112 replies to this topic

[Mad Ox]

Hmm naa XL will leave that thing to vulnerable especially as a brawler.

Me gonna change to DHS, Endo, max armor then rest as more ammo. Maybe if enough freed up bump engine to STD 325 but we will see right now just stoked getting a King Crab one of my fav old timers.

[Bront]

If it's XL Viable, it'll likely be DOA, as I expect a fairly wide torso, so that would be mostly CT.

But I may be surprised.

[Escef]

IraqiWalker, on 17 September 2014 - 02:22 AM, said:

We get that movement on those mechs because the other arm has a lower arm actuator.

YLW has full actuators in the left arm, but has no lateral traverse with its AC.

[IraqiWalker]

Escef, on 17 September 2014 - 01:45 PM, said:

YLW has full actuators in the left arm, but has no lateral traverse with its AC.

I don't own a YLW. However, with the DWFs that I have. Only one arm has a lower arm actuator, and when that is installed, both arms get a small range of lateral movement.

My mistake. I assumed the YLW functioned in the same way.

[Escef]

IraqiWalker, on 17 September 2014 - 01:59 PM, said:

I don't own a YLW. However, with the DWFs that I have. Only one arm has a lower arm actuator, and when that is installed, both arms get a small range of lateral movement.

My mistake. I assumed the YLW functioned in the same way.

All the clan mechs are that way. If you have no lower arm actuators your arms have no lateral traverse. One lower arm actuator gives you 10° traverse to either side. and both depends on the mech (Dires and War Hawks can't have both with the available pods).

As for the YLW, the lack of lateral traverse is really a balancing factor. The thing is already surprisingly good even without it.

[DrRedCoat]

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the King Crab concept art but here it is for reference.

If it looks anything like this, I'll be happy. What I am concerned about is scale. I'm willing to accept that this mech should be the widest in the game but I'm expecting it to be a short torso and relatively short, overall. Personally, unless the CT ends up being a gigantic (and I mean, absurdly huge) hitbox, I don't think it'll be XL conducive.
What I am most curious about is how this thing is going to twist. Both the classic BT and Dark Age models have the legs going straight into the torso. But we saw with the Blackhawk that PGI isn't going to forgo a proper torso (seriously, that thing is suppose to twist something like 2 degrees).
TL;DR We'll see how this thing comes out but I'm super stoked regardless.

[Asyres]

I don't know that it's a good idea to speculate about hitboxes for a mech we don't even have concept art for yet, but XLs on slow IS assaults are pretty much always a bad idea, regardless of what the mech looks like.

[MisterPlanetarian]

Bront, on 17 September 2014 - 10:10 AM, said:

If it's XL Viable, it'll likely be DOA, as I expect a fairly wide torso, so that would be mostly CT.

Don't be so quick to count it out if it's "XL viable". The battlemaster faced similar criticism before it made it's debut. an XL350 King Crab could probably make a decent long range platform. Much faster at getting into position compared to a Dire Wolf for example.

Edited by MisterPlanetarian, 22 September 2014 - 04:05 AM.

[Bront]

MisterPlanetarian, on 22 September 2014 - 04:04 AM, said:

Don't be so quick to count it out if it's "XL viable". The battlemaster faced similar criticism before it made it's debut. an XL350 King Crab could probably make a decent long range platform. Much faster at getting into position compared to a Dire Wolf for example.

The Battlemaster was thinner and faster though. And had a missile variant and high mounted energy weapons for hill-humping.

If it dies via CT easily, it's a problem for a mech that can dedicate 18 tons to armor.

[IraqiWalker]

MisterPlanetarian, on 22 September 2014 - 04:04 AM, said:

Don't be so quick to count it out if it's "XL viable". The battlemaster faced similar criticism before it made it's debut. an XL350 King Crab could probably make a decent long range platform. Much faster at getting into position compared to a Dire Wolf for example.

Remember when the SHD was considered DOA, and it was partly because it was gonna be an XL mech, with no abundance of hardpoints. Turns out it's the top competitive medium right off the bat.

[Richard Warts]

I don't know; if taking an XL engine would allow me to sport dual AC/20 plus dual Gauss (probably torso mounts) or dare I dream, triple AC/20, I'd consider it. Regardless, this mech should be loads of fun.

Edited by Tabu 73, 22 September 2014 - 08:17 AM.

[IraqiWalker]

Tabu 73, on 22 September 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

I don't know; if taking an XL engine would allow me to sport dual AC/20 plus dual Gauss (probably torso mounts) or dare I dream, triple AC/20, I'd consider it. Regardless, this mech should be loads of fun.

I like the way you think.

[Richard Warts]

Edited by Tabu 73, 22 September 2014 - 09:42 AM.

[MisterPlanetarian]

Tabu 73, on 22 September 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

I don't know; if taking an XL engine would allow me to sport dual AC/20 plus dual Gauss (probably torso mounts) or dare I dream, triple AC/20, I'd consider it. Regardless, this mech should be loads of fun.

350 XL w/4 Internal DHS
2x Gauss (6t ammo)
2x ERLL
2x SSRM2/1x SRM6 (1t ammo)

608 Armor
Endo Steel

This is a loadout that will fit using the Atlas as a template. Goes 62kph with speed tweak and hits really hard at 700m. Waiting for the Gauss/ERLL weapon range modules in october to round it off.

It's small size, low profile and decent speed would turn it into a turret that can take up position alot easier than a DW or Atlas could. It's no Victor ofcourse but I'll be damned if this thing can't make it's mark.

You could also run a Standard 300 engine if you really need the extra survivability. You'll have to drop 3 DHS and go down to 54kph though.

The problem with using AC20's and a standard engine is that you will be completely without either speed or mid/long range firepower.

Edited by MisterPlanetarian, 22 September 2014 - 11:50 AM.

[Asyres]

Tabu 73, on 22 September 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

I don't know; if taking an XL engine would allow me to sport dual AC/20 plus dual Gauss (probably torso mounts) or dare I dream, triple AC/20, I'd consider it. Regardless, this mech should be loads of fun.

Not to burst your bubble, but taking an XL automatically means you can't do triple AC20, since it means you can't fit one in a side torso.

[IraqiWalker]

Asyres, on 22 September 2014 - 06:24 PM, said:

Not to burst your bubble, but taking an XL automatically means you can't do triple AC20, since it means you can't fit one in a side torso.

Yeah, but dual AC20+Dual Gauss can work (not much room for ammo -like 2-4 tons total-).

[Escef]

IraqiWalker, on 22 September 2014 - 07:15 PM, said:

Yeah, but dual AC20+Dual Gauss can work (not much room for ammo -like 2-4 tons total-).

A spiritual successor?
http://youtu.be/XADW_hFbFbY

[Bront]

Tabu 73, on 22 September 2014 - 08:08 AM, said:

I don't know; if taking an XL engine would allow me to sport dual AC/20 plus dual Gauss (probably torso mounts) or dare I dream, triple AC/20, I'd consider it. Regardless, this mech should be loads of fun.

You want a Dire Whale. Not happening on a King Crab.

There is no way to mount a triple AC20 with an XL on an IS mech.

I just worry that a mech that works best with an XL means it's significantly less durrable, and for a 100 ton mech, durrability is important.

[Asyres]

Bront, on 17 September 2014 - 10:10 AM, said:

If it's XL Viable, it'll likely be DOA, as I expect a fairly wide torso, so that would be mostly CT.

But I may be surprised.

This. There isn't going to be a way to make it fast enough to shoot & scoot like a Battlemaster, so it's gonna take some damage whether you like it or not. All things being equal, you want that damage going to ST and arms, since if it all goes to CT you're hosed. Basically, if it has decent hitboxes for a 100t mech, it's not going to be XL viable. And that's a good thing.

[Hex Pallett]

This is what the King Crab is probably gonna look like.



It's in the latest community-shoutout-video-thing.

Seems like the applicability of XL engine will depend entirely on how they allocate the hitboxes.