13 replies to this topic

[Spleenslitta]

Edit: I know i said the Panther can compete with other light mechs. But i realised i was wrong....very wrong.
I changed my mind because i realised how many weapon slots a Firestarter/Jenner has in comparison.

Panther has 10 degree better torso twist and 15 degree better arm yaw advantage over the Firestarter.
I'd say this advantage is worth about 1 weapon slot.
But the lower max engine rating evens that out that i'd say so the Panther is a disadvantage still.
Since the weapon quirks will be removed it cannot outrange other light mechs anymore either.

10K variant should have 1 more energy slot to make room for backup weapons in addition to any heavier energy weapons.
I know the 4 extra JJ's are supposed to put it on par with the 8Z but you could do that through something else instead.

10P variant needs 1 or 2 more ballistic slots to give it more flexibility. Right now light mechs do not have much ballistic weapons to choose from without sacrifising speed.
Therefore a ballistic slot is worth less on a light mech than on heavier mechs. This must be taken into account.
These 1 or 2 extra ballistic slots are needed for MG's.
Whether they are brought along as backup weapons to the main ballistic weapon or if the missile slots contain the main weaponry.
Imagine if we could mount an actually usefull light rifle on a Panther? Look below....

8Z and 9R variants...i don't really know what these variants could get more of. Maybe 2 more JJ's.
I wish all the Panther variants could mount a weapon in the left arm.

I know this is not the place for it but....here goes.
The link below explains how to make rifles usefull without changing damage, heat, range, weight or crit slots of the weapon.
The penalty for hiting armor has been decreased from -3 to -2.5 damage.
My version of the rifles has a slow reload and shell velocity just like in the TT lore.
The ammunition is still less than the AC's just like in the lore.
What makes up for all this is the higher chance than normal to crit internal components and structure.
How much higher chance to crit and how much bigger should the damage be when a crit is successfull?
How slow the reload and shell velocity?
I do not know how to balance everything (i just took my best guess) so this were Paul needs to do his thing.
Usefull Rifles Without Breaking Lore Too Much.

I know It has nothing to do with the test server but it could really work without any problems.
You just need to do some mathematical magic. All i ask of you Paul is that you take a look and maybe leave a post that tells me you've been there.
That is all.

Edited by Spleenslitta, 16 October 2015 - 11:32 AM.

[Spleenslitta]

I was totally wrong about the Panther. It needs to be boosted somehow. I hope you dev's will look at this thread again.
I altered my original post to make up for my mistake.

[Leopardo]

don't be so sad they test InfoTech and quirks will come)

[Kjudoon]

The panther has good hitboxes and the structure buffs make it extr tough but it is undergunned compared to its contemporaries or rather it is in line with the likes of the jenner and raven but its speed is what hurts it the most. I cannot imagine any change being done to this mech in the form of a hardpoint adjuatment or engine cap unfortunately without just repeating the same problem as power creep development is creating already.

[Widowmaker1981]

If weapon quirks dont exist, you can go right ahead and delete panthers. they cannot be viable in a world where firestarters exist - because having all your weapons in one arm is a big weakness that the firestarter doesnt have (plus the lower engine cap), and the only thing that will ever make up for that weakness is weapon quirks.

Edited by Widowmaker1981, 22 October 2015 - 06:56 AM.

[Leopardo]

i think they will roll out quirks in the next stage of test - only thing i need its more time and - games!

[Wildstreak]

10K's 4 extra jets provide no benefits beyond what 4 JJs gives.
If the 10K had another Energy slot, it would be a clone of the 8Z and PGI doesn't do clones.
Panther does have one thing going for it, it is not the Wolfhound. I do better in Panthers than Wolfhounds.

[TKG]

In context I do not think there is anything wrong with the panther. It is and always was a fire support unit for light units and or recon units. The problem is that many players don't have the patience to learn what that means. You don't charge in, you're patient, you time and aim your shots, you make maximum use of cover and, fight at a distance. That is what the panter is and it was translated very well in MWO from the source material. It does not need extra slots, the slots the models have do not need to change. The Firestarter that was compared to the planter by the original post does need review by it self, but the panther is fine if you take the time to learn it. Before anyone asks me "well how DO you drive it?" the answer is simple, it's the same strategy as any other mech with a single primary weapon supported by a limited amount of secondaries and a slower than average top speed for it's weight class. Play defensive, it is the same strategy that works with the vindicator, centurion and, wolfhound. In this case the mech is not flawed, it is the pilots that are flawed when they fail to see that not all mechs function the same in combat because they were never designed to.

[BD RAIDR]

I agree with TKG.

I've been playing for just under 4 weeks. The Panther was my first light mech, which I used in my first week of play. By the end of that week I had got a decent hand on piloting it. My 3 best damage scores with it are 708, 760 something, and 783.

I got those scores by doing exactly what TKG described.

[Xilacnog]

TKG got it.

The 10K works well with an ER PPC or a Large Pulse Laser and a SRM4 with 1 ton of ammo, a XL 245 and 2 Double Heat Sinks.

The 10K Quirks are excellent for a ER PPC, I don't like PPCs very much on most mechs and for those that don't like PPCs, a Large Pulse Laser is good alternative choice even if the range is completely different.

A Firestarter is light Skirmisher mech, a Wolfhound is the same thing.

I do better in a Wolfhound thanks to the amount of armor in it than a Firestarter or Panther, though.

[Lanstrike]

I like the panther, it has a very good maneuverability balance to its speed ,size, and when supported with jump jets.
The panther is a beast to perform trick shots, like the 180 fly by.

Its a good sporting mech, it has that covered in spades. How ever with the latest med pulse laser nerfs. It has way less effective range. Down to like 220m from 270m, I would have expected a nerf to be more like 250 or 260 but wow. They really must have hated the I.S. medium pulse lasers.

The srm re-balancing doesn't really effect my style of panther play, other than making the srm4 more accurate, I usually pop shot them rather than holding sustained fire.

[SkaerKrow]

I've been running my 10K in this configuration...

PNT-10K Ashigaru

Mostly I hang back with the heavies or assaults, provide fire support with LRMs and AMS coverage. The ER Laser is decent for sniping, and if anything gets close and begins engaging my heavy/assault buddy, I swing around to its rear and begin putting shots into the rear armor. Feel free to tell me why the build is crap.

[DJ Mitchell]

The 10K is very situational machine. I´m currently running mine with two ER-PPCs. The problem is the slot/barrel distribution, Either change one energy slot to the other arm or at least change the gun location for the second energy hard point to the outside of the arm.

At the moment both ER-PPCs are hanging under each other, which means you have to deal with a low and a very low hanging weapon mount on an already handicapped chassis.

[Widowmaker1981]

Panthers (well, the 9R) were good and fun mechs until PGI nerfed the everliving crap out of them on the last quirk pass. No clue why, because they were far from the best lights anyway.