99 replies to this topic

[dervishx5]

I find a lot of people who piss on the Rifleman don't own it. NOT EVERYONE, but a lot of people. They don't see the point given the Jagermech and now the Warhammer.

But it honestly is worth the tonnage. It's a good FP mech. Probably wont ever be comp but I really enjoy it. It's my favorite mech outside of the Jenner IIC.

[Fyrwulf]

It really depends. Don't outfit to meta, outfit to what suits your play style. I have an LK with 2x LBX-10 and 4x MLs, an XL250, and nearly max armour. I've solo'd two Executioners in the previous two days with it. While not nearly as impressive, because its armour had taken a beating, I also killed a King Crab heads up on the ramp in Crimson Strait.

So, yeah, if you outfit it right and play it right, even an assault will not enjoy having met you.

[GreenHell]

Put up more 600+ damage matches in my -3N today. Asymetric builds work wonders on this mech.

[Karamarka]

With so many mechs coming out for c-bills I need another 50% off mech bays.

[Ted Wayz]

KodiakGW, on 07 May 2016 - 09:59 AM, said:

290 engine cap. Some have said you just need to play it like a medium....

...an 84.2 Kph max medium.

With less armor and structure than some mediums.

DaZur, on 07 May 2016 - 10:07 AM, said:

I've experimented with multiple mechs and configurations and for my money... the RFL--5D is far and away the apex ePPC sniper...

Yes, because every team wants a ERPPC sniper on their team. Especially one without the mobility to escape lights (it is slow and certainly not Cicada fast) and does not have the durability to stand up to a light either. And high hard points are great, until you get face hugged. Did I mention many snipers have JJ for mobility and positioning.

But you did say you are playing with your money. And I am out there trying to take it. So please all of you, if you love the RFL please pilot it.

[Bishop Steiner]

KodiakGW, on 07 May 2016 - 09:59 AM, said:

290 engine cap. Some have said you just need to play it like a medium....

...an 84.2 Kph max medium.

Not very medium is a CDC.

Most of my HBKs and CN9s slot into that approximate speed range, as do a number of my 55 tonners. Not many of those can pack and sustain the the jackhammer firepower of dual ac10 in the process. Especaily dual ac10s with a 20% cooldown, 40% velocity boost, and getting a 50% accel/Decel kick which in most cases means more than raw speed.

Since something like 80-85% of my 20,000+ drops are in Mediums, yes I do consider myself pretty well versed in what does and doesn't work in them. And just like the CDC is basically an overweight Light, the RFL (and most 60 tonners) are just overweight Mediums.

Heck my day to day Money Maker WISHES it could go 84 kph.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...5b47c99108f3d0c

And there ain't too many people not in a Comp Unit that want to come across me in that. Yet the RFL-3N gives me better firepower and usable range, the same pinpoint fld capability and way better accel/decel which is more important for knife fighting and hit and run shots. Which happens to be the hallmark of successful Medium Mech play.

So yeah. Play it like a Medium. If you try to play it like a Marauder, you lose.

dervishx5, on 07 May 2016 - 05:50 PM, said:

I find a lot of people who piss on the Rifleman don't own it. NOT EVERYONE, but a lot of people. They don't see the point given the Jagermech and now the Warhammer.

But it honestly is worth the tonnage. It's a good FP mech. Probably wont ever be comp but I really enjoy it. It's my favorite mech outside of the Jenner IIC.

that seems to be a commonality for most DoA and QQ posts. Or people try to make every mech fit into a one size fits all Meta Scale.

Either way, result is pretty much the same.

Ted Wayz, on 08 May 2016 - 05:32 AM, said:

With less armor and structure than some mediums.

Yes, because every team wants a ERPPC sniper on their team. Especially one without the mobility to escape lights (it is slow and certainly not Cicada fast) and does not have the durability to stand up to a light either. And high hard points are great, until you get face hugged. Did I mention many snipers have JJ for mobility and positioning.

But you did say you are playing with your money. And I am out there trying to take it. So please all of you, if you love the RFL please pilot it.

Ooooooh, you're scaring us.

[Gorgo7]

The Rifleman is quite excellent. The 3N in particular has excellent quirks for ballistics (cooldown and velocity) and excellent quircks for twisting and accel/decel.
It is very pointy! Super for snap shots and pokeing. Put BIG ballistics on it AC10 AC20!
Cheers!

[KodiakGW]

Bishop Steiner, on 08 May 2016 - 08:32 AM, said:

Not very medium is a CDC.

You mean CDA - Cidaca. Who brought up a Cicada for comparison? I didn't.

But if you want to compare. Then fine. A CDA can go as fast as an ACH, with similar firepower. Just swapping JJ for armor and heat efficiency. So yes, it should be driven like a light, and it can be. It's just that many know speed is life in a medium. Some pilots are fine with going slow in a medium, some are not. 84 Kph and slower is not the average speed you see mediums run.

Basically what I'm doing is warning OP is that they should be aware of the hard speed limitation considering the armor. Maybe they should take out your money maker before they decide to save and spend hard earned CBills on that mech. If they cannot be as good as you say you are in it, then maybe it won't be a good fit for them. I would suggest taking a Dragon or QuickDraw and test survivability (let me be clear - SURVIVABILITY, NOT FIREPOWER - before anyone harps on that point) at the same speed, but we all know they are quite oversized for their weight.

[dervishx5]

KodiakGW, on 08 May 2016 - 09:55 AM, said:

You mean CDA - Cidaca. Who brought up a Cicada for comparison? I didn't.

But if you want to compare. Then fine. A CDA can go as fast as an ACH, with similar firepower. Just swapping JJ for armor and heat efficiency. So yes, it should be driven like a light, and it can be. It's just that many know speed is life in a medium. Some pilots are fine with going slow in a medium, some are not. 84 Kph and slower is not the average speed you see mediums run.

Basically what I'm doing is warning OP is that they should be aware of the hard speed limitation considering the armor. Maybe they should take out your money maker before they decide to save and spend hard earned CBills on that mech. If they cannot be as good as you say you are in it, then maybe it won't be a good fit for them. I would suggest taking a Dragon or QuickDraw and test survivability (let me be clear - SURVIVABILITY, NOT FIREPOWER - before anyone harps on that point) at the same speed, but we all know they are quite oversized for their weight.

Do you own a Rifleman?

[GreenHell]

I LOVE my Riflemen. All of them. They all perform in stellar fashion for me, and have my highest K/D and W/L ratio. I was a HBK pilot before, and I swore by my -4P. Now, I'm a Rifleman pilot and I could not be happier.

My -3N performs so well that it has become my #1 favorite mech. My -5D worked so well, that I copied the build onto my HBK-4P and it's actually performing better for it!

[Alistair Winter]

Thanks for all your replies, guys. Busy days for me, on account of exams and all, so I can't really respond to everything. But looking at all your feedback, even the words of caution, I'm even more excited about trying out this new mech.

Sometimes I enjoy the challenge of working with very limited hardpoints (e.g. Ravens, Shadow Cats, Victors, Cataphracts, etc) but there's no point denying that the most fun mechs are usually the ones that offer more customization by having more hardpoints. With 8 hardpoints on every variant and no token missile hardpoints that you end up ignoring most of the time, the Rifleman just offers so many options.

Usually I start planning smurfy builds with 1-2 variants saved on smurfy before a mech release. With the Rifleman, I have 10+ builds ready on Smurfy that I want to try out.

• RFL-3C will be 4xAC2 at first, but I also want to try out 2xAC5+2AC2 and 2xUAC5+4xML.
  
• RFL-3N will be 2xPPC+2xAC5 at first, but I also want to try out a couple of different dual gauss builds. I think I can make it work. And maybe the gauss + 3LL build.
  
• RFL-5D will be a PPC sniper at first, but I also have a variety of LL sniper builds I want to try out.

There are two things I'm not sure about yet:

• How many of my builds should have STD engines. If I'm running a RFL-5D with 2xLL+4xML, then a STD engine is probably best. But I'm not sure any of the ballistic builds should have STD engines. The 2xUAC5 + 4xML may be the only one.
  
• How many Jagermech builds can be used for the Rifleman? We've already talked about dual gauss, which I think should work for the Rifleman. But why shouldn't 3xUAC5 work too? It's a fantastic build for the Jager, so I'm not quite sure the 5 ton difference is enough to make it absolutely terrible on the Rifleman. Sub-optimal, probably. But I think I could make it work. You could have 5 tons of ammo (750 dmg potential) and 2 small lasers, moving at 74 kph and have more heat efficiency than you'll ever need.

Edited by Alistair Winter, 08 May 2016 - 11:45 AM.

[The Lobsters]

I find the Rifleman to be a very satisfying mech, and I usually often live longer in it than a Jager, even with an XL without any structure quirks,

The 3C is still a bit of an odd one, but still a lot of fun my 2 x AC20 build. Just for the craic I ran 4 x LPL's in the torso, which turned out to be some nice tightly grouped lovelessness with the big arm just as shields. Meta ***** blasphemy I know but loads of fun and great for poking through the gaps.

OP, if you're feeling The Way of the Blackjack-Jager-Warhammer-Mauler, then buy them, They sit very well between the BJ and the JM6.

[LT. HARDCASE]

GreenHell, on 07 May 2016 - 03:23 PM, said:

Alright... you made me do this. YOU MADE ME DO THIS!

17 team damage, what a scrublord.

[Valdarion Silarius]

Alistair Winter, on 06 May 2016 - 02:53 PM, said:

Somebody please lower my expectations for this mech, because right now I'm just counting the days until I can finally buy this bad boy.

4xAC2, 2xAC5+2xPPC, or 4xLL... I have been tinkering with the builds on Smurfy for days now! I know, I know, I have plenty of mechs already, but the Rifleman looks like a fun challenge. It's right in the Unpopular Valley between big medium mechs and big heavy mechs. Nobody likes small heavy mechs unless they're heavily quirked, and the Rifleman isn't really that.

Somebody tell me that the Rifleman is a terrible mech, so I can calm down. Because right now, there's just too many interesting builds for this mech. I feel like I'm going to need 2 of each variant.

Ok, I can calm you down.

It has terrible armor and poor heat sinks in the stock configuration .

What you should be getting hyped for is the Rifleman IIC (when we eventually get it).

4xLPL's, BAP, 11 tons of Ferro Fib Armor, JJ's, 19 double heat sinks (24 with an XL upgrade).

What you just posted for the weapon configurations for the IS Rifleman, is what the Rifleman IIC can mount with better armor .

Edited by Arnold The Governator, 08 May 2016 - 01:07 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

KodiakGW, on 08 May 2016 - 09:55 AM, said:

You mean CDA - Cidaca. Who brought up a Cicada for comparison? I didn't.

But if you want to compare. Then fine. A CDA can go as fast as an ACH, with similar firepower. Just swapping JJ for armor and heat efficiency. So yes, it should be driven like a light, and it can be. It's just that many know speed is life in a medium. Some pilots are fine with going slow in a medium, some are not. 84 Kph and slower is not the average speed you see mediums run.

Basically what I'm doing is warning OP is that they should be aware of the hard speed limitation considering the armor. Maybe they should take out your money maker before they decide to save and spend hard earned CBills on that mech. If they cannot be as good as you say you are in it, then maybe it won't be a good fit for them. I would suggest taking a Dragon or QuickDraw and test survivability (let me be clear - SURVIVABILITY, NOT FIREPOWER - before anyone harps on that point) at the same speed, but we all know they are quite oversized for their weight.

naw, I mean CDC (yes it's incorrect) but I've used that since early TT days. So I stick to it out of habit, no difference than people calling Warhawks "peacedoves" etc. And since my opinion is Cicadas are a mech to avoid like the Plague (though I do have some fun with them in MWO) CDC (Center for Disease Control) fits from my old TT groups inside jokes about them.

*shrugs*

Also, firepower IS part of the formula for survivability. As is speed, hitbox/geometry, agility, etc. All work together. A Mech might be super agile, like a Spider, but in the end while you might draw it out, the lack of firepower negatively impacts it's survivability. HBK-IIC aren't particularly agile or tough, but their firepower allows them to be plenty survivable.. because you kill them before they can kill you. Hence, you survived.

One's ability to simply soak damage is a very poor choice of objective measures. RFL does have more than adequate speed, and exceptional acceleration. With the 280 engines I usually run, they are plenty agile enough. They pack pretty darn solid firepower. And yes, they are relatively light on armor/structure. But they also are agile with a pretty solid hitbox design, making spreading damage pretty easy, overall. I find they run XLs pretty well, something a lot of IS Heavies cannot claim. And they can carry a great blend of PPFLD and DPS, in high mounted hardpoints.

Thus, yes, I would say anyone used to running Trooper Mediums (CN9s, VNDs, HBKs, ENFs, TBTs, and even several of the builds on GRFs, SHDs and WVRs) shoudl have little trouble adapting to and doing well in the RFL chassis.

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 08 May 2016 - 02:16 PM.

[LT. HARDCASE]

Arnold The Governator, on 08 May 2016 - 01:05 PM, said:

Ok, I can calm you down.

It has terrible armor and poor heat sinks in the stock configuration .

What you should be getting hyped for is the Rifleman IIC (when we eventually get it).

4xLPL's, BAP, 11 tons of Ferro Fib Armor, JJ's, 19 double heat sinks (24 with an XL upgrade).

What you just posted for the weapon configurations for the IS Rifleman, is what the Rifleman IIC can mount with better armor .

Rifleman IIC would have a max engine rating of 235, unless PGI made an exception.

Consider my hype on zero.

Edited by LT. HARDCASE, 08 May 2016 - 02:19 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

LT. HARDCASE, on 08 May 2016 - 02:19 PM, said:

Rifleman IIC would have a max engine rating of 235, unless PGI made an exception.

Consider my hype on zero.

Depends on model. IIC2 cruises 64 kph stock. And TBH would interest me more. Jump capapble humanoid Mech with unlocked internals, Clan XL and the ability to pack paired C-UAC10s in high mounts of a 65 ton chassis? And a 315 (84 kph) engine cap?

Yes please.

With battlemech hardpoint inflation, probably 6 ballistics... so 2x UAC10 (7 tons ammo)/4x MG (1.5 tons ammo), a 300xl, 4x JJ and essentially max armor and 12 DHS for like a 97% heat efficiency?

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 08 May 2016 - 02:30 PM.

[LT. HARDCASE]

True, the IIC2 comes stock with a STD260, that is pretty good, should round up/down to either a 310 or 315 engine cap.

All other variants came with a STD195, which is where I got the 235 cap. Heavy mech without 10 truedubs is a sad heavy.

Edited by LT. HARDCASE, 08 May 2016 - 02:50 PM.

[Bishop Steiner]

LT. HARDCASE, on 08 May 2016 - 02:48 PM, said:

True, the IIC2 comes stock with a STD260, that is pretty good, should round up/down to either a 310 or 315 engine cap.

All other variants came with a STD195, which is where I got the 235 cap. Heavy mech without 10 truedubs is a sad heavy.

Energy heavy Hvy, yeah. Would need heat gen quirks to perform up to snuff. Just look how much VNDs and BJs bleed because of that one feature (though BJ quirks help overcome it)

[Alistair Winter]

Arnold The Governator, on 08 May 2016 - 01:05 PM, said:

What you should be getting hyped for is the Rifleman IIC (when we eventually get it).
4xLPL's, BAP, 11 tons of Ferro Fib Armor, JJ's, 19 double heat sinks (24 with an XL upgrade).
What you just posted for the weapon configurations for the IS Rifleman, is what the Rifleman IIC can mount with better armor .

I've been spreading hype for the Rifleman IIC since forever. I think I've posted pictures of it in every IIC mech thread since Origins. I want the Shadow Hawk IIC, I want the Phoenix Hawk IIC, I want the Griffin IIC, but most of all I want the Rifleman IIC. That thing looks like a damn samurai with a radar dish straw hat.



And I have no doubt PGI would increase the engine cap above normal. With their new model of selling each mech individually, they're not in the business of making any more lemons, like they did for the old mech packs.