10 replies to this topic

[Atlasica]

Gauss, at 15 tons, does 15 damage every 4 seconds.

Two AC5s, at 16 tons, does 10 damage every 1.7 seconds.

Heat is neglible in both cases.

So why is the gauss favored over the ACs in a K2?

[Vlad Ward]

Because BOOM! Headshot.

Edited by Vlad Ward, 17 November 2012 - 07:56 PM.

[Vermaxx]

Alpha strike damage of two gauss is 30 damage. Two AC10 is 20. 20 damage to the head won't guarantee a dead mech, 30 will.

Admittedly most people can't hit heads, so you are completely right that the point is moo, like a cow's opinion. Cannons have better DPS, but lower alpha.

The AC5 is a harasser weapon. You cannot count on all those shots to hit the same place. You MIGHT get two salvos to hit the same place, for a total of 20 damage. Or you could just take two AC10 and GUARANTEE to hit someone for 20.

If you are going dual AC5, it is better to go with a Hunchback or Centurion. The medium mech means the enemy can't have a dragon or SRMCat.

[Voyager I]

Fully armored heads on any mech have 33 hit points, so a dual Guass won't instakill them.

Gauss Rifles are strong because of how well they concentrate damage. Other ballistic weapons beat them out in raw DPS for the tonnage invested (quite handily, in the case of the smaller Autocannons), but that kind of damage output can only be reliably found on spreadsheets. In an actual fight, you will not be able to have your torso consistently on target landing every shot exactly where you want it. The Gauss rifle only needs to hit once every four seconds to realize its potential. The fact that it generates almost no heat is also a significant boon, because even the relatively tame heat generation on something like an AC/5 will start to add up over time, especially since you will probably be using additional weapons.

The Gauss also benefits from fantastic range and projectile speeds and non-explosive ammunition, meaning you can safely store it anywhere you have a free crit without having to worry about CASE.

Edited by Voyager I, 17 November 2012 - 08:14 PM.

[Atlasica]

Voyager I, on 17 November 2012 - 08:12 PM, said:

Fully armored heads on any mech have 33 hit points, so a dual Guass won't instakill them.

...

The Gauss also benefits from fantastic range and projectile speeds and non-explosive ammunition, meaning you can safely store it anywhere you have a free crit without having to worry about CASE.

I see...

High concentrated damage without sacrificing projectile speed (unlike the AC20)

A little off topic, but how does a mech head have 33 hitpoints. As in, what kind of math makes 18 armor + some internal structure = 33 hp ? Curious.

Vermaxx, on 17 November 2012 - 07:59 PM, said:

If you are going dual AC5, it is better to go with a Hunchback or Centurion. The medium mech means the enemy can't have a dragon or SRMCat.

Good point, think I'm going to build a dual AC5 medium mech then =)

[Xelrah]

Headshot from gauss in most cases is near enough for the kill, you usually can finish someone off with lasers. 2x AC/20 1 shots anything but atlas, which requires 2 head shots. Problem with it is that range is gimped, projectile speed is low and it generates much more heat than gauss. Gauss have very fast projectile speed so it is quite easy to hit with it.

[80sGlamRockSensation David Bowie]

Atlasica, on 18 November 2012 - 02:15 AM, said:

I see...

High concentrated damage without sacrificing projectile speed (unlike the AC20)

A little off topic, but how does a mech head have 33 hitpoints. As in, what kind of math makes 18 armor + some internal structure = 33 hp ? Curious.



Good point, think I'm going to build a dual AC5 medium mech then =)

Since Gauss takes two full alpha's to pull off with a 4 second delay between each, dual AC5 is actually a bit easier to get head shot kills with, since you can find that head hitbox and keep shooting at it in rapid succession.

Xelrah, on 18 November 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

2x AC/20 1 shots anything but atlas, which requires 2 head shots.

And Dual Ac20's will instant kill an Atlas with headshots. I've tried

problem is Atlas head hit box is so small, you might as well just aim for that giant-*** center torso!

Edited by mwhighlander, 18 November 2012 - 02:35 AM.

[Kobold]

Heads have 36 I believe, not 33 (18 armor + 18 structure).

Edit: And the proliferation of gauss over AC are more evidence of my longstanding position that DPS is for the most part a pretty pointless stat. (Also, AC5s generate significantly more heat than gauss)

Edited by Kobold, 18 November 2012 - 02:42 AM.

[SPARTAN 104]

Let's be honest though. The damage isn't reliable on anything because of the hitboxes and bad coding atm. I love the fact thatyou can shoot someone in the face from 20m with and ac/20 and they take leg damage. So i hit you in the face for 20...the artillery shelll hits 1 spot. but then no damage occurs until the artillery shell breaks and melts down and or rains down on your other body parts....lol the splash damage excuse is for 2 year olds to believe.
Dear mods, here's another issue i have with the game as described by the me.

Edited by SPARTAN 104, 18 November 2012 - 03:06 AM.

[Booran]

Gauss will be getting much more fragile in the future, the gun will blow up doing damage to the mech if hit directly.
I'll rather go with UAC/5 (and be careful) or AC10 or 20 when they've buffed them a bit.

[Satan n stuff]

Heads have 15 internal structure and 18 max armor, so that's 33 damage needed to guarantee a kill by headshot.