4 replies to this topic

[Audacious Aubergine]

So I'm almost definitely getting the Nightstar, but what does everyone think of the Nova Cat?
The Nightstar will be pretty much my IS Supernova, and the Nova Cat will be pretty much an energy-only Night Gyr, and both of these things are very appealing to be right now. Am I remembering correctly that the Nova Cat is what people were hoping for when the Night Gyr came out?

[Koniving]

Nova Cat is an Omnimech, so it is more like a 70 ton Night Gyr knock off without the laser heatsink light show or the 100% removal of external heat influence.
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Nova Cat has missiles, ballistics, and energy options across its omnimech configurations.

I don't think anyone was hoping for anything in particular when the Night Gyr came out; all the hub-bub seemed to be about laser heatsinks and whether we'd actually get laser heatsinks or if it'd just be a quirk.
...and it was a quirk.

On the plus side, it has identical speed to the Night Gyr with a lighter engine. It also has two omnipods that each hold 2 jumpjets giving it a maximum potential of 4 jumpjets. On the down side, it is 70 tons and while that doesn't directly translate to 5 tons less due to being an Omnimech, it is still less carrying power than the Night Gyr with less armor and structure (though that different might allow it to almost equal weaponry).

Big thing is how tall will it be compared to its larger falcon cousin...

And whether or not this means the additional Clan factions that joined the battle in 3052 will be here.

Edited by Koniving, 12 July 2017 - 10:47 AM.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

for the record, the Nightstar will poop on the Supernova for hardpoint placement alone.

The Nova Cat is only interesting to me from the Faction War perspective, in that it offers a 70t clan mech that is not the Summoner. Beyond that, it wont come close to replacing the NTG. Why? Hardpoints/JJ on Gyr > Novacat, easy as that.

[Pariah Devalis]

Nova Cat is a 70 ton version of the Night Gyr that trades integrated JJ for actually, you know... having crit slots to install things in. Same 38 tons of stock pod space for weapons and equipment. Superior energy and missile boating potential to the Night Gyr, but slightly worse than the Night Gyr when it comes to boating ballistics. Will be a better hybrid build mech than the Night Gyr, as well.

Going to repeat this, because MW4 poisoned people's expectations of the mech: it is a capable missile and ballistic mech, it isn't just a laserboat. It just will not be as good at ballistics as the Night Gyr.

It is a lighter, more flexible Night Gyr, basically. Because it doesn't have tons of internal crits filled with ferro points, and because it doesn't come with the JJ fixed outside of a single set of omnipods, you have, what, 13 extra critical slots to play with? That's enough right there to account for 6 more DHS, or a more well placed arrangement of ammunition and sensor packages.

Also, being slightly lighter than the NTG, due to the engine desynch, expect the NCT to accelerate and turn faster. With 4 JJ, it should also ever so slightly out jump the NTG, though you do need to pony up 4 tons for that. Still, even with 34 tons of pod space, you still run a slight risk of running out of room to stick guns and equipment before you actually run out of tonnage to arm the thing.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 14 July 2017 - 07:04 AM.

[Audacious Aubergine]

Still stewing over the Nova Cat. Looking at the hardpoint selections for the basic pack (I have no intention of going beyond basic for any new mech preorders any more, maybe heroes at the very most), there's no loadouts I can think of that I'm not already using on my Supernovas - laser boat, pulse lasers + PPCs, LRM spam + lasers. Though if it's quick on its feet the missile one might make a good SRM face-ripper

Edited by Audacious Aubergine, 17 July 2017 - 04:29 AM.