Merchant, on 26 May 2014 - 01:58 PM, said:
I actually have to disagree with the assertion the LRM boats are not viable due to amount of ammo.
MWO players are, to put it bluntly, spoiled when it comes to LRM boats. The ability to customize and add 1000+ missiles, have 3+ launchers and spam those missiles irregardless of whether they hit or miss has spoiled players.
Stock LRM boats actually teach people SKILL with them. You really have to know the terrain and MAKE YOUR SHOTS COUNT. No spamming of missiles with these boats, develop skill in knowing when to fire and hitting.
Such skill can actually carry over into custom play and make one a better pilot.
The Stalkers, I would prefer the 3H in 3025, possibly the 5M later. Start as LRM boat, when ammo runs out, switch to brawler. I used the Trial 3H a long time ago, was pretty good, even dueled a custom Stalker in the stock 3H and won. Heat is OK so long as you control which weapons you fire and how often. For example, just because you have 4MLs and 2SRMs does not mean you have to fire all of them in a brawl.
Now that I have actually played a bunch of stock matches over the past several weeks, I have to agree with your disagreement.
LRM boats can be viable, as long as you wait for solid locks and don't spam your missiles. I've even gone against my "NO JAGER" advice and piloted a JM6-A several times (it has the most armor of all the Jagers). That guy runs hot and is very ammo dependent, but he's also a ton of fun. I run it as 3 different mechs throughout the course of a match (assuming I last that long). First, I'm an LRM boat with 2x LRM15. Once my 2 tons of ammo runs out, I become a 2x AC/2 direct fire support mech. After the 1 ton of AC ammo is spent, I become a brawler with 2x medium lasers. With only 10 single heat sinks, you have to be very strict with your trigger finger, so it helps to just focus on one weapon type at a time.
So far, I've stock played a SDR-5V, JR7-F, CDA-2A, BJ-1X, CN9-AL, CN9-YLW, SHD-2D, and JM6-A. I've had the most fun with the Jager, followed by the Wang and the Shadowhawk. I really want to try out a CTF-4X next, but I haven't bought it yet.
Edited by Crotch RockIt, 27 May 2014 - 01:15 PM.