155 replies to this topic

[Musashi Alexander]

Thanks for the guide. I've been dreading playing the locusts but with your guide it's actually quite enjoyable.

[jper4]

only had the sarah's jenner as a light before so kinda just sighed when i found all these locusts in my mech bay. decided to try them out,

had the 1V with the ML/4MG for a bit, hated it. swapped to a MPL and 2MG, still not liking. just tossed an ER LL in since it was ok in the 3S and it's a bit better had to lower armor some to fit it though.

3M been messing between 4ML and 4SPL with dual ams. totally hit and run and run into stuff with this one, can actually kill stuff with it which is nice but that one bad move and dead.

3S is rapidly becoming my favorite though. the "LRM Dingy" (cause it's too small to qualify as a boat) ML and 2LRM5, only an xl 185 though since i didn;t have another 190 lying around and too lazy to keep swapping out from the 3M. great lil harrasser, don;t kill much and damage won;t be anything to brag about but something about sprinting across the field of battle with lrms bursts coming in at some target 500-700m away as it's too busy fighting someone else to notice me that i like. also gives me something to do while capping. runs into trouble when other lights show up but most locusts tend to anyway.

[Sandra McCrow]

what i don't understand about these designs is - why oh why??? do i need to put 3 tons of my mech to heatsinks that I do not need like at all... -( seems such a vaste. e190 only carries 7...

[Shadey99]

Sandro Mc, on 10 November 2013 - 05:55 AM, said:

what i don't understand about these designs is - why oh why??? do i need to put 3 tons of my mech to heatsinks that I do not need like at all... -( seems such a vaste. e190 only carries 7...

There are two parts of this:

1st all mechs are required to have 10 heatsinks, in TT this was to maintain minimal functionality for any mech.

2nd MWO calculates engine weight as normal weight + gyro + cockpit - any additional heatsinks needed. The reason for this is that external heatsinks could not be given 'free' (weight wise) as they are in TT (Or at least it seems they couldn't figure out how to do it). So even if you didn't want the extra heatsinks to reach 10 the engine would still weigh the same.

Personally I'd like to see them separate out gyro and cockpit weight and make us buy and install gyro and cockpits (more helpful when different versions of those come out). That would leave us with just normal engine weight and any possible needed external heat sinks.

Edited by Shadey99, 14 November 2013 - 06:50 AM.

[Sandra McCrow]

Well yes... it's just that when you are used to run much heavier engines on a jenner you don't really notice that there is a problem. And in case of a locust with xl 190 - you need 3 additional heatsinks, which makes say erLL+4mg build suddenly impossible... pitty...

[Shadey99]

Sandro Mc, on 11 November 2013 - 05:10 AM, said:

Well yes... it's just that when you are used to run much heavier engines on a jenner you don't really notice that there is a problem. And in case of a locust with xl 190 - you need 3 additional heatsinks, which makes say erLL+4mg build suddenly impossible... pitty...

Well if they remove the engine cap (and yet keep the 1.4x multiplier) that keeps speeds down than the max engine for a Locust is a 225. Only 1 extra heatsink needed there. However the weapons load will decrease by 2 tons. On the other hand we could then run at 182.25 kph (200.5 kph with speed tweak) in a Locust...

Edit: Thinking about that and stating it out lead me to one conclusion though... A MG equipped 200 kph Locust would suck. Trying to keep those things on target at those speeds against anything not a light would almost never happen.

Edited by Shadey99, 14 November 2013 - 07:09 AM.

[Buckminster]

I was really bummed when they upped the Commando engine cap to speeds similar to a Locust.

I'm not a die-hard TT purist (anymore), but I feel that some things should stay true to TT, and the fact that the Commando was slower than the Locust is one of them. The Locust, Spider and Cicada could all walk 8, the Jenner could walk 7, the Commando and Raven 6. So why is it that Commandos can now keep pace with Locusts?

[Shadey99]

Buckminster, on 14 November 2013 - 07:19 AM, said:

So why is it that Commandos can now keep pace with Locusts?

Because they wanted to make a bug swatter and certain very vocal people complained that Commandos had to be faster than Jenners or they are worthless. They even broke the 1.4 X stock engine rating rule to make the Commando faster.

[Buckminster]

I wish they had stuck to their own rules and kept the Commando more true to TT. Adding an ECM variant and raising the speed limit on it turned it into not a Commando.

Although in all honesty, I understand the complaining. It's really a combination of two other factors - mech customization and the lack of weight limits. The purpose of the Commando is to have a light weight mech with a decent amount of firepower (especially when compared to other 20-25 ton mechs). But in an MWO world where weight doesn't matter, and any mech can carry just about any weapon, it *was* worthless.

Why take a 25 ton mech when there is no penalty to take a 35 ton mech? An SRM6, SRM4 and ML? The Jenner can outdo that easily with weight to spare.

[Shadey99]

Buckminster, on 14 November 2013 - 09:03 AM, said:

Although in all honesty, I understand the complaining. It's really a combination of two other factors - mech customization and the lack of weight limits. The purpose of the Commando is to have a light weight mech with a decent amount of firepower (especially when compared to other 20-25 ton mechs). But in an MWO world where weight doesn't matter, and any mech can carry just about any weapon, it *was* worthless.

Why take a 25 ton mech when there is no penalty to take a 35 ton mech? An SRM6, SRM4 and ML? The Jenner can outdo that easily with weight to spare.

Well this is brought on by XL engines, ES, and FF anyways. Most stock mechs, especially in 3025-3050, were still being built with standard engines, standard armor, standard internals. Building up to 3050 (and exploding after 3050) more and more mechs start to see variants created using newer (yet also ironically 'older') tech to save more weight and run either larger engines (Fireball) or carry greater firepower (Hollander). Almost all of our mechs (stock-wise) have few if any upgrades and like players back when BT first introduced the lostech weapons and equipment, we instantly seek to optimize our weight and space to make anything we are given 'better'.

Newer and or later designs all have issues with the system MWO uses. The FIreball for example is not released until 3053 and it's 3 variants released in that timeframe are all uninspired in MWO terms (7D 1M+1B, 8D 2E+1B, 9D 1E+1M). Or the Dart (3S 3E, 4S 3E, 6S 2E). Or even better example the Battlehawk which only has 2 variants the BH-K305 & BH-K306. The later of which requires light fusion engines, ER medium lasers, and SSRM-4s, so that even with two variants we would only have one for years yet.

The clans really get the best light mechs. Though even my beloved Locust IIC ( ) doesn't get all the trimmings like the omnimechs do (It's running a standard 200 engine, though it's 9E design makes up for it). In MWO I'd be throwing a 270 XL in for the same weight as the 200 standard and hitting 174 kph with it's full CMPL+8xCERSL load. The Clan MPL btw out ranges the IS medium laser and the clan ERSL does the same damage as a IS medium laser out to IS MPL range. So unless PGI changes it the IIC Locust will have a 47 firepower rating out to 360m and 7 even beyond 600m.

Edited by Shadey99, 14 November 2013 - 11:50 AM.

[Dawnstealer]

I agree with a few other posters - this mech is zen. If you get hit more than 2-3 times, you're dead: every minute you live, every shot you dodge, every time you get off a shot at someone and don't get creamed in return, it's a huge victory.

On another point, I feel you build mechs out to their strengths. The Locust's only real strength is speed, so if you aren't slapping the XL190 in there, you're missing the point. There's nothing quite as awesome as blowing around the map at 170kph.

[Wildstreak]

Well, I simply cannot put a 190 in mine, I need room for a big sniping laser or LRMs.

Now I run my 1V with the sole LPL, the MGs seem such a waste given the speed, just one LPL shot then Beep-Beep, BOOM off I go like the Roadrunner of cartoon fame.

I still am trying to balance heat build up on the 3M, now running ERLL + 2ML so I do not need to get too close to get off sniping shots followed by the Beep-Beep, BOOM.

I love the 3S when I can fire from distance using my ML to assist with escapes.

[Buckminster]

Merchant, on 15 November 2013 - 08:18 PM, said:

Now I run my 1V with the sole LPL, the MGs seem such a waste given the speed, just one LPL shot then Beep-Beep, BOOM off I go like the Roadrunner of cartoon fame.

I've started running an LPL 1V, and I love it. The MPL and MGs that I had before didn't really work - you needed to hang around too long to make those MGs count. I'd end up circling someone dumping hundreds of rounds into them, which left me a juicy target for their team mates. Now it's in, shoot, and out. And even with just SHS, it's still easy to manage heat - 1.5 mil saved!

And I love the "wubwubwubwub" of the LPL.

[Schrottfrosch]

I do no twant to bash any 'mech, especially not the most cutest one out there, the Locust - it is useless, though.

They should have released it as a plush-mech - like for people who like to sleep with mechs or want a plush-mech for their offspring...

It would totally beat Plush-Celestia http://equestriaplus...Plush-395269131

[levitas]

Buckminster, on 20 November 2013 - 02:49 PM, said:

I've started running an LPL 1V, and I love it. The MPL and MGs that I had before didn't really work - you needed to hang around too long to make those MGs count. I'd end up circling someone dumping hundreds of rounds into them, which left me a juicy target for their team mates. Now it's in, shoot, and out. And even with just SHS, it's still easy to manage heat - 1.5 mil saved!

And I love the "wubwubwubwub" of the LPL.

Is there anything that makes this better than the 3M build that runs ERPPC instead of LPL? I want to try this out, but it seems like you're not taking the build far enough in the "quick in quick out" direction, unless of course this build is just to get by until you've gotten your basics done.

[Void Angel]

Shadey99, on 23 October 2013 - 11:55 AM, said:

The big problem with the Locust is that the 1V is basically a Spider 5K @ 20 tons, the 3M is a Jenner F @ 20 tons, and the 3S is a Commando 2D @ 20 tons. None of the variants is really unique in hardpoints and as a smaller mech than any of those it will feel like a less effective version of those mechs.

Lt Waldo, on 23 October 2013 - 12:11 PM, said:

That's a helpful breakdown and puts into hard numbers what I suspected already. I think I can't sell the 1V[P] because the mech bay is locked to it, but I will likely get rid of the variants eventually to get extra bays. It helps to put a cap accel in them, and you know I'll put the speed tweak in there as soon as it is available. At least I'll feel useful.

One thing to add is that the Locust also uses the new Tiny movement archetype - only the Commando shares it. So you're essentially trading tonnage (and jump jets, depending) for maneuverability. This makes a difference; the Locust turns on a dime, even without doubled basics.

All that being said, it's not really a viable 'mech right now. Its legs are proportionally weak compared to other 'mechs, and even with the extra helping of nimble, it's just not competitive with heavier lights - until tonnage limits come in. Tonnage limits are on the way, however, so keep on plugging away at your Locusts. Just don't burn yourself out rolling that rock uphill. =)

[WVAnonymous]

Void Angel, on 20 November 2013 - 04:18 PM, said:

Tonnage limits are on the way, however, so keep on plugging away at your Locusts. Just don't burn yourself out rolling that rock uphill. =)

I hate hate hate Locusts. But I own the set and have modest OCD. I'm delaying getting serious with them in the hopes that they will strike my fancy and I'll want to spend a few weeks being twitchy. Maybe tonnage limits will ease my pain.

Good OP build list, lots of places to start.

[Buckminster]

solar levitas, on 20 November 2013 - 03:38 PM, said:

Is there anything that makes this better than the 3M build that runs ERPPC instead of LPL? I want to try this out, but it seems like you're not taking the build far enough in the "quick in quick out" direction, unless of course this build is just to get by until you've gotten your basics done.

I've finished Basics on all three, I'm working towards Elite now.

Honestly, there is nothing this build can do that a -3M can't do better. The only energy point is mounted low in the torso, and those ballistic slots are never going to be your prime damage dealer (4 MGs or an AC/2 - not impressed). IMHO, the only thing the -1V has over the -3M is the C-bill bonus.

So the LPL version is just an attempt to make the -1V more viable, since I'm really hoping to take advantage of that C-bill bonus once I have everything mastered. I've considered trading the LPL for a LL and maybe a pair of MGs (leaving those ballistic slots empty bothers me), but I'm not 100% sold. I'm much happier with my -3S and my -3M.

[Mycrus]

i sense a locusts are OP rant in the works

[Mycrus]

old one...