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Ppc Or Laser?


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#1 Ultramarine125AF

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 02:48 PM

Now I'm sure there is tons of threads like this but I gotta ask myself and get some opnions here.

Whenever me or my friends use it we just suck with it yet I see people using them good. Now I'm not a pro though I did read the guide that has been made and watched the few videos I had questions about but my problem is why take a PPC Over a ER Large?

I mean it seems like less heat and more Damage with less Range with the laser then the PPC?

Thanks for your Opnions and once again sorry to post I'm sure a repeat post.

#2 Old-dirty B

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 02:58 PM

The peeps deliver all damage to one component as soon as it hits, where lasers deliver damage over certain duration and thus are more likely to spread damage while having to stare down your oponent and thus risking to take more damage while doing so.

I will go for peeps whenever possible - i would even consider dropping armor to get an extra one...

Edited by B3R3ND, 25 January 2017 - 02:59 PM.


#3 Steel Raven

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 03:24 PM

Depends on the mech and build.

Lasers have a burn time so not all the damage is delivered at once. It's a instant hit but your target can still spread the damage. It's also a big laser pointer showing off your location so if your a sniper, keep moving.

PPC have a number of issues that have haunted the Projectile from the Beta on. Most of it was to purposely nerf it so it wouldn't overshadow the AC/5 and Large Laser. The standard PPC has a relatively slow velocity without quirks so a target at range can dodge it if they are fast enough. It is also a relatively large projectile that easily clips terrain. Still, it's 10 points of damage and the bolts travel time actually makes it easier for a sniper to stay hidden while hill humping. PPC also have the additional bonus of momentarily disrupting ECM.

High mounts are recommended for ether though PPC's work best when torso mounted. The Marauder's arm mounts are great for PPCs but most other mechs run into a convergence problem with PPCs vs Lasers. Quirks will be replaced by the new Skill Tree soon but you still want to look for + PPC Velocity and/or - Laser Duration when deciding a build.

#4 Ultramarine125AF

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 04:10 PM

Thanks for the Responses, that does help me understand more about them...I just never really liked them everytime I tried them, I didn't seem to do much damage maybe 300-600 at best at times, I even took the Thunderbolt with the over slung with the Perks, it was ok.

Is the Clan one Better then IS or are they about the same? Sorry last question there since all I've used is IS PPC's and ER PPC's.

#5 Void Angel

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 04:40 PM

Clan ERPPCs are better; you can see the stats Here, but i general the cERPPC does an extra 5 points of damage split between the adjacent locations. So if I hit you in the CT with two ERPPCs and open you up, I'll still do 5 points of damage to your CT if my next shot hits you in the LT.

This is just a bonus, however. The main reason that (ER)PPCs are used so often over lasers is their frontloaded pinpoint damage. Frontloaded damage is at a huge premium in MWO. The burn time of lasers make spreading damage much easier on the target (and ER lasers have longer burn times.) If you and I pop up over a ridgeline and trade sniper shots, you can nail me center of mass with ERPPCs while I stare at you with my lasers, then twist as you back down, spreading my laser burn over several locations and even avoiding some of the damage entirely depending on the size of our 'mechs, hardpoint height, and terrain.

The only time an ER Large is preferable to an ERPPC is when you cannot carry enough heat sinks to manage the ERPPC's heat. To put things simply, there is a reason the weapon is hotter and heavier than its nearest long-range substitute. =)

Edited by Void Angel, 25 January 2017 - 04:46 PM.


#6 Void Angel

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Posted 25 January 2017 - 04:45 PM

PS: The standard PPC had its projectile velocity increased a while back. It's now 1,200m/s, as opposed to 1,300m/s for the ERPPC. Only the Gauss Rifle, (U)AC/2, and - amusingly- the LB-5X have faster projectile speeds than either model of PPC.

#7 Mad Ox

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 09:25 AM

PPC ER or not I find is excellant for when behind the lines and sniping you can shoot and hide giving enemy very little time to spot you. But as noted above slow and clip terrain alot like you are shooting a huge basketball

ER Large shooting is a HUGE HEY HERE I AM HERE I AM. But even with that I can get into spots where I am hard as heck to hit, against a PPC pretty much impossible.

For the weight ER Large is my usual go to weapon IS or Clan wise. But when I want pin point damage thats relatively light compared to ACs PPC or ERPPC it is. Clan ERPPC doing an extra 5 damage spread is also good boost.

#8 Ultramarine125AF

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 09:57 AM

Thanks for all the Info guys, I couldn't understand myself but now I do and I can try out the cERPPC's and see if I like them more.

Personally I like Dakka Dakka myself but I always wanted to give the PPC's more of a shot.

Thanks for the Tips and Info all.

#9 Void Angel

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 09:24 PM

No problem! Bear in mind that you have to hit with (ER)PPCs in order to get your money's worth, but their ability to hammer people constantly at long ranges (combined with pinpoint damage) makes them very strong when used correctly. So you'll need a lot of heat sinks, and minimal backup weapons - but they're a ton of fun, and a weapon system everyone should learn to use, even if you end up disliking them. =)

#10 Audacious Aubergine

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Posted 28 January 2017 - 05:07 PM

Start with lasers, since if you're a hopeless aim like I am then even if you miss initially you can at least get SOME damage in with the beam duration. Graduate to pulse lasers which have a shorter "Crap, I missed!" window, and once you're happy with pointing in the right direction, try PPCs again

#11 panzer1b

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Posted 13 February 2017 - 10:38 AM

It really depends on teh mech otself (some are qurked for certain weapons so it would be foolish to disregard those qurks especially if its something like 10% or more to stats), but in general i tend to lean towards ppcs over lasers provided i have the tonnage to utilize them without killing my DPS off entirely.

Comparing two very similar weapons systems, the LPL and PPC, you can see that the cERPPC does 10 dmg instantly on contact (+ 5 splash but we will disregard this as its not applied to where you want) while the cLPL does 13 damage on contact but has a burn duration of ~1 second. The PPC generates ~14 heat per shot while the LPL generated ~10 heat per shot. The LPL also has higher raw DPS on paper (disregarding ppc plash) compared to the PPC.

Now on paper, the cLPL looks to be superior in ever category to the cERPPC, more damage to the component you are targeting, better DPS, more heat efficiency, but it comes with one critical issue compared to the PPC, the fact that that 13 damage is applied over time and does not instantly hit the target as is the case with teh PPC. In practice, instant pinpoint damage is far superior since the enemy cannot shield and you do not have to stare at them for a whole second (longer if you count reaction times and mech acceleration/braking). A timberwolf with 35 pinpoint damage (2 ppc and 1 gauss) can get more efficient trades out then the same mech with a 50 point energy alpha strike because it only needs to show its face for a split second to apply that 35 damage to a single component on teh enemy mech while the lazer version has to stare at the enemy for over a second and cannot shield the second it clicks the trigger. That and it is actually quite difficult to hit the desired component with laser weapons for the full damage because the enemy (should be at least) shielding itself from incoming weapons fire and shouldnt be sitting still like an idiot waiting to be shot apart. Garnted if you have some superhuman ability to track a target for the entire beam duration (and they arent jump sniping to deny you the ability to track for the whole beam duration) lasers are flat out superior, but in practice it is very unlikely for this to occur and the ppcs are easier to use to deliver damage exactly where you want it to go (provided you can actually compensate for the required lead).

Now as to what weapons system to choose, the biggest factor is what mech you are running and what it can/cant do. Mechs that have very low pod space (available tonnage) should almost always carry lasers/pulse lasers because they cannot usually afford to carry enough heatsinks/tonnage to sustain at least 2 ppcs/erppcs (you can carry one ppc, but ive found the best results with dual because 20 alfa damage is a decent threat while 10 can be ignored even by a locust). A very good example of such a mech i pilot all the time is the shadowcat, it can at best carry 4 heatsinks alongside either 2 erppcs or 2 lpls, but those 2 lpls are the better choice in a serious game since you will be able to keep firing them a solid number of times compared to the erppcs which you can get 2-3 shots off and have to spend the next 10-20 seconds cooling off. On the other hand, most heavys (that arent quirked otherwise and have favorable hardpoints for poking) benefit from the instant damage applied from PPCs. This is especially true on the IS side since the IS versions of the ppc offers similar heat efficiency to the ERLLs and provides enough effective range to work on most maps, while the cERPPC is less efficient, it outranges every single weapon in the game and still provides solid DPS with enough heat sinks (id consider 15 heatsinks the bare minimum for 2 clan PPCs provided you have other weapons as well like a gauss rifle, 20+ if 2 erppcs are your only weapon). Also worth mentuioning is that PPCs allow you to poptart/jump snipe well, so if the mech has JJs and decently high weapon mounts it may be worthwhile to use it in that manner, jump up, and fire the ppcs before the enemy even has a chance to aim at you.

Also worth mentioning is that PPCs are almost useless against lights/fast mediums at longer ranges because they will simply dodge the shot. PPCs are also terrible when sniping at insane distances (ERLL territory) since it is difficult if not impossible to guarantee a hit on something thats not moving in a straight line and or evading fire. That said, they are actually better then lasers against short range lights with some good aim since 20+ pinpoint damage is going to kill or neuter most of the faster light mechs (i love 1 shotting locusts with 2 ppcs at short range) whereas laser swill spread damage all over the light most of the time. At shorter ranges the ability to instantly shield after firing is very beneficial to a mech's survivability, put all the guns on one side and show the enemy the dead side when you are not loaded/overheating and only poke the guns out when you are ready to fire.

TLDR, if the mech has low tonnage, lasers are almost always better because ERPPCs will rob you of almost all sustained DPS which is at least somewhat necessary to remain relevant during all but the longest games. For high tonnage it depends on teh mech, high hardpoints are prefered for PPCs, and you still need to have some skill in aiming to lead a moving target.

#12 LMP

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Posted 10 March 2017 - 05:25 AM

I like lasers over other weapons because the enemy mech is much easier to hit because you don't have to lead the target. Go to the Academy and do the shooting gallery set at extreme range equipped with an ER PPC and a ERL-Laser and you will see what I mean.





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