19 replies to this topic

[kongman]

is it just me , or does the atlas get cored really easy all the time ?

[RussianWolf]

must be you.


The Atlas gets focused fired regularly, so it can seem to go down quick but its just that 8 enemies are all determined to "take that B&%#@ down".

An Atlas by itself is no threat. Just about any decent pilot in any mech can take one down one on one. But an Atlas should NEVER be alone. It should have support mechs to help fend off the enemies and make them keep their heads down when the time comes to crest a ridge.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Which variant and loadout? I figure you are brawling, maybe we could give some suggestions for something different.

How much armor do have in front? (generally at least 72 for STs, and 106 for CT)

What engine size? (325 is often the smallest if running as a brawler)

Mech Efficiencies unlocked? Twist X Elited gives 96 degrees of twist for example.

Are you using cover and torso twisting? (the engine and Mech Efficiencies are important to improve twist speed)

[anonymous161]

Depends on the armor and whether you are the sole targeted mech really, which will be often, which is why I usually let a few of my team mates that are faster than me or will always faster than me anymore take the front since they can actually evade while I can start dishing out serious hits.

[DarkDevilDancer]

Its you sorry to say, try practising your torso twisting dont be afraid to use your arms as shields while weapons charge.

[kongman]

RussianWolf, on 24 October 2013 - 04:57 AM, said:

must be you.


The Atlas gets focused fired regularly, so it can seem to go down quick but its just that 8 enemies are all determined to "take that B&%#@ down".

An Atlas by itself is no threat. Just about any decent pilot in any mech can take one down one on one. But an Atlas should NEVER be alone. It should have support mechs to help fend off the enemies and make them keep their heads down when the time comes to crest a ridge.

its hard to keep track of how many people are shooting you , they need more info

[Dan Nashe]

The atlas hit boxes are generally not considered a problem.

Engine speed also affects twist speed.
I never run an atlas with less than a 325 standard engine.
Because it's slow and big it is pretty easy to hit the ct head on. But it is not that easy from the sides.

Bigger engine, torso twist more. Get caught out in the open less.
Those aren't easy things, but. They are things experience helps a lot with.
More armor on front if not being cored from rear. If being cored from rear (see armor diagram) need to not get stuck in positions where lights can shoot you without you getting help from allies.

I actually find assaults hard to drive because it is so easy to get stuck in a bad spot if you lose track of everything around you or crest a ridge.

If you're not sure how many people are shooting at you... You may be poorly positioned. Or maybe not. It depends a Lot on where your team is.

Most. Likely you're getting 2 v 1d in situations where you got separated from allies or went too far around a corner or you crested a ridge alone or were in a position where snipers had clean shots at you head on ... (Or less likely from rear).

That said, I can core an atlas in 15 seconds on many mechs. I consider that medium speed. That assumes 4 alphas and none miss. (Ac 20 plus two large pulse lasers). If the atlas is facing me head on under 300 meters and not twisting its an easy shot.
Takes a sniper about 5 alphas .

But I can kill anything else in the game just as fast if it faces me head on for long. Jaegers takes 3 shots.

Edited by DanNashe, 24 October 2013 - 08:08 PM.

[Krivvan]

kongman, on 24 October 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

its hard to keep track of how many people are shooting you

No, it is not. If you're in an Atlas then the only people shooting at you should be those in front of you and/or those on the other side of your cover.

If you're regularly taking fire from all directions then you have absolutely failed as an Atlas pilot. If your team "left you behind" it's usually your fault. If you "couldn't catch up" then it's usually your fault. It means you decided to go off on your own and shun the absolutely required protection of your team.

If you have a tendency to run off on your own then the Atlas is the worst mech by far you can pilot. You'll never be even remotely effective in it. Single lights will destroy you. You need to pilot lights, mediums, or fast heavies.

[Fire Mage]

Atlases are fine. My DDC earns the highest K/D ratio of all my mechs. Holding back a bit (so the team can benefit from your ECM) helps. Also, when torso twisting in battle: I use a good alpha settup, blasting the enemy then immediatley twisting the torso and turning the 'mech to the right, giving my CT and RT with the AC the best protection. Then twist back to normal and launch another alpha.

I do believe Atlases are one of the harder 'mechs to master, and you will get cored if you don't use it properly, but that seems fair considering how powerful it is.

[LauLiao]

If you're used to piloting smaller/faster/more agile mechs the Atlas can feel fragile. You've got to remember that you've got all the speed of a lame brick and the profile of a barn door.

[SgtMagor]

if you want to survive in an assault, packing the largest engine you can that will still allow you a good weapons payload pays off, and you wont become cannon fodder for any light mech anymore.

[DarkDevilDancer]

350 standard works well for me gives a decent speed and agility, and I have no issue killing things.

[shulman87]

350 even with master efficiencies its not worth the loss in firepower , slap on a 325 and make sure u got an all around loadout , if u focus on brawling u get picked off from long range , focus on long range get picked off close range
just make sure u got an all around loadout that helps u in any situation that's my best advice, oh and torso twist ALOT !

[stuntmahn]

Praetor Shepard, on 24 October 2013 - 05:00 AM, said:

Which variant and loadout? I figure you are brawling, maybe we could give some suggestions for something different.
How much armor do have in front? (generally at least 72 for STs, and 106 for CT)
...

Hi, I'm an unregular player with an AS7-D that I dont take out much.

Why these numbers? Is this some magic limit that prevents death from such-and-such?
I'm not used to playing with a lance, so I've used more armor in the back - of course, I've seldom had much in the way of support - so I've been "afraid" of lights I guess.

Recently picked up again, and this time (more often atleast) with a lance, so I might play the Atlas again. Tips welcome, current setup.

Edited by stuntmahn, 26 October 2013 - 03:55 AM.

[DarkDevilDancer]

I strongly disagree my d-DC has used a 350 for months now and most games I kill 2-3 at least, no one expects a fast atlas and lights freak out when you can turn and keep them in your sights.

[shulman87]

DarkDevilDancer, on 26 October 2013 - 03:53 AM, said:

I strongly disagree my d-DC has used a 350 for months now and most games I kill 2-3 at least, no one expects a fast atlas and lights freak out when you can turn and keep them in your sights.

yeah i havent said it cant be effective but its a 6 ton difference which can be used to pack more firepower thus making u more lethal , as far as chasing or surviving vs lights i agree , but OVERALL it makes u weaker , facing heavies and other assaults that cram as much firepower as possible

[MisterPlanetarian]

I used to rely on a 325/300 for the atlas for quite some time but the added mobility and especially turn and twist speed you get with a 340 or 350 is extremely helpful. The 325 is only acceptable when running dual UAC5/AC5

Take a look at this build: D-DC 340 Brawler.

Note how almost all the armor is front loaded, this is how most high level atlas pilots play since you will be facing the enemy 90% of the time. Move alongside obstacles so you can put your back up to a wall or building incase you get swarmed by light mechs. This makes positioning extremely important and will force you to avoid open spaces without escort mechs to rip up lights who get to greedy and try to slowboat behind you.

*If you charge into the fray first do so with your left arm facing the enemy to let it absorb the first few shots.

*Protect your AC20 at all costs, always twist to the right unless your back get exposed to fire and let your left arm and torso take the shots, even with the ECM factored in for the D-DC.

*Only time you wanna babysit the ECM is if you have enough firepower around to make a difference and need protection from LRM rain or something

*When attacked by lights, back up against a wall. This is pretty much the SOP for all heavy and assault mechs who gets caught by lights.

*Never, ever fit LRM's on an atlas.

Edited by MisterPlanetarian, 26 October 2013 - 04:16 AM.

[DarkDevilDancer]

shulman87, on 26 October 2013 - 04:10 AM, said:

yeah i havent said it cant be effective but its a 6 ton difference which can be used to pack more firepower thus making u more lethal , as far as chasing or surviving vs lights i agree , but OVERALL it makes u weaker , facing heavies and other assaults that cram as much firepower as possible

Aint what you got son its how you use it, having a high calibre round means nothing if you dont know how to breach the chamber.

[Nothing Whatsoever]

stuntmahn, on 26 October 2013 - 03:53 AM, said:

Hi, I'm an unregular player with an AS7-D that I dont take out much.

Why these numbers? Is this some magic limit that prevents death from such-and-such?
I'm not used to playing with a lance, so I've used more armor in the back - of course, I've seldom had much in the way of support - so I've been "afraid" of lights I guess.

Recently picked up again, and this time (more often atleast) with a lance, so I might play the Atlas again. Tips welcome, current setup.

I came to those armor numbers from trial and error. My idea is to squeeze out as much survivability as I can as a solo player, because there have been enough times I've been left behind or been caught without enough support, and even with that high armor, the Atlas is a big easy to hit target and take down when out numbered.

And the Altas benefits from Endo and the 350 engine, if running as a brawler.

In the Atlas I try to use cover as best I can, with as big as it is, and with the low weapons and slow speeds, any exposure out of cover or mistake can cost you too much lost armor, even when twisting to use the arms to absorb damage.

And I do my best to protect my back anyway, so having less armor on the back is a gamble sometimes, but worth it most of the time, if you know the maps well and where best to engage the enemy. If I'm alone facing off against a single light or fast mech I can frustrate them to find a different target since I will keep moving or use cover that I back into if I can't manage to take it out.

But if I'm dealing with multiple fast enemies alone, I simply hope to back into cover and hope for the best, since any mech doesn't do too well outnumbered anyway.

With the AS7-D, you could consider a brawler build like this: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9c9fd2161225e95

The idea is to have the AC/20 as the primary weapon with the SRM 6s as the secondary one. Sharing the 4 second cooldown is a bonus so that you can engage in defensive maneuvers to spread damage on the Atlas, but have them in separate groups since the AC/20 can be fired further than 270 M.

The third group is the arm MLs so that you can add to alpha firepower when you can handle the added heat, and to fight off lights and fast mechs. They need to be managed due to heat.
The MPLs in the torso are the last resort in a fourth weapon group that should be used sparingly due to heat. But 12 damage out to 180 M can be useful when out of ammo.

There are other builds you can try out such as using LLs and ballistics, without missiles that I've seen used successfully also, like this one: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...688a5d76ae28cd7 (you could also drop a ton of ammo to squeeze in a total of 19 DHS too)

And it's only got three weapon groups to manage, the AC/20, the arm LL's and the CT LL.

Hope this helps, and there are plenty of other variations you could try out, but the 350 is gonna help out the most compared to using other combos with smaller engines.

[Oppresor]

Try to avoid being drawn into a multiple target zone. Once committed, you don't have the speed to disengage so if you get caught in a crossfire situation you are going down. I virtually never use my Atlai as Brawlers; for me I see them as long range Snipers, preferably Ballistic as apposed to LRM boats.

Never, ever venture on the battlefield without AMS; to do so is suicide.