17 replies to this topic

[Mazzyplz]

alright so for people who got a 9m, and were more than a little dissapointed of how you got really good range with the stock 9m but not a whole lot more, you're pretty much dead if they get close or if you meet a light mech...

this is an updated build of the 9M that can hold it's own at long range as well as short range (close quarter combat) and can keep light mechs at bay.



Weight Class: Assault (80 tons)

Engine: Standard 235 47.6 kph (52.3 kph)

Heat Sinks: 18 (9 double)

Jump Jets:0

Armor: h 18, ct 64, ctr 36, rt 47, rtr 21, lt 47, ltr 21, ra 52, la 52, rl 68, ll 68

Weapons: 1 ER PPC (right arm), 2 PPC (left/right torso), 2 med pulse laser (center torso), 1 medium laser (head), 1 srm 4+ artemis (left arm), anti missile system (right torso)

Ammo: 1 AMS, 1 SRM

Components: Double heat sinks, artemis

Modules: advanced zoom



in theory you could get a higher firepower rating by adding SRM to the torso, but if you get too close you will die so this is one of the best ways to set it up.
also speed trick unlock is kind of a necessity at this point.

Description:
for long range a single ER PPC.
for mid range you can shoot your combined PPCs and then the 2 med pulse lasers, followed by the med laser on the head.
if it's a heavy mech you're fighting use the artemis on the left arm to shoot 4 rockets at a time,
no tag so you need to arm aim it against lumbering assault mechs, but it does punch a good hole in the armor, ARTEMIS makes it more difficult for AMS to counter it and it's generally a better choice than 6 because how fast the weapon cycles.
you can cycle all your weapons close range just careful with the PPC related heat.
with only 1 ER PPC though, heat is not unmanageable. even though it does take some discipline
with your combined firepower you can even kill an atlas if you manage to get some good shots in before the close range confrontation. this build has a lot of firepower.
this build is slow but with the speed trick unlock does 51.6kph which is good enough not to get left behind or make tactical retreats (given you have a secure route and make your leave in time)

Playstyle:
you need to put the hurt on them right off the bat, if you don't hit them with your single ER PPC while they're still far you will regret it when you finally see their faces.
this mech is very weird, seems out of place in the assault category, you need to think of it as an attach helicopter in a tank game. you have a powerful stinger with this arsenal, but still can't fight out in the open. a very good sniper who can shake off a pursuing light mech and has a powerful arsenal for close combat.
if you need to hold out a position you can do that, make sure you strike them hard with all your guns and even assault mechs will have to retreat into hiding. something the stock 9M just couldn't do. not even the hunchback or centurion was overly impressed by the firepower of the stock 9M, but this version eats them for breakfast, they won't stay and fight after a few good hits.



there's a few situations where this mech shines:



long range: around 800 meters, your ER ppc strikes most players can't return fire

support: use heavier mechs for cover, i usually stand behind a stalker or atlas, shoot and hide

hold your ground: use your firepower to put the hurt on a single mech and they'll back down, unlike other awesome builds who can't stand on their own- but still don't forget to cover from other units

late game: sometimes the opposing team will have a very ammunition dependent build; in situations like that this mech is king, you can shoot almost your entire weapons platform without ever running out; managed to destroy 3 mechs that were running low on ammo at one point, one right after the other.



the weak points of this build:



armor: even though it has full armor, the awesome can't stack up to the other assault mechs armor, hit hard and hide.

weak against tag/lrm: since you're not the fastest you'll be a sitting duck if a light mech tags you, this situation is no good. still with the full awesome armor you can take up to 3 full 20lrm salvos before exploding.

slow: seems like i covered it before but still a valid point; your movement needs to be tactical.
to minimize damage, to keep your team between the enemy and yourself and to keep a regroup route open in case you're assuming the role of sniper.


ps.
Grouping: i recommend you group the 2 pulse lasers to fire together, somehow it just has an impact on damage outputs and comes as an advantage to managing the heat buildup, it gets a sweet spot, like so many other things about this build, they hit the spot where you're not too ill suited to any situation

Edited by Mazzyplz, 08 January 2013 - 12:05 PM.

[MadPanda]

I think you need to play this game a bit more before writing a guide. No offense.

[Mazzyplz]

how do you figure, i played this 9m for like 1.5 months with many different configs and this is the best i could come up with, even when browsing for builds on different forums;
it's not a guide to teach you how to play the game, just on this specific build of awesome, which dissapointed many ppl who saved their cbills for it, and i know that it is the case

i spent something over 6 mill just switching up stuff and buying things to test things out in the last few weeks, both in game and in the online mechlab sim.
if you want to read what i found you can, that's all i'm saying.


ps. some builds full of srm might deal more damage IF you survive. this is about dealing damage from a safe distance

Edited by Mazzyplz, 08 January 2013 - 12:15 PM.

[Ens]

way too hot
too slow

med pulse is far from being a "mid range" weapon

[Mazzyplz]

yeah i guess that is true.
noted, the ppcs do generate a lot of heat so it's quite a bit of heat management.

it is pretty much just as fast as the original 8q, 8t and 8r awesomes though. something to keep in mind.

thanks for feedback

[Sh4nk0h0l1c]

My dear friend,

1 Double Heatsink = 1.4 Standard Heatsink ( If placed anywhere on the chassis)
1 DHS = 2 SHS (only the Engineheatsinks & the ones you can place additionally IN your Engine!)

besides that, I run a similar build...



PS: before wasting cbills to experiment configs in the mechlab, visit this site: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

Edited by Sh4nk0h0l1c, 08 January 2013 - 12:32 PM.

[NRP]

I'm not that good at the game, so I am not one for providing advice or critique. Having said that, I have found that with an Awesome, speed is life. The AWS chassis is vulnerable in the CT area. The first upgrade for a 9M is an XL380 or XL385, which will give you 85+ kph (w/speed tweak). Build your weapons loadout and tactics around that.

[Sh4nk0h0l1c]

NRP, on 08 January 2013 - 12:33 PM, said:

I'm not that good at the game, so I am not one for providing advice or critique. Having said that, I have found that with an Awesome, speed is life. The AWS chassis is vulnerable in the CT area. The first upgrade for a 9M is an XL380 or XL385, which will give you 85+ kph (w/speed tweak). Build your weapons loadout and tactics around that.

makin your AWESOME even more vulnerable because of the low armored side tosos... Have to be VERY careful in an awesome when running an XL...

[NRP]

Side torso is not a problem at all due to the very large shield arms. All of my deaths are from CT core shots, so an XL engine isn't nearly as much of a liability as people would think. And going that fast makes you less vulnerable to being hit, not more.

I ground one of the normal Awesome (8T) to get elite unlocks for my 9M and 8R. I can tell you, a slow AWS with a STD engine dies much more frequently than my 9M with XL engine.

[Wun]

One ER PPC does not make a great sniper. If you are a sniper you should have at least 2.

5 different weapon groups is more than most people can handle. I would at least simplify and improve cooling by making all 3 torso lasers mediums. The arms having an ER PPC and SRM4 is kinda awkward for aiming, isnt it?

You may have killed 3 mechs out of ammo, but thats because you them burn their ammo killing your teammates while you hid behind. An actual good sniper could have taken out some of the enemy long range missile boats and short range brawlers before it came to that.

[Mazzyplz]

speed is not life for me. in particular when you have RAVEN builds with AC20, no matter how fast you go hit a few times in the back with it, you're history.
i also have an awesome with 4 lasers but it just tickles the enemy, the assaults might die of laughter when i hit them with those.

another thing someone said it's too hot and yeah that might be true but this build is just enough that your mech won't shut down in caustic valley at the edges of the crater, trust me i run this build it doesn't shut down in caustic valley if you shoot your ppcs one at a time. or do a tri strike and turn

i appreciate your opinion guys!

[Mazzyplz]

Wun, on 08 January 2013 - 12:51 PM, said:

One ER PPC does not make a great sniper. If you are a sniper you should have at least 2.

5 different weapon groups is more than most people can handle. I would at least simplify and improve cooling by making all 3 torso lasers mediums. The arms having an ER PPC and SRM4 is kinda awkward for aiming, isnt it?

You may have killed 3 mechs out of ammo, but thats because you them burn their ammo killing your teammates while you hid behind. An actual good sniper could have taken out some of the enemy long range missile boats and short range brawlers before it came to that.

you can kill a brawler with 3 er ppcs of the stock 9m?
sure, how many shots does it take? in fact that's one of the problems of the stock 9m when they close in on you you're defenseless.
if you try to use your ppcs you overheat :\
at least in my humble opinion sir


edit:
i mean the er ppc has only 300 meter advantage over the regular ppc. and the added heat didn't make it seem like a very sweet deal.
but i totally see what you mean now though; if you wanted to make this a more sniper based role you could use 2 er ppc and scrap the third one completely, good idea man, that's a valid point! - didn't ocurr to me

Edited by Mazzyplz, 08 January 2013 - 01:20 PM.

[NRP]

There is another reason to use ERPPCs instead of regular PPCs. The regular PPC has a minimum range of 90m, which makes it useless against anything closer than that. As far as I'm aware, the ERPPC doesn't have a minimum range, so it can be used at point blank range if necessary. I almost always use ERPPCs instead of regular PPCs.

[TruePoindexter]

NRP, on 08 January 2013 - 02:05 PM, said:

There is another reason to use ERPPCs instead of regular PPCs. The regular PPC has a minimum range of 90m, which makes it useless against anything closer than that. As far as I'm aware, the ERPPC doesn't have a minimum range, so it can be used at point blank range if necessary. I almost always use ERPPCs instead of regular PPCs.

The standard PPC is not useless within 90m - it deals reduced damage on a linear ramp like weapons deal from their optimal range to maximum range. With the OP's slow mech it would be difficult to use PPC's effectively at closer ranges but with a faster mech it is not an issue.

[OneEyed Jack]

Standard PPC isn't useless inside 90m, as the damage simply scales down, the same way as it does at ranges longer than 540m. Granted, it's not a good weapon for a knife fight, but that's not the same as useless.

[Wrenchfarm]

Hey OP, I think you are on the right track, but I have a few suggestions to make that build really work.

First of all, get a bigger engine. I like at least an XL350. Not only will it let you move faster (and speed is THE big advantage the Awesome has as an assault) but you can cram 4 extra heat sinks into it without filling up precious critical slots; which will be at at a premium with all the bulky weapons.

Second, ditch Artemis. I know it hurts to pay to downgrade, but Artemis does NOTHING for a 9M mounting a SRM in its left arm. The 9M is unique with its two-shot launcher and even SRM6s will come out tightly packed, but staggered, using it without Artemis. That should save you a bit more tonnage/slots.

Switch out the MPLAS for regular MLAS. You'll gain 2 tons back, get better range, and generate less heat.

Now with the bigger engine, you probably won't be able to slot in your entire weapons compliment. Ways to get a few more tons back and see what you can do would include shaving armour from your legs (not something I love to do, but it is pretty uncommon for even a guy like me who loves to target legs to pick at an Awesome's stems; that big chest is too tempting not to shoot) and you could drop your ERPPC down to an ERLLAS. It would let you snipe for 2 tons less and less heat.

In the end, you need to play what works for you. If your build has been giving you good results and you enjoy it, stick with it (but lose Artemis). But I would give serious thought to at least upgrading your speed.

[Grimlox]

I was thinking of trying something more like this:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ed918daae143e90

XL 380 engine, 4LLas, SSRM2 (1 ton ammo) or SRM4 (1 ton), 480 Armour, 21 DHS.

84.6km/h with speed tweak. You could swap the streak for an srm4 if you like with a tiny bit less leg armour. Pretty decent heat efficiency, not as much burst as PPC's, but you almost need to be at a stop or on steady terrain to snipe with PPC's anyways so they seem counterintuitive to the speed of the 9M. Large lasers seem to accent it better.

If you really love PPC's then maybe this build:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...93cad4e709f9159

Switch to ER PPC's actually since you will primarily be uses the mpl's and streaks on in close targets anyways if you like.

Edited by Grimlox, 08 January 2013 - 03:05 PM.

[NRP]

I currently run 2 ERPPCs (RA/RT), MLs, and 3 SRM4s in my 9M. I really like PPCs (high dmg, fast projectile speed, infinite ammo), and the RA/RT arrangement lets me "peek snipe" by only exposing a small part of my large CT. I have also gotten pretty good at hitting targets on the run. I can usually inflict quite a bit of damage from long range then make a high speed pass to finish them with the SRM4s and MLs. I've tried other configs, but I keep coming back to this one.