53 replies to this topic

[Mott]

Spheroid, on 08 January 2014 - 11:23 AM, said:

Near stock 3D with 280XL? That is half the problem. How many C-bills do you have available? Remove CASE, upgrade the heatsinks and we can start on the real work.

Only around 3,000,000 Cbills. High death count and low damage/kills per match doesn't provide much in the way of cash flow. lol

Got some MC to make up the difference though. Before i get too far into a costly build, i need to ask if the Cataphract is the mech for me? I chose it because I like decent mobility and the durability to absorb some beatings. It seems to work well in that regard, but... is it possible for me to retain those attributes AND significantly increase it's hitting power?

If not, I may just look at moving onto a different mech.

Well...

Turist0AT, on 08 January 2014 - 11:23 AM, said:

My 3D is packing 2 Gauss with 1 ERPPC, every hit is either 30 damage or 10, no matter range. 40Alpha. i get 5 hits on an enemy thats 200 damage, no mater range.

I guess that answers my last question... lol

Edited by Mott, 08 January 2014 - 11:28 AM.

[Turist0AT]

Plus when the mech is masterd it become a tottaly different mech. You can make a Phract fast(~70+) and agile.

Hunchbacks move at that speed and they are medium.

Edited by Turist0AT, 08 January 2014 - 11:46 AM.

[Spiketail Drake]

Mott, on 08 January 2014 - 07:30 AM, said:

1st person, arms unlocked. I've been using just one of those crappy Logitech usb wireless mini mice.

Are you playing on a clean surface? My old mouse did the sidestepping thing a lot until I cleaned the eye and the surface I was using it on.

[Spheroid]

A good and simple upgrade to 2x AC-10 + 60 rounds + 4x mlas will only set you back 800,000. If you want a faster mech you might consider a 300 STD + endo + 2x AC-5 + 4x mlas. That is about 3.5 million C-bills to implement.

Addedum: 2x AC-5 + 2x LLAS would cost 900,000 c-bills. Those would be improvements over your current build. Don't move on from Cataphracts they are impressive machines. I don't own any because I am happy with my Jagermechs.

Edited by Spheroid, 08 January 2014 - 12:27 PM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

How long do you survive in a match? Are you often one of the last mechs standing? The longer the match runs, the more damage you do and thus the more cbills you can earn. Assuming you aren't just running around the outside of the map of course.

Another way to earn cbills is to try to hit every enemy mech you encounter at least once. You will get the assist cbills if and when it dies, even if you only scratched it.

[Katus]

Mott, on 08 January 2014 - 08:00 AM, said:

I really want to join a group as my style and skills don't suit lonewolf, non-team play... but no self respecting group would have me at this point. lol

I think that that statement would be incorrect! All good teams that I have heard off LIKE brand new players since they have yet to pick up the bad habits that a cretin such as myself would teach them.

To amplify what other folks are telling you: Loadout matters. Some builds are going to be better for some pilots while the same build would suck for another. As a new player you will need to figure out what weapons work best for you, but DO NOT be afraid to try other weapons later as you gain personal experience. I HATED PPCs and ERPPCs at first since I could not get the hang of the projectile speed. Now you will rarely see me without one.

Also, high damage scores really are not the best way to gauge a player's contribution to the team. Point of fact, I don't really think any of the metrics shown on the results screen matter too much, especially for new players.

It looks to me that you are already WELL on your way to becoming a deadly addition to any team or PUG simply by being concerned about your performance. By taking the time to read what other players are saying about builds and Mechs and then adding to the knowledge base when you have something positive to add makes you and all who do so valuable to community.

Here is my two cents and some of my unsullied by fact opinions: I like to build my loadouts using similar weapon systems. I usually have low Alpha strike numbers but I like to build to have sustained DPS. One of my best builds is a Battlemaster that has 2 AC 5 and an ER PPC with a boat load of ammo and Double Heatsinks. It is an Assault Mech with only a 20 pt alpha, but I can keep up full fire even on hot maps for a very long time. I tend to pull 450-550 pts of damage a fight. Also, I don't get very many kills since I tend to like to pull aggro when running an Assault to keep my thinner skinned mates alive. I will pull out of focus team fire to force an enemy to shift targets or disengage to keep my better armed mates up and dishing out DPS.

[Samziel]

Bront, on 08 January 2014 - 07:50 AM, said:

A few suggestions:

1) Unlock your arms. It's a hard transition, but it improves weapon accuracy on arm mounted weapons and helps against lights.

2) Lasers do Damage over Time, so be aware you have to keep the beam focused when you hit with it..

Your post has the reason why armlock should be on. You will basically spread your damage instead of hitting one location when it's on. If you need to shoot out of your target range you can always put armlock unlocking to a button, for example shift.

[Mott]

TheCaptainJZ, on 08 January 2014 - 12:32 PM, said:

How long do you survive in a match? Are you often one of the last mechs standing? The longer the match runs, the more damage you do and thus the more cbills you can earn. Assuming you aren't just running around the outside of the map of course.

Another way to earn cbills is to try to hit every enemy mech you encounter at least once. You will get the assist cbills if and when it dies, even if you only scratched it.

How long I last in a match depends on 2 things... my teammates and whether or not they play like a team or just group up and spread out randomly... and whether or not i do something idiotic and wander out of cover and into 5 enemy crosshairs.
The last 2 nights i had a terrible string of matches where my entire unit has lost within 10 mins. In those games I am usually dead in 5 mins.
If it's a close game that ends with 4vs4 or similar numbers I'm usually one of the last standing.

I try to make a habit of playing smart duck-cover-flank... but admit i can sometimes get caught tunnel visioning on a prime sniping target only to get steamrolled by an ECM Atlas and a couple of his buddies. For now i'm chalking that up to a hunger for better damage/kills and a lack of knowledge of the maps.

As i get more experience with the maps and how folks generally play them, i don't tend to repeat mistakes.

[Nick Makiaveli]

Maybe less "sniping" and more focus firing on someone else's target. May not rack up much more damage, but should get you more assists. Which I consider more important than kills. I don't care who gets the kill shot as long as he goes down quickly.

Biggest thing is just play. You will get better over time.


One other thing. You will need to own 3 of a given mech type to fully max out the skills. Getting Basic completed on 3 variants of a chassis (ie 3 Hunchbacks) will open up Elite. When you finish Elite on a mech, it doubles the effectiveness of the Basic skills (which helps with heat mostly).

[Bront]

Samziel, on 08 January 2014 - 01:06 PM, said:

Your post has the reason why armlock should be on. You will basically spread your damage instead of hitting one location when it's on. If you need to shoot out of your target range you can always put armlock unlocking to a button, for example shift.

You can play in 3 ways regarding this:

1) Keep armlock on and unlock it as needed.

2) Keep armlock off and lock as needed (My preferred method for most mechs, but not everyone's)

3) Separate arm and torso weapons in different weapons groups so you don't need to worry about weapon convergence on torso vs arm mounted weapons (generally a good idea when possible)

[Katus]

Bront, on 08 January 2014 - 01:55 PM, said:

You can play in 3 ways regarding this:

1) Keep armlock on and unlock it as needed.

2) Keep armlock off and lock as needed (My preferred method for most mechs, but not everyone's)

3) Separate arm and torso weapons in different weapons groups so you don't need to worry about weapon convergence on torso vs arm mounted weapons (generally a good idea when possible)

I like 2 and 3. If you are in run and gun situation, you will want to ability to rapidly aim your arm weapons for snap shots and hitting lights. I have found that it is HARD to hit lights without arm weapons unless you are running a light or a really up engined medium. (Engine rating has an effect on torso twist rates)

[Victor Morson]

Mott, on 08 January 2014 - 06:38 AM, said:

1UAC5 and 4MedL. Both have slightly increased armor.
What am I missing here? I hate being a net negative impact player. It's driving me nuts!

Your Hunchback is an alright medium, but there are better out there. It's a rough one to setup in the current meta, so I'm going to focus on your Cataphract 3D.

You chose very wisely buying a Cataphract 3D. It's one of the very best heavies in the game. You also have it configured really badly right now - but that's an easy fix!

Before we get started - this link is going to be SUPER useful for you: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ - here you can put together builds and look up resource information on everything from Ghost Heat (look it up for sure) to weapon falloff and turn rates. Check it out.

That said, if you want to set your 3D up like a monster with the kind of firepower the top layers use, I recommend this:

Ultra XL 3D
2x PPC, 2x UAC/5
EDIT: As stated below, I dragged the wrong engine. The XL280 will do the trick.

You can also run a Standard version if you are willing to go to regular AC/5s.

This is a simple, easy to use, flexible and well rounded (the PPCs won't work inside of 90m so keep that in mind!) 'mech with jump capability (You only need 1 jet in most cases) and a ton of firepower, with very solid armor. I think you'll find that if you set something like that up, you'll find your damage numbers going way up.

Turist0AT, on 08 January 2014 - 11:23 AM, said:

My 3D is packing 2 Gauss with 1 ERPPC, every hit is either 30 damage or 10, no matter range. 40Alpha. i get 5 hits on an enemy thats 200 damage, no mater range.

The twin Gauss 3D is very powerful.
The twin Gauss 3D is actually a lot of fun.
The twin Gauss 3D explodes whenever someone hits the Gauss Rifle, which is why I stopped using it, sadly.

The Gauss being on the same side results in a catastrophic explosion every time. I loved this 'mech in terms of firepower & feel until I realized that I was roughly as durable as a balloon in a knife factory.

Edited by Victor Morson, 08 January 2014 - 03:54 PM.

[Bront]

Victor Morson, on 08 January 2014 - 02:52 PM, said:

Ultra XL 3D
2x PPC, 2x UAC/5

Bad, Bad Victor!


Why would you swap out the XL280 for the XL275, particularly when the mech comes with a 280 AND it's the same weight?

I had a viable puggable AC5 build posted earlier. Both are good builds, and they are far from the only available top tier builds, AND they play to the OP's chosen role (Fire Support).

[East Indy]

You might just chalk it up to being new, regardless of prior experience with the genre or meta-franchise. It took me a while to routinely produce reasonable damage for tonnage, and even snag a kill.

[Turist0AT]

Victor Morson, on 08 January 2014 - 02:52 PM, said:

The twin Gauss 3D is very powerful.
The twin Gauss 3D is actually a lot of fun.
The twin Gauss 3D explodes whenever someone hits the Gauss Rifle, which is why I stopped using it, sadly.

The Gauss being on the same side results in a catastrophic explosion every time. I loved this 'mech in terms of firepower & feel until I realized that I was roughly as durable as a balloon in a knife factory.

Haha yeah. Dont get hit. Shield with the other side and murder that MF before he opens you up. Besides you should stick with an Atlas. If there is no Atlas around im next on the menue with AC40 jäger

Edited by Turist0AT, 08 January 2014 - 03:28 PM.

[Victor Morson]

Bront, on 08 January 2014 - 03:00 PM, said:

Bad, Bad Victor!

Why would you swap out the XL280 for the XL275, particularly when the mech comes with a 280 AND it's the same weight?

I was posting on a tablet and dragged the wrong engine, lol. Apologies.

Bront is right: The XL280 is always superior to the XL275.

Edited by Victor Morson, 08 January 2014 - 03:53 PM.

[Victor Morson]

Turist0AT, on 08 January 2014 - 03:19 PM, said:

Haha yeah. Dont get hit. Shield with the other side and murder that MF before he opens you up. Besides you should stick with an Atlas. If there is no Atlas around im next on the menue with AC40 jäger

I don't doubt you could have a great run in one, but any 'mech that entirely explodes if the arm gets hit into the internals - not even a full removal of the arm - is just too fragile for recommendation.

Still kind of fun to PUG in though, since it does a TON of damage if people ignore you. It's just that if there's anyone on the ball in the game, they won't ignore you and then pop.

[Endarius]

I think your overall output is less important than the number of kills and the amount of components you destroy. I regularily top the kills/destruction metrics on my team, but very rarely am I higher than 4th in damage. This is because I have high accuracy and manage my heat carefully. The result is that I kill more and die less. Worry about whether or not you are performing your function on the team, the numbers are only so useful in evaluating your performance. If you got no kills but assisted 7 and didn't die, and as a result of your support fewer of your lancemates got fragged, then the damage numbers really aren't that big a deal.

Edited by Endarius, 08 January 2014 - 04:09 PM.

[Mycrus]

Mott, on 08 January 2014 - 06:38 AM, said:

Hello All,

I'm a recent noob, having just DL'd MWO 3 nights ago. I'm pretty much hooked - as I expected to be considering how much i loved MW3 online back in my college days - and that's a bad thing as I'm also growing very frustrated.

Currently I own the HBK-4P & CTF-3D. The hunchback is running with just 6MedL and 1PPC. The Cataphract has 1LB10x, 1UAC5 and 4MedL. Both have slightly increased armor.

The reason i'm getting frustrated is my continual low damage per match, despite 50%+ accuracy rates. I prefer a lance support role, either by living in the shadow of a slow Assault and covering his back, or curving along inside the arching path of some lights flanking our enemy and pulling fire away from them.
Because of my style, i don't get to take many shots (often blocked by the larger assaults who are eager to unleash their payload and think nothing of stepping in front of my sniping LoS) but I strive for quality shots.

But i'm finding the payoff isn't there. I'm regularly getting <100 damage per match. I tried switching things up with the CTF-3D, and going balls-out with the LB10x and UAC5 unleashing 43LB10x rounds and 64 UAC5 rounds with 63% and 58% accuracy respectively in my best match... and still only ended up with 135 points of damage that game.

What am I missing here? I hate being a net negative impact player. It's driving me nuts!

What is your ping?

What is your fps.?

[Wriath]

Sounds like a higher quality mouse and a slightly lower sensitivity will help your laser damage.