87 replies to this topic

[dario03]

Durant Carlyle, on 05 November 2013 - 08:36 PM, said:

You know what?

I'd like to see this mythical non-hot-running seven heat sink Locust that everyone wants so much. And no, it can't be armed with only four machine guns. It must also run cool on hot maps, not just the coldest ones.

How do you figure its mythical? Have you tried setting one up and looking at the heat rating? You can't run many weapons so 7 is plenty for 3 or 4 machine guns with ml, mpl, even LL and LPL. Some random builds just to show heat levels LCT-1V
LCT-1V
LCT-3M
LCT-3M
LCT-3S

[Trauglodyte]

Voivode, on 06 November 2013 - 08:38 AM, said:

I've warmed up my locust after a pretty harsh experience eliting it. I kept only the Phoenix variant and slapped an ERLL and 2xMG on it. A Jenner it is not, but as a harassment mech/hit and run against heavier targets it does pretty well. I've been having fun and doing around 300 damage per match and getting kills pretty regularly. Not bad for a 20 tonner.

That Large Laser will never be enough to make it worth while. You're going to put out some moderate damage but will spend so much time trying to get the angle. The poor 1V is just a sad sad lil thing until the Mehc Mortar comes into play. And the 3S is saddled by missile hit registry and AMS/ECM issues. Really, the 3M is the only option you've got if you want to run the Locust.

[stjobe]

Trauglodyte, on 06 November 2013 - 08:36 AM, said:

Case in point, the 3S.
[...]
Essentially, you're screwed with damned near every load out while having {Scrap} for heat management, armor, and/or weapons. Its an extremely frustrating no-win situation.

Yeah, the 3S is frustrating to build; the only way to utilize all four missile hardpoints is to go with 4xSRM-2 and a ML.

[Bors Mistral]

dario03, on 06 November 2013 - 09:11 AM, said:

...You can't run many weapons so 7 is plenty for 3 or 4 machine guns with ml, mpl, even LL and LPL...

Smurfy is one thing, but when playing the game itself a 10DHS 4ML Locust (which results in a higher smurfy cooling efficiency than your examples) will be overheating all the time on Caustic and Terra Therma, and one with 10SHS can't handle even a single ML on those two maps.

Even in the best cooling scenario all a so-so armed Locust can get is 7DHS and 3 to 5 1.4 sinks and on the hot maps that's pretty much a joke.

[Sirgrant]

The Locust is a Scout mech. Add additional modules and avoid combat like the plague. Know what you are piloting and avoid jumping off mountains or tall ledges. I seem to have a good survivability rate in these death traps by doing my job, you know, scouting...

[dario03]

Bors Mistral, on 06 November 2013 - 11:41 AM, said:

Smurfy is one thing, but when playing the game itself a 10DHS 4ML Locust (which results in a higher smurfy cooling efficiency than your examples) will be overheating all the time on Caustic and Terra Therma, and one with 10SHS can't handle even a single ML on those two maps.

Even in the best cooling scenario all a so-so armed Locust can get is 7DHS and 3 to 5 1.4 sinks and on the hot maps that's pretty much a joke.

That only has a higher effeciency than some of the builds I posted. And unless smurfy is just broken some of those builds should be fine. I don't really expect people to start running a bunch of pulse lasers and ppc on the locusts, it was just to show the levels. But 3 or 4 streaks or mg builds with a large laser would probably work fine.

[Ertur]

I think than any Locust pilot who does more than 200 points of damage and survives the match should get an EXP bonus. For 1337ness. And great justice.
Grinding EXP is miserable in these things. Spotting does nothing if there's no LRM's, or the LRM boat never targets what you hook. Assists give $$$ but little EXP.
Less falling damage would be helpful, sure. The things are so light they should float down like feathers. Then again, they shouldn't be able to run around in the water in River City -- they should bob to the surface like apples.

[Odanan]

I don't like the 3 first alternatives, as they break the system.

They CAN, however, make the legs' hitboxes smaller (even without changing the actual model) and give at least 1 more module to the poor little fella.

[ShinVector]

Sirgrant, on 06 November 2013 - 11:53 AM, said:

The Locust is a Scout mech. Add additional modules and avoid combat like the plague. Know what you are piloting and avoid jumping off mountains or tall ledges. I seem to have a good survivability rate in these death traps by doing my job, you know, scouting...

Now here is the problem to what you have suggested...
Scouting and avoiding combat gives you little EXP even if you win. It will hardly help, if you team generally sucks.
Most exp will come from Saviour and Defense kills, each giving you 150 exp !

ERLL is the way to go for the 1V and S.
5 MLS is great on the 3M.

I am glad I mastered the Locust before the last patch. Situation awareness definitely takes a hit without seismic to avoid most of the dangerous situations.

[Bors Mistral]

Here's normal view:


Here's the freaking pilot planting his face on the console during the boot-up sequence:


And here's a bonus. For some reason, my fresh Locust got killed by one AC10 round while having untouched 12 armour and internals... Yes, it was a dual AC-10 Jaeger, but half of it was clearly behind a rock so only one shot could've hit me while I was slowly backing away at 100kph.

[CDLord HHGD]

~ Bors

What is your FOV setting and where do you have it set at? Mine's been broken for 3 patches and all I get is the face plastered view no matter what I have it set to....

[Trauglodyte]

Hrm, Bors, that isn't supposed to happen. If it had gone through the arm, damage transferrence would have minimzed it and you'd have lived. If it went through the torso, you'd still have untouched internal structure left (2x 10 = 20 which equals max torso external armor. Bleh, this game gets derpy sometimes.

[Stormtempter]

The locust spontaneously blew up, because it's a sad pathetic mech and it knows it's only good for dying.

[Durant Carlyle]

Stormtempter, on 10 November 2013 - 06:44 AM, said:

The locust spontaneously blew up, because it's a sad pathetic mech and it knows it's only good for dying.

lol

Locust pilots like guys who think like you do ... underestimating us just makes our job of kicking your butt easier.

Edited by Durant Carlyle, 10 November 2013 - 07:56 PM.

[Trauglodyte]

I will say that rolling in the Locust is damned annoying. I've got 3 MGs and a Lrg Laser in the 1V (rolling without doubles), 5 Md Lasers in the 3M, and a solo ER Lrg Laser in the 3S. The thing is, though, that I often forget that I'm rolling in a 20 ton set of legs that weren't given the appropriate level of armor (thanks PGI) and bigger hit boxes than the entire Awesome combined. I'm trying to play the game with speed and yet a triple set of Streaks, more than one AC, two large lasers, any Jenner build, etc. It feels like I'm dating a woman that has told me that she is seeing other men. Its just bad from the jump.

The kicker is that you either play Rambo or you sit in the back and don't really achieve anything. If the 1V had ECM, that would be fine. If LRMs were worth a {Scrap}, then the 3S might be ok. Just annoying knowing that you're starting out with one hand tied behind your back. Its a 50/50 shot that I'll either break 200+ in all of them or that I'll end the game doing sub-50 cause of some magic Kennedy alpha.

[stjobe]

I run my 3M with 4xML and a TAG; it is mildly successful (1.0 WLR, 1.27 KDR).

The TAG means I can get some XP/CB while keeping a distance, and the 4xML packs enough punch to enable me to scavenge a few kills here and there.

[Stormtempter]

I've said it before, it's a freaking disgrace of a mech and essentially cripples your team for each one you have. Attempting to salvage what I can from these walking disasters has been a nightmare.

I have premium time running, I only play till I get my one double XP win per day, per locust, and I put a UAV in each one so I can at least get some XP from that.

the 1V is my worst, owing to that rollcage giving me about a keyhole sized view of the fight and fitted with 2MGs and a MPL. Suprisingly the 3S is my best, I had to downgrade the engine but I got a LPL on it. 3M is standard ML build.

It's just infuriating that every little dip in terrain causes fall damage, every bump by a teammate takes a good chunk as well, any shot to the back is essentially an instant kill, any decent alpha will one-shot an arm or more likely a leg. The lack of ECM or JJ just cripples it even more.

From all the other combined angst I see about the locust on these forums everyone who hasn't already given up on it are basically in agreement that they're waiting for weight limits and other metagame factors to somehow make this mech something more than a joke if on the opposing team and a liability on your team.

[Trauglodyte]

The worst part, and this is all my fault, is that I spent $20 to get three mechs that all suck. I mean, the 3M is servicable but until they fix some weapons or add others (see the Mortar) and do something about how easy it is to leg the thing, put 'em in dry dock.

[jper4]

the 1V i've given up with anything close up and tossed an ERLL on it and take potshots from far away until something finds me. lucky to break 50 dmg usually.

3M i've alternated between 4ML and 4 SPLs, MLs give better range but SPL damage tends to land in one spot more as i zoom past the target but have to get closer which means more time being shot. seem to do more damage w/SPLs than MLs despite the range issues. end up around 40-70dmg usually

3S i started with ML and 2 streaks and di horrible (waiting for locks tended to get me killed). went to the ERLL version and did what i do with the 1V now. finally settled on the ML/2LRM 5 version. staying back keeps me alive a bit longer and the lrms give me something to do while i'm waiting the five minutes needed for a cap timer to go from full red to blue. works ok standing behind a real lrm boat- something tossing 40LRMs at the other side no one there notices often that another 10 are coming from a different mech. works better on the bigger maps though. have hit triple figures with this build- max was 150ish i think

locusts are the only lights i have other than sarah's jenner so getting used to the speed (usually play mediums) may help me more. also only about 10 matches in each mech, try to stick to conquest usually- like others i play til i get the xp bonus on the win then move on. if all they can do is run then may as well play the mode that running is useful on. unfortunately sometimes that may require 3-5 matches...

[ecued]

how do you build a mech with no armor, firepower,ecm, or jj, and its not even the fastest mech in the game? how come the head holds more armor than the leg? i can't figure out what to do with 20 ton pile scrap. the only suggestion i have is to allow this floating conglomerate of peanut mortar to carry 3 cap accelerators that stack. i probably still wouldn't use it though, i mean if a 50 ton mech runs close to it, its legs take damage. this mech needs serious help, with its legs made of cotton candy, jump jets are out of the question. hows about a cloaking device, that might work.