78 replies to this topic

[Carrioncrows]

I know that Pulse lasers are expected to get a slight revamp in that they will possibly inflict less heat, but even with that I've got to ask.

Do you prefer pulse lasers?

For me I can't stand them and I've finally been able to pin down exactly what I don't like about them.

It's the Range.

With Pulse lasers as opposed to Regular lasers that Range ends up getting me into trouble more so than anything else.

For instance with Medium Lasers I am content to sit back and snipe people out to the full maximum range, letting them have it at 400+ without giving it a second thought.

With Pulse Lasers I feel compelled to try get within their effective range to use them. I mean after all I paid the extra ton and suffer the additional heat I might as well try and maximize my damage.

But Pulse Lasers are like a mean trick, the last place I want to have a high heat generating weapon is in a CQC Knife fight. Even with 16 DHS to run 4 Medium Pulse lasers I just Burn up.

Even if I have the extra tonnage and heat to spare I find myself avoiding Pulse lasers like the plague.

Your Thoughts?

[Ivanzypher]

I voted regular, although I still really like medium pulses. I use them on a few mechs, and love the little buggers. When you have a bit of tonnage to spare, but no hardpoints left, they are a nice upgrade. If your mech can handle the extra heat that is. Also great for killing pesky lagshielders. Haven't really used the other varieties enough to say.

[EvilCow]

Too many drawbacks for a very small advantage.

[StraferX]

Pulse because they are Bad ***, They may generate more heat but they sound so killer and when the enemy sees them I smell there fear. At least in my little world they do. See I play for fun, K/D means not so much as long as I am having fun. As for the heat aspect, if I focus my fire and stay calm and stop pulling the trigger just because I can things stay under control.

[atgmelv]

I'm such a bad shot - it's hard for me to keep the reticule on target for the full duration (or half duration) of a regular laser. So the benefit to me is so great that I willingly suffer the additional heat/weight penalty.

[Pihb]

Depends on what I am using them for. To me, comparing a medium pulse laser to a regular medium laser is like comparing an AK-47 to a M-16. They were made for two different situations. Now when it comes to large lasers, regular is almost always superior to pulse (if you can come up when pulse are better than regular, holla i want to know) and the dev's know that. Basically if you have 2 slots and 4 tons just hanging around, pulse is better. If you want to boat lasers, regular is generally better. This rational is built around my play style and i think that is what counts more here, it's all about your play style.

[Mel Mad Dog Winters]

I didn't vote because I'm not sure what to say.

I do like them. I like the way they feel. The sound when they fire (at least for the large) is cool. However, the extra heat, weight, and the shortened range are big deterents.

When I've had the extra tons—not only for the upgrade, but also for the extra heatsinks—I'd upgrade some of my lasers for some extra close range fun. I'd normally be very reluctant to go with nothing but pulse lasers, though.

I'd feel more comfortable switching a few of my lasers out for pulse ones if I had run out of energy hard points but still had more tons available to work with.

[Gantry]

I've found that pulse lasers really help me get more damage on fast lights because I need less time on target. I typically run MPLS rather than LPLS though. If I'm fitting large lasers, it's usually large lasers and not pulses.

[Ghogiel]

The only pulse that is actually usable is mediums.

You can't use smalls and not feel derped as med lasers make them all but obsolete.

And large pulse, no way. They can do 1 more damage than regular large lasers, weight 7 tons and nearly what 30% more heat? 1 extra damage man

[Taemien]

Cannot vote for either one.

Pulse shine on faster mechs where the ride isn't as stable so training a shot on someone longer isn't as good. Regular lasers are great on the slower mechs as they have a more stable firing platform and have the range to reach out and touch the targets when the speed can't quite get them there.

My advice to players not knowing which to use:

1. Don't listen to players quoting math. They are inexperienced and rely on numbers rather than personal experience to see if a weapon works in a situation.
2. Use pulse lasers when you have a mech that can close the gap. This same mech will be able to retreat behind cover when the heat gets a little high.
3. Use regular lasers when your mech is a little slower, can fire more often and will be able to aim and keep on target for the entire beam duration.

[Monsoon]

My preference depends on the role: Range vs Damage with a consideration on Heat Efficiency.

[Ravennus]

Taemien, on 19 January 2013 - 03:25 PM, said:

Cannot vote for either one.

Pulse shine on faster mechs where the ride isn't as stable so training a shot on someone longer isn't as good. Regular lasers are great on the slower mechs as they have a more stable firing platform and have the range to reach out and touch the targets when the speed can't quite get them there.

My advice to players not knowing which to use:

1. Don't listen to players quoting math. They are inexperienced and rely on numbers rather than personal experience to see if a weapon works in a situation.
2. Use pulse lasers when you have a mech that can close the gap. This same mech will be able to retreat behind cover when the heat gets a little high.
3. Use regular lasers when your mech is a little slower, can fire more often and will be able to aim and keep on target for the entire beam duration.

Best response I've seen!

When I first started playing, and looked at the numbers.... I thought "who the hell would EVER take a Pulse Laser over a normal one??". The math just didn't add up, and I was approaching it from a Tabletop perspective where you can easily metagame the numbers and succeed in practice.


However, after playing for a while I started to experiment with pulse lasers.
Mind you, I've only really used Medium Pulse Lasers.... but for my Raven, the switch from 3 MLAS to 2 MPLAS was night and day.
Personally my damage and kills were a lot higher on the pulse laser because I was better able to keep the damage on target at high speeds. It also made me more effective against other lights.
As a bonus, I put TAG in my side torso energy slot which improved the streaks, helped the LRM boats on my team, and also netted me some nice extra cbills and xp at the end of the match. Win win.

It took a little while to get used to them, but it was worth it for me.


I don't have much experience with SPLAS or LPLAS though. I think that is a rougher comparison.
Small Laser are already amazing, and do their damage in a shorter time span like medium pulse lasers. Doubling their weight and increasing heat for slightly shorter beam duration but no extra damage seems like a waste. But again, I don't have any experience in that realm.

Same idea with Large Pulse Lasers. In theory, why spend 7 tons and 10 heat on a LPLAS, when I can just upgrade to a PPC which does the same damage at longer range and doesn't distribute the damage?
Still, the hitscan nature of a LPLAS can't be denied... and PPC "ballistics" are still very wonky.


I'm sure once they tweak pulse laser a bit further, they will be in a very nice sweet spot.
It should still depend on your build, however. There should be advantage to both, for sure.

[Red squirrel]

depends.....

mostly continous lasers are superior but sometimes pulse lasers can bring a benefit.

[Tolkien]

Just to play devil's advocate I actually prefer carrying regular medium lasers on my Raven than pulse lasers - same on my cicada. Even though it's a fast platform I usually don't have trouble holding the beam on target while I pass.

Fast or otherwise I just prefer the way standard lasers handle, and also don't trust the balance of the pulses.

With small pulses you have to get so close it's not funny, while medium pulses don't seem to have the extra kick that justifies their extra tonnage and heat - even more so for large pulse lasers.

On tabletop the extra heat and limited range are balanced off by a +2 to hit (which on 2d6 rolls is huge!) making them very effective against faster mechs. The short fire cycle doesn't seem to quite close the gap. I am not sure if they are better on paper or not, but subjectively I just don't like the way they handle.

Edited by Tolkien, 19 January 2013 - 03:52 PM.

[The Cheese]

Depends on the purpose of the build.

[Harmatia]

Normally no. Pulse lasers generate too much heat and weigh more than their regular counterparts to make that sacrifice worth the benefits pulse lasers might provide. If I can afford the space in one of my Hunchback's I will mount a medium pulse on the head in the event my arms/shoulders are blown off. One medium pulse laser isn't going to overheat my mech if it is the only thing left.

[Taurick]

I use pulse almost exclusively
MPL is much better than LPL, but I'm happy using either.
MPL and SRM is such a winning combo on any mech

[Ghogiel]

Ravennus, on 19 January 2013 - 03:39 PM, said:

I don't have much experience with SPLAS or LPLAS though.

Go use them and then you will know why you rarely ever see them.

[ConnorSinclair]

Pulses only work in very very very very very

VERY special circumstances and even then you'd never slap an Lpulse on, the heat and DPS is unviable, especially when lasers do practically the same thing with lower heat and fire just as often.

[De La Fresniere]

I don't like Pulse Lasers.

They do more damage per shot... but they do a lot less damage per heat, and that alone makes them roughly equal to regular lasers. Then you have to factor in that they weigh a *lot* more and have 33.3% less range, and that makes them seriously inferior.

And that's with Mediums, the only Pulse lasers that have a (niche) role... Small and Large Pulse lasers are genuinely terrible.

It's OK to use an LPL if you think the noise is cool or whatever (it's a game, after all), but don't even try to argue about their strength. Compared to double Mediums or single Larges, they're really really really really *really* awful.