209 replies to this topic

[CoolLew]

Taizan, on 01 January 2013 - 05:11 PM, said:

Yeah well - "dug through the search" and found several people saying that is how it works, unfortunately no official affirmation.

yeah, it seems like players just speculating
maybe I should stick with LPL for right now

[Kaijin]

Soy, on 01 January 2013 - 04:37 PM, said:

Thoughts -

600m max range on LPL is nothing to sniff at

At 600m, the LPL is doing zero damage. It does 10 damage at 300m and below. The damage drops off above that. At 450m it's doing 5 damage for 10 heat. Does that seem like a good exchange?

[Pr8Dator]

Kaijin, on 01 January 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:

At 600m, the LPL is doing zero damage. It does 10 damage at 300m and below. The damage drops off above that. At 450m it's doing 5 damage for 10 heat. Does that seem like a good exchange?

Indeed, LPL is a close combat weapon and definitely not a worthy contender for long range weapon of choice.

Basically, I think the choice of which weapon is better really boils down to the number of energy hardpoints a mech has. The more energy hardpoints, the better are lighter weapons such as medium lasers. The lesser energy hardpoints, the better are heavier weapons.

[Willie Sauerland]

I love my PPCs and ERPPCs... You have to be disciplined to use them, but they pack a punch. I particularly like to destroy lights with mine because they believe it is not possible for some reason. However, you have to be careful if you boat the PPC given its minimum range.

6 PPC Stalker = 60 points of pinpoint hurt.

[Davers]

Some people think that any weapon you can't just hold down the fire button with is a bad weapon. Regular PPCs seem to be pretty good, if you are a good shot. ERPPCs and LPL are next to be looked at, and will probably get some heat decreases which will make them better. LPL really need them, and probably a decrease in burn time as well. I know it's not true, but it really feels like LPL firing time is longer than LL. Probably because of the sound effect.

[Pr8Dator]

Oh yes, LPL and ERPPC are going to get some heat decrease in the coming patch as mentioned by one of the Dev posts. That will make them extremely attractive (and make my triple LPL Fang attractive of cos) even if its just a single point heat decrease.

[GalaxyBluestar]

only trouble i've had with erppcs is the fire and hit detection, i've seen some weird shots from fellow players and myself with convergence that defies logic shots that go through targets that may or maynot do damage and other bugs. the heat is no problem as it's prototypical of IS technology. i still stick with lasers though cause a streamer flashing across the screen like a dud lrm round or the prefect shot suddenly turns to a streamer appearing above your head and landing 100m behind the target. it's too frustrating when it's a snipers weapon. they can lay on the pain when they don't glitch.

Edited by GalaxyBluestar, 01 January 2013 - 06:51 PM.

[BerryChunks]

Davers, on 01 January 2013 - 06:10 PM, said:

Some people think that any weapon you can't just hold down the fire button with is a bad weapon. Regular PPCs seem to be pretty good, if you are a good shot. ERPPCs and LPL are next to be looked at, and will probably get some heat decreases which will make them better. LPL really need them, and probably a decrease in burn time as well. I know it's not true, but it really feels like LPL firing time is longer than LL. Probably because of the sound effect.

No no no.

Heat build up and dissipation ITSELF needs to be looked at, because stock variants CANNOT run competitively. Once that has been dealt with, if ERLL and ERPPC still have issues, then we should try to modify them.

[Davers]

BerryChunks, on 01 January 2013 - 08:16 PM, said:

No no no.

Heat build up and dissipation ITSELF needs to be looked at, because stock variants CANNOT run competitively. Once that has been dealt with, if ERLL and ERPPC still have issues, then we should try to modify them.

Somehow i doubt that the Devs are going to completely scrap the current system to implement another. That leaves us with trying to modify things in the existing system. Everyone waiting for the Devs to start over with a new system are in for a long wait.

[Buckminster]

I'll take an ERPPC (or PPC if heat is an issue) over a laser any day, but that is due to the fact that I'm terrible at keeping my sights on target. It's much more instinctive for me to lead a target and take the shot than it is for me to try and keep sight.

I also prefer that the PPC/ERPPC's damage is concentrated on a single spot, as opposed to lasers which are prone to sweeping over several parts of the target. My twin PPC Raven 3L has them both in the same arm, so they are always putting 20 points of damage at the exact same spot, every time.

[Sug]

Kaijin, on 01 January 2013 - 03:30 PM, said:

3 crits PPC full damage range 540 minimum 90m (one or more of the Devs like Gauss Rifles better) 10 heat

Or that's just how they've been since 1985....

[GalaxyBluestar]

yeah you have to boat ppc's to get the gauss effect, it's heat and infinite ammo vs larger gun and ammo.

[Davers]

Unfortunately unlimited ammo only becomes a benefit if the games last long. High heat is a much bigger disadvantage if the game only lasts 6 minutes.

[Talrich]

Allekai, on 01 January 2013 - 04:41 PM, said:

PPC's are pretty useless atm..

My experience differs. Great range, huge damage at once, and no running out of ammo? Sure, you have to avoid close up fights, or shooting so much that you overhead, but my PPC builds often do fine on the scoreboard for kills and damage, especially in long games.

It did take some experimentation before I figured it out, but once I did, I'm happy with PPCs as is. If you can't get a PPC build to work initially, I suggest experimenting with chain fire before you give up on it and go back to lasers.

I could not, however, get ER PPCs to work since they're so hot, but the normal PPCs work wonders if your gameplay compensates for their limitations.

Best,

[Kaijin]

Sug, on 01 January 2013 - 08:56 PM, said:

Or that's just how they've been since 1985....

Gauss Rifles have a minimum range too, which is not reflected in MWO. AC/2 and AC/5 as well. Only PPCs and LRMs have a minimum range in MWO. I realize it didn't make sense to the Devs to have minimum ranges on ballistics - Can you show me where BattleTech eliminates them?

[Soy]

Kaijin, on 01 January 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:

At 600m, the LPL is doing zero damage. It does 10 damage at 300m and below. The damage drops off above that. At 450m it's doing 5 damage for 10 heat. Does that seem like a good exchange?

Obviously not? I said 600m max range is nothing to sniff at, I didn't say "use LPLs at the edge of medium range FTW!!! OMGZ"

Point is LPL still retains a bit of medium range capability that its pulse brethren clearly lack. The 300m max for full damage gives it great synergy with MLs or streaks IMO.

[xxx WreckinBallRaj xxx]

CoolLew, on 01 January 2013 - 03:24 PM, said:

did I read it right... does the PPC have a min range but the ER PPC does not?

Also, I see that the PPC and the Large Pulse Laser both have the same damage and heat, so what makes one better than the other? Which do y'all prefer?

thanks for any answers

ER PPC actually hits harder than the regular if you are beyond 540m. You are not taking into account damage decay past optimum range. Regular PPC is only 100% to 540m. ER PPC is 100% up to 810. This translates into a higher damage beyond 540m and an even bigger gap at longer ranges. The trade off for this superior long range damage is higher heat.

Regarding minimum range, yes, PPC has one at 80m, ER PPC does not. This means you also decay on it if you are too close to the enemy as well. The PPC is the only weapon that minimum range decays like this.(LRM deadzone is not the same thing)

[Buck Cake]

I love it when the opponent brings LPL or ER PPC to a fight.

[Kaijin]

Buck Cake, on 02 January 2013 - 12:54 AM, said:

I love it when the opponent brings LPL or ER PPC to a fight.

I love it that you love it. I do very well with 2 ER PPCs, 2 ML, & 2 SRM4s on my Cat C1.

[Windsaw]

I tried LPLs several times and really tried to like it. But there was always a better alternative.

But I think I have finally found a way to put it to good use in an fast Centurion.
The engine takes so many tons that I can't effectively an AC.
So I invested an two streaks or SRMs on the torso and energy weapons on the CT.
Usually I would use two medium pulse lasers, but I didn't want it to be a short range expert.
A PPC wouldn't fit into the CT because of criticals.
But the LPL does and I've had goot successes with it so far.