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I am not at all qualified to make this [BATTLETECH] thread

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Posts

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Fishman wrote: »
    I'm gonna admit, I can't afford nor spare the time for another game right now, but this has excited me enough that tonight I stood on top of my couch to reach the box of "things from the back of my closet" stacked up on top of the hard-to-reach bookshelf and pulled out my old Battletech Source book from the mid-90's.

    Still had a few of my old designs inside, printed on photocopied paper sheets and filled in by hand.

    LosTech!

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  • Der Waffle MousDer Waffle Mous Blame this on the misfortune of your birth. New Yark, New Yark.Registered User regular
    Oh yeah I somehow convinced a few friends to let me run A Time of War game for them.

    I'm still debating whether or not this was a good idea.

    also an excuse to post mechs
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    Steam PSN: DerWaffleMous Origin: DerWaffleMous Bnet: DerWaffle#1682
  • Indie WinterIndie Winter die Krähe Rudi Hurzlmeier (German, b. 1952)Registered User regular
    edited May 2018
    whoofa doofa, I thought I was ready to go into a 2.5 difficulty mission for destroying a pirate convoy with 4 medium mechs. Turns out they had me face 4 heavily armored vehicles piloted by tacticians, as well as a heavy tank, an Orion and a Thunderbolt as escorts

    I was very, very lucky to get the mission done and evac with only two of my mechs losing both their arms. I didn't destroy any of the enemy mechs though, they chased me down to the LZ while I ran from cover to cover

    Indie Winter on
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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    Well this is pretty annoying. Just beat the Argo mission
    and Lady What’s-her-face says she bought all my debt, but I still have 70k interest payments every month? That’s kinda stupid. I was hoping that would go away.

  • SproutSprout Registered User regular
    godmode wrote: »
    Well this is pretty annoying. Just beat the Argo mission
    and Lady What’s-her-face says she bought all my debt, but I still have 70k interest payments every month? That’s kinda stupid. I was hoping that would go away.

    She didn’t pay off your debt, she bought it. You just owe her now, instead of the banks/loan sharks you were in hock to before.

  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    If she was really my friend, she wouldn’t be charging interest! What a jerk!

  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    godmode wrote: »
    Well this is pretty annoying. Just beat the Argo mission
    and Lady What’s-her-face says she bought all my debt, but I still have 70k interest payments every month? That’s kinda stupid. I was hoping that would go away.
    I thought that was bullshit too, but what happens in the future is that the interest payment gets replaced with maintenance costs on the Argo

  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Of course I go for max c-bills on the first time I encounter a Grasshopper and knock the pilot unconscious

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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Ffffffffffffff

    Take a contract with Max Salvage because the Restoration has been tracking a heavy unit. Get there and it's one Demolisher with a backup of a Quickdraw, a Wolverine, and a Cicada. I COULD HAVE MADE BANK WITH MAX MONEY!

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  • AnzekayAnzekay Registered User, Moderator mod
    oof I think I just beat my hardest mission yet without losing any limbs or major injury!

    had to take on 5 mechs and 3 annoying missile tanks at the same time. Pulled back behind a ridge to force them to come at us two at a time and slowly managed to take them all out

  • GR_ZombieGR_Zombie Krillin It Registered User regular
    So I’m pretty new to Battletech in general, are there any good rules of thumb to outfitting your Mechs? I’ve been rolling with the default load outs and I feel ready to start refitting. I only have all the default Mechs so far.

  • KetBraKetBra Dressed Ridiculously Registered User regular
    edited May 2018
    So. A few short notes on various types of weapons in Battletech:

    LRMs:
    The LRM5, LRM15 and LRM20 are roughly equivalent. It might not seem so (due to weight differences etc), but it's basicly like this.
    1. All LRMs take up 1 slot per 5 missiles.
    2. LRM20s and LRM15s are heavier than LRM5s per missiles fired (LRM20 more so than LRM15), but that's because they have built in Heatsinks. Actually slightly better than normal heatsinks because it's better to not generate heat in the first place. Try it yourself by building a 60 missile salvo and then heatbalancing the various builds. Also, bigger launchers means fewer hardpoints used.
    3. LRM10s suck. 1 LRM10 has 100% more missiles, generate 100% more heat but it weighs 150% more. Yeah. It sucks. Don't use it.
    Conclusion: Avoid LRM10s. Smaller mechs (where total heat is less of an issue) should generally use LRM5s, singly or in pairs, since it has the best damage/ton. Once you're generating 30+ heat with all your weapons in the long rangeband LRM15s and LRM20s are roughly equivalent, with LRM15s having an advantage in cold regions and LRM20s an advantage in hot regions.

    SRMs
    While all SRM launchers are equal in terms of weight they're not equivalent in heat. SRM2s generate 3 heat per missile, while SRM4s only generate 2 heat per missile. SRM6s are basically a mashed together SRM4 and SRM2. SRM6s do have the advantage that it's the maximum amount of missiles per hardpoint.
    The loadout principle for SRMs should be:
    1. Fill out your hardpoints with SRM4s
    2. Add sufficient ammo (6-15 full salvos is generally ideal. Closer to 15 the more you rely on SRMs to deal your damage for you).
    3. Do you still have heat/weight left for more missiles. Replace SRM4s with SRM6s until satisfied.

    Support weapons:
    So Small laser or MG? Well, basically it depends on what you're going to use them for, and how many. Small lasers generate more damage per ton, but fire only one shot and generate heat. MGs fire 5 shots, have a bonus to crit (so they're amazing critseekers) but require ammo. And this heat vs ammo thing is really important. 1 ton of ammo for a ½ ton weapon is WAY overkill, and you'll basicly need to use 4+ MGs to even hope to make a dent in your ammo supply. On the other hand Small lasers start to generate significant amounts of heat once you have 3 or 4 of them. At the same time you have to take the heat from the rest of your arsenal into account, because once you need heatsinks a small laser basicly needs two heatsinks to compensate for the heat generated. Not so efficient.
    My rule of thumb:
    1. If you have a single Support weapon hardpoint, always use Small lasers. It has the best damage per ton of any weapon and 5 heat is piddly.
    2. At 2 hardpoints you have to ask yourself, am I running a very cool or a very hot mech? Am I even going to use my small lasers outside melee? The hotter your mech is the more it favors using MGs.
    3. At 4+ hardpoints you should probably use MGs. The Firestarter for example will use its support hardpoints mainly for short ranged damage, and since it runs very hot with its huge array of energy weapons it should probably use MGs. A Grasshopper should probably also use MGs, since it will probably use 6 of them. A shadowhawk on the other hand should probably use Small Lasers.

    ACs:
    The useful ACs seem to be AC/20 and AC/5.
    The AC/5 is like a slightly heavier but much cooler PPC, and an ideal weapon for long range sniping. Especially if you're going to mount two of them since 2xPPCs is like rolling in molten lava.
    The AC/2 and AC/10 on the other hand seem to have very pathetic advantages over the AC/5 at a huge cost in damage/ton. Comparing the AC/2 and AC/5...The AC/5 is 33% more weight for almost 100% more damage? Sign me up, because 540 meters is plenty of range. The more ammo per ton isn't really significant between the AC/2 and AC/5.
    The AC/20 is another huge leap in damage over the AC/10, this at a very small extra cost in terms of tonnage. Also, the intimidation factor of the AC/20 is significant

    KetBra on
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  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    GR_Zombie wrote: »
    So I’m pretty new to Battletech in general, are there any good rules of thumb to outfitting your Mechs? I’ve been rolling with the default load outs and I feel ready to start refitting. I only have all the default Mechs so far.

    Generally speaking pick a role and design from there. Generally you are better off having one dedicated LRM boat and one brawler than two mechs that can kinda do both in the PC game.

  • KetBraKetBra Dressed Ridiculously Registered User regular
    Inquisitor wrote: »
    GR_Zombie wrote: »
    So I’m pretty new to Battletech in general, are there any good rules of thumb to outfitting your Mechs? I’ve been rolling with the default load outs and I feel ready to start refitting. I only have all the default Mechs so far.

    Generally speaking pick a role and design from there. Generally you are better off having one dedicated LRM boat and one brawler than two mechs that can kinda do both in the PC game.

    I think for lower weight classes this is definitely true, but I think it is less so for some heavies and assaults

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  • SproutSprout Registered User regular
    I started my second campaign, and things have been way rougher so far. Like, my PC got DFA'ed in the head by a Spider in the Majesty Metals mission. And then got a Centurion shot out from under her. Lady's spent more time in the medbay than she's actually been available to fight.

  • Virgil_Leads_YouVirgil_Leads_You Proud Father House GardenerRegistered User regular
    Do Attributes ever come up to matter in this game, with regard to hiring different types of mercs, or is it essentially just flavor?

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  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    A patch dropped today, and it's done wonders for my GPU load. I went from all fans blasting at 84 degrees to purring along at 62. I don't know what they did, but my video card appreciates it.

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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Do Attributes ever come up to matter in this game, with regard to hiring different types of mercs, or is it essentially just flavor?

    Right now it's just flavor, but I believe that's something they're planning on expanding

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  • Der Waffle MousDer Waffle Mous Blame this on the misfortune of your birth. New Yark, New Yark.Registered User regular
    if there's a game that's begging for a "send your guys out to do things" subsystem its this.

    Steam PSN: DerWaffleMous Origin: DerWaffleMous Bnet: DerWaffle#1682
  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    There are a couple of mechwarrior attributes that pop up as blue text triggers in random events. The triggers seem to be very rare at the moment, so it looks like a proof of concept to be fleshed out in future updates.

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  • AnzekayAnzekay Registered User, Moderator mod
    Still trying to get a grip on a good Lance mix and how best to fit my mechs

    Right now my usual team is my PC in a Blackjack, set up for fire support/mid range (M lasers, AC5s), a Vindicator with double PPC as my sniper, a Centurion as a brawler with shorter ranged guns and a pilot who likes kicking things, and a scout that's either in a Locust or a Panther who is mostly for satlock but sometimes shoots stuff

    I don't really have much in the way of missiles, aside from the SRMs on the Centurion, should I perhaps consider fitting my Vindicator (or another mech) out to have LRMs and just the one PPC?

  • AnzekayAnzekay Registered User, Moderator mod
    Well I had a long stretch of missions without any damage or significant injury so it was bound to happen that my luck would break

    Did the second story mission and came out with my PC KO'd, all my other pilots injured and every single mech damaged badly.

    Thankfully I had so much money in the bank I've been able to set back for a few months and lick my wounds, refit some new mechs and repair everything

    also been able to start on
    some cool upgrades for the Argo! really happy that there's some more strategic layer complexity here

  • SiliconStewSiliconStew Registered User regular
    Jedoc wrote: »
    There are a couple of mechwarrior attributes that pop up as blue text triggers in random events. The triggers seem to be very rare at the moment, so it looks like a proof of concept to be fleshed out in future updates.

    Those are from the player's background attributes, what you chose at character creation.

    Though they have said they would like to do something more with your other pilot's attributes at some point in the future.

    Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    on a different matter, I was lucky enough to get 3 Griffin salvage parts off a mission. it's basically a Spider that packs a heavier punch, so I dumped it and put Dekker in the Griffin

    now I just gotta find a good replacement for that glass canon Vindicator and I can really get in there and mix it up

    A message from the church of PPCs aren't worth the weight: a Vindicator can mount 5 MLasers, an srm4/6, max armor, max jumpjets and a bunch of heatsinks, making it actually a pretty tough little brawler in the early parts of the game.

    I've been trying to make PPCs work for the whole dang game up to this point and I think I'm giving up

    I've got one on a Quickdraw, and that's the best I've been able to do with it up to now, but I think I'm going to switch it back to a more stock-esque build

    if I ever get a Catapult I might try mounting two on there, but I doubt it

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    I'm gonna keep this game on uninstall for a while; didn't finish it or nothin'

    but I wanna wait for some patches and whatnot before diving back in

    in the meantime I got plenty of other games to beat

    Miss me? Find me on:

    Twitch (I stream most days of the week)
    Twitter (mean leftist discourse)
  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    on a different matter, I was lucky enough to get 3 Griffin salvage parts off a mission. it's basically a Spider that packs a heavier punch, so I dumped it and put Dekker in the Griffin

    now I just gotta find a good replacement for that glass canon Vindicator and I can really get in there and mix it up

    A message from the church of PPCs aren't worth the weight: a Vindicator can mount 5 MLasers, an srm4/6, max armor, max jumpjets and a bunch of heatsinks, making it actually a pretty tough little brawler in the early parts of the game.

    I've been trying to make PPCs work for the whole dang game up to this point and I think I'm giving up

    I've got one on a Quickdraw, and that's the best I've been able to do with it up to now, but I think I'm going to switch it back to a more stock-esque build

    if I ever get a Catapult I might try mounting two on there, but I doubt it

    I heard at church this week that PPCs aren't worth the weight.

    Brother @Kayne Red Robe? A reading?

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  • BaidolBaidol I will hold him off Escape while you canRegistered User regular
    Finished Grave Robbing. Almost everyone got out alive!

    Steam Overwatch: Baidol#1957
  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    I have PPCs on two different mechs - they're great for wiping out vehicles with single shots.

  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited May 2018
    Maybe if they made the accuracy debuff on PPCs larger? 5% feels inconsequential.

    Inquisitor on
  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    edited May 2018
    I thought the whole point is that they're the mech sniper rifle: High accuracy and high power in exchange for high heat and slow firing, plus they're pretty heavy and they require line of sight.

    godmode on
  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    godmode wrote: »
    I thought the whole point is that they're the mech sniper rifle: High accuracy and high power in exchange for high heat and slow firing, plus they're pretty heavy and they require line of sight.

    Depending on the tech period in TT they can function that way. They are an interesting weapon.

    But in the PC game the ranges that you typically engage at due to vision ranges and terrain means that close range stuff is typically better or LRMs do a better job at long range stuff plus they can also do indirect.

    The damage to heat ratio on the PPC in the PC game is just pretty rough.

  • godmodegodmode Southeast JapanRegistered User regular
    I tend to try and send my panther to a nearby ridge if possible, or at least get them in a flanking position to snipe from there. I like the challenge of trying to find a good perch in the terrain.

  • InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    godmode wrote: »
    I tend to try and send my panther to a nearby ridge if possible, or at least get them in a flanking position to snipe from there. I like the challenge of trying to find a good perch in the terrain.

    Yeah the panther is super fun to use. I feel like if the PPC debuff was larger you could have a really fun time with it, as a light mech trying to go first and tag key enemies before they can attack.

  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    godmode wrote: »
    I have PPCs on two different mechs - they're great for wiping out vehicles with single shots.

    50 damage just isn't enough to wipe out the vehicles I'm seeing now
    godmode wrote: »
    I thought the whole point is that they're the mech sniper rifle: High accuracy and high power in exchange for high heat and slow firing, plus they're pretty heavy and they require line of sight.

    you'd think!

    it's a little frustrating because they were great in MechWarrior 4

    also, because I'm just noticing this now, it's a little weird that my browser knows all the camel case for this stuff

  • Virgil_Leads_YouVirgil_Leads_You Proud Father House GardenerRegistered User regular
    edited May 2018
    Apparently PPC+++++++++, etc
    exist in the game as drops, so I could see a bit of extra damage knocking some units out

    Virgil_Leads_You on
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  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
    So am I correct that there are no machine guns++? Because that kind of changes the whole small lasers vs machine guns debate. I sure haven't come across any, and it feels like I'm getting pretty close to the end of the campaign.

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  • DaMoonRulzDaMoonRulz Mare ImbriumRegistered User regular
    Man, I gotta do some more Priority Missions. I keep taking max salvage contracts and keep coming away with not much to show for it

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  • Kane Red RobeKane Red Robe Master of Magic ArcanusRegistered User regular
    Jedoc wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    on a different matter, I was lucky enough to get 3 Griffin salvage parts off a mission. it's basically a Spider that packs a heavier punch, so I dumped it and put Dekker in the Griffin

    now I just gotta find a good replacement for that glass canon Vindicator and I can really get in there and mix it up

    A message from the church of PPCs aren't worth the weight: a Vindicator can mount 5 MLasers, an srm4/6, max armor, max jumpjets and a bunch of heatsinks, making it actually a pretty tough little brawler in the early parts of the game.

    I've been trying to make PPCs work for the whole dang game up to this point and I think I'm giving up

    I've got one on a Quickdraw, and that's the best I've been able to do with it up to now, but I think I'm going to switch it back to a more stock-esque build

    if I ever get a Catapult I might try mounting two on there, but I doubt it

    I heard at church this week that PPCs aren't worth the weight.

    Brother Kayne Red Robe? A reading?

    A PPC weighs 7 tons, takes 3 slots, deals 50 damage, 20 stability damage and generates 40 heat per shot. In addition a PPC hit confers a 5% to hit malus on whoever you hit with it.
    An AC5, with ammo, weighs 8 tons, takes 1 slot, deals 45 damage, 10 stability damage and generates 15 heat. In addition all ACs confer a 5% to hit malus on you next turn due to recoil. Also sometimes the ammo can explode.
    An LRM-15, with ammo, weighs 7 tons, takes 3 slots, deals 60 damage, 30 stability damage and generates 15 heat. In addition it can be fired without line of sight. Also sometimes the ammo can explode.

    On balance the PPC seems decently balanced, except for heat. All mechs sink 30 heat per round, a single PPC uses all of your native heat sinks plus 10, which means it can't be fired every round even if it's the only thing you're firing. Unless you add a bunch of heat sinks which removes any weight advantage.

    Plus Medium Lasers are probably the most efficient weapon in the game. My suggestion would be to use missiles and AC5/10s for long range and equip your energy weapon mechs with MLasers for brawling. An argument can be made for a single PPC on an lrm boat for a bigger occasional Alpha strike, but for dedicated sniping they just generate too damn much heat.

  • jgeisjgeis Registered User regular
    Man, I kinda whiffed the Argo mission.
    I got Medusa killed and injured my PC for 110 days. I didn't realize my CT was stripped when I moved on one turn and it fucked me over. Lost a Locust and had heavy damage to all of my mechs by the end of the game.

    I did manage to totally salvage the Quickdraw (unless that's a guarantee for the mission) so that's good.

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