Posted 02 September 2013 - 02:30 AM
With lrms range there are two considerations. 1) How good is the lock and 2) How far away is the enemy. To answer number 1, I generally never fire my lrms as soon as I get a lock. I wait just a little bit and see if the lock goes away. (Remember that someone on your team needs to keep LOS on an enemy in order to maintain a lock, which everyone can use.) Once the lock lasts for a bit, then I will fire lrms. If you see a red eyeball on an enemy that you have targeted, do not fire any more lrms at that target. Once all of your lrms have either hit or missed, switch targets and repeat. Also, look for the tag symbol. If you see a little red + next to the triangle, your lrms are more likely to hit that target, so lrm away. Try to maintain lrms on a single target until that target is either destroyed or so badly damaged that someone else can finish them off. (Legged, no weapons left, center solid red.) As for number 2, your lrm maximum range is 1000m. But, your target isn't stationary and lrms take time to hit. As soon as you fire lrms, your target hears and sees the incoming missile warning. At maximum range they have a fair amount of time to get behind cover or get out of range. Also, the enemy is 1000m in a straight line, but lrms travel in an arc, so they must travel farther to get to a target. Once they travel 1000m they blow up, which may only be 900m in a straight line. So, determine what kind of mech you're lrming. If it's a fast mover try to get them around 600m. They will have less time to react and won't be able to get out of range before the first wave arrives. Also, try to target enemies that are the closest to you, especially if you see one heading straight for you. Which actually brings up a third point. The most effective lrm boats carry TAG, BAP and some kind of short range defense. My Stalker 5M has 5 lrm5s+ artie, 4 mplas, tag and bap with 1800 rounds of lrm ammo. (I'm still playing with the ammo numbers).If you see an Atlas DDC bearing down on you once he's within 750m, TAG him and rain lrms on him. If he chooses to continue keep firing lrms and once he's in range fire your point defense. You will take him out easily thanks to the combination of lrms and tag. You will be surprised at how easy this is with TAG. Without it, you are relying on friendlies to cancel his ECM.