22 replies to this topic

[Mr Rukus]

Hello, I am currently coming to you fine gentlemen in hope that your expertise or opinions may help me in choosing a new mech suited to my play style. Currently I have a Jenner JR7-F. It is my first mech and I think a mech I am really like playing. But haven't been playing lately since I can't do as much damage as I can with my other mechs. Second is my Dragon DRG-5N. It is currently loaded out with triple AC/2 does(Or did, lately it seems off.) damage. Nice and fast with a 295 in it. It was the second mech I have tried that really seemed to work well for me. My third mech is a HBK-4G which I wasn't really expecting to work for me, but surprisingly I can get quite a bit of damage off with AC20 and 3 ML. It's a bit slow to my liking, but it gets me where I need to go. Now for the mechs I have tried and sold... Com-2D, which was just for messing around with ECM(Easily easy mode with 3x SSRM2). Tried the HBK-4SP, it didn't work for me at the time. But I think now with my current knowledge I might be able to work out a build that might work for me. But I'm not ready to go back to it. I tried a CPLT-A1 for a streak cat, it was too expensive and also a Streak cat... I also tried the CPLT-K2 which didn't work me for at all. I love laser boats, but heat is just too crazy to boat efficiently currently(At least it seems). Most recently I tried a CTF-4X which I REALLY regret. Though I could gunboat it and learned the hard way that it's really inefficient. Especially with the default engine in it(Why does it even exist?...). And the biggest I have used is theAWS-8Q which was really fun laser boating about with MPL. But it ran hot, was a huge magnet for damage, and slow. Which caused me to die a lot.

I really would like to find another mech that fits like a glove since the 5N is slowly getting boring for me. I was thinking an Assault, but it's quite limited in choice and expensive, so I'd rather not waste a tonne of money merely to test out a mech. Another possibility I was thinking was a Centurion, as it seems like a good balanced mech. Sorry for the wall of text, but I feel more details would help.

[Elizander]

Just for the record, the K2 is mostly a ballistic boat (dual gauss, dual AC/20) and not a laser boat.

[Darwins Dog]

Centurions are nicely rounded mechs, but there is a but of a learning curve to them. Basically they all tend to put a lot of their firepower into the right arm. Most players realize this and target that arm specifically. You need to learn to twist to the side and protect your gun arm.

With that warning, I think they are really good mechs that can adapt to changing moods (I switch my CN9-A from brawler to long range support all the time).

[Mr Rukus]

Darwins Dog, on 10 December 2012 - 12:20 PM, said:

Centurions are nicely rounded mechs, but there is a but of a learning curve to them. Basically they all tend to put a lot of their firepower into the right arm. Most players realize this and target that arm specifically. You need to learn to twist to the side and protect your gun arm.

With that warning, I think they are really good mechs that can adapt to changing moods (I switch my CN9-A from brawler to long range support all the time).

Well I have my 5N with only triple AC/2 in the right arm, so I feel like I would be adapted to it already.

[Darwins Dog]

Another sneaky thing I do sometimes is to put nothing in the gun arm, and use the 3 missile slots in the CN9-A. While they are busy targeting my empty arm, I unleash 3 SRM6 at them with wonderful results.

Usually I run with SRM 6, SRM 4, UAC5, and the 3 ML (don't leave home without them ).

[ThunderOverWater]

Since you like lasers, the HBK 4P might fit your style. With 20 DHS you won't really have heat problems if you drop to small lasers. 2 medium lasers in the arms, small lasers everywhere else. DHS as the only upgrade. A 260 engine will fit as well, which gives you around 90kph. You can play it almost like your 5N as hit-and-run fire support, with much less range and more firepower. Instead of hiding your right arm, hide your hunch.

Before ECM was out AMS was optional; now don't even bother.

[Ryft]

(edited for brevity)

Mini Rukus, on 10 December 2012 - 10:56 AM, said:

Currently I have a Jenner JR7-F, Dragon DRG-5N, and a HBK-4G

If these are the three mechs you own that you currently know that you like and plan to keep, consider adding in another mech of the same general type... basically another Jenner, Dragon, or Hunchback.

The reason that I suggest this is that you start to build towards your elite pilot skills for a given chassis, which is eventually really potent, especially the speed and convergence bonuses.

Suggestions:

1) Jenner D - the Jenner K that you own is a nice effective laser boat, to be sure, but isn't quite as brutal as the D is capable of being. A D-variant with either 2 SSRM2 to give you an edge against most other lights, or with 2 SRM4 to destroy the rear armor of heavier mechs might be fun to play around with.

2) HBK-4H - if you liked the G with an AC20, realize that you can build an HBK-H the exact same way, but with two more energy hardpoints to play with besides. And once that starts to get stale, you can go back to the G for a while, except play around with multiple ballistics in the hunch the same way that you use your Dragon... two UAC5 or three AC2 are lots of fun in that thing. From there, you can either repurchase your SP (with confidence!), or try out a laser-boating P to round out a stable of three hunchbacks, which potentially unlocks elite and master for whichever ones you decide you like enough to keep. For the cost and tonnage, hunchbacks are *mean* mechanical men.

3) Another Dragon. I don't know the Dragon chassis well at all, so research this idea first. But it sounds like out of the three mechs you currently own, you have played/enjoyed the Dragon the most? If that's the case, pick one with a totally different set of hardpoints from the one that you have, and see what you can do with it. If nothing else, you already probably have a few engine choices purchased for it, which cuts down on costs significantly. Dragons have a reputation for being a chassis that takes a sort of very personal, eclectic attention to get the most out of it. There's no standard Dragon build compared to many other mechs because their hardpoints don't lend themselves to simple boating, and because they have both the tonnage to mount any single weapon system they choose, and can go very fast for a heavy mech if they want to. Basically they can do a lot of different things, which is I guess what makes them attractive to a lot of folks.

4) AWS-9M - you seem like you don't want to be too slow (Jenner, Commando, Dragon, Streakcat), and you also seem like you enjoy the idea of a laser/boat build. The 9M is a pretty brutal, straight forward mech. Very fast for an assault mech, and melts faces with lasers or a laser/srm combo. The downside to it is that it's expensive! Check out the trial mech to see how it handles before you make a decision. It's definitely quicker than a default Cataphract.

On that last note... play around with the trial mechs to try to find a chassis that intrigues you. Even though I don't primarily play trial mechs anymore, I still give them a whirl at least once when PGI cycles new stuff in.

[Kobura]

Elizander, on 10 December 2012 - 11:58 AM, said:

Just for the record, the K2 is mostly a ballistic boat (dual gauss, dual AC/20) and not a laser boat.

For the record, driving a dual-gauss or dual-ac20 is sometimes seen as un-classy. It can be denied all you wish, and what's "good" and what's "cheesy" is definitely a person-to-person subjective thing, but these two builds fall into many people's "cheesy" category... mine, for what it matters.

[Skull Leader2]

I recommend a highly customized (see expensive) Centurion 9A. First, drop the autocannon, LRMS and engine.

Add Standard 260 engine and 3x Srm 6 to the left torso. Endo Steel structure and double heat sinks. Add 1 DHS and spread remaining weight between armor and SRM ammo.

Although expensive upfront, I have made a TON of credits with this mech. The speed of 84kph allows it to move quickly and keep the heat on slower scouts. It literally runs circles around standard heavy and assault mechs.

I use it more for quick strafing runs. Generally I will unload the SRM blast pretty close for high dmg. The speed, armor and generally small center torso make it a hard mech to kill. I generally have a 3:1 KDR IF I die in a match but I very often survive to the end. The damage done is also usually in the 500's+ Most of the mechs I kill are biggies as I hit them full bore in the back or right up close in the front. You can also get lots of component destroyed points and commandos can be killed in a single volley at close range. The double medium lasers in the center still leave you some punch if SRMS get taken out and you have both arms as extra armor.

The downside to this mech is of course that you are useless until 270 meters but the speed helps bridge that and being able to kill a couple atlases for the cost of a medium is a nice trade.

[Gaeb]

Try the Hunchback SP and P variants. They're both insanely good. 250 standard engine + DHS highly recommended on both.

[Budor]

Centurions are great.


CN9-A if you like missiles:

- Endo, DHS, 260 std, 3x ssrm2 with 4t of ammo, 2x mplas

- Endo, DHS, 250 std, 3x srm6 with 3t of ammo, 2x mlas (might need to FF cant remember)

- XL'd http://mwomercs.com/...on-cn9-a-build/



Yen-Lo-Wang, if you love the ac20:

- Endo, DHS, FF, 250 std, ac20 with 4t of ammo, 2x mlas.

- Endo, DHS, 280 xl, ac20 with 4t of ammo, 2x mplas.


P.S. Fill with max DHS. If you lack tonnage to fit on any of these strip armor from legs.

Edited by Budor, 10 December 2012 - 08:08 PM.

[Elizander]

Kobura, on 10 December 2012 - 04:48 PM, said:

For the record, driving a dual-gauss or dual-ac20 is sometimes seen as un-classy. It can be denied all you wish, and what's "good" and what's "cheesy" is definitely a person-to-person subjective thing, but these two builds fall into many people's "cheesy" category... mine, for what it matters.

It's irrelevant to me. For the record, I hate the obscuring smoke that Streak Cats give. I also dislike the fact that people can get away with just 1 jump jet when they need to spend more weight and crit slots for 4-5 of these to get maximum jump. I don't go out of my way to make them stop using those builds though because that is how the game is made. People are entitled to their own opinions (and this BT/MW crowd certainly has a ton of their own opinions) but I'm also entitled to my own. I think that they are fun and effective builds and the peer pressure from those who think otherwise doesn't really affect me or my enjoyment of them. I won't tell you to stop disliking them, but I won't stop using them either or telling others that it's fine.

Gaeb, on 10 December 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

Try the Hunchback SP and P variants. They're both insanely good. 250 standard engine + DHS highly recommended on both.

The 4SP definitely. There should be enough info out there for you to read up on it before purchase.

[Mr Rukus]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, guys. Looking into all the builds(Probably gonna invest in more mech bays as well), really would like to try a lot of these out. I like mobility as a fast mech can use a building for cover as opposed to using its face for cover. I have been messing around with the Swayback all day, full default excluding DHS, 7 SL(Obviously close range) and 2 LL(For when I'm trying to close the gap/taking pot shots at chumps), and I am liking it more than my 4G. Though I've noticed in it people tend to gravitate their shots toward my hump considerably more so than I ever noticed before.

[Gaeb]

Mini Rukus, on 10 December 2012 - 08:31 PM, said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, guys. Looking into all the builds(Probably gonna invest in more mech bays as well), really would like to try a lot of these out. I like mobility as a fast mech can use a building for cover as opposed to using its face for cover. I have been messing around with the Swayback all day, full default excluding DHS, 7 SL(Obviously close range) and 2 LL(For when I'm trying to close the gap/taking pot shots at chumps), and I am liking it more than my 4G. Though I've noticed in it people tend to gravitate their shots toward my hump considerably more so than I ever noticed before.

Yep, comes with the territory. Now note:

1) If your engine is <250, you don't get the full bang for your buck out of DHS.
2) While LL make sense, I urge you to try the classic swayback with more medium/smalls.

For my 4P, I run 250 standard + ~20 DHS + 8 ML (no head laser). My weapon loadout tends to be arms (chainfire) on 1, hunch (chainfire) on 2, then everything (groupfire) on 3. Basically, I use group 2 whenever possible until I get into a good position, then hit 3. 1 is for tracking lights or hard to reach targets.

Edited by Gaeb, 10 December 2012 - 08:46 PM.

[Korlandril]

So far the best build ive made has been a K2 catapult,
it had a 300xl engine, with 3 large lasers, 1 medium laser and 2 machine guns.
I made sure to max the torso armour and to put an AMS on it as well, and of course double heatsinks.

It really is tearing through other mechs, i can pretty much take on any other machine out there and am always at the top of my match with it. With the 3 large lasers on chain fire, you can just carve mechs apart, and with double heatsinks, you can just hold the trigger down for quite a while before needing a couple seconds to cool down...it is moving at 74 km/h. the machine guns are also surprisingly good for some reason to, especialy when the enemy armour is taken down, im actually getting a lot of the kills with the medium laser and machine gun.

[Mr Rukus]

Gaeb, on 10 December 2012 - 08:45 PM, said:

Yep, comes with the territory. Now note:

1) If your engine is <250, you don't get the full bang for your buck out of DHS.
2) While LL make sense, I urge you to try the classic swayback with more medium/smalls.

For my 4P, I run 250 standard + ~20 DHS + 8 ML (no head laser). My weapon loadout tends to be arms (chainfire) on 1, hunch (chainfire) on 2, then everything (groupfire) on 3. Basically, I use group 2 whenever possible until I get into a good position, then hit 3. 1 is for tracking lights or hard to reach targets.

I'm likely going to invest in a 250 once I get enough cash, though that'll be a few more matches yet. Just getting used to it with the standard 200 in it currently.

[ThunderOverWater]

Glad the 4P is working out for you so far. Despite the nerfs to energy weapons, it's still a fearsome machine. Couple notes on the chassis:

The limiting factor for all laser boats is still heat. Medium lasers in the hunch is a very tempting option thanks to the massive alpha potential, but at brawl range it's more difficult to disengage and cool down, so sustained firepower becomes more important. The default mediums are nice for poking your head out from behind cover or teammates to alpha, but as you maybe have already found out, the DPS from small lasers is almost the same as mediums for 2/3 the heat generated.

On engine choice: a 250 Engine is more versatile than a 260: you have more weight to play with for AMS, larger lasers, or future equipment, and a 250 is also useful in more chassis than a 260 for more MechLabWarrior-ing. However, the limiting factor of the 4P with DHS is critical slots, not tonnage, so if you're a min-max sort of player and anticipate sticking with the Swayback, a 260 offers a slight advantage: 90.9 kph vs. 87.4 Speed Tweaked.

Until Clan tech changes all this.

Maybe then we can get a 5P.

[Mithos]

Looks like you like being fast, why not to try cicada? CDA-3M especially, as you can have some fun with small-caliber ballistics in addition to boating lasers. It also has ECM (but no ultra-easy-mode due lack of missile hardpoints for streaks). Normal-easy-mode with pulse lasers is still possible, though.

Another interesting variant is already mentioned by Ryft AWS-9M, the "fast assault". It is still big, but runs 78kph on top engine w/o elite and manages heat very well.

Edited by Mithos, 11 December 2012 - 04:27 AM.

[Kobura]

Gaeb, on 10 December 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

Try the Hunchback SP and P variants. They're both insanely good. 250 standard engine + DHS highly recommended on both.

"Swayback"-SP is extremely highly recommended, it's a versatile chassis that'll serve you in many roles for a very long time, and fun to drive to boot. Fast, with armor, and a good selection of options. Very fun, and cheap to maintain (not too hard to get a big standard 250 in there with 6-some SRMs or 2xSSRM2, four lasers in the arms, be a power-striker or light-chaser!)

[Mawai]

Elizander, on 10 December 2012 - 11:58 AM, said:

Just for the record, the K2 is mostly a ballistic boat (dual gauss, dual AC/20) and not a laser boat.

The K2 is one of my favorites because it is very versatile.

1) K2 - 260 STD Engine, endo steel, 19 DHS, AMS+1 ton, 4 Large Laser ... probably one of my favorite variants. Decently fast (especially if you have speed tweak) ... very good heat management ... good DPS and excellent range for both sniping and brawling.

2) K2 - 225 XL - endo steel, 10 DHS, AMS + 1 ton, 2 Gauss rifle + 6 tons ammo, 2 ML - a bit more fragile now due to the Gauss changes and a bit slow for my tastes

3) K2 - 260 STD - endo steel, DHS, AMS + 1 ton, 2 x UAC5 + 6 tons ammo, 2 ML or MPL (could do 4)

You can also go with AC/2, AC/10 or AC/20 depending on what you want to try. I tried PPCs and ER-PPCs and wasn't impressed ... convergence and heat were issues but I think that is the weapon and not the chassis.

So ... if you still have your K2 it might be worth a second look. Endo and DHS are relatively cheap to maintain upgrades.