the Dragon variants. So PPC arm is probably an option. Everything else is doable on the regular Dragon chassis.

[CCC Dober]

@Rob
MW4 devs must have been truly generous to grant the lightest heavy the biggest punch (Heavy Gauss) in its weight class. I took that as an invitation to hunt some real big game. When faced with it, I simply couldn't ignore a heavy Gauss, especially not when it was imbued with the high base speed and agility of a Dragon. Not sure what you made of it though.

P.S. I'm talking mainly about hitting rear armor on the Assault Mechs. Some of them made it actually hard to miss. It was THAT easy, no kidding.

Edited by CCC Dober, 08 June 2012 - 11:13 AM.