62 replies to this topic

[IraqiWalker]

KBurn85, on 20 June 2015 - 01:35 AM, said:

Quick update. Found that I'm not charging up my gauss the same time I fire my lasers, so that's something I really need to work on. Any tips?

Also, found that I need to play aggressively to win at pugging. With my other brawler/DPS timbers, I push in quickly, get 1-2 kills, then everything falls into place. Those first few kills are so essential, which brings me back to the fact that I need to get used to the gauss at brawling.

Good match today was at river city night. Someone blew off my left torso, leaving me with nothing other than a gauss rifle and a LPL. I actually used the gauss to backstab a guy in the tunnel, and got a kill. Brawled with a Mad Dog, and finished him off with a gauss shot, and then a badly injured raven by just blocking it with my face and pumping gauss shots into it, before they came in to mop me up. Really lucky.

I really need to learn how to DPS people to death, instead of mopping up badly injured mechs. I forget to use it after the first shot, because I neglect to check cooldown. For other weapons, I just press-spam it till the laser/bullet comes out. Any tips?

Don't have your gauss and lasers on the same weapon group.

Especially since the weapons work at different ranges, and Gauss has travel time.

[GreenHell]

I absolutely hate using the Gauss Rifle. People blather on and on about how good it is, but to me it's total ****. Other people do great with it. Awesome for them. I've been killed by them before. Awesome for them. I cannot use the Gauss Rifle. After 20 matches trying to use it, I have managed to accomplish absolutely **** all with it other than die in a ball of fire and somehow manage to get ONE lucky head-shot kill.

How great... One lucky shot that did something. Other than the XP from that one achievement, I've earned exactly 150 XP over the course of 20 matches in that mech. I've used the other projectiles in the game to great effect. Usually earn 400 - 600 damage with UAC/5's. Not half bad with an ERPPC either. But the Gauss? Highest damage match was 300 because a ******** KGC just kept ignoring me. I still died in a ball of fire, and lost the match. Not one winning match with a Gauss.

I hate the Gauss Rifle. It's terrible. If you learn to use it, good for you. I'm going to sell all of mine, along with all the mechs that use them.

-TLDR- **** the gauss rifle

Edited by GreenHell, 06 September 2015 - 10:00 PM.

[Yozaa]

Gauss and large/ER lasers work well together because the ranges are similar.
Same with the Clan ER medium lasers and Gauss.

Its a weapon worth your learning.

[Amsro]

GreenHell, on 06 September 2015 - 07:08 PM, said:

I absolutely hate using the Gauss Rifle.
.
.
.
.
After 20 matches trying to use it.

So you spent a whole 20 matches playing with Gauss and expected to be pro with it just like that?

[Elizander]

I usually have RMB to fire everything that isn't the gauss. Saves me the trouble of thinking if something is up in my face.

[ApolloKaras]

GreenHell, on 06 September 2015 - 07:08 PM, said:

I absolutely hate using the Gauss Rifle. People blather on and on about how good it is, but to me it's total ****. Other people do great with it. Awesome for them. I've been killed by them before. Awesome for them. I cannot use the Gauss Rifle. After 20 matches trying to use it, I have managed to accomplish absolutely **** all with it other than die in a ball of fire and somehow manage to get ONE lucky head-shot kill.

How great... One lucky shot that did something. Other than the XP from that one achievement, I've earned exactly 150 XP over the course of 20 matches in that mech. I've used the other projectiles in the game to great effect. Usually earn 400 - 600 damage with UAC/5's. Not half bad with an ERPPC either. But the Gauss? Highest damage match was 300 because a ******** KGC just kept ignoring me. I still died in a ball of fire, and lost the match. Not one winning match with a Gauss.

I hate the Gauss Rifle. It's terrible. If you learn to use it, good for you. I'm going to sell all of mine, along with all the mechs that use them.

-TLDR- **** the gauss rifle

I wouldn't recommend selling them...

Currently sitting over 70% on accuracy and I've done a heap amount of damage... 15 damage no heat, once you learn to use it, it will kick so much butt.

[_____]

Gauss rifle, especially clan version, is the best ballistic in the game. But in order to use it effectively (even after you've gotten used to the charge) you need to

• Aim well enough - Gauss is best at mid to long range. At close range it's like a slower firing AC10.
  
• Use it in conjunction with lasers - lasers are lightweight but hot, extra heatsinks only help marginally and are limited by the free slots you have. Gauss allows for that extra punch for no additional heat. Which is why 4-6xERML+Gauss is almost the "Clan standard".
  
• Position well - if you're getting brawled on all the time, you probably went too far away from the deathblob and could not run back in time. The blob protects you from those lone brawlers trying to pick off isolated mechs.

[Obadiah333]

The modules will help a bunch. Get the gauss cooldown module as soon as you can. Also, the gauss is all about timing. moving in and out of cover, the charge time, etc. Practice. Also, I suggest taking two as your main weapons so you NEED to be good with them to win. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Just like any other weapon, use it enough and you will know the exact moment the cooldown is off. No one that I know actually looks at the little red refresh bar on their weapons - they instinctively know how long it is until the weapon is off cooldown and ready to fire. Use the gauss enough and it will be the same with it.

Keep at range but not so far back that people don't flee when you double gauss them. If you shoot an enemy with double gauss and they don't move or find cover, you are too far away (or they are really, really bad).

I will say that I loved the way gauss used to be, and I too hate the new charge mechanic. After a lengthy break from the game, I came back and had to force myself to get used to the new gauss mechanics. It just takes time. Now one of my favorite mechs is the meta hellbringer with gauss and 4/5 ermed lasers. Excellent mech.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

[TheSilken]

Hold button, count to 2, release shot, hit target

[Kmieciu]

I actually prefer 2xGauss backed by 2xC-LPL and 4xERML. You put it all into the arms of a Direwolf, and then the magic happens. 84 pinpoint damage. The One Hit Killer.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

OP:

The metamechs site has some good advice on how to use that weapon in conjunction with the lasers. It DOES have a steeper learning curve than any other ballistic weapon, to be sure, but it's manageable. To be honest, I don't think TBR is the best chassis to run it. A dual-Gauss EBJ is a thing, or a Gauss Vomit one (I find this is my reason for training with the weapon, as I ADORE the Cauldron Born). There was good advice above, too, which mirrors metamechs (written by a pretty darned good player, BTW). Hold one or more of the lasers WITH the Gauss, release both simultaneously. You'll get the hang of the timing of the firing mechanism. You'll also notice the weapon's slot on your HUD go green for that period, during which you may fire by releasing the button. Pay attention to that and the sound. Once you have a good feel for where in the sound the HUD indicator goes green, you won't need to look at the indicator any more. If it's alongside a PULSE laser, then you can time your trigger release to the number of WUBZ for that laser.

ALSO, if you're thinking of going sniper with it, you may consider swapping those cLPLs for cERLLs (at a savings of 2 tons) to better match range. With a cERLL cooldown module, you may be able to match the beams' duration better to the Gauss and unleash up to 37 points of damage on a single component without breaking ghost heat, and with a locked 15 cDHS keeping the heat VERY manageable. Something to think about.

Though personally, if I were setting up a ballistic main on a TBR, I MIGHT be tempted to use a cUAC/20 and a couple cLPLs, and wreck in the mid-range brawl.

Gauss takes time to learn. Go get you a Jagermech, ANY Jagermech, and squeeze dual Gauss into it (it CAN be done), and no other weapon system, and try to grab 150+ match scores with that. Then 220+. Then 350+. Once you're clearing 400 damage (it's ammo-limited, alright?) and 2 kills average, you're getting the hang of it.

That's the thing about training. It's almost always unpleasant and frustrating until, after much blood and sweat and tears, you finally have that forehead-slapping moment, and it all starts coming together.

Or drop a single Gauss in an SHC (again per metamechs) and go nuts with teh speed and MASC and JJs and ECM to help you reposition without being picked apart.

The current meta doesn't really plce Gauss on the top tier of primary weapons. It's more about (as Clans go) ERLLs, ERMLs, and LPLs. Only a matter of time until that changes.

And go ahead and hate. There was a time when that charge mechanic didn't exist, and Gauss was an instant-fire weapon like any other. That gave rise to the CPLT-K2 GaussCat, and it was a MONSTER. The firing delay was a bit of a balancing thing. And it was a GOOD thing for those of us not living in Grandma's basement. 15 damage, long-range, single point of heat, non-exploding ammo (often used even in non-Gauss mechs to sandbag critical sots)? What's not to LOVE?

Also, in any IS mech, if you can, CASE that sucker.

[Soldier91]

I play around with IS gauss a little bit. in my opinion.

Domoneky, on 15 June 2015 - 10:34 PM, said:

Want to use the Gauss? Don't Equip it.

I'd suggest this if you want to use dual gauss.
Everything in the game is set up to prevent that from happening. Daul gauss is a bad idea really heavy, takes up a lot of slots.
besides the ppc it's probably the only weapon that will get destroyed from a critical before you lose your armor I've had that happen with gauss, once in a while with ppc, a handful of time with srm, and one time with jump jets. I wigged out when that happened with my jump jets because I didn't know that could happen with those and thought it was cool, and partly because I really needed them when it happened.
Don't try it unless you got a lot of spare time to try to make it work and maybe some luck nobody wants to get hit for 30 damage.
Cool down quirks don't matter because of the charge time, so I think the only useful quirk for it is velocity. Range quirk seems nice but it's really not going to be useful as it seems. So running a single one due to weight and stuff is probably the best way to use it I wouldn't use it as like a primary weapon just think of it as a really difficult heavy backup weapon to whatever else you bring.
I think it's a pretty interesting weapon different than everything else. Still haven't found the right mech I'd want to use it very often though yet.

Edited by Soldier91, 08 September 2015 - 05:08 AM.

[TercieI]

Equip a TBR with gauss and 5ML. Use nothing else until it's comfortable. Enjoy the best gun in the game.

[padebra]

Playing with JM6-S Dual gauss (70 shots), 72kp/h, glass armor and advanced zoom (because I'm old and my screen is small)
Because of travel time and charge mechanism I don't like mixing other weapons with gauss... so I take 2 of them.

IMO best true IS heavy sniper. Don't get it wrong it's hard and challenging to play, it's squishy but in the end it is very satisfying! The less you spread fire the better it is, as you take out big chunk of enemy armor at long range.

I agree with lots of pilotes above me in this thread :
- Position and moves are key
- Aiming always the same component is key (convergence is your worst enemy against moving targets, learn how it works)
- You need to play, play, play and play again to feel comfortable (and therefore die a lot)
- (also learn cockpit location and weak spot on mechs)

Here is an average game where I think I did a decent job, even if I didn't do Ace of spades or top damage. My goal is always to hurt the enemy as badly as possible so they don't feel safe and want to retreat. Playing "back support" for the team...



Good luck because as someone said, snipping is almost dead in the "nascar" games!

Edited by padebra, 08 September 2015 - 06:17 AM.

[The Great Unwashed]

If you combine a GR with large (pulse) lasers then you can throw it in the same weapon group, provided all weapons have the same clearance when peeking and when playing at lower tiers. You can hitscan with the lasers and once they are more or less done you can release and pop a Gauss round in the same movement. This is something to consider, even though I do not do this myself anymore; against better players this means they more often than not torso-twisted and you'll hit something uninteresting like an arm with your Gauss round.

I tend to Gauss first and lase later, but it can work at lower Tiers.

The GR is certainly worthwhile to practice; the pinpoint damage, low heat, and lack of a visual trace make it an excellent weapon.

Edited by The Great Unwashed, 08 September 2015 - 06:46 AM.

[Spare Parts Bin]

My plan to get good with Gauss is to equip one on my Warhawk, a Timberwolf, a Ebon Jaguar, my Hellbringer and a Stormcrow. I can rotate these Omnis in my CW Dropdeck.

Kudos to the OP for asking this question.

[JediPanther]

The hardest part of guass is the charge. Combine it with adv zoom, cool down and range modules to extend your range and dps. The Grid Iron makes a very good is guass mech when you decide to go to the is side.

[prox]

Just practice. Don't be afraid to look like a fool for the first 20 games, it becomes muscle memory once you've put enough hours in. It's the best ballistic choice for most mechs, so well worth the time.

[Nerdboard]

First off: I am terrible with the gauss. Ever since they introduced the charge mechanics, I did have my problems.

As a sniper in general your position is very important. In your original post you said you had no problem with the charge mechanic but you often do not see your enemies. So it seems to me that you are simply not aware of any good long range/snipe positions on the maps since you have been playing brawler so much.

Try to remember from where your most obnoxious enemies have been shooting at you. Try out these spots. Also think about where you look first when you get shot. Those might be spots you want to avoid standing in.

Among the sniper weapons the gauss rifle is unique not only due to its charging mechanims. You also do not see any tracers. So if you are able to shoot enemies in the back because they are looking somewhere else, you might want to consider only shooting your gauss rifle. As soon as you shoot the LPL someone will probably spot you. Obviously this does not apply if you can take down an enemy with an alpha or if your allies need help really really fast.

Thats about as much as I can tell you from my own slow learning progress, hope it helps.

just remembered: advanced zoom is not always great. I tend to stand veeery far away whenever I use it. Often a spot a bit closer allows you to use heat vision instead. And the further you stand away the more likely you are isolated and therefore a good target for light mechs. Something around 500-700m seems to be the sweet spot for me often.

Edited by Nerdboard, 08 September 2015 - 09:52 AM.

[The Great Unwashed]

The cooldown module is the most useful one; I'd leave the other module slot (if you have it) for other weapons such as the cERML. I'd also not play around with the Advanced Zoom Module but try working with a good not-too-high mouse sensitivity. Advanced Zoom can be useful, but I do not think it is as useful as Radar Deprivation and Seismic. In fact, I rarely use Advanced Zoom. With a nice mouse you can even change your mouse sensitivity for sniping in-game...

Edited by The Great Unwashed, 08 September 2015 - 09:54 AM.