25 replies to this topic

[Hex Pallett]

Took me a while to realize but....

Is Nova really slow or what?

I don't have the numbers at hand yet but I'm pretty sure Timber Wolf has a faster accel./decel. rate or even the arm movement. And in comparison my Hunchbacks react like lightning!

Maybe it's because I haven't Mastered the skills? Or is Nova intentionally gimped to cope with the ridiculous amount of hardpoints?

[DONTOR]

It feels that slow because you havent completed skillng it out, but to answer your question yes, it is slow, especially for a 50 ton mech.

[Mad Ox]

Gives up speed to have the flexibility of jump jets. Nova is more of a support the herd mech using its jets to get stuck in at odd places when the herd has attention of enemy. Then use its immense firepower to carve up some enemy. Jets used right more them make up for lack of speed.

Want speed and Medium get Stormcrow probably my fav clan mech at moment, very good mech decent weapon load out's. Or even more speed grab the Ice Ferret/Fenris in the Wave 2, one of my all time fav battletech mechs that things decently tough and real fast.

[Pezzer]

To make up for the large number of hardpoints, yes, the Nova is slower than the average "good" 50 ton mech build. The Side torsos feel like barndoors as well, which truly does make the Mech useless (in the current meta) imo. This is coming from someone that enjoys it despite its' faults.

It's a medium mech that --in theory-- can carry a Heavy or Assault mech's weapons payload. That being said, gl trying to pilot the NOVA-PRIME in default config.

After the latest clan weapons nerf, 12 med lasers is an unbearable level of heat, as it probably should be. So long story short, the Nova is good for boating weapons and exploiting distracted mechs/nooks and crannies in the map. That's it. 89 kph makes it just as fast as a clan Heavy with almost the same weapons, but lacking that extra 30% armor/durability and the tonnage to go with it.

To put it simply, NOVA=mini Heavy clan mech with arguably oversized side torsos and less tonnage, with less armor to go with that. I would call it a super-super niche mech when it comes to playstyle and viability, just like the 20-ton/60-ton/80-ton Mechs.

That being said,the number of hardpoints and the risk-reward behavior this mech forces you to use make it a great mech that will teach the player how to improve their regular gameplay. It's a challenge mech that is even more challenging than the average 50-tonner, but if played correctly can net Heavy Mech levels of damage.

EDIT: I go in circles with my reasoning, sorry about that. Approaching the mech from a couple of different angles while using different terms in the hopes that one of my explanations makes more sense to you than the others.

Edited by Pezzer, 24 September 2014 - 10:25 PM.

[LordKnightFandragon]

DONTOR, on 24 September 2014 - 12:27 PM, said:

It feels that slow because you havent completed skillng it out, but to answer your question yes, it is slow, especially for a 50 ton mech.

Whats it's speed? isnt it like 86 or something? The Centurion with it's stock engine only moves like 64.8...what that with speed tweak? 70 something? Id say the Nova is still plenty fast enough. Its just the Clan heavies are really nimble for their weight.

But as for the Nova....atleast it's prime version seems to suck...12 lasers is overkill.

[totgeboren]

Yeah, that 81 (89) kmph speed isn't slow at all, since it's definitely above average for a medium mech.
What throws you off is that the Timber Wolf (all clan heavies really) move as fast as the fastest type of IS heavies (Dragon and Quickdraw) and which happen to be at the same speed as the Nova.

[SirSlaughter]

LordKnightFandragon, on 24 September 2014 - 10:57 PM, said:

Whats it's speed? isnt it like 86 or something? The Centurion with it's stock engine only moves like 64.8...what that with speed tweak? 70 something? Id say the Nova is still plenty fast enough. Its just the Clan heavies are really nimble for their weight.

But as for the Nova....atleast it's prime version seems to suck...12 lasers is overkill.

Nobody runs a centurion with stock engine... engine 250 at least

[Kristen Redmond]

Helmstif, on 24 September 2014 - 12:15 PM, said:

Took me a while to realize but....

Is Nova really slow or what?

I don't have the numbers at hand yet but I'm pretty sure Timber Wolf has a faster accel./decel. rate or even the arm movement. And in comparison my Hunchbacks react like lightning!

Maybe it's because I haven't Mastered the skills? Or is Nova intentionally gimped to cope with the ridiculous amount of hardpoints?

The Timber is a 75 ton mech, and the pinnicle of Clan Omni-mech technology for 3050. The Nova is an aging mech.

But, even in game terms, double tap someone in the CT for 12 CERML and they have to play cautious all game afterwards, if they are not outright dead. If you are a good shot, and the enemy hesitates for 1-2 seconds, the Nova Prime is the mech to make them pay for it.

[Lily from animove]

Yeah

Pezzer, on 24 September 2014 - 10:23 PM, said:

To make up for the large number of hardpoints, yes, the Nova is slower than the average "good" 50 ton mech build. The Side torsos feel like barndoors as well, which truly does make the Mech useless (in the current meta) imo. This is coming from someone that enjoys it despite its' faults.

It's a medium mech that --in theory-- can carry a Heavy or Assault mech's weapons payload. That being said, gl trying to pilot the NOVA-PRIME in default config.

After the latest clan weapons nerf, 12 med lasers is an unbearable level of heat, as it probably should be. So long story short, the Nova is good for boating weapons and exploiting distracted mechs/nooks and crannies in the map. That's it. 89 kph makes it just as fast as a clan Heavy with almost the same weapons, but lacking that extra 30% armor/durability and the tonnage to go with it.

To put it simply, NOVA=mini Heavy clan mech with arguably oversized side torsos and less tonnage, with less armor to go with that. I would call it a super-super niche mech when it comes to playstyle and viability, just like the 20-ton/60-ton/80-ton Mechs.

That being said,the number of hardpoints and the risk-reward behavior this mech forces you to use make it a great mech that will teach the player how to improve their regular gameplay. It's a challenge mech that is even more challenging than the average 50-tonner, but if played correctly can net Heavy Mech levels of damage.

EDIT: I go in circles with my reasoning, sorry about that. Approaching the mech from a couple of different angles while using different terms in the hopes that one of my explanations makes more sense to you than the others.

Most of this.

Actually Nova has some serious troubles.

No.1 size. Its wide as an atlas and has low slung arms. So no matter where you wanna appear, you need a very long time (compare dot other mechs) before you are exposed enough to see and shoot at an enemy. This leaves them enough time to aim and shoot at you. I main the nova, I love its design I love laods of - sensless- lasers. And the humming sound the Nova has is just epic. But after stepping in a SC it shows me even more what the novas issues are: Nimbleness. When you pop out and back with a Stomrcrow your size and hardpoints as well as additonaly speed will expose you only for a fraction of what the nova needs. And this is a serious problem. In a Nova you need to be aware all the time if someone looks in your direction. if he does, he will react aim and shootat you fast enough. While SC can dodge these shots in most of the times.

[Lily from animove]

Kristen Redmond, on 25 September 2014 - 12:28 AM, said:

The Timber is a 75 ton mech, and the pinnicle of Clan Omni-mech technology for 3050. The Nova is an aging mech.

But, even in game terms, double tap someone in the CT for 12 CERML and they have to play cautious all game afterwards, if they are not outright dead. If you are a good shot, and the enemy hesitates for 1-2 seconds, the Nova Prime is the mech to make them pay for it.

12+7 = 82 damage, there aren't that many mechs being really dead after this And those mechs being low on HP to make your statement true, will be nimble enough to dodge most lasers and spread them somewhere else than their CT.

[NUJRSYDEVIL]

I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the Nova as it used to be my favorite before the nerfs.

I run a PRIME with 6 ERML and 5 ERSML so my weapon load is only 8.5 tons. Unfortunately you need to have quite a few heat sinks on the Nova for it to even function. It's very impractical and I'm thinking about dumping it unless we can get a setup that doesn't suck.

+Jump Jets
+People don't tend to target a Nova

-About everything else

To the poster above, if you fire 12 lasers (6+6) you are done for the next 15 seconds. You cannot compete in the game and need to stand still and cool down to even get back in the fight.

I've run the Nova with ERMLs ERSMLs and even dual LPLs. They all suck after the more recent patches, the Nova was fun a month ago, it's almost unplayable now.

[mogs01gt]

Helmstif, on 24 September 2014 - 12:15 PM, said:

Took me a while to realize but....
Is Nova really slow or what?
I don't have the numbers at hand yet but I'm pretty sure Timber Wolf has a faster accel./decel. rate or even the arm movement. And in comparison my Hunchbacks react like lightning!
Maybe it's because I haven't Mastered the skills? Or is Nova intentionally gimped to cope with the ridiculous amount of hardpoints?

Like others have said, the Nova gives up agility because of the JJ's. Also the "locked" arms are annoying.

[Hex Pallett]

Already sold them all. Didn't even bother to master all the skills. This is the first time I sell a whole chassis without mastering the skills. At least Locusts are painful to run in a silly way. Novas are just downright painful.

Bought Stromcrows instead. Oh jolly joy!

[Rando Slim]

I keep tryin to tell people with these Novas.......use ballistics. They still aren't great no matter what you do with them other than look cool. But Im tellin ya': a UAC/5 in the right arm, 4 MGs in the torsos, and either 5 er medium lasers in the left arm or 4 if you need a lil help with heat management.. Even that build is still hot so I have no idea how anyone runs these builds with 8-12 lasers of any type on there.
I also has some luck with a 3 er Large Nova with 2 MGS and a targeting comp. Totally different playstyle than a typical Nova.

Edited by Scrotacus 42, 28 October 2014 - 03:45 AM.

[Lily from animove]

Scrotacus 42, on 28 October 2014 - 03:44 AM, said:

I keep tryin to tell people with these Novas.......use ballistics. They still aren't great no matter what you do with them other than look cool. But Im tellin ya': a UAC/5 in the right arm, 4 MGs in the torsos, and either 5 er medium lasers in the left arm or 4 if you need a lil help with heat management.. Even that build is still hot so I have no idea how anyone runs these builds with 8-12 lasers of any type on there.
I also has some luck with a 3 er Large Nova with 2 MGS and a targeting comp. Totally different playstyle than a typical Nova.

a single ac 5 is crap with the way how clan AC's fire. and your suggested build will be very low on ammo, too low to make actually proper use of that UAC 5.

running many lasers still works because you need to be patient and accept you can not solo any mech and stick with your pack.
But look at the tournament, the Nova is not a good mech at all. No matter how you build it, oher mechs will be better.

[Rando Slim]

I dunno man it works for me, you are right though its not a tournament/12 man worthy mech no matter what. The burst fire of clan UACs doesn't bother me at all, its not hard to plant our shots if you shoot fat slow things.....if you need to hit a light mech that's what lasers are for. Yea its low on ammo, but UAC/s have a built in ammo conservation mechanic, they jam.

[Ruccus]

Well, if you go by the scores in this weekend's Chassis Challenge the Nova is the second-worst mech in MWO.

It had the second lowest winning total of any mech, and second lowest total to get a prize (top ten). Only the Vindicator scored lower, and the Nova's winning score would've only been good enough for 14th place on the Stormcrow leaderboard (heck, it would've only been good enough for fourth on the Locust leaderboard).

[NovaFury]

Kristen Redmond, on 25 September 2014 - 12:28 AM, said:

If you are a good shot, and the enemy hesitates for 1-2 seconds, the Nova Prime is the mech to make them pay for it.

With a beam duration of roughly 1.25 seconds, and .5 seconds between firing to avoid ghost heat (which WILL kill you in a Nova), it requires an enemy who remains motionless for roughly two full seconds to deliver that damage to any particular location. Clicking too fast for any reason results in a quick trip straight to the ninth layer of hell itself.

Even an Atlas can twist that damage onto his arm in that amount of time. He could probably do it by leg-pivoting.

Edited by NovaFury, 28 October 2014 - 05:37 PM.

[Lily from animove]

Kristen Redmond, on 25 September 2014 - 12:28 AM, said:

The Timber is a 75 ton mech, and the pinnicle of Clan Omni-mech technology for 3050. The Nova is an aging mech.

But, even in game terms, double tap someone in the CT for 12 CERML and they have to play cautious all game afterwards, if they are not outright dead. If you are a good shot, and the enemy hesitates for 1-2 seconds, the Nova Prime is the mech to make them pay for it.

HAH No, that is abolutely the wrong way of thinking when comparing mechs. Its not you being a good shot then, its the opponent being a bad one. making mistakes with a emch, like not twisting, not firing back etc, is why good pilots can make nearly any chassis work, but only when they play vs less good pilots. Once they play vs equally skilled pilots. The purely mech based features define win and loss. And the Nova is very well situated in the tournament where it belongs to. It has horrible features from a First person shooter relevant aspects.

Edited by Lily from animove, 29 October 2014 - 01:59 AM.

[Kain Demos]

I'm really liking taking NOVA-PRIME and just removing 4 CERML from each arm and replacing with a CERLL. You can alpha strike and still keep each arm on separate groups too for peeking and heat control.