18 replies to this topic

[Macksheen]

Seen builds w/ UAC, AC5, AC2 ... do folks just group fire them? 3 tons or so of ammo each?

I bet they make a most pleasing sound, but practically speaking do they function well?

[Modo44]

Constant suppression compared to 2xUAC5, which is set up for high burst DPS. 2-3 tons per gun sounds right.

[ImperialKnight]

they function well for suppression, which is sorely lacking in the current high alpha volley meta. You can pretty much stop a team from pushing with the constant stream of bullets.

[Watchit]

The sounds that varying degree's of dakka create is pleasing to the ears.

[Parappaman]

Watchit, on 19 February 2014 - 01:07 AM, said:

The sounds that varying degree's of dakka create is pleasing to the ears.

Nailed it.

I play for fun, and the AC staccato you can have with the UAC5/AC5/AC2 combo is a pleasure. I started enjoying my Victor only when I realized that FUN is the name of the game, and not metagame conformity for maximum effectiveness on the battlefield (read: dual PPC/AC5 poptarting combo).

[Victor Morson]

Macksheen, on 18 February 2014 - 10:09 PM, said:

Seen builds w/ UAC, AC5, AC2 ... do folks just group fire them? 3 tons or so of ammo each?

I bet they make a most pleasing sound, but practically speaking do they function well?

UAC/AC5 can work, but I don't recommend it. AC2s, don't bother - the only reason people even like them is all the sound and noise they make and they don't pair well with the AC/5 fire rates at all and need too much on-target time.

[Redshift2k5]

Victor Morson, on 19 February 2014 - 01:22 AM, said:

AC2s, don't bother - the only reason people even like them is all the sound and noise they make and they don't pair well with the AC/5 fire rates at all and need too much on-target time.

I like them because three of them saw things in half. Requires a lot of on-target time, sure, but you use it differently than a poptart.

[RiotHero]

Suppression from ac noise can be a good or a bad thing honestly. In a pug when you can't really even tell someone what you are doing it doesn't matter much. I've noticed though that if you rapid fire them people get scared and duck behind cover fast. Yet, on my shadow hawk with only 2xAC5 I've had over 1000dmg because for whatever reason that slow hit of 2 AC5's won't scare people behind cover and you get much more opportunity to deal damage.

Also I'm just not a fan of the heat from the A/C2. I would say Ultra's work best in groups of two or three. My Jager S runs three and 2 ML's and that thing is a chainsaw, it just cuts down anything.

[wanderer]

I'm actually fond of a 5 + 2 mount on my Battlemaster, if only because I'm firing to suppress targets as much as deal damage and the irregular pounding tends to make people flinch faster. Psychologically, people associate multiple different damage sources at once as being more "dangerous", even when in reality a triple-2 or triple-5 is hitting them for more hurt per salvo.

[Satan n stuff]

knightsljx, on 18 February 2014 - 10:37 PM, said:

they function well for suppression, which is sorely lacking in the current high alpha volley meta. You can pretty much stop a team from pushing with the constant stream of bullets.

You could do that with one AC/2. Believe me I have.

[Enigmos]

Each round of AC2 that hits provides 2 points of damage with a rate-of-fire (ROF) of one round every half-second. So over five seconds you're looking at the same damage an AC20 provides in four seconds, but with a range of two klicks.

The bigger drawback is that the AC2 will be less likely to hit the same spot over the time it takes to get 20 points of damage downrange.

In the four seconds required by a gauss plus the second it takes to charge the coil the AC2 has delivered 20 points of damage compared to the Gauss' 15 damage. And that hard-to-hear sound cue that the gauss is charged and ready to fire isn't an issue in the heat of battle, just keep an eye on your heat.

UAC5 jams too much. It sounds good and it used to be superb before they removed 30% of its effectiveness with jamming. AC5 is almost as good, doesn't jam, and returns good value per ton of ammo.

Two AC5's deliver as much damage as an AC10 at a higher ROF, equal ammo tonnage. Two AC5's do weigh more than a single AC10 and use more slots.

Edited by OriginalTibs, 19 February 2014 - 07:27 AM.

[DI3T3R]

Recently I saw a Jaegermech with 2 UAC5 + 4 SSRM2 press against 3 damaged Mechs on a ramp in Terra Therma. He used controlled bursts and slaughtered his way through them in 10 seconds.

[Mordin Ashe]

I have to try the 2xAC2 Rvn-4x I've been planing whole fortnight. Only 4 tons of ammo, which limits me to max 600 dmg per match, but it has a JJ and it should scare away some people.

[DI3T3R]

Mordin Ashe, on 19 February 2014 - 07:37 AM, said:

I have to try the 2xAC2 Rvn-4x I've been planing whole fortnight. Only 4 tons of ammo, which limits me to max 600 dmg per match, but it has a JJ and it should scare away some people.

Give it a try: I played a RVN-4X with 2ML+AC2 just to elite my RVN-3L, but jumping and gunning was so much fun that I kept it. It's my favourite light Mech now.

Try chainfire! 4 shots per second!

[RiotHero]

OriginalTibs, on 19 February 2014 - 07:26 AM, said:

Each round of AC2 that hits provides 2 points of damage with a rate-of-fire (ROF) of one round every half-second. So over five seconds you're looking at the same damage an AC20 provides in four seconds, but with a range of two klicks.

The bigger drawback is that the AC2 will be less likely to hit the same spot over the time it takes to get 20 points of damage downrange.

In the four seconds required by a gauss plus the second it takes to charge the coil the AC2 has delivered 20 points of damage compared to the Gauss' 15 damage. And that hard-to-hear sound cue that the gauss is charged and ready to fire isn't an issue in the heat of battle, just keep an eye on your heat.

UAC5 jams too much. It sounds good and it used to be superb before they removed 30% of its effectiveness with jamming. AC5 is almost as good, doesn't jam, and returns good value per ton of ammo.

Two AC5's deliver as much damage as an AC10 at a higher ROF, equal ammo tonnage. Two AC5's do weigh more than a single AC10 and use more slots.

I agree with most of what you said but, I don't listen for the gauss at all really. You just wait until you see the green in the box by your cross hair and you are good to go.

I like the UAC because they are far more versatile than the ac5 for only slight weight penalty. I have multiple different ways I can use them. I can shoot a 15 damage burst over and over just like three normal AC5's grouped. I can chain fire them for constant stream of damage like normal A/C5's and never jam. The best part is you can peak a hill and let loose big burst of damage and jamming doesn't matter, you just get behind cover. Also when you are chain firing you can tap your other group for extra double shots before he gets behind cover or to finish him off quickly. You can play UAC's in ways that never jam just like AC's but, you have the added bonus of big burst potential the AC5's don't.

You have the choice to never jam or you can even hit the "jam lotto" and fire 15+ rapid fire shots in a row with no jam.

[Voivode]

Technically a UAC5 and AC5 are different weapons, but their ballistic characteristics are the same. They can pair well with AC2s at medium to close range but against moving targets at longer ranges either the UAC5/AC5 or the AC2 will be missing the target. Combinations of those ballistic types are excellent for medium range suppression, and the damage adds up quickly.

[Mott]

Typically, at longer ranges, I don't find myself under much fire and have time to take to aim properly. I do probably half my total match damage at longer ranges with the AC5s.

I enjoy them because they can be mounted in pairs on every chassis i own. So even if my ride feels/controls different, at least my weapons respond as I KNOW they will.

I don't like relying on them in a brawl however. I find i'm always undergunned when I try trading blows with other heavies and assaults.

[Koniving]

Redshift2k5, on 19 February 2014 - 02:13 AM, said:

I like them because three of them saw things in half. Requires a lot of on-target time, sure, but you use it differently than a poptart.

Gotta remember, if it isn't a poptart or isn't exploitable, it's not meta.

Parappaman, on 19 February 2014 - 01:17 AM, said:

Nailed it.

I play for fun, and the AC staccato you can have with the UAC5/AC5/AC2 combo is a pleasure. I started enjoying my Victor only when I realized that FUN is the name of the game, and not metagame conformity for maximum effectiveness on the battlefield (read: dual PPC/AC5 poptarting combo).

After March 4th's patch, this will be possible again. The issue is with a chainfire bug across multiple groups.

Until then this is what the combination works like if you're going for ultimate dakka fun.

[Wolfways]

JM6-S with stock weapons (2xAC2/2xAC5/2xML - only use the ML's if you run out of ammo) will destroy any mech in under 10 seconds at 0-750-ish range and can be used to snipe (with less damage obviously) up to 1200.
Also, because of the shake/smoke they generate the enemy has a hard time firing back.