16 replies to this topic

[Selfish]

The AWS-8V is the most recent assault trial mech. Its stock variant is incredibly hot and underpowered. While I'm a decent pilot, I like to think that I'm not ready for the Awesome even in its customized forms. It has one of the largest profiles in the game with one of the slowest twist speeds available. It's constantly matched with opponents bigger, stronger, and just as fast as it. Its only advantage is a slightly better twist/pitch ratio, which is counteracted by the small engines the chassis holds. Unless you're in a 9M with the option of superior speed, there's no advantage you honestly have against anyone you fight.

I'd like to open the forum to correcting myself, and if I'm not totally deficient then thoughts on correcting the chassis should be explored. I feel the Awesome is slighted. Its limited engine circumvents its playstyle of brawler. It has a shield arm on most variants, decentralized hardpoints, and is zombie capable. All solid merits of a brawler, but having the largest torso of the game with one of the lowest twist speeds means you're easily targeted if you attempt this role. I just feel that the chassis is lacking in a distinct role, though it is fairly diverse.

Edit: In case there's confusion. I've been working through the Awesomes as the last assault chassis left to master. The 8V becoming a trial during the period I was working on the mech is a coincidence, but I figured it would be neat to host a video/discussion on it. I only have a mere 30k XP on the mech, and am still saving for the third variant before I can elite/master the AWS. The build in the video is not the stock variant.

Edited by Selfish, 27 January 2013 - 07:31 AM.

[Livewyr]

driving the awesomes now. I have a standard 290 in it and it is comparatively doing circles around atlases and stalkers, maneuverability and arm weapons is its niche, also turning its torso sideways gives you a very slender profile to hit at range.

stock awesome is doable, but absolute crap compared to customizable ones.

[icey]

the awesomes are a lot of fun to play, but its hard to defend doing it when you know you've put a stalker or an atlas on the other team 2/3 (probably more) of the time

i'm actually happy that theyre the trial mech again, it means i can finish grinding out my 8R/8Q/9M and not feel as guilty as i otherwise would, as long as i can kill that 8V on the other team. if tonnage for drop weight eventually matters, i suspect oddball mechs like the awesome and dragon might get more love, but for now theyre a hard choice to defend.

[Skulgun17]

Recently I'm using awesomes most of the time, the 8Q, 8R and 9M. I was surprised how effective they are after hearing everyone saying how they're underpowered. I often get top damage on my team unless I do something stupid.

I think the reason many find them to be rubbish is because they try to go toe to toe with other assaults / heavys since they're supposed to be an assault mech. They don't have the armour or weapons for this. You're much better off making them as fast as possible with a large engine and get behind enemies and letting out alphas into their back armour. Atlases drop quite fast this way, especially with the 8R SRM boat. The 9M also excels at this due to its speed. For the 8Q energy variant, just don't brawl with it at all. It does very well supporting your brawlers with constant PPC barrages (not ERPPCs as you can't keep up sustained fire due to heat) but you have to be a good shot to make this work. And livewyr is right in that the stock configurations are rubbish.

[TexAce]

Once and for all: Awesomes are for pros! For very experienced players who know how to handle them.

Worst thing PGI ever done was making them trial mechs. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE USED BY NEW PLAYERS.

There are a lot pilots who are terminators in their awesomes,

[IceCase88]

The "Awesome" is the only assault mech I have no fear taking on face to face with my Flame. I will slow walk right up to an "Awesome" firing my 2 LLs, UAC5, and SRM6 and win 95% of the time. I have owned in Awesome and was underwhelmed by it. I wish I could have renamed it Broadside of the Barn because everyone could hit it from anywhere. I liked the 8R the best because I think the Awesome is best used as a artillery/missile support unit and I liked its cockpit which gives you one of the best viewing ranges of any mech. That being said, no amount of torso twisting could stop the enemy from hitting those huge hitboxes.

Edited by IceCase88, 27 January 2013 - 06:40 AM.

[Selfish]

Livewyr, on 27 January 2013 - 05:17 AM, said:

driving the awesomes now. I have a standard 290 in it and it is comparatively doing circles around atlases and stalkers, maneuverability and arm weapons is its niche, also turning its torso sideways gives you a very slender profile to hit at range.

stock awesome is doable, but absolute crap compared to customizable ones.

The AWS only has manueverability because its opponents don't feel like upgrading their engines. A maximum STD 290 AWS moves 0.4 kph faster than an Atlas of comparable engine and is outclassed by Stalkers should they mount for it. Most assaults won't often do this as they don't need to (sans LRM boats). The only AWS that can be built to out arm an opponent are the 8T and 9M, and the 9M stands apart from the chassis in what it can do since it has the largest engine choice possible to an assault.

The video doesn't host a stock engine or build, it's a STD 280. Does an engine moving 2kph slower than the maximum possible speed really look like a 240? I usually run in STD 290's, but figured I'd give MPlas a shot and had the engine on hand.

[Lightfoot]

I am just doing PUGs right now and if no one screens for your Awesome you are dead in a few seconds usually. The only thing you can do is hang back and hope no one sees you for a minute while you attack. Once they see you they drop everything they are doing and kill you first because the Awesome drops in a few shots. It's a very easy kill and carries a decent spread of weapons usually.

Most of the core Awesome weapons are always being nerfed or just don't work, so one patch it can be good and the next, useless. The Catapult carries more missiles, the Stalker more missiles and energy weapons, so these are the mechs that these weapons will be balanced for. Meaning the Awesome is the monkey in the middle that is also the easiest kill in MWO.

I just can't figure out why after all the complaints from pilots of this mech nothing is ever done. It's not like I have to pilot an Awesome or it's my favorite mech. I think I just want to see if ever becomes competitive with the right loadout.

[Xyroc]

get a 8v with 2x SRM6 , SRM4 and some med lasers ... it pwns

[hercules1981]

Selfish, on 27 January 2013 - 06:49 AM, said:

The AWS only has manueverability because its opponents don't feel like upgrading their engines. A maximum STD 290 AWS moves 0.4 kph faster than an Atlas of comparable engine and is outclassed by Stalkers should they mount for it. Most assaults won't often do this as they don't need to (sans LRM boats). The only AWS that can be built to out arm an opponent are the 8T and 9M, and the 9M stands apart from the chassis in what it can do since it has the largest engine choice possible to an assault.

The video doesn't host a stock engine or build, it's a STD 280. Does an engine moving 2kph slower than the maximum possible speed really look like a 240? I usually run in STD 290's, but figured I'd give MPlas a shot and had the engine on hand.

U r right on point with the motor comment. Sometimes I feel like me and a few guys I play mwo with r the only 1s who put 335s or bigger in the atlas. Getting that mech to back pedal almost as fast as other assaults can run towards u means u keep the distance u want for longer not to mention I can get my atlas to where I want quicker then other atlases. All this being said I need to get another awesome to get into elite b4 I get the 9m as I already have the 8r basics complete with the only 1 I will keep in the end is the 9m of course that mech can do 85 with speed tweak and the largest motor I believe.

[NRP]

The only Awesome I consistently do well in is the 8R. It's possible to wreck 1/4 to 1/2 the enemy team with the 8R. I've never been able to do that with any of my other Awesomes (8T, 8Q, 9M).

[Trauglodyte]

I took the first step down the awesome Awesome path and, while it bottomed out my Cbills, I'm having a lot of fun. Sadly, when you're broke, the 8R isn't your best of friends. I feel like an especially slow and much easier to hit Swayback but with less weapons. I'm not sure how that is acceptable but I'm having to do it all on 33 single Heat Sinks. Again - broke. But I'm definitely digging it.

[NRP]

Well, when you get the C-Bills to upgrade it with Artemis, DHS, and a STD290, you will absolutely be loving life. You will be able to go toe to toe with just about any mech in the game and totally wreck them. Atlas pilots cr@p their pants when an 8R shows up and rips their arm off. If you can maneuver well, 3 or 4 volleys will kill an Atlas. Dragons, Hunchbacks, Centurions, Cataphracts, and other Awesomes are no trouble at all. Stalkers and Catapults can be problematic though.

[Selfish]

Trauglodyte, on 27 January 2013 - 08:38 AM, said:

I took the first step down the awesome Awesome path and, while it bottomed out my Cbills, I'm having a lot of fun. Sadly, when you're broke, the 8R isn't your best of friends. I feel like an especially slow and much easier to hit Swayback but with less weapons. I'm not sure how that is acceptable but I'm having to do it all on 33 single Heat Sinks. Again - broke. But I'm definitely digging it.

The 8R does well as an SRM or LRM boat. It's probably one of the strongest AWS variants in the game just because of its four 15 tube missile slots. It's the original SRM boat, and the A1 can core its own heart on that. You'll mount less SRMs, but get two energy slots on the arm with a zombie head laser. With 4x ALRM15's the 8R hosts some of the most LRMs you can fire in a salvo. 60 missiles (108 damage) are hard to ignore, and you get faster recycle times versus competitors who fire launchers in multiple salvos.

I'd say save up for double heat sinks and a better than stock engine. They'll make your life/fitting a lot easier. Also, use Smurfys mechbuilder to plan your builds beforehand. It's easy for an upgrade to totally mess up an assault's build, and engines are serious investments. Don't make mistakes with your wallet.

[Lightfoot]

I approach the whole Awesome thing as a Beta tester. It's one of the most giant-robot-looking mechs of MWO to be sure, so I do like it, and I always thought I would be trying to balance the heat of 6 LLAS on my AWS-8Q once we got real DHS 2.0 in the game which would be , well, awesome.

However, purely as a Beta tester and 14 year Mech pilot, the Awesome needs some fixing up. I can get in most any other mech and pretty much go berserk in the PUGs I play in. In the Awesome, I am blown to bits after a few seconds of battle usually. In PUGs no one screens for you, so you get a very good sense of Mech v Mech balance. I'll leave it at that.

[DeadlyNerd]

Livewyr, on 27 January 2013 - 05:17 AM, said:

driving the awesomes now. I have a standard 290 in it and it is comparatively doing circles around atlases and stalkers, maneuverability and arm weapons is its niche, also turning its torso sideways gives you a very slender profile to hit at range.

stock awesome is doable, but absolute crap compared to customizable ones.

And if that atlas cannot anchor turn to keep his crosshair on you at all times, you're fighting noobs.

[psihius]

Awesomes are quite good with all skills trained and big engines. I don't know how much has changed in that regard from the closed beta, but 9Q was a blast and extremly dangerous mech - I liked it a lot, because I was able to even chase the light mechs in it