First of all... My mech model. I've noticed that as I equip my Kintaro with different weapons the model will change, if I put a laser or a flamer on an arm then it'll appear on the model, if I have no weapons on the model then the model will reflect that. The problem is... My Kintaro is the only mech that does it. My Stalker, Hunchback, and Ilya all display weapons when they have nothing equipped on those components. Is my game bugged or is something going on here? It's not horrible, it just sort of ruins the whole "customize your mech" feel.
Next up, weapons. I've been using nothing but laser and missile weaponry for two weeks straight, and I've been playing whenever I have free time at home. I feel that my performance in pugs is pretty good whenever I use laser weapons, I've got 3-4 kills and 600+ damage on several occasions, with missiles (any type) my performance drops dramatically. However, upon buying the hero ILYA my performance shot up phenomenally. I just slapped three AC5s onto the mech and wrecked face at close and long range without worrying about heat at all. I slapped on a few tons of ammo and have yet to ever run out even when firing for what felt like the whole game. So what I'm wondering is... What the hell am I doing wrong with missiles and lasers? It seems that using lasers or missiles as a primary weapon is a bad idea, their DPS and range seem low compared to ballistics, and firing LRMs has never accomplished anything for me. They also seem to overheat faster and have more spread out damage, if I'm firing a laser at 400m+ I'm probably not landing all my damage on the same spot. What niche do the lasers and missile weapons fill that the ballistics don't? I feel as if I were playing with a handicap for the last two weeks and suddenly turned it off.
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4 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 25 September 2013 - 10:17 AM
1. The "older 'Mechs" do not have those dynamic models that reflect what weapons are on the 'Mech YET - but they're going to revisit them down the line so that they will.
2. There are all sorts of tradeoffs between the three types of weapons. Ballistics don't generate as much heat and have great range, but rely on ammo, which can run out or explode. They are also the heaviest weapons in the game and take up the most crit slots inside your mech. Lasers do not rely on ammo, so can be fired at will, but need heatsinks to dissipate the heat they generate. Missiles allow you to fire on 'Mechs to which you do not have line of site, but at the cost of doing "pinpoint" damage. All 3 types can be effective for different players, you just have to learn what works best for you and play to your strengths.
If you're having trouble keeping your lasers on target for the full beam duration, try lowering your mouse sensitivity/DPI. If you aren't doing much damage with missiles, try using the Artemis upgrade and TAG, which will allow the missiles to "home in" more on the enemy's center torso, resulting in more hits and more focused damage. A deadly combo is Artemis + TAG + Line of Site.
edit: By "older 'Mechs" I mean the chassis that have been in game since closed beta, as opposed to the 'Mechs that have been released in recent months such as the Kintaro.
2. There are all sorts of tradeoffs between the three types of weapons. Ballistics don't generate as much heat and have great range, but rely on ammo, which can run out or explode. They are also the heaviest weapons in the game and take up the most crit slots inside your mech. Lasers do not rely on ammo, so can be fired at will, but need heatsinks to dissipate the heat they generate. Missiles allow you to fire on 'Mechs to which you do not have line of site, but at the cost of doing "pinpoint" damage. All 3 types can be effective for different players, you just have to learn what works best for you and play to your strengths.
If you're having trouble keeping your lasers on target for the full beam duration, try lowering your mouse sensitivity/DPI. If you aren't doing much damage with missiles, try using the Artemis upgrade and TAG, which will allow the missiles to "home in" more on the enemy's center torso, resulting in more hits and more focused damage. A deadly combo is Artemis + TAG + Line of Site.
edit: By "older 'Mechs" I mean the chassis that have been in game since closed beta, as opposed to the 'Mechs that have been released in recent months such as the Kintaro.
Edited by DEMAX51, 25 September 2013 - 10:22 AM.
#3
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Posted 25 September 2013 - 10:18 AM
Older Mechs, the ones designed first, do not include this feature.
LRMs are one of those strange weapons. They are easy to suck at using. By that I mean... on your first day of play in your first match you can use them and actually do damage. You will suck at it though. Using LRMs well requires a skill set that dwarfs anything else in the game. None of this point and click stuff.
As for lasers... I can not tell you how often I see people firing medium lasers either completely out of range or at ranges where they are far less than useful i.e. Medium Lasers at 400m plus.
To put it somewhat different terms... the weapons you are doing well with are the point and click variety, front loaded pinpoint damage. This is also exactly what makes them hard to balance. It requires little in the way of skill to stick a PPC on a mech and blap someone with it. Doing the same with a Large Laser is far trickier.
Put one of these Front Loaded High Damage Pinpoint weapons in the hand of an Elite pilot and you have a serious balance problem.
LRMs are one of those strange weapons. They are easy to suck at using. By that I mean... on your first day of play in your first match you can use them and actually do damage. You will suck at it though. Using LRMs well requires a skill set that dwarfs anything else in the game. None of this point and click stuff.
As for lasers... I can not tell you how often I see people firing medium lasers either completely out of range or at ranges where they are far less than useful i.e. Medium Lasers at 400m plus.
To put it somewhat different terms... the weapons you are doing well with are the point and click variety, front loaded pinpoint damage. This is also exactly what makes them hard to balance. It requires little in the way of skill to stick a PPC on a mech and blap someone with it. Doing the same with a Large Laser is far trickier.
Put one of these Front Loaded High Damage Pinpoint weapons in the hand of an Elite pilot and you have a serious balance problem.
Edited by scJazz, 25 September 2013 - 10:19 AM.
#4
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- Urban Commando
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Posted 25 September 2013 - 10:32 AM
1) Only newer mechs adjust depending on what weapons you have mounted. I don't know when that started, but know the Jenner, Stalker, Atlas, Catapult, Hunchie, and Cent do not adjust. Anything Victor and newer does (Kintaro and Orion), not sure about anything released previously, as that's before I started.
2) Energy weapons are hard to focus damage on, and it takes some practice. Balistic weapons automatically focus damage on a single location, while energy weapons do not. Balistics also fire faster, and generate less heat, so they can wreck stuff fast and for a long time. With energy weapons, they are easier to aim, and as you get better, easier to keep on target, and have a good mix of weight and damage, at the cost of heat. Balistics are easier to do damage as a single weapon with, but it's easier to boat energy weapons.
Missiles are different. Streaks are easy to use fire and forget weapons, but don't do focused damage, so they're mostly dangerous against lights or as a little added punch. SRMs hit hard, but are hard to aim, and hit detection is a bit spotty on them (Sometimes you wreck things, sometimes damage does not register). LRMs are a skill weapon despite seeming like an easy to use weapon. They're best in larger groups, though smaller launchers can be used for harrassment, just don't expect a lot of damage. The skill is in finding a good target with a solid lock, knowing where to position yourself, knowing when your target is viable for you, etc. A skilled LRM mech can grind his opponents away at a distance. A careless LRM boat wastes more missiles than anything else.
2) Energy weapons are hard to focus damage on, and it takes some practice. Balistic weapons automatically focus damage on a single location, while energy weapons do not. Balistics also fire faster, and generate less heat, so they can wreck stuff fast and for a long time. With energy weapons, they are easier to aim, and as you get better, easier to keep on target, and have a good mix of weight and damage, at the cost of heat. Balistics are easier to do damage as a single weapon with, but it's easier to boat energy weapons.
Missiles are different. Streaks are easy to use fire and forget weapons, but don't do focused damage, so they're mostly dangerous against lights or as a little added punch. SRMs hit hard, but are hard to aim, and hit detection is a bit spotty on them (Sometimes you wreck things, sometimes damage does not register). LRMs are a skill weapon despite seeming like an easy to use weapon. They're best in larger groups, though smaller launchers can be used for harrassment, just don't expect a lot of damage. The skill is in finding a good target with a solid lock, knowing where to position yourself, knowing when your target is viable for you, etc. A skilled LRM mech can grind his opponents away at a distance. A careless LRM boat wastes more missiles than anything else.
#5
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Posted 25 September 2013 - 10:40 AM
Bront, on 25 September 2013 - 10:32 AM, said:
1) Only newer mechs adjust depending on what weapons you have mounted. I don't know when that started, but know the Jenner, Stalker, Atlas, Catapult, Hunchie, and Cent do not adjust.
Actually, the Catapult does - at least, the K2 does. If you leave the arm energy slots empty they won't have a barrel, and if you put AC20s or Gauss into the side torsos they'll show a huge barrel.
edit: I believe this was actually the first 'Mech to feature this functionality, and it was included so that people could see quickly if it was a Gaussapult.
Edited by DEMAX51, 25 September 2013 - 10:42 AM.
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