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Hppc/rac5 Mauler


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#1 Xeno411

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 08:12 PM

Hi all, very new player here. Interested in something like the attached build, but i'd like to troubleshoot my errors before working up and spending a huge pile of Cbills on it. Thoughts, specifically r.e. heat efficiency and ammo? Other advice welcome.

https://mwo.smurfy-n...fba6e1302778230

#2 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 09:22 PM

Hey Xeno,

might be wrong, but generally do not go XL-Engine on (most) assaults - especially with barn-door-bodies like the mauler has one. People will blast one of your side-torsos in no-time and then it is game for you. Especially if ye use stare-down weapons like RACs (high face-/exposure-time => high incoming-damage).

Furthermore RACs tend to get hot ... so depending on how you use the HPPCs (not very cool weapons and creating their high amount of heat kinda instant), you will be borderline red all the time => unable to sustain firefights once your heat went up.

Do not go nil backarmor. Place at least between 3-6 points, so at least stray shots don't have the chance to screw your internals instantly.

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 23 November 2020 - 09:23 PM.


#3 Xeno411

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 10:27 PM

Sorry, ignore the unbalanced armor. It will have some on back, i was just dumping full armor on for weight calculation. I also considered using LB5Xs instead of RACs, that should help mitigate both heat and facetime. Are they worth using here?

#4 Aidan Crenshaw

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 10:36 PM

Hello Xeno411!

First off, ammo count for dual RAC5 would be fine.
Sadly, you have serious heatproblems with that build. RACs are hot, and HPPCs are even hotter. The 1R's Quirks are also not ideal to support PPCs. That cooldown -10% looks nice on paper, but you wont be able to utilize it much, because PPC build are almost always heatcapped.
AnA here already talked about how XL engines on assaults, and the Mauler is on the squishy side of assaults, are a bad idea and I will wholeheartedly support that.
Maulers are also bad at peeking, because their hardpoints - except for the missiles - are low-slung and they are slow. So not ideal for PPC-play, which wants low exposure time in general.
I own an 1R and my most successful build for it is a poor-man's Sleipnir; the other thing that works on the 1R is full-out LRM boat. But please don't go there yet. It takes a lot of positioning experience to really help your team with that thing.
If you like RACs, you could try something like this MAL-1R
The 280 engine is common and relatively cheap, so depending on what else you own, you might already have one lying around. This one is slow, of course, so take a look at the minimap every now and then and stay with the team.
As a general advise though, I would not recommend running Assaults until you feel very confident with maps and positioning.
If you'd share some of your thoughts on what interests you - gameplaywise - I'm sure we could come up with a heavy or medium that suits you.

#5 AnAnachronismAlive

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Posted 23 November 2020 - 11:17 PM

And again Mr. Crenshaw is teachin' me manners! So Xeno, sorry for being a little curt fashioned with my answer. All of us should be happy when new fellows find their way into MWO (even more so if we find themselves using the official forums), so whatever question about the game or certain builds is on your mind: feel free to ask and I am pretty sure you will get solid answers to build on.

For now I will leave you in the hands of Mr. Crenshaw, since I can not dare to match his mech- and build-knowledge. If you can spare the time, I'd advice you to check on some general ressources available (like Grimmechs etc.) to get a feel for viable builds etc. pp.

One thing to point out: buy yourself a 300rated Light Fusion Engine and interchange it in between the mechs (heavy mediums to assaults) you plan to buy / level up. Saves a crapload of c-bills in your early MWO-days ye can dump into other stuff first. XL-Engines is usually for light mechs (and some very special cases of heavier mechs) only.

If you have not already, try to make some friends in your timezone (we are EU-time), group up and find yourself a discord / teamspeak server to hang out with them. This game is much more enjoyable that way.

See you on the battlefield ... and bring friends!

Edited by AnAnachronismAlive, 23 November 2020 - 11:20 PM.


#6 Xeno411

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Posted 24 November 2020 - 08:55 AM

I'm clearly having a hard time grasping how heat on paper relates to heat in practice. I played a lot of Elite Dangerous so i'm accustomed to balancing heat on weapons, or else adjusting gameplay for a heat-greedy build. On Smurphys there's a Heat Efficiency % and in game i see a heat rating that's X /2.0 but i dont honestly know exactly what those mean from a gameplay standpoint (obv higher is better, but more detail would be nice).

It's not so much that i like RACs specifically, i'm just looking for some new weapons combinations. To be honest i'd probably prefer the non-facetanky play of using LBXs more anyway. I discovered via the trial mechs that i'm not very good with mediums, for now, so i've been using a Marauder IIC that i bought with my newbie credits and have been having a lot of fun/success with it so far (med pulses and a UAC20). I'm obviously still learning the maps but i'm pretty solid on general tactics/positioning so i'm not *too* concerned about using assault mechs but I appreciate the advice.

Edited by Xeno411, 24 November 2020 - 09:26 AM.


#7 Horseman

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Posted 24 November 2020 - 11:55 AM

View PostXeno411, on 24 November 2020 - 08:55 AM, said:

I'm clearly having a hard time grasping how heat on paper relates to heat in practice. I played a lot of Elite Dangerous so i'm accustomed to balancing heat on weapons, or else adjusting gameplay for a heat-greedy build. On Smurphys there's a Heat Efficiency % and in game i see a heat rating that's X /2.0 but i dont honestly know exactly what those mean from a gameplay standpoint (obv higher is better, but more detail would be nice)

You'll probably want the more detailed information output by MechDB: https://mech.nav-alp...45c1a104_MAL-1R

But basically - Aiden's "poor man's Sleipnir" would be better. Alternatively, try fitting 2xUAC5+2xUAC10 (this will require a Standard engine), probably no bigger than 280

#8 The6thMessenger

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Posted 24 November 2020 - 06:05 PM

Don't.

Build HPPC + UAC5s if you want dakka. The HPPC and RAC5 are hot weapons.

#9 Aidan Crenshaw

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Posted 25 November 2020 - 01:47 AM

View PostXeno411, on 24 November 2020 - 08:55 AM, said:

I'm clearly having a hard time grasping how heat on paper relates to heat in practice. I played a lot of Elite Dangerous so i'm accustomed to balancing heat on weapons, or else adjusting gameplay for a heat-greedy build. On Smurphys there's a Heat Efficiency % and in game i see a heat rating that's X /2.0 but i dont honestly know exactly what those mean from a gameplay standpoint (obv higher is better, but more detail would be nice).

You should use the heat rating just as a general benchmark. There are so many outside and even inside factors governing heat and heat dissipation, that neither the gameclient, nor Smurfy, nor not even MechDB can hope to cover.

View PostXeno411, on 24 November 2020 - 08:55 AM, said:

It's not so much that i like RACs specifically, i'm just looking for some new weapons combinations. To be honest i'd probably prefer the non-facetanky play of using LBXs more anyway. I discovered via the trial mechs that i'm not very good with mediums, for now, so i've been using a Marauder IIC that i bought with my newbie credits and have been having a lot of fun/success with it so far (med pulses and a UAC20). I'm obviously still learning the maps but i'm pretty solid on general tactics/positioning so i'm not *too* concerned about using assault mechs but I appreciate the advice.

No way I have the intention to patronize you on your choice of mech/class, I'm just giving recommendations.
When playing a Mauler, keep in mind that its hitboxes work fundamentally different to those of the Marauder. You will have to twist way more aggressively to roll incoming damage.

#10 ImperialKnight

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Posted 02 December 2020 - 03:22 AM

the build has no purpose, do you want constant stream of ballistics to suppress the enemy and deal damage over time, or do you want to deal huge front loaded pinpoint damage? Decide on one principle and build a mech for that.

If you want to try different weapon types, do it on difference builds. Mixing weapons in MWO doesn't work out. It reduces your combat efficiency overall.

Here's are some Mauler builds depending on whether you want dakka or front loaded damage

https://mech.nav-alp...5c2973_MAL-MX90
https://mech.nav-alp...b7b540_MAL-MX90
https://mech.nav-alp...04720b02_MAL-1R
https://mech.nav-alp...f89ffecc_MAL-2P
https://mech.nav-alp...7f8f3341_MAL-2P

The MX90 and 2P are the better variants for energy/ballistic builds. The 1R is more for missile builds. If I had to play the 1R, I would go all in MRM
https://mech.nav-alp...c3fc02cb_MAL-1R

#11 CFC Conky

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Posted 02 December 2020 - 09:09 AM

View PostXeno411, on 24 November 2020 - 08:55 AM, said:

I'm clearly having a hard time grasping how heat on paper relates to heat in practice. I played a lot of Elite Dangerous so i'm accustomed to balancing heat on weapons, or else adjusting gameplay for a heat-greedy build. On Smurphys there's a Heat Efficiency % and in game i see a heat rating that's X /2.0 but i dont honestly know exactly what those mean from a gameplay standpoint (obv higher is better, but more detail would be nice).

...


Welcome to MWO!

I would suggest using the heat efficiency numbers in the mechlab as a rough guide only, at least at first. As you get more experience you'll get better at managing your heat and have a better grasp of what the numbers might mean relative to your build. When I first started playing I always tried to have at least 1.3 heat efficiency, 1.4 if I didn't have to compromise too much on armor, speed, or firepower. I didn't use cool shots for a long time but do now.

Sometimes the numbers can be misleading. For example, a mech with a lot of jump jets might have a low heat efficiency rating in the mech lab but that takes into account the heat created by the jets, your weapon load out might actually be quite cool.

Good players can consistently ride the top of the heat scale to maximize damage output.

...I'm not one of those players.Posted Image

Good hunting,
CFC Conky

Edited by CFC Conky, 02 December 2020 - 09:17 AM.






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