92 replies to this topic

[Candy Pumpkin]

The Nova(S) I run is short range support with the focus on protecting the team from LRMS. Easy to use, as it only needs two weapon groups, and is incredibly efficient at stopping LRMS, especially with modules attached.

RA(Prime) both actuators w/ (32) armor
x6 C-ER SML LASER

RT(A) w/ (32/16) armor
x1 C-AMS
x2 C-AMS AMMO
x1 CLAN DOUBLE HEAT SINK
x1 CLAN ACTIVE PROBE

H(S) w/ (18) armor

CT(S) w/ (46/16) armor
x1 C-AMS

LT(A) w/ (32/16) armor
x1 C-AMS
x2 C-AMS AMMO
x1 CLAN DOUBLE HEAT SINK
x1 TARGETING COMP. MK I

LA(Prime) both actuators w/ (32) armor
x6 C-ER SML LASER

RL(S) w/ (48) armor

LL(S) w/ (48) armor

Link:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b2aecf685157f5f

Edited by Candy Pumpkin, 15 January 2017 - 06:22 PM.

[Wildstreak]

Best Nova I have had.
ERMLs for a mid-ranged poke, SPLs when they get too close with occasional ERMLs added in.
Mix of parts is due to using both Pulse and ER quirks though this goes away with the new skill tree.

[50 50]

So many Novas, so many options.
If nothing else, the Novas teach heat management and positioning and can be an unforgiving mech to learn on.

The one I started with and have used the most has been NVA-S.
Ultimately as one of the few mechs that can pack a triple AMS system it makes an ideal escort mech.
It fills it's role well in protecting your team mates from incoming missiles and has a good short range punch for those pesky enemy light mechs that try to flank.

The Active Probe gives the edge with the sensors to find the enemy.
Targeting Computer to boost the weapons a tad.
Small Pulse lasers for a bit more damage and the shorter burn time.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...708e2d5e89eef20

[MithrilDragon]

Dee Eight, on 15 January 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Except again, its not...first time some new player alphas it they get 92 heat not 36.



76 ghost heat for an alpha strike... what you as an elite Tier X gets has no bearing on what a brand new player will do with one of your meta builds or anyone elses that ignores the very real ghost heat scale issue.

Jeezus, Dee Eight, will you chill-out about alpha striking and ghost heat. It's more important to show new players the importance of proper weapon grouping and risk/reward of alpha strikes then saying "Be scared of ghosts!". Failure is a cruel teacher, but the lesson still needs to be learned.

50 50, on 15 January 2017 - 07:14 PM, said:

So many Novas, so many options.
If nothing else, the Novas teach heat management and positioning and can be an unforgiving mech to learn on.

The one I started with and have used the most has been NVA-S.
Ultimately as one of the few mechs that can pack a triple AMS system it makes an ideal escort mech.
It fills it's role well in protecting your team mates from incoming missiles and has a good short range punch for those pesky enemy light mechs that try to flank.

The Active Probe gives the edge with the sensors to find the enemy.
Targeting Computer to boost the weapons a tad.
Small Pulse lasers for a bit more damage and the shorter burn time.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...708e2d5e89eef20

I like the idea here, but wanted to tweak it a little.
NVA-S
Took off one of the AMS and the Active Probe for more heat sinks (I like heat sinks) and modified the pods to spread out the weapons (slightly) and to get the pulse heat quirk.

Edited by MithrilDragon, 15 January 2017 - 08:45 PM.

[50 50]

MithrilDragon, on 15 January 2017 - 08:42 PM, said:

I like the idea here, but wanted to tweak it a little.
NVA-S
Took off one of the AMS and the Active Probe for more heat sinks (I like heat sinks) and modified the pods to spread out the weapons (slightly) and to get the pulse heat quirk.

Nice.
Optionally can run the NVA-A with the two AMS and go with the PPCs but the nature of that beast is to sit back a lot more and jump snipe so your AMS is not as useful.

Was initially running 10 Small Pulse on the NVA-S but after a quirk pass it became very hot. The alternative would be to drop to ER Small Lasers and get more heatsinks but the loss in damage output might be felt.

[Tiantara]

- NVA-B

Right Arm NVA-S: 3 x C-SmlPulse Laser \ 1 x C-Double Heatsinks \ 31 armor
Left Arm NVA-S: 3 x C-SmlPulse Laser \ 1 x C-Double Heatsinks \ 1 x MachineGun Ammo \ 31 armor

Right Torso NVA-S: 2 x C-MachineGun \ 2 x C-Double Heatsinks \ 39-9 armor
Center Torso: 1 x MachinGun ammo \ 54-10 armor
Left Torso NVA-S: 2 x C-MachineGun \ 2 x C-Double Heatsinks \ 39-9 armor

Head NVA-B: 1 x MachinGun ammo

Right Leg: 40 armor
Left Leg: 40 armor

[Dee Eight]

Larsh, on 13 January 2017 - 07:23 PM, said:

Let's call this one a bit....unique. It's an iron dome AMS mixed with some medium laser vomit.

6 Medium Laser + 3 AMS

Smurfy: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...97728cffbe1e75f

My Saal submission is similar. I have more AMS ammo and I used SPL instead of ERMLs.

[A FluffyKitten]

[smurfy]http://mwo.smurfy-ne...cf655569cecc616[/smurfy]
The obvious choice for an experienced mechwarrior would be to go with the prime varient, however for new players that have yet to understand ghost heat I chose to not use this varient. The build that I came up with:
2 large pulse
2 ams
1 ton ammo
1 double heatsink

The reason for the dual ams is that new players often have trouble with Lrms and get upset with the game.

[Arugela]

After reading these here is the one I"m aiming to buy. It's a take on the 12ersl 4mg variant. It can also be done on any variant. Not just the Champion obviously.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...14c27fad1a52b73

It has 20 DHS and 4k machine gun ammo. Extra cooling for extra fun! ><

ERSL's are naturally interchangeable with Flamers. so you can easily change as many as you want for a lot of carnage.

Edit: Just saw this same build on the second page also(Twice! 8d). Now if we only had partial set bonuses we could give this more oomph and which mech and parts you choose could make the deal as to which chassi is best.

Also, to make it not trip ghost heat as someone put it:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...98748debece7410

6xERSL,6xFlamer,4xMachingun,20DHS! Arrange the lasers and flamers as you like.

Edited by Arugela, 16 January 2017 - 04:15 PM.

[50 50]

Tesunie, on 13 January 2017 - 06:48 PM, said:

An updated alternative version of my Nova B, this one with an LB10x and 3 ERMLs.

The LBx replaces the UAC, due to the recent jam chance increase and jam time increase. A build very similar to this has been working flawlessly on my Huntsmen, so I'd imagine it would work well on the Nova as well (seen as the Nova was the progenitor of this design before the UAC changes). The LBx should actually be even friendlier on new players, as it's natural spread can help with "almost hit" shots still hitting, yet will reward better accuracy still as a player improves their skills.

Hey ... that looks familiar.

[Tesunie]

Dee Eight, on 15 January 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Except again, its not...first time some new player alphas it they get 92 heat not 36.



76 ghost heat for an alpha strike... what you as an elite Tier X gets has no bearing on what a brand new player will do with one of your meta builds or anyone elses that ignores the very real ghost heat scale issue.

Remember... Clan ER Small, ER Med, Small Pulse and Medium pulse are linked energy group for ghost heat scale effects, and for mixed weapons that exceed the 6 maximum safe number, it treats them as the highest heat weapon of the bunch. If you put 2 med pulse, 4 ER Mediums, and 6 ER smalls together on a nova, it treats it as 12 ER medium for determining the heat penalty...which btw is ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR POINT FIVE EIGHT. The 6 ER SL and 6 SPL above is treated as 12 ERSL for ghost heat scale penalty.

This.

This whole post is stuff that should be considered when voting and considering the next few Champion builds.

Yes. I've used a 10 ERSL Nova build. It hurts and can deal a lot of damage if used properly. If used improperly, it self destructs faster than a Voltorb... And we should NOT be trying to "teach new players" by setting them up for failure and frustration.

Champion, and in direct relation Trial, mechs need to remain flexible, survivable and able to handle many different situations while remaining as simple as possible to use. Having to avoid ghost heat by "not shooting all the weapons or die" is not going to be as intuitive to a new player as it is for those of us with more experience.

We need mechs that can be used with low experience, no skills unlocked and poor shooting and piloting choices. However, if we can design said mechs to also work better as one gets more skilled, than that is all the better of a design. Such as a Crab with a Std engine in it. It rewards new players by the Crab's natural ability to shift damage to a side torso, but once they start to learn how to twist to position incoming damage, it increases in performance because now they can zombie with the mech (losing each side torso and still be able to play with their CT and HD mounted weapons). (As one such example.)

Edited by Tesunie, 16 January 2017 - 07:57 PM.

[Tesunie]

50 50, on 16 January 2017 - 05:26 PM, said:

Hey ... that looks familiar.

If you are who I think you are, and from the thread I think... It should. The Nova B directly influenced and inspired my Huntsman B loadout. It was so effective on the Nova B first, that I knew it would work on the Huntsman B. Once the UAC changes happened, I was forced to change the Huntsman version, but I have not tested the Nova version. However, if the UAC is a problem, I have full confidence that the Nova B with an LB10x will perform as well (if not better) than the Huntsman equivalent build.

I will say... I have not tested the Nova B with that weapon configuration, but I'm certain it would still be a good build from previous experience.

[J a d e P h o e n i x]

mycroft000, on 13 January 2017 - 02:55 PM, said:

Nova Prime- 12ERSL w/ hand and lower arm actuators, active probe in head, tc mk1 center torso, the rest is heat sinks. Will add smurfy build when I get home.

This is a build that I have done 800-1500 damage in on a semi regular basis.

Edited to add the Smufy link:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0f1048d68c8f804

Also this is the build I used to hit 3rd place in the Nova queue for the medium mech event.

Can confirm, this guy is a ******* savage.
Not even Blake can touch something this hot.

[Lexandro Wolf]

This is my Nova Champions variant. This Nova configuration serve me in the Scouting missions.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a3336b1cb0b5226

[SP3CTREnyc]

an alternative since the other traditional builds have been posted

NVA-S
6x ERSLas, 1x UAC5, 2x MG, TC1, lower arm, no hands

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...196c838e1696607

NVA-S (I)
6x ERSLas, 1x UAC5, 2x MG, TC1, lower arm, no hands, NVA-B Left Torso

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...fd8ed32ccf67922

[Tesunie]

Lexandro Wolf, on 17 January 2017 - 06:13 AM, said:

This is my Nova Champions variant. This Nova configuration serve me in the Scouting missions.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a3336b1cb0b5226

Seen as you only have 1 ton of MG ammo... why don't you place that in your HD component? Right now, if you lose your side torso, you lose all your MG ammo, making any remaining MGs on the other side torso near useless.

Otherwise, as a Nova build for a new player, it seems fairly solid.

[mindfunk]

I think this will be a quete handsome build for a champion and for a newcomers
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7749752d67bfe60
12 small lasers and 4 MG 5000 rounds, 20 heatsinks.

Weapon groups split in 3, left arm, right arm and MGs

[Mycroft000]

Tesunie, on 16 January 2017 - 05:45 PM, said:

This.

This whole post is stuff that should be considered when voting and considering the next few Champion builds.

Yes. I've used a 10 ERSL Nova build. It hurts and can deal a lot of damage if used properly. If used improperly, it self destructs faster than a Voltorb... And we should NOT be trying to "teach new players" by setting them up for failure and frustration.

Champion, and in direct relation Trial, mechs need to remain flexible, survivable and able to handle many different situations while remaining as simple as possible to use. Having to avoid ghost heat by "not shooting all the weapons or die" is not going to be as intuitive to a new player as it is for those of us with more experience.

We need mechs that can be used with low experience, no skills unlocked and poor shooting and piloting choices. However, if we can design said mechs to also work better as one gets more skilled, than that is all the better of a design. Such as a Crab with a Std engine in it. It rewards new players by the Crab's natural ability to shift damage to a side torso, but once they start to learn how to twist to position incoming damage, it increases in performance because now they can zombie with the mech (losing each side torso and still be able to play with their CT and HD mounted weapons). (As one such example.)

My build is spectacular for new players, it's got more range than the SPL builds, only two weapon groups, and leaves the option open for unlocking arms. It also allows them to detect shutdown mechs and gives them the small crit chance provided by the mk1 computer. I do acknowledge the heat can be an issue, but if you want to learn proper heat management, there are few mechs better suited to that than the Nova. One time of alpha striking will teach you not to do it, and after that it does have the overheat damage reduction so that when they do overheat they don't immediately kill themselves.

[Tesunie]

mycroft000, on 18 January 2017 - 08:29 AM, said:

My build is spectacular for new players, it's got more range than the SPL builds, only two weapon groups, and leaves the option open for unlocking arms. It also allows them to detect shutdown mechs and gives them the small crit chance provided by the mk1 computer. I do acknowledge the heat can be an issue, but if you want to learn proper heat management, there are few mechs better suited to that than the Nova. One time of alpha striking will teach you not to do it, and after that it does have the overheat damage reduction so that when they do overheat they don't immediately kill themselves.

"Why did I shut down! I just fired all my weapons is all I did. This mech is stupid."

That's what a new player is going to most likely say when they first encounter Ghost Heat, as the mechanic isn't exactly mentioned in super bold font nor is it covered in the tutorial. Even though it is also in a little exclamation point triangle symbol in the mechlab, it is unlikely that a new player will read that before going into battle for the first few times.

I understand the concepts of "teaching through experience", but we shouldn't be setting up mechs that will put them in bad situations, such as one panicked alpha shutting them down and killing them. We should not set new players up for failure and frustration because we built mechs that need to be played a specific way or they die. Most new players also don't even know about override, so count on that being another thing they wont think of doing.


Basically, swallow your pride a bit and try to recall how it was when you where a new player. Yes, your mech design is probably a great design. It probably works very well for you and many other players. However, being a meta design, or even a great design, doesn't mean it's a good new player design. New players need something easy to operate that can do reasonably well no matter what the situation is.

Also, I don't even know what your build is you have suggested. I was creating a general post to remind people who will actually be using these mechs, which are new players who most will have no idea about advanced game mechanics such as Ghost Heat. Ones that wont know the maps well, so they wont know how to approach in a slower brawling only mech. Players that aren't going to think about twisting their torsos to redirect damage around (shield side), or even understand why it's so important. They aren't going to know about the damage reduction from damage transfer through destroyed components, or that missile bay doors will delay their missiles shooting out or that those doors provide a 10% reduction to damage to that component when closed.


Things that work for experienced users isn't always what an inexperienced user needs. Just because it's a great build doesn't mean it's a great build for a new player. Recall, you can't tell them "don't shoot more than 6 lasers at a time", because you wont be there to help every specific new player who is going to use that trial mech.



Edit: I did see your build. It looks like a nasty build to play against. However, with ghost heat and it's all close range configuration, I do not believe it would be a good choice for a new player. However, that is my opinion, and my "votes" will reflect that. Basically, deadly in more experienced hands, a deathtrap in a new recruit's hands.

Edited by Tesunie, 18 January 2017 - 09:02 AM.

[Mycroft000]

Tesunie, on 18 January 2017 - 08:51 AM, said:

"Why did I shut down! I just fired all my weapons is all I did. This mech is stupid."

That's what a new player is going to most likely say when they first encounter Ghost Heat, as the mechanic isn't exactly mentioned in super bold font nor is it covered in the tutorial. Even though it is also in a little exclamation point triangle symbol in the mechlab, it is unlikely that a new player will read that before going into battle for the first few times.

I understand the concepts of "teaching through experience", but we shouldn't be setting up mechs that will put them in bad situations, such as one panicked alpha shutting them down and killing them. We should not set new players up for failure and frustration because we built mechs that need to be played a specific way or they die. Most new players also don't even know about override, so count on that being another thing they wont think of doing.


Basically, swallow your pride a bit and try to recall how it was when you where a new player. Yes, your mech design is probably a great design. It probably works very well for you and many other players. However, being a meta design, or even a great design, doesn't mean it's a good new player design. New players need something easy to operate that can do reasonably well no matter what the situation is.

Also, I don't even know what your build is you have suggested. I was creating a general post to remind people who will actually be using these mechs, which are new players who most will have no idea about advanced game mechanics such as Ghost Heat. Ones that wont know the maps well, so they wont know how to approach in a slower brawling only mech. Players that aren't going to think about twisting their torsos to redirect damage around (shield side), or even understand why it's so important. They aren't going to know about the damage reduction from damage transfer through destroyed components, or that missile bay doors will delay their missiles shooting out or that those doors provide a 10% reduction to damage to that component when closed.


Things that work for experienced users isn't always what an inexperienced user needs. Just because it's a great build doesn't mean it's a great build for a new player. Recall, you can't tell them "don't shoot more than 6 lasers at a time", because you wont be there to help every specific new player who is going to use that trial mech.



Edit: I did see your build. It looks like a nasty build to play against. However, with ghost heat and it's all close range configuration, I do not believe it would be a good choice for a new player. However, that is my opinion, and my "votes" will reflect that. Basically, deadly in more experienced hands, a deathtrap in a new recruit's hands.

I completely understand where you're coming from, but when I did start playing last year, and had no clue what Ghost Heat was, the Nova was one of my earliest top performing mechs. And I'll say I absolutely am willing to swallow my pride, that's why I use ERSL instead of pulse lasers. I ran the thing with pulse lasers for months before one of my unit mates asked me why I didn't try ERSLs and when I did that, my damage output per match skyrocketed.

And you mention torso twisting too. I'll be honest, when I'm piloting my Nova, I don't twist much. I would rather my CT be targeted than spread damage to my arms. That tactic has allowed me to take down enemies far beyond what I should be able to face tank against(it does frequently get me killed, but rarely without incapacitating or killing my target).

I can also say every member of my unit who's adopted my build has been surprised at its effectiveness even when they have not so much as unlocked any basic skills.

I have also built and tested some of the most odd builds you can imagine just because I do consider myself a Nova pilot before anything else in this game and want to know all of the various builds I can be effective in, those builds include things like 5MG and 6ERSL, or 5MG and a UAC20, and other equally ridiculous builds.