402 replies to this topic

[Khobai]

Stalkers are amazing. Most people are just terrible at not only managing heat but also positioning themselves where they cant take damage in return.

[Pr8Dator]

Khobai, on 18 December 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

Stalkers are amazing. Most people are just terrible at not only managing heat but also positioning themselves where they cant take damage in return.

Oh... I also found that once I get to the side of a Stalker and stay there, not even to the rear, just the side, the Stalker cant seem to hit me at all... LOL!

[Jacmac]

They definitely are not OP. I don't like playing them at all, but happy to shoot them from behind or the sides. They don't scare me because they are so easy to out maneuver in almost anything.

I guess they make a good missile boat or fire support for the front line, maybe even a PPC sniper. But they suck as a brawler and that's how I see a lot of people trying to play them.

Edited by Jacmac, 18 December 2012 - 10:52 PM.

[Pr8Dator]

Jacmac, on 18 December 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

They definitely are not OP. I don't like playing them at all, but happy to shoot them from behind or the sides. They don't scare me because they are so easy to out maneuver in almost anything.

I guess they make a good missile boat or fire support for the front line, maybe even a PPC sniper. But they suck as a brawler and that's how I see a lot of people trying to play them.

That and once I see a Stalker boating LRM in the distance, I run up to it immediately... don't take long to close in on such small maps at 70+kph. They be forced to brawl even if they dun want to. Stalker pilots also don't seem to make Cataphracts preferred LRM targets so I always seem to be able to run up to them without taking any hits... LOL!

Edited by Pr8Dator, 18 December 2012 - 10:55 PM.

[TheMadTypist]

The -3F Trial I was running felt like a clanking, overheating deathtrap, but I've been feeling much better since I picked up the (much cooler running) -5M. I've been running it stock, but it's a pretty constant performer with decent firepower at all ranges, plus I've been getting to learn about using NARC. You know that the pod fires like a ballistic? I thought it was a guided munition at first and was all confused why it kept missing. Thinking about replacing the four mediums for two medium pulses, just for simplicity's sake, but I do like the range on the mediums. Also, -5M can mount a command console in the head. Useless now, but hey, it could be cool later.

Cockpit feels squashed, like I'm crammed in there. Reminds me of the Y-wing's cockpit from the X-Wing game back in the day, flat, boxy, and cramped. I've actually been using free look just to peek out my side ports! It certainly has character.

[Pr8Dator]

Mechwarrior Buddah, on 18 December 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:

Its a friggin bullet magnet.
People think theyre massively OP so theyre the first thing targetted

Its interesting being so feared lol

I pick on Stalkers not because i think they are OP but because it is fun to fight new mechs and they are soooooo weak in a brawl its unbelievable... maybe I hadnt met a good Stalker in the 7 Stalkers I've killed today.

[Khobai]

Quote

Oh... I also found that once I get to the side of a Stalker and stay there, not even to the rear, just the side, the Stalker cant seem to hit me at all... LOL!

Yep the weakness of the stalker is left to right motion range. The strength of the stalker is up and down motion range. stalkers can shoot more weapons up or down than any other mech.

For example, on the slope of the caldera in Caustic, you can position yourself above or below a mech with lots of torso mounted weapons like a D-DC brawler (UAC/5s and SRM6s) and it cant fire any of those torso mounted weapons at you and can only shoot you with its 2 arm lasers. But you can fire somewhere between 6-9 of your weapons at him depending on if your torso streaks are jammed or not (6 arm weapons + 3 torso mounted streaks).

[Karyudo ds]

Mechwarrior Buddah, on 18 December 2012 - 10:45 PM, said:

Ive run 5 srm6 and 5 med las and vaporized a few ppl with that. On Caustic too.
I was running around hunting other Stalkers in that mech it was fun lol

Yeah those SRMs are brutal when you can put them on target. I ran into one a minute ago with no CT armor and at LRM range and the thing still turned me into a fine mist in seconds. I think my team squished him afterward but I never stood much of a chance, even in fresh mechs those things make Streakcats feel like Streakkittens. Even without actual Streaks.

[Khobai]

I run 4 SRM6 and 1 SRM4 in order to fit an extra double heatsink. The SRM4 is firing out of the narc hole anyway so it doesnt make much difference in terms of how many missiles hit.

[Joe Mallad]

Stalkers are great damage dealers but no matter the engine you put in them, like an Atlas, they are slow. And they do not have the best heat efficacy either. If you can manage the heat and can handle moving slow... Than its a great mech. Also... The one handicap I see with all Stalkers is, their torso twist speed and range they can twist is even worse than an Atlas. The biggest thing I like is its cockpit view is GREAT! The cockpit may look small from the outside but man... From the inside, everything is very well laid out and you can see everything nicely.

Edited by Yoseful Mallad, 18 December 2012 - 11:07 PM.

[Shard Phoenix]

Pr8Dator, on 18 December 2012 - 10:54 PM, said:

That and once I see a Stalker boating LRM in the distance, I run up to it immediately... don't take long to close in on such small maps at 70+kph. They be forced to brawl even if they dun want to. Stalker pilots also don't seem to make Cataphracts preferred LRM targets so I always seem to be able to run up to them without taking any hits... LOL!

I've punched quite a few 'Phract pilots like you in the face today and made them fall over.

So what exactly is your point?
Maybe you've been running into new players running the trial Stalker. Ever thought of that? Apparently not.

[Khobai]

Quote

The one handicap I see with all Stalkers is, their torso twist speed and range they can twist is even worse than an Atlas.

their left and right is worse than an atlas, their up and down is way way better.

[Pr8Dator]

Shard Phoenix, on 18 December 2012 - 11:03 PM, said:

I've punched quite a few 'Phract pilots like you in the face today and made them fall over.

So what exactly is your point?
Maybe you've been running into new players running the trial Stalker. Ever thought of that? Apparently not.

Just pointing out some weaknesses in the Stalker from my combat encounters with them.

[Exhaust]

One of the guys I run with setup a 5M with 5 LRM 20s. The thing just pouring damage. However it had a standard 100 and he was maxing out at 19kph Dropped it to 4 lrm 20s with a bigger motor but that was still dropping awesomes with two volleys. The rest of us ran around with TAGs and laughed

[Kaboodle]

I run a 5s with 4xSRM6 and 6xMedLas, Usually firing the Med Las in 4(arms) and 2(torso) firing groups, The biggest thing is to NOT run an XL engine on them, because their side torsos are WAY underarmored. Also, canon-wise Heat management with a stalker is notoriously difficult, so that's ok that everyone is overheating. They're supposed to.

Edit: Also dual AMS helps survivability >.>

Edited by Kaboodle, 18 December 2012 - 11:27 PM.

[Lerzpftz]

I mastered the awesomes a while ago and was able to check the stalker out meanwhile. They are fine. Both. Awesome 9M is great for running a sniper putting long range damage and changing positions fast, capable to run away from atlas and stalkers. The stalker seems to be great for running right in and light things up close or fielding even more energy sniper thingies while loosing all that mobility and beeing pretty vulnerable to flanking enemies. Everything is good.

[River Walker]

I have seen a lot of them. I did not get one because I do not like the load-out on, its all so cant tern fast when a med or light Mech locks on to it.
The one thing I do know is its a tank and can take a hammering.
This Mech would be good team up with a brawler Mech to grad its side when holding a mining site I would think.

[Smeghead87]

Most of the stalkers I've seen carry more weapons than any other mech currently in the game. Couple that with the fact that they have the least amount of armour of the three assaults (unless customised) and the same slow assault class speed (again unless customised).

Why wouldn't I target that slow, lighter armoured, heavily armed weapons platform first?

A stalker that has filled all it's hardpoints to me looks like a glass cannon that needs shattering.

[Odins Fist]

Stalkers are pretty awful... I watch them freak out, then fire everything they have, then overheat, then I "CURBSTOMP" them into trash.
.
I bought one, ran one with every loadout possible, and found the same thing, heat is an issue if you don't want to run your average (4) energy, (2) missile loadout... Now you couple that with "ZERO" ballistic points, and you have a really awful assault mech, kind of like the Awesome, but tougher I guess, if you call an overheated stationary target tougher... LOL
.
(6) Energy hardpoints, and (4) missile hardpoints got people "WAY" too excited... I "KNEW" right from that get go that people were going to run "SUPER OVERHEAT" machines all day long, then complain that the "STALKER" sucks, but it really doesn't, it's how you load it out, but then it still kinda sucks... It's about as good as an awesome, a little tougher, that's it "PERIOD".
.
It's just going to end up the "NEW" missile boat, that's about all it's good for... Assault..?? LOL, ok....

[DirePhoenix]

I tried the trial Stalker 3F and wow that thing is slow. Not just slow to move, but slow to turn and torso twist.

Also, it's hard to call this thing a "Fatapult" when it looks like it's the same size. Maybe "Thickapult"? I actually mistook a couple of my teammates' Stalkers for Catapults from behind. I do like the cockpit view though.