7 replies to this topic

[KokaneKrazie]

what you guys think of those two cat builds?

no 1: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6b7ddf5aa31c846

it's my standard one and it's doing a good job for me



no 2: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...5bbcf4c9655295a

i'm trying this one instead at the moment. one drawback compared to build no.1 is heat. i can fire 4 times combined med pulse lasers on terra therma map before shutting down (the 5th "volley" will shut me down). chain fire doesn't really make a difference. is that acceptable or no go?

2nd drawback after the first volley of lrm 35, when fired continuously its starts a chainfire of lrm 15, lrm 20. is that really a drawback? after lrm 20 cooldown and you did not fire in between it will be a lrm 35 volley again.

i'm not sure, i kinda really like the 3 med pulse lasers, but smurfy tells me it got less fire power. which build would you favor?

what i want to know is basically, does the increased heat + the lrm chain fire mode after the first volley justify the increased dps vs nearby targets? i'm a lone wolf (pugger) btw

Edited by KokaneKrazie, 18 January 2014 - 08:36 PM.

[Elyam]

I'd go with #2, make both launchers 15s, drop a ton of ammo, add 1 DHS and max the jets. I'd try that version and one with 3 standard mediums and a 300XL. OR keep the pulse and drop the launchers even further. But I tend to favor the speed and jump agility in the CPLT over the heavier artillery for skirmish LRM use. That said, you're #1 is a fine build for using the CPLT mainly for LR support.

Edited by Elyam, 18 January 2014 - 10:06 PM.

[KokaneKrazie]

thank you Elyam. i figured (from forum posts) that speed is (really!!!) important. but at my level of play it maybe plays a marginal role

my catapult shall be a support (keep distance as long as possible with as much lrm in that regard. but at the same time if i can't avert as a pug player to get light mechs near me i want them at least in a 1v1 or 1v2 situation to consider if it's worth to stay on me or back the f*ck off ). i dont' think i can really brawl with this catapult, except against 1-2 (worse players than me) light mechs. but that is not the purpose of it. i want to prolong the inevitable as long as possible with it in pug games.

and that's what i'm testing build no. 2 for.

if you are stuck with the 255 xl engine for the moment. which would you choose?

Edited by KokaneKrazie, 18 January 2014 - 11:01 PM.

[Acyl]

I'm personally not convinced medium pulse lasers are worthwhile on the Catapult C1.

If you're in a brawl in an LRM-focused C1, then, well, you're in a really bad place anyway. You should be trying to avoid that situation at all costs, rather than trying to maximise damage while in the brawl. That's what I feel, anyway. The medium pulse lasers on the C1 do make a difference, don't get me wrong. It's a definite improvement! I can certainly see why you'd wanna do it. Hell, I've tried it myself.

But it's not enough of a difference to...say, definitely win a 1v1 fight with a light mech, or make them want to back off. Not in an LRM-focused C1. The kind of heavy mech that makes light mechs nervous are the ones with mobile arm-mounted weaponry, quick-cooldown ballistics, SRMs or streaks. You've got none of that on an LRM C1, and the other pilot will know that. They know you're an LRM boat which can't really turn - they've got your loadout staring right at 'em when they target you. The pulse lasers will help, but not THAT much. I mean, the average light player knows that rushing a Catapult with boxy mickey-mouse ears is usually a great idea.

The additional range on the regular medium lasers is also useful, considering there's most likely no other direct-fire weapon on a C1 build. But hey, if the pulse lasers are working for you, go for it. There's no right or wrong answer here. There ARE advantages to the pulse lasers, if you can manage the heat correctly.

Edited by Acyl, 19 January 2014 - 08:58 AM.

[RiotHero]

Your first one is basically the exact same thing I run except instead of bap I have an extra heatsink. With tag, arty, adv sensor rng, and adv target decay I haven't found a use for bap. I don't think the 25% range is worth the weight when I have a module for that. Also it does counter ecm but inside the range that lrms work anyway so that's no reason to have it, especially when I have tag.

My first build I used an xl300 and it's overkill for a lrm support mech. The 255 I think is perfect for an lrm cat. You can put more ammo or goodies on and still be fast enough to stick with the pack.

[Buckminster]

Here's something different: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...463b1d501f92e77

Note: I've never run this. Just looking for something fun that'll catch people by surprise.

Edit: I also PUG, and I've found that you need to be a bit more self-reliant. TAG is a must, BAP is a nice but not necessary. The large lasers are a lot of fun, because sometimes you just can't make those LRMs effective - maybe the target is in thick terrain, and you just end up spamming missiles into buildings.

I have run my Griffin as a "LRMs + LLas" build, and I've really come to appreciate the periodic direct fire from the lasers. Sometimes it's a pot shot at someone that's sticking their head up. Sometimes it's the nail in the coffin. Either way, it's really handy, and it'll be especially nice on the Cat if your ears get taken off. Because they will get taken off. As the guy that's mastering his A1, there's nothing worse than an earless Cat.

Edited by Buckminster, 20 January 2014 - 10:02 AM.

[Roughneck45]

No.1 a bit more optimized.
CPLT-C1
You always want max torso armor, and you dont want all that ammo in your XL side torsos. I dropped the AMS and the BAP and upped the engine. That is a preference call there. AMS can be nice but I don't think it is worth the tonnage on an LRM boat. BAP has obvious advantages, but if you have Advanced sensor and Target info gathering modules you will get the same effect. If you want to keep the AMS and BAP that is fine, but you certainly want to change the armor and ammo placement.

No.2 optimized.
CPLT-C1
Same logic with the AMS and BAP armor and ammo. If you want to run pulses you are going to want more heat sinks. Two LRM15 racks will free up a little more tonnage for those heatsinks and the speed will help you engage at a range of your choosing.

If you are limited to the 255 engine and want to use the pulse build I would do this.
CPLT-C1

Generally speaking, 3 Mlas, TAG, and a pair of 20's or 15's is the way to go because the max range of the Mlas, about 500m, is a great sweet spot for LRMs. Pulse lasers will get you danger close if you want to use them well.

Edited by Roughneck45, 20 January 2014 - 01:38 PM.

[RiotHero]

Roughneck45, on 20 January 2014 - 01:32 PM, said:

Generally speaking, 3 Mlas, TAG, and a pair of 20's or 15's is the way to go because the max range of the Mlas, about 500m, is a great sweet spot for LRMs. Pulse lasers will get you danger close if you want to use them well.

That's one of the main reasons I don't bother with BAP on LRM mechs. With the distance you gain from bap on top of the sensor module they are so far out that even the slowest mech can find cover before they get hit. I like to use my lrms much closer so they don't have time to find cover and I don't waste tons of ammo. The exception would be if I'm helping a team member brawling but, hopefully they are smart enough to target anyway. Also TAG has a min range anyway and use it most of the time. I don't like the blind lrm spamming over hills, you never know if you hit anything.