111 replies to this topic

[stjobe]

Last night I killed a Shadow Hawk in my LCT-1V - while being legged. That must have hurt

And yes, the Locust needs role warfare badly; if scouting and spotting were both useful and rewarding the Locust would have some reason to drop - in the current MWO the only reason to use it is for hardmode and/or shiggles.

I'd argue that the SDR chassis is worse than the LCT chassis though:
* The SDR-5V is the single most useless 'mech variant in the game
* The SDR-5K is about as bad as the LCT-1V
* The LCT-3M and 3S are okay
* The SDR-5D is a good variant.

On the whole, the SDR line is worse off than the LCT line - were it not for hit detection issues it would just have the 5D as viable, and that because of ECM, nothing else. The LCT-3M and 3S pack a serious punch at least.

[Satan n stuff]

Christof Romulus, on 23 October 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

Thankfully, when someone fires an AC 20 they are not firing any other weapons at the same time at the same target - the instant that starts happening though, may whatever deity the Locust has programmed belief in have mercy on it's fusion engine...

Thankfully, when someone fires an AC/20 at me I will probably not be in optimal range and most of what they're shooting will likely miss anyway. Unless you happen to get the drop on me at close range you are not oneshotting my locust. That's not to say locusts aren't easy to kill, but their fragility is exaggerated quite a bit. FYI any light that takes a hit like that is basically guaranteed to go down if it doesn't run, the only difference is that the heavier ones can last longer under fire.

[Ngamok]

stjobe, on 24 October 2013 - 01:33 AM, said:

Last night I killed a Shadow Hawk in my LCT-1V - while being legged. That must have hurt

And yes, the Locust needs role warfare badly; if scouting and spotting were both useful and rewarding the Locust would have some reason to drop - in the current MWO the only reason to use it is for hardmode and/or shiggles.

I'd argue that the SDR chassis is worse than the LCT chassis though:
* The SDR-5V is the single most useless 'mech variant in the game
* The SDR-5K is about as bad as the LCT-1V
* The LCT-3M and 3S are okay
* The SDR-5D is a good variant.

On the whole, the SDR line is worse off than the LCT line - were it not for hit detection issues it would just have the 5D as viable, and that because of ECM, nothing else. The LCT-3M and 3S pack a serious punch at least.

- The SDR-5V is the single most useless 'mech variant in the game - agree but it still can scout better than the locust.
- The SDR-5K is about as bad as the LCT-1V - agree except the spider has jump jets that makes it better.
- The LCT-3M and 3S are okay - the 3M is a pretty good fast hit and run harasser as long as he doesn't get hit. The 3S makes a good fast little missile playform 3-4 SRM2 / SSRM2s
- The SDR-5D is a good variant. - Pretty much.

[AC]

focuspark, on 17 October 2013 - 12:46 PM, said:

It has "Tiny Handling", which means it runs and turns like a Commando. Get your skills up and report again - it's easy to forget how much those XP skills make a difference.


Only advantage I've found with the locus is if you can find a lone Atlas, Awesome, or Stalker you can stand on their toes and it seems they cannot shoot you. Victor can look down enough...

and the commando handles like {Scrap} too. I think PGI needs to take a look at the "Tiny" class of handling again.

[Satan n stuff]

AC, on 24 October 2013 - 06:23 AM, said:

and the commando handles like {Scrap} too. I think PGI needs to take a look at the "Tiny" class of handling again.

You might want to bind full throttle and invert throttle to something that's easily reachable. A lot of fast mechs can accelerate faster than the throttle slider moves so unless you set it to whatever speed you want right away or use throttle decay you're not getting the most out of your lights.
Which reminds me, why are there no throttle presets for reverse? If I want to go full reverse as soon as possible without using throttle decay I need to set throttle to 100% and then use invert throttle.

[Elwood Blues]

I like the Locust because it's fragile and I learn to maneuver better by piloting it. However, I'd never take it in a 12-man comp match. It's way too fragile and hit detection seems to work just great on it.

The spider can be just as fast, has more armor, has jump jets, and (I'll state this as blandly as possible) benefits from issues with the game that result in its torsos being a black hole of damage more than other mechs.

So, the Locust will make you a better light pilot overall because it is so unforgiving, but when when you are suiting up for the big games, you take a Jenner, Spider, or Raven.

Edited by Elwood Blues, 24 October 2013 - 07:50 AM.

[Satan n stuff]

Elwood Blues, on 24 October 2013 - 07:50 AM, said:

I like the Locust because it's fragile and I learn to maneuver better by piloting it. However, I'd never take it in a 12-man comp match. It's way too fragile and hit detection seems to work just great on it.

The spider can be just as fast, has more armor, has jump jets, and (I'll state this as blandly as possible) benefits from issues with the game that result in its torsos being a black hole of damage more than other mechs.

So, the Locust will make you a better light pilot overall because it is so unforgiving, but when when you are suiting up for the big games, you take a Jenner, Spider, or Raven.

That issue with the spider can be avoided easy enough, just aim for the legs.

[Elwood Blues]

***** n stuff, on 24 October 2013 - 08:19 AM, said:

That issue with the spider can be avoided easy enough, just aim for the legs.

Yep, that's what you have to do, which sucks since the 2 most armored locations of the mech are the legs. So, it's not a solution, just a clunky workaround.

[Mehlan]

aim for the crotch and you'll get either leg or the ct... the Ct follow the shape of the paper doll CT, but it's VERY narrow...maybe, at best as wide the the front profile of the leg, either side of this and it applies to the R/L torso slots instead. This 'line' runs up just a tad below the cockpit before it starts to flare out.

[Swervedriver]

Last week, I fully mastered out the 3 Locust variants. Without a doubt, the Spider is the superior mech in virtually all situations, especially with the engine speed tweaks.

That said, I do find the all Laser Locust variant to be somewhat effective on the battlefield. 5 mediums pack a nice flanking punch. I've even managed a couple of 700+ damage matches, which was quite surprising.

Needless to say, it's still my opinion that whatever makes the Spider hit-box virtually invulnerable should be immediately transferred to the Locust.

The other issue that makes sense is to realign all the mech sizes, and I have a radical idea for it's implementation. But I'll save that for another thread.

[Satan n stuff]

Swervedriver, on 25 October 2013 - 09:27 AM, said:

Last week, I fully mastered out the 3 Locust variants. Without a doubt, the Spider is the superior mech in virtually all situations, especially with the engine speed tweaks.

That said, I do find the all Laser Locust variant to be somewhat effective on the battlefield. 5 mediums pack a nice flanking punch. I've even managed a couple of 700+ damage matches, which was quite surprising.

Needless to say, it's still my opinion that whatever makes the Spider hit-box virtually invulnerable should be immediately transferred to the Locust.

The other issue that makes sense is to realign all the mech sizes, and I have a radical idea for it's implementation. But I'll save that for another thread.

The spider has a good design that spreads damage well and it's 50% heavier than a locust. The best spider variant can only do 150 kph but it has ECM. The locust has far better options for weapons than any spider on two out of it's three variants and all three variants can do 170 kph. Jump jets are not an advantage in light vs light combat as a long jump would leave the spider vulnerable to precision attacks ( lasers ) and a jump jet turns won't throw off any decent light player, they'll simply hold fire ( unless they're using streaks ) until the spider tries to line up a shot. A locust equipped for light killing will beat a spider 1 on 1 every time, but against any other mech a spider will last much longer, both should expect to lose any other duel.

[Christof Romulus]

Kaspirikay, on 23 October 2013 - 04:53 PM, said:

Because spiders got a 2+ invulnerable save.

HA, I get this! Anyone else get this?

HA!

[Alabaster Black]

CrimsonOdyssey, on 20 October 2013 - 02:13 PM, said:

The problem with the locust is not the amount of armor it has. Sadly once again PGI made the mech too big. In comparison to the Jenner it is almost the exact same size but weighs 15 tons less than the jenner.

What this equates to is easy kills on a locust due to the mech being too easy to hit. If the mech were smaller (like it should be) it would be less easy to hit and thus not be as easy to 1 shot.

The Locust should in all actuality be the smallest and hardest mech in the game to hit by far, just because of it's weight (which should correlate to a smaller size than any other mech), but at the same time it should still be able to be 1 shot because armor and internals are fairly balanced (and PGI won't be able to balance armor ratings any better).

This one.

[pwnface]

***** n stuff, on 25 October 2013 - 11:20 AM, said:

The spider has a good design that spreads damage well and it's 50% heavier than a locust. The best spider variant can only do 150 kph but it has ECM. The locust has far better options for weapons than any spider on two out of it's three variants and all three variants can do 170 kph. Jump jets are not an advantage in light vs light combat as a long jump would leave the spider vulnerable to precision attacks ( lasers ) and a jump jet turns won't throw off any decent light player, they'll simply hold fire ( unless they're using streaks ) until the spider tries to line up a shot. A locust equipped for light killing will beat a spider 1 on 1 every time, but against any other mech a spider will last much longer, both should expect to lose any other duel.

If you think jump jets aren't an advantage in a light vs light fight... you can't possibly be a competent light pilot. Jump jets can be used to traverse terrain to escape as well as to turn 180 degrees to face up against another light chasing you. If a spider is chasing a locust it would be much more difficult for the locust to face up with the spider. Spiders are way better mechs than locusts. If you are losing to a locust 1v1 in your spider(or any mech) then you aren't doing it right.

[jtyotJOTJIPAEFVJ]

I think this picture describes the relative strenghts of the different Locust variants versus other lights.

The 1V k/d ratio is quite a bit too high due to a few consecutive lucky matches, but at least it proves that the variant can be useful in some situations. Apart from those my performance has been pretty even across all matches.

[pwnface]

its interesting that you have the highest KDR in the LCT-1V when most people consider the other two variants better. It's hard to get an accurate picture with so few matches though.

[Satan n stuff]

pwnface, on 01 November 2013 - 04:54 PM, said:

If you think jump jets aren't an advantage in a light vs light fight... you can't possibly be a competent light pilot. Jump jets can be used to traverse terrain to escape as well as to turn 180 degrees to face up against another light chasing you. If a spider is chasing a locust it would be much more difficult for the locust to face up with the spider. Spiders are way better mechs than locusts. If you are losing to a locust 1v1 in your spider(or any mech) then you aren't doing it right.

Using jump jets for anything but quick turns in a light fight is like saying "leg me please". A 180 turn leaves you wide open to anything the other light would like to throw at you and actually jumping over something does the same. The only way you could possibly make it easier to kill you is by not moving at all. As for you calling me incompetent, I'll be happy to prove you wrong should we ever meet on the battlefield. I've been here a lot longer than you have so trust me, I know a thing or two about how this game is played.

[Wispsy]

***** n stuff, on 02 November 2013 - 04:47 AM, said:

Using jump jets for anything but quick turns in a light fight is like saying "leg me please". A 180 turn leaves you wide open to anything the other light would like to throw at you and actually jumping over something does the same. The only way you could possibly make it easier to kill you is by not moving at all. As for you calling me incompetent, I'll be happy to prove you wrong should we ever meet on the battlefield. I've been here a lot longer than you have so trust me, I know a thing or two about how this game is played.

Jumpjets make a massive difference in light vs light fights. I will be happy to prove you wrong any time.

As for the topic at hand. The Spider is far superior to the Locust. There is no competition. I mean a machine gun spider 5k can take out any single variant, even the ssrm one, from full health. If you want to claim they are scouts and the extra 20kph helps somewhat then you might as well use a spider 5V, it has lots of jumpjets to go with it and better hit boxes with twice the armour. If you want it as an execute mech with machine guns well, the 5k is just miles better. Same speed, jumpjets, more arm movement, better hit boxes, twice armour, more ammo. If you think the laser one (I do not know why people would ever take this, it has no gimmick, you might as well be a stupid tdk and have more armour and arm movement and heat efficiency) then you could get similar alpha, better dps, longer range, better hit boxes, twice armour, jumpjets(which are still a huge advantage), better arm movement and ECM all on the 5D.

Simply put, the locust has too little armour and no ECM or jumpjets. It practically turns like a raven and moves the same speed as a handful of other chassis which are all far better in their respective roles. By bringing a locust you are essentially declaring to your team that you need to be carried and should be treated like a disconnect. Not helpful.

[Silentium]

pwnface, on 01 November 2013 - 04:54 PM, said:

If you think jump jets aren't an advantage in a light vs light fight... you can't possibly be a competent light pilot. Jump jets can be used to traverse terrain to escape as well as to turn 180 degrees to face up against another light chasing you. If a spider is chasing a locust it would be much more difficult for the locust to face up with the spider. Spiders are way better mechs than locusts. If you are losing to a locust 1v1 in your spider(or any mech) then you aren't doing it right.

Lack of JumpJets on the Locust is probably the thing that frustrates me about them most; this is also why spiders eat my lunch. The only advantage a locust has is speed, but it doesn't have enough to escape. Your only hope is not to stray too far from the rest of your team, because you can't peel a spider off alone.

[Sable Dove]

stjobe, on 24 October 2013 - 01:33 AM, said:

Last night I killed a Shadow Hawk in my LCT-1V - while being legged. That must have hurt

And yes, the Locust needs role warfare badly; if scouting and spotting were both useful and rewarding the Locust would have some reason to drop - in the current MWO the only reason to use it is for hardmode and/or shiggles.

I'd argue that the SDR chassis is worse than the LCT chassis though:
* The SDR-5V is the single most useless 'mech variant in the game
* The SDR-5K is about as bad as the LCT-1V
* The LCT-3M and 3S are okay
* The SDR-5D is a good variant.

On the whole, the SDR line is worse off than the LCT line - were it not for hit detection issues it would just have the 5D as viable, and that because of ECM, nothing else. The LCT-3M and 3S pack a serious punch at least.

SDR is far better than the LCT.
SDR-5V and -5K are about as useful as the LCT-1V. But have jumpjets and almost twice as much armour.
And overall, the Spider is simply a much better design. Arms that protect the torso, a very slim profile, tiny legs, and jumpjets. The Locust on the other hand, has proportionally large legs (arguably larger than the Spider), a very long and wide torso, and about half the armour of the Spider.

The LCT-3M is the only locust that I would consider as being equal to or better than a Spider, and only the 5V and 5K. It's still leagues behind the 5D.

LCT-1V? SDR-5K is far better.
LCT-3S? Has missile hardpoints, but not really enough tonnage to do much with it. It might beat a Spider in a duel if it uses streaks, but if it doesn't use streaks, it's not particularly useful against anything. Regardless, JR7-D is far superior to the LCT-3S.
The 3M is powerful, but it's more of a glass cannon than the Spider-5D. Yeah, you can mount 5ML to the Spider's 3, but you don't have the cooling capacity to out-DPS the Spider in a duel, and your armour is so low that if an enemy wants you dead, you're not going to live much longer.

Edited by Sable Dove, 02 November 2013 - 01:04 PM.