56 replies to this topic

[Krelek1000]

I've been running a couple of Cataphracts with A/Cs now. They do their job well. I have changed my opinion about the A/C...

[CenturionRedux]

Bread and butter AC10. I am a big centurion user. Only thing the A variant needs is DHS XL engine and some other tweaks and its a real beast.

[Voridan Atreides]

AC/20 and AC/10 all the way.

[A_Crotchety_Old_Geezer]

I own 2 Cataphract-4x mechs (I'm tired of swapping weapons and stuff):

1) Double Gauss Rifle. My favourite one for two reasons: visually speaking, the CTF-4x only has two (big) guns. Also, the fact that the 2xgauss build is very situational (big con: u need to use either an XL255 engine or a slow-as-hell STD210 engine) and needs a lot of attention (positional play) adds much to the fun.

2) Quad AC2. Very effective but: visually speaking, again, where are the 4 guns?

I tried some weapon combos based on the UAC5 (which I like A LOT) but couldn't find any that could satisfy me, mainly because of the inherent unreliability of the UACs.

I've never used a rotary autocannon (I come from the D&D world :-p ), but it sounds like fun.

[AmAce]

My style is more artillery so in the end i prefer LRM and some lasers as the space avail is used for LRM ammo. But in a mech with capability for a ballistics type mech i think having AC2 in more than 1 slot will be nice cause it is lightest of the AC and can have good fire rate. Also like the RAC2 as it as well has weight advantage. Its little heavy than the AC2 but has good fire rate to ammo ration. However as a primary weapon i don't see it as so i see it more of a secondary to my LRM arty role where lasers seem more logical as a backup weapon for ammo load-out. but if there is no energy slots the AC2 will be ideal for shots per ton of ammo and will leave room for LRM ammo to spare.

[Satan n stuff]

My recent builds for the raven 4X include a Gauss, an AC/20 and a LB 10-X, needless to say I like big guns.
I prefer the AC/20 and UAC/20 myself, but I'll use any weapon really.

[Mad Irishman]

I run on 2 UAC5s on my K2 and I love those little guns especially since I have them set on alternating fire so I rarely have a drop in my ROF. Plus its is really fun to be able to run rings around assault mechs and just tear them apart with rapid fire cannons.

[Fiachdubh]

We have to wait 10 years for the Ultra AC/20? Damn.

[flying1ace]

Cementblade, on 21 September 2012 - 10:29 AM, said:

My Favorite autocannon is the one that kills davions XP

BOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TehSBGX]

Rotary AC/5 is my prefered AC alltogether, Because More Dakka

[Gunnr75]

With my new Jager I'm absolutly loving the triple UAC/5. I'm totally sold on the volume of fire philosophy. Sure, the AC/20 shell is a giant but the sheer volume of damage the UAC/5's put down range shreds mechs way faster. DPS wins every time.

[Strum Wealh]

Necro-bump, for great justice and more voting on which AC is the favorite of the people!

[Nyte Kitsune]

My AC of Choice, the LB 10X. Why.. Well, lately I attached one to my SHD-2D Shadowhawk, Its a nice backup weapon for my Triple LRM-5s and Med Lasers, Nice range average, solid damage and in a pinch, great for legging Lights. I'm thinking of rebuilding my Atlas to carry a pair if I can squeeze a pair on it.

[Bad Frosty]

Seeing as how MWO is patching again this is a lovely opportunity to share with the community on a topic I am fond of without actually pointing an AC-20 at you. Indubitably, the AC/20, in particular the Pontiac 100, is the finest weapons system currently available to IS 'mechs. Sure, the AC-20 is a worn-out old lady, a big bore in every sense of the word, but I'd take her over the smaller, sexier AC's any day. You see, the AC-20 has damage potential like no other weapon does. We're not talking about DPS or any of that fruity pro-gamer "I can multiply fractions" nonsense, but real, one shot, one kill damage. This weapon is a man's weapon. It is a rifleman's weapon, though ironically not actually mounted on a Rifleman. Good thing. Such a weak mech can't handle a lady like this.

No, with an AC-20 you have to place your shots carefully. It's all about timing and angle. That requires a big 'mech with a lot of armor, and so again timing and angle are key. One mech with an AC-20, properly positioned, deployed at the right time can wreck a vastly superior force. One shot from this beautiful weapon can core or cripple a mech, not to mention knocking the pilot senseless.

"But" you may say, "the same could essentially be said of any mech or weapons system." True enough, but then most people don't understand the idea of the Combat Loss Grouping, or CLG. I'm actually amazed by how many people have never heard of it, given the number of Battletech fans about. I guess the games were more popular than the books, or basic military tactics.

A combat loss grouping is when the enemy has expended their initial inertia. It is when they begin to run out of armor and ammo. Worn down, either by advance or defense, they have little to offer in the way of resistance and begin to suffer "groupings" of casualties. It is then that the AC-20 truly shines. Without having to worry about penetrating maximum armor, it tears 'mechs apart in the best fashion possible - point-blank, confusing, nerve-wracking, "WTF just killed me" assault.

What's even better is that during CLG, pilots are more concerned about literally grouping up. It is the natural time to strike with a fairly rapid-firing virago of a weapon like the AC-20. As losses mount, the enemy becomes increasingly disorganized, with each pilot seeking a way out or around what might as well be a full company push into their center. Remember, the most valuable asset on the battlefield is intelligence. PUGs are largely denied access to it since they have to type, but even seasoned teams with VOIP will be disconcerted, even confused, by the presence of a single assault 'mech with an AC-20 as they all try to call out the same target at the same time.

This brings me to my next point, which is the drawbacks of the weapon. If you're going to mount an AC-20, you're a primary target. This can be used to your advantage. The mere sight of one terrifies people beyond all rationality. If you're in an assault 'mech you're a double-target because you are easy to hit. Everyone knows this. What people often fail to realize is that the sight of one AC-20 assault immediately tells people that the primary enemy thrust is moving that way.

It just happens naturally. The threat and equally amusing prospect of an isolated AC-20 'mech will cause teams, even organized teams, to break formation. I am relatively new to this game, and even I can see the disruption effect that a single AC-20 can have. After all, if it has an AC-20 it is slow, and it has most likely grouped with heavier 'mechs. Am I wrong?

This is why I pilot a Victor. This is why I use the heavy auto-cannon, and why it will always be a part of my builds. There are times when I find myself wasting my 'mech just to draw fire away from a team that doesn't know what to do with the advantage, but the advantage is there all the same. Just as often, I draw enemies into a trap or delay them.

As for the more advanced versions, I went with the LB-20X because it basically replicates the functions of the systems I have now. Currently, I run a Victor with an AC/20 primary and twin SRM 6 with twin MLAS assigned to groups 1-3 respectively. I'd replace the latter two with an LB-20X if I could on a heavier chassis like the Templar. Either way, the principle is the same. Destroy the armor with the primary shot and go for crits with the second.

What cannot be sacrificed is jump capability. No matter how experienced the pilot, nobody expects to be jumped on, under, or around. They always check lateral directions first. Some are faster than others and can nail you mid-air if they're good or you're slow, but their primary assumption will always be that you'll continue moving in the direction you were. How could they do otherwise? They have nothing else to go on.

Those are the observations of a PUG gamer, make of them what you will. My patch is finished and so I'm off to fight! Apologies in advance to any Davion Mechwarriors I may have to face.

[Karl Streiger]

I was never a Davion by heart - always more lyran.
So its AC 20 or nothing - maybe the Ultra 20. Although in TT the HVAC 10 and Rotary 5 are also a force to reckon with.

Kudos Bad Frosty - what you describe is exactly the way i look forward to play the protptype of the Lu Wei Bing

Most of my builds are build around a AC 20... i use the Defiance Deathgiver - formerly known as the main guns of the King Crab - before ComGuard with turned them into Imerator Zeta-As

And i really really look forward to get my hands on the clan made Devastator Ultra 20

Edited by Karl Streiger, 08 May 2014 - 07:08 AM.

[Biran Seraps]

Was the light gauss an invention of MW4 and not canon? I really liked that gun. There was no greater satisfaction than hitting an enemy that was on the very edge of visual range, especially given his chance of returning fire.

[Strum Wealh]

Biran Seraps, on 09 May 2014 - 08:57 AM, said:

Was the light gauss an invention of MW4 and not canon? I really liked that gun. There was no greater satisfaction than hitting an enemy that was on the very edge of visual range, especially given his chance of returning fire.

The Light Gauss Rifle is a canonical weapon... though, it does not appear in BattleTech until its introduction by the Free Worlds League in 3056 (while MWO is currently set in 3050/3051) & it is not an "autocannon" (thus, it technically falls outside of the purview of this thread).