44 replies to this topic

[Bosko89Buha]

Hi everyone! I'm sure this has been written somewhere on this forum, but I'm a better learner if I learn on my own example... so, I hope this is a place and a way to ask this.

I started playing 3 days ago, saved just enough CB to buy my first mech - Raven RVN-4X (it seemed like the one with the best heat efficiency, armor and firepower overall. So, I got it, maximum tonnage is 35t. I upgraded to ferro-fibrous armor and endo-steel structure, and my tonnage dropped to 33.2t (I maxed out my armor points, or whatever they're called on anything I could, so now my armor is at 238). I've been looking at weapons - SRM 6, 2 machine guns and 2 medium lasers = combined weight 6t, 8t with ammo. Is there a way I can decrease my weight more besides taking down my armor a bit? If that is the only way - I like AC guns, so would it be worth it to sell both machine guns and drop 4 armor points, and get one AC/2?

Any other tips on this mech would be great also. Thanks!

[Elizander]

Well, an AC/2 is definitely more damage than 2 machine guns right now so you can't really go wrong with that change if you can afford it. 2 machine guns + ammo is like 2 tons and drop a little armor and you have 4 tons. An AC/2 is 6 tons so you will need to get 3 tons somewhere (ammo included).

You can try dropping the SRM6 for now and see how that works out, though you might want to at least have an SSRM2 around. I don't think you can back too much into it without going XL (and that costs a lot).

[Bosko89Buha]

Uhm... I think my two upgrades took in total 28 critical slots, so I don't know if I can fit an XL equivalent to STD 175 I have now (if STD and XL 175 are the same by performance? I don't know really what's the difference besides weight and space - my current speed is 81 kph).
Anyway, I have 1 t free (1.8, but let's not count that), so that's the ammo - if I get rid of MGs and their ammo, that's 2t and I need only 4 more to have enough space for an AC/2, so that should come off some armor, I don't want to move SRM6 for now, cause that dealt some good damage for me now (I kinda depend on damage, cause I'm still not so good with running around bigger guys and aiming them to get a kill, so I relly on damage and getting at least 4 assists per match).

And one side-question - AMS is available after purchasing of command console, right?

(For some of these questions - I know - I should read more dev posts and stuff, but I put that aside for now, I just want to have fun with the game, learn as much as I can through playing, and when I'll be a decent competitor, I'll look up more "important" stuff)

[Seppe]

Bosko89Buha, on 14 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Hi everyone! I'm sure this has been written somewhere on this forum, but I'm a better learner if I learn on my own example... so, I hope this is a place and a way to ask this.

I started playing 3 days ago, saved just enough CB to buy my first mech - Raven RVN-4X (it seemed like the one with the best heat efficiency, armor and firepower overall. So, I got it, maximum tonnage is 35t. I upgraded to ferro-fibrous armor and endo-steel structure, and my tonnage dropped to 33.2t (I maxed out my armor points, or whatever they're called on anything I could, so now my armor is at 238). I've been looking at weapons - SRM 6, 2 machine guns and 2 medium lasers = combined weight 6t, 8t with ammo. Is there a way I can decrease my weight more besides taking down my armor a bit? If that is the only way - I like AC guns, so would it be worth it to sell both machine guns and drop 4 armor points, and get one AC/2?

Any other tips on this mech would be great also. Thanks!

Hey Bosko89Buha,

Welcome to MWO. I pilot Ravens myself. One thing to do asap is save up for the Raven-3L. Unfortunately, this should have been your first purchase. The mech has an XL engine built in which can be swapped around to other chassis and helps a lot with reducing the weight of your mech - allowing for more weapons or other gadgets. When you have enough cash to spend, swap out to a higher version XL and kick in high speed.

When I pilot the Raven 4X, I go with medium lasers + SSRMS and machine guns. Right now Machine guns are meh but are supposed to receive a buff at some point. Though ECM can break your SSRMS. Another reason to purchase the 3L, it comes with ECM.

I would not take Ferrous as it is too expensive to maintain for what you get. The Endo steel upgrade will get you more bang for your buck and double heatsinks help greatly for heat.

There is a lot of trial and error into getting your mech dialed into how you want it to be. GL.

[Bosko89Buha]

Wow, I got an impression for some reason that armor points all give 1t, I don't know why... I was so wrong

@Muir, thanks for the reply and the welcome. Yeah, I just saw how much better equipment 3L has... I really don't mind playing this, it's amazingly fun even though I get killed after a few minutes in 50-60% of my matches, so I'll just use this one until I can afford the 3L. I took 4X mainly because it's armor, cause I didn't think I'll be able to survive long yet with less protection... but that 3L is faster, so...
I don't understand "ferrous is too expensive to maintain". Do you mean because all the slots it takes for just a few pts/ton and slightly less weight? And SSRM is Streak SRM, right? I might change to those, yeah, try them out.

[knight-of-ni]

As with all upgrades, ferro fibrous costs more to repair. On a 35 ton mech, ferro fibrous only gets you ~1 ton of weight savings. Most agree that the costs outweigh the benefit in this case, especially for new players that are trying to earn c-bills.

Unfortunately, there is a cost associated with switching back to standard armor as well.
If you save enough for an XL engine, perhaps then you should switch back to standard armor. That will also free up 14 critical slots.

SSRM's are streak SRM's. Unlike SRM's they track and are guaranteed to hit your target once/if you get a lock. If you do go with ssrm's, don't forget to switch the ammo from srm to ssrm ammo before you drop!

See you on the battlefield.

[Bosko89Buha]

Yeah, I switched to SSRM and ammo, but I feel it takes pretty long to lock on target. I'll be trying it out for some more matches, though. And when you say there is a cost for switching back to standard armor - you think of CB cost only, right? It's "only" sligthly less than 100K so I'll turn back, if nothing, I'm sure I'll make up for it on lesser repair costs, and yeah, since I'm still pretty bad (and can't do VERY much with this mech right now, tech-wise), I'll just practice with it, I'm already slightly better with manouvering around slower ones, and save CB for 3L, or for completely altering this 4X.

[cmdr_scotty]

I have a 3L that runs a 280xl motor and it's just about death on two legs.

one thing to remember is that the higher rated engines come with extra heat sinks (iirc, ever 25 version comes with one extra heatsink up to 250 which caps at 10 heatsinks, starting at 275 you get a crit free heatsink slot for the engine)

i currently run
RA: 1x medium, 1x large laser
RT: 1x SSRM2, 1x small laser, 1x SSRM2 ammo
CT: 1x double heatsink (in engine c: )
LT: 1x double heatsink (i think), 1x SSRM2 ammo
LA: 1x SSRM2

also have endo-steel upgrade on it as well.

this mech is about as fast as a jenner (around 115-120kph i believe), the SSRM2's are good for drawing attention and being a major annoyance, and the lasers double as being a good punch when you can sneak behind someone.


When i can get to my computer and check the actual loadout i'll edit my post for any errors.

[Bosko89Buha]

So it's default NARC and TAG are pretty much replacable?

Oh, one more thing, how important are those efficiencies? Especially the part where it says that to unlock epic, you need all basics unlocked for every type of that particular mech model. If they are usefull, I was thinking about getting all Ravens and one medium, or heavy mech, since I don't really like the assault one, based on the trial ones (I used heavy mech mostly, cause I didn't like LRM on medium, and I loved PPC and AC/10 on heavy)

[knight-of-ni]

Last time I read any news regarding Narc, it was stated as not implemented yet so you should not use them. Tag however, does work. I assume this information is still current since I have not read any patch notes stating otherwise.

Once you find a mech chassis you like, it is in your best interest to level up the efficiencies. It can make the difference especially when fighting other light mechs.

You may notice that there is something called GXP in the game. XP is used to level up mech efficiencies, while GXP can be used to level up pilot efficiencies. Pilot efficiencies take a lot longer to earn though.

[Bosko89Buha]

Yeah, I noticed the GXP. I just got rid of SSRM and MGs, and got one AC/2, had my first kill with a light mech , along with 4 kill assists, over 140K CB in the end, personal best so far. So this little tweeks to loadout really help. It's amazing really, e.g. I never liked RPG games very much cause I didn't like upgrading, changing stuff and such things, but now I want to try every combination I can think of that I believe could be useful and get a response from the very next match. (not that this is anything like an RPG, but you get the point)
And wow, was I mistaken when I thought mech info is the most important thing when looking for a new mech, the equipment and loadout specs seem to be equaly, if not even more important. (I downloaded Hawken the other day, and it seemed fun, but I think I'll just uninstall it now )

[Bosko89Buha]

2nd match - 2nd kill, this is working well! One more question for now, and I should be good then - would small lasers (so I can get one more ammo for AC/2) be too weak? I mostly end up in close combat situations, but never had used them, so I don't know if they perform better (apart from their lesser damage) than medium ones from closer range?

[knight-of-ni]

Small lasers are more effective when used in groups. A single medium laser would likely do you better.

You mentioned you were 1.8 tons underweight previously.
Try shaving off 0.2 tons of armor to get an even ton.
I don't know exactly what your current loadout is so tell us how much that frees up for you... it'll either be a ton or half ton.

Edited by knnniggett, 14 December 2012 - 05:51 PM.

[Bosko89Buha]

Nah, since I did this weapon swap I'm full at 35t. WIth 2 medium lasers and one AC/2. I'm not really fast (81kpg) so I don't really feel comfortable dropping armor (238) right now. This weapons loadout is working the best so far, so I'll stick to that for now.

[knight-of-ni]

I was only suggesting you drop 6 points of armor to round up to an even ton. I may not have stated that clearly.
Oh, you are piloting a 4x. Did you drop all your jump jets but 1 or 2? That will free up some weight. Jump jets are currently bugged... 1 jump jet is as good as 5 is a good as 10.

[Bosko89Buha]

No, you were clear, but I'm not 1.8 t underweight anymore, I'm at even 35 t, so I would have to drop more at this state. No, I have 5 jet packs, so I can drop 4 of them?

[knight-of-ni]

Yep, you can drop 4 JJ's and your mech will fly just the same as when it had 5.
Eventually, the devs will change this, but we don't exactly how yet.

[Bosko89Buha]

Ok, didn't know that, thanks!

[Elizander]

Bosko89Buha, on 14 December 2012 - 05:08 PM, said:

Yeah, I noticed the GXP. I just got rid of SSRM and MGs, and got one AC/2, had my first kill with a light mech , along with 4 kill assists, over 140K CB in the end, personal best so far. So this little tweeks to loadout really help. It's amazing really, e.g. I never liked RPG games very much cause I didn't like upgrading, changing stuff and such things, but now I want to try every combination I can think of that I believe could be useful and get a response from the very next match. (not that this is anything like an RPG, but you get the point)
And wow, was I mistaken when I thought mech info is the most important thing when looking for a new mech, the equipment and loadout specs seem to be equaly, if not even more important. (I downloaded Hawken the other day, and it seemed fun, but I think I'll just uninstall it now )

You might want to check Ohmwrecker's guide to see each weapon DPS to help you decide what to get next. Of course, asking in the guide forums is always good (just stay away from General forums~)

For example, each machinegun does 0.40 DPS (for a total of 0.80 for 2) and a SSRM2 does 1.43 DPS which gave you a grand total of 2.23 DPS at a very limited range. One AC/2 does 4.00 DPS by itself and the range is crazy far so even if you traded 3 weapons for 1, you still end up doing more damage.

SSRM2s have their own benefit, but they are completely cancelled out by ECM unless you have ECM yourself. If you find yourself overheating a lot, switching to Small Lasers will significantly allow you to run cooler.

A Medium Laser does 1.25 DPS while a small Laser does 1.00 DPS so dropping down to 2x Small Laser from 2x Medium Laser is a net DPS loss of 0.50 (2.50 DPS->2.00) DPS but you benefit from shooting 2x more often (Heat from 2x Medium Laser is 8 while heat from 2x Small Laser is 4). So if you feel that you are limited by 1) Heat and 2) Ammo on your AC/2, then switching to 2 Small Lasers is okay. You will just have to compensate for the range difference as Small Lasers have 1/3 the range of Medium Lasers but your AC/2 can reach pretty far by itself.

I hope this helps you out.

Edited by Elizander, 14 December 2012 - 10:14 PM.

[Bosko89Buha]

Yeah, everything so far helped greatly, thanks!

Ohmwrecker is this thread? http://mwomercs.com/...s-excel-inside/