Whats the difference in damage between Energy and Ballistic weapons?

[TheJokerIsComing]

Since shields dont seem to be a thing, I dont see why lasers are in the game, in most games like this lasers are really good against shields, but there arent any shields, just the mech, so which type of weapon is best for consistent damage?

[=EBS= WarGanisM]

Balistics rely on ammunition and relatively low heat, and slots. Energy weapons have infinite Ammo take up less space via size and ammo, however cause more heat buildup.

Laser Damage is over the duration of the beam, so it really depend on your ability to keep you laser over the target, longer its on, the more of that damage beign applied for that cycle time of the laser. Typically Ammo deliver the damage all in one hit however obviously Ballistics have travel time. The exceptions being LBX weaponary which is more of a shotgun effect with the damage split between the individual pellets/spray and Auto Cannon which break the damage into 5's e.g. AC 20 one slug 20 damage shot, UAC20 is 4x5 shots.

As for consistant damage depends on your playstyle and skill level. Ballistics will always do the samge damage provided you hit, but if you miss that's no damage at all. Lasers (except PPCs) do damage over the beam time, so its mor elikely to spread, however if you miss, you can still have plenty of time to re-aim.

Depends on the mech you pilot, and what enemy you're shooting at. Firing an AC 20 at a big assault like an Atlas vs a 20ton Flea zipping around at 150kph.

[TheJokerIsComing]

Well I mainly play Assaults and Heavies, so basically I can make my setup whatever I want just depending on how accurate I am? Because I have seen a lot of people with a slight cross between ballistic and energy weapons, I thought it was because there were different components of mechs that required certain weaponry to destroy. I am a complete noob.

[tutzdes]

Originally posted by TheJokerIsComing:

Well I mainly play Assaults and Heavies, so basically I can make my setup whatever I want just depending on how accurate I am? Because I have seen a lot of people with a slight cross between ballistic and energy weapons, I thought it was because there were different components of mechs that required certain weaponry to destroy. I am a complete noob.

Energy weapons tend to be lighter, easier to aim but hot, so you need to disengage to cool down the mech every now and then. Energy-based assaults tend to be at heat limit after firing all their weapons a couple of times.

There are two main types of energy weapons: Lasers and PPCs. Lasers fire a beam which hits targets instantly but needs to be kept on target for a duration to deal full damage. PPC fires a projectile like ballistics, but instead of consuming ammo, produces HUGE ammount of heat, so it has very low effective DPS.

Ballistics relies on ammunition, which is limited and can be destroyed by enemies when you're out of armor, dealing extra damage to the mech. Projectiles have travel speed and some can spread a bit. Ballistic weapons tend to have much higher weight than energy ones. They also produce much lower heat and have lower cooldowns.

There are also machine guns, that produce no heat, are insta-hit (despite the projectile animations) and fire as long as you hold the trigger. These are used by light mechs mostly.

In general lasers tend to be better for lighter/faster mechs who can hide/reposition when hot. Ballistic weapons are better for big and close range mechs that can't hide easily and need sustained firepower.

Missiles are somewhat in-between.

People tend to use mixed loaduts due to heat and tonnage constraints and also the limitations of the mech chassis. If your mech has only energy hardpoints you have no choice but mount a lot of lasers or PPCs.

[Ishan451]

Originally posted by TheJokerIsComing:

Since shields dont seem to be a thing, I dont see why lasers are in the game, in most games like this lasers are really good against shields, but there arent any shields, just the mech, so which type of weapon is best for consistent damage?

There is no weapon type that is better, just different. In the actual background of the game there are Reflective and Refractive Armor, which negate one or the other type of weaponry, but these have not been implemented into MWO just yet.


In terms which are better for MWO... here is a quick, sort of rule of thumb things:

Energy:
Does produce a lot of heat, but doesn't require ammo (instead requires more heatsinks) and in case of lasers have burntime. Burntime means that the laser has to be on the target for the full duration to do full damage. Which allows enemies to spread the damage across different parts of their mechs, by twisting their torsos under your fire.

Since Lasers provide near instant damage, its sort of "hitscan" type of weapon, and the burntime of the lasers allow you to correct your shot and still do some damage to the enemy instead of loosing all your damage on miss.

Ballistic:
Does produce reduced to barely any heat, but requries more ammo and is heavier and bulkier, but does deliver damage near instantly. The entire damage is sent by the number of shells you fire, so if you fire an IS AC10, with its single shell, it will do its full 10 damage on impact. There is no 'spreading' of that damage. This of course means if you miss your shot, you miss your shot, there is no course correcting. Since shells travel physically you can use this to your advantage, allowing people to 'walk into your shots', so to speak. Hitting fast moving targets is of course more difficult.

Ballistic Weapons also have a lower cooldown than Energy Weapons, and do not have something like Burntime (with the exception of the Rotary ACs and MGs), thus overall Ballistic Weaponry have a much higher DPS than Energy, but thus are ammo dependent and easily destroyed because of their number of internal slots they need.

Missile:
Occupy a position between Ballistic and Energy. They provide some of the most damage, but have the slowest projectiles. Of course this still allows you to fire at a position where the enemy will be (affording you the opportunity to deny the enemy a line of sight on you and still hit them), they also spread their damage the most.

In case of LRM, are also easily countered by the enemy breaking line of sight and moving sideways to their last position, as LRM will still fly to the last known location. Or in the case of SSRM, which require a lock on (unlike LRM and ATM, both which can be dumbfired and fly to the 'targeted' location). SRM have the best damage in the game per tonnage.


Ultimately.. there is no weapon system that is superior to the other. Many people prefer Energy in MWO, because unlike previous Mechwarrior Games there are no rearming Stations in MWO. (Previous MW games would have stations that could rearm and restore damaged, but not destroyed, armor sections).

Energy are also most user friendly, due to the burn time and the lack of a 'travel time' (with exception of PPCs)

[Maddermax]

What you have to remember is that heat is a resource, lasers don’t use ammo, but they churn through heat like nothing. That’s why often the best option is often to put more heat sinks on, rather than more/heavier weapons, unless you’re in a cool build already. It’s possible to mix some high heat weapons, like Lasers and PPCs, with low heat weapons like ACs and especially Gauss rifles (gauss=almost no heat), but mixed load outs can be a little more tricky to master, as they require aiming in different ways, and may have different optimal ranges.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Originally posted by TheJokerIsComing:

Since shields dont seem to be a thing, I dont see why lasers are in the game, in most games like this lasers are really good against shields, but there arent any shields, just the mech, so which type of weapon is best for consistent damage?

Lasers are a hitscan weapon, very efficient in damage for slots and tonnage.
Ballistics depend on the type, but generally take a lot of space and tonnage while being fairly heat efficient (although RACs run hot and Gauss Rifles run almost completely cold) and except for Machine Guns and Gauss Rifles require leading your target.
Missiles are somewhere in the middle - they're hotter and more compact than ballistics but a bit more heat efficient and bulkier than lasers. All missile weapons spread their damage, although the ways that spread is executed differ between some of them.
Don't forget that with non-laser weapons you have to carry explosive ammo in your mech (that can be blown up if an enemy mech gets past the armor in your ammo-bearing locations). For Gauss Rifles, the explosive component is the rifle itself rather than the ammo.

[子不是字]

The main balancing factor, which you got to see from a tabletop/ingame universe point of view is that energy weapons are a lot more self sustaining, while generating more heat. While games in this game lasts a couple minutes, in lore wise, battlemechs may be required to go for days of fighting in a role with minimum resupply, or else the resupply may not be possible due to being behind enemy lines. With energy weapons, you can fight as long as your mech is still working. You don't have to worry about logistics or running out of ammo. SO what is the catch? Heat generation. ballasitic weapons do not generate nearly as much heat as energy weapons, so you can put out a higher volume of fire without the need to worry about overheating.

[Ishan451]

Originally posted by SolarianNova60:

The main balancing factor, which you got to see from a tabletop/ingame universe point of view is that energy weapons are a lot more self sustaining, while generating more heat. While games in this game lasts a couple minutes, in lore wise, battlemechs may be required to go for days of fighting in a role with minimum resupply

Just to clarify, those mechs didn't operate on their own, and usually have a ground crew following them. And they also don't operate constantly under fire.

The assumption here is that Guerrilla Warfare was more common, given that you would fight for entire planets. MFB (Mobile Field Bases) were common in many of the Merc Regiments for this specific reason and many mechs are designed to rearm themselves.

The lore Wolverine for example carries its AC5 as an external gun type, being able to load magazines (1ton) of ammo just like you would load a rifle for a human.

And Heavies and Assaults are also rarely operating in this fashion.

[cyäegha]

Originally posted by Ishan451:

The lore Wolverine for example carries its AC5 as an external gun type, being able to load magazines (1ton) of ammo just like you would load a rifle for a human.

apparently experimental QKD's post-whiteout toyed with that idea to make hotswappable psuedo-omnimech loadouts, too, even allowing it to carry around a RAC5 or LRM20 in its hands

old art also depicts the battlemaster's machineguns being used in this fashion, but not externally reloaded; presumably the ammo uses lostech teleportation to warp the ammo from the left torso to the hand-held gun or something idk

[Ishan451]

Originally posted by cyäegha:

presumably the ammo uses lostech teleportation to warp the ammo from the left torso to the hand-held gun or something idk

Or one assumes an ammunition pocket and moving the clip by hand <grins>

But what i was referencing is the old artwork:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/File:Wolverine.jpg

[cyäegha]

i can sort of see why people complain about the wolverine's MWO design, it sort of didn't translate well to the more rugged, dare i say 'realistic' design ethos

i love most of the MWO reimaginations, but the wolverine did lose something in translation, probably

being able to self-supply your own reloads, possibly by using TSM to carry above your own chassis limitations, would be handy

heh heh

[FallenShaw]

People don't want realistic, remeber the spider's origional size and hit boxes. js

[cyäegha]

Originally posted by FallenShaw:

People don't want realistic

♥♥♥♥, talk about speaking for the majority homie

Originally posted by FallenShaw:

remeber the spider's origional size and hit boxes

literally has nothing to do with PGI's reimagining
what you should be blaming is the rescale