36 replies to this topic

[Mahpsy]

What are the strengths and weaknesses of these two 20 ton mechs, I'm getting both eventually but I'm torn between which one I would like more.

So like say when the Flea comes out will its mobility with the MASC be more valulable or dose the Locust posses something ells?

[Hans Von Lohman]

It is tough to say, but the flea is all energy, while the variants of the Locust each use different arm weapons, aka ballistics, missiles, and energy.

[Shadey99]

Well one is coming out in a couple weeks... The other one however we have not a clue when or even if it will ever arrive right now... Heck even cbill Locusts come next month, so for now the best choice between them is the one that will be here soon rather than the one that will be here 'sometime'...

[Mahpsy]

Hans Von Lohman, on 24 September 2013 - 06:30 PM, said:

It is tough to say, but the flea is all energy, while the variants of the Locust each use different arm weapons, aka ballistics, missiles, and energy.

I get ya, but I keep hearing talk that the locust will be DOA because of its hard points.

[RandomLurker]

They both suck, since scouting doesn't earn any rewards in MWO. If you don't get kills, you don't get bills.

Between the two, whichever one can carry the most Medium Lasers. Which probably won't be the Locust.

[FupDup]

Ragingdemon, on 24 September 2013 - 07:34 PM, said:

I get ya, but I keep hearing talk that the locust will be DOA because of its hard points.

A bigger issue is its armor. It's going to get crippled or even killed outright by a single volley of Medium Lasers. Also, the TT engine rules that force engines rated under 250 to carry some of the heatsinks on the outside will tax the Locust and Flea of critical slots (also applies to Commandos).

[Jin Ma]

they will probably allow masc on all mechs

[Gaan Cathal]

FupDup, on 24 September 2013 - 07:37 PM, said:

A bigger issue is its armor. It's going to get crippled or even killed outright by a single volley of Medium Lasers. Also, the TT engine rules that force engines rated under 250 to carry some of the heatsinks on the outside will tax the Locust and Flea of critical slots (also applies to Commandos).

This, and an armament consisting largely of Machineguns is why it'll be DOA. Getting swatted like a gnat by anything with even vaguely respectable firepower will just be the the nail in the coffin.

[Hans Von Lohman]

The advantage that most people are hoping for with the Locust is a hit box setup that will make Spiders jealous.

Especially the legs. Just look at the original artwork and you see just how skinny the legs were.

I am not even sure there are that many players who would even want that. They complain constantly about the Spider being too hard to hit, but to me that just means the other light mechs are too easy to hit.

A light mech pilot has to have a chance to play the game. This should not be like all of the older games where light mechs are pointless.

[Shadey99]

I don't expect the Locust to be terribly powerful, it matches the Spider 5K in it's main config after all. The other builds 5 energy (which will run hot) and 1 energy + (light) missiles are far more appealing.

Btw as far as armor goes, the funny thing is a stock Locust has 4 tons of armor and a stock Spider has 3.5 tons... So if you have played a stock Spider you may have an idea of how fragile a locust will be. It also points out how funny the 'max armor by weight' limits are. A maxed Locust has 4.6 (standard) or 4.1 (FF) tons of armor, just barely more than stock...The Spider 5k maxes at 6.6 tons (standard) or 5.9 tons (FF) which is nearly twice the stock armor amount of 3.5 tons.

The Spider is considered annoying for a few reasons:
* Small (including hitboxes)
* Fast
* Agile (including JJs)
* Often bad HSR
* Maxed armor load (which people expect to be less than it is)

We hope 1 is true of the Locust, 2 will be true (because it will max just like the rest), 3 will not be the case (lack of JJs mostly), 4 will still be true, 5 will not be true... Which explains the lack of enthusiasm for it.

[AlexEss]

Jenner...

That is all.

[Oppresor]

Ever since I saw the Flea and read about it's speed (before I even knew about MASC) I have anticipated it's arrival in MWO. I see the Flea's role as a Hunter Killer for taking out Jenner's. A Mech that can actually outpace the Jenner and do to it what it does to everything else; run rings around it.

Time for a new Hero, bring on the Flea

.

[Ngamok]

Well, I am getting the Locust because I already own it.

But the Flea looks cooler.

Edited by Ngamok, 25 September 2013 - 12:53 PM.

[Shadey99]

Oppresor, on 25 September 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

A Mech that can actually outpace the Jenner and do to it what it does to everything else; run rings around it.

This would be true of both the Locust and Flea... If and only if... The current speed cap was removed.

A Locust could actually hit the 1.4x160 engine cap it could use a 225 or 225 xl (11 tons including 1 HS, leaving 4 tons for weapons after 4.5 tons of armor) and reach 182.25 kph without speed tweak.
A Flea could hit 1.4x120 and use 170 or 170 xl engines reaching 137.7 kph (151.5 kph with speed tweak) and higher using MASC (189 if I did the math right).
Under the same system a Jenner would max at 1.4x245 and use a 340 or 340 xl (20.5 tons for the engine) and reach a max speed of 159.7 kph without speed tweak.

The Locust could be a huge threat at those speeds even with light guns... The Flea however would remain at best competitive (though with heavy guns at 20 tons).

Edited by Shadey99, 25 September 2013 - 01:36 PM.

[Otto Cannon]

There's no reason to use either of them while the speed is limited to the same as heavier mechs like the Jenner. I'll own both but not use them unless we ever get a 200kph speed cap.

[Biglead]

Jin Ma, on 24 September 2013 - 07:37 PM, said:

they will probably allow masc on all mechs

For a low, low price of 15MC per use *wink wink*.

[Bishop Steiner]

Biglead, on 25 September 2013 - 04:11 PM, said:

For a low, low price of 15MC per use *wink wink*.

no no no.

That'll be for MASC Lube, a consumable you can use to keep MAsc from frying your legs actuators, 1 shot at a time!

[Kasiagora]

Well, I was going to say that since Project Phoenix buyers are getting mechs sometimes months before players who don't spend money on them... that maybe the Flea, MASC, the P.P. Locust, and loosening of speed caps would all happen at about the same time to allow free players a new mech to hang with the exclusive Locust.
But then I double checked the Project Phoenix release dates and the C-Bills Locust is coming out at the same time as the P.P. package Locust. Although that's good news, it does shoot down the reasoning for my hope that the Flea will be released next month.

The C-Bill Shadow Hawk will be released in November, so there's that month's mech... and on and on. So unless PGIGP decide to give us a Christmas present and release more than just one mech a month, we're looking at April before we get mechs that aren't in Project Phoenix or the Saber Upgrade.

I'm not complaining. I love every one of these mechs, (Except the Griffon. I only like that one.) but it does seem really shyster to have Battle Masters running around in October for people who paid cash, and not until January for players who didn't. I could understand releasing them every two weeks after the Project Phoenix release, but waiting three months?
Makes me glad I bought Phoenix, and really consider that Saber upgrade I was planning to let slide.

[HammerSwarm]

Both/Either

I favor a lighter mech. I want both in game to diversify the light class and offer more options to scouts. PGI nnneeeeeeeedsssss to fix lights.

[IceLom]

FupDup, on 24 September 2013 - 07:37 PM, said:

A bigger issue is its armor. It's going to get crippled or even killed outright by a single volley of Medium Lasers. Also, the TT engine rules that force engines rated under 250 to carry some of the heatsinks on the outside will tax the Locust and Flea of critical slots (also applies to Commandos).

on the 20t mechs you wont be using your slots for allot of weapons so the external heat sinks wont really eat any (especially since you don't really need dhs because you don't have the weapon count to need them)

Even with an XL engine, FF, and endo steal along with 4x double external heat sinks you have 5 slots left over for wepaons... seeing as you most likely wont even want double heat sinks (not enough weapons to heat you) you should have 13 slots free way more then you would ever need.

So no on the second part of your post is completely wrong.