It's fast with a max speed of 89.1 kph, has 460 armor (which is more than the gargoyle), and is easily built with good firepower, max dps and efficient heat dissipation.
Compare the Atlas to the Timberwolf with similar builds.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0a1292ce4681505
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8d9723320400800
Bear in mind one is an assault and one is a heavy mech. Due to the superiority of clan tech the Timberwolf is a much better all around package with better survivability due to its increased speed and range. It can also get away with using a close up high damage build because it can move in to strike with a flank attack and fade away. The pace of the game has changed and now with more players per team speed is a huge issue. Faster speeds let you avoid more damage and pick more advantageous fights.
You could use something slightly trollish like this:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...201b67e11af165e
A build like that has high dps with insane heat efficiency and can actually get away with using close range weapons due to its speed. A mech like the Timberwolf that seems to do everything well really starts to break the game at its core. Why play a medium when you can be 10 kph slower with 40% more armor and lots more weapons (and enough heat sinks to actually keep firing them)? I think it's about time we re-visit the maximum engine size for IS medium mechs. The reason you nerfed them in the first place was because people were making them go about as fast as stock lights (with little firepower but lots of avoidance). Guess what mech is doing the same role-breaking at a higher weight class?
Overall it is a symptom of a serious problem when a 75 ton heavy mech performs about as well as a 100 ton assault mech. I think we need to re-consider the double heat sink issue for IS mechs. Everyone wanted 2.0 heat sinks and it is never going to happen; you gave us 1.4 at that was fine until clan mechs came out. I think it's about time we change IS double heat sinks to 1.7 and see where that gets us. Every clan mech has a DHS advantage due to its larger engine and the only way you're going to close the win/loss gap is with some love to the IS mechs. Let me clarify that I'm asking for nerfs to the Timberwolf by proxy as it should stay the same and its enemies should be buffed (which is a nerf from its point of view). The only changes it might need are some hitbox changes. This probably needs to happen to the stormcrow and nova as well.
If I'm wrong and the TW isn't broken then please by all means show me an IS heavy mech build that even remotely comes close in terms of speed/survivability/damage/heat dissipation. You will never make an IS heavy mech that has close to 60 firepower with 90 kph speeds and has good heat dissipation while still having max armor. No IS heavy mech will ever touch the TW because IS mechs don't get 5x double heat sinks in the engine (much less XL 375s) and they don't have 12 possible weapon slots. You know quite honestly we might just need to classify the Timberwolf as an assault mech. That's about the only quirk that's going to put it in line. Note that suddenly the Summoner has a reason to exist if this happens.
If you took the head/center torso/left arm of a CTF-4X and welded that to the remains of an Ilya Muromets you might have something resembling a close match. We'll call this new mech "Magic" because that is what it would take to beat the Timberwolf.
Components:
5 Medium lasers (6.25 damage per second/5 heat per second)
1 SRM 6 (3.23 dps/1 hps)
2 UAC 5 (6.02 dps/1.2 hps)
2 Machine guns (1.6 dps/0 hps)
340 XL engine (because it needs to be about 90 kph)+ 3 DHS
2 tons UAC 5 ammo
1/2 ton MG ammo
1/2 ton SRM ammo
Just for fun let's mount all that on a direwolf (we can't use 18.5 heat sinks so let's use 19). So our Frankenstein would run at 86.6 kph and have something resembling 57 firepower with 34% heat effeciency.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3bfbebf11cae734
Edited by Glythe, 19 September 2014 - 06:51 AM.