8 replies to this topic

[Bearbarian]

So, I've gotten back into playing this after about six month's absense, and tweaked and fiddled with my AS7-D, switching a sinks around, playing with the armor, etc.

So after a few upgrades, I decided to put a pair of ER PPCs on there accompanied by an AC-20, (Which I now realise is bad idea, due to the AC-20's rather short range,) and discovered I did rather damn well in a few matches, including one conquest match where I was able to clutch a victory against two heavies and a light. (Granted, I wasn't very damaged, around 82%, most of them had taken quite a bit of damage themselves,) and other than some rather annoying heat problems, this setup usually resulted in me getting more kills than deaths in most matches.

So, I was posting this in wonder if anyone else had pulled off a similar setup, or if putting ER PPC's on an Atlas is a horrible idea and I've just been getting very lucky.

[NRP]

I would say no. ERPPCs are simply too hot to rely on. Your setup might work ok on colder maps, but if you drop on Terrible Therma, Caustic, or Tourmaline, you're going to be hating life.

[Geek Verve]

Gamerboy, on 26 October 2013 - 09:48 AM, said:

So, I was posting this in wonder if anyone else had pulled off a similar setup, or if putting ER PPC's on an Atlas is a horrible idea and I've just been getting very lucky.

Yup. I use that setup on my Misery, and it works great. Both the ERPPC's and the AC20 are effective in CQB, and the ERPPC's give you some long range punch as well. It helps to set the ERPPC's up in chain fire. I have a lot of fun with that mech.

I might suggest something like this build. The two ML's would be primarily used as backup weapons (in case you lose an arm or two) and the occasional alpha strike. Adjust the front/rear armor on the torso to your liking.

Edited by Geek Verve, 26 October 2013 - 11:51 AM.

[Autobot9000]

ER PPCs aren't doable for any mech, PGI has put their heat so way off in comparison with all other guns, that they aren't viable. But on Atlases in particular PPCs are such an enormously bad choice. You can mount them in the Atlases arms only, which hang so lowly, that you're in deep trouble shooting at all ranges except for the closest. The ERPPCs arguably has the worst heat efficiency in the entire game, hence in a close range fight (last-man-standing manner) you're just not gonna stand a chance due to terrible heat efficiency. In fact even medium lasers are too hot to continuously fire in a close range brawl. When you play the classic Atlases you fire only the SRM6s and AC20 (/other ACs), because your supporting medium lasers are already adding too much heat to deal with. Consider now again what PPCs would do here. On the other hand Atlases play the support role so utterly poorly, because of their lack of missile tubes and generally the huge disadvantage for your team to have the heaviest mech sitting in the prettiest position. The support role should generally filled by lower tonnage mechs to leave the high armor mechs for the front line. Hence all in all the (ER)PPC is probably the worst gun to mount on an Atlas at any time.

Edited by Autobot9000, 26 October 2013 - 12:44 PM.

[Eaerie]

ERPPC's are to hot now, only mech I run 2 of them on is my Firebrand,
I prefer LLas in atlas for the better heat efficiency or 1 EREPPC and a llas.

[Chuanhao]

A viable alternative is to use "normal" PPCs with their lower heat. For their lack of short range effectiveness, mitigate with other more effective short range low heat weapons like SRMS, which most Atlas will have sufficient space to pack in.

I really wanted to do a MASAKARI on the Atlas, but even if all other slot spaces taken up by double heat sinks, it was still not possible to keep the heat output at a reasonable and sustainable manner.

When the effectiveness of a double is 1.4 instead of 2, that causes 4 PPC builds to be almost impossible. I am awaiting the arrival of clans and the DAISHI config of 4 ERL 4 ERMed to see how its heat sinks hold up. or maybe it is going to just be a case of CLAN double heat sinks with a better efficiency.

[aniviron]

I'd strongly suggest switching to regular PPCs for heat reasons, and then adding in an SRM6 or two to back up at AC20. My best recent build has been an ASW-8R with 2PPC + 4SRM6; you stick with the PPCs at midrange, and switch to the SRMs with PPC backup as heat allows under 270m. It hits pretty brutally at almost any range, and the normal counter to PPCs of getting under 90m is pretty foolish against a mech packing an AC20 and SRMs.

The thing to keep in mind with the build I suggest or the one you already have is that most people who are dedicated long-range or short-range will beat you if you fight them fairly. Take potshots and fade back to keep your armor levels up- at close range, the ER PPCs are too hot for how much damage they deal to cinch a win, and at long range you simply lack the hitting power to keep up with AC or gauss spam.

[JigglyMoobs]

I would stay away from PPCs or ER PPCs on the Atlas. Geek Verve can make them work on his Misery because he has higher mounted arms that give him more firing opportunities from cover and at long range. With your Atlas, the arms are mounted too low and with the hill climbing restrictions it's very difficult to move to and from good firing positions to good cover positions.

IMO the most effective way to play the Atlas with the current game mechanic is to hew close to a brawling role, engaging only within 400 m or less on favorable terrain.

Having 2 PPCs is going to tempt you away from effective engagement scenarios, and then when you get into scenarios where you can be effective, they will have too much heat out put to give you sufficient DPS.

Edited by JigglyMoobs, 28 October 2013 - 11:39 AM.

[Geek Verve]

JigglyMoobs, on 28 October 2013 - 11:38 AM, said:

I would stay away from PPCs or ER PPCs on the Atlas. Geek Verve can make them work on his Misery because he has higher mounted arms that give him more firing opportunities from cover and at long range. With your Atlas, the arms are mounted too low and with the hill climbing restrictions it's very difficult to move to and from good firing positions to good cover positions.

IMO the most effective way to play the Atlas with the current game mechanic is to hew close to a brawling role, engaging only within 400 m or less on favorable terrain.

Having 2 PPCs is going to tempt you away from effective engagement scenarios, and then when you get into scenarios where you can be effective, they will have too much heat out put to give you sufficient DPS.

Good points, but they lean heavily toward the tactic of peeking over hilltops to engage. I've also run (ER)PPC's on my Atlas. Sure, you play them a bit differently than a Stalker (firing while moving from cover to cover), but you also equip other weapons that are effective for CQB and other scenarios. Honestly, Atlases aren't designed to peek over hilltops with *any* weapons.

My philosophy is simple: if you really like PPC's use them and learn to be effective with them. Build to your interests, not to what some numbers on a spreadsheet recommend. A lot of people's interests actually revolve around maximum effective builds, which is fine (I lean that way too with some mechs). If that's your case, ignore what I've said.