Well, here it is, the long awaited Orion, and I feel like writing a couple of words about it, since it's been so anticipated for several long months.
Ironically, the "poor man's Atlas" turned out to be plagued by poor man's problems. It's nobody's fault, of course; it's just an unfortunate combination of several factors that makes this mech suffer. These include:
- ballistic slots in side torso;
- too few ballistic slots;
- humanoid form;
- missile slots in arms;
- bulky composition;
Let's take a closer look;
So,
ballistic slots in side torso, why is this bad? Well, first, your torso restricts your firing arc, so in terms of aiming flexibility torso ballistics are at a severe disadvantage compared to ballistics in hands. Second, their positioning is fairly low, well below the cockpit, and that makes it very easy to soil shots without knowing prior to shooting if you will soil them or not. Third, it means space limitations, since XL engine and large ballistics become mutually exclusive. All of this is not so much of a problem on a tall and well armored Atlas, but it is a problem for a stumpy Orion, and it's getting worse when you realize that you have...
Too few ballistic slots. Of 5 Orion variants, only 2 (one of which is the hero Protector) have 2 ballistic hardpoints. The rest have just one. This aggravates the problem number 1 with another simple fact: there isn't much you can do with just one ballistic slot in a side-torso. An AC20 is a viable option, but it means a standard engine, and while you can put an AC20 and a standard engine and still have enough tonnage to buy a house on it in case of an Atlas, repeating that with Orion will leave you with a loadout that looks more like something you'd see on a Blackjack (plus BJ would give you jumpjets and some respectable speed).
Gauss is even less of an option, since the new Gauss mechanics make it really crave for a flexibility of an arm mount, not to mention that if you want to carry something aside from that Gauss, you're gonna want an XL engine, and an explosive Gauss rifle in the same side torso with an XL engine means you're gonna be very very easy to kill. The rest of ballistics are just too weak when single. AC10s are fun in pairs but a single one won't cut much and will be pretty useless for its weight. Same is true for LB-10X. An AC5 will be even more useless, although pairs of AC5 are gonna be the salvation of the Protector and ON1-V, thanks to their dual hardpoints. I won't even mention a single AC2. Or the machinegun. Yeah, go ahead and slap a machinegun into that ballistic h-point. That's gonna be fun.
Well, then, why is a
humanoid form bad? Easy. Humanoid form means brawling. It means dealing damage while taking damage, because your weapons aren't placed optimally for firing over obstacles, unlike Jagers and Cats. Humanoid form is ok on an Alpha Male mech like Victor, which enjoys a convenient placement of hardpoints coupled with jumpjets, which are crucial for your survival in a direct engagement with other mechs. But with lackluster ballistics and without jumpjets, humanoid form simply means you're not gonna be able to deal damage without taking a lot of it in return.
Missile slots in arms is a secondary problem, but it is a problem. First, it misleads you into believing that you can just put SRMs in there and go have fun. Problem is: if you managed to get your Orion into a range where you can actually use your SRM hands, then either you're gonna die very soon, or your team is winning anyway. A jumpjetless 75-tonner has neither speed nor maneuverability to effectively deliver SRMs. Not to mention that losing an arm on such a mech means losing a whole lot of firepower, and Orions have bulky and too-easy-to-blow-off arms...
Finally, Orion's
bulky composition is the icing on the cake of its downfall. Unlike many of its more slender brethren, Orion is just too easy to shoot. It's just a straightforward block with legs and hands, and your enemy will never get confused trying to figure out which part of your Orion to target. They'll just shoot center of mass, which is easy to train onto because of its straightforward geometry, and soon you're gonna feel that maybe your CT is too big or something. No, trust me. It's very unlikely that PGI is at fault for your Orion being squishy. It's just that it can't fight from behind cover, and it's too easy to put shells and beams into when it's exposed.
Also, you could probably count among pluses the Orion's ability to mount large engines, and therefore be fast, but speed is a bit of a double edged-sword when it comes to really heavy mechs, mostly because of decceleration. Going at 90~ish KPH in a 75-tonner is sure fun, but you better know really well where you're going, because if you happen in someone's field of fire at that speed, the time it will take you to reverse your course will be ample for your enemy to severely damage or kill you.
These problems are so grave because ballistic hardpoints are supposed to dominate your build. Ballistics are heavy and highly efficient weapons, and having them being so restricted by hardpoints effectively kills your options. Add to that a brawler's physique, lack of JJs, large arms and an easy to perceive and target appearance, and you get a mech that looks promising in mechlab, but will underperform when clashing with reality of accurately simulated combat environment of MWO (as opposed to a fairly abstract environment of tabletop BT).
Resume: if you're a collector, like me, then you're gonna be buying these anyway. And damn, do they look good with custom paintjobs. Both Buccaneer and Phranken look fantastic on them, so much that it's a shame they won't live up to their badass looks in the field. If, on the other hand, you're just looking for a practical mech, then both Cataphracts and Victors will offer you a considerably more comfortable combat experience than Kerensky's unlucky steed. This just ain't the mech you're looking for. Move along...
12
Anjian, on 09 September 2013 - 08:39 AM, said:
This topic is locked
