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Praehotec8, on 02 January 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:
I do think there is a problem when two 30 ton mechs can easily overpower an assault mech that has a 20+ ton weight advantage. In the lore, two lights would still get reamed by an assault, and easily. I do understand that the game has little else but combat, so even lights ought to be viable...but, I think they ought to be relegated to being dangerous (unless in overwhelming numbers) largely to light and medium opponents, or against opponents of vastly different skill level.
It is telling that the general gameplay rule is: "speed is life," for all classes of mechs. Speed > Armor in this game, which is a problem with the balance. The most durable tanks in the game are the assaults, but who is often left at the end on the losing team? The atlas or the spider? I would argue that most assault pilots struggle more against lights than other assaults, at least in the mid-tier ELO ratings.
It is telling that the general gameplay rule is: "speed is life," for all classes of mechs. Speed > Armor in this game, which is a problem with the balance. The most durable tanks in the game are the assaults, but who is often left at the end on the losing team? The atlas or the spider? I would argue that most assault pilots struggle more against lights than other assaults, at least in the mid-tier ELO ratings.
I agree with most of this, except: How would you know how it is at ELO other than your own, and how would you know your own?
Praehotec8, on 02 January 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:
That being said, Colsan, lights rarely are deadly for a decent heavy or assault pilot if the larger mech plays well. ACs are (IMO) the best at killing lights. One or two well-placed larger caliber AC shots to the leg and the light is effectively dead. Missiles would be great if hit reg. was better. Lasers are trickier, but if you find them difficult (tracking lights with my joystick is rough!), consider pulse lasers (people poo-poo them but played well, they are quite effective).
I actually have better luck in my SRM36 catapult than in my ac/40 jag; yea, this hit reg sucks, but it's actually easier to lead, and one lucky shot does amazing things to light mechswhile still being useful against heavies and assaults. IMO, the problem is that SSRM12 should be even better, but with no guarantee that I can even fire the stupid things, there's no way I'm running with that loadout.
Ideal, of course, would be the 2xLRM15, 4xSSRM2 loadout, but you'd have to be crazy to run that rig solo. I've tried running my jag with 4xSSRM2 and 2xLB10-Xs, but that's the worst of both worlds: Unable to fire against ECM and too little damage to disable them even on a lucky hit. 4xSRM6 and 2xAC/5s.
Praehotec8, on 02 January 2014 - 07:00 PM, said:
Often I don't even bother to kill them, as my assault's firepower is often best used elsewhere. I just drive them off and return to what I was doing before. If your team (or at least lance) is near, most of the time lights or mediums better suited to anti-light duty will engage them leaving your heavy mech to do what it does best: wreck other heavies. Usually there is no need to engage in a prolonged duel vs. lights. Now a multi-mech wolfpack is another issue, but you need to have friends/teammates with you or you lose regardless (but 4v1 is a death-sentence anytime).
I don't know what to say here; it's almost as if we play completely different games. I see what you are saying, and it should work, but my teammates tend to scatter when a wolfpack comes over the hill. I find myself in a lance with 3 stock mechs against a premade with multiple ECMs... I don't want to say all the time, but quite a bit.
And even in a splatcat, I am lucky if I can drive off a pair of lights; if I kill one, the other usually takes off, but my back armor is gone and as soon as I turn to go after someone else, he's going to be on me again.
But this just reinforces your earlier point: I would much rather tangle with 2 mediums (or even 2 heavies, depending on the chassis) than 2 lights, and that's just stupid.
Dock Steward, on 02 January 2014 - 07:34 PM, said:
I'm not sure what else to tell you. Literally every weapon is apparently useless against Lights in your hands. Ballistics: can't hit the target, SRM's: can't hit the target, SSRM's: won't fire period, Lasers: don't deal damage fast enough to a single component. Man, that's every weapon in the game except LRM's, which admittedly are very ineffective against Lights. Get better at putting Lasers and/or Ballistics on target. I'm not saying you're the first person to have a problem hitting Light mechs, but I also haven't heard anyone whine about it so stubbornly in quite some time.
Well, I was in here talking about it 6 months ago, and got the same answer. 6 months later, and with the speed cap gone, it's gotten worse.
As for my skill, **** you; I get 800+ damage games daily, as long as I'm only fighting wimpy assaults and mediums.
