91 replies to this topic

[Ted Wayz]

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.

Why not grow a set and sport 20's? Seriously, 10's can be okay but 15's and 20's have heat problems.

Do plenty of damage with 5's. But more importantly a constant rain of 5's causes disruption and keeps the opponent off balance. Love soloing ballistic centric mechs. Hard to fire straight when your cage is being rattled and the target is constantly moving. Especially with irregular movements and vectors.

Like most of what the OP has to say and it mirrors previous threads on the topic. Still LRMs aren't pin point easy mode so they will remain a point of derision.

[Chuck Jager]

On the few LRM builds I do run, I have been using 10-15 with Artemis not for the grouping but for lock on speed. I also try to go with high shoulder mounts so I can be right with the folks doing the initial push and get more damage on the targets I may not be able to get a pokey slot. Oh and has been mentioned always take the decay module.

Of course this is for one Warhawk and the Hunchie J, out of 80+ mechs.

[wanderer]

Ted Wayz, on 01 June 2016 - 09:27 PM, said:

Why not grow a set and sport 20's? Seriously, 10's can be okay but 15's and 20's have heat problems.

Do plenty of damage with 5's. But more importantly a constant rain of 5's causes disruption and keeps the opponent off balance. Love soloing ballistic centric mechs. Hard to fire straight when your cage is being rattled and the target is constantly moving. Especially with irregular movements and vectors.

Like most of what the OP has to say and it mirrors previous threads on the topic. Still LRMs aren't pin point easy mode so they will remain a point of derision.

Even 15's can be manageable, especially on quirk-friendly chassis. But LRM 20s have very few things going for them, other than perhaps CLRM20's for MAXIMUM MISSILES (but 15's still give better bang for the tonnage, mostly).

Of course, if they normalized spread 20's would actually have a reason to be, vs. a reason to laugh at.

[Ted Wayz]

wanderer, on 01 June 2016 - 10:08 PM, said:

Even 15's can be manageable, especially on quirk-friendly chassis. But LRM 20s have very few things going for them, other than perhaps CLRM20's for MAXIMUM MISSILES (but 15's still give better bang for the tonnage, mostly).

Of course, if they normalized spread 20's would actually have a reason to be, vs. a reason to laugh at.

Even with better spread the refire time, heat, and the amount of ammo wasted on a missed shot makes LRM20's hard to justify for me. If I have 10 tons of ammo 3 x LRM20 only provides 30 salvos while a chain fired LRM5 can fire for days and if you lose lock you hardly lose any ammo.

Check you % hit rate with the various tubes. For me there is a 6% difference between my LRM5 and LRM20. Over 1000 missiles that is a big difference.

Oh and the OP forgot tips on how much ammo to carry. Generally suggested 4 to 6 tons on mixed loadouts and 8 to 10 or more for mechs that boat LRMs.

Happy hunting!

[Jables McBarty]

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.

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.

During Kodiak release I had a blastie running my MDD with 2xALRM15 2xSSRM6 4xSL + cAP. Walked about 90m behind my bear friend and Lurmed whatever he was firing at. When the lights came to tear up is RT, I could chase them off with the Streaks and SLs.

It was highly effective and I suggest that anybody with assault-pilot, brawling friends do the same.

Quote

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.

I see people making this mistake all the time. Very important advice.

[Novakaine]

Novakaine approves this post.
And I am the Boss.

Edited by Novakaine, 02 June 2016 - 12:41 PM.

[JayVrb]

2fast2stompy, on 31 May 2016 - 01:09 PM, said:

Why would you advocate ignoring valid advice?
LRMs are largely a hindrance to the team even in QP and that should be made clear for the benefit of people looking into them. Bringing an LRM boat above a medium is almost actively sabotaging your team.
Your damage or whether you "got a missile kill" doesn't mean ****.
The problem is that taking yourself out of the armor rotation means you're making the enemy team more efficient in focusing individual mechs ,and fights snowball really fast in MWO.
Even if you do share armor and with full 12v12, if they push and they either a) have enough ECM have enough AMS or c) just stand close to you, they either eliminated a mech from the fight or made it less threatening than a legged locust and are free to stomp the rest.

I'll kindly disagree. I rarely am a hindrance to my team cause I built it right and play smart. You trying to alienate missile builds at the onset of any newcomer or regular player looking into them is a hindrance to the role they play on the field. STOP SPREADING YOUR LIES

Viable Missile Cat

Edited by Vrbas, 04 June 2016 - 12:56 PM.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Atlas Missle Boat
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9537f332f5ff9f3

jenner iic:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8fd5e82886816a6

and if u want to pay to win:
Jenner Oxide
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...38fbed7efa4d047

Edited by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, 04 June 2016 - 01:05 PM.

[wanderer]

Vrbas, on 04 June 2016 - 12:35 PM, said:

Viable Missile Cat

Streaks on an IS 'Mech are, by their nature, un-viable. They're light killers that generally take 18-30 missiles to have any reasonable effect even on the most fragile of targets. You have four. Four. Even the old killer Streakboats back when they all went CT had 12, but you're a model of "wasted secondary weaponry" here.

Further, you have a dismal amount of actual LRM munitions for an actual missile boat.

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, on 04 June 2016 - 01:04 PM, said:

Atlas Missle Boat
jenner iic:
and if u want to pay to win:
Jenner Oxide

If by "win" you mean "give the other team a win", sure.

Edited by wanderer, 04 June 2016 - 01:28 PM.

[JayVrb]

wanderer, on 04 June 2016 - 01:17 PM, said:

Streaks on an IS 'Mech are, by their nature, un-viable. They're light killers that generally take 18-30 missiles to have any reasonable effect even on the most fragile of targets. You have four. Four. Even the old killer Streakboats back when they all went CT had 12, but you're a model of "wasted secondary weaponry" here.

Further, you have a dismal amount of actual LRM munitions for an actual missile boat.

The Streaks aren't for damage, they're to keep the lights off that like to pick on Catapults. Sure it's only 2 Streak launchers but it's usually enough to scare the flies away that mistake you for a sitting duck. As far as ammo is concerned, it's really all I need to be a mid-long range support. I choose my shots wisely, and when I'm out I go into the mix and expend myself with pulses and streaks.

A "model of wasted secondary weapons", haha I like that. You're totally right, 2 Streaks and 2 Medium Pulse Lasers are worthless backups. That's why I love bringing my team down with my "abysmal" builds

I like how you say everything like it's Gospel truth. Just because you don't think something is viable doesn't mean others won't succeed where you choose not to go. Different strokes for different folks.

Edited by Vrbas, 04 June 2016 - 01:32 PM.

[2fast2stompy]

Vrbas, on 04 June 2016 - 12:35 PM, said:

Viable Missile Cat

I bet you were being serious, too.

[wanderer]

Vrbas, on 04 June 2016 - 01:28 PM, said:

The Streaks aren't for damage, they're to keep the lights off that like to pick on Catapults. Sure it's only 2 Streak launchers but it's usually enough to scare the flies away that mistake you for a sitting duck. As far as ammo is concerned, it's really all I need to be a mid-long range support. I choose my shots wisely, and when I'm out I go into the mix and expend myself with pulses and streaks.

You've wasted 10% of your tonnage on "scaring lights". Take this from someone who was piloting Catapults in closed beta.

You'd actually do better stripping the Beagle + Streaks out and mounting normal SRMs instead, since that'd actually be damage you can aim vs. randomly spraying 2-point hits across your targets.

Quote

A "model of wasted secondary weapons", haha I like that. You're totally right, 2 Streaks and 2 Medium Pulse Lasers are worthless backups. That's why I love bringing my team down with my "abysmal" builds

I like how you say everything like it's Gospel truth. Just because you don't think something is viable doesn't mean others won't succeed where you choose not to go. Different strokes for different folks.

You've given your primary launchers insufficient ammo to actually last the match, your secondaries are basically two MPLs and six tons of 4 random 2-point hits scattered across your target, and this is from someone who's first mastered chassis WAS Catapults. They were the original missile boat, after all. You've got plenty of more viable options, but LOLStreaks.

Heck, strip out the Streaks/Beagle, upgrade to a single LPL over the dual MPLs (you get wonderful range/cooldown/burntime quirks), add in enough ammo to bring your ammo payload to 8 tons and you'll have a nice rapid-fire gun to back up your LRM launches that can actually reach out and do some damage. If you're going to have 16 tons of your guns go useless before a match ends, you've got too many missile tubes to feed or you need to up your ammo load.

Alternatively, drop down to LRM 10s, give yourself some SRM 4s instead of the Streaks/Beagle, and you'll have about 1200 rounds of LRMs and a very respectable set of secondaries when the LRMs go dry- or to fire at someone who decides you're "easy meat" up close.

Or stick with your build and help keep that reputation of LOLmissiles alive. But you can do better. Really, a lot better.

Edited by wanderer, 04 June 2016 - 01:56 PM.

[JayVrb]

wanderer, on 04 June 2016 - 01:55 PM, said:

You've wasted 10% of your tonnage on "scaring lights". Take this from someone who was piloting Catapults in closed beta.

You'd actually do better stripping the Beagle + Streaks out and mounting normal SRMs instead, since that'd actually be damage you can aim vs. randomly spraying 2-point hits across your targets.

I'll switch back and forth between Streak and SRM builds. I don't disagree that ditching the BAP and Streaks for straight fire missiles will yield a higher damage mech, also making it a more viable brawler. I just tend to get singled out more by fast movers when they see I don't have any "surefire damage".

My argument for streaks, in any combination, is that they are guaranteed damage. It's not the end all weapon and I realize you can be more effective with higher numbers, but it is nice to fall back on a lock and forget weapon as a defense.

[Cyborne Elemental]

Only 1 right way to LRM, and that is to NOT lrm.

[wanderer]

There's a reason why you only see Clanners boating Streaks, and it's because spread damage vs. lights is...well, only going to get less and less effective as a scare-em effect as your opponents get better. Every missile that ends up pinging anything but legs or CT is generally wasted damage that bumps up your damage total but doesn't meaningfully act towards disabling or killing your target.

Melting their legs on the other hand will. The one thing most light pilots don't expect from LRM boats is actually being able to aim and do expect a mindset that "any damage is good damage" (because face it, our stock in trade is saturation-bombing people with missiles). Focused damage is best damage- even when it's a case of LRMs, you can still avoid the mega-spread launchers (20s) and try and line up direct-fire shots to minimize spread when possible. And yes, sometimes it isn't possible. But Streaks sacrifice being able to point your rockets to where they'll do the most good, and that really does hurt.

Mister D, on 04 June 2016 - 02:08 PM, said:

Only 1 right way to LRM, and that is to NOT lrm.

Every time I get a missile kill on people who say this, I know I've managed to LRM right.

That there are so few people who actually can use LRMs with any level of competence is what makes me a sad missile boater.

Edited by wanderer, 04 June 2016 - 02:15 PM.

[Johny Rocket]

The OP has it pretty much.
In so late I'm only going to add this.
Join a unit, coordinate what you are doing and ignore the "don't lrm" meta *****.

Edited by Tractor Joe, 04 June 2016 - 02:44 PM.

[wanderer]

(Post-edit): Yay, LRM-5 torso-seekin' kill-securin goodness up there!

Edited by wanderer, 04 June 2016 - 02:45 PM.

[Johny Rocket]

wanderer, on 04 June 2016 - 02:32 PM, said:

Might wanna edit all the white out of that screenshot,though. Just sayin'.

Sorry about that

[Apnu]

Vrbas, on 04 June 2016 - 12:35 PM, said:

I'll kindly disagree. I rarely am a hindrance to my team cause I built it right and play smart. You trying to alienate missile builds at the onset of any newcomer or regular player looking into them is a hindrance to the role they play on the field. STOP SPREADING YOUR LIES

Viable Missile Cat

Before the 'Fat Cat' I ran this build on my C1: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d85e522a67eafcc It was perfect. I'd run it again if the Catapult wasn't so fat and the Archer sucks. I can't express the level of disappointment I have with the Archer.

[Davis Carlyle]

My LRM Bear

SPIRIT BEAR

My average game with Mr. LRM Bear:



My better than average games with cuddly Mr. LRM Bear:



Lovin the LRMs man.

[Edit] Removed names.

Edited by Davis Carlyle, 06 June 2016 - 09:07 AM.