Are vehicles too powerful?

[Widow Peak]

I have not seen this complain before, so it may just be me. If so, please advise.

I find certain vehicles to be too powerful. As soon as I spot an SRM, LRM, PPC Carrier or a Demolisher, all my attention shifts to them.

While not as resilient as a King Crab or an Awesome, the Demolisher and PPC Carrier have a major portion of their firepower. The other two carriers just shoot so many missiles some are bound to hit the head. The SRM Carrier is particularly ludicrous, as it carries enough weapons to fill 10 missile hardpoints…something no mech can do.

I understand all four vehicles are canon. Though I find it amusing the writers of Battletech made tanks that outperform the mechs, the focus of the setting. For the price tag of a King Crab, you could get 4 Demolishers and have a fair amount of C-bills to spare.

[wesnef]

Well, the point is that they don't outperform mechs. They have a number of drawbacks & disadvantages that make them worse. Less hit locations, a single "internal structure" location, less mobility.

(And in tabletop, there were more - like they had a higher chance to just take critical hits through their armor. And if you were building your own custom vehicles, there were a variety of extra rule restrictions - like, ICE-engine tanks needed to spend extra weight on 'power amplifiers' for energy weapons plus needed heatsinks equal to all heat produced. Engines weighed more. Etc.)

Can those vehicles be a rude surprise? Sure. But the SRM/LRM/PPC carriers have crap for armor. And the Demolisher is short range & slow.

[neil]

Vehicles are of course capable of causing damage to mechs
Then you run up and stand on them
End of vehicle

[Widow Peak]

They are not that soft. I just had a carrier tank an LRM20+15. The bugger managed to shoot twice and forced me to eject my Centurion.

Why didn't I shoot some more at the SRM Carrier? Because there was a Demolisher and a Hunchback with AC20, which took even higher priority.

Originally posted by neil:

Vehicles are of course capable of causing damage to mechs
Then you run up and stand on them
End of vehicle

That is a great way to have your back exposed.

[wesnef]

Originally posted by Widow Peak:

They are not that soft. I just had a carrier tank an LRM20+15. The bugger managed to shoot twice and forced me to eject my Centurion.

Why didn't I shoot some more at the SRM Carrier? Because there was a Demolisher and a Hunchback with AC20, which took even higher priority.

Eh, I don't usually shoot vehicles with LRMs. The damage scatters too much. I shoot them with AC5/10/20, LLas, PPC, Gauss. (and then LRMs or SRMs, if necessary, to take advantage of the massive hole I just put in their armor)

Also, the SRM carrier is a higher priority target than a Demolisher or Hunchback. It does much more damage (and is much easier to remove from the field.)


Anyway.... all these vehicles become less of a threat once you get your pilots to the point they can see target tonnages on the radar. So you know to sensor-lock those 60-ton tanks at a distance to see if they're Carriers. And that there's an 80t tank on the other side of the hill, that might be a Demolisher.

[Widow Peak]

So, to summarize...

Yes, they should be my first priority.

Correct?

[Boltergeist]

Vanilla tanks are designed to get killed quick and easy by the player, their ai actively looks for the worst place to be, their armor and internals are gimped and they look for the hardest target to shoot at

Tanks are a joke and free kills

[Jukelo]

Originally posted by Widow Peak:

So, to summarize...

Yes, they should be my first priority.

Correct?

Generally yes. When assessing how hard a target is to kill vs how dangerous it is, vehicles are on the glass canon side of things, so they should go first. With the exception of the Demolisher, that thing is slow enough that you can remove it as a threat simply by moving out of range.

[Werecat101]

Ok tanks have hellish firepower and dont have any heat applied so that tank with 3 PPC's can fire all 3 every turn. I target vehicles as a priority they are soft and easy kills.

[WC?]

naw but they are annoying as all getout when like 3 shreks and an lrm carrier spawn right behind an entire lance of vanguards in tanky mechs like kingcrab and highlanders.

[Darbie]

Vehicles are typically a high-priority target because of their firepower and ease of kill. And as someone else said, once you get someone with decent tactics and learn the game, you will be able to recognize what is a vehicle to worry about well before it starts shooting.

For instance, vehicles move one initiative slower than similar tonnage mechs. And there are only 2 (i think) assault initiative vehicles. Knowing what you're fighting before it can shoot at you is a big deal.

[Wobbliest]

Originally posted by Widow Peak:

So, to summarize...

Yes, they should be my first priority.

Correct?

If you're looking for a general rule of thumb, yes. They are quick to kill and can reduce the opfor's firepower quickly if you target them.

A more complex answer is it depends on factors like:
-What is misison objective?
-What is the enemy vehicle?
-How far away is it?
-What is it's effective range?
-What terrain are you fighting on?
-Are there any direct dangers to you like a flanking atlas?
-What mechs are you using and what are their movement ranges/weapon ranges?

Some advice on vehciles:
-Don't rush them without knowing what they are/kill SRM/Demolishers at range.
-Mechs will always out run them, including their mechs. So if you need to seperate them to pick targets, can easily fall back and kite the groups.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Reef]

I've seen more than a few youtubers lose mechs cause they ignored demolishers the first time they face them

[danny-san]

Vehicles are too strong but I think if they were nerfed they'd be a total nonthreat. Maybe they should just have an accuracy penalty.

[Wobbliest]

Originally posted by i am farm:

Vehicles are too strong but I think if they were nerfed they'd be a total nonthreat. Maybe they should just have an accuracy penalty.

I think they are just right, strong enough you shouldn't ignore them, but with enough easy weaknesses that you can handle them. They add flavor.

[hammerinn]

Originally posted by wesnef:

Originally posted by Widow Peak:

They are not that soft. I just had a carrier tank an LRM20+15. The bugger managed to shoot twice and forced me to eject my Centurion.

Why didn't I shoot some more at the SRM Carrier? Because there was a Demolisher and a Hunchback with AC20, which took even higher priority.

Eh, I don't usually shoot vehicles with LRMs. The damage scatters too much. I shoot them with AC5/10/20, LLas, PPC, Gauss. (and then LRMs or SRMs, if necessary, to take advantage of the massive hole I just put in their armor)

Also, the SRM carrier is a higher priority target than a Demolisher or Hunchback. It does much more damage (and is much easier to remove from the field.)


Anyway.... all these vehicles become less of a threat once you get your pilots to the point they can see target tonnages on the radar. So you know to sensor-lock those 60-ton tanks at a distance to see if they're Carriers. And that there's an 80t tank on the other side of the hill, that might be a Demolisher.

People going full lrm is because this game has precision strike amd such. You would never full lrm a vehicle or mech in TT. You need a weak point first.