201 replies to this topic

[Savage Wolf]

Brizna, on 19 July 2017 - 02:25 AM, said:

....stuff...

If they aren't using lurms, are they really lurmers? The two weapons have two different roles so it seems silly to compare them. I will continue to use LRMs for indirect fire and use ATMs for midrange shenanigans.

Of course aggressive LRMing and ATMs are more similar in playstyle, but still operate differently because of indirect vs damage.

[SmoothCriminal]

I think the minimum range needs to be removed/reduced to c50m otherwise they are nothing special against LRMs.

[Steve Pryde]

At least PGI should remove minimum range. Even without minimum range they are far away from a viable weapon system.

[AssaultPig]

I messed with them a bit but the disadvantages don't seem worth gaining the 60m of effective range

I was looking forward to trying them out on some mechs but after experimenting, I dunno why you wouldn't just run LRM

[Skanderborg]

I find them just as clumsy as LRM's , I constantly hit enviroment because of the low fire angle and they're also pretty hot.

[Jungle Rhino]

Hang on a second - some people like ATMs, others don't? Does this mean both are viable in the right circumstance? Have PGI successfully balanced a weapon system?!!?!?

[The Mysterious Fox]

Jungle Rhino, on 19 July 2017 - 04:00 AM, said:

Hang on a second - some people like ATMs, others don't? Does this mean both are viable in the right circumstance? Have PGI successfully balanced a weapon system?!!?!?

it excels in a particular narrow gap but everyone agrees that the min range should go.

[Savage Wolf]

Jungle Rhino, on 19 July 2017 - 04:00 AM, said:

Hang on a second - some people like ATMs, others don't? Does this mean both are viable in the right circumstance? Have PGI successfully balanced a weapon system?!!?!?

Maybe...
I see a viable playstyle for them, as a medium range weapon where movement is important for optimal damage. Argueably not an easy playstyle and as such only something a few will enjoy.
But it's just not what many people apparently wanted, which appears to be alternative LRMs or even replacements for. Why they thought it would be or why they wanted it to be, I don't know. If you want LRMs just use those.

The Mysterious Fox, on 19 July 2017 - 04:06 AM, said:

it excels in a particular narrow gap but everyone agrees that the min range should go.

I'm not sure I do. It should maybe be less, but if it was completely gone then they would make SRMs obsolete.

[Zergling]

The Mysterious Fox, on 19 July 2017 - 04:06 AM, said:

it excels in a particular narrow gap but everyone agrees that the min range should go.

They'll have to give them a less cone like spread if the minimum range goes, because the missiles cluster super tight together at point blank range.

[Gryphorim]

Pull min range in to about 30m, and up velocity to MRM velocity. As trade-off, give them huge spread that gets tighter as the missiles fly out to max range.

In close, huge per-missile damage, but very spread out.
Mid range, good spread and damage.
At range, tight spread, but limited damage.
In all cases, SRMs and LRMs have better ammo/ton.
SRM can localise damage far better, LRM can saturate fire better.

Edited by Gryphorim, 19 July 2017 - 04:36 AM.

[Birthright]

StormWarden0, on 18 July 2017 - 11:15 PM, said:

ATMs are currently completely useless due to the massive amount of laser and standard ams ingame right now. Even if ams usage dies down they are still countered by ECM, cover and their own minimum range. I really can't see them being a viable weapon unless buffed considerably.

Use active probe and TAG?

ECM is hardly an issue...

[Malcolm Vordermark]

Haven't run any in game yet, but I noticed in the training grounds they seem to skew towards legs. I killed a few of the target dummies through legging with them. That's not going to help their case.

[Novakaine]

I used them in conjunction with lrms.
Pretty nice combo and basically one spotted a commando trying to bum rush me.

[Brain Cancer]

davoodoo, on 19 July 2017 - 02:40 AM, said:

they havent fixed targeting, it still hits legs...

I get mostly torso hits, personally. Unless firing unlocked, in which case it tends to dip low since the "hit point" is at the target's feet.

Savage Wolf, on 19 July 2017 - 02:44 AM, said:

If they aren't using lurms, are they really lurmers? The two weapons have two different roles so it seems silly to compare them. I will continue to use LRMs for indirect fire and use ATMs for midrange shenanigans.

Of course aggressive LRMing and ATMs are more similar in playstyle, but still operate differently because of indirect vs damage.

It tends to be complimentary, though. For me, it's frequently "30 damage with more spread but better cover-hopping" or "30 damage with less spread, more velocity, but flat shots".

They're working a lot like what I advocated LRMs -should- when direct-fired.

[Dr Hobo]

They're not LRMs or SRMs.

They suppliment them. Instead of being all LRMs/SRMS,you run a couple of each,and you can cover a better variety of ranges.

I.e got that Marauder running across the water in Crimson? Use the ATMs,they fly flatter and faster. But got that Locust thats hiding behind a rock? Use the LRMs to come above.

That's what they're ment for.

[Pariah Devalis]

I find ATM extremely feast or famine. Using them almost exclusively between 120-550 meters, either you deal a stupid amount of damage and print C-Bills and kills for you, or you can't get any locks worth a damn, even in a knife fight, due to overlapping ECM or get focus fired down the moment someone sees you have multiple large launchers.

I am also discovering that ATM seem particularly effective against King Crabs.


4x 12 is too hot and heavy, but multiple 9's feels extremely punchy, and the rate of fire is improved. Multiple 6's on a medium is also nice, but I feel like a minimum tube count of 18 is required just to get past AMS which still absolutely demolishes ATM something fierce.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 19 July 2017 - 06:04 AM.

[davoodoo]

Brain Cancer, on 19 July 2017 - 05:40 AM, said:

I get mostly torso hits, personally. Unless firing unlocked, in which case it tends to dip low since the "hit point" is at the target's feet.

If you on same height as enemy then its pretty much 50:50 torsos and legs
If you are above target then as video posted above shows, most hit ct.

Im not sure what happens when you fire from below.

[MischiefSC]

Any weapon with a minimum range is a pug farming weapon. It'll be feast/faminr, good for a giggle in QP. Since the W key is faster than the S key closing is always easier than kiting. Against pigd in QP who are 9 times out of 10 inherently timid it's okay when your team is winning but against any sort of coordination or aggression it'll fail because its optimal range is less than 5 seconds of walking from being 100% totally worthless.

It had a lot of potential but any weapon with a minimum range is, at best, dubiously useful. Of this big 4gb patch it's about 3.5gb of disapointment.

[Andi Nagasia]

Birthright, on 19 July 2017 - 04:50 AM, said:

Use active probe and TAG?

ECM is hardly an issue...

but AMS is, and with how much Laser AMS is being taken,
(im recomending it to all non Energy boat Builds IS & Clan)

in tests 3AMS can nullify ATM24(2-3Tons nullifying 14?)
as all missiles have the same health only difference is the speed, they need to have a higher Velocity,
(this also means with MRMs speed + Missile Count, they are the most AMS resistant Missile System in MWO)

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

I absolutely love the ATMs. I'm not really the average LRM user when it comes to it, I am often in brawling to skirmish ranges, get my own locks, and peek my cockpit up over a hill and take a shot and back down like with lasers but with less exposure.

ATMs having lower arc, higher velocity, a huge damage boost up close, and being tailored around direct fire is absolutely perfect for my playstyle. Unlike OP, I have been able to bend shots over hills and such, you got to lock on then quickly aim into the air, fire, then aim back at the enemy, manually making the missiles high arc. Having maxed out target decay helps.


I'm pretty much using these things on any Clan build that isn't just based around using 2 ERPPCs or is too light.


All I could ask for is the removal of the min range and cutting the max range down to like 600-700m as a loss. There's really no point to firing the things at the 1 damage range unless you just like wasting ammo. These things are like LRMs that you don't have to take ungodly amounts of ammo to use if you're using them up close.

But yeah, Mad Dog with 2 ATM12s and 4 HMLs and Scorch with 4 ATM12s and 2 HMLs are both very effective. The Scorch downright dominates all that is within mid range and under.