50 replies to this topic

[Dillirium]

Without reading everyone's replies.

To the OP,
The best thing AC/2 are suited for is suppression fire as you referenced. I was giving this a try on my Vindicator this weekend just to see what people would do. Once people start getting plinked to death by a couple AC/2's they back off. There were multiple instances where folks started to push and I sent a few rounds down field to the people initiating, they all would back down. This allowed our team to flank them. I was impressed how effective it was. At the end of the game I had only accumulated around 250'ish damage... So not that effective but the mental game it plays on folks was interesting.

Second best thing is distracting them. I would jump jet to a location behind enemy lines and start plinking as many folks as possible. This would cause them to turn and try to locate me 1,000 m's out. (Vindi has 15% range increase) A lot would start chasing or a minimum distract them from my team who were already engaging them. Caused them to freak out a bit

I switched the build over to a gaus rifle and PPC and I was around 500'ish dmg in comparison. To me, taking a couple folks down is probably more important.

Just my 2 cents.

[Madcap72]

Dillirium, on 30 March 2015 - 08:30 AM, said:

Without reading everyone's replies.

To the OP,
The best thing AC/2 are suited for is suppression fire as you referenced. I was giving this a try on my Vindicator this weekend just to see what people would do. Once people start getting plinked to death by a couple AC/2's they back off. There were multiple instances where folks started to push and I sent a few rounds down field to the people initiating, they all would back down. This allowed our team to flank them. I was impressed how effective it was. At the end of the game I had only accumulated around 250'ish damage... So not that effective but the mental game it plays on folks was interesting.

Second best thing is distracting them. I would jump jet to a location behind enemy lines and start plinking as many folks as possible. This would cause them to turn and try to locate me 1,000 m's out. (Vindi has 15% range increase) A lot would start chasing or a minimum distract them from my team who were already engaging them. Caused them to freak out a bit

I switched the build over to a gaus rifle and PPC and I was around 500'ish dmg in comparison. To me, taking a couple folks down is probably more important.

Just my 2 cents.

See, what you're describing is the perfect use of combined arms, strategy, and tactics.


Unfourtunatly people don't understand on how to capitalize on it for the most part.


WHen you can use "weak" weapons to shape the battlefield and give your team a tactical advantage, then the weapons are not "weak". They are a force multiplier.


LRM's do the same thing, but people just don't understand combined arms tactics or strategy enough to "get it".

My catapult has an 1100M range, people don't get that means I can cover around 3.8 KM of space to deny the enemy to include dead space with no line of sight.

Of course, any longer range weapon can do the same, but people have the "point click chase" mentality.

[JC Daxion]

Koniving, on 27 March 2015 - 08:00 PM, said:

Combine AC/2s with something else for best effect.

More modern AC/10 AC/2 and MG build.

This mech looks like a ton of fun! Something i will have to try when i finally get around to leveling my Jagers



I do have a Q for the masses though, Has anyone found a way to run a AC-2 with decent results on a light? Maybe it is just nostalgia, but i just loved running them on an Salvaged Uller in mech commander.. Grab that uller in the first mission, and run with it, shredding those fire starters!

I tried it a few times way back, but nothing recently.. I do know that i just love my Cicada with a single AC-5, which is the closest i can get to replicating that Uller feel from back in the day. Maybe a quirked 35 ton light would be worth it? Or a 45 toner, like a blackjack? (never tried that mech)

Edited by JC Daxion, 30 March 2015 - 08:58 PM.

[Koniving]

JC Daxion, on 30 March 2015 - 08:58 PM, said:

I do have a Q for the masses though, Has anyone found a way to run a AC-2 with decent results on a light? Maybe it is just nostalgia, but i just loved running them on an Salvaged Uller in mech commander.. Grab that uller in the first mission, and run with it, shredding those fire starters!

Skip to 6:18.


Skip to 6:40


Start from the beginning.


Not necessarily AC/2s, but same premise with AC/2s getting much more ammo.

I tend to prefer the Gauss Rifle on my lights.

[Romeo Deluxe]

It's a great suppression weapon, whish they wouldnl't have nerfed the screen shake. Low damage is fine. Don't be a one trick pony, I ran my Jagger with AC2's+zoom module then ML's for close range. Never used the AC2's for close range. The AC2's are now AC5's.

[InspectorG]

SnagaDance, on 27 March 2015 - 07:54 AM, said:

They were pretty junk in TT as well, though they had the longest range of any weapon in classic play so it could be used to plink at Lrm users and force them to move. They did do very well against vehicles though, because of the rule that any hit (even if it didn't penetrate the armor) gave a chance of critting the vehicle. With a bit of luck you might take out the locomotion of any vehicle trying to get within weapons range, leaving several vehicles at your mercy. Great salvage!

Hence the Rifleman as anti-aircraft?

[Prince Peter Davion]

They do have a suppression factor that can make many newer players turn away from the damage that multiple AC/2s can dish out. If your target turns away to avoid or spread out damage - they aren't shooting you. Also, peppering the face of a target with multiple AC/2s can blind them - they can't see, they can't fire well.
It's rare you will see a mech with only AC/2. Usually it's a group of AC/2s on a larger mech with lasers for the real punch.
Overall, AC/2s are not used often, and probably never in competitive play were AC/5s or larger ballistic weapons are favored.

[Tim East]

That's because the AC5 is just about so much better that it's ridiculous. It goes almost as far, shoots almost as fast, and does two and a half times damage per hit, all for only a little more weight, a lot more crits, and a good bit less ammo per ton.

[TercieI]

Romeo Deluxe, on 01 April 2015 - 06:54 PM, said:

It's a great suppression weapon, whish they wouldnl't have nerfed the screen shake. Low damage is fine. Don't be a one trick pony, I ran my Jagger with AC2's+zoom module then ML's for close range. Never used the AC2's for close range. The AC2's are now AC5's.

Prince Peter Davion, on 01 April 2015 - 10:43 PM, said:

They do have a suppression factor that can make many newer players turn away from the damage that multiple AC/2s can dish out. If your target turns away to avoid or spread out damage - they aren't shooting you. Also, peppering the face of a target with multiple AC/2s can blind them - they can't see, they can't fire well.
It's rare you will see a mech with only AC/2. Usually it's a group of AC/2s on a larger mech with lasers for the real punch.
Overall, AC/2s are not used often, and probably never in competitive play were AC/5s or larger ballistic weapons are favored.

Anybody who is suppressed by AC/2s was never enough of a threat that they needed to be. It's a distinctive cadence and good players will ignore it and blow you away with their good guns.

[SnagaDance]

Terciel1976, on 02 April 2015 - 07:06 PM, said:

Anybody who is suppressed by AC/2s was never enough of a threat that they needed to be. It's a distinctive cadence and good players will ignore it and blow you away with their good guns.

With the removal of AC/2 Ghost Heat this may no longer be true. Fired simultaniously there's no distinguishing that plink-plink-plink cadence between a single AC/2 that does 2 pts of damage/~0.5 second, the classic 8 damage/~0.5 second Jäger or the 12 damage/~0.5 second KGC-000 with 6 AC/2's. You'd need to know the load-out that's being used against you to truly assess the threat. But yeah, if there's only 1 or 2 of them you can just wade in and ignore them.

[Tylerchu]

SnagaDance, on 02 April 2015 - 11:15 PM, said:

With the removal of AC/2 Ghost Heat this may no longer be true. Fired simultaniously there's no distinguishing that plink-plink-plink cadence between a single AC/2 that does 2 pts of damage/~0.5 second, the classic 8 damage/~0.5 second Jäger or the 12 damage/~0.5 second KGC-000 with 6 AC/2's. You'd need to know the load-out that's being used against you to truly assess the threat. But yeah, if there's only 1 or 2 of them you can just wade in and ignore them.

Or you could have four firing at .18 seconds between each which sounds a lot scarier.