4 replies to this topic

[Pineapple Salad]

I've been working on this for a while now. The text was written on october but I never got around recording it. Now that I caught cold and had a day off, I had time and motivation to record it, but couldn't speak so well, which is why I decided to use the text to speech. The demo match in the end was actually played about a week ago.

Edited by Pineapple Salad, 19 March 2016 - 05:17 AM.

[FLG 01]

Thank you for this video. It raises some thought provoking points which are well presented.

However I it may be worth exploring some more options. Right now it deals mainly with dual UAC/5 on a Mech quirked for it. But what about a single UAC/5 on a Mech not quirked for it?
Specifically I am wondering about your opinion on a single UAC/5 vs a single AC/5 used as backup for other weapons. If the Mech has anti-jamming quirks the case is pretty clear I think, but what if not?

[Chados]

There are so many ways to employ autocannon and like the OP I've always liked them in Mechwarrior games. He is right, they are probably the hardest to master and hardest to learn in MWO.

I set up my Riflemen the way he has his Enforcer-with two AC/10, each isolated to its own firing group. I want backup weapons, however, so I take two medium lasers in their own group. I have done this since I played AC/10 Riflemen in Multiplayer Online Battletech in the early 1990s, in fact, and I ran a Rifleman IIC with uAC/10s like this in MW2.

When set up like this, my prime weapons are the ACs. Concentrated AC/10 fire will back up a Dire Wolf in some situations, and if you stay off the lasers heat is very manageable. My other current favorites are the three Zeuses with ballistic mounts. Those will take a single AC/10 or dual AC/5, or on the 5S a single uAC/5 with jam reduction. Dual AC/5 are like an extended range, faster-firing AC/10, but you trade off weight for range and firing rate. I shoot them together most often, and find it very effective. Chaining them is good for suppression, but it forces higher face time.

Ultras without jam reduction quirks are problematic. They will fail just when you need them most, it is almost guaranteed. Also, if you stick with a certain type of AC...in my case, the AC/10, you get better with it. I can hit things with the AC/10 at the high end of optimal range that I can't touch with PPCs or other autocannon at the same range, because I've used it a lot. Using standard AC/5 is an easier adjustment when you're used to AC/10s. I don't like AC/20s because they're too hot and cycle too slowly, and AC/2s need too much face time for my playing style.

Edited by Chados, 27 March 2016 - 07:15 AM.

[Leone]

Chados, on 27 March 2016 - 07:11 AM, said:

I don't like AC/20s because they're too hot and cycle too slowly, and AC/2s need too much face time for my playing style.

I concur!

However, I dasagree about the dual uac 5s. I consider it a replacement Ac 20 due to compatible damage with double tap. Dual Ac5s is my ac10 stand in. And, of corse, like the uac 5s to Ac20 comparison, deals damage faster, at the expense of more tonnage.

I may have a tendancy to bring slow over gunned mechs.

~Leone.

[Pineapple Salad]

FLG 01, on 24 March 2016 - 06:18 PM, said:

Thank you for this video. It raises some thought provoking points which are well presented.

However I it may be worth exploring some more options. Right now it deals mainly with dual UAC/5 on a Mech quirked for it. But what about a single UAC/5 on a Mech not quirked for it?
Specifically I am wondering about your opinion on a single UAC/5 vs a single AC/5 used as backup for other weapons. If the Mech has anti-jamming quirks the case is pretty clear I think, but what if not?

Personally I think that single (U)AC5 is too weak armament, and for single ballistic slot I would consider a larger AC instead, or pass the ballistic slot altogether for stronger energy/missile loadout instead. That is because ballistics are so heavy that you shouldn't be using them as a "backup", but always as your primary weapon, or as part of your primary combination.

In the hypothetical situation where I would be choosing between a single UAC or AC5, I would still pick UAC, even if it was not quirked because the burst potential is such a great advantage even at risk of jamming. You just have to mentally prepared for the jams and be ready to take cover all the time.