11 replies to this topic

[Kushko]

There's a lot of outrage going on about how OP LRMs are, but they really arent. Dont get me wrong, i use a 2x20LRM atlas all the time and in the right situation if my enemy isnt playing smart i annihilate half their team and end up with 1200+dmg done and 3+ kills.

Sounds overpowerd? Well yah...but it really isnt. Why? Because its so easy to counter and avoid being pummeled to death by LRMs.

First of all, what any and every successful LRM mech needs is a good scout. Without one our effectiveness goes way down. With no scout or a bad scout thats swapping target lock every second making me lose my lock i do FAR less dmg and have a very hard time finding targets. But this isnt really a counter, its more me wanting you to understand that LRMs owning u is in most cases at least a 2 man job or even scout+several lrm mechs. If ur getting shot by 3-4 gauss mechs or ac-20 mechs or whatever other weapon you can think of (except machinegun and flamer ) ull die just as fast. Only upside to LRM is that u dont really need as much skill to lock on and pull the trigger (other than knowing when the enemy is out of range or in cover and not wasting ammo).

Now to the counter part...its AMS! Jk...ams helps a tiny bit but wont save you. The real counter of course is cover. Every map has plenty of cover and even an entire path that usually takes u trough a canyon or a cave making LRM use against u all but useless. Even if you dont take that LRM free path there are plenty of hills/mountains/buildings that u can use as cover and hop in and out of to close in on the lrm or to keep it between u and the lrm users while u fight their front liners. As a LRM user myself, theres nothing more frustrating than good players who know how to use cover to their advantage making me waste every missile i throw at them. On top of that theres the minimum safe range where u can just beat on the heavy LRM fitted mech with impunity.

TL;DR: Play smart and almost completely negate LRM flavor of the month, or charge out in to the open and get what u deserve. LRMs are fine.

Edited by Kushko, 31 October 2012 - 04:46 AM.

[Lagfest]

This...
There is a reason we like to fight under the bridges and platforms on River City...
That and the up hill base there is perfect for us to rain death into... Since most people tend to camp the high ground

[charov]

LRM boats are very easy to counter, it you are a smart player. AMS is not a "must-have", it's useful only on slower mech. Faster mechs get more results breaking the LOS. The exception is when you play in premade groups and can create an "umbrella" of AMS, where few LRM can pass.

[JanTenner]

Yes, all true.
I am a missile boat captain aswell using the founders catapult slightly modified with two lrm20. It is quite a monster and i am often making the most damage in the round. But that is only when I am fighting in a good group. To stand a bit behind the line and support other mechs by raining death on their targets is a wonderful tactic (at least for my team ). But once a single mech breaks through the line attacking me my mech is nearly worthless and in urgent need of help. I have three mediums onboard but at knife range I am too slow for light mechs and absolutely underpowered in comparison to medium and heavy mechs. So when nobody helps me I am dead or if lucky not able to shoot my missiles as long as the infight goes on.
Another thing I noticed is that the lrm boats are really just support if fighting against teams who now how to counter lrm. Real deadly my build is against guys running across the whole map on open ground. But for guys seeking cover and breaging the line of sight I am annoying but not that deadly.
So lrm boats may look overpowered yet but when the majority of players know by heart how to encounter they are less effective (in terms of kills and damage) than other mechs.

[MCXL]

The other thing people need to remember is that since hit detection right now is pretty poor, direct fire weapons feel weaker then they are. As netcode allows us to actually hit people reliably those lazors and AC/10s LRMS wont feel so out of wack.

[Warcloud]

JanTenner, on 31 October 2012 - 05:21 AM, said:

Yes, all true.
I am a missile boat captain aswell using the founders catapult slightly modified with two lrm20. It is quite a monster and i am often making the most damage in the round. But that is only when I am fighting in a good group. To stand a bit behind the line and support other mechs by raining death on their targets is a wonderful tactic (at least for my team ). But once a single mech breaks through the line attacking me my mech is nearly worthless and in urgent need of help. I have three mediums onboard but at knife range I am too slow for light mechs and absolutely underpowered in comparison to medium and heavy mechs. So when nobody helps me I am dead or if lucky not able to shoot my missiles as long as the infight goes on.
Another thing I noticed is that the lrm boats are really just support if fighting against teams who now how to counter lrm. Real deadly my build is against guys running across the whole map on open ground. But for guys seeking cover and breaging the line of sight I am annoying but not that deadly.
So lrm boats may look overpowered yet but when the majority of players know by heart how to encounter they are less effective (in terms of kills and damage) than other mechs.

True... the teams I played with last night used that tactic vs. the LRM boats we encountered. We would use cover and creep up to "stab in the back" range... also while taking out any scouts or other mech thinking they could take advantage of the situation. With most of the boats supporting lance mates gone we would hammer the boat. I almost felt bad... almost.

[BigJim]

(as a rule of thumb) The competitive teams tend to leave LRM boats at home, and for good reason - When you're facing people who employ teamwork and a good plan, putting your faith in LRMs can be as much of a liability for the team carrying them, as they are a danger for the team receiving.

Edited by BigJim, 31 October 2012 - 06:17 AM.

[Terror Teddy]

BigJim, on 31 October 2012 - 06:14 AM, said:

When you're facing people who employ teamwork and a good plan, putting your faith in LRMs can be as much of a liability for the team carrying them, as they are a danger for the team receiving.

Yup. That 65 tonne LRM boat with no secondary weapons is a paperweight when someone gets within 180 meters.

For River City I just love hiding behind a pair of buildings or sneaking in under a bridge and sit like the troll waiting for the three billy goats with my AC20 as a surprise party.

[Ghosth]

LRM boats love to sit up on high spots and rain fire down. Anything that can pop in and out of cover and snipe them from long range can seriously mess up their day. It is one of the things the Gauss Cat is best at. But a Large laser Catapult can be just as effective. Keep sniping at them while mediums/lights circle around behind them.

[Terror Teddy]

Ghosth, on 31 October 2012 - 06:59 AM, said:

LRM boats love to sit up on high spots and rain fire down.

I tend to do the opposite. Sit down behind a (just right) high building and shovel missiles into the air towards scout spotted targets.

No point in exposing oneself unless needed.

[Haeso]

Terror Teddy, on 31 October 2012 - 06:59 AM, said:

Yup. That 65 tonne LRM boat with no secondary weapons is a paperweight when someone gets within 180 meters.

For River City I just love hiding behind a pair of buildings or sneaking in under a bridge and sit like the troll waiting for the three billy goats with my AC20 as a surprise party.

I prefer to hide under the bridge in the river - bad players keep shooting at me and just hitting the bridge above my head while I nail them with lasers and gauss.

[Wildger]

There is something called TEAMWORK. This is also the main reason why PUG got slaughtered by pre-made match after match. Jenners and Cicadas are your friends. Once they locate a missile boat, they close in and neuralize it. Unless you got scouted, hiding behind a hill or mountain, inside a tunnel or under the bridge will break the log on. If you are piloting light mechs, RUN!!