40 replies to this topic

[MossPigglet]

Good Day. I have been testing out builds galore with the new tech and I have been having loads of fun trying things out. Testing, scrapping, reiterating with all the new tech on my mechs.

In particular I am running a banshee 3S with a 340 light engine and endo-steel, maxed out armor and speed tweak with some heat dissipation in the skill tree. On it I have 5 light PPC's 2 snub PPC's and a LBX10. It is a lot of fun but I feel like it may be too good.

The chain fired 5 damage of 5 PPC's scares most other pilots and I know this thing wrecks face at long range. It also has good close range capabilities for lights and mediums. With the LB and snub PPC's. I can deal with just about anything, lights, or keeping heavier mechs at a distance and laying havoc on them with he light PPC's. Since I have a decent enough speed to keep them at longer ranges. (I think its like 64kph)

A possible solution to light PPC's being too powerful or at least too much bang for slot and tonne ratio (an AC 5 as an example, weighs more and needs ammo) is dropping the damage down to 4 instead of 5. Or having the damage spread, 3 pinpoint, and 1 to adjacent mech components. But it would be strange that regular PPC's on the IS side don't spread damage but the light one does.

I would also say that I have not come across pilots using heavy ER PPC's or double Gauss or even Light Gauss agaisnt me or heavy LRM builds. I may be out classed at long range by these other weapons.

[Kaptain]

I tried 4 of them in a BJ and it was just OK. I much preferred twin snub noses.

Interesting banshee build though, I'm going to try that.

[FupDup]

Yeah, because a weapon that is allowed to deal 10 upfront damage before getting Ghost Heat penalties is totally OP.

EDIT: Let me be clear here. The actual XML base stats for the Light Peeper are quite nice. It's just the Ghost Heat cap being so low that holds them back. That's it.

Edited by FupDup, 29 June 2017 - 05:19 PM.

[Midnight Camel]

Ghost heat aside, I think they feel about right, balance-wise. My only quibble is that you can take two LPPC's in lieu of a single PPC for one less ton, the same damage, about the same heat. The fact that this requires an extra hard point and extra critical would somewhat restrict the builds that you could make this trade on, but assuming you have the spare hard point, two LPPC's seems strictly superior to a single PPC.

I know ghost heat is currently a factor but I feel fairly certain that setting the ghost heat on LPPC's to two was an oversight. Intentionally limiting combined alpha to 10 is pretty unreasonable.

[WhyHelloDer]

Light PPCs are one of the few new weapons that I feel are just fine. Raise the ghost heat to 4 and then do nothing else to the weapon, it'll be okay.

P.S. They make great backup weapons for a Dual UAC/10 CPLT-K2

[Cato Phoenix]

Midnight Camel, on 29 June 2017 - 04:06 PM, said:

Ghost heat aside, I think they feel about right, balance-wise. My only quibble is that you can take two LPPC's in lieu of a single PPC for one less ton, the same damage, about the same heat. The fact that this requires an extra hard point and extra critical would somewhat restrict the builds that you could make this trade on, but assuming you have the spare hard point, two LPPC's seems strictly superior to a single PPC.

I mean, what single PPC builds is this going to ruin?

[MischiefSC]

Except I can get the same damage, same range, less heat with a single medium laser or ERML for 1 ton.

[Kaptain]

MischiefSC, on 29 June 2017 - 04:30 PM, said:

Except I can get the same damage, same range, less heat with a single medium LASER or ERML for 1 ton.

Read not PPFL.

[WhyHelloDer]

MischiefSC, on 29 June 2017 - 04:30 PM, said:

Except I can get the same damage, same range, less heat with a single medium laser or ERML for 1 ton.

Medium and ER Medium Lasers dont get the same range. In fact a regular old medium is only half range.

[Scout Derek]

They're not that good TBF. Honestly I get better uses out of the snubs than them.

[StormFrog]

Kaptain, on 29 June 2017 - 04:57 PM, said:

Read not PPFL.

The 5 light PPC chain-fire that the original poster seems to think is overpowered isn't exactly PPFL either.

[Andi Nagasia]

Light PPC being too strong in Chain fire is alot like saying IS-ERML are Strong in Chain Fire,
they can seem harsh on but they really arnt, not really with their 90m min also you dont have to lead with the Lasers,
and not everyone will use them in Chain fire as that requires face time, which isnt very efficient as it stops twisting,

[Kaptain]

StormFrog, on 29 June 2017 - 05:34 PM, said:

The 5 light PPC chain-fire that the original poster seems to think is overpowered isn't exactly PPFL either.

Let me be clear I do not think they are OP at all... but comparing them to a laser is just silly. A LPPC does 5 damage to one component(If it hits). A laser does X to X components depending on the situation.

[MischiefSC]

Kaptain, on 29 June 2017 - 05:42 PM, said:

Let me be clear I do not think they are OP at all... but comparing them to a laser is just silly. A LPPC does 5 damage to one component(If it hits). A laser does X to X components depending on the situation.

IS ML is 1 ton, 3.4 heat and a burn time of less than a second. About 0.7 when quirked.

I can mount 3 of them and 2 DHS for the weight of a single light PPC.

PPFLD is great - however in the context of total effectiveness the light PPC is hot, slow to refire and full of limitations. You're better off taking lasers. I guess if you really, really want to take a light mech poptart it has some uses but otherwise? It's going to be tossed in the same bin regular PPCs are. PPFLD is great for mid-long range. Mid-brawl, where it's ranged, it's too easy for someone to just push in to brawl with lasers and SRMs and destroy you.

[Midnight Camel]

MischiefSC, on 29 June 2017 - 06:08 PM, said:

IS ML is 1 ton, 3.4 heat and a burn time of less than a second. About 0.7 when quirked.

I can mount 3 of them and 2 DHS for the weight of a single light PPC.

No you can't. 3ML + 2 DHS is 5 tons. An LPPC is 3 tons. Furthermore, comparing ML's and and LPPC's ton for ton is meaningless. ML's and LPPC's have completely different viable use cases.

Edited by Midnight Camel, 29 June 2017 - 06:57 PM.

[FupDup]

Mischief, I do understand and appreciate your intentions here, but ton-for-ton the ML and ERML are supposed to be more efficient because they have shorter range and aren't PPFLD.

All the Light PPC really needs is a Ghost Heat limit of 4 and it'll be pretty good.

[chucklesMuch]

-1 for nerf, +1 for increased ghost limit i'd be happy to start with a bump up to 3

[Y E O N N E]

Nope, no nerf needed. Maybe a buff, that's debatable IMHO, but absolutely no nerf.

[Nutta88]

LPPC maybe could have a slightly longer cool down (say 4.67sec), to balance their reduced weight against the regular PPC... but really do need GH limit of at least 4. A GH limit of 4 would make them a viable light mech option. At the moment with them having the same GH as the other ppc make the snubnose a better option in most cases.

[Y E O N N E]

Nutta88, on 29 June 2017 - 10:48 PM, said:

LPPC maybe could have a slightly longer cool down (say 4.67sec), to balance their reduced weight against the regular PPC.

They have inferior damage per heat to a regular PPC. Increasing the cool-down would utterly ruin their usefulness.