33 replies to this topic

[Turist0AT]

Saryonarve, on 02 April 2014 - 06:10 AM, said:

Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking I'll go with a Stalker mech. After playing around with the lab, it seems to fit my more favored weapons(missiles and energy weapons). The slow movement is more a boon than a hindrance at this point. The Jagermech looks really versatile, so I'll probably pick one of those up next. Hopefully by the time I've reached the point where I'll want to buy a third mech I'll actually be able to aim and maneuver at decent speeds...

OMG Yes! STALKER is one of my favorite chassis and it got dual AMS variant. All those weapon systems makes me wet!
Most durable mech in the game IMO. Good choice!


Dont forget to open missile bay doors to skip the delay.

Edit 1:

And turn off cockpit ligts. For those dark maps.

Edit 2:

And increase your FOV

p.s there is one more thing that makes the game look better, but its punishble by death said PGI, its called SweetFX for mechwarrioronline. But i wouldnt know anything about that.

Edited by Turist0AT, 03 April 2014 - 02:58 AM.

[ThatBum42]

I'd suggest making a specialized build with all its weapons being effective in around the same range. Since it's a team based game, you only need to worry about doing your part if you're built for long range, while you can let the skirmishers and brawlers do their job, and vice versa. Of course, there's no guarantee the MM will make a team with an even distribution of weapon ranges, and that's how a lot of stomps happen, but it's still more fun to get some role warfare going on. Always good to be a master of a certain domain than a mediocre jack of all trades, in my opinion.

Nice choice on the Stalker there. They're remarkable frontliners because they're good at sponging damage with their large side torsos and arms, but also can be built for long range. Pretty good for what amounts to blimps on legs. I'm primarily a medium pilot myself so I can't speak from experience, but good luck to you.

[IraqiWalker]

Saryonarve, on 03 April 2014 - 01:27 AM, said:

Well, I don't really need to worry about prioritizing skills with this particular mech. Because of all the time I'd spent on the trial mech I was able to instantly unlock nearly every basic skill anyway. Didn't take long at all before I had all of them. You do, however, make a very good point about unlocking skills on three mechs first. I guess that means that I'll actually be picking up a Jagermech fourth, and if I still can't run and shoot at the same time by the time I'm ready for the next set of mechs, I may end up committing virtual seppuku...

You'll do fine by then. Just practice spreading damage on your mech if you ever get into a close-cut situation.

Saryonarve, on 03 April 2014 - 01:27 AM, said:

On another note, I'm actually liking my Stalker already, my own lack of skill notwithstanding. I'm currently running the default 255 engine(those things are pricey), 2 PPCs, 2 LRM 15s, and 4 Med Lasers. I think I could almost push this thing faster than it runs, but the missiles help a bit with that. I haven't placed any Double Heat Sinks beyond the upgrade(mostly due to a lack of funds), but I honestly don't know that a couple more would make a terrific difference.

I'm going to assume that you have the 3F. A couple more DHS, will make a world of difference. Also, remember to chain fire your LRMs so you don't generate as much heat. Only alpha when you: A- have a clear shot of the mech, or B- want to overwhelm (massed) AMS.

Also, as a rule of thumb, it's generally cheaper to just buy a mech with the engine that you want, than it is to just buy the engine. Sadly there are engines that you will not be able to get in that method, but doing this over the long run will save you dozens of millions of C-Bills.

To know which engine comes in which mech go to smurfy's a,d at the mech stat page, under the allowed engine sizes, you will see the engine rating that comes stock.

Pic will explain it better
Blue squares show you the engine rating range (from smallest to biggest) possible to mount on that chassis.
Red squares show you which engine comes stock, and what kind (STD or XL). It should be noted that if the variant has designation M (like SHD-5M), they usually have XL engines.

Spoiler

Get yourself STD300, XL300, XL255, XL360, XL295. Make that kind of a goal plan for you. These engines will help with a lot of mechs. The 300 specifically, it is possibly the most versatile engine in the game, That's why you want both XL and STD on that one.

EDIT: Yes, I noticed I mis-colored the stock engine on the COM-1B

Edited by IraqiWalker, 03 April 2014 - 11:09 AM.

[Modo44]

IraqiWalker, on 03 April 2014 - 11:08 AM, said:

Get yourself STD300, XL300, XL255, XL360, XL295.

STD300, XL300, XL255, XL350, XL280. FTFY.

[IraqiWalker]

Modo44, on 03 April 2014 - 11:49 AM, said:

STD300, XL300, XL255, XL350, XL280. FTFY.

Good engines too. I've just used the 360 and 295 a lot more than the 350 and 280, that's why I recommended them. I do see the value in your recommendation though.

[Shiro Matsumoto]

If you like the trial Phract (one of the best Mechs out there.. once properly armed) get it. its the only Jump capable Catapract.

Longrange.. well, you can put smaller ACs on it, or, get used to aim with an ER-Large Laser. but i agree, its more of a mid- to short range Mech, very much at home in city environments.

ON THE OTHER HAND:

You might want to Master your Mech... that means 3 Chassis of the same Mech, so for me its important that not all variants play the same.
I recommend, if you like heavies: Catapults (variants have everything from Missile- to laserboats, even a variant with twin torso Ballistic mounts, plus a very fun Hero, if you like to buy), or Orion (also, variants capable as missileboats, brawlers, or supporters, also a good hero), or Cataphract (one of thr best heros, Ballistic or Energy based builds in variants (just no missileboat).

If you rather like Mediums.. have a look at Shadowhawk, Kintaro, or Trebuchet (my fav Medium)

[IraqiWalker]

John McFianna, on 04 April 2014 - 05:22 AM, said:

If you rather like Mediums.. have a look at Shadowhawk, Kintaro, or Trebuchet (my fav Medium)

Hey hey hey, you're forgetting the OG mediums Hunch-bucket and Trey-Bucks. (Hunchback and Trebuchet)

[Saryonarve]

So I'd like to think I'm getting the hang of fighting with my Stalker 3F. I suppose it doesn't have the insane stopping power another build would, but I find it gives me options in most of the situations I find myself in. If I'm far from the melee and think I'll hit, I start firing off my LRMs while plodding closer. If I have line of sight to an enemy I typically fire off my PPCs, adding in a volley of LRMs if I have the heat to spare and think I can keep the lock long enough for them to actually hit(unless I'm just trying to make them skittish and scurry for cover...which is a whole different beast). And I've had more than a few lone Assault mechs try to sneak up on me and charge me, thinking I'm an LRM Boat, only to back away as quickly as they can when they realize two things: One, that I'm packing more than LRMs(an easy assumption to make, admittedly. I often find myself firing only or mostly LRMs for a big chunk of a match's beginning phase). And two, that I don't panic when I'm charged by an Assault(perhaps they think my 'LRM Boat' doesn't have full armor?). Lights are my bane, for obvious reasons. I've learned to just sigh in irritation and continue with whatever I was doing, maybe getting a brief lock on them so my allies can spot them and hopefully drive'em off.

I'm also starting to understand why everyone has said Stalkers are resilient. While I've been obliterated quickly before, more often than not I've been able to soak up a lot more damage than I ever expected. In one of my more recent worst scoring matches that I didn't actually feel terrible about, I was hit with volley after volley of LRMs without ever being able to tell where it was coming from. I still managed to spread the damage around until I lost both arms and side torsos before finally becoming a heap of slag. I honestly don't know how many volleys I was hit with, but it was enough for me to become annoyed that my screen wouldn't stop shaking...

Because of this resilience I've been toying with the idea of making a more mid to short-range brawling loadout, but I am kind of uncertain which weapons are best for the 3F. I imagine taking advantage of the missile hardpoints is best, but I'm not sure what energy weapons I should use that'll let me deal strong damage without leaving me vulnerable due to heat issues(either because I overheated, or have to wait a long time to fire again to keep from overheating). The setup I'm currently going to run is 2 Large Lasers, 4 Medium Lasers, 3 SRM 6s, and 1 SRM 4. This is mainly because I already had the lasers and the missiles weren't too expensive. I'm still running the default 255 engine...am I better off waiting until I have a bigger engine before I worry about close-range battling(since I'm expecting to have a hard time reaching the melee before it's already been decided...)?

[Modo44]

Consider trading LRMs for streaks. 4xSSRM2 is phenomenal at squashing bugs. 2xPPC+4xML+4xSSRM2 was my friend for a while. Runs even cooler and faster with ERLLs. If you want to keep some LRMs, maybe 2xLPL+4xML+4xLRM5 will interest you. LPLs chew off legs in a hurry.

I am not advising SRMs because their hit registration is wonky. If you find that your SRMs do good damage, they are definitely a solid idea. You want either SRM6 with Artemis, or SRM2/4 without Artemis. (Note that Artemis is on or off for all missiles on a mech, so you can not mix).

Edited by Modo44, 06 April 2014 - 06:12 AM.

[IraqiWalker]

Modo44, on 06 April 2014 - 06:08 AM, said:

I am not advising SRMs because their hit registration is wonky. If you find that your SRMs do good damage, they are definitely a solid idea. You want either SRM6 with Artemis, or SRM2/4 without Artemis. (Note that Artemis is on or off for all missiles on a mech, so you can not mix).

Nope, with this new patch their hit detection got fixed a bit. They are a lot more effective now. I would even suggest trying a deathbarrel build (5SRM6s)

[Takashi Uchida]

I think the "official real" SRM fix will be with the 4/15 patch, at least that's how I read it.

[IraqiWalker]

To expand, the deathbarrel is the splatcat counterpart in the Stalker line up.

Here's an example
STK-5M Deathbarrel

I left the last 2 tons and 3 slots empty for you to decide what to do with them.

[Modo44]

Takashi Uchida, on 06 April 2014 - 05:00 PM, said:

I think the "official real" SRM fix will be with the 4/15 patch, at least that's how I read it.

No, it will only change the effect. It will trigger based on server-side hit registration. This removes the problem with false positives (you see an explosion, but no damage), but does not improve hit registration.

[Takashi Uchida]

Modo44, on 06 April 2014 - 10:41 PM, said:

No, it will only change the effect. It will trigger based on server-side hit registration. This removes the problem with false positives (you see an explosion, but no damage), but does not improve hit registration.

yea you are right, I checked back at the post. man.. "first step" lol

"• Now if you see a missile explode on impact on a 'Mech, you can be sure the server saw the same thing. This is the first step in getting Srms and Streaks to be balanced again. Try them out and let us know what you think!"

Edited by Takashi Uchida, 06 April 2014 - 11:08 PM.