23 replies to this topic

[Kell Commander]

I have unlocked hard brake and kinetic burst, but it seems like the Tbolt just doesn't respond anywhere near as well as any other mech near it's weight. It seems like hard brake and kinetic burst are bugged and not working. Anyone else notice this or is it just me?

[Bishop Steiner]

I dunno. So far I want to love it (great profile), but it just... confounds me. With an XL, missiles are a death sentence, but without those racks you don't carry enough firepower for the weight. And it's not any faster or tougher than my Jagers, but my Jager is waaaaaaaaaay more dangerous.

Just hoping after I get the 2x unlocks maybe it'll come to life like the Victor did.

[Roughneck45]

I've had the opposite experience, they handle great for me.

You weren't checking it in testing grounds were you?

Edited by Roughneck45, 19 October 2013 - 11:28 AM.

[verybad]

So far for me the Tbolt is ok, it takes damage better than it gives for me. the SE is my favorite of them however (jets) My current loadout isn't doing it for me though, so will have to make changes.

[CarnifexMaximus]

I look at the 9SE and with it had a ballistic in the left arm.

I look at the 5S and wish it had JJs.

Then I realize that a XL is a bad idea on this mech in general.

Then I give up and choose Shadow Hawk.

Rinse and repeat since Tuesday around 1:00 PST.

[Biglead]

CarnifexMaximus, on 19 October 2013 - 12:20 PM, said:

I look at the 9SE and wish it had a ballistic in the left arm so I could poptart with the current meta.

I look at the 5S and wish i could poptart.

Then I realize that a XL is a bad idea on this mech in general.

Then I give up and choose Shadow Hawk because it can poptart.

Rinse and repeat since Tuesday around 1:00 PST.

Sorry, that's all I read from that.

Edited by Biglead, 19 October 2013 - 12:26 PM.

[Escef]

The Thud really needs to be played like a stock Cent. Torso twisting to spread damage, avoid XL engines, pack some decent firepower. I've found that youjust shouldn't expect speed. Go for cooling and guns over speed, your job is to tank.

At least, this is my experience so far. Maybe I'll change my mind on this further down the road.

[The Amazing Atomic Spaniel]

Odd - I've had a really good experience with the Thud. I run 2JJ, XL300, 2PPC, 3ML and 2SSRM2. The XL doesn't seem to be a liability. Usually it blows up because it's got CT cored. Plus, it is a Thor's grandparent and therefore very cool.

[SgtMagor]

tried 1 drop with stock Phoenix bolt, it seems more of a support/ hit an run than a stand your ground and duke it out mech . missiles are its bread and butter

[Escef]

SgtMagor, on 19 October 2013 - 12:48 PM, said:

tried 1 drop with stock Phoenix bolt, it seems more of a support/ hit an run than a stand your ground and duke it out mech . missiles are its bread and butter

Stock? As in no double heat sinks "stock"? Yeah, no wonder it would feel like a hit and run design, without DHS you need to get out from under the opposition's sites while you cool down.

Or am I mistaken on your lack of DHS upgrade?

[The Amazing Atomic Spaniel]

The Sgt has been playing mechwarrior games for so long that mechs automatically run cool merely by being in his presence. I still remember seeing his MW4 Atlas looming up over a ridge seconds before my HIghlander exploded under concentrated laser and PPC fire. If this had happened once I would not find him so scary, but it seemed to happen several times a week.

[SgtMagor]

yup yup using standard heatsinks, hmm, MW4 seems so long ago, and you could make some crazy laser boats, 7 erllaser Nova kitty was awesome.

[NRP]

I'm slowly coming around to the Thunderbolt, once I found a few builds that work for me and learned how to play them in a PUG setting.

But to answer the OP's question, to me the Thunderbolt feels sluggish with anything smaller than a 300 size engine. I'm running STD275s (68.5 kph) in my 5S and 5SS and it's borderline. Should be better with Speed Tweak and Elite efficiencies. I hope.

[Silentium]

I dunno, it feels like a slug with the stock engine. I like it much better with a 300 of some kind in it (XL or STD) regardless of loadout.

[SgtMagor]

running a 300XL 74.7kph speed tweak should be close to 80. Tbolt needs the 300 if you really want to put this mech thru its paces.

[Finn McShae]

Finally got my 5S(P) elites unlocked. It moves much better than it used to. Feels pretty good for me now. Strangely enough I've been having fun with the 7M build.

Basically I just toss DHS and an ERLarge and Artemis plus streaks. Not impressive firepower, but I cram a lot of DHS and it runs pretty good. Tried XL for a bit and dumped the missiles, but its just feels... wrong.

[Viges]

I saw them and I think they are AWESOME ;D

[Carrioncrows]

I love my Tbolts

I love them just about as much as I love my shadowhawk and that surprises me because the Tbolt was the one mech i was least excited about having in the phoenix package.

The one thing I have learned when it comes to the Tbolt is that it is tough as nails. Use those arms, use that torso twisting. I feel like i can take more punishment in my Tbolt than i can in my battlemaster. Not because it has more armor but because they have to peel it like an onion - . arms, torso, then CT.

Are they as powerful as twin 20 jagers? no, but they are also not as fragile as them either.

My best builds typically around having 1-2 long range weapons followed by loads of mediums or Srm's and just beat people down by having better aim and taking their return fire on non-critical locations. (Arm, Torso, then CT)

it just feels like an exceptionally solid mech.

[Bishop Steiner]

Biglead, on 19 October 2013 - 12:25 PM, said:

Sorry, that's all I read from that.

Well Big, I feel the same way about it, and I don't poptart at all. The Shad though is just an amazingly well done mech period, a real home run for medium pilots, whereas I can't really find one thing that my Thuds do better than my Catapults or Jagers, especially my Jagers.

There is only so much diversity that can come from shape and torso rotation/arm reflex mods. It to me is kind of a good example of my argument for Armor caps based on Stock armor, and sized hardpoints. Simply put, it's schtick in TT was being a tank, but in reality, since everyone just max armors everything anyhow, it has no durability advantage over the Cat or Jager, both of which also carry XLs much better for various reasons, so it also really can't match them for firepower.

I don't think it's so much that the Thud is bad, as it simply doesn't really do anything at all to stand out as a better option than what I already have. And I should probably get prepared that the reality is we will see this a lot more from now on, but I can always hope, since we have 3 very different feeling 50 tonners. But then, one of them IS the Trebuchet, so I guess you get stuck with one in every family.

[Silentium]

Carrioncrows, on 19 October 2013 - 03:26 PM, said:

The one thing I have learned when it comes to the Tbolt is that it is tough as nails. Use those arms, use that torso twisting. I feel like i can take more punishment in my Tbolt than i can in my battlemaster. Not because it has more armor but because they have to peel it like an onion - . arms, torso, then CT.

It feels like this is the case without even trying, I literally don't have to think about spreading damage on it, it just happens.

Yes, Jager has a more easily managed firepower (less diverse loadout), and the high arms are awesome, but I really feel vulnerable in them. Maybe it just comes down to style <shrug>.