151 replies to this topic

[tender bottom]

I think the Stalker is one of those mechs...

that should have dual Rotary AC's

creeping about, sending a constent stream of lead (are BattleTech rounds made of lead?)

to bad tough, I don't think we will have RAC's anytime soon.

[SteelJaws]

If I remember right, didn't the Atlas have strengthened actuators in its arms? I could of sworn that I read an Atlas could physically rip another (I.E. Light/Medium) mech apart.

If not that, then just the fact that if your in close range on an Atlas your dead unless your in another assualt mech, or the pilot in the Atlas is a really really bad shot.

[Dragon Lady]

LackofCertainty, on 09 June 2012 - 03:06 PM, said:

The thing I find funny about this thread is that it's asking the wrong question:

OP is saying "What is the point of using an Atlas when the Stalker exists"
Well there's a couple reasons to:
1. Durability
2. Close range punch
(yes, a stalker can putout almost the same/possibly more point blank damage, but it doesn't have the focus of the AC 20, so it's less likely to punch through armor in 1 salvo)


The -better- question is "What is the point of using an Awesome When the stalker exists?"

Both have very strong long range punch:
2 LRM 10's + 2 LL's is about the same firepower/range as 3 ppc's.

Stalker has waaay more mid-range punch:
2 LRM 10's + 2LL's + 2 SRM 6's + 4ML's vs. 3 PPC's + 1 SL

Stalker has waaay more point blank punch:
2 LL's + 4 ML's + 2 SRM 6's for the stalker vs. 1 SL on the awesome.


Stalker also has Indirect Fire capabilities with the LRM's whereas Awesome is only direct fire. I personally think this is one of the examples of "Varied Loadout > Pure Energy loadout."



P.S.
Of course I'm not being series about all this. Yes, I prefer the Stalker to the Awesome, but I fully intend to get both unless there's a strict mech limit on my garage.

The stalker also has way more overheating problems than the Awesome. The Awesome was designed to fire all three of its PPCs with only mild overheating. It can fire three or four salvoes from those PPCs without any severe penalties. If the stalker was to use all its "midrange" weapons at the same time, one salvo would put it into the "threat of ammo explosions, shutdown, and crippling penalties" range. It simply has too many lasers for the heat sinks it carries.

[Zynk]

Arnie1808, on 09 June 2012 - 04:47 AM, said:

I would watch out the Lyran's wouldn't like you bad mouthing their favourite scout 'mech

The Banshee is the scout mech.

[The unnamed one]

Love how this is starting to go from stalker v. atlas to stalker v. awesome.
I believe to, as some have stated earlier, that it is up to the personal preference of the mechwarrior for what job he wants to do.

[Athena Hart]

If you're asking who'd win a toe-to-toe fight, As long as it was able to stay at long range, the Stalker "Could" beat an Atlas, It has more weaponry at long range. Up Close, The Atlas. Its entirely possible for the Atlas to Cripple the Stalkers legs with LRM fire, but the same could happen from well placed shots from the Stalker into the Atlas's legs. Mind the Atlas has more armor so it'd be a close fight and assuming no-one else decided to help either the Stalker or the Atlas and were content to stand and watch them duke it out.

[He11Stinky]

Hate to go off topic but i think they should deinfelty add the Bushwaker or wahtever it was called from MechWarrior3

[Davers]

Bushwhacker is 3053. So, in 3-4 years you can have one.

[Tterrag]

The stalker is an animal cause of the fire it can rain but yeah the point of atlas is oh **** its an atlas so yeah

[Steel Talon]

All missile boats will be expensive to maintain, ballistic ammo cost only around 1/3 of missiles, especially guided ones

[wanderer]

Boydsan, on 09 June 2012 - 02:55 PM, said:

Why not streak SRM Atlas?

Inferior missile hardpoints. Best you can do with an Atlas is replace it's LRM and SRM rack with paired SSRM racks- and for now, that's only Streak SRM-2's. SSRM-6's won't be around for years in any case, meaning we're talking standard SRM racks (or Clantech ones they somehow became available). And in that regard, you can easily give a Stalker twice the SRM capacity as the Atlas, with room to spare- a standard -3F can be canonically and MWO hardpoint-style armed with 4 SRM-6's (15 shots each), two medium lasers and two PPC's + 2 heat sinks to help cover the extra heat load a bit.

A close combat Atlas is more a mixed boat, probably with a big AC, maybe 2 SRM racks and a few medium lasers, and trading in for a PPC or two itself to give it the reach it loses sacrificing it's LRM 20 rack.

[Guffel]

Do not get in the way of their "Standard Versions"!

But if you are lookin (in their "Standart Versions").....

Atlas ... More Infight!

Stalker ... More Distant!

in you are get your self Infight ... Beat them from behind ^^

[LackofCertainty]

Dragon Lady, on 09 June 2012 - 03:28 PM, said:

The stalker also has way more overheating problems than the Awesome. The Awesome was designed to fire all three of its PPCs with only mild overheating. It can fire three or four salvoes from those PPCs without any severe penalties. If the stalker was to use all its "midrange" weapons at the same time, one salvo would put it into the "threat of ammo explosions, shutdown, and crippling penalties" range. It simply has too many lasers for the heat sinks it carries.

It does run hotter, but actually it has better damage->heat at mid range than the Awesome does if you use proper weapon grouping.

Specifically for medium range....

Awesome 28 total heatsinks:
3x PPC's (10 heat, 10 damage)

30 damage and +2 heat per round.

Stalker 20 total heatsinks:
4x medium lasers (20 damage, 12 heat)
2x SRM 6's (4-24 damage [14 dmg average] 8 heat)

34 damage and +0 heat per round (plus the stalker has the option to alpha a lot more damage if it's in an emergency)

As I said before, I like both the Awesome and the Stalker. The awesome is a PPC boat that's meant to alpha every round for as long as it can, take 1 round off to cool down, and then alpha some more. The stalker is a mech with a mixed weapon loadout that the user has to manage effectively, or it'll overheat and blow up, but since it has more options the user can deliver exactly the payload he/she needs to get the job done.

The awesome is a good starter mech in addition to being a solid direct fire support mech. (lots of firepower and little/no heat problems) The stalker is a more difficult to use mech, but it has a high damage potential at pretty much every range. (Also, it has significantly more flexibility than an Awesome, and less worries if it does get pounced on)


P.S.
At the end of the day, any mech can be useful, so any discussion that says "mech X has no purpose" is kinda silly.

P.P.S.
The stalker is one of those mechs that needs a lot of weapon groups to function ideally. I'd probably set mine as:
1 ML's
2 LL's
3 SRM's
4 LRM's
5 Alpha minus the LRM

maybe one more hotkey for "OMG DUMP AMMO NOW NOW NOW!!1!!1"

P.P.P.S. (I swear it's the last one)
I admit the first thing I'd do with my stalker would probably be to make it a bit more heat efficient.

... well, actually the first thing I'd do would be to pull off 2-6 heatsinks, downgrade the LL's to ML's, upgrade the 2 LRM 10's to 2 LRM 15's, swap the SRM-6's for 2 LRM10's and see if I could make the stalker into a catapult on steroids, but that's just cause I love my LRM's. Imagine the glory. 6 ML's for defense and 50 LRM's per salvo... it's enough to make a man weep for joy.

Edited by LackofCertainty, 09 June 2012 - 05:09 PM.

[EvereadyGold]

Yeah, the catapult on steroids build does seem like it may become the most common stalker setup

[Lonner]

Rather have a Warhammer or a Marauder MKII than an Atlas.

[EvereadyGold]

I'd love the warhammer myself, I know MWLL isn't the best guide, but it was an amazing brawler in it

[Eximar]

EvereadyGold, on 09 June 2012 - 07:47 PM, said:

Yeah, the catapult on steroids build does seem like it may become the most common stalker setup

Yep, look for a lot of Fatapults.

[EvereadyGold]

Well ill be bringing it most likely along with an SRM-6 boat of DOOM

[Horizon]

I must be the only one here who prefers the atlas just because the cockpit location is way up thar. Dat feel

[Hatboy]

Kallor Mar, on 09 June 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

Maybe its hype?.. I mean the Atlas is well knows, as for the stalker.. not too known?



What choices on mechs, do we have on start anyways?.. and its only for founders package if I remember?

Atlas is such an icon, people will use it no matter the penalty in battle. Im sure once youve tested the water though, the nerd attack from getting to pilot an Atlas will were off and the stalker will become more popular over time.