44 replies to this topic

[Strongpaw]

Worms4u, on 30 May 2014 - 12:29 PM, said:

Alright so I've been playing for a while, October I think. I do pretty well for myself with direct fire weapons (450ish average a game, 2 kills, many assists).

Anyway.. I got a stalker recently with 2xLRM 20, 2xLRM10, and some SRM's for close range defense.

All missles have ARTEMIS, I also run with a tag.

Ok so - My best game was 200 damage. Terrible. I am hoping to explain how I pilot so someone can tell me what I am doing wrong.

First, I have target retention and the mod equipped.

Generally I hang back some and wait for red triangles. When I get them I lock, and fire if they're in range. Inevitably I lose the reticule right before I launch, or while the missles are in flight, so they don't hit worth a crap.

I realize ARTEMIS and TAG only work with direct line of sight - Something I don't get too often because if I move out the stalker is rather slow and I get shot up.

Any help would be great.

Thanks
Worms

As a decent stalker LRM boat pilot ( Match score 140, Damage 1100+) I can offer some advice.

1 - You can't run a stalker like an alpha boat. More missile racks on a LRM stalker is a bad thing, here are the reasons why;

A) You have the right idea with the Tag, Artemis and Target Retention(100%). The problem being Heat if you shut down cause of too many racks you loose tracking and miss (Very bad)

Targeting range and speed with make you a master with LRM, Beagle active a must (Increases target lock speed and range nearly to 1000M! Win!) If you have your stalker mastered get the Target infogathering module (25% faster lock) with Beagle =(50% lock speed)WinWin! +TAG =Almost insta lock and insta fire.

C) Dont be afraid to dumb fire LRMs at targets who are silly and stand still. You do NOT need a lock to fire LRM. I have Anihalated D-DC (ECM) Atlases soo many time because they think they can't be hit by missiles.
Advantaged of this technique;

1- you put you targeting cursor directly on the mech they will fire and hit the exact spot you launched them like an arty or airstrike

2- They don't get the 'Warning Incoming missile' message because you do not have them locked so alot of the time they don't bother moving thinking its just straight fire weapons.

D) if you master the 'dumb fire' missile technique without a lock you can save your own bacon that way;

1 - You don't have to hold your lock and drive the misiles home and take unecessary fire.

2 - If you launch 2-3 salvo's at a stationary target you can move on and follow your lance and hide behind terrain while the mech you just tossed 120 misiles at is left wondering who shot him.

E) I take a massive ton of crap for this one but 2 TAGs, 1 in each arm. I can not tell you how many times i've lost tag lock because my target moved behind a rock and the tag was on the other side of my mech and lost lock. Also with 2 tags ecm mechs can't just blow the tag location off easily and be safe again.

F) No XL engine in a missile boat. Soooo many times people try and blow 1 torso off to kill me only to find I still have half a mech and alot of firepower to rip them up.

Mech setup stalker, may vary depending chassis hard points:

2 x LRM20 +artemis
4 Med lasers and 2 tags (so 2 meds and a tag on each side of the mech. Tags in the arms for better targeting angles with them.
If you have a stalker with only 4 energy hard points go 2 meds and 2 tags with SRMs to balance out.

BEAGLE ACTIVE PROBE
1600 LRM missiles + Location your choice + case in torso's with no XL's

Engine 200-250 base 50km is quite acceptable for and LRM boat, being further from your target is mostly a good thing for you

So Recap. Targeting speed distance is a must.
Having enough heat sinks(double) to be able to fire 2x LRM's 20's continuously for over a minute without shuttig down will win you battles against alpha strike heat boats, Shutting down in an LRM boat means you miss your target, not a good thing.

I hope this helps you pilot LRM boats and understand they are a different playstyle than pull the trigger alpha boat pilots.

Strongpaw

Edited by Strongpaw, 01 June 2014 - 11:10 PM.

[maniacos]

Didnt read all postings here so I might be mentioning things double but, with my Oxide when running as LRM-Boat, I tried the following: Fire only one launcer at a time and see if they hit or if AMS fires up from the target or next by. If they hit (you see your cross flashing red), it makes sense to alphastrike your missiles since single salves are quickly eaten up by AMS. Less with LRM 20, but if there are enough AMS around, they can be pretty weakened too.
Also monitor your targets alot. Don't waste missiles on far away lights that are moving fast because the chance is greater, that they can cover as soon as they hear "warning, incomming missile" than fatter ones. Also, it's not always smart to rush in. As an LRM-Boat you are no brawler. Let the brawler of your team mess up their opponents and wait until they go into brawl. Just stay back and be patient. Their targetting will give you more stable targets and you can support their dogfight pretty good with your LRM-spam.
Also, LRM is not always giving you kills but it can weaken up the target pretty good so their closerange alphastrike can finish them up quickly. That's where you can get many assist, up to 8-9 assist been possible in my Oxide even if I had 0 kills.
The map is also a question. Tourmaline has many of these big crystals that hang over and LRM will smash into them. Same with River City, where its easy especially for lights to hide behind buildings. Don't pick them, pick slower targets in the open.

[RLBell]

The great dilemma of LRM boating is speed versus tonnage. A heavy LRM boat cannot run for team mates if a light shows up and it can get left behind by the battle. A fast LRM boat can always be where the action is and even shift firing positions to expose enemies that thought they were behind cover, but a fast LRM boat may not have the tonnage necessary for deep ammo bins. I compromise by putting a 300XL in my STK-3H. This compromise allows for some speed, artemis, and a lot of ammo, but your milage may vary.

[Kjudoon]

For my mileage, if I can't get the LRMboat over 70 for a heavy or assault or 90 for a medium, it's not fast enough. Then again, I don't keep more than 40LRMs on my mechs because really, I don't like burning through ammo so fast or having so much I could risk easy ammo explosions. 10-12 tons of ammo and 40 tubes seems like a really good balance point for weight for me.

[Koniving]

Solution to your LRM issues.



On a more serious note... watching this may help LRM boats.

This is before many of the recent buffs, so these are very poor, very 'slow' missiles in comparison to what we have now. It was also made as a live-guide, so I'm actively talking about everything.

Edited by Koniving, 02 June 2014 - 07:35 PM.