41 replies to this topic

[Johny Rocket]

Really loved the Vulture in MW3-4 so last days of premium time I'll have for a while were used with finishing touches on my Stalkers and buying a Mad Dog A. Was so looking forward to 6 missile hardpoints and the ballistic hardpoint which is rare for a Lrm boat.
So I got it and played the stock splatdog build but figured out way to quick that this mech is to squishy to deliver more than a few alpha strikes at toe to toe distance on anything but lights.
Out performed by my STK 5M with 5 srm6 and 5 medium lasers. yeah its one less srm6 but 20 more of them wouldn't balance the endurance of the dog with the Stalker.
So I went with 6 lrm5s. I am a big fan of boating with more smaller launchers vs less of the larger size. Firepower rating is seriously misleading here. Rate of fire balances ordinance down range and I think the constant stream has a bigger psych affect on the enemy.
So here's the problem, with 6 c-lrm5s(8 tons of clrms) a c-erppc and a c-ac5 this mech does not even perform as well as my Kintaro 18C.
The Kintaro is sporting 5 lrm5s and 2 med lasers with 9 tons of lrms and consistently lasts longer in battle and gets an average of 50-100% more damage points. I also get more kills with the Kintaro.
There is only 5 tons difference between them and both sport an XL300. The quirks on the Kintaro just don't add up to this difference. Speaking of lrm alpha strike the Dog falls right between the Kintaro at 25 and my 5M at 35 (2lrm10s and 3 lrm5s) so you would think the resulting score would to but this dog is nowhere even close to the damage Kills/assists of the 5M.
The arms obviously sit to low for effective snipping with advanced zoom so its useless as a sniper as well.
Did I miss something before buying this fairly expensive disappointment? Are c-lrm5s nerfed or is it the dog it's self.

[Corbenik]

Streamed missiles kinda suck ;x alot can get taken out easily as opposed to the spit wad of IS missiles

[El Bandito]

Mad Dog is the same size of Mad Cat.

Edited by El Bandito, 16 March 2015 - 09:19 AM.

[Johny Rocket]

Corbenik, on 16 March 2015 - 09:17 AM, said:

Streamed missiles kinda suck ;x alot can get taken out easily as opposed to the spit wad of IS missiles

But I use chainfire on all 3 builds.

[Reitrix]

My Mad Dog with 6x ALRM5 is superior to my IS missile boats.

The problem you have is that you're used to the IS Launchers, they are cluster fired, where the Clan ones are streaming.
AMS will chew up a huge amount of your missiles, and more will miss due to the target seeking cover.

Take a TAG and some CMLs and you should be fine, just gotta get used to the different Launchers.

[Corbenik]

idk all the lower streams even chained always seem to get taken out so much that it feels like less oomph than IS spit wads.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

I run all my missile mechs with 2 missile weapon groups.

1 chainfires them, so I can spread the damage a bit and manage high heat 15's and 20's a bit better [especially with mad dog]

2 group fires them, this is for if I encounter heavy AMS, by group firing 2+ launchers worth of even LRM5's, I can overwhelm the enemy's ams and get at least some damage through the AMS screen.

[RedDevil]

Even if you chain fire your IS LRM wads, they still all hit at once. Once the CLRM starts plinking, you can duck behind cover and cut off the second half of the volley.

There might be something else going on, but the general "damage over time" nature of clan weapons is usually balanced out by increased damage. This isn't the case with LRMs.

[Macksheen]

I think the real issue is the PPC and ballistics you've included.

Drop one of them; consider replacing one arm w/ a multi-energy omnipod and slapping on a few smaller lasers and a TAG. Put on a CAP. Maximize your armor. Fill the remaining w/ ammo and / or heatsinks.

DISCLOSURE: The only LRMs I ran on a Mad Dog were LRM20s (with energy in both arms). For the A I run either SRM6x6 or Streak6x6 basically (both with Artemis).

Edited by Macksheen, 16 March 2015 - 09:29 AM.

[Bigbacon]

5xLRM10
Narc
2ML

Narc your tagets and spam them to hell.

[Johny Rocket]

well that is consistent advice, now that I am back to grubbing cbills with out premium I really didn't want to waste them on bigger launchers, not when I need modules and bits for my other mechs.
Been thinking about swapping the ballistics arm for the 2 energy one off of the prime and running some cmed pulse and mixing in some larger launchers, but to get where I would need to be I would be around another 2-3 mil cbills. But at almost 14 mil in not playing it would be a waste.

Edited by Tractor Joe, 16 March 2015 - 09:35 AM.

[Thorqemada]

A Mad Dog is no Brawler, a Target of higher Priority than some IS Medium and a Stalker is an Assault that should be able to perform well - i dont see a Problem here.

You need to find out the best Launcher-Size and Firemode for your Mech and Playstyle.
I had a Mech underperforming and the solution was to switch to staggered fire which doubled its performance - others work better with bulkfire - Artemis, TAG, NARC yes/no - some Mechs prefer a specific Tube count and Testing Ground tells on Testing Ground truths.

Edited by Thorqemada, 16 March 2015 - 09:38 AM.

[Reitrix]

Thorqemada, on 16 March 2015 - 09:37 AM, said:

A Mad Dog is no Brawler, a Target of higher Priority than some IS Medium and a Stalker is an Assault that should be able to perform well - i dont see a Problem here.

I beg to differ, my MDD-B is kitted out with 24 CSRMs, 3CMLs and an LBX20. Its quite brutal in facehug range.

[Scout Derek]

If you managed to do some matches around 2 days ago and now, you should he getting some well deserved cbills from the challenge. Also mad dog not made to fight up front, more of a support mech to stick back and sit there.

Reitrix, on 16 March 2015 - 09:45 AM, said:

I beg to differ, my MDD-B is kitted out with 24 CSRMs, 3CMLs and an LBX20. Its quite brutal in facehug range.

Only good for 1 match. Not made for CW I assume...

[Reitrix]

Scout Derek, on 16 March 2015 - 09:47 AM, said:

If you managed to do some matches around 2 days ago and now, you should he getting some well deserved cbills from the challenge. Also mad dog not made to fight up front, more of a support mech to stick back and sit there.



Only good for 1 match. Not made for CW I assume...

Lol, because 'Mech longevity is a thing in CW anymore than it is in the arcade modes?
It carries enough ammunition to put down up 4 'mechs solo. And even when I'm out of ammo, it still has Lasers. I don't run *any* 'Mech without Backup Lasers if i can possibly equip them.

[Cyborne Elemental]

Problem with the Maddog is the Torso's hitboxes ended up with far too much surface area.

Only way to play the maddog is to stay out of sight, spewing LRM's like.. well.. mad, and pray that nobody rushes you.

That or play it strictly as a light interceptor, and annihilate lights with 6x S-SRM6, but then you're vulnerable to anything with range.

I found it to be one of the most frustrating mechs I've ever played, mostly because I like to brawl and get into fights, but there is just no way you can brawl with it, you're guaranteed to nearly instantly lose one of your torso's, and then try to cripple fight and tank with your broken side.

Its kinda sad too, because it had the potential to be a great heavy mech if only the hitboxes were distributed better.

[Metus regem]

Thorqemada, on 16 March 2015 - 09:37 AM, said:

A Mad Dog is no Brawler, a Target of higher Priority than some IS Medium and a Stalker is an Assault that should be able to perform well - i dont see a Problem here.

You need to find out the best Launcher-Size and Firemode for your Mech and Playstyle.
I had a Mech underperforming and the solution was to switch to staggered fire which doubled its performance - others work better with bulkfire - Artemis, TAG, NARC yes/no - some Mechs prefer a specific Tube count and Testing Ground tells on Testing Ground truths.

It can brawl, I've proved it a few times with my MDD-PRIME, just have to pick and chose my targets, and I have beaten King Crabs with this build.. Just have to understand that you will lose a ST and arm, then use it as a shield for 50% damage reduction. I like symmetry in my Clan mechs, that way to I don't have to worry about losing a side that is my strong side.

[Scout Derek]

Reitrix, on 16 March 2015 - 09:51 AM, said:

Lol, because 'Mech longevity is a thing in CW anymore than it is in the arcade modes?
It carries enough ammunition to put down up 4 'mechs solo. And even when I'm out of ammo, it still has Lasers. I don't run *any* 'Mech without Backup Lasers if i can possibly equip them.

Yep to question #1 and to explanation #1 a mech is only good as the pilot using it, and who the pilot faces in his mech. Just because you don't run backup lasers doesn't mean that 3 CERML will do much. I run on my Summoner 2LPL, 2ML, and a lrm 15 with 1 1/2 tons of ammo and a DHS. Things a workhouse and is usually sticking back until 2-3 mechs are dead on either side.

[Johny Rocket]

Thorqemada, on 16 March 2015 - 09:37 AM, said:

A Mad Dog is no Brawler, a Target of higher Priority than some IS Medium and a Stalker is an Assault that should be able to perform well - i dont see a Problem here.

You need to find out the best Launcher-Size and Firemode for your Mech and Playstyle.
I had a Mech underperforming and the solution was to switch to staggered fire which doubled its performance - others work better with bulkfire - Artemis, TAG, NARC yes/no - some Mechs prefer a specific Tube count and Testing Ground tells on Testing Ground truths.

that's the thing though, when you are making kills you become a prime target no matter what you are in, doesn't take long for them to figure out its the IS medium handing it to them and the Dog falls perfectly between the 2 as I would guess the score would.

[Macksheen]

Thorqemada, on 16 March 2015 - 09:37 AM, said:

A Mad Dog is no Brawler, a Target of higher Priority than some IS Medium and a Stalker is an Assault that should be able to perform well - i dont see a Problem here.

You need to find out the best Launcher-Size and Firemode for your Mech and Playstyle.
I had a Mech underperforming and the solution was to switch to staggered fire which doubled its performance - others work better with bulkfire - Artemis, TAG, NARC yes/no - some Mechs prefer a specific Tube count and Testing Ground tells on Testing Ground truths.

Other than the one I ran w/ LRMs, the rest I ran COMPLETELY as brawlers.