167 replies to this topic

[StandingCow]

Anyone that voted yes doesn't know how to play an assault properly.

[Bad Alchemy]

ATLAS is a fine mech. It has a nice array of hardpoints and nice armour, but like all mechs there are tactics to piloting and defeating one. Its still the only mech I have managed to get 7 kills in one match with (pre stalker). Don't forget the game balancing needed to keep the game fun; we have double armour so an ATLAS cant one shot alpha strike (well not every time).

Biggest problem with an ATLAS is its size, as its arms are chest weapons are mounted high and wide, making using cover and fighting on slopes a real pain. This is intended. Dont change it.

[bug3at3r]

If I were to make a mech tier list, the DDC would be damn near the top.

I take that back, after watching 3L's get rocked by AC20's the last couple days, I'd put it at the top.

[Inappropriate1191]

It's because there's a real trick to playing an atlas right. Most newbs are seduced by the raw power that the atlas presents, only to find themselves slagged in 5 seconds because they make the stupid mistake of going off without their team because it has this way of making you think you're untouchable and unstoppable (Hell, even veteran, dedicated atlas pilots like myself still do it. Especially when you have ECM, that piece of gear needs to be nerfed so I quit getting the subconscious mindset of thinking I'm invincible). Plus, let's face it, an atlas played right can damn near be unstoppable. Especially a DDC.

The atlas does have some startling disadvantages, though. Aside from its size and speed, there's also its hardpoints. It has a low number of hardpoints and a pretty weak setup for a 100 ton. The trick is to work your heatsink and engine loadouts so that you can put the biggest guns possible in it, then you use your team as screening to harrass and redirect enemies (Especially lights, who you will be vulnerable to), leaving you the ability to bring the knockout punch. Even with the atlas' 20 tons of armor, you can't be the tank.

Edited by Inappropriate1191, 28 January 2013 - 05:58 AM.

[Bad Alchemy]

Sir Wulfrick, on 27 January 2013 - 03:43 PM, said:

....An Atlas with a skilled pilot at the controls is fearsome. It is however very unforgiving and, for inexperienced players, is difficult to deploy correctly. The principal difficulty piloting the ATL7 is it's lack of speed. Assuming a 300 engine (normal or XL) the mech is sufficiently slow to make disengaging from the enemy nearly impossible. The job of the skilled Atlas pilot is to very carefully judge when to bring the mech's considerable firepower and longevity to the fight in order to make a decisive difference. Making this decission correctly comes only from experience.

Charging ahead in an Atlas - any variant or "build" - is suicide. There are very, very few situations in which this is a sensible tactic as an Atlas pilot and those few that do exist demand that the Atlas pilot must have a significant level of support - something that seems to be largely absent in most PUGs. I have a feeling that many new players see the walking wall of armour and believe that it will protect them from anything. Obviously this is not true. The Atlas demands a very refined skill set in order to be employed successfully and absolutely mandates an understanding of tactics and the ability to maintain situational awareness....

Have to agree with this chap, he's not wrong. The ATLAS is about timing; misjudge and your scrap metal, get it right and you change the tide of battle completely. Also Assaults work best in pairs or with a medium for support.

I dont however agree that the K needs changing. If you are worried about XL death to the shoulder, take that engine out. All the ATLAS are really good, its just are slightly better at certain builds/roles than others.

bug3at3r, on 28 January 2013 - 05:45 AM, said:

If I were to make a mech tier list, the DDC would be damn near the top.

I take that back, after watching 3L's get rocked by AC20's the last couple days, I'd put it at the top.

triple srm 6 to the cockpit wipes jenners out pretty nicely too

[Khobai]

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and dont forget you cant put Endo or Ferro into Heavy/Assaultmechs, because you dont have enough critslots to mount enough weapons and get the upgrades. You can do in light/medium mechs though.
MWO is pretty unbalanced towards light mechs atm.

That's pretty much the same in Battletech though. ES and FF almost never get used on Assaults.

The counterbalance to that is that Assaults benefit way more from XL engines in Battletech than lights do. Again, the reason is because in Battletech the random hit chance to hit an Atlas in the side torso is exactly the same as the random hit chance to hit a Commando in the side torso. But in MWO because of the Atlas' drastically enlarged side torsos and the fact players can aim for specific hit locations instead of having random hit locations makes the XL engine a much bigger liability for an Atlas in MWO.

Most of your hightech 3050-3055 assault mechs incorporate XL engines in Battletech. But those designs tend to be really bad in MWO because XL engines reduce the survivability of assault mechs considerably in MWO. From a balance point of view, PGI should do something to make XL engines more worthwhile for assaults. Because right now Assaults really don't get much of a benefit from any of the level 2 tech: ES, FF, DHS, or XL engines.

Quote

If you are worried about XL death to the shoulder, take that engine out.

Yeah but the point is you shouldnt have to take the XL engine out. XL engines just arnt balanced properly for assaults in MWO because they don't take the size scaling or aiming into account. If you scale a mech up in size it should get proportionally more armor to make up for the fact its a bigger target, which MWO failed to do.

Edited by Khobai, 28 January 2013 - 07:23 AM.

[Bubba Wilkins]

Khobai, on 28 January 2013 - 06:53 AM, said:

Most of your hightech 3050-3055 assault mechs incorporate XL engines in Battletech. But those designs tend to be really bad in MWO because XL engines reduce the survivability of assault mechs considerably in MWO. From a balance point of view, PGI should do something to make XL engines more worthwhile for assaults. Because right now Assaults really don't get much of a benefit from any of the level 2 tech: ES, FF, DHS, or XL engines.



Yeah but the point is you shouldnt have to take the XL engine out. XL engines just arnt balanced properly for assaults in MWO because they don't take the size scaling or aiming into account. If you scale a mech up in size it should get proportionally more armor to make up for the fact its a bigger target, which MWO failed to do.

Nothing benefits from FF. I think the implementation is wrong in that they went for it as a weight savings. Instead, I think it should have resulted in additional armor for the same tonnage.

You can run an XL on an Assault just fine like any other mech. You can't run it in a brawler and expect it to survive.

I think your statement on DHS and Endo are completely off base. Assaults don't receive nearly the rate of return on DHS as smaller mechs, but as an upgrade they are both essential.

Edited by Bubba Wilkins, 28 January 2013 - 07:57 AM.

[Spheroid]

The Atlas is great. I have had success with my near stock DCC. Atlases handle like sports cars comparatively after grinding Stalkers.