LRMs do less damage, is probably the big thing. DHS work...sorta. In the engine, they count as 2.0, outside the engine they're at 1.4. With 11DHS, that sounds about right for not overheating so long as you watch your shots on all the maps except for caustic. Which still takes some work to make yourself overheat.

As for your damage numbers compared to others, you could just be shooting more accurate. As far as I know, lasers didn't get a damage buff or nerf. Supposedly they generate a bit more heat now, but with the DHS setup you have it probably wasn't noticeable. Call it being able to shoot as you please and some good skill to go along with it? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Well if that's the case... I'd probably upgrade the armaments a bit.... Change a SL back to a ML. Ditch the 11th HS, and add 0.5 tons of armor to make up the different to bring me back to near max. (currently just over a half ton or so under max armor for the jenner frame, FF armor freed up a ton... from my prior armor total... needed 1.5 for the AMS + ammo).

It was noticable.. prior I had issues firing 4SL nearly constantly, let alone using the ML pair as well. Now i was able to fire almost as often as i cared to including the ML's.

Generally I find the best designs can will have a little bit of overheat so you can spike your damage output some, but have a reasonable amount they can keep firing constantly. (true of both board game and computer)

Yeh; while I was playing )and pre-DHS), the AWS-8Q build I ran with had one "big" enery weapon, and an array of MLs or MPLs set to chain-fire. The MLs could be used constantly, with no break, and using my pre-DHS build, not only not overheat, but still DUMP some heat ... allowing me to throw the ERLL or PPC (whichever I'd felt like playing with that day) spike both heat and DPS, every now and then.

I'm a big fan of "heat zero" builds, favoring energy weapons so that ammunition isn't a concern either. TT included.

(ETA: like the monstrousity I just poked together, "just because" ... late 31st century thing. IS, 80 tons; sports two HPPCs, nine SXPLs, 4/6 movement; 17 DHS with a pair of coolant pods (because alpha strikes generate a fusion-bottle-melting 57 heat, and the 'mech can only dump 34 of it in one turn ... so every now and then, an extra 17-ish heat flush is going to be REALLY helpful!!). Had to go with a Light engine, ES structure, and small cockpit to fit it all, though. DAMN but I wish I had a group willing to tolerate my 'mech-tinkering, to actually play the game with ...!)

I just got 5 kills in one match with my lil triple AC/2 Cicada.

Apparantly they got rid of the cockpit shake for ACs, which has resulted in many folks not noticing the steady damage until they suddenly die and are all like "WTF?"



-k

"Is it raining?" *BOOM* "Blarg, I am dead."

People can pretty easily follow a PPC shot or large laser. AC2s? Too long range and no easy way to trace the shots.

I'm currently running a JR7-D with 4xML and a SRM4+artemis with a ton of ammo. XL300 engine, endosteel, ff, dhs, I routinely do pretty dang good with my numbers. I even make it a point to tighten up my piloting and NOT run into other mechs, since I want to try to train myself like collisions are still in the game. If I run around on the F variant though, I usually pack it full of SL and a Tag since I'm usually at knife fighting range with most things anyways.

Also, once flamers are fixed, I can see myself running around in a 4xFlamer 2xSL mech. For the trullz!

I really need a better Mech, my Commando just isn't cutting it.

Saving for a Hunchback of some sort now, I think.

haven't tried a gauss hunchback yet, has anybody done so yet?
the energy based hunchbacks are good enough usually.

Yeah, I was thinking of the "Pink Floyd" Hunchback, save for the heat problem.

I've seen discobacks (what I like to call ridiculous amounts of ML and SL hunchies) as well as gaussbacks. If you're good with the gauss rifle, a gaussback is a pretty good mech. I've seen guys tear it up in one. If you're not so good with the gauss rifle, stick with the discoback. My favorite hunchback is the 4SP, due to, well, not having that hunch that screams "PLZ SHOOT ME HEER TO DISARM ME PLZ!"

The correct term is "Swayback" by the way . .

Swayback it is, but I like Lunchback better (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

A Hunchback has a humungous barrel on one shoulder. Absolutely bonkers in a Medium Mech.
A Swayback does away with that and replaces it with usefull stuff while improving firepower and performance.
But it loses the bonkers that makes heavy and assault mechs run from it <.<

Well, the shoulder stays humungous and easy to shoot and it will use most of its weapons the same way a normal Hunchback would (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Well, some versions change this to make use of the space in both torso sides actually . .
I think the 4SP for example does this with an SRM6 and 2 Medium Lasers in each torso side?
And then the idiots go and put the explodey bits, THE AMMO, directly between Gyroscope and Engine.
Making sure that EVERY SINGLE CT CRIT IS INSTANTLY CRIPPLING OR OUTRIGHT DEADLY! x.x

Ammo explosions make the most cinematic kills, imo (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
It looks so fine, when a Mech just rocks from one side to the other with a chain reaction ^^

i like the MWLL ones better.
you see the bullets and missles go off in all directions at once . .
and the engine cascading failures are just a beautifull sight to behold.
aside from being utterly blinding if you look at them and crippling or deadly if you are too close to one too . .
but oh such excellent eye-candy! *-*

That sucks. Granted, I did think it needed to be toned WAY the heck down, but not gotten rid of completely.

Do PPC hits sway your cockpit and cascasde your viewscreen? Because that would be awesome.

No clue, I stopped actually playing a month ago, when I got my refund. I agree that it would be wiz, if a PPC hit caused your displays to frotz out for a second (the displays, not the main view - so your HUD elements, the cockpit screens around the edge, etc). Just a momentary thing, that might make a less-confident player unsure of their aim for a second, but doesn't affect anyone's ability to drive, you know?

Yeah, as I said I had that one guy screaming in General chat, "OMG stoppp it you are a douchebag I cant see ne thing fukk".

So I shot him some more.



-k

Yeah i know what you mean... even I stuffed my AMS ammo in the side torso, WITH the AMS unit (if I lose one no sense in keeping the other)... and then further padded that location with 2 engine external DHS (6 crits) and 2 JJ's... so there's only a 1 in 10 chance the ammo takes the hit.

This is far less important on light mechs... they tend to die to location destruction.... but the bigger the mech the more important the crit assignments are.

Though some of the mechs like the 4SP kinda bug me. They rearranged the locations whole hog... all the hunchback variants get all the space for tons of ML's or SRM's or LRm's or whatever by ripping out the tonnage and space of the AC in the one side torso and stuffing in all the other weapons in it's space. The second side torso was left empty in the TT. Instead they balanced the design... so you can't say intentionally cripple a hunchback by taking out it's RT eliminating 90% of its guns and then ignoring it for a bit.

i am not quite sure, but i think the CBT Version of the 4SP has the Weapons split over both torso sides too . .

edit:
did a quick check in megamek.
the SRMs are in the side torsos and all 4 medium lasers are in the arms in the cbt 4SP.

And the 5P has 3x IS ER Medium Lasers in each torso side and 1x IS MPuls in each arm.

My Atlas, the one with two AMS, I did the same - AMS and 2 tons of ammo in each side torso slot.

TT, I tend to put all the ammo for anything that uses it, in one location. Then slap CASE or CASE2 on it for good measure. (Yes, even with XL engines; the mech may die, but the pilot should survive ...) Or, if it's a quad, I dump evrythign in a CASE2 shielded "turret" side torso - guns, ammo, all of it.