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This post is to explain the reasons why that, no, your Frankenmech will always, positively be inferior to a good build. It's really boils down to one word:
SYNERGY
Synergy is everything with weapons. What this means, is weapon configurations that go well together. The easiest way to achieve synergy is through boating multiples of the same weapon - i.e. if you are using 4 Medium Lasers, they will always work well together because they are identical.
This gets trickier when we talk about a couple things, including bracketed weapons and well matched weapons.
There's a number of reasons for weapons to synergize well:
- Velocity. The first big one. This is one of the major reasons why running a single AC/5 mixed in with lasers or missiles is terrible. If the pilot fires all of this weapons at the enemy that are in range, he'll have the AC/5 (moving very slowly at an abysmal 1,300) that he has to lead, missiles that he needs to lead even more, and lasers that need no lead time. This is likely to result in a mess of unfocused damage, and to poorly exploit limited engagement time.
- Bracketing. Sometimes weapons aren't very effective synergy with a 'mechs primary guns, but can still work on a design anyway. For example, having two medium lasers on a 2 PPC, 1 Gauss 'mech works well, as up close, the pilot can go from one group (the PPCs) to the other (The Medium Lasers) as the engagement range changes, and also use the mediums for follow up damage. Just due to heat alone, the mediums are purely situational, but blend very well with the build anyway.
- No risk weapons. Currently this only applies to Streaks, and is the chief reason you will see them on most Highlander PPC/Gauss snipers. As they will not fire if they don't have lock, and will track to the target regardless of body location, and thus you can add them to a 3rd weapon group. While they aren't likely to help your PPC/Gauss meta any, in an in fight, they are a weapon you can break out with little to no downsides. They don't even require you to stop leading/doing what you are doing with your primary weapons, and merely offer augment damage.
- High Heat / Low Heat. As ballistics cause a lot of heat in MW:O, the only weapon that falls into this category is the Gauss. Machine Guns would too, if they were made useful. At a glance, the Gauss looks like a poor ally of the PPC, firing at an insanely slow 1,200 for a long range weapon. However what pushes it over the edge here is that since it causes no heat, it can be combined with very high heat weapons at no cost. Sure some of the damage will get scattered at range unless you micromanage your fire, but it's "free" (other than ammo) and does not risk the 'mechs survival to do so. This also provides a reliable weapon system that can always do damage, even if other weapons would shut you down.
- ROF Sync. One of the main reasons I always shake my head when encountering a medium running a single AC/2 or AC/5 is this: These weapons require you to stay "on target", due to their high-ROF nature. This is at odds with other weapons, like the way too popular PPC, allows for high damage and then several seconds where you can go into "evasive mode" and try to spread incoming damage over your body.
You generally want one kind of gun, or the other. By running a single light AC with other, heavier and slower weapons, you end up sacrificing a ton of survivability for a single gun in your load out. Outside of something like an AC/20, this is unquestionably not worth it.
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Some examples (in the current meta - I do not endorse these specific configs, and wish more weapons synergized well with others. The main reason the PPC is so goodis it's 2000 travel time that makes it work well with everything.
Good
2 Large lasers, 3 Medium Lasers
Being all from the beam family, you can merely bracket your groups and these would combine damage well.
Bad
1 AC/20, 2 Large Lasers
The Large Lasers require 1 second of discharge time with no lead - the AC/20 requires lead time. While you could fire one, then the other, to try to compensate this increases the chance of hitting multiple components and also slowing your overall damage when you have a brief exposure window on the target. i.e. how much you can do before they can get to cover.
Good
3 UAC/5, 3 Medium Lasers
This popular config on the Ilya works well because the UACs synergize very well with each other in a rapid fire environment, and inside of medium laser range, you won't need to lead much allowing you to just fire the medium lasers along with the Ultra when necessary.
Bad
1 AC/5, 2 SRM6, 1 Medium Laser
The AC/5 travels far faster than any other weapons, while still having a lackluster velocity - it is almost impossible to land it in the same location as the SRM6s at the SRM6's maximum range. It's high required ROF means you have to stay facing a target, while your other weapons do not require it - a huge price to pay for a single gun. The medium laser is the odd man out, and cannot be effectively used in any kind of alpha or major group.
Good
1 Gauss Rifle, 4 Streak/2s
This setup would work well because, regardless of who you are aiming at, it will be close enough to gain Streak lock up close and provide you with guaranteed hit firepower without changing how you operate the 'mech.
Bad
1 AC/10, 2 SRM4, 1 LRM5
The AC/10 and SRMs are drastically mismatched for lead times, and are not likely to work well with each other at all. Many people take the LRM as a "psychological tactic" but it only works on poor players, requires a ton of ammo to run a very small gun, and it will likely be completely destroyed by AMS before reaching any targets.
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I could really do this all day but I think you get my point. Most of those "BAD" builds are ones I've actually run across, by the way; the good builds are more example weapons, short of the Ilya mention.
The bottom line: If your weapons don't blend together, you are going to cause a mess of limited damage and missed shots, no matter how good you are. It will drastically lower your ability to deal meaningful damage, even if you get high damage numbers. A guy who showers a 'mech and takes all his armor off in every location will have a higher score than someone who cores out their CT, but the person who cored out the CT is the better pilot.
This isn't something that can be overcome, if you are facing someone of equal skill in a better 'mech. This again isn't just about boating, either - it's my strong belief that more weapons should work better together, and that velocity issues are one of the bigger problems with some classes.
EDIT: I addressed this in a post right off the bad, complaining about boating. Again, this is about synergy, not boating. Boating is the easiest way to obtain synergy, but the more guns that work well with each other (similar characteristics as described above), the more diverse you can make an effective build.
So really encouraging PGI to make more weapons synergize well is a good way to get rid of boating without forced "penalties" in the end. This is more a breakdown of why 'mechs that lack weapon synergy are doomed to be inferior.
Edited by Victor Morson, 30 June 2013 - 11:22 PM.
