20 replies to this topic

[Whatzituyah]

like if you had a 5, 10, 15, or 20 how much ammo should you carry for each of them?

[DemonicDonut]

Depends on the purpose of a build and number of launchers. Is the LRM your primary or a secondary weapon? If your primary weapon is LRMs, you should have at least 20 tubes and 7 to 8 tons of ammo.

For IS I don't like 20's, usually do 15's for spread and weight. Lots of 5's can be good but they tend to fall prey to AMS unless cluster fired.

In my LRM Warhawk (3 X LRM 15) I take around 8 - 9 (sometimes more) tons of ammo, backed up by 4 med (sometimes pulse) and a tag.

Think of it in trigger pulls.

5 tubes = 36 shots per ton
10 tunes = 18
15 tubes = 12
20 tubes = 9

Probably going to want at least 20 shots for a back up weapon.

*edit*
If you find you are running out of ammo, you can always add more. Conversely if you constantly have 200+ missiles left after a match you can take some away.
Try not to count outlier matches where you have awesome spotters and no enemy ecm. I used to run ten tons or more when I ran missile boats, but nowadays there is too much ECM and AMS (perhaps also due to the tier system, people are more likely to find cover). It's more effective to not boat just missiles.

Edited by DemonicDonut, 26 October 2015 - 12:04 PM.

[ATodd]

I like 1 ton for 5 tubes. i.e. 36 shots per tube.

[Kaptain]

I only know IS.

LRM5: One ton per. More if you have multiples as chain fire goes through them fast.
LRM10: Atleast 2 imo. Otherwise why spend the 5 tons on the launcher if its going to be dead weight mid fight
LRM15: Three. But I don't use these often.
LRM20: This thing is a pos. Sell them all.

[Tiamat of the Sea]

DemonicDonut, on 26 October 2015 - 11:58 AM, said:

Depends on the purpose of a build and number of launchers. Is the LRM your primary or a secondary weapon? If your primary weapon is LRMs, you should have at least 20 tubes and 7 to 8 tons of ammo.

For IS I don't like 20's, usually do 15's for spread and weight. Lots of 5's can be good but they tend to fall prey to AMS unless cluster fired.

In my LRM Warhawk (3 X LRM 15) I take around 8 - 9 (sometimes more) tons of ammo, backed up by 4 med (sometimes pulse) and a tag.

Think of it in trigger pulls.

5 tubes = 36 shots per ton
10 tunes = 18
15 tubes = 12
20 tubes = 9

Probably going to want at least 20 shots for a back up weapon.

*edit*
If you find you are running out of ammo, you can always add more. Conversely if you constantly have 200+ missiles left after a match you can take some away.
Try not to count outlier matches where you have awesome spotters and no enemy ecm. I used to run ten tons or more when I ran missile boats, but nowadays there is too much ECM and AMS (perhaps also due to the tier system, people are more likely to find cover). It's more effective to not boat just missiles.

QFT.

I have two friends who regularly bounce their builds off of me for feedback and advice, and I pay careful attention to what they have to say as well.

Even for non-missile ammo weapons, we all three carry different amounts of ammo and different launcher sizes, even if we're using them for the same purposes.

As an illustration, all three of us have the ZEU-6T with its three-missile arm, and we've all loaded it out with a lot of LRM racks to make it destructive fire support. Even if you ignore the fact that one of my friends runs his 6T as almost purely fire support, I mix fire support and direct lasers, and my other friend does fire support only while closing to laser range, we've come to different results in terms of investing tonnage and slots in heat sinks, launchers, and ammo.

My friend who runs his 6T as pure fire-support carries three LRM-10s, nine or ten tonnes of ammo, and has the thing kitted up with eighteen or nineteen double heat sinks. I run my 6T with three LRM-10s and only seven and a half tonnes of ammo, and fourteen double heat sinks. Both of us found triple LRM-15 too hot by far, but triple-LRM-10 acceptable- although my friend likes to keep his 'mechs running a lot cooler than I do. Our third friend, however, only carries six tonnes of ammo and three LRM-15s with fifteen double heat sinks, and experiences no problems with heat or ammo shortages.


The main point here is that nobody can tell you an actual rule for how much ammo per tube, because nobody pilots like you and uses ammo at the rate you do. If you're lucky you can find someone who consumes ammo at a comparable rate to you, but you're not going to know this by anything but extended experience playing alongside each other and regularly building similar 'mechs.

One thing I always maintain is that until I've Mastered a variant, I don't consider my build for it finalized at all. Not even the engine size and type, nevermind precise ammo loads and allocations. I know it feels bad to spend extra C-bills to repeatedly alter a 'mech, but it's the best way to make actually driving the 'mech feel good, from the amount of ammo to the little things like which hardpoint on that multi-weapon arm holds which specific weapon, despite the mounts being under a meter apart.

Even on 'mechs with similar tubecounts and speeds, I often find that the ammo load I want varies from one 'mech to the other based on minor things like the exact nature of the secondary weapons and which part of the 'mech absorbs more incoming fire. The only way to pin it down is to adjust it every time you notice a consistent issue- whether that issue is making your missile rack go click instead of whoosh, or ending every round with at least three hundred missiles spare, live or die.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

I don't do LRMs often any more. I DO have one mech that carries them, and that's the EBJ-PRIME. Got the two missile torsos, each with an ALRM-15. I carry 5.5 tons, and it seems reasonable. On the other hand, it also carries 5x cERML with range module, and I don't often alpha the whole mech. I rarely run out of ammo in that, and when I do, it's late in a good match. That's 900 missiles for 30 tubes, or 30 missiles/shots per tube. Being an alternate weapon system, that's not bad. If it's the PRIMARY, though, I'd agree with the 36+ at a minimum. If it's in an IS mech, good luck--ammo explosion risk with that much ammo on board? I don't envy you.

[VitriolicViolet]

I dont really use LRMs but my KGC 0000 uses 3x ALRM 15, and takes 8 tons of ammo, with 4 heatsinks. Makes it a little hot, you can chainfire 8 times or so. For the secondary its got 4 MPLs with modules. I wouldnt want to take any less ammo, and in fact should take more, i run out in a decent game and go hunting with the MPLs

[Mad Ox]

I stick to 1 ton per 5 tubes LRM 5 minimum 1 ton LRM 20 minimum 4 tons.

Find that gives me a good amount of shots to last a battle but not to much that the game ends and i have a ton of ammo left.

Tend to run out just as things are ending.

[Tesunie]

Haven't read every's post here yet, but the average is 1 ton of ammo per 5 tubes of launcher, depending upon how one uses their LRMs though. If they intend to use it as a secondary weapon, you can place less ammo in probably. If it's a primary (you are boating almost nothing besides LRMs) you may need more.

It also depends upon how good you are with LRMs, and how well your fire control skills are. If you spam LRMs at every lock possible, you may find you need more. If you hold your fire till you have a fairly certain hit chance, you may be able to run with even less. If you shoot LRMs as a scare tactic and to push enemies back into cover, you may need more ammo.


Overall, follow the general rule of 1 ton of ammo per 5 tubes of LRM launcher. Adjust it by 0.5 tons from there depending upon how you see your personal performance. If you find you are always running out of ammo, add in more ammo. If you find you are always dieing with a lot of leftover ammo, then reduce it. Eventually you should find a happy medium for yourself.


Example: I have some builds with an LRM10 launcher and only a single ton of ammo. These builds I use good fire control, and it's a secondary system. It's used to support when I can't see an enemy, and it's designed to mostly push enemy mech back into cover. (It also can serve as an additional role of luring the enemy into me by thinking I'm an "easy kill LRM boat", or even as an advanced scout as I see if any AMS shoots at a volley of LRMs shot into the air with no target.)
I also have builds with a single LRM20 launcher with 4 tons of ammo as a larger portion of my mech's build, as well as it follows the rule of 1 per 5.
Then there are some builds where I might have only two LRM15s (30 tubes), but I've got a staggering 7-8 tons of ammo. This is where I am treating my LRMs as more or less a main weapon system, and as close to boating I typically come.
Then I have some odd builds such as my Atlas 7S. It may have an LRM20 and an LRM10 (30 tubes), but I only have 4 tons of ammo. This one is built to be a trap mech. Lure an enemy mech into me thinking I'm easy LRM boat pray, then hit them hard with my secondary weapons.


Really, it all comes down to what you want to do with your LRMs, how comfortable you are with them, and what you find you need during a standard given match. Adjust as you go, as there is really no set in stone rule you have to follow (besides that you must take at least some ammo for the launcher to work ).

[SethAbercromby]

Since I mostly use them for secondary purposes, I usually only bring 1 ton of ammo per 10 tubes, though I bring more on 'Mechs that are expected to rely more heavily on their launchers.

My 5S with 2 LRM10s has only 1 ton of ammo for each, since that's not it's primary means of offense, while my 3H fills that quota and adds 3 additional tons of ammo on top, which to most here appears to still be a rather liberal amount, which I offset by primarily using chain fire and using alpha volleys only for near guaranteed hits.

Even missile heavy 'Mechs I tend to play closer to the front line. As a result my volleys are a little more predictable in what they will hit, so I like to think I waste a little less ammo per ton stocked.

[DaveRatters]

None!

[Narcissistic Martyr]

My general rule for ammo is that you should run out of ammo in one out of 10 matches. If you are running out more than that you need more ammo. If you run out less than that you should be devoting more tonnage to speed, armor, cooling, back up weapons, etc because that will give you a more consistent edge and let you win more.

[Kaptain]

1 in 5 for me.

[Spetulhu]

It really depends on your mech and your preferences. Do you use the LRMs as a primary weapon? Then load on the ammo. Do you use it to soften up targets first, like the Mad Dog Prime? You will be fine with less.

As said above, if you end games (or die) with lots of ammo unspent you carry too much. If you frequently have only a couple salvos left when the last enemy goes down you're in the right spot. Though it will depend on the maps too ofc, some aren't quite as LRM-firendly as others.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Unless it is a backup, or you are a light mech: 10 tons or go home, especially if you have something with a very high rate of fire, like a swayback that is cooldown quirked to the gills.

Given the typical ratio of how many you need to fire before you actually get hits, mucho ammo is a must.

[Archie4Strings]

If i am going as a serious LRM-Boat, i would suggest at least 8 or 9 tons of ammo for spamming them even if the chance of hitting the target is low!
But sometimes i also equip my mechs with just "support" lrms (f.E. the summoner, 2 lpl, 2 er small lasers and 1 lrm 10), then i just take around 2 tons of ammo and i dont spam then as much. Its just for... a little distraction, screenshaking, support...

Edited by Archie4Strings, 30 November 2015 - 02:03 AM.

[The Basilisk]

There is so many " I say so" out there....
1ton per 5 tubes, 3 tonns per 20 tubes or *36 salvos* ( count your launchers tubes and multiply them with 36 then divide by 180 )
And many many people say ZERO because decent pilots dont use LRMs....

[david665]

I run a TBT-5N with twin LRM-5+A's and quad Medium Lasers. I usually carry 9 tons of ammo, although I think I could drop it down to 5 and still be good because I've never really ran out, even during longer games or go up to an LRM-10.

I usually act in harassment mode in that Mech, trying to keep opponents undercover.

[Tesunie]

david665, on 10 January 2016 - 02:59 PM, said:

I run a TBT-5N with twin LRM-5+A's and quad Medium Lasers. I usually carry 9 tons of ammo, although I think I could drop it down to 5 and still be good because I've never really ran out, even during longer games or go up to an LRM-10.

I usually act in harassment mode in that Mech, trying to keep opponents undercover.

9 tons of ammo for two LRM5s is a bit much. You could drop 6 tons of ammo (3 tons left) and get 2 ALRM10's with 3 tons of ammo, and probably still do decent. With 3 tons of ammo for 2 LRM10s will be a bit light at that point, but you would have the med lasers for support and for when you run out of ammo. The suggested amount of ammo for 2 LRM5s is 2-3 tons.

[Marcel Bekker]

I run 3 tons for 2 LRM 20 on my Mad Dog, but I usually do not take shots over 800 meters with them. Instead I use them as a weapon to soften up large and slow targets, or sandblast targets with open sections at closer ranges while the paired LPLs and ER Meds do the main work. Besides, inside of 600m even non-artemis LRM 20s are accurate enough. And at 400 meters or closer, I almost never see any of them miss except when firing at a small and fast target.

Honestly, looking at the amount of explosive stuff you all seem to haul around, I get the distinct impression that quite a few of you are prone to spraying and praying with their LRMs instead of waiting for a good angle.