4 replies to this topic

[uglydisease]

I've been thinking that there must be some rough way to gauge just how fast you need your mech to be given its weapon systems ranges, for example if your using mostly small lasers 90meters = max damage (180m = 0 dmg), you need a very fast mech, but just how fast? certainly over 80kps. Similarly for other weapon systems, how much speed is required to make your weapon system effective? Obviously other factors way into this, if you have a lot of armor you can afford to take a beating getting in range more easily than a light or medium mech. Still I'm guessing that there is a sweet spot at which point extra speed gives diminishing returns for a given weapon system. Has any body done any work on this? Or have an intuition on subject, I would be interested.

[Bront]

It's all preference.

Small lasers are for the "I have a free .5 ton I can't do anything else with" or fast light mechs who can close. How fast? Well, that's personal preference.

On the other hand, how slow can you move and still use LRMs effectively? What about MLs? And SRMs?

It's all subjective, which is why there's no real guide. I've moved from pro SPL on lights to more of a "SLs are a good supplemental weapon, but not a good main weapon" camp,

Also, speed isn't the only factor in where you need to be for a weapon. A DDC Atlas can get closer easier than other mechs due to ECM. A mech defending a point doesn't need to move at all.

[Nick Makiaveli]

Bront has a point.

Another reason is what would be fine on one map, will seem slow in another. Jump jets make a big difference too. Jump over terrain, blast, and run/jump away.

Put in the biggest engine you own that will fit. Realistically you need to balance it with weapons/armor etc, but really if you plan on running in, blasting at PB with SLs/MGs, and surviving to do it again, you will need speed AND skill.

My advice? Use what you have. Strip any mech you sell down to the bare chassis, and don't forget to yank the engine. Sell nothing but chassis. Eventually you will the parts you need to experiment. Run the mech and remember Thomas Edison's thoughts on experimentation. He never failed to invent the light bulb, he successfully discovered 100+ ways to not build a light bulb until he successfully discovered 1 way to build it.

[Koniving]

Small lasers on a light.

You can never outrun your weapons, so there isn't really a fear on that. Although the original streaks you could. And it would matter. This is a good example of when your speed versus your weapons did matter.

[uglydisease]

I'm aware that there is no exact science on this issue, I guess what I'm really looking for are some good guidelines based on peoples experience. I think Edison would have been happier if somebody had told him to try a bit cotton on the first attempt instead of the 100th. So for example what are peoples experiences with srms and various AC at various speeds, what have people found to be unworkable and what worked well. Seeing as the engine is the most expensive part of the mech any advice here could save me from wasting a great do of game creds on "nonfunctioning lightbulbs".