10 replies to this topic

[Shirow]

Hi

Ok use to play tabletop back in the day with friends, I remember
there was a item called MASC you could add to your mech , if
And when it worked it would double the amount of spaces
You could run ( or was it walk

[TAKTCOM]

look at Shadow Cad and Executioner.

[epikt]

Only specific mechs or variants can equip a MASC. ShadowCat, xecutionner, Wolverine-7D.
It mostly boost acceleration and deceleration, a little max speed (but not double, only +10% iirc). When used it fills a gauge, you take damage in the legs if you're using it to much.

Drop in the testing group with the trial Executioner if you want to test it.

[TAKTCOM]

epikt, on 20 January 2016 - 02:24 AM, said:

Only specific mechs or variants can equip a MASC...Wolverine-7D.

Have any information when this version will be available in the store?

epikt, on 20 January 2016 - 02:24 AM, said:

...a little max speed (but not double, only +10% iirc).

This depends of MASC version. EXE use MASCII and have 18,5% speed boost.

[brroleg]

MASC is dead weight in this game. If you take just bigger engine instead of MASC weight you will go at same speed as using MASC but constantly and without damaging legs. Boost in acceleration is nice but not enough to pay for MASC tonnage. Wish i could remove this garbage from my ShadowCat to free 2 tons

Edited by brroleg, 25 January 2016 - 02:53 AM.

[Rushin Roulette]

TAKTCOM, on 20 January 2016 - 04:37 AM, said:

Have any information when this version will be available in the store?

This depends of MASC version. EXE use MASCII and have 18,5% speed boost.

Actually, it deos work the same on all mechs. But what players tend to overlook is that it doubles the walking speed.
http://www.sarna.net...ignal_Circuitry

Walking speed is not the same as running speed (100% of the speed bar in MWO). In the end it nets a burst top speed of 130kph for the Shadow cat which is also consistent with the speeds noted in Sarna;
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Shadow_Cat

EDIT:

brroleg, on 25 January 2016 - 02:51 AM, said:

MASC is dead weight in this game. If you take just bigger engine instead of MASC weight you will go at same speed as using MASC but constantly and without damaging legs. Boost in acceleration is nice but not enough to pay for MASC tonnage. Wish i could remove this garbage from my ShadowCat to free 2 tons

Actually,
The 2 tons heavier Engine will not get you up to the 130KPH max speed as you can see with the closest possible comparison the VND-1AA XL270 @104,5KPH which has the same engine as the Shadowcat compared with the 1,5 Tons heavier engine in the VND-1AA XL295 @114,2KPH. There is no possibllity of adding an engine with 15,5 Tons on a mech with 45 Tons, so a direct comparison is not possible. However the extra 0,5 Tons will never net you a speed increase of 15,8kph.

Edited by Rushin Roulette, 25 January 2016 - 04:46 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

Rushin Roulette, on 25 January 2016 - 04:37 AM, said:

Actually, it deos work the same on all mechs. But what players tend to overlook is that it doubles the walking speed.
http://www.sarna.net...ignal_Circuitry

Walking speed is not the same as running speed (100% of the speed bar in MWO). In the end it nets a burst top speed of 130kph for the Shadow cat which is also consistent with the speeds noted in Sarna;
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Shadow_Cat

my elited shadow cat can only do 114.5 with MASC and speed tweek, how did you get it to 130?

[Rushin Roulette]

I havent played since I finished eliting them (Which I confess was before the skill tree nerf ). Back then it was still 130kph. sorry for the misinformation. I guess PGI should think about increasing the base engine speeds so that the top speeds match the standard speeds again.

[Shirow]

epikt, on 20 January 2016 - 02:24 AM, said:

Only specific mechs or variants can equip a MASC. ShadowCat, xecutionner, Wolverine-7D.
It mostly boost acceleration and deceleration, a little max speed (but not double, only +10% iirc). When used it fills a gauge, you take damage in the legs if you're using it to much.

Drop in the testing group with the trial Executioner if you want to test it.

Thank you, and everybody who answered.
Will have to give it a try .

[WrathOfDeadguy]

It's a fun gimmick, but still just a gimmick. It's a mediocre component on the Omnimechs that have it, even though it is their only way of boosting their top speed. It's downright terrible on the Wolverine.

With the stock 275XL engine, the WVR-7D reaches a top speed of 81kph without speed tweak. MASC boosts you up a little over 90kph without speed tweak... it also costs three tons and three crit slots. If you put the same 3 tons into the engine compartment, you wind up with a 305 rating, which pushes you up to 89.8kph without speed tweak, which is very nearly the same gain in top speed as you get from MASC. You also don't have to sacrifice three crits, and it won't break your legs if you keep your throttle redlined. Even if you swap the stock engine for a 280, which is a little faster for the same tonnage, the difference between MASC 280 and non-MASC 305 is still less than 5kph... not enough to make a difference. If I were out to optimize the variant, I'd strip out the MASC, drop in a 300XL, and put the extra half ton into armor or ammo, which would make it comparable to the WVR-6R.

The acceleration and deceleration bonuses are situational, but nice. They allow quicker peeking since it only takes a second or so to go from full throttle forward to full reverse with MASC engaged... but the builds for the WVR-7D and EXE don't favor peeking; the primary weapons are low mounts. The SHC, on the other hand, can leverage MASC for peeking to very good effect because it does have high mounted main weapons, so that you'll hardly have any exposure time at all (especially with ERPPC or Gauss). The EXE can use MASC in quick bursts to heel around and face enemies that outmaneuver it, which helps with the whole "giant lumbering assault 'Mech" thing. However, acceleration in MWO isn't particularly slow to begin with. A KGC, AS7, or DWF can pull a 180 in about two seconds and very shortly afterwards be back up at full throttle, and they're the slowest 'Mechs we have in this game (not counting a stock engine Urbanmech)... neither the SHC nor WVR is gonna be hurting for agility if you don't use MASC, even after the recent skill tree nerfs.

But... again, the benefits are marginal at best, and most of its usefulness on the Omnimechs seems to derive from the fact that it's a locked component and is therefore just part of driving that particular chassis (you're stuck with it, so you might as well use it). If the speed boost for the Mk.II and Mk.III units were to be doubled, then it would very definitely be a useful piece of hardware, but right now it's sort of in the same boat as the Command Console and any Targeting Computer over TC1. Bottom line, don't rely on MASC to give you any kind of competitive edge.

Full disclosure: I still love MASC, and I play my WVR-7D all the time even though it got the short end of an already very short stick. If Omnimechs weren't so damned expensive, I'd already have a full set of SHCs too. I think PGI absolutely nailed the mechanics of MASC, and only the numbers need tweaking to make it viable. Now, there are rumors that they will be taking another look at it, and that the initial poor performance of MASC was mostly to avoid it being OP on release like so very much of the other stuff PGI puts in the game... but I'll believe it'll get fixed when I see it get fixed, not a moment before. PGI also has an unfortunate habit of leaving things broken (flamers, MGs, CC, TC2-7, JJs, Catapult geometry, etc) for a very long time.

So... enjoy MASC. Or don't. But understand its limitations if you decide to use it.

[Generic Internetter]

For anyone who has ever played FPS games on the PC, very often your Left Shift button is the sprint button.
MASC is a kind of sprint. Sure, it increases your top speed somewhat, but the true power of MASC is using it to accelerate and decelerate.

Find a trial mech that has MASC. If I'm not mistaken, only the SHC, EXE, and VND have MASC at the moment.
Go to testing grounds with the trial mech, preferably in a map that has sharp corners (IE: Buildings).
Try peeking out and immediately backing behind cover. You'll notice there's a painfully slow wait while you slow down then gradually pick up speed in the reverse direction to get behind cover.

In the Settings -> Keybinds menu, assign Left Shift to be your MASC key. (Not "MASC Toggle" leave that blank).

Now try peeking out again. Only hold Left Shift for a fraction of a second before you start moving (like you're typing a capital "W" instead of a lowercase "w"). As soon as you take your shot, do the same again with the Left Shift key when you press "S" to move back.

MASC gives you almost instant acceleration and deceleration. It's amazing!
Now try holding down MASC as you land from a height, or from jumpjetting. Again, instant top speed!

Another benefit of MASC is the added turn rate. When making any kind big turn while brawling (or escaping!), use MASC. It makes you turn so much faster.

Try to use MASC for longer than a quick tap only when you're fleeing for your life. Even then, try not to let it get into the red zone.

TLDR: Forget top speed. MASC gives you amazing acceleration/deceleration, and makes you turn much faster. It's basically a sprint button - I recommend the Left Shift button for MASC.

Hope that helped someone.

Edited by Generic Internetter, 27 January 2016 - 06:53 PM.