62 replies to this topic

[AntiCitizenJuan]

Just Wondering. Garth.

[Team Leader]

Yes.

[Trauglodyte]

I didn't vote as I've only driven the trial versions of both. I will comment, though, with this little tidbit of perception: In a game where roles are unnecessary and undevided and range and speed/menuverability is a misnomer, the mech with the most hard points will always win. While it is advantageous of the Awesome with its faster speed, turning radius, and use of arms to creating wider firing arcs, each variant still only has and can only utilize 7 hard points where as the Stalker has three additional with which to use. Using terrain properly reduces the hinderance of speed and turning radius/speed to the point where the Stalker clearly comes out on top.

Should maps ever get to the point where stretching lines and quickly advances, this will change. Until then, he who has the most gun wins.

[RiceyFighter]

Stalker just have an array of better hardpoints and smaller profile.

[Vapor Trail]

Stalker 'out-Awesomes' the Awesome being a better PPC boat... but I guess it's ok, cause the Awesome out-Stalkers the Stalker being a better "all range" mech.

[Joseph Mallan]

I have thought this since I read the 3025 back in 1986!

[Trauglodyte]

I hate to say it but the Awesome just helps bad players shoot it. The Stalker isn't hard to hit but if you suck at targetting, you'll be better shooting and Awesome. Though, it is just as easy to hit as an Atlas.

[StalaggtIKE]

No. The Stlaker 5M is great, however, the limited torso twist of other chassis, greatly hinders them. So the rest of the Stalkers are limited to long range, while all Awesome chassis are versatile at multiple ranges. The Awesome's biggest weakness is his wide and profile, however, he has a pretty thin side profile and a nice wide cockpit view. Take advantage of this and charge into battle with torso twisted to the side. Use free look to look forward so you can see where you're heading. The wide torso comes in handy for firing concentrated SRM, when in close.

Edited by StalaggtIKE, 24 January 2013 - 07:36 PM.

[Solis Obscuri]

The Awesome isn't as bad as many people say it is, but I've found the Stalker to be equal or superior in just about every regard.

Stalker vs. Awesome
Speed: Same
Maneuverability: Same
Armor: Better
Carrying Capacity: Better
Hardpoints: Much Better
Target Profile: Better head on, Worse from sides.

Also, comparing with the Atlas:

Atlas vs. Awesome:
Speed: Same
Maneuverability: Same
Armor: Much Better
Carrying Capacity: Much Better
Hardpoints: Better
Target Profile: Same

The only bright spot for the Awesome is it's superior torso-twist angle over both Stalker and Atlas, and it's arm swing. But these are both negated to a large degree by crummy hardpoint selection, in particular crummy arm hardpoint selection (except the 8T and 9M), and the fact that your FoV in the Awesome doesn't extend as far to the side as the arm reticule can track, meaning you're crossing your fingers past a certain point.

I put up a few ideas in a suggestion thread here if anyone's interested in discussing them.

[Cerlin]

Vastly. Stalker that is.

[stemnin]

I own 5 Awesomes (3 mastered) and 1 STK-3F. The 3F is superior, but so boring. Can't pilot my (F)Atlas either, just want to sleep in the thing.

The only things I pilot:

Edited by stemnin, 25 January 2013 - 09:02 AM.

[DrVulcan]

Awesome is for speed and maneuverability you can easily make builds that can twist well, and go mid 70s to mid 80s, which can destroy lights and mediums. Stalkers can not easily be built out to take on lights and mediums.
Stalker vs awesome the stalker will win, however I feel that the true place for the awesome is making a light/medium mech hunter with its speed and twist, especially the 'fast' awesome.
So no, not worse, just different job IMO.

[GalaxyBluestar]

awesomes are for skilled mech pilots you have to work them to get the most out of them, they are terriffic harassers but by the same token this wobbly barn is the victim of focus fire far easier than a stalker. the main problem is the front profile is the attacking profile you don not have much effect attacking things side on so you won't be utilising the thin sides unless you chose to disengadge or you're happy using the arm weapons in attacks which as i said takes some skill to line up on the run.

both mechs can lay on the punishment however stalkers are easier to use than awesomes by far. an awesome pilot needs extra awearness and extra piloting skills to compensate for trying to be a brawler medium but twice as fat and easier to hit without the armor benifits of the assaults and not quiet having the strike speed of mediums. heavies stand toe to toe easily against it and it's outclassed by other assaults. that's what you get being the baby assault only five tons lower to be classified as a heavy and it should be treated as such.

Edited by GalaxyBluestar, 24 January 2013 - 07:56 PM.

[Solis Obscuri]

Trauglodyte, on 24 January 2013 - 07:14 PM, said:

I didn't vote as I've only driven the trial versions of both. I will comment, though, with this little tidbit of perception: In a game where roles are unnecessary and undevided and range and speed/menuverability is a misnomer, the mech with the most hard points will always win. While it is advantageous of the Awesome with its faster speed, turning radius, and use of arms to creating wider firing arcs, each variant still only has and can only utilize 7 hard points where as the Stalker has three additional with which to use. Using terrain properly reduces the hinderance of speed and turning radius/speed to the point where the Stalker clearly comes out on top.

I disagree.

Hardpoints do matter, but so do other attributes like max speed, torso/arm traverse, armor and weapon tonnage available, and target size. And these are all limited by chassis/variant.

Only one Awesome variant, the 9M, has better speed than a Stalker, or more than 7 hardpoints (9). And really, head hardpoints can't mount anything much besides a TAG or Medium Laser... so 4/5 Awesome variants are really operating on just 6 hardpoints that they can use flexibly, while most Stalker variants have 10 (and the other two have at least 8). This puts the Awesome on similar footing to a Catapult in terms of hardpoint number and type, but with a bigger profile and slower top speed. Additionally, large energy weapons aren't terribly worthwhile currently, which makes the weight advantage of Awesome vs. Catapult a bit nebulous for anything large missile weapons, and large racks of LRMs are.. .well, situationally useful at best right now. And even then, with its fat front profile and mediocre armor (it always seems like much less than 15 tons), the Awesome isn't as good at directly spotting as either a Stalker or Atlas D-DC.

I can look at the Stalker and the Atlas, or the Hunchback and the Centurion and the Dragon and the Catapult and the Cataphract, and say, well, there are pros and cons to each choice, but the Awesome compares poorly to all of them in almost any scenario.

[IceCase88]

I have owned both. I sold my Awesome because it was anything but its namesake. Stalker is far superior to the Awesome. The Stalker has more hardpoints, lower profile, and better armor. The only thing the Stalker doesn't have is speed like the 9M.

[Mathmatics]

Solis Obscuri, on 24 January 2013 - 08:22 PM, said:

I disagree.

Hardpoints do matter, but so do other attributes like max speed, torso/arm traverse, armor and weapon tonnage available, and target size. And these are all limited by chassis/variant.

Only one Awesome variant, the 9M, has better speed than a Stalker, or more than 7 hardpoints (9). And really, head hardpoints can't mount anything much besides a TAG or Medium Laser... so 4/5 Awesome variants are really operating on just 6 hardpoints that they can use flexibly, while most Stalker variants have 10 (and the other two have at least 8). This puts the Awesome on similar footing to a Catapult in terms of hardpoint number and type, but with a bigger profile and slower top speed. Additionally, large energy weapons aren't terribly worthwhile currently, which makes the weight advantage of Awesome vs. Catapult a bit nebulous for anything large missile weapons, and large racks of LRMs are.. .well, situationally useful at best right now. And even then, with its fat front profile and mediocre armor (it always seems like much less than 15 tons), the Awesome isn't as good at directly spotting as either a Stalker or Atlas D-DC.

I can look at the Stalker and the Atlas, or the Hunchback and the Centurion and the Dragon and the Catapult and the Cataphract, and say, well, there are pros and cons to each choice, but the Awesome compares poorly to all of them in almost any scenario.

The last paragraph really is a thread killer. I could not agree more. Like ice I also sold all my awesomes (after mastering them) its the only chasis I have sold off completly.

[BerryChunks]

The hardpoints are reasonable on the awesome. They are massable spam on the stalker. Money is on the stalker.

[Antony Weiner]

Stalker is absolutely superior to any 8x Awesome. 9M Awesome has speed going for it, but still gets massacred by any other assault in a 1v1 brawl.

Edited by Antony Weiner, 24 January 2013 - 08:47 PM.

[Cataphract]

The Awesome is a much better alpha missile boat than either the Atlas or Stalker will ever be. The Awesome isnt really worse than the Stalker at PPC boating, they are much the same in that respect. Same goes for LL. I see Stalkers die regularly much faster than Awesomes. The only thing the Stlaker pulls of really well is a high alpha pontential and thats not much of a benefit when it has the worste heat efficiency of any mech currently out when using all of its hardpoints. If equally skilled good pilots were put into both a Stalker and Awesome I'd put my money on the Awesome. More often than not any good pilot could flank a Stalker and exploit the huge torso hitboxes of that thing. Also if you leg a Stalker its in a far worse spot than an Awesome and lately I've been finding a lot of Stalker pilots stripping off leg armor, tsk tsk. To each his own though. Just because a mech is found better by some doesnt mean the next joe shmoe will do any good in it. I've fought against an equal mix of good and poor performing Stalker and Awesome pilots and neither chassis seems to really shine over the other.

[Antony Weiner]

Cataphract, on 24 January 2013 - 08:59 PM, said:

The Awesome is a much better alpha missile boat than either the Atlas or Stalker will ever be. The Awesome isnt really worse than the Stalker at PPC boating, they are much the same in that respect. Same goes for LL. I see Stalkers die regularly much faster than Awesomes. The only thing the Stlaker pulls of really well is a high alpha pontential and thats not much of a benefit when it has the worste heat efficiency of any mech currently out when using all of its hardpoints. If equally skilled good pilots were put into both a Stalker and Awesome I'd put my money on the Awesome. More often than not any good pilot could flank a Stalker and exploit the huge torso hitboxes of that thing. Also if you leg a Stalker its in a far worse spot than an Awesome and lately I've been finding a lot of Stalker pilots stripping off leg armor, tsk tsk. To each his own though. Just because a mech is found better by some doesnt mean the next joe shmoe will do any good in it. I've fought against an equal mix of good and poor performing Stalker and Awesome pilots and neither chassis seems to really shine over the other.

lol, almost every assessment that you've made about the Stalker vs Awesome balance is wrong, imo.

Edited by Antony Weiner, 24 January 2013 - 09:03 PM.