21 replies to this topic

[Timicon]

I have 6'Mechs, all of them Inner Sphere, ranging from 3 Medium-class 'Mechs, 1 Heavy-class and2 Assault-class, bit wanted to branch out into buying a few Clan OmniMechs, but I am not sure if the Timber Wolf is the best fir me or if the Mad Dog would be better.

Could anyone who has experiences with these two 'Mechs give me a run down on if they area y good, please?
I would be much appreciated,
Thanks.

[The Basilisk]

Both are quite decent mechs.
The Vulture or MadDog is a good SRM/LRM Mech and the Timber one of the best Heavys in Game.
That said : IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY CLANTECH.

Sorry for the drama but there are lots of ppl out there expecting wonders from Clan Tech but there are quite some differences.

F.E.: Clan ERMLaser weighting one ton doing 7dmg at 405m over 1.15sec at 6 heat and ISLLas weighting 5t doing 9dmg at 450m over 1sec at7 heat.

You see your weapons are much leighter a bit smaler and have very different range profiles to IS Weapons.
While you get more bang for your bucks you also got toasted if you're not carefull.

The leighter your mechs get the more this is relevant.

[invernomuto]

The Basilisk, on 07 June 2016 - 02:10 AM, said:

Both are quite decent mechs.
The Vulture or MadDog is a good SRM/LRM Mech and the Timber one of the best Heavys in Game.
That said : IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY CLANTECH.

Sorry for the drama but there are lots of ppl out there expecting wonders from Clan Tech but there are quite some differences.

This!
I admit I was one of those people and I was negatively shocked by my results with the Timberwolf. With the "one of the best heavy of the game" I could not go past 300-350 damage in my initial matches, even with "meta" builds.
And I spent 15 millions C-Bills for that variant.
Right now I am getting better results with ER-PPCs, a weapon that is very similar to the corresponding IS one.

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

Well, it certainly takes time getting used to clan mechs. I couldn't cross 300 in my stormcrows when I bought them, while my Hunchbacks were doing just fine.

The playstyles couldn't get more different.

Then again, you should really start seeing them shine once you've "mastered" them, not in sense of XP, but getting used to the reduced tankiness, but greater speed and weapon flexibility.

EDIT: The "meta" build for the TBR aren't bad, but the PRIME and C run PRETTY FRIGGING HOT, so you might want to cut a medium (or two) on GMan's C build, which makes it much better for starters IMO, and then perhaps switch to dakka or SRM brawl style loadout on the PRIME.

GR/ERPPC on the PRIME is all well and good, but you need to train to get the lead right, and the overheat is real if you try to abuse the PPCs like it's IS.

Edited by Keshav Murali, 07 June 2016 - 03:48 AM.

[TercieI]

TBR. No question. Versatile and strong. MDD is arguably the worst clan heavy and all it does well is missiles and even then its STs just fall off so it's not a great SRM mech.

[Void Angel]

Timicon, on 07 June 2016 - 01:53 AM, said:

I have 6'Mechs, all of them Inner Sphere, ranging from 3 Medium-class 'Mechs, 1 Heavy-class and2 Assault-class, bit wanted to branch out into buying a few Clan OmniMechs, but I am not sure if the Timber Wolf is the best fir me or if the Mad Dog would be better.

Could anyone who has experiences with these two 'Mechs give me a run down on if they area y good, please?
I would be much appreciated,
Thanks.

Timber Wolf. The Mad Dog is beloved for its missiles, but there's a reason you didn't see a lot of them compared to the Timber Wolf during the Battle of Tukayyid. Any Battle of Tukayyid.

As has been touched upon above, Clantech runs hotter than Inner Sphere technology, cools a bit faster, and has a lower heat cap per heat sink (heat sinks add to the size of your heat bar as well as cooling your 'mech.) This makes a difference in play style, of course - but it also makes a huge difference in the important of your Pilot Skills. My Ebon Jaguars and Hellbringers are excellent 'mechs, but until I hit doubled Basics, I was worried that I'd made a mistake purchasing them. Give Clan builds time, and the tech base will serve you well.

[Wintersdark]

TercieI, on 07 June 2016 - 04:45 AM, said:

TBR. No question. Versatile and strong. MDD is arguably the worst clan heavy and all it does well is missiles and even then its STs just fall off so it's not a great SRM mech.

This. The timberwolf remains one of the best mechs in the game, and is an excellent machine to learn ClamTech with as it's incredibly flexible, fast, and (for a clan mech) tanky.

But understand that "one of the best mechs in the game" doesn't equate to "I-WIN button.". Clan tech plays differently, and meta builds for Clan mechs are typically simple in concept but tricky in execution.

What happens is that Clan mechs (with meta builds at least) tend to pack huge alphas... that also generate huge heat. If your gunnery skills aren't up to snuff and you miss, you're in trouble.

So, I'd recommend newer players not run meta builds as is, but in the case of laser vomit builds drop a laser or two in favour of more cooling. You can change later, but running hot meta builds when unfamiliar with clan heat profiles in a mech without doubled basics... But yeah, go Timberwolf, because then you can make basically any kind of build you can think of. So flexible!

The mad dog... I love mine, but it's a mediocre mech at best. Not a good mech for a new player to clan tech, and not a good only clan mech.

[SnagaDance]

Timberwolf, first 2 times I took that baby out (so with no skills unlocked, and this was last year so the Clan tech had been nerfed quite a bit already) I got 3 kills each match. It moved like it had Basics completely unlocked and spread damage well.

[Digital_Angel]

Have both, like both. That said, the Timber is MUCH more versatile and just good at more things. The Maddog can make a truly wonderful SRM or LRM platform though.

[Rogue Jedi]

I like both, but my first ever match in which I got past 800 damage was in a Timber Wolf, the Timber has about 2/3 of my 800+ damage matches.

the Mad Dog is, to me, far more fun to pilot but not as effective, however it is also a much lower priority target so there is a good chance it will last longer.

everyone knows the Timber is a better Mech so if your team is pushing on the enemy team and there are a Mad Dog and Timber Wolf next to each other the Timber will be focused on and taken down fast while the MDD would last a lot longer because the enemy will target half of your team first

[Timicon]

True to tell, I have only ever played the Mad Dog when its its trial phase and have since not piloted once since (about a year ago now) and found the Mad Dod to be quite a good 'Mech, but for my style of gameplay,p the Mad Dog is more a melee 'Mech, whch does not fit how I like to play the game all that much, but have on occasion, whereas the Timber Wolf is something like a cross between a melee 'Mech and long distance fire support, which is more up my alley, but both 'Mechs have properties to them that I rather enjoy, which is why I am finding it hard to make a decision. The Timber Wolf, withnits extra weaponry and interchangable Omni Pods is attractive to me (although I know that some equipment cannot be swapped out, like the IS equivalent (such asjump jets) but I have roughly 3 million C-bills in my account and from what I can remember, the Timber Wolf costs anywere upwards of 15 million C-bills, so I think, given that I do not play MWO as much anymore, if I were to get a Timber Woof, the few weeks it will take to be aboe to adford one will either win me over to the Timber Wolf or buy a Mad Dog right out.

[Jables McBarty]

Timicon, on 07 June 2016 - 11:31 AM, said:

True to tell, I have only ever played the Mad Dog when its its trial phase and have since not piloted once since (about a year ago now) and found the Mad Dod to be quite a good 'Mech, but for my style of gameplay,p the Mad Dog is more a melee 'Mech, whch does not fit how I like to play the game all that much, but have on occasion, whereas the Timber Wolf is something like a cross between a melee 'Mech and long distance fire support, which is more up my alley, but both 'Mechs have properties to them that I rather enjoy, which is why I am finding it hard to make a decision. The Timber Wolf, withnits extra weaponry and interchangable Omni Pods is attractive to me (although I know that some equipment cannot be swapped out, like the IS equivalent (such asjump jets) but I have roughly 3 million C-bills in my account and from what I can remember, the Timber Wolf costs anywere upwards of 15 million C-bills, so I think, given that I do not play MWO as much anymore, if I were to get a Timber Woof, the few weeks it will take to be aboe to adford one will either win me over to the Timber Wolf or buy a Mad Dog right out.

I wasn't around when the MDD trial was out, but I would say the exact opposite of the chassis.

The MDD shines in specialist roles. As a 6xSRM6 or 6xStreak6; as an LRM carrier, as a mixed LRM/SRM carrier; as long-range PPC/LRM fire. It's pretty fragile given the hitboxes, and it's rather tall for its tonnage, making it a more difficult brawler in my experience. Definitely a second-line 'mech, whether that's streaming LRM5's or cleaning up with SRMs.

The TBR is the star of versatility, bristling with hardpoints and variety. It really shines as a brawler, and with the extra 15 tons of structure and however much armor, it can tank much better than the MDD; plus it is capable of equipping JJ. That being said, the TBR is a known threat and is a Priority 2 Target, superceded only by Priority 1 Targets DWF, AS7, and KDK-3.

Personally, I far prefer my MDDs to my TBR. Of course, I tend not to play "meta" builds, and I'm not big on laser vomit, so the MDD falls better into my playstyle.

If you want variety and can perform while being focus-fired, go TBR.

If you want a fun but rather limited chassis, go with MDD.

[Sadistic Savior]

Timicon, on 07 June 2016 - 01:53 AM, said:

I have 6'Mechs, all of them Inner Sphere, ranging from 3 Medium-class 'Mechs, 1 Heavy-class and2 Assault-class, bit wanted to branch out into buying a few Clan OmniMechs, but I am not sure if the Timber Wolf is the best fir me or if the Mad Dog would be better.

Could anyone who has experiences with these two 'Mechs give me a run down on if they area y good, please?
I would be much appreciated,
Thanks.

I own both, though I have not yet mastered the Mad Dog.

The Timber Wolf is arguably the best mech in the game, generally speaking. It is not the best at any one position, but it is the most flexible of anything released so far. It can boat any weapon, and in any position. It's jump capable. With Speed Tweak, it can run almost 90kph. The only thing it can't do is ECM. This is really the one chasis that everyone should master, regardless of their play style.

The Mad Dog is like a mini-me version of the Timberwolf, but is less flexible. Less armor, no jump capability. I am still going to master it because I think the design looks cool. And it is an iconic Battletech mech.

But the TimberWolf is my go-to mech when I want to win and I do not know the terrain ahead of time.

[Sadistic Savior]

I can tell you neither is great at Brawling. The Mad Dog especially feels really fragile. The T-Wolf can brawl ok, as long as it is with other mechs in similar weight ranges...against a Kodiak or an Atlas, it's not going to last long.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

Sadistic Savior, on 07 June 2016 - 11:52 AM, said:

I can tell you neither is great at Brawling. The Mad Dog especially feels really fragile. The T-Wolf can brawl ok, as long as it is with other mechs in similar weight ranges...against a Kodiak or an Atlas, it's not going to last long.

Ummm.. outside of another Kodiak or Atlas what mech does brawl well against the Kodiak or Atlas? (The answer is: none)

Timby brawls very well. You need to take advantage of its mobility to do it. You cant just stand there and hope to twist away damage.

[Sadistic Savior]

Boogie138, on 07 June 2016 - 01:11 PM, said:

Ummm.. outside of another Kodiak or Atlas what mech does brawl well against the Kodiak or Atlas? (The answer is: none)

Timby brawls very well. You need to take advantage of its mobility to do it. You cant just stand there and hope to twist away damage.

I said it would not last long...meaning that it will be shredded faster than normal. My Marauder or Battlemaster would last longer in a brawl than my T-Wolf.

[Rhavin]

How are you dropping ? Solo q or group? Are you getting a FW deck together?

No mech has the combination of speed, firepower and armor that the timberwolf has. That's why everyone shoots them first. It has a wide variety of hardpoints on its available omnipods and even has some that have jumpjets. It has a great profile for building a shield side , and overall really has great hitboxes. A solo pilot in possession of real skill can carry a battle for his team in a well built Timberwolf. It's a cbill earner no matter what Q you decide to drop in with it.

Maddog/vulture...it's a niche mech. It excels at long range with large pulse or ppcs and lrms, it can keep up and be devastatingly effective in a brawl with srms or streaks if it has something nearby taking the shots for it. A group of vultures with streaks that coordinate and manage to get a lock together is devestateing as well. I think of all the clan heavys only the summoner is worse for solo play.

However an ebon jaguar can run dang near any build a Timberwolf or vulture can run, and a few more neither of them can. It has TW speed, can carry TW firepower, great armor somewhere between a vulture and TW, and far better hitboxes than a vulture. All at 65 tons. It's probably the best clan starter heavy because it can boat anything and works great in Faction play. I think it's the best looking clan mech as well.

In short if you are going to be dropping with lage groups of players look at the ebon jaguar or vulture, because the more players in a group the lower their combined drop tonnage is going to be and not everyone will be able to run a Timberwolf. In FW I would never bring a vulture, it just doesn't bring enough to the table for me. I do run ebon jaguars over timberwolfs in my dropdeck. 2 of them in fact. If you are dropping solo then timberwolf all the way as long as you understand everyone is going to be shooting at you until the assaults arrive.

Good luck pilot, choose whatever you want to play and master it. Nothing beats skill and knowledge in the innersphere. If you learn play a Maddog like a champ then you are one.

[Rayden Wolf]

Take a look at the Ebon Jaguar. It is versatile as the Mad Cat is but it hasnt so much locked equipment(more space and tonage to play with).
It is also smaller than the Timber Wolf and get not so often focused. Downside is that it have no jump jets and less armor.
Thats my favorite Clan heavy and can run similar builds as the timber could do.

[Timicon]

Rhavin - I mostly drop solo, but now and then, I do drop with a team, and when it comes to FP matches, I mostly play them solo, but I play those rarely, because of the bugs in the gameplay (such as my HUD disappearing from certain 'Mechs whenever I drop or that pilot list screen that stay on the screen even after I have dropped in a new 'Mech).
I know that re-logging can solve these issues, but it normally takes m about two-five minutes just to log back into h match and as we all know, that is a long time for anything to happen and can even cost the side I am playing on a loss without that extra 'Mech there to help out he team.

But as for the topic at hand, I think I am leaning more towards the Timber Wolf, though I wish it and the Mad Dog were trial 'Mechs again, so I could give them both another spin to see exactly which one prefer.

[Rhavin]

Timberwolf is a great choice man. Like I said though, play what you like to play even if that's an LRM Jenner. I had two unit mates that in FW dropped nearly every time in 4 centurions, they had Mastered the chassis truly and put up huge numbers when working together.