28 replies to this topic

[Mahikan]

I don't really understand why they didn't get structure quirks.

I mean you take a look at the warhammer and it's mounts are very similar, Just as high.

Was it ment as a balancing factor?

Personally I love the design, and the hitboxes are decent. But I just can't justify bringing it when it dies faster then most mediums. Especially since the warhammer is superior in every way.

It's a Large 60 tonner and dies faster then most 50 tonners.


So does anyone have any idea's on why this mech and this mech alone has no structure quirks?

[Wintersdark]

The whammyhammer's arm mounts are low, relative to the cockpit, while the Rifleman's are high, alongside it. It makes a substantial difference.

[Mahikan]

I'd argue they are not as low as people make them out to be.

Certainly better them mechs like the cataphracts and summoner.

Also keep in mind it has as many if not more torso energy mounts.

Not to mention you didn't really say why it doesn't have structure quirks.

[Raso]

I think what it needs os extreme ballistic rate of fire and bullet velocity buffs. Make it so it doesn't need structure buffs. I'd rather they make it unique rather than cookie-cutter.

[Duncan1dah0]

I agree that it feels really weak on armor. That's ok if the weapons were more powerful. I'm very underwhelmed with the energy quarks.

[Mahikan]

it doesn't have enough currently to out balance to squishiness of it. At least that's my opinion, I mean you run STD you have horrible firepower. Run XL and while it has a massive ct you can die in a single volley (at least the high alpha meta of the clans currently).

and it's offensive quirks are middle of the pack. Nothing special or amazing.

It really needs something more to make it viable

[Wildstorm]

I spent a lot of time in the Riflemen this weekend. I'm no expert but my impression is that bonus structure quirks wouldn't add much. The Mech is too small and too slow to brawl. I only excelled when I played the sniper role, or mid range support to larger Mechs that drew all of the attention.

I think you are also paying for the combo of high weapon mounts and low cockpit. If you hill peek and can see it, you should be able to shoot it.

It is a niche Mech, but can fill that role very well.

[Mahikan]

Wildstorm, on 22 February 2016 - 06:02 AM, said:

I spent a lot of time in the Riflemen this weekend. I'm no expert but my impression is that bonus structure quirks wouldn't add much. The Mech is too small and too slow to brawl. I only excelled when I played the sniper role, or mid range support to larger Mechs that drew all of the attention.

I think you are also paying for the combo of high weapon mounts and low cockpit. If you hill peek and can see it, you should be able to shoot it.

It is a niche Mech, but can fill that role very well.

Debatable, Why not just take the jager mech or warhammer. Both have high mounts and are far more tanky.

there's not reason what so ever this mech does not have structure quirks, unless i'm missing something

[Void Angel]

Not everything needs structure quirks, or should have them. In general, we're seeing structure quirks on 'mechs which are designed to be more tanky, or to correct for hitbox issues (like the Hunchbacks and Dragons.) Not everything needs structure quirks, and it's likely, as some pointed out, that the Rifleman's higher weapon mounts are why it's designed to not be as tough as other 'mechs.

Whenever they quirk a new 'mech, they're half guessing what that 'mech will need, and half trying to make it different from other 'mechs in its class. The Rifleman seems intended as a fire-support 'mech using high mounts and cover, where the Warhammer (for example) has some very low hardpoints and thus must expose itself to a greater degree in order to fight with them.

Edited by Void Angel, 22 February 2016 - 06:37 PM.

[Mahikan]

Void Angel, on 22 February 2016 - 06:31 PM, said:

Not everything needs structure quirks, or should have them. In general, we're seeing structure quirks on 'mechs which are designed to be more tanky, or to correct for hitbox issues (like the Hunchbacks and Dragons.) Not everything needs structure quirks, and it's likely, as some pointed out, that the Rifleman's higher weapon mounts are why it's designed to not be as tough as other 'mechs.

Whenever they quirk a new 'mech, they're half guessing what that 'mech will need, and half trying to make it different from other 'mechs in its class. The Rifleman seems intended as a fire-support 'mech using high mounts and cover, where the Warhammer (for example) has some very low hardpoints and thus must expose itself to a greater degree in order to fight with them.

I'm pretty sure that 98% of innersphere mechs have structure quriks, My understanding it's a balancing factor for IS VS CLAN.

I mean the warhammer and marauder alone had 15+ structure quriks on every variant on ST's CT and ARMS.

For innersphere you kind of do. What other mechs don't have them?

ALso the warhammer was covered up above, the arm mounts usually only have a ML and are not nearly as low as people make them out to be.

Hell the summoner and cataphracts have MUCH MUCH lower arm mounts.

Also the warhammer has as many high hardpoints as the rifleman.

[Mahikan]

Void Angel, on 22 February 2016 - 06:31 PM, said:

Not everything needs structure quirks, or should have them. In general, we're seeing structure quirks on 'mechs which are designed to be more tanky, or to correct for hitbox issues (like the Hunchbacks and Dragons.) Not everything needs structure quirks, and it's likely, as some pointed out, that the Rifleman's higher weapon mounts are why it's designed to not be as tough as other 'mechs.

Whenever they quirk a new 'mech, they're half guessing what that 'mech will need, and half trying to make it different from other 'mechs in its class. The Rifleman seems intended as a fire-support 'mech using high mounts and cover, where the Warhammer (for example) has some very low hardpoints and thus must expose itself to a greater degree in order to fight with them.

Also,

maybe they don't need structure quirks but they need something else to balance them out. Their offensive quirks are mediocre at best.

I mean the thunderbolt/quickdraw both have better weapon quriks, Both have high mounts, Same size AND have structure quirks.

I mean I'm not saying the mech's the worst mech in existence. It just doesn't seem to make sense why this mech and only this mech has almost NO structure quirks.

[Void Angel]

Thunderbolts have been nerfed the last two quirk passes, too - even the 9S, which actually felt underpowered after the first nerf (which it quite needed.) Clans, on the other hand, have few quirks, since they've been historically very strong 'mechs (picking up the Stormcrow, after the Nerfening, felt almost like cheating.) Essentially, the Clans have been the standard to which other 'mechs aspire, with only their underperformers (and Lights in general) receiving significant quirks.
Quirks are a balancing mechanism, not just structure quirks per se. Thus, it doesn't matter how many Inner Sphere 'mechs have structure quirks, but lets look at it - it just so happens they Gave Us a List a while back (though it doesn't include the recent patch changes.)

Starting with Lights, the most likely to receive structure quirks are the really tiny guys - like the Commando and Locust - whose fragility put them in a bad place (they were a joy to pilot, but fighting other 'mechs was not so fun.) The top 'mechs in this class, however, have no structure buffs: the Arctic Cheetah and Firestarter get nothing. Even then, the only Locust to get structure quirks for its torsos is the 1V, and the Oxide is the only Jenner to receive any structure quirks at all. Other disadvantaged 'mechs like the Spider (with a marked disadvantage in firepower,) and "combat" Lights such as the Wolfhound and Panther also receive structure, possibly to compensate them for their slower speed.

Medium 'mechs are a bit different; many, many Inner Sphere Mediums have structure quirks - an astute observer will note that this helps them survive the odd alpha strike from the larger 'mechs on the battlefield. Clan Mediums do not have significant structure quirks on this list - some Stormcrow variants have a whopping +5 to arms - but then, with their XLs they don't need so much structure: the firepower and reduced vulnerability from having an XL more than make up the difference in survivability, which is what structure quirks are all about. Even here, most Hunchbacks have structure quirks only for their hunch, and all but one of the Griffins has structure quirks only for their arms and legs, while the Shadow Hawks generally get less bonus structure than the lights we mentioned earlier. Wolverines, except the Q variant, get bonuses to only their right arm (which is good, since that's where virtually all of their hardpoints are.)

Skipping on to Assaults, you'll see that generally, only chassis and variants geared toward short-range combat - or those that almost literally no one was playing - will have significant structure quirks. The Atlas has hefty structure quirks, while the Awesome is compensated for its extremely disadvantageous torso hitboxes. Similarly, the Highlander received strong structure quirks, because people had about stopped playing the chassis altogether. By contrast, the Battlemaster and King Crab have only arm structure (no one shoots a King Crab's arms,) while the Victor has only leg quirks. The Banshee - not to mention the Stalker, one of the most powerful mechs in the game - has nothing.

Now, this list is outdated, so I had to look up the Rifleman's quirks on Smurfy, and I gotta say - you're all wet. That chassis has amazing quirks! You've got massive ballistic cooldown and velocity quirks on the 4N; the 3C features half the cooldown and minor velocity, but a gigantic 20% range buff; even the 5D has good quirks, even if they're focused on PPCs (that PPC quirk may work for ERPPCs as well; you'll have to test it.) All of the variants have arm structure, and the 3C has minor structure buffs as well. These quirks in line with other chassis in the Heavy weight class; you have some huge offensive quirks that boost your firepower and accuraccy at range - but you're focused in on structure envy. For a 'mech that's quirked for mid to long-range combat, structure quirks are underwhelming at best. You've also got great mobility quirks that other chassis - the Thunderbolt 5SS springs to mind - would love to have.

So overall, having looked at the 'mech, I don't think you're on target with this point. Sure, more Inner Sphere 'mechs have structure quirks than not - that's to allow them to survive one more shot against the high alphas in the game (Inner Sphere or Clan) and help their performance without adding quirks for weapons. Your quirks should allow you to be very successful with that 'mech if you use it ways that agree with its quirks. Focus on what the 'mech can do, and don't put too much stock in your right torso being able to take one more shot from an AC/10 than some other guy's.

Edited by Void Angel, 22 February 2016 - 11:06 PM.

[Mahikan]

Void Angel, on 22 February 2016 - 11:05 PM, said:

Thunderbolts have been nerfed the last two quirk passes, too - even the 9S, which actually felt underpowered after the first nerf (which it quite needed.) Clans, on the other hand, have few quirks, since they've been historically very strong 'mechs (picking up the Stormcrow, after the Nerfening, felt almost like cheating.) Essentially, the Clans have been the standard to which other 'mechs aspire, with only their underperformers (and Lights in general) receiving significant quirks.
Quirks are a balancing mechanism, not just structure quirks per se. Thus, it doesn't matter how many Inner Sphere 'mechs have structure quirks, but lets look at it - it just so happens they Gave Us a List a while back (though it doesn't include the recent patch changes.)

Starting with Lights, the most likely to receive structure quirks are the really tiny guys - like the Commando and Locust - whose fragility put them in a bad place (they were a joy to pilot, but fighting other 'mechs was not so fun.) The top 'mechs in this class, however, have no structure buffs: the Arctic Cheetah and Firestarter get nothing. Even then, the only Locust to get structure quirks for its torsos is the 1V, and the Oxide is the only Jenner to receive any structure quirks at all. Other disadvantaged 'mechs like the Spider (with a marked disadvantage in firepower,) and "combat" Lights such as the Wolfhound and Panther also receive structure, possibly to compensate them for their slower speed.

Medium 'mechs are a bit different; many, many Inner Sphere Mediums have structure quirks - an astute observer will note that this helps them survive the odd alpha strike from the larger 'mechs on the battlefield. Clan Mediums do not have significant structure quirks on this list - some Stormcrow variants have a whopping +5 to arms - but then, with their XLs they don't need so much structure: the firepower and reduced vulnerability from having an XL more than make up the difference in survivability, which is what structure quirks are all about. Even here, most Hunchbacks have structure quirks only for their hunch, and all but one of the Griffins has structure quirks only for their arms and legs, while the Shadow Hawks generally get less bonus structure than the lights we mentioned earlier. Wolverines, except the Q variant, get bonuses to only their right arm (which is good, since that's where virtually all of their hardpoints are.)

Skipping on to Assaults, you'll see that generally, only chassis and variants geared toward short-range combat - or those that almost literally no one was playing - will have significant structure quirks. The Atlas has hefty structure quirks, while the Awesome is compensated for its extremely disadvantageous torso hitboxes. Similarly, the Highlander received strong structure quirks, because people had about stopped playing the chassis altogether. By contrast, the Battlemaster and King Crab have only arm structure (no one shoots a King Crab's arms,) while the Victor has only leg quirks. The Banshee - not to mention the Stalker, one of the most powerful mechs in the game - has nothing.

Now, this list is outdated, so I had to look up the Rifleman's quirks on Smurfy, and I gotta say - you're all wet. That chassis has amazing quirks! You've got massive ballistic cooldown and velocity quirks on the 4N; the 3C features half the cooldown and minor velocity, but a gigantic 20% range buff; even the 5D has good quirks, even if they're focused on PPCs (that PPC quirk may work for ERPPCs as well; you'll have to test it.) All of the variants have arm structure, and the 3C has minor structure buffs as well. These quirks in line with other chassis in the Heavy weight class; you have some huge offensive quirks that boost your firepower and accuraccy at range - but you're focused in on structure envy. For a 'mech that's quirked for mid to long-range combat, structure quirks are underwhelming at best. You've also got great mobility quirks that other chassis - the Thunderbolt 5SS springs to mind - would love to have.

So overall, having looked at the 'mech, I don't think you're on target with this point. Sure, more Inner Sphere 'mechs have structure quirks than not - that's to allow them to survive one more shot against the high alphas in the game (Inner Sphere or Clan) and help their performance without adding quirks for weapons. Your quirks should allow you to be very successful with that 'mech if you use it ways that agree with its quirks. Focus on what the 'mech can do, and don't put too much stock in your right torso being able to take one more shot from an AC/10 than some other guy's.

You're right in some regards. I didn't realise that there was so many innersphere mechs that didn't have structure.

Also almost all the clan mechs don't have structure, as a balancing factor so let's talk strictly about inner sphere, specially since the rifleman does not have access to the pro's and con's of clan weapons.

THE ONLY variant that has substantial weapon quirks is the 3N, Which you said had arm quirks (or rather that they all do, They do not all have arm structure. The 3N has none.)

what it has is 20% ballistic cooldown which I admit is huge. But we also need to take into consideration the fact that it only has 2 ballistic hard points on a 60 ton mech. If we could mount triple ac5, or triple UAC5 it would be a massive contender.

So while I admit that it's good good ballistic quriks, it has a measily 10% energy range on a mech that has 6 energy hardpoints. So the most common build I've seen is 2LPL 1 Gauss.

So while decent I wouldn't claim it's amazing as you make it out to be based on the lack of hardpoints/tonnage. It's far to squishy for only 2 ac5's as the amount of face time needed.


Now let's look at the 5D

The energy variant +10 structure on both arms, Which don't shield nearly as well as people make them out to be. Specially with how wide the mech actually is.

the offensive quirks it has are as follows.
- 50% ppc velocity (common among ppc variants, the warhammer marauder thunderbolt are all within 30-50%)
- 10% ppc heat gen, which is average
- 10% energy range.

None of those are good compared to the quickdraw (who has structure quirks)
or the thunderbolt who has far superior quirks.

4k QKD
-15 cooldown energy
-10 range
-10 heat gen (on ALL energy types)
- 5 laser duration.

5G
-20% cooldown energy
-15% heat gen
-also has structure

now the thunderbolt 9se
-10 cooldown on all energy
-10 range
-10 heat gen LPL
-10% LPL Heat gen.

thunderbolt 5SS
- 10 energy range
- 15 energy cooldown
- 15 heat gen
- 15 % med pulse range.

Not to mention BOTH have narrower profiles, are the same size. Sheild better and come with either ALL structure quirks(QKD) or ST structure quirks (Thunderbolt)

Now the Rifleman 3c
- 20 ballistic range
- 10 velo
- 10 cooldown
- 5 energy heat gen
- 5 med L heat gen.
-10 structure both arms
-7 structure both torso's.

Not bad, not great why? massively wide, with easy to isolate CT and ST's. Also like most 60 ton mechs it's impossible to take full advantage of the 4 ballistic quriks unless running ac2's. Which require massive face time for such a large and squishy mech.

let's look at competition

Cataphracts 4x

-15 Ballistic range
- 20 ballistic cooldown.
- 10% cooldown
- Full structure quirks.

jager mech 3DD
- 10 ballistic range
- 10 ballistic cooldown.
- 30 jam chance uac 5.

With the majority of both mechs having similar or on par ballistic cooldowns, with structure quriks and similar profiles. BUT also being heavier and actually able to fit more ballistics and has on average more ballistic hard points.


So as you put i'm not all wet, or what ever you said.

The quirks are mediocre with one variant being average at best. It's also too light to take full advantages of ballistics with massively wide torso and next to no structure quirks compared to the competition.

So again why does this mech have no structure quirks.

Edited by Lobo VVahya, 23 February 2016 - 08:38 PM.

[Mahikan]

Also you looked only at structure quirks, not taking into account the average offensive quirks/hitboxes/profiles and hard point location.

20 ballistic range is not uncommmon and i'm finding it more and more as I delve into mechs with ballistic quirks.

the 20 ballistic cooldown IS significant, On anything heavier with more hard points it would probably be a monster. But it's not and so while good, doesn't make the mech great since it got NOTHING for the 6 energy hard points. But one variant with one decent quirk to a weapon type not easily boated or used is not enough to say it has MASSIVE offensive quirks.

Edit mechs with 15%-20% ballistic range

catapult k2
Jager 6A
Dragon 5n
cataphract 4x
Cataphract illya (25%)
Cataphract 0xp
Mauler 90 (25%)
Victor 9s (25%)
Enforcer 5D

And many many more. Got tired of looking. There's also double the amount with 10% range. So it's nothing to gush about, considering most if not all have better base ballistic quirks to go with the range, also secondary weapon type quirks OR structure.

All this information was taken straight out of the mech lab, not a spread sheet. As you sad it didn't have the last balance pass in it.

Edited by Lobo VVahya, 23 February 2016 - 08:52 PM.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

Offensive quirks are definitely the way to go on the Rifleman. It is not and never should be a tank. Give all the RFLs the same durability quirks as Legend Killer has and that should be plenty- just enough to keep it alive if it is used correctly (that is, as a second-line direct fire support 'Mech rather than a front-line asskicker).

I agree that the 3N should get some energy quirks to go with the ballistic quirks; the RFL carries as much energy weaponry as ballistic, and its quirks should reflect that... however, the quirks should also be worked in such a way that players would be inclined to keep the ballistic/energy mix that the chassis is known for rather than going pure laservomit like I've seen a lot of people do. The ballistics should therefore have better quirks than the lasers, to provide an incentive for that style of build. Likewise, the 5D's PPC quirks should be sufficient to keep people using them, but not so strong as to prevent people from using lasers as secondaries- but at the same time, the lasers should not be so good as to eclipse PPCs.

Sadly, delicate balancing is not something we see a lot of in this game.

[Mahikan]

Exaclty Wrath,

Though sadly as you said I doubt we will ever see a properlly balanced mech with energy and ballistic hard points. It will most likely be Op, or terrible.

I also agree that it should have the same defensive quirks as the legend killer. It needs something.

But sadly I doubt they will give it any offensive quirks to prevent people screaming OP OP OP.

So structure seems to be what they are more comfortable to give out, hence the question why not this mech? why skip this mech in the structure that the marauder and warhammer have. It would not make it op in the least, but might make it more enjoyable.

Edited by Lobo VVahya, 23 February 2016 - 11:28 PM.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

Short term, it's better for new 'Mechs to come out underquirked than overquirked. Nobody's throwing out P2W accusations for the RFL, which is a nice change from certain other releases. It's good enough to pull its own weight, at least, which is also nice compared to certain other releases. Hopefully PGI is gathering some good data off the leaderboard toruney compared to the other ones they've held for new releases, because that'll be what they use to determine what it needs balance wise... which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Hopefully good. They're not likely to make it worse, at least, so worst case scenario is that we have to endure the horrible oppression of a few weeks of Rifleman Meta. Oh noes!

The reason for not giving the RFL equal structure/armor quirks to the various QKD and DRG variants in the long run might be twofold... first, it has all high mounts, and if given the same durability bonuses would likely render both of the other IS 60 tonners obsolete for that reason alone. Second, the Rifleman, in lore, is something of a glass cannon- just look at the stock armor values compared to other heavy 'Mechs. It wasn't intended to stand toe-to-toe with the heavy hitters... it was an anti-aircraft platform (irrelevant in MWO) and a second-line fire support 'Mech (which is quite relevant). IMO, and I know a lot of other people share this opinion, it would be best for the feel of the chassis and for balance against the other 60 tonners if the RFL remained somewhat fragile in exchange for better offensive quirks than the other 'Mechs in its tonnage bracket.

So, give it just enough structure to overcome the "one-and-done" reputation it presently has against things like gigaspike whales, vomit TBRs, and the like... but otherwise just give it rate of fire, range, heat gen, or whatever other offensive buffs it needs to level the playing field. LK feels about right as far as that goes- it currently has +10 CT structure (in addition to the +7 all RFLs have to RT and LT structure... which, FTR, is half what the DRGs get). RoF is essential since these 'Mechs should be relying on AC5 and AC10 as their principal armaments... range is less important, because on most maps 500m or so is plenty and AC10 is viable out that far even stock. Projectile velocity is nice, but not essential. Beam duration reduction should be the go-to quirk for the RFL's energy hardpoints, because it would help mitigate the squishiness by reducing facetime.

My ideal RFL quirking would be as follows:

Durability quirks, all variants: +7 structure LT and RT; +10 structure CT; +10 armor RA and LA (replaces structure quirks, where applicable). The RFL thus remains weaker defensively than the DRG and QKD, as it should be.

Hitbox adjustment: antenna no longer counts as part of CT hitbox, because it's a little silly that shooting an antenna can take out a 'Mech's engine, isn't it? This would honestly solve most of the durability issues even if no quirks were changed. Right now a good player can hit a RFL's CT from any angle by shooting that stupid antenna; if it were taken out of the equation, then the 'Mech would be pretty damned good at shielding and spreading.

3N: Keep current offensive quirks and add -20% laser beam duration.
3C: Keep current offensive quirks and add -20% ballistic heatgen (since this comes stock with hotter AC10s, and is also good for boating the still-way-too-hot AC2s), -10% laser duration.
5D: Change PPC heatgen quirk to -15% and add -10% energy cooldown.
LK: Increase LBX spread reduction to 25%, laser duration reduction changed to -20%.

Just my feel of the 'Mech, though. YMMV.

[Wildstorm]

I still think that it goes back to the high mounted weapons in relation to the cockpit. This is huge point for newer players, or idiots like me that switch mechs frequently. I see this the most when switching between the 5D and my Black Knights. The CT mounts for the 5D are actually above the head. Hill peak at its best.

Perhaps you should think of the RFL as a 60 ton glass cannon. Maybe the quirks should be balanced a bit, but I'd rather see it get more weapon bonuses instead of structure points. That adds variety to the game.

[MaoutheGreat]

After playing with the rifleman lately I feel I'd doesn't the structure quirks. It spreads damage nicely, when fully armored, and I noticed it's internals have slightly more hp than other mechs. I find myself losing legs, arms, and torsos in the Rifleman a lot slower than if I'm playing in a Marauder or Warhammer.

[Void Angel]

Lobo VVahya, on 23 February 2016 - 08:31 PM, said:

So as you put i'm not all wet, or what ever you said.

Yes, you are. No amount of hand-waving, selective reading, bolded text, or "facts" pulled from your fourth point of contact will change that. Your wild claim that "20% ballistic range is not that uncommon" is absurd - eight variants in the game have 20% ballistic range, spread over six chassis. There are three hundred unique variants in the game. Even if I allow you the rhetorical trick of lumping in ballistic range quirks of only half what we're talking about here, only twenty-nine 'mech variants (including omnipods) have ballistic quirks of even 10% or higher. Twenty-nine 'mechs out of three hundred.

You selectively compare 'mechs with no regard whatever for their relative capabilities - except when you think they support your case - did you stop to think that the Cataphract 4X has no non-ballistic hardpoints outside its head or center torso, and a whopping 64kph max speed? Did you compare the substantial mobility bonuses the Rifleman gets when you contrasted it with the Thunderbolt? No; no, you did not. But you were happy to accuse me of not looking at the big picture when I responded to your assertion that "98% of IS 'mechs have structure quirks."

This is typical for you. Some of the things you say are rebuttals of "what people make X out to be," as though some kind of straw-filled scarecrow were wandering through the thread making posts visible only to you. Or trying to imply that PGI's OWN FRACKING SPREADSHEET is unreliable. Your arguments from post one have been slipshod and inconsistent - and that's putting it kindly. Never attribute to malice...

I'm sorry for you that you bought a 'mech you cannot understand, and that you think adding structure quirks will fix the things you believe is wrong with it. You picked up a 'mech quirked for ballistic combat and now you can't figure out how to make it shine - but if you think that an extra 8 ST structure like the Marauder will "save the 'mech," or make it "enjoyable" to play, you're sadly mistaken. This issue is a math problem with graphics, and you have the wrong answer. What you're asking for is the possibility that your 'mech may survive one extra salvo directed at that torso - if you're dying so fast that you don't even enjoy the 'mech, that's not going to help you.

If you really can't figure out what to do with two hardpoints and a 20% cooldown buff, I don't know what to tell you. Try to use the 'mech as it's quirked, rather than insisting on face-tanking anything that can shoot back at you.

MaoutheGreat, on 24 February 2016 - 03:44 PM, said:

After playing with the rifleman lately I feel I'd doesn't the structure quirks. It spreads damage nicely, when fully armored, and I noticed it's internals have slightly more hp than other mechs. I find myself losing legs, arms, and torsos in the Rifleman a lot slower than if I'm playing in a Marauder or Warhammer.

Its internals will be the same as anything in its weight class, barring quirks. But if you actually spread damage and use it wisely, the Rifleman looks like a good 'mech.