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this is kinda a brief run-down of the differing weapon systems available to the mechwarrior for those who've only recently been introduced.
LRM's
long range missile systems appear in volleys of multiples of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20) they are vaguely guided but require a lock to do so, the bulk will hit, but not necessarily all. can be fired 'blind' but this is largely a waste of ammo, which on the larger systems is not advised. classically these are the primary source of indirect fire in the BT universe.
<From reading an article linked later; these are also subject to minimum range; fire them too close and they'll plink harmlessly off of your target>
SRM's
Short range missile systems appear in multiples of 2 (2, 4 ,6) do more damage/missile than LRM's. later introduced were Streak SRM systems (or SSRM) which although heavier than the standard systems only fired when the missiles would hit (I think in MW:O this will be reflected in them having faster tracking). < Thanks Arctic Fox >
AC systems.
Autocannon systems are the basic projectile weapons of the BT universe, they come in 2, 5, 10 and 20. the number denotes the amount of damage/shell with the range being the reverse; 2 has the longest, 20 the shortest. later developments were the 'Ultra' AC's in the tabletop these fired two rounds but risked jamming (and on occasion exploding) but the likelihood is in MW:O chewing through your ammo supplies in short order is going to be enough of a problem.
there is also the LB-X AC system which fires the mech equivalent to buckshot, devastating at short range, mixed results further out. - personal favourite.
Gauss Rifle.
This in-short is a railgun, excellent damage at long range but like other projectile systems is quite heavy, and it's also one of the more expensive ones. it is however the only 'projectile' weapon where the ammunition is non-volatile, BUT the weapon is; if it takes a critical it explodes.
Lasers. *as per previous Mechwarrior games, still not completely clear on their implementation.
the stock laser systems use no ammunition but generate a lot of heat. the difference between pulse lasers and 'lasers' is a simple one. std lasers do all their damage in an instant, where pulse lasers produce a constant (but relatively low) damage beam for a small period.
The trade is a simple one, if you're trying to hit a fast target a laser will either hit or it wont, the pulse gives you a margin to correct and at least do a little damage.
<although from what we've seen of the dev vids, this may infact be the reverse>
<EDIT>
PPC's
Particle Projection Cannon, as the rather fantastic name would suggest these are pretty devastating, excellent damage for an energy based weapon. but excessive heat produced means that for the most part they can't really be fired in quick succession.
Factors always to consider:
Ammunition; a critical hit on an ammo location will in all probability ignite it dealing damage directly to the internal structure of the mech, fine-tuning is the key - carry enough but not too much.
Heat; (there are plenty articles on this already) but padding out your mech with nothing but energy weapons might sounds like a better idea, but you'll be overheating on a regular basis.
Edited by Kaelin, 11 July 2012 - 02:18 PM.
