33 replies to this topic

[Tarellond]

Beam weapons for me.
As a matter of fact i've allways been playing energy mechs. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate other two weapon types and praise them high, but it was never my cup of tea to arm them.
Missiles are great, i don't mind if only a fraction of total ammount of missiles launched hits the target, they pack a serious punch and can strike the whole mech down for a few seconds, which may prove critical. SMR and MRM are usefull too, mostly because given reasonable damage to ton ratio - and also missiles for shorter range seems to have much higher hit ratio, which pretty much sums it up.
The issue is, i am playing MWLL now and let me say the LRM are somehow useless without effective NARCing/tagging. Also, every hill or dune means 0 damage. And that 0 damage for something where you have only limited ammount of shots hurts. That is why i don't plan on using missile mechs, too big risk of wasting ammo without doing much damage.
Ballistic guns - heavy damage, but that ammo limitations means i can stay in battle for a limited amount of time/shots. Gauss rifles are epic if used peoperly, so my mech will probably be a mixture of energy and ballistic weapons, just in case i am overheated and need to cover fire.

[Gideon Sterne]

My experience is limited to MW4:Mercs, but in that I tend to heavily favour energy and ballistic weapons. I never equip missiles if I can help it, and my preferred loadout mixes Clan ERLgLas with Clan ERPPCs and Clan Gauss Rifles. My Daishi, which I use in combat (not Solaris) runs with an ERPPC, 4 ERLL and 1 ERML. This provides excellent hitting power, and I find it easy to manage the heat. It also enables me to fight at full effectiveness indefinitely. On the other hand if I am riding my Fafnir to war, I use two Clan Gauss and two ER LgLas.

I used to ride a Black Knight with 13 (!) ERML but that had such major issues with heat that I gave up. At under 400m though it was a beast! One alpha strike and you're toast.

[Solis Obscuri]

Gotta be the PPC, great weapon. LRMs are a lot of fun, too, but depends on how your mech is set up, and what you're going for - am I pounding things to pieces with direct fire, or am I trying to scrape some armor off to soften up a target/exploit existing damage from direct-fire weapons?

As for the Gauss, I prefer to use it a little closer in, unless I really have a clean shot. At close range the accuracy is great as is the lack of heat build-up, but I hate wasting ammo by goofing up my lead at 1000yds. Something like a Thor-A works out ideally, with a fast-firing energy weapon providing a barrage of mid-range fire, the Gauss punching out weakened armor during the cool-down, and the SRMs exploiting the breached armor.

[Kasiagora]

I wish I could say that the Gauss rifle is my favorite long range weapon. I love the stats, but the things blow up on me every time I field one! I use a modified Caesar now that replaces the Gauss rifle with an AC/20 and a rocket launcher to give just a little extra punch at long ranges until I can close in. Sure the rifle exploding won't kill the Caesar since it has CASE, but I'm so sick of losing that torso, arm, and my ER PPC along with it. A couple tons of ammo are harder to hit than the big honking gun.

Getting that out of the way, I prefer the Large Laser for a long range weapon that's a bit of an every-gun. No minimum range, no ammo, a little less damage than a PPC, but less heat too. I love that the Grasshopper keeps it in it's chest so when I'm missing limbs and taking hits to the engine there's a good chance I'll still be burning away with that thing.

Despite the Large Laser probably being my favored gun for this scenario, there's something to be said for the LB 2-X AC. You see, I want to go bird hunting...

[Shalmyan Moonsong]

Loking from a tabletop game veiw, I like any weapon that has a chance to be a "One Shot, One Kill" Weapon, defined as a weapon that has a shot of killing any mech, light or assult in one shot. (even Assults can only have 9 armor and 3 internal in the head) so that means it needs to be able to 12 damage to one location. Then we need to look at tech level for the game which will be Inner Sphere 3049, since we know the Clans will be in the game, but what we do not know is if we will be able to play Clan or when Clan tech will become useable by the Inner Sphere factions. Most of the Lost Tech stuff didn't start showing up in the battlefeild untill 3055.

So for 3049 Inner Sphere weapons... I have to go Gauss rifle on this.
Since LRMs damage many locations, in 5 point groups, a Large Laser does 8 damage (Normal and ER) and PPC's both normal and ER only do 10 damage, however the Clan version does 15 damage, but based off of what tech we will have when the game starts, the only one shot one kill, long range weapon is the Gauss Rifle.

Also why is Clan tech even listed in this topic in the first place, Yes it weighs less, does more damage, and tends to generate less heat, and take up less crits, it is all around better. We all know that, but it will also not be open to players at the start of this game.

So what is the best Inner Sphere long range weapon in 3049?
You are not getting a Clan ER PPC in 3049 sorry.

Edited by Shalmyan Moonsong, 27 January 2012 - 01:09 AM.

[EDMW CSN]

All have their own purpose. Gauss rifles and ACs if the mech particularly can't mount plenty of DHS heatsinks due to smaller engine sizes (3/5 80 tonners or 4/6 60 tonners come to mind).

If I have a heavier and powerful engine which means less tonnage for guns, I would mount more beamer weapons than compared to ballistics. Missiles are the in between and can help fill in the gaps.

Edited by [EDMW]CSN, 27 January 2012 - 03:20 AM.

[Cruiser]

IMO it all comes down to the combat scenario you are facing.

For shorter engagements in relatively flat areas, Gauss rifle is nice because of the straight shot and high damage. If the engagement where to drag on, the gauss rifles limited ammo would become a problem though.

LRM's face the same ammo problem, but its good even when there's hills or other terrain features for some indirect fire.

Personally I like the PPC. It requires some more aiming because of it's slightly slower flight than the gauss rifle and heat can become a problem, but it has unlimited ammo, giving it a pretty much endless lifecycle and since it doesnt weigh as much I can put some other weapons like AC's to add some extra punch between PPC shots.

[Slepnir]

speaking from in-game experience-
PPCs every time.
ERs so much the better

.PPCs are light(only take up 2 crit slots)
.they do not run out of ammo
.they do more damage than a laser
.they do not explode like a gauss does when it takes damage.
.they do not have explosive ammo.

The downside is the heat buildup which requires a sklled hand of a competant mechwarrior to control that.

[Ferrox]

You can fight about witch long range weapon is the best.
In my oppinion the best weapon is the one you achive the best performence with.

I can hit my targets with all of these weapons but with LRMs and ERPPCs i am more accurate.

So my choice always will be LRMs or/and ERPPCs

[Ghostrider45]

If your Talking Best None of those weapons are If you've ever played Mech 3 are 4 then you know this the Arrow IV are Arrow V has more range and more damage pre shot than any 4 shots of those

[WarOrdos]

For range--PPC be it ER or not (LRM missle boats can be fun now and then though).

[RedBeaveR]

Gauss.

KAPOW!
KAPOW!

done with the day.

[CobraFive]

I'm hoping that with the new electronic warfare abilities, such as spotting and target relays, that LRMs will be an extremely effective weapon to maximize teamwork.

[Alicorn]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the best weapon is the Large Laser - and not the Clanner type either, but Inner Sphere.

I'm going based off of an excessively long amount of playtime in MW4:Mercs.
The most devestating weapon is the Gauss (not considering the dreaded AC20 in this case) but it's extremely limited - It's heavy, bulky, and extremely ammo dependent. Ammo dependance is the key here - although you can skimp on heatsinks, that tonnage goes strait into ammo, and even so, in long missions you're liable to run out before the end - even if every single shot lands directly on target. (which is unlikely) And then what do you do once your big gun stops firing? So much weight is invested in the Gauss, that once it fails, your mech is likely to be a second-rate combattant at best. Once again: the gauss is devestating... While it lasts. Even the most munchie gaussvilla is vulnerable when the ammo runs dry.
Even more ammunition-consuming is the LRM. LRM launchers don't weigh terribly much, and they lay down immense damage at ranges few weapons can match. On the downside however, they take time to arm, are (realatively) high-heat, and they spend ammo like a compulsive shopper spends money. (the last of which is somewhat offset by their low weight, allowing you to carry significant ammunition stores) That being said, a LRM boat is great to have on your team, and are almost a requirement againt static emplacements and dropships. The command "bring the rain" is one of the greatest things to ever hear, but if you are piloting the missile boat yourself, you may find yourself woefully inadequite if a flanker manages to get close to you. The LRM is a very strategic weapon, and necessary even, but not the best for all cases.
Then we have the hallmark of the energy weapons - that glorious weapon of Zeuses, the azure lightning - the PPC. The PPC is a joy to see, hear, and fire. Hurtling lighting bolts at your enemies like some wrathful god? Sign me up! It's all well and good until the critical heat warning starts to blare. True, the PPC is defined as being ammunition independant. However, its extreme heat costs use up heatsinks as if they WERE ammo. At the end of the day, you can't mount more PPCs than you would Gauss Rifles - of course, you wouldn't run out of ammo, but the heat alone could seriously hamper your fire-rate in all but the coldest (or wettest) of environments.
And finally, we get to my weapons of choice. The lasers. Travelling at the speed of light, the laser is the quickest wepon around - even PPCs have a slight lag to them, which may be the difference between a headshot and a grazed shoulder. Unlike the Gauss, they are ammunition independant, and unlike the LRM, they don't need to lock on to targets. They also are considerably lighter and cooler than the PPC. The lasers are truly the balanced standard by which all other weapons are judged.
But why do I choose the Inner Sphere versions over their Clan cousins? Quite simply the same reason I turned down the PPC: heat. In MW4, the Clan LL weighed one ton less, but had a significant heat increase. As a result, that one extra ton almost always went towards a heatsink to try and sustain the weapon. In the end, the gains weren't worth the bonuses. I personally never fielded a mech any slower than 84km/h, so the Clan LL's slight range advantage was easily nullified. And as for the Clan lasers greater damage..? Well... Clanners are cheaters, that's what.

Being balanced, ammunition-independent, cheap, and common, the IS lasers are my bread and butter. I usually start equipping a mech by mounting a duo, trio, or even a quartet, (or in the case of the Medium laser, six-packs and even octets) and then fill the mech with support weaponry from there.
Albeit, that's just my personal approach.

Yogibear24, on 26 January 2012 - 08:08 PM, said:

I was able to manage my heat much better than the original design, where the Nova Cat had 3 ER PPCs I believe.

The standard Cat actually is 2 PPC, 3 ERLL. IIRC, each arm ends up being the same heat and damage values in the end.