16 replies to this topic

[Ruar]

I don't play heavy mechs often. I find them too slow for how I prefer to play. I'm not horrible with heavies, but I tend to not do as well when compared to mediums. I got the Roughneck because I enjoy collecting the mechs even if I don't play them often. My Bushwackers haven't been used since the first week of their release but I still like having them sitting there.


So far I've enjoyed most of the Rougneck variants. I've been more successful with LB10X + SRM builds compared to AC/ML/SRM builds. I've yet to figure out a good build for me on the 3A, but I think I have to go shorter range lasers instead of trying to maintain the ability to do damage at 600m.


1A- LB10, two SRM4s, 74kph has been decent. I don't like being ammo dependent but I haven't really run out of rounds in most matches either. The energy cooldown seems cool but it can only be applied to a single hardpoint in the head which makes it not worth the hassle IMO. I was carrying a medium laser but dropped it in favor of more ammo which has seemed to work better.

1B- LB10, three SRM4s, 70kph. I don't like this build as much because the arm mounted gun isn't as effective as the shoulder mounted versions. I drop a tone of LB ammo and boost the SRM ammo because I rely more on the missiles with the LB there to help in close. This one is not as much fun to pilot.

1C- LB10, four SRM4s, 70kph. The LB in this one is easier to use and the missiles really pack a punch. This is one of the better mechs simply because the weapon loadout works better. I can see this being my go to variant in the future.

2A- LB10, one SRM6, three medium lasers. I struggle with this one. The medium lasers just don't pack the same punch as the SRMs. I'm still changing this one around some and I think next I'll drop the missiles all together and go with pulse lasers instead. I did play this with a NARC instead of the SRMs and it seemed much more group friendly but my individual score went down some.

*Edit- Dropped the SRMs and went with three MPL instead. Works out much better for me. Tried an AC10 but I can't get the timing down. I went ahead and bought cooldown for the LB though and it really is a beast now. All in all this one isn't that bad with the changes and I had some good matches.

3A- So far running 2x large lasers and 4x medium lasers isn't working. I've tried swapping around for pulse lasers as well and still doesn't seem that effective. I think I'll be getting rid of the large lasers all together and trying all medium builds or maybe even a PPC and medium lasers. I want to like this mech because I prefer lasers over ammo weapons, but I haven't found the right setup yet.

*Edit- I am currently using 6x med lasers + 1 flamer on the 3A and it's getting the job done. The flamer is there more to avoid ghost heat than anything else. I'm not good at volley firing so I prefer to just not have too many weapons of the same type.


Anyway, that's my initial impression of the variants I picked up. I'm still working on getting them all to elite status but at least I got the basic skills knocked out already on each of them.

Edited by Ruar, 24 April 2017 - 12:29 PM.

[El Bandito]

70 kph is on the slow side. Get at least XL 300 on it. You should still have plenty of ammo to finish the match. Even having 315 XL will retain enough ammo, if your SRM4s do not use Artemis.

Edited by El Bandito, 23 April 2017 - 09:33 AM.

[Ruar]

El Bandito, on 23 April 2017 - 09:31 AM, said:

70 kph is on the slow side. Get at least XL 300 on it. You should still have plenty of ammo to finish the match.

I won't use XL engines if I can avoid it. I hate them. And the top speed is only 78 due to engine limits, 82ish? with speed tweak. It's just not enough to gimp myself by having the XL liability. LFE can't get here fast enough and screw you PGI for not fixing the ISXL problem already.

Edited by Ruar, 23 April 2017 - 09:33 AM.

[NextGame]

playing against them they seem a bit tougher than they deserve to be.

[El Bandito]

Ruar, on 23 April 2017 - 09:32 AM, said:

I won't use XL engines if I can avoid it. I hate them. And the top speed is only 78 due to engine limits, 82ish? with speed tweak. It's just not enough to gimp myself by having the XL liability. LFE can't get here fast enough and screw you PGI for not fixing the ISXL problem already.

Roughneck has good torsi hitboxes and top tier durability quirks, on par with Atlas-S. If you are not using XL to gain mobility and additional firepower, you are wasting the chassis' true potential. Instead of SRM4s, you could be mounting ASRM6s and laying down the hurt.

[Jackal Noble]

with a 300 you can hit 80.2 with speed tweak. 315, while the max size engine, isn't worth it for the minimal increase over the 300, plus the tonnage saved can be allocated to other useful things (armor, ammo, heatsinks)
This mech is awesome, and carries and XL very well.
Yes it is slow, but it get's there when it's needed.
What's up with all the LBX10s?

[Juodas Varnas]

JackalBeast, on 23 April 2017 - 09:40 AM, said:

with a 300 you can hit 80.2 with speed tweak. 315, while the max size engine, isn't worth it for the minimal increase over the 300, plus the tonnage saved can be allocated to other useful things (armor, ammo, heatsinks)
This mech is awesome, and carries and XL very well.
Yes it is slow, but it get's there when it's needed.
What's up with all the LBX10s?

[Ruar]

JackalBeast, on 23 April 2017 - 09:40 AM, said:

with a 300 you can hit 80.2 with speed tweak. 315, while the max size engine, isn't worth it for the minimal increase over the 300, plus the tonnage saved can be allocated to other useful things (armor, ammo, heatsinks)
This mech is awesome, and carries and XL very well.
Yes it is slow, but it get's there when it's needed.
What's up with all the LBX10s?

I keep the armor maxed, and I prefer to run heat friendly builds so less alpha but more sustained fire.

I've tried AC20, AC10, AC5s on most of the builds and I just end up doing more damage and having higher scores with the LB10 for some reason. It's about the only mech I've found where that weapon is useful. I might change it around later as I get used to the chassis, but for now it's working for me.

I'll consider putting in the XLs, I just don't like doing it because I tend to lose STs before the CT goes. I'll have to pay more attention to my deaths though.

Juodas Varnas, on 23 April 2017 - 09:43 AM, said:

If you are going to be an *** at least be accurate. I never said anything about critical hits, I said it works for me better than other ACs on this mech.

[Jackal Noble]

For sure, and lol at the second comment. Hey I use them a bit too, so no offense. That was a funny response tho.

It's weird, I prefer the IS lbx10 over the Clan variant, and the C-LBX20 over the C-UAC-AC ones.

[Juodas Varnas]

Ruar, on 23 April 2017 - 09:45 AM, said:

If you are going to be an *** at least be accurate. I never said anything about critical hits, I said it works for me better than other ACs on this mech.

It's an old meme on the forums.

I do like LBXs myself (I find the projectile speed very comfortable and wish normal AC10 had a similar one).
But on the Roughneck, i HAVE to use the normal AC10. Why?

UAVs.
You can't shoot down UAVs with LBXs and SRMs.

[Ruar]

Juodas Varnas, on 23 April 2017 - 09:53 AM, said:

It's an old meme on the forums.

I do like LBXs myself (I find the projectile speed very comfortable and wish normal AC10 had a similar one).
But on the Roughneck, i HAVE to use the normal AC10. Why?

UAVs.
You can't shoot down UAVs with LBXs and SRMs.

I don't like arm mounted weapons and the Roughneck has all of the torso lean of an 80yr old construction worker whose spine was fused at one point in their life.

I just call out the UAVs and hope someone else has the ability to raise up high enough to hit them.

Edited by Ruar, 23 April 2017 - 09:57 AM.

[Ruar]

Seven matches in the 3A monitoring how the torso's performed.

Three matches with CT and LT/RT all being destroyed close enough it wouldn't really matter.

Two matches with LT/RT being destroyed before the CT.

Two matches with multiple torsos being crit but not destroyed.


Seems to me the XL engine would be more of a liability than a boost, but it is a small sample size. Sadly that's all I'm doing for now because my frustration level is just too high with poorly performing teams causing early deaths. When I feel the need to comment on poor performance in back to back to back games it's time to for a break.

[Juodas Varnas]

Ruar, on 23 April 2017 - 11:11 AM, said:

Seven matches in the 3A monitoring how the torso's performed.

Three matches with CT and LT/RT all being destroyed close enough it wouldn't really matter.

Two matches with LT/RT being destroyed before the CT.

Two matches with multiple torsos being crit but not destroyed.


Seems to me the XL engine would be more of a liability than a boost, but it is a small sample size. Sadly that's all I'm doing for now because my frustration level is just too high with poorly performing teams causing early deaths. When I feel the need to comment on poor performance in back to back to back games it's time to for a break.

I think the main problem with the Roughneck and XL engines is that the weapons come with the huge, easily-shootable top-mounts.
If they were lower, mounted in the torso itself and not on top of it, i think it'd be much better with XL engines.
Or if you decide to run weapons in the arms only, i guess...

[Too Much Love]

Juodas Varnas, on 23 April 2017 - 09:43 AM, said:

I like LBX myself, but this image is just hilarious

[Ruar]

Juodas Varnas, on 23 April 2017 - 12:16 PM, said:

I think the main problem with the Roughneck and XL engines is that the weapons come with the huge, easily-shootable top-mounts.
If they were lower, mounted in the torso itself and not on top of it, i think it'd be much better with XL engines.
Or if you decide to run weapons in the arms only, i guess...

IMO it's the slow twist speed. Granted I don't have the double boost for full elite, but it just seems to take forever to rotate the torso's around, which makes it harder to spread damage. The arms rarely get shot off and they are big enough to do some shielding. It could just be I'm used to faster twisting mechs, but I struggle moving the Roughneck around the way I want.

[Bishop Steiner]

Gotta say, I love the idea and concept of the Roughneck, love the in game model.... but am not doing terribly well in it.

Partly I'd say it's how fast it loses it's arms, as I tend to like the freedom of arm mounted weapons, (though my ASNs are torso gunners, as are my HBKs, etc, but both are faster to track with their torsos). And aprt of it is the lack of being elited I'm sure.

The RGH feels a lot better with an XL300. But I find more often I have higher scores with the STD260, as I do tend to live longer. Part of that I can blame (fairly I beleive) in the usual lack of coordination found especially in weekend PUG drops, meaning it's not uncommon to be solo vs several bad guys... part of it is simply that most of the std pack RGHs are somewhat light on firepower, especially once the arms are gone, as the hardpoints are a bit limiting.

That said, the 3A and Hero all seem to do rather well for hardpoints, overall, (though the 2A is maybe a sleeper, I gotta toy with it), being able to LPL vomit pretty well. I'd kill for a quad Missile model, but it is what it is. really the only thing I think I would change is I would love to see the arms be a bit tougher, as even fully armored, they pop like jiffypop. Mind you that means they are doing their jobs as shields, which is good, but it also means that the arm hardpoints are of even less value than normal as they go very fast. This hurts the 1C in particular, as it needs those triceps missiles for a chunk of it's firepower, but usually is down one or both launchers very very early.

And it makes mounting any serious ballistics in the 1B pretty pointless, too. Leaving you with what? Either a 3x aSRM6 (a build that works really well... on my 120 kph, 40 ton Assassin), or... what 3x aLRM15 with a TAG and maybe some MGs in the arms for giggles?

The 1A ain't actually BAD, but I find the 300xl almost gives me more tonnage than I can realistically make use of, because again, mounting arm weapons is more placebo than anything, and by adding an XL it limits you to an AC10 (or gauss, if you want to pop your XL easily), to go with 2x aSRM6 and 1x MPL. Not terrible, but a bit underwhelming.

I am thinking about making my second 1A into a long range harasser just to have something else to do with it.

[Garfuncle]

1C will be one of the go-to Brawler variants, and one of the top IS brawlers in general. 1 AC20 with 4srm4+a std245 wrecks face.

Edited by Garfuncle, 23 April 2017 - 06:35 PM.