37 replies to this topic

[Mazzyplz]

ps> the awesome is a very unique mech IMO.
making sure you manage the weapons and heat is more important than the actual driving i think.
it's different from the way i drive my other mechs (i have 17 including these 5 awesomes)
with my other mechs the priority is keeping the weapon groups simple. often so i can shoot with the mouse.
this mech i shoot 6 weapon groups all with the keyboard. disabling throttle decay allows me to set a speed and just manage the weapons so the enemies explode.

[luigi256]

I've had the Awesome for a long time but haven't used it in a while due to having elited/mastered them and moving on to do the same with other mechs. I do have multiple builds that I like though.

3 PPC 8Q
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b7e8c6fad6c6d8c

This one is probably my favorite. It keeps cool and I can fire those PPCs quite a bit before having to back off. Of course if the enemy gets into 90M of me I'm in trouble. Still it's loads of fun to play.

2 ERPPC 9M

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3c633fb9b2d0bf0

A simple variation of the 3 PPC version with a large XL engine to move fast. I know some people don't like putting XL engines in Assaults especially one that used to have very large side torso but I liked it. You have backup weapons to for when they close in and the quirks were nice on this one.

Pretty Baby

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6989d56eaec9c29

Ah the Pretty Baby. You were quirked so much at first, then you were balanced and this build became much less powerful. I think I remember that those 2 large lasers could fire every 1.2 seconds or something like that and it would be tough to overheat it too. The srms were great for dealing some good damage at short range too. The large XL also helped it to change position to hit with those Large Lasers which had an optimal range of 600 or so I think. Not to mention that the burn time was just slightly longer than the Medium Pulse laser. I have so many good memories of this one.

I don't know how it plays now but I now want to try it out again and will probably do so in the near future.

One last thing to say about them. During the Energy Draw PTS I have been using my 3 PPC Awesome and I am happy that I am able to shoot all three of them about 10 times in a row before overheating. It just makes me so happy.

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

I'm offended by Mazzy's non-inclusion of the 8Q even more than those builds. How does one forget the original?

[Mazzyplz]

i just never liked PPC. always thought erppc was the bees knees
also i am a fan of the cartoon


https://youtu.be/C3SYOvoPOEY?t=5m56s

Edited by Mazzyplz, 08 September 2016 - 02:59 AM.

[oldradagast]

Black Lanner, on 06 September 2016 - 10:20 PM, said:

I wish that the 9Q was a thing, but we are looking a few more years per the Lore...

4 PPCs
1 SL
ECM
19 DHS
240 rated engine

It bugs the heck out of me that the Stalker - always the mech that one ups the Awesome - is getting a loyalty variant with ECM, and we still must wait for the 9Q. If that mech existed, I'd gladly pilot it all day: piles of PPC's while sitting pretty under ECM, which would also encourage other mechs to hang out near me and punish anyone who dares think "that Awesome is an easy kill."

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

The problem would be that the 9Q would not receive as much quirks as our lord and god the 8Q, but then again, ECM.

(If hardpoint inflated, I might run 3LL 2PPC, ECM, STD280)

Edited by Keshav Murali, 11 September 2016 - 07:07 AM.

[Black Lanner]

not sure the 8Q (edit: sorry, 9Q) needs all that many Quirks...
maybe a Heat Quirk similar to what the Night Gyr is possibly getting, so it can run those PPCs for days...

of course I just wait for the clans to get the Awesome's big brother... the Hellstar!!!

Edited by Black Lanner, 11 October 2016 - 04:54 AM.

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

Black Lanner, on 13 September 2016 - 05:53 PM, said:

not sure the 8Q needs all that many Quirks...
maybe a Heat Quirk similar to what the Night Gyr is possibly getting, so it can run those PPCs for days...

of course I just wait for the clans to get the Awesome's big brother... the Hellstar!!!

You do mean the 9Q right?

8Q can spam PPCs like nothing else.

Hellstar would be awesome.

[Black Lanner]

Keshav Murali, on 13 September 2016 - 07:41 PM, said:

You do mean the 9Q right?

8Q can spam PPCs like nothing else.

Hellstar would be awesome.

yes, I meant the 9Q

[Aggravated Assault Mech]

I've been playing both the 8Q quad PPC and 9M pulse boat regularly. Both are a lot of fun. The 8Q is a PPC machinegun and the 9M is pretty straight forward even if it runs a little hot.

I really like the Pretty Baby, though. You can also run LRMs and LLs and play a midfield support mech, or you can brawl with LPL and ASRM6- which is highly reminiscent of how a lot of people played the Awesome in closed beta, and in general a lot of fun without feeling like you're being a metaslave.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...14b5ae4b0a7e909

You can run a similar build in the 8R/8V, but with an engine cap of 300 they're less effective with SRMs overall, IMO.

The PB in particular has really excellent mobility and agility quirks, but all Awesomes, even the 8Q with an engine cap of 300, are in general really nimble mechs with fast turn rates and torso twist rates and ranges. This is further helped by the generous torso structure perks and rescale that made the torso narrower from the front- which makes running an big XL relatively safe- low engine cap on most variants is in fact a bigger limitation on the Awesome than most chassis.

The nimbleness however makes them comfortable to play, and unlike Assaults such as the Mauler, Cyclops, or Battlemaster, which really feel like assaults- you just don't have to fight the Awesome to get your guns on target, or twist off incoming fire like you do in more conventional assaults. +1 to survivability.

I think they were always sort of underrated mechs, and after being rescaled I think they still suffer from old opinions bouncing around. http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__5414473 info there suggests they're actually the 5th best pub assault (after Kodiak, Dire Wolf, Battlemaster, Mauler), and one of the better pub mechs overall, so if someone hasn't played them in awhile, they're worth another look.

Edited by vnlk65n, 02 October 2016 - 01:47 PM.

[Potatomasher69]

Me likey 8Q

I put two ERPPC on the arm so that I have a chance at a lucky shot on lights if it comes to that. The right arm makes for a good 'from cover' snipe if you can find something to peak around from the right. Strangely enough, that arm seems easy to protect considering the size of the torso on that mech. The extra range kn the ERPPC gives you more range of influence in larger maps, and I have found medium range mechs try to exchange too far away on those maps.

I also take two regular PPC split on the torso, peaking over a hill is kind of a weak spot considering you can't angle down too far, so really these two PPC are good for popping out of cover while firing from the right arm to add some extra firepower between two volley of erppc from the right side. You'll usually need a small heat mgmt break about then. But the regular PPCs you'll chain volley while on the advance, if moving with others.

When things get into 500m or less you'll want to switch to just the PPCs on torso for less heat, and concentrate on backing up smartly, taking shots on the left arm. I take the largest std engine I can get, when operating at such range you find lots of oppurtunity to backup or move its needed. Not that you can't tank some fire, it's just that heat is always an issue.

I use double heat sinks and endo steel because I had soo many slots. I take AMS because it makes me feel like I am smart and a team player. I can't say I am a wiz in the shop. Firing a PPC 6 to 8 times at a pop with that quirk feels fun, I recommend it.

[Cabusha]

I love me the 4*ERPPC. Standard 300s, every slot filled with heatsinks, AWS- 8Q. It's got the best PPC quirks in the game (outside the Warhawk with TC7), so if you can see it you can hit it. Most of the time I run with all 4 in the torsos. It limits your shot range vertically, but I generally position myself someplace it doesn't matter and use both arms for shields. ERs means no minimum range to worry about. Runs hot, but I generally pop out, sling 3 or 4 volleys of $20 bills, then drop I to cover again. If I'm pushed I chain fire them in to put the pressure back on them.

It's not the greatest mech but it's damn fun.

[Rando Slim]

I find myself using Awesomes more nowadays (which is great!). I like the 8Q the best, I use 2 large pulse lasers and 5 medium pulse lasers, standard 300 and all the heat sinks I can cram in there. I am not the worlds greatest at heat management so I have to keep some measure of sustainability involved. I have another one I use less often that has 3 srm6+artemis, 2 large lasers and one medium laser in the head, standard 300. Its interesting. I dont like PPCs of any flavor very much so yea, I don't end up running the 9M much.

[Black Lanner]

I still do not have an Awesome... as a clan loyalist, I have too many options to master before I get around to it... if the 9Q became available, I will reconsider, and likely run the 8Q to work on the mastery... but I am unsure what the third variant I would run would be... having played the TT for decades (wow... really?... I did start in 1990... wow, that was 10 years ago, right?... anyways...) the 9Q is the quintessential zombie 'Mech.

Tangent aside, 2 questions, how many here have their Awesomes Mastered and what pro/ cons of the other variants to get the Mastery out of the way? ...should I so choose to do so.

Edited by Black Lanner, 01 November 2016 - 05:46 PM.

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

8Q, 8R, 9M are the best. 8V and 8T are meh, even compared to the above three and the PB is self-flagellation.

8Q - PPCs work well. So does 3LL+2PPC, 5 or 6 LL, 3LPL+4ML, 3LPL+4MPL. The heat gen quirks are glorious.
9M - 3LPL+3ML, STD315/XL375 is your best bet. It's okay with ERPPCs. But if you want to make optimum use of the laser duration quirks (it gets no range quirk), you want the lasers
8R - 4SRM6+A is a nasty surprise, you can get a 70 pt alpha with 35% cooling efficiency. Or you can just go the LRM60 route, with 30% LRM15 cooldown and 60 tubes.

[oldradagast]

Keshav Murali, on 02 November 2016 - 02:33 AM, said:

8Q, 8R, 9M are the best. 8V and 8T are meh, even compared to the above three and the PB is self-flagellation.

8Q - PPCs work well. So does 3LL+2PPC, 5 or 6 LL, 3LPL+4ML, 3LPL+4MPL. The heat gen quirks are glorious.
9M - 3LPL+3ML, STD315/XL375 is your best bet. It's okay with ERPPCs. But if you want to make optimum use of the laser duration quirks (it gets no range quirk), you want the lasers
8R - 4SRM6+A is a nasty surprise, you can get a 70 pt alpha with 35% cooling efficiency. Or you can just go the LRM60 route, with 30% LRM15 cooldown and 60 tubes.

I don't quite agree with the poor assessment of the 8V. While it can't carry 4 SRM6's, it does well as a "torso-only" build, using the left side for a pair of heavy energy weapons and the right side for 3 SRM's (and put a weapon in the head slot.) You have 1 less SRM than the 8R, but you can use that tonnage for heavier energy weapons, all of your SRM's fire from the same location which helps reduce damage spread, and you can use the arms as armor if they have no weapons in them. The 8V isn't great, but I don't feel it's the tier 5 junk it is claimed to be.

Now, the 8T is basically a mess since many mechs can energy boat with higher weapon mounts, leaving it in a role of carrying 2 large LRM' launchers, and the Pretty Baby is bottom tier trash with no useful redeeming qualities. It has too few hardpoints and they are scattered everywhere, the left arm launchers are limited to 4 missiles (still!), and it's only advantage of mounting a huge engine is rather meaningless if you lack firepower.

Edited by oldradagast, 02 November 2016 - 03:21 AM.

[SlightlyMobileTurret]

I didn't say the 8V was bad, you know. (For me the hardpoints are uninspiring) I just said it's not as good as the 3 I recommended.

Edited by Keshav Murali, 02 November 2016 - 04:15 AM.

[Mad Ox]

8R was by far my fav but each I ran found to be alot of fun. While big as a barn and easy as that to hit once you get used to it fun mech for a glorified Heavy Mech.

8R 2 LRM 15 and 2 LRM 10 with quirks the 15's reload at about same time as 10's so works well. Artemis and Tag on it makes for one nasty direct fire LRM boat,

8Q with 30% cooldown and 50% velocity on PPC's makes for a mean pre-3050 tech mech