62 replies to this topic

[OPLoN]

Concerning Ammo placement and the order that it is used by the weapon .

PROBLEM

For example , If I have a ton of ammo in one of my legs and the other in one of my torsos,
in which order is the ammo being used first ?

The one that is closer to my relevant weapon OR is it totally random ?

I ponder on this because it is VERY critical to know if I am halfway on my ammo depletion , which part of my mech is still prone to AMMO EXPLOSION !

Thus, if I use LRMs and XL engine for example , and KNOW that my torso Lrm ammo is already used up and I still have my leg ammo , I dont have to worry so much gettin death from above or brawling at closer ranges , where that torso ammo explosion would deliver me instant death .

ANSWER

So , you all know that inside your cockpit somewhere, there is your Ammunition Loaded Screen ( lets call it ALS ) , showing your current Ammo left and the exact place it is stored. Every time it shows a different location of your Mech ( Right Torso, Left Leg etc ) and it keeps rotating to ONLY the places you have stored your ammo in .

After various tests , I have come to the conclusion that :

Ammo gets used and depleted in the order of the rotating image of Ammunition Loaded Screen (ALS) inside Cockpit.

That particular order is :
HD --> CT --> RT --> LT--> LA --> RA--> LL--> RL (---> HD again in image rotation )

where HD= head slot , CT = Center Torso , RT is Right Torso , RA= Right Arm and RL= Right Leg etc.
( use Free Look Button to locate the ALS Screen )
*note: Tests made only in a Dragon , Catapult & Stalker

That means, for example, that the Mech will use ALL your Ammo in your Head slot BEFORE continuing to your Center Torso Ammo .
After depleting the first ton of ammo placement , as a whole , then it moves to next ammo position , depending on what position that would be .

i.e. If you have no ammo in Head ,1 ton of ammo in Center Torso , 1 ton in Left Torso and 1 ton of ammo in Right Leg , then the order will be
CT --> LT --> RL . You will use all your ammo in Center Torso , THEN ammo will be feeded to your gun or missile pod from Left Torso until all is used up , then Right Leg.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED





*** credits also to :
Doctor Jest
Bootleg
John Wolf
Derek Icelord
Gunny MacDuck
thanks for inspiration and support

www.the-bwc.com

*Edit :reposted from beta forums due to restricted access.

Highly recommended Guide to take a look , regarding criticals :
Criticals & You - A Brief Guide , by Selfish
http://mwomercs.com/...-a-brief-guide/

Edited by OPLoN, 22 February 2013 - 02:39 PM.

[OPLoN]

Friendly bump for my suberb clan's recruitment thread .
They deliver.

-Black Widow Company- [Bravo Whiskey Charlie]
www.The-BWC.com

US /GMT time based recruiting thread:
http://mwomercs.com/...-veteran-owned/

Edited by OPLoN, 01 December 2012 - 12:47 AM.

[Marklee]

Thanks for the great info. This will lead to some good discussions of optimal ammo placement

[Barnum the Bear]

Great analysis. Good when considering ammo placement in your builds.

[Ryft]

This helps! Even without a more detailed breakdown of any one mech build I might consider, It's great to know that my leg ammo gets used last. Sometimes you have that extra ton in your torso, and it seems a waste to consider CASE for the sake of one ton that you might spam away within a few minutes of the match.

[OPLoN]

Ryft, on 11 December 2012 - 10:08 AM, said:

This helps! Even without a more detailed breakdown of any one mech build I might consider, It's great to know that my leg ammo gets used last. Sometimes you have that extra ton in your torso, and it seems a waste to consider CASE for the sake of one ton that you might spam away within a few minutes of the match.

Right with ya buddy
Glad to be of some help

[Jacek Owens]

For your next article I request:

"An in-depth analysis on armor distribution dependent on hitbox sizes, weapon hard-points and ammo locations."

This should cover all mech classes and chassis types. It should include tips on rear armor, specific chassis characteristics, such as the redundant arm on a Centurion, which lend themselves to atypical armor distributions and a section detailing the pros and cons of the Ferro-fibrous upgrade...

Thanx...

[Sean Ward]

Really usefull! Thanks

[Tempests Wrath]

Incredibly useful, also incredibly hard to locate.


Thank you for finding this out, and everyone who links to it.

(Yes im 9 day necro'ing this thread. More people may need to/want to know this.)

[OPLoN]

Jacek Owens, on 13 December 2012 - 07:52 AM, said:

For your next article I request:

"An in-depth analysis on armor distribution dependent on hitbox sizes, weapon hard-points and ammo locations."

This should cover all mech classes and chassis types. It should include tips on rear armor, specific chassis characteristics, such as the redundant arm on a Centurion, which lend themselves to atypical armor distributions and a section detailing the pros and cons of the Ferro-fibrous upgrade...

Thanx...

Hitboxes are a true mystery twillight zone for everyone .
The extend of such tests and the way PGI keeps changing hitboxes with every further update would make such an endeavor almost gargantuan .
I will simply and honestly state that ,due to free time and extend of such an article , I am not up for that expedition yet

Tempests Wrath, on 21 December 2012 - 10:16 PM, said:

Incredibly useful, also incredibly hard to locate.


Thank you for finding this out, and everyone who links to it.

(Yes im 9 day necro'ing this thread. More people may need to/want to know this.)

Thanks for reading and comments

Further tests on other and newer mechs will be made during holidays , just to confirm that PGI hasnt changed anything so far.

Stay tuned for updates and have a mechy merry Christmas ;-)

Edited by OPLoN, 24 December 2012 - 06:42 AM.

[HRR Insanity]

In summary... don't strip leg armor and put ammo in your legs. =)

[Krazy Kat]

Great post! I will now move my first ton of ammo to my head in my mechs.
1. C0ckpit is hard to hit.
2. If you do get hit you usually die anyway.
3. Less fear of ammo explosion since I use that first ton fast.

[BerryChunks]

THis would be one of those things where updates to the game could allow you to mark what ammo is used first.

[Ursh]

Bumping for being extremely useful. Thanks for doing the research!

[Sug]

Krazy Kat, on 25 December 2012 - 07:20 PM, said:

Great post! I will now move my first ton of ammo to my head in my mechs.
1. C0ckpit is hard to hit.
2. If you do get hit you usually die anyway.

But now that you know where ammo will deplete first you can put in in a more vulnerable spot and save the weight of a c.a.s.e.

[7 Nation Army]

Very interesting, thank you OPLoN for sharing this.

Happy Hunting!

[OPLoN]

Thank you gentlemen for your encouraging comments ,
seasons greetings to everyone

* Update :
Further tests were also made in an LRM Stalker 5M and Catapult C4 , seems the guide's rules still apply !
Ammo Loading Screen (ALS) in the Stalker is just to the right side of the cockpit , very easy to monitor during matches .

** A big thank you for player & admin support , the topic seems to be now permanently pinned
No more raising the dead

Edited by OPLoN, 03 January 2013 - 06:45 PM.

[Triordinant]

This is awesome! A good example of how to do research. Kudos!

[LennStar]

Rightfully sticky!

One of the biggest MWO questions solved!!

Only 379 left!!!


Thanks for that. *relocating 1/2 ammo from torso to leg and dropping CASE, updating Laser to MedLas*

btw: I always said it: LEG THEM! LEG THEM ALL! REVIVE THE ANCIENT ART OF LEGGING! Now with extra chance of ammo explosion

Edited by LennStar, 11 January 2013 - 03:32 AM.

[TruePoindexter]

Useful and good to know!