15 replies to this topic

[Avian Blackfrost]

Greetings all!

MechWarrior newbie here. Just started playing two weeks ago. Used to play similar games with tons of statistics before (Armored Core and World of Tanks being two such examples)... so I'm fairly confident in my understanding of this game.

Around a week ago, I got a Catapult as my first mech and am satisfied with it, despite the great number of losses I suffered initially. Today, I find myself winning more games than losing them... So I guess I'm going in the right direction? What do you guys think? Anyway I can further improve?

My thought process for the build was: long range attacker with some bite at close range. Bombard from afar with LRMs and Large Lasers, when the enemy gets close, use Large Lasers and add the Small Laser for some extra damage. More armor and speed for bulk and mobility while fighting.

Picture Links:

http://i124.photobuc...zpss4rdn5oo.jpg

http://i124.photobuc...zpscxywt7c6.jpg

Thank you very much for your help!

Edited by Judy Hopps, 29 March 2016 - 01:09 AM.

[Palfatreos]

Using smurfy mechlab or li song mechlab much easier to share mech builds with other people then the ingame mechlab.

online mechlab (smurfy)

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

mechlab installed on your computer (li song)
http://mwomercs.com/...theorystomping/

Personaly i prefer li song mechlab since i can organise my mech better in save files then smurfy but not evrybody has it and smurfy is accesable for evrybody as long you have internet.
Best part both mechlabs has mechanic to transfer the mech data from li song to smurfy mechlab and vice versa.


Way to much back armor the back armor should only be needed to protect you from friendly fire.

CPLT-C1 ( 2 x LRM15+A, 3 x ML, 1 x JJ, TAG, BAP, XL300)
CPLT-C1

[BlackHeroe]

The 1 small Laser really wont help you!
Normally i would suggest specialise your mech, but yes you can do also combination of different weapons, sometimes works.

But you really should have a look at your armour, fill it up in the arms (the catapult has big arm-ears, they normally get hit a lot.
But more urgent is the armor on the Ct & St´s - max it out and bring most of it to the front. 18 in the back is a lot, and more like for a slow assault.
An XLengine is not yust expensive it also lets you die through the losing of a side Torso, and the Catapult has sqishy side torsos. Have a look on what cause your mech dies of - and then after max. out Torso armour mostly to the front. (most players not running much armour on the back, mostly like 6-12 points. Find your right amount). And think about if you really needin this XL - as missile boat its not so bad, cause you arent in the front line, more like to be in 2./3. line - as direct engager it will probably get killed you easily.

How long do your 4 Tons of ammo last in a match ? Probably not long - if this should be a missilie boat like most catapults, take more ammo with you. A general advice would be goin for 10 tons.
As missileboat you also wanna have Beagle active probe and most likely a Tag Laser - both for getting better targets and hittin them more efficient. (also Artemis is needed for LRM15 - for the lighter ones not necessary)

As you see your Large lasers are a nice idea but they draw out your tonnage. If you dont wanna missile boating with it, strip the LRM15s and go for much lighter LRMs.
If you strip the LL you have 10 tons free (ex.: use it for 3 MLs, TAG, BAP, Artemis, Armour and ammo)
Otherwise you can go also for maybe 3 LLs, Heat sinks and Armour - but with other chassis then C1 you will be doin better with it.

Ill give you the build for my GFs C1:
2LRM15+Artemis, TAG, BAP, 9 Tons Ammo, 3 MLs, 2 JJs, STD 260 Engine (maybe to be switched later) Back armour 8 / 12 / 8, Legs think at 40, rest maxed out.

And as general Advice, have a look at threads for LuRMing, and also what other people drive (spectate and look at smurfy).

[sycocys]

C1 - If you are going to have LL and an XL engine, use LPL x 3 and srm6 to back it up.

[jimmydegriz]

Ok so i see first off people saying specialise or follow the meta usually. And whilst yes that generally is a good idea, it's nit very creative or fun.

Instead i'm going to suggest, drop the LRM 15s and the AMS (and it's ammo). Take 2 LRM 10s, then use the remaining tonnage to add an extra small laser, max out the armour on atleast the torsi (maximum of 12 on rear sides and 14 on rear ct, rest goes frontal) then if you still have tonnage left, add ammo for the LRMS.

Keeps the original idea, and allows you to survive a tiny bit more. Not much, but it's an improvement i would think.

[Kira Onime]

Drop the small laser and the AMS and max out your armor on your torso and arms. Legs could use a bit more if you can afford it

Personally I'd drop the rear armor to 3 as well but that's me.

[sycocys]

Palfatreos, on 29 March 2016 - 03:51 AM, said:

CPLT-C1 ( 2 x LRM15+A, 3 x ML, 1 x JJ, TAG, BAP, XL300)
CPLT-C1

If you are intent on using LRMs drop the 2 extra DHS and 1 ton of ammo for MPL upgrade.

[Threat Doc]

I drive Catapult's all the time, it's my favorite 'Mech in the entire game, so here's the advice I'm going to give you... ignore all advice, go with what you have, own it, and tweak it for yourself. You have an excellent starter build and, if it's working for you, run with it, then modify it as you gain experience in the game.

The only C1 I run, these days, is my Founder's Catapult, and I have it outfitted for my play style, which other people don't agree with, though I tend to get at least one kill each game, and in the hundreds of points of damage. The Catapult is a long-range 'Mech though, as you've seen, here, there are close-range builds, as well. I would not go with an SRM build on your C1, as you only have the two missile hard points, use the 'Mech for what it was intended for, and modify from there.

[Palfatreos]

sycocys, on 29 March 2016 - 05:48 AM, said:

If you are intent on using LRMs drop the 2 extra DHS and 1 ton of ammo for MPL upgrade.

CPLT-C1( 2 x LRM15+A, 3 x MPL, 1 x JJ, TAG, BAP, XL300)
CPLT-C1

aye tweaked it and seem better to have mpl as backup weapon rather then ml since overheating shouldn't be the problem if the ammo enough.

CPLT-C1( 2 x LRM10+A, 2 x LL, 1 x JJ, TAG, BAP, XL300)
CPLT-C1
Closer to your original build lower the LRM for more ammo and dropped the SL since i am not a fan of 3 different weapons but you can drop the half ton ammo and put the SL in it.


EDIT:

sycocys, on 29 March 2016 - 05:28 AM, said:

C1 - If you are going to have LL and an XL engine, use LPL x 3 and srm6 to back it up.

3 x LPL, 2 x SRM6+A, 2 x JJ
CPLT-C1
You had enough slots over for FF so used the extra tons for artemesis and half ton srm ammo sacrefice since it a backup for close range it should be enough i think? otherwise always can drop one JJ for the ammo.

Looks pretty intresting build using the LPL as main weapon and srm as backup instead lurm as main and lasers as backup.

Edited by Palfatreos, 29 March 2016 - 06:42 AM.

[AdolfGhandi]

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...713daf87b5734fe

2 lurm 15+artemis, 2 LL, 1 JJ, XL 280 and enough ammo

XL 300 is a nice engine, but u dont need that speed on a C1 with lurmz. If u wanna go SRM and Medium pulses go with the higher engine.

Edited by AdolfGhandi, 29 March 2016 - 06:57 AM.

[ImperialKnight]

Judy Hopps, on 29 March 2016 - 01:04 AM, said:

Greetings all!

MechWarrior newbie here. Just started playing two weeks ago. Used to play similar games with tons of statistics before (Armored Core and World of Tanks being two such examples)... so I'm fairly confident in my understanding of this game.

Around a week ago, I got a Catapult as my first mech and am satisfied with it, despite the great number of losses I suffered initially. Today, I find myself winning more games than losing them... So I guess I'm going in the right direction? What do you guys think? Anyway I can further improve?

My thought process for the build was: long range attacker with some bite at close range. Bombard from afar with LRMs and Large Lasers, when the enemy gets close, use Large Lasers and add the Small Laser for some extra damage. More armor and speed for bulk and mobility while fighting.

Picture Links:

http://i124.photobuc...zpss4rdn5oo.jpg

http://i124.photobuc...zpscxywt7c6.jpg

Thank you very much for your help!

You would get destroyed with 2 alphas by a Clan laserdrill in that build. A 2LPL/3MLas Clan build is 47 points of pinpoint damage that can nail you at 400+ metres. Until the resize pass, I'd mothball the Catapult. They're like buffet lunches.

If you have to play a Cat, 1: Frontload the armor, leave 4 pts rear. 2: Always have a team mate infront of you, preferably something heavier and alot of firepower. And by that I don't mean sit back and LRM, cause if you get caught out alone, it's lol-buffet-lunch

[Threat Doc]

knightsljx, on 29 March 2016 - 06:58 AM, said:

You would get destroyed with 2 alphas by a Clan laserdrill in that build. A 2LPL/3MLas Clan build is 47 points of pinpoint damage that can nail you at 400+ metres. Until the resize pass, I'd mothball the Catapult. They're like buffet lunches.

If you have to play a Cat, 1: Frontload the armor, leave 4 pts rear. 2: Always have a team mate infront of you, preferably something heavier and alot of firepower. And by that I don't mean sit back and LRM, cause if you get caught out alone, it's lol-buffet-lunch

Oh, my God, ignore THIS guy, OP... he's clueless.

Your BIGGEST threat, if you play the LRM-boat correctly, is from Light 'Mechs swooping in from the rear, saucy little cowards they are. If you leave 4 points rear, you are DEFINITELY going to be lunch. I want you to listen to me for a minute... I was the 363rd person to register for this site, I've been playing BattleTech on the board since 1984, on the computer since 1995, and online since late-1997, and I was invited into Beta for this game in July 2012, so I've been doing this a LONG time, and I play LRM 'Mechs almost exclusively, with as I said the Catapult C4 being my favorite.

I will tell you one more time... you have a good setup, go with it and then start to immediately search for your own rhythm, your own play-style, because if you listen to any of these guys, your luck will not improve and, more likely than not, will degrade.

4 points to the rear Center Torso, knightsljx? What monkey-barrel did YOU crawl out of?

[sycocys]

Kay Wolf, on 29 March 2016 - 09:17 AM, said:

4 points to the rear Center Torso, knightsljx? What monkey-barrel did YOU crawl out of?

If you LRM this mech any further out than 600m and dismiss using its secondary weaponry you will be stuck in tier 4 because you won't perform well ever.
The mech has pitiful hardpoints for its weight, so you need to load wasteful sized launchers with artemis and combine it with kiting and secondary weaponry.

Palfatreos, on 29 March 2016 - 06:20 AM, said:

CPLT-C1
You had enough slots over for FF so used the extra tons for artemesis and half ton srm ammo sacrefice since it a backup for close range it should be enough i think? otherwise always can drop one JJ for the ammo.

Looks pretty intresting build using the LPL as main weapon and srm as backup instead lurm as main and lasers as backup.

That would work, just rigged it up quick for you. For myself I'd ditch the JJ entirely for ammo and a bap. 2-2.5 tons is more than enough, just make sure to snag the range module to narrow the gap between the srms and the LPL.

[Avian Blackfrost]

Geezus! Thanks everybody! Consider me grateful for all the input. Noticed a bit of a trend with everyone's builds and suggestions.

--
1) Non-existent AMS

Nobody seems to be running this, even the brawler type Catapults. So I'm definitely gonna do this.

2) BAP, TAG and Artemis for faster lock-on

Fun fact: I originally tried fitting a TAG along with the SL on the center torso but the game wouldn't let me for some reason, even with adequate tonnage.

Might use one or two of the options.

3) Get rid of the LL for ML

Hmm... I chose the LL to supplement the LRM due to their similar range. A bit indecisive on what to do here.

4) Move armor to the front

My friend also suggested this to me. My armor was much lower originally but he convinced me otherwise and I soon found myself surviving a little more. Legends say he's still stacking front armor to this day.

I think switching a few points from back to front wouldn't hurt. But I still get flanked from behind every so often so 4 might not be the magic number I'll be going for.

5) Ammunition problems

In public games, I find myself running out half-way through. I'll see what I can do here.

Kay Wolf, on 29 March 2016 - 05:50 AM, said:

I drive Catapult's all the time, it's my favorite 'Mech in the entire game, so here's the advice I'm going to give you... ignore all advice, go with what you have, own it, and tweak it for yourself. You have an excellent starter build and, if it's working for you, run with it, then modify it as you gain experience in the game.

That's the plan! But it helps to have some direction and advice on what I can do.

Edited by Judy Hopps, 29 March 2016 - 08:09 PM.

[Threat Doc]

sycocys, on 29 March 2016 - 11:07 AM, said:

If you LRM this mech any further out than 600m and dismiss using its secondary weaponry you will be stuck in tier 4 because you won't perform well ever.

This, sir, is entirely untrue. Before I was finally able to upgrade my computer, my PSR bar for Tier 4 had fallen to just right of the O in INFO in the lobby. In seven weeks since I upgraded, I've been able to get back up to the right side of the down arrow toward the right of the scale. I don't play as often as I used to, maybe three to seven hours per week. Everything slowed down when I got my Marauders and, again, when I got my Archers, to just behind the mid-point of the down arrow, and now I'm back to the right and steadily climbing towards three.

Quote

The mech has pitiful hardpoints for its weight

This is the absolute truth. Were it me I would have three missile hard points on each arm, all variants, and then the additional points beyond those already on the variants would be there, as well.

Judy Hopps, on 29 March 2016 - 08:00 PM, said:

1) Non-existent AMS

I run AMS on everything.

Quote

2) BAP, TAG and Artemis for faster lock-on

I've found BAP and Artemis to be the best combination, especially since you need to be able to have TAG turned on constantly for it to be of real use.

Quote

3) Get rid of the LL for ML

Hmm... I chose the LL to supplement the LRM due to their similar range. A bit indecisive on what to do here.

It's good to be able to fight from range, but there are trade-offs to be made, of course. My recommendation remains what it's been... try various things out until you find what you want.

Quote

4) Move armor to the front

My friend also suggested this to me. My armor was much lower originally but he convinced me otherwise and I soon found myself surviving a little more. Legends say he's still stacking front armor to this day.

I think switching a few points from back to front wouldn't hurt. But I still get flanked from behind every so often so 4 might not be the magic number I'll be going for.

I typically split my armor to 2/3rds on the front and 1/3rd on the back. At the absolute most, I would reduce armor on the back to 1/4th of total armor for the location, leaving 3/4ths for the front. Simple equation.

Quote

5) Ammunition problems

In public games, I find myself running out half-way through. I'll see what I can do here.

I will, typically, mount between five and seven tons. If I load four tons, like you I find myself running out halfway through.

Quote

That's the plan! But it helps to have some direction and advice on what I can do.

What sycocys was saying, earlier, about never doing well in the match, is typically because most LRM folks find a spot, plant themselves, and waste all of their ammo on rocks. You have to keep a good eye on the target indicator in the upper-right corner, to see if your hits are having an effect. This will show as multiple locations lighting and cooling quickly, but separately; if one or two locations are blinking, or nothing is, you're hitting rocks or buildings. Stop firing and relocate. Switch targets rapidly... as you lose track on one, radically key up the next target; this will spread your damage out, but it pays back your team for not keeping locks, allows you to keep firing and helping them, anyway, and keeps your enemy guessing. If you can change targets that are several hundred meters apart, no one will catch onto your location easily, meaning the Lights will have a more difficult time locating and killing you. Also, if things are starting to get hairy, make sure you start acting like a sniper, shoot, communicate, move on out; switch locations as often as you can without separating yourself too far from the main body of your forces. My recommendation is two to three-hundred meters behind them, at the absolute most; brawlers and actual snipers have to step out to fire, and are more likely to take fire. However, if you can support them, kill targets, and work generally as a team, you'll do well. If your unassuming companion gets ganked, there may be others you can get with, to help them. If you remain behind your group, though, supporting them -LRM 'Mechs are not killers, they're support, period-, you will be able to move up into the main body, to at least dissuade any hunters on your trail. This last part doesn't always work, but it's the best thing I've been able to develop, thus far.

I hope all of this helps.

[Palfatreos]

@Judy

1) Most map has high enough cover to nullify lrm also when you have enough mechs and start buying those expensive module like rader derp breaking enemy LOS instant lose there locks unles they tagged you or have target decay.

AMS can be usefull against 5 lrm chainfire but big burst lrm rain the effect of 1 ams is barely noticable.


2) BAP is mostly for passive counter ECM withing 360 range. (if there 2 ecm covering each other you won't be able to lock them)
25% decreased target info acquisition time: this means the paperdoll where the enemy damage part and weapon loadout shows faster to you. It does NOT make lock faster. There other effect on BAP but main reason you want it for the passive ecm counter.
If you find that 360 range to short for you or/and you confident enough you kan keep tag on people at that range you might consider drop the bap and use the extra ton for something else.

You don't necairly need both BAP and TAG but you do need atleast one of them otherwise your lrm means nothing against ecm people.


3) Sticking with LL instead of ML or MPL not a problem i posted a build with lrm10+A and 2 LL that closer to your original one. People playstyle are different and builds are different. I tend to be the front line or just behind the frontline even with lrms so long range weapons doesnt really fit to my playstyle. However if you play a bit more from the back LL or LPL is better suited for you then ML or MPL since you wont be using it most time.


4) Most time you die from the front engaging people then sneaky little ******** trying to flank you in the back. Over time you get the experience where people tend to flank on maps and learn (re)position yourself better from gettin hit in the back. How much back armor you want depends how good you position and situational awarness is just dont run double diggit back armor and you should be fine.
Personaly i only run 2 back armor (when i was pretty new i ran 4/6/4 to 7/9/7) on evrything but assault. Maybe i am to crazy or confident that i don't get shot in the back to much. (don't own any assualt yet and don't like to run them in solo public)

EDIT: I tend to put 16 head armor instead 18 on evrything beside lights (which even lower) because pulling headshot is hard for most people. head has 15 hp on every mech with +16 armor you have 31 defense in total which just enough to withstand a double gauss in the face.

Edited by Palfatreos, 30 March 2016 - 02:49 AM.