Organ Fiend posted:

RBA Starblade posted:

I keep trying to fit a UAC20 into the Z and I just can't do it without it being a too hot piece of poo poo or just a piece of poo poo

some guy on the Paradox forum posted:

Convoy Mission Fixes: a new Short Range AI Pathing algorithm is being combined with a past Successful Long Range AI Pathing; Convoy Vehicles will now be able to pass through each other as well as the Player’s BattleMechs (though they will not stop on pips if they are occupied; and lastly Convoy Missions will now Auto-Complete if all Enemies have been destroyed.

Stravag posted:

Unless its two of the three banshees in which case its a mediocre medium

Pyronic posted:

Do we have any idea if HBS is actually planning Battletech 2 or is it all just rumors. I've spent all day watching the Battletech Cartoon on youtube and now I really want some Clan action in the Battletech engine.

Organ Fiend posted:

As others have pointed out, the cyclops is at a disadvantage, as it is an overengined assault. You can use them, but you have to play to their advantages over 75/70 ton mechs that have the same speed and more available tonnage.

The main advantages the cyclops has over heavies, by virtue of being an assault, are higher maximum armor and higher melee damage. These two things suggest a brawler/infighter build. The other thing you'll want to do is make sure your build runs hot, and then use a pilot with coolant flush. The best way to squeeze maximum firepower out of limited tonnage is to use low tonnage, high heat weapons, so MLs, SRMs, and snPPCs. The fact that you're running hot also synergizes well with melee attacks. You'll want to skip JJs, as they're two tons each, and the Cyclops is already low on tonnage. I usually go with a brawler (coolant flush/evasive movement) pilot for the cyclops. Also, getting piloting 7 (where you get 20% more sprint) is really important, since you won't be carrying JJs. An evasive/bulwark pilot with piloting 7 can sprint into cover, building up a huge amount of evasion, and also getting the damage reduction, which is great for getting in close.

Beyond those general guidelines, you have to play to the strengths of each of the two Cyclopses.

For the Q, you have to use the fact that it has so many more missile hardpoints than any other mech. I ran 30 SRMs on mine (4xSRM6, 3xSRM2, all +++, SRM2 in CT for gyro space) with 3 tons of ammo (10 alphas). It does incredible amounts of shotgun damage. With Heavy Metal, I might drop one of the SRM2s and add a Narc beacon for maximum damage. Armor is near maximum, of course. If you feel like running hotter, this config has 3 HS that you could drop to add 3xML or to upgrade the SRM2s to SRM4s. Another possibility I've never tried is to run an LRM build with a focus on LRM5s. Hardpoint space aside, LRM5s are the best LRM launcher in the game, as they have the lowest base tonnage to missile ratio of any LRM launcher. Take your LRM15x3 build. You're currently spending 3x7=21 tons on launchers. You have 4 hardpoints free, so you could turn two of those LRM15s into 3xLRM5. With six LRM5s and one LRM15 you are spending (6x2)+7 = 19 tons on launchers. You have two more tons to spend on ammo, or whatever else. Personally, I'm not a fan, as there are other mechs that do LRMs better.

For the Z, you have to build your lance around its battle computer. Basically, team it up with assaults that use/need coolant flush pilots. This makes your entire lance go at initiative 2 without using MT. For weapons I go with 6xML, SRM4, SRM6 and 1 ton of ammo. When you get ML++s and SRM+++s, this thing can easily core out mechs through the back, take off side torsos and legs, and in general is a great infighter. I build this mech in every single career I've run since the Cyclops came out. Its that good. You could even drop HS (and maybe two MLs, one in each arm) to add punch mods, but I've never tried this. I've been experimenting with snPPCs, but don't have a winning config yet.

the yeti posted:

Thanks for all that!

I mocked it up with SRMs and it just looked so drat hot I swapped back over to LRMs I do have a +40 arm mod I could wedge in there too if that’s a good use of tonnage on the SRM build.

BrotherJayne posted:

Oooo now I kinda want to try a career start with a Catapult, a Jenner, and some Locusts.

It'll be like playing mama duck and the ducklings!

RBA Starblade posted:

I keep trying to fit a UAC20 into the Z and I just can't do it without it being a too hot piece of poo poo or just a piece of poo poo

PoptartsNinja posted:

Gauss Rifle and two Inferno SRM++s

Suddenly you have a Cyclops Z that can score BS ammo crits while juggling two 'Mechs at once.

And Tyler Too! posted:

A King Crab and 3 Crabs for me.

Q_res posted:

The two lovely Banshees are better than the Zeus, they can be turned into effective, brawling punchbots. The Zeus will always be a fat Dragon.

Zarin posted:

Probably gonna pick up Urban Warfare and Heavy Metal while the season pass is on sale.

Am I correct that I have been reading in this thread that Heavy Metal increases the basic chance of finding LosTech on the Black Market?

RBA Starblade posted:

I started this campaign on a planet with a DHS, small pulse lasers and more

And Tyler Too! posted:

A King Crab and 3 Crabs for me.

Zarin posted:

Well then

I had tried to mod my vanilla/flashpoint install to find more LosTech but it didn't seem to work and I gave up.

Wondering if I should back up my save files and do a clean install with base game + DLCs just to make sure whatever I did doesn't mess anything up for the new DLCs

Pyronic posted:

Crab Rave? Excellent choice.

RBA Starblade posted:

I'm going to be so mad when the lostech all explodes off my lovely vindicator and assassin but drat it if I don't want to use it all asap

Star Man posted:

One Atlas, three UrbanMechs.

sean10mm posted:

4 of the AC20 Urbanmech variants.

RBA Starblade posted:

The tournament of champions owns btw

sean10mm posted:

How insane an Urbanmech can you build with lostech?

UAC20++ would be HILARIOUS

Zarin posted:

Probably gonna pick up Urban Warfare and Heavy Metal while the season pass is on sale.

Am I correct that I have been reading in this thread that Heavy Metal increases the basic chance of finding LosTech on the Black Market?

sean10mm posted:

This logic is 100% spot on, but for some reason I tended to build my Z to hang back at longer range on previous runs. Gonna try to make it a brawler when I get one this time around.

Q_res posted:

The two lovely Banshees are better than the Zeus, they can be turned into effective, brawling punchbots. The Zeus will always be a fat Dragon.

RBA Starblade posted:

I keep trying to fit a UAC20 into the Z and I just can't do it without it being a too hot piece of poo poo or just a piece of poo poo

GHOST_BUTT posted:

I still do this and just put LRMs and long range UACs and as much armor on it as possible. That +1 initiative really outweighs its lack of damage output: I can do a lot more with three assaults on count 2 than I can with an extra hundred damage and change.

Like maybe it's mathematically suboptimal but my experience with the Z-variant is that if enemies can shoot back at it, it always gets headcapped by some bullshit. Maybe it's just superstition but I don't put it on the front lines anymore.


This is probably technically true but if you're early enough in the campaign that you're still getting 1.5 difficulty missions, a Zeus is going to gently caress poo poo up all over the place until probably, like, Weldry at least.

PJOmega posted:

Is there somewhere I can read the full "rulebook" for hbs battletech?

Warmachine posted:

In some ways, it makes sense not to expose what is essentially a command asset to enemy fire.

On the other, Battletech seems to prefer that you try and spread shots across your mechs to minimize the amount of damage any individual mech takes.

Does this mean I don't just brick tank one mech and let the other three fire support? gently caress no it doesn't! But that's not mathematically optimal.

the yeti posted:

Thanks for all that!

I mocked it up with SRMs and it just looked so drat hot I swapped back over to LRMs I do have a +40 arm mod I could wedge in there too if that’s a good use of tonnage on the SRM build.

sean10mm posted:

This logic is 100% spot on, but for some reason I tended to build my Z to hang back at longer range on previous runs. Gonna try to make it a brawler when I get one this time around.

BrotherJayne posted:

... I wanted to Squawk, but I guess I could clitterclatter

Pyronic posted:

You reminded me that the Battletech cartoon exists and that I absolutely love it. I had some of the huge mechs from the series too, and my love of the Bushwhacker came from the toy and Mechwarrior 3.