96 replies to this topic

[AlmightyAeng]

JigglyMoobs, on 13 March 2014 - 10:44 AM, said:

It's folly to Nerf pinpoint via weapons....
...

And the title of this thread is "Why is my Atlas Useless" ... pretty sure there are PLENTY of "pinpoint is the devil!" threads out there for you to play in.

[Hectortek]

many battles lost before the last one , i realized Atlas shouldnt go first in line because is big uggly and a HUGE target for the threat he represents , so though i seem coward i prefer flanking , or wait in the 2nd line until all jaggers and catapracts are engaged vs each other , and once it happens i support them

doing this way my stats are much better , 3 kills on average

my buid is 3 SRM6 , 2 ERPPC and 2 AC5

¿ am i wrong ?

[Void Angel]

Cathy, on 01 March 2014 - 07:48 AM, said:

...even Atlantes (eat that grammar fascists) ...

"Atlantes" is an architectural term referring to a specific kind of ornamental or support pillar, not a plural of a proper name - which would, properly, "be Atlases." Suck it up, philological philistine!

[Void Angel]

Hectortek, on 13 March 2014 - 11:13 AM, said:

many battles lost before the last one , i realized Atlas shouldnt go first in line because is big uggly and a HUGE target for the threat he represents , so though i seem coward i prefer flanking , or wait in the 2nd line until all jaggers and catapracts are engaged vs each other , and once it happens i support them

doing this way my stats are much better , 3 kills on average

my buid is 3 SRM6 , 2 ERPPC and 2 AC5

¿ am i wrong ?

These days, no; you're not wrong. The problem is that right now the game punishes players immediately for stepping out of cover at the wrong time (which is most of the time,) but rewards good tactical cohesion only after the fact. This means that if you go in first with your Atlas, you're likely going to get smashed - not because you're such a big target, but because your team is cowering behind their favorite rocks waiting to see what happens. Since they're not actually in the fight supporting you, what happens is that you die - and they learn that leaving their coward holes is a bad thing. This isn't true, but the game won't start teaching them that until they have a lot more experience - and probably guidance from other experienced players.

If you can flank the enemy in a timely manner, by all means do so - that's always been a good idea. But if you can't, don't be afraid to hang back and wait for the CowardWarriors to get liquored up for the end-game. =)

[Domoneky]

When in comes to Piloting an Atlas you really have to step back and think on what kind of role you want to be in. Example is for me I like being in a Long-range fire support role with ECM. Build up on that idea, use testing grounds to refine it, drop a few solo matches and make changes as needed. That's all the stuff that you can control. Other parts that can explain your downfall is your team. You drop with different people every match and the general tactics change quickly. In one match you might do so well that your the damage king because in those very rare instances your team will function as a cohesive unit and the other times it'll be like Monkeys [Redacted] a football. One thing that helps me is setting a goal for myself. I could lose every single match but as long as I do over 300 damage I'll be happy. Also as proof you can be amazing in an Atlas: look at he pic above. I was the last man standing against a Victor, Atlas, and Thunderbolt.

[Lyoto Machida]

Shar Wolf, on 17 February 2014 - 04:01 PM, said:

[/size]
I may have to try that one....soon as I can afford a 360 (engine!) that is

I run 360s in my Atlases...not for the speed but the torso twisting ability.

[Nick Rarang]

I don't think the Atlas is useless. I've scored my best matches in my Atli and the role that I play is a heavy brawler. My main goal is to take out the LRM boats of the opposing team as well as their heavy hitters. My DDC with ECM and AMS helps me close in with a lance undetected and I normally hit from the enemy's rear...usually LRM Stalkers, and Atlas. Armed with 2 LBX10 and 3SRM6artemis, my Atlas is a hunting nightmare in close range.

My sweetest match that turned the tide to our favor happened when I was able to solo ninja from the rear in tourmaline where an LRM Stalker and Atlas was unleashing their rain from hell on my team. The stalker was the rear most mech and it took 2 salvos of my srm6's before it turned to hit me with it's LL's. I finished it off with 3 salvos o my dual lb 100's and 1 more salvo of srm6. By then the LRM Atlas engaged me with it's LL'S and UAc5's. He decided to face hug me thinking that I sustained enough damage from the Stalker not knowing that my load out is supreme for face hugs. After dispatching him I was able to kill a weakened Jager, Shadowhawk, Thunderbolt, Cicada, and Spider. 7 kills, 1100 dmg, 9 assists.

[DarthPeanut]

Atlas is hit or miss for me. I run a STD 380 BH with 3 mpls on left arm, 3 mls on right arm, and lbx10 on the right torso.

I have had some good matches but really seems to come down to my team more than anything. Without some kind of support it is a death trap no matter what. I pug drop mostly so yea it is mostly random draw on results. Not having ECM like a DDC is obviously not helping me either.

I personally think the hitboxes need a little adjustment but nothing to substantial. Understandably it is so big that there is a lot of real estate to hit but I think they could tweak things a little.

ETA: I only have one Atlas right now and run it intermittently. I will pick up another couple variants so I can level it up on skills. Should help I hope.

Edited by DarthPeanut, 18 April 2014 - 06:45 AM.

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

Rebas Kradd, on 10 February 2014 - 07:28 PM, said:

Are you rushing into battle first? Because right now, the whole traditional "big mech = damage soak for your team" thing doesn't work too well. There's just too many mechs and too much pinpoint damage for anyone to be a tank. You just die, quickly.

I love to break it to you, the whole reason armor was doubled was because of pinpoint damage making battles too quick, so that means pinpoint damage is now and forever a part of the mwo meta. Deal with it <:^)

[impar]

Battlecruiser, on 19 April 2014 - 09:24 AM, said:

I love to break it to you, the whole reason armor was doubled was because of pinpoint damage making battles too quick...

As I already wrote in this thread:

There are three main factors governing the design of a mech: Firepower, Speed and Armour.

Atlas do not have Speed.
Atlas lose in the Firepower department to mechs far lighter (65+ tons).
Atlas advantage of Armour was lost due to changes made by PGI to the weapon balance. While Armour was doubled the DPS has more than doubled:
A medium laser was supposed to deal 5 damage in 10 seconds, 0,5DPS, in MWO it delivers 1,25DPS.
A PPC was supposed to deal 10 damage in 10 seconds, 1DPS, in MWO it delivers 2,5DPS.
An AC/2 was supposed to deal 2 damage in 10 seconds, 0,2DPS, in MWO it delivers 3,85DPS (Now 3DPS)
An AC/20 was supposed to deal 20 damage in 10 seconds, 2DPS, in MWO it delivers 5DPS.
...

Atlas main advantage was reduced.

Edited by impar, 19 April 2014 - 11:14 AM.

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

impar, on 19 April 2014 - 11:13 AM, said:

Atlas main advantage was reduced.

too bad lol. guess you should drive a real mech then

[impar]

Battlecruiser, on 19 April 2014 - 01:43 PM, said:

too bad lol. guess you should drive a real mech then

I dont pilot an Atlas. Atlas cant get over a half meter rock on the ground.
They are way too slow, cant turn fast enough, lack firepower, are a easy target and melt way too fast.
Their only advantage, armour, was castrated by the way developers shaped this game.

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

impar, on 20 April 2014 - 04:42 AM, said:

I dont pilot an Atlas. Atlas cant get over a half meter rock on the ground.
They are way too slow, cant turn fast enough, lack firepower, are a easy target and melt way too fast.
Their only advantage, armour, was castrated by the way developers shaped this game.

oy bey, maybe they should triple the armor then, we can even charge money for it, call it premium armor plating.

Edited by Battlecruiser, 20 April 2014 - 10:30 AM.

[Osric Lancaster]

Battlecruiser, on 19 April 2014 - 09:24 AM, said:

I love to break it to you, the whole reason armor was doubled was because of pinpoint damage making battles too quick, so that means pinpoint damage is now and forever a part of the mwo meta. Deal with it <:^)

Problem with that approach is that it advantages small fast 'Mechs disproportionately. I'd like to see that armor increase granularized and scaled to 'Mech hit-boxes.

http://mwomercs.com/...__fromsearch__1

If I'm randomly distributing shots, and a PPC blast carves out 10points of armor across 1 square meter, then a PPC hitting a 2 square meter section of 'Mech plating has a 50% chance of hitting the same square meter 'point' on subsequent shots. If I'm shooting a 4 square meter armor wall, the chance of hitting the same point twice in a row drops to 25%.

[Buckminster]

I still think Koniving's armor idea is the best - basically that each mech gets stock armor values, with the ability to add an extra ton (or something, I forget the numbers), and that's it. All that armor on the Atlas becomes a lot more valuable when you can't just take a lighter mech and armor the crap out of it.

Think the stock Atlas-D has 608 points of armor. A stock Victor-9B has 368 (of 494), a stock Battlemaster-1G only has 464 (of 526), and a stock Banshee-3E only has 480 (of 586). If mechs were limited to that, all of a sudden that Atlas is carrying a crap ton of armor.

Edited by Buckminster, 20 April 2014 - 05:39 PM.

[Flaming oblivion]

I prefer the orion to the atlas its not what id call heavily armoured however loaded well it can pack a punch. And unlike the atlas has enough manoeuvrability to get its self out of trouble in most cases.

[impar]

Buckminster, on 20 April 2014 - 05:39 PM, said:

I still think Koniving's armor idea is the best - basically that each mech gets stock armor values, with the ability to add an extra ton (or something, I forget the numbers), and that's it. All that armor on the Atlas becomes a lot more valuable when you can't just take a lighter mech and armor the crap out of it.

That seems the approach developers took regarding Clan mechs.

Buckminster, on 20 April 2014 - 05:39 PM, said:

Think the stock Atlas-D has 608 points of armor. A stock Victor-9B has 368 (of 494), a stock Battlemaster-1G only has 464 (of 526), and a stock Banshee-3E only has 480 (of 586). If mechs were limited to that, all of a sudden that Atlas is carrying a crap ton of armor.

If...
As it is, the slow moving Atlas is a perfect target.