MA - Got the Railgun!

Hey guys!  happened to pop in today since its been a while and saw this convo.  Always a hot debate between these 2 weapons!  Very close.

I tend to favor TTK vs DPS because Ive found I dont often kill something in one volley.  This becomes especially true for sustained damage as its designed to push back the enemy more so then get tons of kills or burst someone down.  So if thats the case, DPS seemed less important than the overall TTK knowing that i would need to reload.  However, DPS is still very important and valid.  I think in ideal conditions, the DPS of the carbine 8 is slightly higher. But thats not realistic in my experience; I'm not often within 30m of my target.  And if thats the case, the PC8 will have higher dps in real world scenarios where I am far more often in its ideal range of 60m.

Ive love to see side by side comparisons if you are able to get them though.  As others have said, it can be very tricky without a test server.  In either case I think both are great weapons.  My choice in each depends on the map and playstyle.  If i want more flexibility in range and accuracy; Carbine8s.  If I want more raw damage for brawling - PC8s.

I would agree with you - TTK would be the time it takes to kill a mech.  But my point was that if you don't kill the mech in the first salvo (can easily happen with about half the mechs in the game) you will need to reload and use the next one.  Doesn't this factor into TTK?  I would think it does, but maybe thats where we differ.

That said, with straight DPS of firing I would agree that the Carbines would do more damage faster; they empty their clip faster even though they do less damage for the whole clip.  However, the sliding factor for me is the optimal range.  If we are 30m or closer, carbines win the DPS race, but further out in 30-60 meters the PC8s would be better.  After that, it gets tricky as both tend to start losing accuracy.  I would still think the carbines win out once you get past say 75-90ish meters, but in those instances both lose a lot of value on just about any moving target as accuracy degrades.  And since staying within 30m of your target with a sustain damage weapon is something I try to avoid most times (unless I have an ability advantage like Guardian or Zephyr), the PC8 hits a more effective range and DPS in the most common encounters I have.  So I have to give more credit to how the real world experience plays out vs what is shown on paper.  But I can also see how some people play this differently; some only stay far away or super close and the carbines are better.  But thats likely why this is a debatable topic.  Everyones experience is different! 

Also remember - this is ONLY considering the carbine8s and PC8s.  Most people say their carbines are better, but usually say that when they run a carbine 8/10 build.  Clearly that build has better DPS than dual PC8s (since we dont have a PC10) and I would always agree with that.  But I do wonder if a PC8/Carb10 is better than a Carb 8/10 build.  I like it better, but its likely down to opinion.

Yea its a tough subject.  TBH I wanted to initially go the DPS route for these weapons. But DPS was a hard thing to correctly calculate since we don't know how crits proc (percentage chance) and some of the way damage is displayed doesn't make it clear.  The carbine is super hard to pin down in this area as we don't see all the individual tics of damage.  Carbines fire in bursts of 5, but when those hit the target, you don't see 5 tics; it combines them into one.  This can happen with the PCs too, but its not nearly as bad. In both cases it's nice for visually seeing it, but it makes it near impossible to tell what shot (if any) hit a crit.  This gets even tricker when we consider overheat, brickhouse boosts, side shots and back shots in the mix. 

I even tried to ask Plarium about how they calculate all this damage, but they said it was proprietary and they couldn't share.  So I leaned more into TTK.

As for end game weapons, I think you made the right choice.  Honestly for end game, I can produce a top tier hanger with MR8s, LA8s, LA10s, and Railguns.  No sustain damage is needed - no carbines needed.  That is not to say that they aren't awesome and certainly have a place on certain maps and builds since I use them regularly.  But in terms of making a great hanger without breaking the bank on end game prototype weapons, Id rather have a railgun or 2 than any of the carbines first.  For me, the order of importance for top tier prototype weapons goes:

1- Railgiun
2 - Carbine 12
3 - Carbine 10
4 - Carbine 8

Again likely just my preference, but thats how it sits for me.  Hope you enjoy that railgun!

Having faced Deadeye's CB8 Zephyr, I can confirm that it's a deadly build and right PITA when played well. I went the RG16 route myself and it's pretty damned fun too.

As for the PC8 on Zephyr, yeah, I had the same problem. It took so long to unload the PC8 and I often couldn't kill my target before the EMP wore off and ended up getting reverse smoked.

The RG aims like the LA series, so unless you have great aim while moving, I really wouldn't put it on a fast mech like the KS. I've only seen one player do that in game, and he must have been playing keyboard/mouse cause he was a deadshot.

RG16/LA8 on the Panther was freaking awesome on the big open TDM maps. On the event task where I had to kill 25 mechs from 70+m, I did it in like 3 games with this build. But, once you run out of RG ammo, it's pretty weak, and if you get cornered, you're sunk. That's why I'm now thinking of upgrading/ranking up my Guardian to R5 to do this build and then put my MR8 back on my Zephyr and then PC8 on my KS.

Agree on the different mindset for KS and RG.  Right now, my RG firing is mostly about anticipation.  People that don't know they're being targeted tend to continue in a straight and predictable line and speed.  I just set my target for where they're going and hover my thumb over the big red button.



For KS, however, you can strafe to aim.  It would take some getting used to, but could be very dangerous and effective.

(btw, that gif is actually me in a Shakira costume playing MA...lol)

Ok, dumb question...why is the RG16/LA8 called the Thanos build?

But only if it hits! I would have called it HYDRA, as in Hope You Don't Run Away.

I like the "snap fingers and things disappear" posited by ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48! I'm hoping my dubbing of dual SB12 as "Elsa" takes off! 

Oh ya, just barely scrounged up enough this morning! lol

I put together the Thanos build on the Guardian and oh boy oh boy. I see the whole "snap fingers thing".

In one match, I was following a red bracket as it rounded the snowy mountain in an attempt to get to the side CP and flank us. It had over half HP left. I pointed my targeting dot at where it would emerge and as soon as it did, "SNAP" and it was gone. LOL, fun times!

I play Atari style...(big red button) and I have a question....
When you fire both SD12 & CB12 simultaneously is there enough SB to continue freezing while Carb12 completely reloads after spending his first magazine?