31 replies to this topic

[Odd Thomas]

I remember early on when the Gauss did not have a loading period..fired immediately...Fun.

Now, it seems the Gauss with it's loading time makes it much less practical for a huge Assault to mount....Waiting time,,,,longer face time for a big target....less of an assault mode for an assault.....unless you no longer play the mech as an Assault mech...hang back...peek from afar and take sniper shots and run for cover before the lights see you.

Say, with the KDK-3, overall damage scores are much lower than if it had 4 X UAC 5 + 4 CML or similar.

What am I missing, strategy-wise?

[Mazzyplz]

to utilize dual gauss in an assault mech you need to build yourself a staredown mech.

a staredown mech or king of the hill is a mech that can climb somewhere with heavy armor and high firepower and long range and make the whole enemy team keep their head down.

for doing this you want dual gauss and er large laser basically.

the platforms for doing this are either the mauler 1p with dual gauss + erlls or something similar on a dire wolf.
you probably can do this on a king crab too if you prefer crab to direwolf.
and i guess you can do this in kodiak?

any way you do it make sure you maximize the distance you can shoot at with er LL range mods and try to see which platform has laser quirks or gauss quirks maybe.


having weapon synergy is all that matters. and the erll is instant and the gauss is pretty much instant since travel time is so fast. the range on both is also insane. so u can stare down other long range mechs with your tougher armor, and you can pick off short range mechs at a distance too


although you are vulnerable to being killed by light mechs too. which is why 100 ton sniper is not a great idea. but a mauler i think might be a good enough choice. or a kodiak with masc... maybe.

Edited by Mazzyplz, 03 June 2016 - 06:17 AM.

[Ingga Raokai]

Odd Thomas, on 03 June 2016 - 05:52 AM, said:

Say, with the KDK-3, overall damage scores are much lower than if it had 4 X UAC 5 + 4 CML or similar.

What am I missing, strategy-wise?

Stay hidden?

[ImperialKnight]

gauss works best on heavies. assaults should be carrying more powerful ballistics where possible.

it's quad UAC10s on the KDK-3 or bust. there's zero reason not to do that build. it's so powerful, it's a bit ridiculous. it will shred any 100 ton assaults in 2 salvoes. anything lighter just vapourises.

[Helene de Montfort]

When i decided to start using gauss, i mounted them on an assault mech. And not a small one the KGC i just got from last faction play event...

KGC-000B(C)



or even this :

http://plays.tv/s/Kp5NhhQxHYgO

The problem with current gauss, is that you need to be used to it. But beside that, there's no reason for not using it in close combat as well, they have no minimal range.

[WANTED]

Just me personally, I wouldn't put gauss in assaults and I don't see many doing it in game either. Most gauss snipers are medium to heavy builds. Dual jäger and some of the clan versions of medium like stormcrow that I occasionally run gauss on. Probably due to the fact the gauss actually need to maneuver better than assaults can to reposition or get up to high spots for best sniping long range. I recently went back from 3xAc5s on my Marauder 3r to single gauss again with 2xLL and suddenly damage is been much better. But I went all out for range modules,zoom and even for fun or a command console for more zoom but that could be better spent on mdls or more ammo if needed. The above suggestions are best to follow

[TheLuc]

The Gauss Rifle is a great weapon for any weight class that can carry it, of course some chassis are better suited for the Gauss than others. Assault needs fire power and the Gauss is better in pairs if possible, do not forget that its the Gauss itself that can explode once destroyed so better off to put it in the arms. Like Helene showed in the video, the Gauss is effective at any range to devastating effect, the plus of the King Crab is that both Gauss are in the arms so if an explosion occurs it wont damage the engine.

[The Basilisk]

@ OP the Kodiak is no good for any cenario where it has to face the enemy for more than a couple of seconds.
Gauss forces you to do so. You can still do Gauss builds on Kodiak when you use the charge up time to twist and if you are ok with ERPPCs So... use 2x ERPPC and Gauss in one side and the other side as Heatsink carrier and/or with SRMs.
As *otherguy* said you are next to always better of with some ACs (They give you still to much face time but in lower tier matches it does not matter cause ppl crap their pants when they got shaken by AC shells.)

Since the Gauss promotes a peak and shoot sniping style its best used with PPCs on faster Mechs so...well Heavys or meds is it.

[Kuaron]

Helene de Montfort, on 03 June 2016 - 06:52 AM, said:

When i decided to start using gauss, i mounted them on an assault mech. And not a small one the KGC i just got from last faction play event... KGC-000B(C)

Hm.
So much free shooting time, so many enemies ignoring you and you can do damage to some Kodiak arms and what not, use up almost all ammo... which weapon would lead to a worse result? What I see in the video is the awful DPM of the Gauss. Imagine you had had a quad UAC KGC. Only thing you lose is a bit range (600 instead of ~750) and velocity (which is not a big thing considering the shooting mechanic of the Gauss).

Ofc in most cases you could have done about the same with an energy build.

Yesterday I tried Gauss on the MAD-3R: 1 Gauss + 2 PPCs. With it's PPC quirk (unfortunately not for ERPPCs, but way colder this way) both weapons have a similar velocity and in theory should work well together. In practice, the very different reload time, the Gauss shooting mechanic and it's vulnerability in the side torso (which is often enough stripped off armour, in contrast to an arm) are too noticeable disadvantages to make up for one single Gauss shot.
So I switched back to 2 PPC + 2 UAC, and later I was testing 1 PPC + 3 AC5. Not sure what is better, but better than Gauss is both.

I could imagine the Gauss better suited in pairs on heavies, like the well-known Jäger. For 30 instead of 15 Dmg pinpoint the effort with it's special mechanics could be worth it and easier to use than having a complicated button combination every single alpha salve.
And even a Jäger you can just stuff with a triple AC5, don't you?

I'm yet not sure about Meds with a single Gauss. Could be similar to lights with a single ERPPC and Ammo problems in addition. Those I don't like, to many shots for too little effect.

But everything written above are expression and assumptions, I didn't try Gauss extensively. If you can tell me where it works well, I'd try it (if I have the Mechs - a Jäger I don't, but there is the trial one).

[Aiden Skye]

Don't really like guass in assault mechs unless it's in the arms. Prefer them in more mobile heavies and mediums that can evade fire better...cuz once that armor is stripped there goes half your mech.

[VitriolicViolet]

The only mechs I use Gauss on are the Zeus 6S, the Loyalty Wolverine and the Panther 10P

The Zeus is really basic Gauss and AC2 in one arm then 4 MLs. Mls for close up and the Gauss+AC2 has decent synergy for any range they have the same velocity. I use this at closer ranges than you would usually use Gauss. Take the biggest engine you can with whats left and it goes 70kph.

The Wolverine I give Gauss and 1 ML.

The Panther 10P is Gauss+SRM2, with XL 225 it goes 104kph and has 3 JJ, 3 tons of Gauss ammo 1 ton of SRM ammo.

I dont use Gauss a great deal but it can be fun

Edited by Violet Vitriol Price, 03 June 2016 - 12:05 PM.

[Luscious Dan]

knightsljx, on 03 June 2016 - 06:52 AM, said:

gauss works best on heavies. assaults should be carrying more powerful ballistics where possible.

it's quad UAC10s on the KDK-3 or bust. there's zero reason not to do that build. it's so powerful, it's a bit ridiculous. it will shred any 100 ton assaults in 2 salvoes. anything lighter just vapourises.

Finally got a chance to try my KDK-3s last night, and quad UAC10 was kicking butt even when my ping was mysteriously going up above 1k in mid-combat (always seemed to drop to the 80s as soon as I died). It is pretty sick, although I had 1-2 atrocious matches where I ran into a pack of Oxides like 20 seconds into the match ...

@Violet, for the Zeus I vastly prefer gauss/3x large lasers. For me it gives a lot better mix of firepower at medium ranges. To each their own, though.

[Helene de Montfort]

Kuaron, on 03 June 2016 - 11:30 AM, said:

Imagine you had had a quad UAC KGC

No need to imagine :

http://plays.tv/s/Kp78yIDQBd9P

I tried

[Kuaron]

So was it better, worse, or are you just trying to promote you video?

I was comparing with the quad UAC build because it also has some range, about the same engine (~310) and has to show itself for a period of time. ATM I'm trying the Atlas brawl ASRM+AC20 in ya face cockpit-trampoline build with my KGC because I have no Atlas. ^^

Edit @ your UAC vid:
You only have 2 buttons on the mouse?

Edited by Kuaron, 03 June 2016 - 04:07 PM.

[Helene de Montfort]

Kuaron, on 03 June 2016 - 04:00 PM, said:

So was it better, worse, or are you just trying to promote you video?

I was comparing with the quad UAC build because it also has some range, about the same engine (~310) and has to show itself for a period of time. ATM I'm trying the Atlas brawl ASRM+AC20 in ya face cockpit-trampoline build with my KGC because I have no Atlas. ^^

Edit @ your UAC vid:
You only have 2 buttons on the mouse?

It was different. It wasn't better, because the amount of explosive ammo you are carrying makes you vulnerable. It goes through its ammo faster too. In the end, i kept the gauss KGC.

I have a standard 4 buttons mouse, but the third button is harder to use in games, and the fourth is totally impractical, so i use only two buttons for instinctive firing, and a third for relaxed firing, mostly for LRM, or for easy to use sniping weapons. That's why all my builds are made so i only use two groups of weapons for brawling.

[Kuaron]

Hm. I heard of people using macros (whatever the exact programs are called) for UAC chainfiring, maybe that could have helped. Having all on the same button is really not a good idea. Because ghostheat and unable to fire only one claw. Sometimes a 4-salve is appropriate (e.g. if you surprise an enemy in the back) but normally you run the quad UAC without heat issues.

[Helene de Montfort]

To use macros? Nope, not me, not going to use macro. Not for gauss, not for quad UAC, no macro... I'm 100% legit. standard keyboard, standard mouse, no macros. And, i just can't use both claws as two groups if i want to keep a group of lasers.

[Kuaron]

Yes, exactly that's why the suggestion. ^^
No idea what the macro thing is about but two buttons is too little for MWO, I think, you need three at least.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

i think some clan assaults use gauss as a supplement to their high heat lasers.

[Rock Roller]

It might be interesting to see some assaults/ heavy's (or sub-variants) receive a reduced charge cycle quirk? In some units with limited weapon load-outs this could be a real boon and not be to OP.