On 2004-11-30 21:50, bladewind wrote:
P.S. This is real old.

On 2004-11-30 13:45, Feral wrote:
- I usually only consider XL on fire support mechs. My scout mech's have to make do with Light Engines.

- I almost always use fractional accounting so that I can use fractional ammo counts. Why should I be forced to fill my ammo bins when I don't want to? Who the hell needs 200 MG rounds ... or even 100 of them? I realize level 3 rules tends to be frowned upon but really think about it. Why shouldn't I be able to control my ammo counts??

- I usually design mechs that can fire 100% of their weapons 100% of the time or near to that. I don't like the concept of not using systems on my mechs so I just streamline them. I will admit to consistently breaking this rule on assault mechs as they tend to just be able to carry too many weapons so you have to have weapon sets.

- I abhore the following weapons systems: AC2/AC5 (all varieties), ERPPC, ERLL, Light Gauss, MRM10/20s, and regular AC10/AC20 (LBX and ultra are both just better). I have or will use just about any of the rest of the systems out there (unless I'm forgetting something) but the ones on this list are horrible in my mind. [...]

- I really like plain old Large lasers. Highly underrated weapon IMHO, as it is the largest weapon that works good at range and in close. An ERPPC is just grossly over-heated, same with the ERLL. [...]

- ER lasers are better than pulse lasers. I've gone over this before but a medium ER laser is as good or better than a medium pulse laser at every range except for 1-2. [...]

- The standard medium laser is an awesome weapon. People should use it more.

- I tend not to use arm weapons, I like having arms for physical combat or as extra torso armor .

- When using streaks (and fractional accounting) I almost never use a full ton of ammo, instead I estimate how many rounds I will hit with in a combat and load that much. Usually this is only 6-9 shots per launcher.

- All of my mechs have jump jets. Tactical flexibility is key in my book.

- I like to put ammo in the head if not using Case. It's the safest spot on a mech for it.

On 2004-12-01 15:45, StarRaven wrote:
ER LLs and standard LLs really aren't my thing, so I don't have a rea setup for them. I use an ERLL wherever I'd use an ER PPC but don't have the tonnage.

I prefer PPCs to LRMs for firesupport; slightly longer range, no min, and they don't explode. They're just a great all around weapon. I prefer the CER PPC since it does more damage, but the IS version's weakness has never bothered me much. If I've got the heat capacity, I'll use an ER PPC. Now that I think of it, the ER PPC is probably my most common weapon. It's just great anywhere

I think the decision between sinking all weapons or just some is more style than anything else. You see it as wasteful to have weapons you can't fire due to heat. If I have two distinct weapons groups, I see all those heat sinks as a waste of tonnage, which could go towards something else.

It's true that mobility is important. That's why 'Mechs have legs, after all. I just thought it interesting to have jets on every design. Jets are nice, but only if the design is otherwise finished, or of they're part of it's purpose. On some designs, those jets could be something like heat sinks.

It's not that the gauss rifle is munchy, I just don't like it. Mainly it's the explosiveness and the massive weight. A gauss explosion may do less damage than an ammo explosion, but it can still be enough to take out a side torso, and if you've got an XL, goodbye. And a gauss is so many crits, so it increases the odds of getting hit. And for not much more than the weight of a gauss and ammo, I can mount a pair of ER PPCs and heat sinks.

Quote:

On 2004-12-01 11:26, Feral wrote: But good call on the light mech ... its very true that light mechs often have way more heatsinks than they can use.

Huh? Is this something I said, or someone else? I never mentioned lights and heat sinks. And I'm not so sure that that's true. My lights are nearly all energy armed, so they tend to really push their heat sinks.

On 2004-12-02 03:58, bladewind wrote:
1. Im a major advocate for long range weapons on light mechs especially the later designs. Since u have say 10 DHS as standard, why not strap on an ERPPC ? It sure is easier to shoot from long range than walk up in front of an assault toting an AC20 and its variants.

2. I prefer to design my weapons with range brackets in mind, so i often have multiple sets of different weapons. I always believe a mech is the most efficient when you fire them withnin their weapon range brackets thus reducing overall heat buildup. For that price of running close to a thin red line on some designs, i have lots of big guns to blow holes with.

3. Jumpjets are sort of odd to me, i dont like em. Period. However, i do believe firesupport units and brawlers can make use of the added mobility which is where i put em on my mech.

4. The Medium laser arguably the holy relic of the IS, will always appear in cluster of 3 - 4 when i intend to use em. ER is nice, only if the mech is very slow.

6. Gauss rifle, cheesy or not, i love em. Its one of the very few weapons the IS have to rival the Clan ER PPCs and the Clan Gauss rifle. Clan gauss rifles are a joke though, since the Clan ERPPC is much better.

7. LB-10x and 20x autocannons are staple on my close range designs. The normal AC is fine too, at least it works. UACs are ok but if im having a bad day, i avoid em. I hate the jams. RACs are munchy with a TC which is why i avoid em like hell.

10. Take a look at my armory. Easier to see how i design mechs anyway.

My armory