47 replies to this topic

[Januus]

I've been really excited about the upcoming open beta and have been reading through the MwoWiki (below) and saw that standard & XL engines would likely be a customisation choice in the mech lab.

"The following equipment is expected to be available at launch:

• Standard & Endo Steel internal structure
  
• Standard & XL engines
  
• ....snip"

XL engines, while lighter in tonnage and consequently giving a lot more options for additional weapon and armour usage, allow your mech to be destroyed when either the Right, Center or Left Torso is lost. Standard engine damage will only result in mech destruction when the Center Torso is lost.


So the question is this, which will you go for?

What mechs/roles would a standard engine loadout be better for?

[Lugh]

They are better suited to mechs that have prominent center torsos. And won't be /brawling/ ...

If your intention is to be in there taking the hits and doing well, XL isn't for you....

[Januus]

Lugh, on 22 October 2012 - 03:56 PM, said:

They are better suited to mechs that have prominent center torsos. And won't be /brawling/ ...

If your intention is to be in there taking the hits and doing well, XL isn't for you....

True, and we can't forget that human players are more savvy in their targeting than pve opponents. XL engines will undoubtedly be a larger risk, but that extra tonnage for weapons or extra speed (if that's an option), is awfully tempting.

Mech model variation is also a very interesting point. The difficulty for a player to hit R,C & L torso on a Catapult will be very different than on an Awesome, for example.

Edited by Januus, 22 October 2012 - 04:10 PM.

[Monsoon]

XL is great imho for speed builds. But if you're going for a brawler mech and you're just looking for added tonnage for more weapons/ammo/heat sinks. Then prepare to die more often from all those side torso hits.

[Bogus]

XL works best on light mechs, some mediums, and ranged fire support platforms. It's expensive, and yes you die if you lose any part of the torso, so it's a bad choice for anything expecting to take a lot of fire. Note that XL is currently the only space-to-mass converter available, but there will soon be others with less severe penalties so it won't be quite as ubiquitous.

[Ravensol]

xl on a cat or dragon or cent or any of the lights works great. Now for the interesting one xl's on a awsome works great. before you go naa think about it everyone aims for it's head nobody goes for the sides. As for the atlas don't use a xl if you are a brawler build since most everyone knows to take out the gaus in the right shoulder i learned this the very hard way. The hard part about it is my favorite atlas the rs only does 39kph but i can just hold down the left mouse and stream my four large lasers and get ya with the gaus too fun build but not if you like speed.

[Odanan]

Agreed. The XL is good for fast or fire-support mechs.

Brawlers should fight until the last point of armor, so no XL.

[Downinfire55]

Yeah I agree with the stuff said above. Sure you get more room, but they burst through your armor and all you are now is a small line of sight blocker.

[ScientificMethod]

As long as you can die with still making a profit the xl is a great choice. Except for something that's specifically going to be on the frontlines.

[TruePoindexter]

Januus, on 22 October 2012 - 03:54 PM, said:

I've been really excited about the upcoming open beta and have been reading through the MwoWiki (below) and saw that standard & XL engines would likely be a customisation choice in the mech lab.

"The following equipment is expected to be available at launch:

• Standard & Endo Steel internal structure
  
• Standard & XL engines
  
• ....snip"

XL engines, while lighter in tonnage and consequently giving a lot more options for additional weapon and armour usage, allow your mech to be destroyed when either the Right, Center or Left Torso is lost. Standard engine damage will only result in mech destruction when the Center Torso is lost.



So the question is this, which will you go for?

What mechs/roles would a standard engine loadout be better for?

Any mech not expected to sustain directed fire should not mount XL. Scouts and Fire Support make good use of XL engines. Rushing flankers can make good use of XL as long as they're not expected to survive extreme damage.

Slow close range brawlers should not mount standard engines. With a standard engine a Hunchback/Centurion/Dragon/Atlas can live a very long time.

[Cthulhufish]

Simple explanation: There are more reasons not to mount an XL than there are to mount an XL- in most cases.

Don't forget that they are extremely expensive to buy and to repair, and that they make mechs easier to destroy, with some mechs being much easier to destroy.

Also, some mechs are limited more by critical slots than by weight.

[Saladin Yussuf]

Not sure...when i first started playing in early august ( just before founders were granted access) i always ran with an XL for the weight savings. however, since the changes, ive since learned to play with out an XL in every mech i own. SO! Ill do it situationaly i think, when i *really* need the weight savings.

[Dersieger]

Ravensol, on 22 October 2012 - 04:22 PM, said:

Now for the interesting one xl's on a awsome works great. before you go naa think about it everyone aims for it's head nobody goes for the sides.

Eeeeeeeh, I still wouldn't do it. Most people's aim isn't that good. I'd say theyre more likely to blow off a torso by accident while aiming for your head.

[SuperBall]

Dersieger, on 22 October 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

Eeeeeeeh, I still wouldn't do it. Most people's aim isn't that good. I'd say theyre more likely to blow off a torso by accident while aiming for your head.

that made me lol

[DONTOR]

Well I knew that story wise the XL engine made you more vulnerable, but I didnt think they had implemented it into the game yet. Atleast now I know why my raven seems to die easily from torso shots lol. Should have known. Aside from not having enough armor on my ravens torso's my Dragon benefits greatly from a 360XL I can run over all light mechs and outrun stock ravens and commandos. It tops out at 100KPH with the elite speed unlock and out manouvers both medium mechs with ease.

[Assault One]

Dersieger, on 22 October 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

Eeeeeeeh, I still wouldn't do it. Most people's aim isn't that good. I'd say theyre more likely to blow off a torso by accident while aiming for your head.

It's also the lag/server side hit authentication especially for those outside North America. Your screen might show you've hit them in the head but server says your aim was a bit off.

[Tickdoff Tank]

I am primarily a Dragon Pilot, and I always mount an XL. My center torso is hard to miss, so that makes it a little less dangerous for me, and the Dragon typically mounts a much larger engine than most mechs at 60 tons, and I really *really* need the tonnage for a weapon load-out more to my tastes.

In a Centurion it is a mixed bag. The Cent can "zombie mech" really well if you have a standard engine, but that will most likely mean that you are going to be slow(er). If you are playing as a close support mech then the standard engine is the smart way to go. If you want to "shoot and scoot" then you might want the XL and a gauss (or AC/2s).

[Freeride Forever]

A light mech w/out an XL is a piece of kife. So that's one place you need 'em. I can chase down stock Ravens in my K2. My entire torso armor was gone in one match with red & orange internals & I still took down a Centurion & a Dragon that had swarmed me well into the match. For the Dragon (which I fought one on one after killing the Cent), I kept turning presenting my healthier side everytime he was about to fire & then I pissed in his face with my 4 MLs. If you use the right tool for the job in the right way then it'll work out well. I also armor up real good. I won't even use a mech that can't benefit from an XL. I wanna be quick, even if it means being more fragile. I used to run a 400 on an Awesome but since that's not possible anymore I won't run an Awesome at all. Just like a standard is dumb on a light, an XL is now dumb on an assault. I think in the middle classes either is viable, either is good, depending on the mech & how you wanna/can play it. Some people say they are always falling down in fast mechs, running into team mates etc. I do that, I hate it, but it's my fault, not the fast mech.

Edited by Freeride Forever, 22 October 2012 - 09:52 PM.

[Monsoon]

Just to reiterate on my previous post. ALL light mech's should be speed builds, or else you're just lightly armoured targets. The amount of slow lights my Speed Hunchback has eaten up and spewed out is more then I can recall.

An XL is mandatory in every Light currently known, this may change with the Urbie, but that tin can was always a walking target.

Edited by Monsoon, 24 October 2012 - 04:28 AM.

[Crieghton James]

Ravensol, on 22 October 2012 - 04:22 PM, said:

xl on a cat or dragon or cent or any of the lights works great. Now for the interesting one xl's on a awsome works great. before you go naa think about it everyone aims for it's head nobody goes for the sides. As for the atlas don't use a xl if you are a brawler build since most everyone knows to take out the gaus in the right shoulder i learned this the very hard way. The hard part about it is my favorite atlas the rs only does 39kph but i can just hold down the left mouse and stream my four large lasers and get ya with the gaus too fun build but not if you like speed.

I confirm. I don't know why this is the case, but I always live longer with a Xl in my Awesome than a standard.