18 replies to this topic

[Reject76]

Hello people

I find the GUI highly confusing. After some time and searching through the forums and video tutorials here, I finally managed to buy a mech. I went for the Nova NVA-Prime.

Now, I know the trial version had a full load of lasers, and I knew I was running a "risk" in the getting the same loadout, but figured I could always change it afterwards.

Ok...so I managed to strip off all equipment from my mech, but when I go to the right and left arm and in the loudout menu, the only things available are laser weapons. Am I doing something wrong, or is this mech (Nova) not compatible with any other weapons that lasers? I was looking to equip it with some kind of ballistic weapon...

[Koniving]

This should help.

[Turist0AT]

Novas can interchange arms and torsos, fiddle with omnipods to get balistics.

For example you can change side torsos to the once carying 2 balistics adding up to 4 in total. 4MG+12(SL,SPL,ML) is popular. Or swich off one of the arms if you need bigger balistic in there.

Edited by Turist0AT, 07 September 2014 - 09:38 AM.

[Koniving]

For a text version:

Mechlab > Configure > Loadout > (Body Part) > "Omni-Pod".

Highlight each "omni-pod" replacement to find out what hardpoints they use.
Examples:
The Nova Right Arm.
Prime omnipod: 6 energy (lightning bolt). (Lower arm movement speed, slower energy weapon recharge speed).
"Beta" omnipod: 1 Ballistic hardpoint. (Faster arm movement rate.)
"Sigma" omnipod: 3 energy hardpoints. (No penalties.)

Turist0AT, on 07 September 2014 - 09:35 AM, said:

4MG+16(SL,SPL,ML) is popular.
4MG+12(SL,SPL,ML) is popular.

There. It can't hold 16.
Most you can have is 13 energy + 2 MGs.

Edited by Koniving, 07 September 2014 - 09:39 AM.

[Turist0AT]

Koniving, on 07 September 2014 - 09:38 AM, said:

thx kon. I was in a game with you once. It was the happiest day of my life..

[Koniving]

o.O; Well that totally doesn't sound weird.

[Reject76]

Koniving: You're absolutely right, that did the trick Managed to equip one piece of machine gun, but I think that Tourist it on to something...I'll experiment, cheers lads!

Edit: it seems tho that the left arm cant have an omnipod other than for use with lasers. Only difference is the class/amount (?) of laser hardpoints. I used left arm for PPC and the right for a machine gun.

Edited by Reject76, 07 September 2014 - 09:57 AM.

[Modo44]

Swapping omni pods lets you change some hardpoints and other abilities on Clan mechs. You can build the Nova with a big gun (UAC5 or higher) and some lasers (the smaller the gun, the more/bigger the lasers). You can not use missiles at the moment -- maybe that will come with a future variant. For a really good loadout, consider just taking fewer ERMLs mixed with a gun. Something like UAC5+6xERML should have enough cooling for some sustained fire.

Koniving, on 07 September 2014 - 09:38 AM, said:

Most you can have is 13 energy + 2 MGs.

6xERML+6xERSL+4xMG fits easily. It will likely be too hot for its own good, but you can do it.

[Koniving]

Modo44, on 07 September 2014 - 09:49 AM, said:

6xERML+6xERSL+4xMG fits easily. It will likely be too hot for its own good, but you can do it.

Meant hardpoint limits. His original quote was 16 energy + 4 MGs.
At a maximum with the side torso laser it's 13 energy as the absolute most hardpoints, and if you use that 13th then you can only get 2 MGs.

[Koniving]

Reject76, on 07 September 2014 - 09:49 AM, said:

Edit: it seems tho that the left arm cant have an omnipod other than for use with lasers. Only difference is the class/amount (?) of laser hardpoints. I used left arm for PPC and the right for a machine gun.

Left arm has 1 laser, 3 lasers or 6 lasers.

Thinking on it though.... The 1 energy weapon only comes with a set of quirks that makes no sense. Faster arm movement speed on an arm that if used properly would only provide you with a single PPC and no lower arm actuator? That's bad. Sure you could do a large pulse or an ER LL, but... it's bleh. Maybe if it had a heat generation reduction bonus or if it had a faster firing rate for energy weapons.

Oh. Remember to attach lower arm actuators when possible. Note that PPCs and ANY ballistic other than an MG will lock out the ability to put a lower arm actuator on that arm.

Hands have no other use in this game except as "crit padding" or something to soak damage to keep it from hurting your weapons.

[Bront]

FYI, Smurfy's has all kinds of data on what each mech can mount via it's hardpoints. You can even pull up the stock loadout if you want. It's also a good resource for playing around with mech builds before you build them in the store.

For clan mechs, only the CT is not interchangable. You can mount the other parts of the mech using pods. Koniving has a nice video about how to do that.

[Spike Brave]

Well here's my loadout tutorial



I've got some weapon tests out there to if you want to see how they different weapons work.

[Turist0AT]

speaking of hands: stormcrows hands

Spoiler

Edited by Turist0AT, 07 September 2014 - 10:33 AM.

[Ocilfa]

Turist0AT, on 07 September 2014 - 10:20 AM, said:

speaking of hands: stormcrows hands

He has special hands.

[n r g]

Reject76, on 07 September 2014 - 09:27 AM, said:

Hello people

I find the GUI highly confusing. After some time and searching through the forums and video tutorials here, I finally managed to buy a mech. I went for the Nova NVA-Prime.

Now, I know the trial version had a full load of lasers, and I knew I was running a "risk" in the getting the same loadout, but figured I could always change it afterwards.

Ok...so I managed to strip off all equipment from my mech, but when I go to the right and left arm and in the loudout menu, the only things available are laser weapons. Am I doing something wrong, or is this mech (Nova) not compatible with any other weapons that lasers? I was looking to equip it with some kind of ballistic weapon...

Those videos they posted help, but it's very simple bro:

The mech has a little icon with a certain color about each torso, arm, and head.

MAIN TYPES:
1. Green is for missle type weapons like SRMS, STRKS, and LRMS.
2. Red is for energy type weapons, like any small, medium, large pulse or laser, ppc, or tag laser.
3. Yellow is for ballistic type weapons, like autocannons, lbx, gauss rifles, all that good stuff.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SECONDARY TYPES:
4. Pinkish/Red "bullseye" looking icon is for AMS (anti-missle system)
5. Gray "stopwatch" looking icon is for ECM

Basically, if you don't see a color(ed) icon above the component (head, arms, or torsos) it means it doesn't have that "hard-point" or weapon slot type.

If you see the red icon, for say, energy weapons, on the left arm, it literally means you can put (2) of any energy weapon (assuming you have enough tonnage and slots) into that left arm.

It's that straightforward and simple.

[SethAbercromby]

You've set yourself up for quite the rough start. The Nova is not a bad 'Mechs, but with it's high energy focus on top of the omnipod system that is more designed towards more experienced pilots, you need to learn more things in less time when compared to an IS 'Mech.

Now, don't get me wrong. I totally get the appeal of Clan weapons being lighter and having more reach, but they tend to run hotter on average and the omnipods and lighter weight invite to stack more of them at the same time, adding to that heat problem.

But yeah, I'd reccomend you to adhere to "less is more" until you have a comfortable grip on the heat output of the Nova at which point you can still consider the otion to go for more lasers at the cost of lower heat control.

[Satan n stuff]

SethAbercromby, on 07 September 2014 - 01:05 PM, said:

You've set yourself up for quite the rough start. The Nova is not a bad 'Mechs, but with it's high energy focus on top of the omnipod system that is more designed towards more experienced pilots, you need to learn more things in less time when compared to an IS 'Mech.

Now, don't get me wrong. I totally get the appeal of Clan weapons being lighter and having more reach, but they tend to run hotter on average and the omnipods and lighter weight invite to stack more of them at the same time, adding to that heat problem.

But yeah, I'd reccomend you to adhere to "less is more" until you have a comfortable grip on the heat output of the Nova at which point you can still consider the otion to go for more lasers at the cost of lower heat control.

It's a challenging mech to be sure, but it can do things besides boating lasers. It's easy enough to set one up as a Shadow Cat analogue ( just not the ones with missile weapons ) , or any other big gun medium build you can think of. One of mine has only a few lasers and an ultra AC/10, it works wonderfully, I've even dueled Timberwolves with it and won.

[JonahGrimm]

I've actually taken a nova and gone with 4MG/6ERML and filled the rest of the space with a targetting computer, Clan Active probe, and as many heatsinks as I can fit.

This thing is a terrifying striker - proof positive that you don't have to load up on all hardpoints to make a nasty mech. There are as many builds as there are pilots, I think. don't be afraid to experiment a bit!

(that said, the Nova is tailor-made for a targetting comp. don't forget to take one!)

[Zordicron]

JonahGrimm, on 09 September 2014 - 05:37 AM, said:

I've actually taken a nova and gone with 4MG/6ERML and filled the rest of the space with a targetting computer, Clan Active probe, and as many heatsinks as I can fit.

This thing is a terrifying striker - proof positive that you don't have to load up on all hardpoints to make a nasty mech. There are as many builds as there are pilots, I think. don't be afraid to experiment a bit!

(that said, the Nova is tailor-made for a targetting comp. don't forget to take one!)

Thats how I did mine up in the end, less is more with the ERML IMO on smaller mechs. It actually holds true for IS too I think on lights, i do better with 4ML and nothing else on fast lights ten I do loading them down with weapons.

Sustained fire is under rated in this game after years of sniper wars.

To OP: swapping the torsos out to the ballistics ones, and putting 4 Machine guns in there gives you a no heat weapon system for close encounters, for little weight. MG do very well when an opponant has some internals showing, they get bonus crit dmg. Use the Medium lasers to strip armor, then hose them with MG fire and blow that arm or torso out of the enemy in short order.