91 replies to this topic

[wanderer]

The R key.

We use it, because you don't have to.

(And I would laugh and laugh and laugh some more if sensors actually mattered to everything, not just Streak/LRM fire.)

[Triordinant]

Bishop Steiner, on 31 May 2016 - 09:48 PM, said:

And don't waste an assault slot on a role that a 50-70 tonner actually does better?

Dropped solo in QuickPlay yesterday against a team that had 2 Kodiak LRM boats. Wiped them 12-0.

[PyckenZot]

Apnu, on 31 May 2016 - 10:36 AM, said:

They are in no particular order. LRMs are the one weapon system in the game where purely boating them is not going to work. Especially IS mechs. When I see a CPLT-A1 with only LRMs, I eat them for lunch.

It all depends on your playstyle and your team. I haven't played a splat-CAT since before the stats reset. Since then I've played 22 matches in a pure LRM5 CAT-A1. Got me a nice 2.67 K/D ratio on it.

Nonetheless, I tend to agree. In general pure IS LRM boating is ill advised. Even my KTO-GB has 2 MLs.

[Steve Pryde]

crashlogic, on 31 May 2016 - 07:50 PM, said:

Ok, ignore all the LRM hate: you play the game the way you enjoy playing.

I'm totally with you but there is one problem: LRMs in MWO are not fun at all. You must stare the enemy to death or someone else must lock the targets for you.

LRMs in older Mechwarrior games were fun but not in MWO.

[Leone]

Apnu, on 31 May 2016 - 10:22 AM, said:

1) Trail the back end for the death ball. Stay with your team. Never stop moving.

If anybody else has suggestions, let's hear them.

I personally disagree with number 1. The rest are pretty solid, but let's think about this one. By bring lrms you have the great advantage of being able launch from behind your team, which means you can be upfront, sharing armour during the initial engagement, and then rotate back to the middle/tail of the pack once you've done your part, leaving you hopefully intact enough late game to once more tank for the team.

Think about it, late game, only a few mechs on either side, and you with limited ammo. Should you've survive that long you'll've no doubt cheesed off the enemy team with some spot on suppressive fire, and made yourself a target out of proportion to your threat. Chance are, despite being on the front lines early on, you'll still have the most armour left on your team. Make yourself a threat an priority target, so the remaining direct fire mechs can get cheap shots in. Of course, this all assumes teamwork of some sort.

I do agree with sticking with the team, when they teamup. Your weapons have the slowest delivery time. You'll want to be upfront to get your damage in before the target dies. When you got a good murderball going against scattered opposition, sitting back may mean you miss out on hitting targets because the direct fire mechs'll take em before your missiles get there.

You can sit back, it is true, but that just makes it more important that you share armour, so the team can benefit from that fact.

~Leone

[Appogee]

I am posting this as a confession.

As there are Hero bonuses for the taking, yesterday I dusted off my rusty Kintaro Golden Boy, gave it 5LRM5, a TAG, BAP and 2MLs, and took to the battlefield for some laid-back CBill farming.

My Tier 1 opponents noticed this, so for the two matches I attempted it, I was not only mocked, derided and encouraged to go back to whatever lowly tier I apparently aspired to, but I was also relentlessly focus-fired into oblivion. I think I scored 65 damage in the first match and 120 in the second.

It served me right, frankly.

Edited by Appogee, 01 June 2016 - 04:07 AM.

[Apnu]

Appogee, on 01 June 2016 - 04:05 AM, said:

...I was also relentlessly focus-fired into oblivion.

Because they were afraid of you.

Edited by Apnu, 01 June 2016 - 04:16 AM.

[Davis Carlyle]

Appogee, on 01 June 2016 - 04:05 AM, said:

I am posting this as a confession.

As there are Hero bonuses for the taking, yesterday I dusted off my rusty Kintaro Golden Boy, gave it 5LRM5, a TAG, BAP and 2MLs, and took to the battlefield for some laid-back CBill farming.

My Tier 1 opponents noticed this, so for the two matches I attempted it, I was not only mocked, derided and encouraged to go back to whatever lowly tier I apparently aspired to, but I was also relentlessly focus-fired into oblivion. I think I scored 65 damage in the first match and 120 in the second.

It served me right, frankly.

Because you're not up to their l33t skillz, ie; lrms would have disrupted their strategy.

[PurplePuke]

Mister Blastman, on 31 May 2016 - 10:31 AM, said:

So... what happens when...



... there is no deathball?

What if your team is a bunch of scared plebs cowering behind rocks in some narrow valley shaking and quivering and awaiting their doom?

I guess you're screwed?

If that's the case, you're screwed no matter what weapons you're running.

[Mister Blastman]

PurplePuke, on 01 June 2016 - 06:11 AM, said:

If that's the case, you're screwed no matter what weapons you're running.

Bingo!

[2fast2stompy]

crashlogic, on 31 May 2016 - 07:50 PM, said:

No matter what anyone says, 120 damage and 0 kills with 1 assist does not help you team, whether you are in a lrm boat or handing out lazvomit.

Actually, I was in a game yesterday where a Centurion basically won us the game by tanking some 5 mechs on his own. Happened right on start of HPG, I saw him go down into the basement and followed since I only had SRMs, he tanked while I shot them up, then the rest of the team came in and we rolled them. Granted, he did over 500 damage in the process, but the point is that he was the MVP even though I did twice his damage, since I only did it because he made it possible.

It's just like leading a push, the guy at the front will almost certainly die and do subpar damage unless the other team has no focus whatsoever, but him doing his job well determines the game. It's a shame we don't have a "damage taken" stat at the end of the game and that match score doesn't account for it. So no, your numbers don't mean much.

Edited by 2fast2stompy, 01 June 2016 - 06:55 AM.

[Davis Carlyle]

FIRE ZE MISSILES!!!

[Lykaon]

Apnu, on 31 May 2016 - 10:22 AM, said:

LRMs aren't optimal from a min-maxing solo play perspective, and they're the least competitve weapon in the game. Despite that there are players who like to run LRMs.

I've been here since the earliest days of CB. And I like to run LRM builds from time to time. I do very well in them, most of the time and I like to observe LRM players using them to see how they're doing it. Generally I see what I call "the wrong way" to use LRMs.

The wrong way is sitting back 600+ meters away lobbing LRMs, from cover, praying for solid locks from the SOBs at the front line, and holding armor back that the team sorely needs. I still see a lot of LRM builds with little to no backup weapons. Also LRM players tend to cement their feet in one spot and get ditched by the team as the fight moves around the map. Clan players can spit LRMs under 190m, but the damage return diminishes greatly the closer the target is.

The right way to play LRMs is this:

1) Trail the back end for the death ball. Stay with your team. Never stop moving.

2) Look for your own locks as much as possible.

3) Bring and use TAG and UAVs. BAP too. Artemis is optional and dependent on LOS.

4) Use LRMs at < 500m for best travel time.

5) Have backup weapons to defend yourself and/or not be useless when the LRMs are out. 3-
4 medium lasers late in the game when everybody's beat up is killer.

6) Have a speedy engine and re-position often. Be ready to move fast for a better target in optimal range (again < 500m), or dive into the middle of the death ball for cover from a harassing light mech.

7) Watch the reticle go red for hits. If lobbing LRMs, and you don't see red, the target has cover and you're firing into it.

8) Let the quirks define your build. LRM5 and LRM10 have the lowest spread. Only take LRM15 or LRM20 if the mech has quirks for them specifically.

9) Optimize your tubes. Don't put a LRM15 in a 6 tube launcher, the cooldown doesn't start until after the last missile leaves, so DPS takes a hit.

If anybody else has suggestions, let's hear them.

I find that a good support chassis is a KTO-18
300XL
endo steel
5x LRM5
8 tons LRM ammo
AMS
1 ton AMS ammo
BAP
2x medium lasers

here is how you use it.

Stay in proximity to your assault mechs because you will be literally using them to shield you from the enemy. Do not park right up some Atlas's backside leave room for them to retreat and turn freely.

This is not by any means a parasitic relationship. You will be careful to target any enemy mechs attacks your assault mechs and keep them reeling from a near constant stream of LRM 5 vollies. If all goes well the constant explosions and smoke will keep the enemy accuracy down and allow your assault mechs to pour on the damage realativley free of effective return fire.

This strategy has a couple of effects.

ONE: supression fire to allow your assault mechs and heavy hitters to get into the fight while taking less damage doing so.

TWO: Allows for one additional mech to use a narrow line of fire.Instead of being behind a friendly Kingcrab trying to not friendly fire while peeking and shooting around them you are constantly lobbing LURMs over them.

[crashlogic]

2fast2stompy, on 01 June 2016 - 06:53 AM, said:

Granted, he did over 500 damage in the process . . . .

Umm thats way more than 120 damage...
Did you read my post?

[Mechteric]

I only run LRM10 and LRM15's, since LRM5's are for chumps. I'm out there to do damage, not annoy people to death.

[SilentWolff]

Apnu, on 31 May 2016 - 10:22 AM, said:

RIGHT WAY TO LRM -- 9 TIPS

Tip #1

Dont use LRM's for any reason, cause their $hit.

Edited by ImyerHuckleberry, 01 June 2016 - 09:47 AM.

[Apnu]

Lykaon, on 01 June 2016 - 08:07 AM, said:

I find that a good support chassis is a KTO-18
300XL
endo steel
5x LRM5
8 tons LRM ammo
AMS
1 ton AMS ammo
BAP
2x medium lasers

here is how you use it.

Stay in proximity to your assault mechs because you will be literally using them to shield you from the enemy. Do not park right up some Atlas's backside leave room for them to retreat and turn freely.

This is not by any means a parasitic relationship. You will be careful to target any enemy mechs attacks your assault mechs and keep them reeling from a near constant stream of LRM 5 vollies. If all goes well the constant explosions and smoke will keep the enemy accuracy down and allow your assault mechs to pour on the damage realativley free of effective return fire.

This strategy has a couple of effects.

ONE: supression fire to allow your assault mechs and heavy hitters to get into the fight while taking less damage doing so.

TWO: Allows for one additional mech to use a narrow line of fire.Instead of being behind a friendly Kingcrab trying to not friendly fire while peeking and shooting around them you are constantly lobbing LURMs over them.

Nice.

[Apnu]

CapperDeluxe, on 01 June 2016 - 09:13 AM, said:

I only run LRM10 and LRM15's, since LRM5's are for chumps. I'm out there to do damage, not annoy people to death.

If quirked, I like LRM10 and LRM15s too. My AWS-8R packs 2xLRM15A, 2xLL, TAG and its a beast. Its got 30% in LRM15 cooldown perks.

[Yosharian]

I have nine tips for you:

LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5
LRM5

[crashlogic]

CapperDeluxe, on 01 June 2016 - 09:13 AM, said:

I only run LRM10 and LRM15's, since LRM5's are for chumps. I'm out there to do damage, not annoy people to death.

Depends, there are a whole lot of ways to do this math. I can tell you that 3xlrm 15's do more damage than 6 by lrm5's, but you would expect that. The recycling times (absent quirks) means that there can actually be more lrm 5's in the air in the same time than firing three lrm 20's. The LRM 5's can then overwhelm ams since the AMS targets individual bursts, 6 LRM 5's usually means 15 lrms at least on target (this however, is purely observational and not based on any real math).
Where I notice a big difference is in Kills and Component damage, which favors the LRM5. With LRM15's i did more damage, with LRM 5's I kill mechs (and I mean solo kills). I attribute to the greater concentration of the lrm 5.

In one of these threads someone said the smartest thing I have heard about LRMS: it depends on your team. Sometimes you can get with a team that is devastating, with three or for lrm boats vaporizing stuff, or your team will call targets and you can rain on them and watch them evaporate. Other times your team will scatter, and not capitalize on all the armour you are taking off by the sheet with your LRMS.
Nothing more frustrating that doing 1057 Damage, getting four kills and losing the match 12-4.