37 replies to this topic

[Lupis Volk]

I've got the Timber wolf and Arctic Cheetah, i was wondering on what to get as a Clan medium.

Now i know the Nova is on sale and getting a resize.

I know everyone says get Stormcrow.

But i was thinking. I seem to do "well" in mechs that either the meta or community abandon. So i was thinking has anyone used the Ice Ferret? It goes as fast as a AC is 15 tons heavier.

Edited by Lupis Volk, 24 January 2016 - 09:00 PM.

[Stormie]

don't. ice ferret is hard mode.
Suffers the same way as the gargoyle, and (arguably) the executioner. too much of all threes tonnage is devoted to a big engine (and jumpjets/masc in the exe) to get them going as fast as mechs 15-20 tonnes lighter than themselves. then you have little tonnage left for weaponry and heatsinks.
the fridge has at most 5 energy hardpoints (2either arm/1ct) or 3 missile (1 either arm, 1 LT).
I've also found when equipping 2 energy in the arms the arms basically become so big that they get shot off very easily.

Also compared to the other mechs doing 140kph+ the ferret is huge. you get hit a lot more than in lights doing the same speed.

Edited by Stormie, 24 January 2016 - 10:06 PM.

[Lupis Volk]

Stormie, on 24 January 2016 - 10:03 PM, said:

don't. ice ferret is hard mode.
Suffers the same way as the gargoyle, and (arguably) the executioner. too much of all threes tonnage is devoted to a big engine (and jumpjets/masc in the exe) to get them going as fast as mechs 15-20 tonnes lighter than themselves. then you have little tonnage left for weaponry and heatsinks.
the fridge has at most 5 energy hardpoints (2either arm/1ct) or 3 missile (1 either arm, 1 LT).
I've also found when equipping 2 energy in the arms the arms basically become so big that they get shot off very easily.

Also compared to the other mechs doing 140kph+ the ferret is huge. you get hit a lot more than in lights doing the same speed.

Okay.

So out of the Shadow cat, Nova and Stormcrow. Which ones do you think i should look at?

[Rushin Roulette]

Id say the Stormcrow then choose freely between the Nova and Shadowcat.
They are both really good mechs if you learn how to play to their strengths. They are fast skirmishers which absolutely shine when others have agro so that you can run in, shoot and run out again.

If you get caught where you cant run out or you get agro... spam that Masc and the Jumpjets (only very short bursts, never more than half a second unless you want to specifically jump over an object to reach cover) to make your movements erratic and unpredictable.

[Stormie]

I don't own the shadow cat so I cant really comment on that. though I have a few friends that swear by it. especially with any build that has 2 LPL

of the other two, the stormcrow has the good reputation for a reason.
Hardpoints location: stormcrow wins, with the 2 sidetorso energy points being above cockpit level. highest on the nova are the side torso mounts which are just below cockpit level.
Hardpoint number: nova gets this due to 2x6e pods if you are looking at this purchase for a brawler you cant go wrong with anything running 6 spl on a single arm. obviously if you are looing for missiles or flexibility then stormcrow with 5 missile hardpoints is better than the nova's 2.
Speed: again in favour of the stormcrow little over 100kph with speed tweak vs the nova which matches most of the clan heavies
Hitboxes: again in favour of stormcrow. nothing juts out too much giving easy damage to the enemy. novas arms feel like the get shot off a lot. also nova is a big mech until the rescale.
with current lurmaggeddon the nova-s with triple ams is fun to troll people with. (though you give up tonnage making your offensive side pretty weak.)

Edited by Stormie, 24 January 2016 - 11:26 PM.

[Takashi Uchida]

I have mastered all the clan mediums (except the Hunchie-II which I don't have, and the Shadowcat which I'm working on).

Stormcrow: nuff said. You know the deal. Flexible hardpoints can run pretty much anything you want, meta-compliant or not. Lacks JJ and ECM but does almost everything else well. Only one possible ballistic weapon but overall an incredible mech. Fast, decent hitboxes, reasonably placed weapon mounts.

Ice Ferret: Basically it's a fat, more hittable Arctic Cheetah with no jump jets, less energy hardpoints, no ECM, etc. It's got a big engine which is fine because it makes it fast, but it doesn't have all the extra nice stuff the Cheetah gets. The price you pay for the speed is that it doesn't have as much usable tonnage as it would seem (Cheetah engine weighs 11t, Ferret's is 23.5).

Nova: This is the only mech with low hardpoints that I really like playing. It's because it is very jumpy and maneuverable, and can pack a stupid amount of close range power. Ballistics are usually too heavy for it and there's very limited missile slots (there's a special version that isn't out for cbills yet that has an arm missile hardpoint, but right now we only get one possible mount). But, if you can be disciplined with ghost heat, it's a killer. It also has two possible high torso mounts if you want to use ERPPCs (or maybe another heavy laser like the Large Pulse). I like it and will prob like it even more once it''s not so massive.

Shadowcat: Has a lot of good characteristics. ECM, jump jets, MASC, and pretty much every weapon is mounted high so you can shoot over anything you see over. The bad stuff: Only 3 max missile or laser, so no big alpha strike. The arms are extremely wide apart which sometimes mean the weapons can get caught on obstacles (or friendlies if you're not careful). Seven(!) possible ballistic mounts but it's pretty light so you might be starved for ammo and backup weapons if you plan on using anything big. Potential machine gun troll mech.

Edited by Takashi Uchida, 24 January 2016 - 11:34 PM.

[Leone]

Shadowcat:  Harasser supreme.  Speed, ECM, Masc, JumpJets.  A few weapons.

Stormcrow:  Speedy Soldier.  Supreme build capacity, Lotta options, plenty of speed and decent space.  No jump jets, but that just means more weaponry.

Blackhawk:  (Known to some as the Nova)  Simply Awesome.  The consummate brawler's choice.  Jump jets, limited tonnage, lack of endosteel, and sadly, PGI has placed a sixteen weapon limit on your mech designs, which you can learn through trying to place the prime arms on the S an use all the hardpoints.  Seriously, Direwolves cannot bring more weaponry than this mech, just heavier stuff.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 25 January 2016 - 12:42 AM.

[Lupis Volk]

Leone, on 25 January 2016 - 12:42 AM, said:

Shadowcat: Harasser supreme. Speed, ECM, Masc, JumpJets. A few weapons.

Stormcrow: Speedy Soldier. Supreme build capacity, Lotta options, plenty of speed and decent space. No jump jets, but that just means more weaponry.

Blackhawk: (Known to some as the Nova) Simply Awesome. The consummate brawler's choice. Jump jets, limited tonnage, lack of endosteel, and sadly, PGI has placed a sixteen weapon limit on your mech designs, which you can learn through trying to place the prime arms on the S an use all the hardpoints. Seriously, Direwolves cannot bring more weaponry than this mech, just heavier stuff.

~Leone.

When you say it like that now i'm having a hard time choosing.

[Richter Kerensky]

Lupis Volk, on 24 January 2016 - 09:00 PM, said:

I've got the Timber wolf and Arctic Cheetah, i was wondering on what to get as a Clan medium.

Now i know the Nova is on sale and getting a resize.

I know everyone says get Stormcrow.

But i was thinking. I seem to do "well" in mechs that either the meta or community abandon. So i was thinking has anyone used the Ice Ferret? It goes as fast as a AC is 15 tons heavier.

This is largely because the Stormcrow is the only Clan medium worth a damn, but if you're insistent on being a unique snowflake the Shadowcat is okayish.

[B0oN]

Well, Lupis ...
No other way than to plunge in fully and try out "metacrowd-abandonded" mechs if they work for you .
Why would someone change their tools, if the tools are still working well ?


I for one salute this bravery and skillset, this community needs more of that, DESPERATELY .

[Leone]

Lupis Volk, on 25 January 2016 - 01:23 AM, said:

When you say it like that now i'm having a hard time choosing.

Let's simplify. Do you like engaging at range. Say outside the 400m Er medium range? if so, much as I love the Nova, not your best bet, due to limited build options. Thus leaving your choice between more weaponry (Stormcorw) or even more speed and Ecm coverage (Shadowcat).

If your okay with midrange ask youself do you like more build options? if so, go stormcrow, so much mixing an matching of omnipods, if your okay with a few build options, then decide if you want more brawly (Nova) or more skirmishy (Shadowcat)

Lastly, if you don't mind getting up close an personal with your mech, they all can do so, but the Nova edges out the Stormcrow for me at least due to jump capacity and sheer face melting power four machine gun an two pairs of six er small lasers brings. Best I've seen the Stormcrow manage is twelve small pulse and some Srms, but it runs even hotter, and I just can't get it to compete with the Nova. Probably something to do with the extra tonnage from endosteel an lack of space for heatsinks. Also, the Shadowcat cannot run near the same amount of weapon hardpoints as the other two. Even brawling it's more a harassy brawler.

Edit: https://vimeo.com/150313748 The nova, in CW. Random drop, first drop, as they were left in mechbays to showcase for someone. Not my best run, cuz I wanted to show em true. The build I love most is the one at the end, and the second build kinda got thrown away.

~Leone

Edited by Leone, 25 January 2016 - 02:03 AM.

[Lupis Volk]

Leone, on 25 January 2016 - 01:58 AM, said:

Let's simplify. Do you like engaging at range. Say outside the 400m Er medium range? if so, much as I love the Nova, not your best bet, due to limited build options. Thus leaving your choice between more weaponry (Stormcorw) or even more speed and Ecm coverage (Shadowcat).

If your okay with midrange ask youself do you like more build options? if so, go stormcrow, so much mixing an matching of omnipods, if your okay with a few build options, then decide if you want more brawly (Nova) or more skirmishy (Shadowcat)

Lastly, if you don't mind getting up close an personal with your mech, they all can do so, but the Nova edges out the Stormcrow for me at least due to jump capacity and sheer face melting power four machine gun an two pairs of six er small lasers brings. Best I've seen the Stormcrow manage is twelve small pulse and some Srms, but it runs even hotter, and I just can't get it to compete with the Nova. Probably something to do with the extra tonnage from endosteel an lack of space for heatsinks. Also, the Shadowcat cannot run near the same amount of weapon hardpoints as the other two. Even brawling it's more a harassy brawler.

Edit: https://vimeo.com/150313748 The nova, in CW. Random drop, first drop, as they were left in mechbays to showcase for someone. Not my best run, cuz I wanted to show em true. The build I love most is the one at the end, and the second build kinda got thrown away.

~Leone

Well i'm used to mid range
and brawling with my IS mechs. Not that well versed in long range.

I only have one bay spare. My only ranged mechs are either one LRM boat, two ERL lights or a Sniper Orion.

[latinisator]

Saying this once and once only: Nova.

Ice Ferret: meh. I ran it in CW (back at 240t - Ice Ferret - Nova - Hellbringer/Ebon Jag - Gargoyle), it was okayish but I did not have an option back then for this deck). In public queue...also okayish, not shining however.

Shadow Cat: onyl build I can use effectively (meaning getting above 1k damage in CW with one Mech) is 2 LPL w/ECM. In public queue 3 SRM6 and 2 ERML is okay but I think this Mech is too fragile (for me, that is).

Nova: get it! Jumpjets, face melting laser spam, MG crit seekers (if you like such), depending on whether you have the loyalty Nova 2 missile slots.

Stormcrow: get it, too! Variety, can do well in any config. Drawback is no jumpjets.

[Prof RJ Gumby]

Call me weird, but I like Ice Fridge a lot. With mpls and spls you can build a nice light-like flanker/harraser that is not afraid of a lucky shot to the face. Plus, when used effectively, it can defeat any light 1vs1 without problems (as long as he's not much better than you). I used it to chase off cheetahs in group play back when they were actually OP :]

Edited by Prof RJ Gumby, 25 January 2016 - 06:26 AM.

[CJ Daxion]

Nova is all energy for the most part, with Jumpjets...

the stormcrow has no JJ's and runs about 20KPH faster, can boat energy, or missiles, and use ballistics to some extent.


Do you want a very mobile energy based jump jet mech, or a bit faster with lots of different weapon choices?

[Bud Crue]

I know nothing of the intimate details of Clan mechs or builds I will note two things though that I have observed:

The 2PPC Shadowcat looks like a blast. I've spectated players running these a couple of times and it is a rare mech indeed that looks to be more fun. Seemed pretty damn effective looking too.

The Streakcrow is still a killer in CW and a an opponent to be respected by any IS defender. When Clanners base rush with a large number of these it is a sight to behold...and not in a good way from the defenders perspective.

[Tanil Kane]

My favorite clan medium is the Shadowcat-B. I run it stock and it is amazingly versatile.

Good range damage, fast, and ecm lets you reposition as needed to flank or take down a vulnerable target. The ER-ML's are also good for coring someone out if you get their back.

[process]

Stormcrow. It's got enough podspace and omnipod variety to accommodate any build, not just the meta. With the others you'll find yourself locked in to certain playstyles.

Bud Crue, on 25 January 2016 - 11:21 AM, said:

The 2PPC Shadowcat looks like a blast. I've spectated players running these a couple of times and it is a rare mech indeed that looks to be more fun. Seemed pretty damn effective looking too.

If you want to double PPC, stick with the Adder. It's a much smaller target, and has the quirks and maneuverability to boot. On a good day in CW, I'll rack up close to 2000 damage with it just by being pesky.

Edited by process, 25 January 2016 - 11:44 AM.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

I vote Shadow Cat. Very not-meta-friendly, but also quick and potentially deadly. I love them.

Hated them at first. So many enemy players stole my SHC kills by self-destructing with MASC. As I got around to leveling my own SCats, though, I fell in love.

No doubt the SCR is better overall, and the NVA can pretty easily out-DPS a SHC, I still <3 these things.

[Lupis Volk]

Well i only have one mech bay.

Sounds like i'd like any of them.