83 replies to this topic

[mad kat]

Judas Goat, on 03 December 2014 - 02:19 PM, said:

I like the idea behind this Centurion build, but it only has a Firepower of 37.8. It is compact and durable it seems though.

CN9-A

SRM6's with artemis are far better (extra 12.9 damage for give or take 4/5 tons more) and a STD engine (lower than 240 is too slow too) are what makes the brawler.

You could do with more ammo than that hence why i used medium lasers instead of pulse laser and that also keeps heat more controllable for tougher opponents. Remember staying in the fight is better than playing russian roulette with overheating or running out of ammo. In protracted battles you will find switching the SRM's to chain fire better too to prevent overheating.

Smurfy doesn't always give the full picture either some mechs which appear under gunned on paper (smurfy) can actually do very well. My CN9-A with the build i posted has a Kill death ratio of 3.0 using artemis SRM's

Edited by mad kat, 04 December 2014 - 06:48 AM.

[SunSword Squire]

Is it wrong to have multiple accounts?

Is it possible?

[mad kat]

No and Yes afaik, i do but i've forgotten the details for my backup account as i never use it.

Edited by mad kat, 04 December 2014 - 03:29 AM.

[SunSword Squire]

So, if I did go Clanner, I could have an IS acct too. Cool.

[SnagaDance]

Something that hasn't yet been talked about when discussing the Griffin and Wolverine. Cockpit view. The Griffin for instance is known for its excellent view from its cockpit (in contrast, the Shadowhawk, probably the most popular 55 IS tonner has a rather horrible view, often further obscured by its LT ballistics barrels). Can't really say how the view is from a Wolverine though. You might want to look into that.

Another thing is the Arms and torso movement. On the main Smurfy page that lists all of the mechs there is also a 'Torso / Arm' column. This tell you how many degrees the toso can turn left and right (yaw) and forwards and backwards (pitch). Same thing for the arms (note that mechs without lower arm actuators like Jenners have a 0 degree yaw!). In terms of maximum freedom of movement a weapon has it matters if the weapon is torso or arm mounted (only relevant if you have arm lock off, do so to better your play). In the case of arm mounted weapons you actually add those 2 numbers. Don't forget the bonusses you might get from your Basic skills (x2)!!

So ignoring the skills the Griffin can move it's torso weapons 130 degrees to each side and arm weapons go an additional 35 degrees for a total of 165 which is almost straight backwards (you'd need 180 degrees for that) Pitch is 25 and 55 total from the neutral.

Wolverine can 'only' go 160 to the sides with its arm weapons but has an additional 10 degrees pitch. So the Griffin is the better twister while the Wolverine is better at shooting lower or higher targets.

(Btw, the Shadowhawk by comparison has a pityful 125 degree arm range, but a middle 60 degrees pitch.)

Just some more information in case you were worried there was not enough to consider already.

[John1352]

Adding to what SnagaDance said, if you want to know what the cockpit of a mech looks like, watch 10 seconds of a youtube video if it, like this wolverine one:

Have a look here: http://mwomercs.com/...x-localization/ to see what your mechs will look like as targets, and maybe take the trial centurion out for a spin as it will be somewhat similar to the mechs you're looking at. (try twisting to absorb damage with the arms, especially the cent's left shield arm, a useful tactic for most of the medium mechs)

[Brizna]

Just one more thing about SRMs.

Range bonus for SRM isn't too important since SRMs fire like a shotgun, so the closer your target is the more concentrated damage is so it is aplied on few body sections, but if your target is far chances are you are going to spread damage all over it's body, even some missiles will fail to land, so that 24 damage will be so spread that it won't matter much.

To offset this spread you have Artemis, the Clan and IS are identical for once, they both add 1 ton and 1 crit to each LRM/SRM launcher you equip. SRM+Artemis launchers will fire a much tighter cluster increasing the precission and deadliness of launchers. In general SRM6s launchers should be used with Artemis while it should be avoided on SRM2s, SRM4 being somewhere in between. The reasson for this are two fold: for one the 1 ton+slots penalty applies on a per launcher basis so biger and less launchers is better but also becuase spread is mostly an issue of large launchers since small clusters do not spread that much to begin with.

*Note1: Artemis also reduces lock time for LRMs and streaks but this is not an issue for SRMs since they are dumbfire.
*Note2: Artemis is a mech upgrade, the cost depends on the mech weight and it's not too much, what is more expensive is that you need to buy artemis versions of the lauchers which are pretty expensive, that said they are worth their cost.

Edited by Brizna, 04 December 2014 - 05:31 AM.

[Zerandir]

As i said earlier... go with Wolverines and start with 7K... WVR will fit your style much better than SHD's or GRF's... I went SHD->GRF->WVR route for SRM brawling and WVR-7K is the best SRM brawler of them all. Cockpit view is nearly the same as in GRF and much, much better than in SHD. Also dont forget WVR's better vertical torso movement, it will help you greatly in brawls. Also WVR's head mounted laser helps somewhat...

GRF-3M is "great" for 4-SRM6 or 4-ASRM6 but you either lack Artemis so missile spread is terrible or you dont punch that hard. GRF's are NOT best SRM brawlers. GRF-1N is an ok srm brawler but still not as good as WVR-7K.

SHD's have terrible torso twist in comparison with GRF's and WVR's.. The only SHD that can mount 3-ASRM6 is SHD-2K... but you are totaly missing weapons in the arms so have fun with lights and UAV's. Other SHD "can" SRM brawl but not as effectively.

And finaly remember that you need/want to buy three different SHD's / WVR's /GRF's to be able to unlock Elite skill tier and double your basic tier efficiency. With GRF's you will be stuck with missiles(LRM/SRM) and energy weapons. SHD's are versatile. With 3 WVR's you will get best IS SRM brawler, great rapid fire dual AC5 mech and great LRG pulse mech. So each variant is different and play's differently.

Edited by Zerandir, 04 December 2014 - 05:33 AM.

[Brizna]

Zerandir, on 04 December 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

And finaly remember that you need/want to buy three different SHD's / WVR's /GRF's to be able to unlock Elite skill tier and double your basic tier efficiency. With GRF's you will be stuck with missiles(LRM/SRM) and energy weapons. SHD's are versatile. With 3 WVR's you will get best IS SRM brawler, great rapid fire dual AC5 mech and great LRG pulse mech. So each variant is different and play's differently.

Yup that shadowhawk versatility is the reasson why it's sugested to most newbies, the different shadohawks can do all roles in a single chasis wich let's you progress quickly in the mech's skill tree.
You seam set on a single role, SRM brawling, but wouldn't you like to try other roles too while you level your chasis? sniping, fire support, LRMs... shadowhawk isn't the best at any but it can do all. Hence it being a great starter mech.

[mad kat]

Brizna, on 04 December 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

*Note1: Artemis also reduces lock time for LRMs and streaks but this is not an issue for SRMs since they are dumbfire.

Artemis doesn't affect streaks at all (inner sphere). So there is no weight or slot penalty applied to them and consequently no gain either.

My pretty baby has ARSM6 and two SSRM2's missiles for this reason.

Edited by mad kat, 04 December 2014 - 06:59 AM.

[SnagaDance]

mad kat, on 04 December 2014 - 06:55 AM, said:

Artemis doesn't affect streaks at all (inner sphere). So there is no weight or slot penalty applied to them and consequently no gain either.

My pretty baby has ARSM6 and two SSRM2's missiles for this reason.

I don't know if this has actually been changed since the split between having to actually buy seperate Artemis or non-Artemis launchers (before the launcher automatically swapped type on adding/removing Artemis). While Artemis did not change the SSRM2 launcher to an ASSRM2 launcher (which do not exist) it actually DID decrease lock-on time (it's not a bug, it's a feature!), hence my Artemis equipped Streaktaro for instance. I wouldn't be surprised if this still works. Anyone have a definative answer on this?

[mad kat]

SnagaDance, on 04 December 2014 - 07:17 AM, said:

I don't know if this has actually been changed since the split between having to actually buy seperate Artemis or non-Artemis launchers (before the launcher automatically swapped type on adding/removing Artemis). While Artemis did not change the SSRM2 launcher to an ASSRM2 launcher (which do not exist) it actually DID decrease lock-on time (it's not a bug, it's a feature!), hence my Artemis equipped Streaktaro for instance. I wouldn't be surprised if this still works. Anyone have a definative answer on this?

Oh that's got past the patch notes....Hmmmm

[SunSword Squire]

Is there a way to not PUG in this game?

[Rogue Jedi]

Judas Goat, on 05 December 2014 - 02:07 AM, said:

Is there a way to not PUG in this game?

there are a number of Teamspeek servers where you can find a group to drop with or you can join a unit, many of whinc have a private teamspeek server.

to find a unit follow these links:
http://mwomercs.com/...s-inner-sphere/
http://mwomercs.com/...factions-clans/
http://mwomercs.com/...ons-merc-corps/

do a bit of reaserch before joining a unit e.g. if you are interested in becoming a competitave player you do not want to join a purely casual unit.

many units will be happy to train you if needed

[SunSword Squire]

Thanks Rogue.

I'm a casual player myself, but I am looking for more than pugging all the time...

[SuperPignouf]

Hey Goat,

I did not look at the other answers, so mine may be a bit redundant. The first thing you have to consider is your alignment for upcoming community warfare. If the answer is "clan", just get a timberwolf (I would advice TBR-C for the extra CT laser hardpoint). There are a lot of good timberwolf builds, below are some examples taken from Mechspec.com

Brawler: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e7e0912c6d6083c
Laser boat: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8c95c35f77ec551
Dakka: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...dd466f48e6e8fe2

The timby is seen most of the time as the best heavy mech (if not the best mech in the game). It can be built into more or less anything ranging from brawler to LRM boat, sniper, etc...

If you want to join the ranks of the Inner Sphere during community warfare, I'd just advice you to get Hunchbacks then a Jagermech. Because those are all quiete easy mech to play, relatively cheap to build (most hunchies run STD engines) and give a lot of variety in playstyle. What I would advise to do is:

Get a Hunchback 4G(because we love big guns): http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b66effc6f3f860d
A 4J (nice missile boat): http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9df3a8923cbd5fa
A 4P (nice med laser boat, my favorite hunchback): http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7bdb52298dc96a8

Then just get a JM6-DD: it's an all around fun mech that you can use as a firesupport with several ridiculous builds (3UAC5's, or 2 AC20 or 2 Gauss, or 6Machine guns + 2LPL's). Since the quirks an other idea would be to get the Thunderbolt 5SS and just put 7 medpulse lasers on it.
Something to keep in mind before buying an IS mech is that the quirks may change (I heard they're going to change them on the 15th of December ?) so any given advice on IS mech may be deprecated in two weeks.

Hope it may remotely help you.

[Rogue Jedi]

Judas Goat, on 05 December 2014 - 03:02 AM, said:

Thanks Rogue.

I'm a casual player myself, but I am looking for more than pugging all the time...

then add some of the people who have responded to your questions as a friend ingame, (under the icon in the bottom right of center, with a crude picture of 3 people on it) when you see several of us online create a group and send out invites to get a group without signing up to anything,

or else this thread:
http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/
has details of number of teamspeek servers where you should be able to find casual groups of players

[Jody Von Jedi]

JG,

Don't discount lasers. They are in a good place right now. Especially Medium Laser boats. Six ML is still 30 damage points of face melting goodness. IMHO, the HBK-4P is a good beginner mech again. I had a 1200 damage match with this loadout recently. Not having to worry about ammo is a good thing.

If you stick with the SRMs, the GRF is really hard to beat. Here are some of my favorite builds. You'll notice a theme.

GRF-1N GRF-3M

The advantage of the GRF over the SHD is it's field of view from the cockpit. I prefer it over the SHD for this reason alone. Of course if you want to use Ballistic weapons, you'd want the SHD.

I'd recommend the Trebuchet, it's one of my personal favorites, but I know I'm in the minority. Most people believe the 50 ton mechs can't compete with the 55 tonners. I've had great success with the 7M. When I'm in a slump, it's my go to mech.

TBT-7M

Jody

[Koniving]

Judas Goat, on 03 December 2014 - 02:25 AM, said:

Hello all! I'm pretty new, only playing a week or so. I'm done with my Cadet bonus and I've got almost 11m c-bills saved. I'm looking to buy my first mech and I am unsure what to get and could really use some help.

Using the trial mechs I've got a bit of a feel for my play style. I like closing and wrecking face. I really like SRMs, and I like the larger mechs so I was thinking about a Heavy or Assault.

I was looking at a Timberwolf, and I've been playing the Prime a lot but it dosnt really fit my play style. I do have 38k exp in it though, so I was thinking about it.

I just really don't know what I should do. Is there something else I should be looking at? What do people recommend? Please help, thanks.

Welcome, you came to the right place.

For the Inner Sphere mechs and your criteria:
50 tons: (Sorry it's only one, the Hunchback is good too but not enough variants can use the weapons you prefer. The Trebuchet I believe requires more experience than you currently have in order to enjoy it).
Centurions (A, D, AH, AL). The AH isn't available for cbills yet.

55 tons:
Shadowhawk (Any variant). I highly recommend the 5M first, it is pre-upgraded.
Kintaro (any variants). The "20" variant is the pre-upgraded one but I do highly recommend changing its loadout.
(Griffin can fit this as well, but the 'joy' of a Griffin is situational, not everyone enjoys them and they aren't terribly SRM-friendly, only 2 variants can pull off what you want).
(Wolverine is my favorite, but only one variant can really pull off what you want).

65 tons:
Catapults can satisfy this desire, but they require XL engines and do not come with them [too expensive for a new player to start with].
Thunderbolts have 4 variants that can satisfy this, provided you like a combination of arms. They can be fast and tank fairly well, but they are not fast without XL engines (unless super hot).

75 tons:
Orions. Think of this as a faster, lighter, smaller Atlas. It is the same weight class as the Timber Wolf, and can go 'almost' as fast. Though it's actually better when it is not that fast.

----------

Clan Omnimechs:

55 tons: Stormcrow, any version. Up to 5 missile pods depending on the body parts you slap on. 97 kph. What more could you ask for?

70 tons: Summoner can do what you want. But I would not steer you in this direction; you're not ready for it yet.

75 tons: Timber Wolf. Maximum of 4 missile pods. Does pretty much what you're looking for.

Good luck.

Far as posting builds... Use Smurfy.
Here's an example.

[SunSword Squire]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I think I am going to go with the Wolverine.

I did go and watch some videos of games and the Wolverine had the only cockpit view I wasn't constantly trying to zoom out of... Which is hard to do with a Youtube video lol!

I'm also going to create another account that will be my Clan account, and for that, I'll be saving for a Timberwolf I think.

Anyway, I hope to see you all in game some time! Just look for my antennas!