14 replies to this topic

[Ted Wayz]

RIFLEMAN RFL-3C 39 15 24 0.63 33 32 1.03 12,698 47,277 04:13:35

So that is the stat line for my 2 x AC10, 4xMPL 3C in the tournament (I refuse to pilot a mech named Rifleman without ballistics and went with the AC10's because I liked the sound). Saw I was out of the top 75 so logged in for one match this morning and managed to jump ten places to finish 68th. Only basic skills unlocked and I didn't equip modules until halfway through so okay I guess.

The good about the Rifleman. The thing pilots well. Smooth ride and I didn't find myself tripping on pebbles or having problems with inclines. Went up the side of hills in Canyon that I usually wouldn't take a heavy and it cruised right up. Good twist speed. And for a mech that is supposed to run hot my setup easily managed the heat once the essential basics were unlocked.

Firepower did not feel anemic. With a cooldown module and quirks the AC10 fires fast which turned out to be a problem as mentioned below. Still getting rapid fire dual AC10's dissuaded many a foe from getting to aggressive. The effective range of the pulses and the AC10 is great for close support action, and with the good acceleration I was able to maintain the range I wanted in most cases.

The bad. You have to be a good pilot in this mech as it does not leave you much room for error. Turn the corner and take an alpha to the ST and your night is over quick. Whatever the structure number is for the ST you should consider it to be "1" the second the armor is breached and pilot accordingly.

Be ready to use that twist too. The only mech I face tanked in the tournament was other Rifleman. I would walk right up to them, give them one Alpha in the ST followed by a dual AC10 and "pop"!

And that is the thing, good luck going with a standard engine. Stock these things have no ammo for their greedy AC's and limited heat dissipation. Even with a XL I only carried 2 tons of ammo due to the need for more heat sinks and the want for medium pulses. With the exception of the "one hit time to quit" matches I always ran out of ammo.

Now before I hear the "But I had 5 kills and 800 damage", well so did I. But after each good match I knew I could have had a great match if only. If only a XL reliant mech wasn't so vulnerable due to a weak ST, those 5 kill and 800 damage matches would have been the 7 or 8 kill 1000 plus damage matches.

So TL:DR- Not DOA if you are a good or better pilot, as long as you do not go against a good or better pilot who knows to target the ST. Could be problematic for a new pilot who doesn't know what targets and what range to engage, or doesn't know how to twist effectively. So not Black Knight release bad but below average IMO.

[Y E O N N E]

I told you the RFL didn't have terrible firepower...

I didn't play too much over the weekend (best score, finished 112th on the 3N just as a matter of course), but I can say that I discovered that the 'Mech is in its element at ranges greater than 400 meters. With that near complete lack of structure quirks, I think that's what PGI was trying to encourage. Hell, that's the designated role for the 'Mech, anyway, and as a second-line fire support unit I think it's actually pretty fantastic.

So on all of mine save the Legend Killer, they run a primary battery which reaches out to at least 540 m. That's twin AC/10 on the 3C, quad Large Laser on the 5D, and twin UAC/5 on the 3N. The last one is probably the most brutal of the bunch, since its secondary battery is a full set of six Medium Lasers, powerful enough to be a primary on its own. You get enough heat cap on an XL260 (which, tweaked, runs the same speed as a pre-tweak XL280) to fire that twice with the UACs going, and then you just fire the UACs while cooling down. It's awesome burst, and respectable sustain, and the velocity quirks make placing the shot extremely intuitive.

I find that the 'Mech spreads damage incredibly well; even when open all over it took a bit more to put down than you might suspect. It's actually quite easy to baby a vulnerable ST because the CT can cover it completely when you twist. What gets you are the surprise hits you don't see coming. It's the same problem Jagers and Blackjacks have: without durability quirks, they are just too squishy in the STs and are easily put down by heavy PPFLD. That includes big wubs, PPC+Goose, 5xAC/5, etc. I think that takes it out of the running for the top, but...it's not awful.

[Ted Wayz]

I hear what you have to say, but the problem is a well placed Alpha from an experienced player in a mech designed to deliver a large Alpha can end your game in one shot. And they can do it at your optimal range.

Keep in mind that in the lore this mech was supposed to brawl with mediums and lights. I wouldn't do that on a bet as mediums and lights can pack equivalent dps and have comparable armor.

[Volthorne]

I placed 29th on the 3N leaderboard with a semi-stock build, and half-assed my way into the top 150 on the 3C leaderboard with a quad-AC/2 build. I also pretty consistently face-tanked TBRs and won. Maybe stop putting XLs in your roflmen unless you're running 2xAC/20s or 4xAC/2s.

Ted Wayz, on 22 February 2016 - 09:42 PM, said:

Keep in mind that in the lore this mech was supposed to brawl with mediums and lights. I wouldn't do that on a bet as mediums and lights can pack equivalent dps and have comparable armor.

No. No, it was not. You are seriously, sorely, EGREGIOUSLY, mistaken.

Edited by Volthorne, 22 February 2016 - 09:48 PM.

[Ted Wayz]

Volthorne, on 22 February 2016 - 09:46 PM, said:

No. No, it was not. You are seriously, sorely, EGREGIOUSLY, mistaken.

Well better go back in time and have them leave out the statement:

"Although designed to be primarily a fire-support 'Mech, the Rifleman can hold its own in close combat against lighter 'Mechs".

This is straight from the Battletech Technical Readout 3025 published in 1986. So it has been that way for 30 years.

[Y E O N N E]

Operative word there is "lighter." Against lighter 'Mechs, it currently has no outstanding problems.

The lore is satisfied.

[Johnny Z]

That the rifleman sounds like a solid mech in the hands of a good pilot is good to hear. A line mech if I ever seen one.

[Soultraxx]

I quite enjoyed mine and made it to about 200th on the LK table before I just had to have a change of mech.
I felt like I had to earn every match point though as its not a forgiving or easy ride.

I switched to my Warhammers afterwards and it felt like I went from a Summoner to a Timby, such was the difference (and I never really liked my Warhammers)

Imo Rifleman (men) are nice, but require some skill to do well in.

[Lupis Volk]

I honestly wonder if people use it in it's role. Long-medium range fire support?

[Volthorne]

Lupis Volk, on 23 February 2016 - 01:17 AM, said:

I honestly wonder if people use it in it's role. Long-medium range fire support?

I can't speak for anyone else but that is pretty much how I made 29th. Play pokewarrior with my RFL. Unless you carry dual goose (or better) odds are you're going to lose.

[Lupis Volk]

Volthorne, on 23 February 2016 - 01:51 AM, said:

I can't speak for anyone else but that is pretty much how I made 29th. Play pokewarrior with my RFL. Unless you carry dual goose (or better) odds are you're going to lose.

Most of my Roflman have large lasers. only two are better suited for close quarters combat. Legend Killer (2 LBX10) and my 3C (4 MG's).

[Volthorne]

Lupis Volk, on 23 February 2016 - 01:55 AM, said:

Most of my Roflman have large lasers. only two are better suited for close quarters combat. Legend Killer (2 LBX10) and my 3C (4 MG's).

I ditched the large lasers. They take up tonnage that could be better spent on armor, ammunition, and a slightly up-sized standard engine (unless you run the quad 2's or dual 20's). A pair of mlas or mpls is usually more than enough to back up your main guns - even if stuff gets in close you can still dish out a beating non-stop (chainfire is your friend. Except on the quad 2s, obviously).

Alternatively, you can keep the larges instead of the smaller lasers, and skimp on ammo, but you WILL run hot. Like, lava hot.

Edited by Volthorne, 23 February 2016 - 02:11 AM.

[Johnny Z]

Lupis Volk, on 23 February 2016 - 01:17 AM, said:

I honestly wonder if people use it in it's role. Long-medium range fire support?

It will be for sure on the current faction play defense maps where battle lines are more present.

I have a 3 AC 2 Hunchback with a small XL engine and packed with ammo just for this. Near worthless in regular matches.

Edited by Johnny Z, 23 February 2016 - 02:32 AM.

[Chados]

I was offline for most of the weekend but for a couple hours Friday and Saturday nights and I was working on basicing all four, rather than sticking with one and working the leaderboard.

I like the Rifleman. It reminds me very much of the version we had in Kesmai's Multiplayer Online Battletech years ago. An RFL will always be an RFL. I prefer the dual AC10 loadout, two ML, STD 240, one DHS, endo, Ferro, 3t AC ammo. LK substitutes LBX and more ammo. Not the highest alpha-only 30-but as long as the AC ammo lasts I'm cool-running and I have close to max armor and 70kph with speed tweak. I set up firing groups to isolate the autocannon one for one, put the lasers on their own group, and have one group set up to fire everything. A trick I learned back in MPBT days to isolate heat on hot-world drops and it still works. I can survive an ST check, and reply with an AC10 to the face. With AC10 cooldown I can one-two an enemy til I run out of ammo without overheating as long as I stay off the lasers.

It's not a world-beater, but people don't like those autocannon and you can make people back off. The downside is that if you get ambushed you're dead meat. Best place to be is sidekick for a Dire or Atlas. I've partnered up with a couple assaults, let them dictate where we go and who we kill, and dominated maps. Worst place to be is in the open all alone, hunted by lights or Clan heavies/assaults. The Rifleman's just too fragile for a lot of one on one. It takes careful positioning and forethought before you commit. Its cannon are high enough to make a difference and the comm system antenna sticking up didn't seem to hurt that much.

[Ted Wayz]

Had some more time in the Rifleman this weekend. Still stand by my assessment. You can have good matches but it is too easy to have your game ended early in this XL unfriendly mech.

Pulled out the XL on all but the LK and still a headache. Didn't have the quick deaths but I didn't get the peak damage, peak kill games either. Especially when most of your weaponry is in the arms and the ST still fly off taking your weaponry in the arms with them.

Hopefully this gets addressed in the not too distant future.