44 replies to this topic

[Pugastrius]

Quote

Also, if you're going to be so bold as to trash talk everyone else's builds, maybe you should be so bold as to post what you use, oh perfect master.

Not at my computer at the moment but it looks something like:

- 350 Stnd
- 1xLL
- 4xML
- 2xSSRM
- 28(?)xDHS

Play Style: Stay at 200-250 meters to avoid the painful SRM salvos.

Quote

Terrible advice, only good against poor opponents.

Even at half armor, I've never been legged in my 8 man games. The awesome's torso is just such a big target, it tends to be the only spot people aim. Moreover, since you're usually fighting at 200 meters there is much more cover for your legs than your torso (pretty much any little hill or object protects your legs).

Quote

Generally I prefer to mount all my main lasers/ppcs in the torso so they'll hit the same spot.

I'm a bit confused here, your arms will always respond faster than your torso. As such, If you want to hit where your torso is, that's not a problem, but trying to get your torso to hit where your arms are, is not always possible. Moreover, it vastly extend the range you can hit and allows you to shoot around corners w/o exposing your chest. The only real downside to having your largest laser on your arm is that it can be destroyed seperately.

[Stingz]

Pugastrius, on 20 December 2012 - 11:01 AM, said:

I'm a bit confused here, your arms will always respond faster than your torso. As such, If you want to hit where your torso is, that's not a problem, but trying to get your torso to hit where your arms are, is not always possible. Moreover, it vastly extend the range you can hit and allows you to shoot around corners w/o exposing your chest. The only real downside to having your largest laser on your arm is that it can be destroyed seperately.

Arms don't always converge (line up) properly, since they cross-fire. Torso weapons always fly straight since they don't move separately.

Edited by Stingz, 20 December 2012 - 04:08 PM.

[Asyres]

Pugastrius, on 20 December 2012 - 11:01 AM, said:

Not at my computer at the moment but it looks something like:

- 350 Stnd
- 1xLL
- 4xML
- 2xSSRM
- 28(?)xDHS

Play Style: Stay at 200-250 meters to avoid the painful SRM salvos.

I can't make heads or tails of this build. You literally can't fit that many DHS in a mech with a standard 350 (the most I could get with the loadout you listed was 24, or 27 with the weapons removed. Even with just 24 (and after stripping off 1/2 of my leg armor, as you mentioned), I was overweight by ~5 tons. If you meant 18 DHS, that makes more sense, but you're still pretty under gunned for an assault mech.

[TELEFORCE]

I made the biggest change yet to my Awesome 8Q tonight:

3 ER PPCs
1 Medium Pulse Laser
21 DHS
Standard 275 (IIRC)

Heat efficiency is at 1, speed is about 55 kph, which is pretty nice. The 'mech feels more nimble with the bigger engine. (It's too bad the Awesome 9M is so expensive, otherwise I would totally get that now, but I'm waiting for the 9Q to come out). Unfortunately most of my battles tonight have been short-ranged maps, so I fared poorly, though I dished out at least 200 points of damage each of those matches by chaining my PPCs. Brawls ended up in shut down usually, but by then I was usually about dead.

Finally I got the regular Forest Colony map, where I sat near one of the rock piers and sniped LRM boats and even light 'mechs from over 800 meters out. I chained my PPCs and dealt out over 400 points of damage, got 6 kill assists, and 2 kills, those being a legged Jenner (a Jenner that I legged with the PPCs, hehehe) and a Stalker, where I closed in at his minimum range so he couldn't damage me with LRMs.

Boy the PPC speed change REALLY makes a difference! It makes those light 'mech writhe in PAIN!

[Raven72998]

Usefull, the Awesome has always been my faveorite mech through the series and will always hold a special place in my heart, hearing its flaws and strengths and a few build ideas i think will definatly help when this patch finally downloads (takin its sweet damn time and i have to work tommorow Q.Q).

Im a bit curious however, if my understanding is correct this game is supposed to be BEFORE the clans invaded, and someone please correct me if im wrong on my lore because its been a LOOOONG time since ive re-read anything, but i thought certain weapons like oh lets say PULSE weapons, were not known by inner sphere before the Clans showed up. Just wonderin thats all.

[Sandslice]

Raven72998, on 20 December 2012 - 08:33 PM, said:

Usefull, the Awesome has always been my faveorite mech through the series and will always hold a special place in my heart, hearing its flaws and strengths and a few build ideas i think will definatly help when this patch finally downloads (takin its sweet damn time and i have to work tommorow Q.Q).

Im a bit curious however, if my understanding is correct this game is supposed to be BEFORE the clans invaded, and someone please correct me if im wrong on my lore because its been a LOOOONG time since ive re-read anything, but i thought certain weapons like oh lets say PULSE weapons, were not known by inner sphere before the Clans showed up. Just wonderin thats all.

All three classes of Pulse Laser were Star League (2750) tech, recovered as part of the Helm Library Core after 3028. On the other hand, ERLL was Star League's only ER Large Laser, LB-10 its only LB, UAC/5 its only Ultra, and SSRM-2 its only Streak. The others were introduced after the Clans.

[M0rpHeu5]

My 8V built(forgot to fix the back armor)
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e760281643a1c27

An alpine peaks built
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e7b8b7d57696879

[Mazzyplz]

i only read the original post so sorry if i am repeating something.

-your torso is wide, but the width front to back is tiny! so learn to face 90 degrees* off enemies and they will only see your thin profile!
-don't use large lasers. staring for 1.8 seconds is a enough for you to die. stick to ppc and large pulse
-always use 300 engine on everything, you can go higher in 9m but i like to go std300 in it because hardpoints.
-always use double heatsinks.
-offense means defense often. dont outfit your awesome like a catapult c1. add a medium laser to your big guns and pepper that sucker until you're cool, then rip out the big alphas. if you can take a stalker's ear off without shutting down he's done.
-always put at least 1 ER weapon in your loadout, so you can safely damage medium reaching targets and respond to snipes
-put 75 or 76 armor on the front. then you can put 24 on the back and it will soak one alpha for you, enough for your armor to take a needed break
-if shot from a long distance you can twist your torso perpendicular to the shot, and often times it will miss your body as well.
-a related maneuver you can do by 'backing up and quickly switching direction of body/torso' it's like a moonwalk. it will make ballistics miss you because you're zigzagging backward. you can respond fire with this maneuver as well so i highly recommend it.
-never EVER lock arms to torso
-never use call of duty movement, switch to tank like acceleration/braking.
-if you're charging someone left torso first (thin profile remember) and they shoot it red, then turn 90 degrees and charge at him with your right torso! (thin profile)
-always equip seismic sensor. advanced if possible.
-always equip AMS.
-always have a way to deal with light mechs at short range, be it lasers or missiles or a wingman at your side.

Edited by Mazzyplz, 29 May 2013 - 02:07 PM.

[kesuga7]

didn't read much because my eyes are a bit sore but one thing i found with the awsome that really helps is to make your huge arms take the most possible damage while avoiding damage to your chest and you do that by just torso twisting or looking on your mini map where you are facing.

Its tricky and sometimes it doesn't work but when those ppc's bring your arms down to orange and not your left torso be glad

If your going to charge someone and your a brawler torso twist your arm while running at the sideways and the arm should absorb some or most of the damage but sometimes t doesn't work (the angle of the hit ? i dunno)


Edit: i did the same thing mazzy did

Edited by kesuga7, 29 May 2013 - 02:33 PM.

[mack sabbath]

Knox, on 16 December 2012 - 06:17 PM, said:

Having tons of fun with my 385 XL 9M. 5 MPL and an SSRM-2 with enough sinks to fire forever. Nobody ever expects an assault mech that can outrun a Dragon.

Lol, "Catch that Refrigerator!"

[Autobot9000]

Using currently
4 LPLs
18 DHS
endosteel
300 std engine
max armor, few points less on legs

will downgrade the engine to fit another 2 DHS

very nice mobility and strong dps, just a little hot still atm

[Autobot9000]

Jaded Jasper, on 15 December 2012 - 04:33 PM, said:

20 DHS is equal to 34 standard sinks -- the engine sinks count for 2x, and only the added sinks count for 1.4x. If you're going the lots of Medium or Medium Pulse Lasers single heatsinks can work, but anything else pretty much demands DHS (as with most any mech).

I actually like the Awesome when matched up against an Atlas. The trick is to use your extra maneuverability to get into a position where you get the first shot off, or better yet can alpha once or twice then hide behind cover to cool down. Definitely get a big engine, as it gives you much more influence over initiative, tempo, and battleground.

Builds I've had good success with:
Awesome R with 4xSRM6, 3xML, and a 285 engine. Most terrifying mech to run into when you round a corner!
Awesome Q with 4xLL, 3xML, and a 285 engine. The MLs are too hot for constant use, but the punch comes in handy.
Awesome Q with 4xPPC, and I forget what size engine. Definitely a different play style, but effective. 80 damage in one spot over 3.5s.
Awesome M with 3xPPC, 3xStreak, and a 300XL engine. A bit tricky now with ECM.

I've also been comtemplating:
Awesome M with 4xLL and a 350XL engine, or maybe 370XL.
Awesome T with 4xLL, 2xSRM6 and a 285? engine.

Is the referral to a 350XL engine outdated? The largest engine I can currently buy is a 300 std/XL (on Awesome-8T).

Edited by Autobot9000, 30 May 2013 - 10:08 AM.

[Leded]

Autobot9000, on 30 May 2013 - 10:06 AM, said:

Is the referral to a 350XL engine outdated? The largest engine I can currently buy is a 300 std/XL (on Awesome-8T).

may be outdated. my original post was quite some time ago

[Autobot9000]

Haha ok ;O Driving the awesome is pretty difficult, other mechs really seem more accurately placed in their role, the awesome is too litght for a super heavy and too slow for a heavy... not an easy spot to be in, but i still love it from the old pen&paper days.

[Aslena]

Some awesome tips in here, but wow you guys are touchy about your awesome builds lol. Personally I think different people have different play styles, and because of that what works for me may not work for you, and that whole opinions are like a**holes saying... I know I'm one.

[Arzargul]

Now with the srm nerf, they are not any more worth being played. It is really the mechas which the most suffered from it. I tidied up my 9m and my 8r, by praying for a better future for them. I can't wait that developers made something for this mecha.

[Aethos]

SRMs just got buffed yesterday, the spread is now much tighter, especially on the ASRM6's. And with the nerf to poptarts, a good awesome pilot can thrive again. The AWS is far from being dead, however it does take a lot of skill and most importantly patience to play effectively as well as a good sense of situational awareness.

Here is a list of my Do's and Dont's for builds. I avg 600+ dmg on all my AWS's during a "good" match (PB (850max), 9M (972max), 8R (950 max(LRM) 700 brawler), 8T(750 max))

Do's:

- DHS upgrade. Don't even play the AWS mech you bought till you do this.
- on all 8-series, run a 300 spec engine. (the 8R i run std300 for brawler, XL300 for LRM boating, 8T std300)
- on the 9M and PB run a XL380, best torso twist, best speed, most internal heatsinks (engine DHS have better heat effic. than DHS outside the engine)
- Endosteel upgrade. It's been on every single AWS mech i've played/optimized.
- Always upgrade to Artemis for both LRMs and SRM's.
- Use TAG on LRM boat. Always in the head slot.
- Use Pulses as much as possible.
- Always put Ammo in legs.
- You can strip armor safely from head down to 12, and legs minimum 40. I've only been legged twice in 4 months of AWS piloting. Never been headshot in AWS.

Dont's:

- run with less than 40% heat efficiency (my exception is my 4ALRM15 8R which is at 39%, and i chainfire 75% of game) My Brawlers are all between 43% and 52%) That extra 10 dps you squeezed into your alpha by skimping out on some DHS's isn't worth the overheating you will surely suffer. Matches are long. Especially if you are playing well.
- strip armor from arms more than 7 pts. You need these to act as shields.
- leave a mech with extra slots OR tonnage. A perfect build should have 0 free tons and 0 free slots.
- skimp out on ammo. Ensure you have enough ammo for at least 20-25 full volleys. 2/3 of my SRM brawlers run 25 volleys worth, my 8T runs 20. My LRM boat, 30 volleys (1800 missiles)
- Ferro Fibrous. Endo has much better weight savings and you need these slots for as many DHS as you can cram in there.
- Shift back armor to front on the PB and 9M (I don't do it on my 8R or 8T either due to my playstyle). These are fast brawlers who can do circles around an enemy mech. Unfortunately, that enemy mech has teammates that may be watching with your back CT looking like a giant bullseye.

Like I said, these are MY Do's and Don'ts. Playstyle and weapon favoritism can vary from pilot to pilot. You'll notice I didn't address AMS which I feel is preferential. I don't run it on any of my mechs because I've learned to always fight around cover.

Most importantly, don't assume that because it looks good in smurfy's mechlab that it will be an amazing mech on the battlefield. All of my builds have been rigorously tweaked, sometimes completely overhauled from the design I started with before I even owned the mech, up until the mech was mastered. You have to constantly evaluate your mech and playstyle after every match and adjust the build to suit you.

Edited by Aethos, 06 June 2013 - 01:02 AM.

[Leded]

not gonna do a quote line on the entire post there Aethos, but i went back and looked at my build and... dam they default alot of armor to the rear. i swapped some of that to the front.

[Captain Katawa]

They have to implemd into a game the message telling people who are loading 5 PPC into an Awesome to stop ant think of it again since it's the worst idea ever.

[Captain Katawa]

Do's:

- DHS upgrade. Don't even play the AWS mech you bought till you do this.
- on all 8-series, run a 300 spec engine. (the 8R i run std300 for brawler, XL300 for LRM boating, 8T std300)
- on the 9M and PB run a XL380, best torso twist, best speed, most internal heatsinks (engine DHS have better heat effic. than DHS outside the engine)
- Endosteel upgrade. It's been on every single AWS mech i've played/optimized.
- Always upgrade to Artemis for both LRMs and SRM's.
- Use TAG on LRM boat. Always in the head slot.
- Use Pulses as much as possible.
- Always put Ammo in legs.
- You can strip armor safely from head down to 12, and legs minimum 40. I've only been legged twice in 4 months of AWS piloting. Never been headshot in AWS.

This is almost right but

pulses don't worth wasting time on them.
right now only small pulse laser is better than small regular.

After the buff SRM no longer need artemis

Endo and DHS don't work too good together.
You either get DHS to win some tonnage for an engine with additional slots or get DHS without enso since endo takes away the slots you could use for sinks