11 replies to this topic

[The6thMessenger]

Lol, just lol this mech.

It's slow, its clan-tech so it has the equipment. But as expected with this mech, it's super ******* fragile. The sombrero is a damage magnet, and with between 40 and 45 armor, the arms are easily destroyed. It is also not condusive to the survivability that your mech is quite slow in many cases, yes you can force it to like 310 engine with 78 KPH, but at other variants it's just 235 at 58 KPH, and then depending on your speed you can either be just a nuisance or a real threat.

But then of course the balancing factor, the fact that it's clan-tech battlemech that you can fine-tune. Seriously you can put 2x UAC5 + 2x UAC10, not at a decent speed, or you can have decent speed but not enough armor. It's perfect to boat-load firepower when you got a team that can help you, and that is typically with premades or in faction-play, but not so much when in QP when you are basically on your own.

All in all, my experience with this mech is both extremes, either you win or you lose, it's both underpowered and overpowered at the same time. Go figure.

[GweNTLeR]

It's clan battlemech with great quirks, no actuators and high hardpoints.
If that's not a definition of OP, I dont know what else is.
Having slow speed on certain variants is a bit sad, but certainly manageable in most situations.

[Aidan Crenshaw]

It's the pinnacle of the glass cannon concept.

[LordNothing]

GweNTLeR, on 30 September 2020 - 12:27 AM, said:

It's clan battlemech with great quirks, no actuators and high hardpoints.
If that's not a definition of OP, I dont know what else is.
Having slow speed on certain variants is a bit sad, but certainly manageable in most situations.

with how slow the players are as of late i dont think its lack of speed is an issue. ive had to downgrade my engines just to avoid pulling a leeroy jinkins. and that's in 100 tonners.

Edited by LordNothing, 30 September 2020 - 01:37 AM.

[RickySpanish]

If only people knew how to deal with them, Riflemen are tragically easy to take down - just aim at the arms. Unless they are at range, you can knock half their firepower off fairly quickly. In the current meta of who cares about weight, it's the Warhawks and Direwolves that worry me more.

[Valdarion Silarius]

Being the one that wanted this thing so much in the game, here's my two cents. It's a great mech, but it's not for everyone and is not beginner friendly. I won't say that it is super fragile since there have been games where I dropped to 40-20% health and still had some weapons and equipment to work with. I'll say that if you are in the front line leading charges and expecting to tank damage, then you are playing it wrong. Play it as it's intentional role as a fire support mech (positioning and map knowledge/cover is key) and you will do fine.

My main criticism is the engine cap limitation. It was a little harsh since PGI in their mind was afraid that it would be overpowered. It's pretty well balanced except for the engine cap and the general heat issues with most clan weaponry. Lastly, I've never had an issue with the radar dish. Most people will try to shoot my CT or arms before they focus on the sombrero.

Edited by Arnold The Governator, 30 September 2020 - 06:40 AM.

[CFC Conky]

Down in the Tier basement where I play it’s a fun mech. The hero performed beyond my expectations. That said, I usually only see two variants, the LPL boat and the AC/UAC/LBX 2 boat. Both can be dangerous so they tend to get focused down quickly.

In the end it’s still a Rifleman, try not to get noticed.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

Edited by CFC Conky, 30 September 2020 - 09:10 AM.

[Nightbird]

So, it's a well balanced mech? This was obvious on day 1, PGI did a good job on it.

[Valdarion Silarius]

Nightbird, on 30 September 2020 - 09:25 AM, said:

So, it's a well balanced mech? This was obvious on day 1, PGI did a good job on it.

On day 1 it suffered some serious hitbox issues. However, since PGI did readjust the hitboxes it's alot better than what it was. If you know how to play it properly it's a fantastic fire support mech.

[JediPanther]

Your mech is clan tech. That makes it tons better than is. As for your arm armor jenner has 8/14 stock. Play it like a jager and you'll do fine.

[RickySpanish]

CFC Conky, on 30 September 2020 - 09:09 AM, said:

Down in the Tier basement where I play it’s a fun mech. The hero performed beyond my expectations. That said, I usually only see two variants, the LPL boat and the AC/UAC/LBX 2 boat. Both can be dangerous so they tend to get focused down quickly.

In the end it’s still a Rifleman, try not to get noticed.

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

The Hero can mount two ppcs and two gauss rifles plus jets, which is bonkers. But while the slow speed was a problem before queue merger, now it's fatal given the 'Mech's fragility. Bit of a shame really. I think the 2 might be the best variant now.

Arnold The Governator, on 30 September 2020 - 01:07 PM, said:

On day 1 it suffered some serious hitbox issues. However, since PGI did readjust the hitboxes it's alot better than what it was. If you know how to play it properly it's a fantastic fire support mech.

The hitbox issues were interesting because you could strip side torso armour for extra tonnage and not worry.

[Valdarion Silarius]

RickySpanish, on 30 September 2020 - 01:33 PM, said:

The Hero can mount two ppcs and two gauss rifles plus jets, which is bonkers. But while the slow speed was a problem before queue merger, now it's fatal given the 'Mech's fragility. Bit of a shame really. I think the 2 might be the best variant now.

IMHO, the top three Rifleman IIC variants in order are:

RFL-IIC 2

RFL-IIC A

RFL-IIC Chironex

Then down the list I would have to say in no particular order:

RFL-IIC Prime

RFL-IIC 3

RFL-IIC 4

All of the variants are solid performers. The biggest issues that I see with variants like the 3 and 4, is that the Chironex hero can do similar builds with the addition having energy hard points in the side torsos. However, the 3 and 4 offer some unique quirks like reduced heavy laser heat gen + duration on the 3 and increased ATM range on the 4 that shouldn't be overlooked.

I think most of the bad press that this mech receives is how unorthodox it is as a clan mech. It's a mech with a decent amount of armor (it's no means a tank but I think calling it a glass cannon is somewhat of a overstatement), that's slow (which is no big deal since it's a fire support mech), and has great hard points.

Edited by Arnold The Governator, 30 September 2020 - 03:05 PM.