40 replies to this topic

[Countess]

Personally for me, It's waaay overpowered. I own one and I kill 3-4 people per match, mostly Heavy and Medium Mechs. I can play with them by just running around and when they stop dead and turn around (basic tactic) I shoot with 4 small lasers and Ultra AC-5 to their backs. Repeat a few times and boom. Dead or critical damage and my mech is almost untouched.

Okay, that variant is worth 7,137,507. But it's mostly because of the XL Engine (actually, it's pretty helpful, it's hard to die on the sides, I always die on the center or head)

It's fast, it's efficient, it has double heat-sinks, it has ferro-fibrous (original comes with Standard armor), it has Endo-Steel Internal Structure (original comes with Standard Internal Structure), it has AMS, and it sure kills a lot with that combo.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging about it or anything. Its just that with Light Mechs I die pretty often, and I kill (usually) 1 per 2 matches, and with this new mech I practically kill a hell of a lot easier.

Maybe its because of the setup, I've seen other cicadas with bad setups dying faster than a steady jenner in the center of the arena.

What are your opinions about this new mech? is it that overpowered for you?

Cheers!

[Kifferson von doober]

Maybe its just that i'm running one of the cheaper varients but it feels like a jenner without the JJ's. I'm not killin much with it but its a lot of fun!

[Frost Pendragon]

I'm having a lot of fun with this mech, but I use it for hit and run on the flank opposite of my teammates.
The UAC is great for harassing missile boats.

[Em3r4ld]

Now you can't knock over fast mechs they are all much harder to kill. Having fun running circles around the slower mechs and still being able to out-run the lights.

[DrVulcan]

I agree, I found that it wasn't so much that the cicada was overpowered vs lights, it was that all fast built mech types (cicada/raven/etc) are now much harder to kill due to no falling.
I don't have an issue with the no falling either, but lets try and keep that issue to one of the many threads on the subject

[Countess]

DrVulcan, on 26 October 2012 - 11:52 AM, said:

I agree, I found that it wasn't so much that the cicada was overpowered vs lights, it was that all fast built mech types (cicada/raven/etc) are now much harder to kill due to no falling.
I don't have an issue with the no falling either, but lets try and keep that issue to one of the many threads on the subject

Well, no falling has a lot of benefits (for the light mech, obviously), you don't stop dead for like 8 seconds waiting to get slaughtered. Most of the time, if you fall, you'll get gaussed out after 2 seconds. It is kind of fair but unfair at the same time.

[Scryed]

Lights are only really good right now because mechs are untrippable at the moment, wait till that comes back into play.

[Mel Mad Dog Winters]

Fast mechs are supposed to have some very significant advantages, but I'm thinking of the old Battletech board game when I say that. I know that nothing I say about the board game need necessarily have anything to do with this game but I remember it being fairly straightforward to go after a lone slow heavy mech in most kinds of fast mechs. You'd have to be patient, but with superior movement you gain a tactical advantage and could deny them good shots while setting up your own (with the right moves and some luck at least). If that heavy is in a lance that is staying tight or has a fast escort, you can't do that. Dancing around a big slow heavy and slowly chopping them down happens when they get cut off from proper support. Though a PUG that doesn't help a teammate would be much the same thing I guess.

Now, I always favored playing fast jumpers, so I'm biased. However, if they didn't gain an adavantage from that movement, then why give up all that armor and firepower that you could have had instead?

It sounds to me like you are playing well and capitalizing on both the mech's most notable weapon (its speed) and on moments where you could take advantage of an enemy mistake (getting split up, a heavy off by itself, etc). I haven't played for a while and only returned for a little bit yesterday (all had time for), but that's my impression.

[Inveramsay]

I think it is pretty fun, it makes the raven pretty redundant though as it covers similar hard points. I seem to have a lot more success with an AC10 instead as I don't have a macro to unjam the UAC5

[Lucity]

I thought jenners were bad lol

[Countess]

Mel Mad Dog Winters, on 26 October 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Fast mechs are supposed to have some very significant advantages, but I'm thinking of the old Battletech board game when I say that. I know that nothing I say about the board game need necessarily have anything to do with this game but I remember it being fairly straightforward to go after a lone slow heavy mech in most kinds of fast mechs. You'd have to be patient, but with superior movement you gain a tactical advantage and could deny them good shots while setting up your own (with the right moves and some luck at least). If that heavy is in a lance that is staying tight or has a fast escort, you can't do that. Dancing around a big slow heavy and slowly chopping them down happens when they get cut off from proper support. Though a PUG that doesn't help a teammate would be much the same thing I guess.

Now, I always favored playing fast jumpers, so I'm biased. However, if they didn't gain an adavantage from that movement, then why give up all that armor and firepower that you could have had instead?

It sounds to me like you are playing well and capitalizing on both the mech's most notable weapon (its speed) and on moments where you could take advantage of an enemy mistake (getting split up, a heavy off by itself, etc). I haven't played for a while and only returned for a little bit yesterday (all had time for), but that's my impression.

Thanks for the review!

It's the only way I can play light mechs. I always tend to support and the first thing I do after starting a match is going to a hill and spot all enemy targets (not shoot them so I don't give away my position) but that doesn't last long because Beagle and Guardian aren't working, so I get spotted easily and my teammates lose their eyes (not literally) on most of the enemy targets.

... I really want to scout that way makes me feel useful for the team!

[Th3 Ron1n]

Dont buy the 3c variant. it is worthless. i spent a whole round unloading 4 machine guns into an awesome and at the end of the match i had done 49 damage. u cant fit really any other guns on it unless u dump the engine for an XL or a lighter standard engine. ive tried just about every combo out i can on it without spending ridiculous money and it just cant put out good DPS.

[rolly]

I like it. Its true to the original and its fun to shoot at. I can't wait till they re-implement knock-down so that I can watch it wipe out at high speed.

[Agarwaen]

I've been running a 3c variant with a LPL and Machine gun (LOL machine guns) and have consistantly done 500 damage per match. I'm near full armor, too (which makes it a PITA to kill at 121 kph).

Edited by Agarwaen, 26 October 2012 - 01:06 PM.

[Countess]

Th3 Ron1n, on 26 October 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

Dont buy the 3c variant. it is worthless. i spent a whole round unloading 4 machine guns into an awesome and at the end of the match i had done 49 damage. u cant fit really any other guns on it unless u dump the engine for an XL or a lighter standard engine. ive tried just about every combo out i can on it without spending ridiculous money and it just cant put out good DPS.

I think I saw you in the battlefield. Machine Gun Cicada is the worst combo you can do. The Machine gun does 0.04 damage per shot, so you need to unload 100 bullets in order to do 4 damage.

Take the spreadsheets as reference. Like this one.

[SH4K]

I built mine as a joke build, but it works pretty decent as a hit and run mech.

• 6xMPLs
  
• 300XL engine
  
• Double HS
  
• ENDO Steel
  
• Ferro Armour

Strong alpha (60% heat per salvo.) Great for head and arm shots.

[De La Fresniere]

Speed is very, very good. No one's arguing against that.

But strong Engines are very heavy. That speed costs the Cicada most of its tonnage. To get a Cicada significant weaponry, you have to use an XL Engine, which is what I did. And man, was I a moron.

Sure, I got a very, very fast mech with pretty decent weapons and toughness. I did OK on it.

But if I get killed (which is not all that hard when you've got three vital organs instead of one due to the XL Engine), it costs me 110,000 to repair it...

In the end, I just don't use my Cicada. Even if I really thought it was significantly stronger than other mechs (which I don't; it's simply "good"), I just don't think the absurd cost of running one is worth it.

[BadWolf2]

I generally run it without weapons...just NARCs. Max speed, max armor...and play tag...you are it.

[Goldhawk]

The Cicada now seems to be almost as bad, if not worse then the old established Jenner wolfpacks. 2-3 Cicadas run by you and generally rape your mech with every pass. Sorry, but I think that it's a bit over gunned. Especially with all the weaps you can stick on it.

[Red Dox]

I don´t see how it is "overpowered". DHS are not working properly, so screw them. Your heat management is bascily with standard heatsinks and is maybe only slightly better then with a Jenner because of extra tons/slots during Ferro armour/endo steel. The weapon outload is also near the Jenner outfits. Mostly you got Cicadas with an AC and laser boating. A Jenner can usually laser boat and slam SRM instead of ballistics. If we take the Jenner D "medium rape" against the classic Cicada we have 4x small laser and 2x4 SRM (32 dmg) against 4 medium laser and UAC5 (30 dmg). I do not see the big advantage from the Cicada. Both mechs rape heavier mechs if they can alpha their backs unnoticed. If the Cicada pilot downgrades his mediums to small lasers for better heat managment he is at 22 dmg with an alpha. That is the same dmg output a Jenner D gets with two streak SRM. And streak SRM seem to be at the moment like the new flavour of the month weapon, because anybody takes them. Yeah I know, with no collision the lights became more annoying and annoy them back with SSRM makes sense.

The Cicada weights more and has the new tech implemented. But I fear that her advantage is not that great, regarding Jenners. Its mosty a little bit more armour but not that much different in dmg output and the Jenner is probably a little faster. Of course *if* they fix DHS (in two weeks) the Cicada could have an advantage. Depending on how much more heatsinks you can build in her then in a Jenner also pimped with Ferro, Endo & DHS.
Have to try the Cicada until open beta resets all but I dont think the Jenner will be outclassed soon

-----Red Dox

Edited by Red Dox, 27 October 2012 - 01:51 AM.