LONG LIVE THE SPLATCAT! (How the hell is the original Splat Cat not posted already?) Decent speed, GREAT heat. I group left side SRMs to left Mouse 1, right side SRMs to Mouse 2, LL to Mouse 3. No heat penalty with a .5 second delay in firing SRMs. Crazy damage. Cheesy like Kraft! It's a stupid easy build to pilot, we've all seen it before, but, it's still a hell of a lot of fun. LL still lets me engage up to about 750 effectively. Artemis lets me punch through those damn jumping Highlanders and Victors! Plus, IT'S ON SALE! Damn PGI for pulling more money out of me. Couldn't resist the old splat.
500 rounds lasts most PUG drops. I do run more ammo for groups. However, in most PUGs, people tend to stand back more and thus, out of my range. I drop armor to 384, add BAP then drop a heat sink and JJ to run 700 rounds for groups. BAP extends my sensor range and lets me target shut down mechs and I run with a lot of LRMers. Moreover, my friends love Atlas' so I can steal ECM and AMS umbrellas from them! Group build; I used to run this a lot when I first started playing. Sold it about a month ago... Then they put it on the sale today and I couldn't resist. Cheese is still fun.
This build can be fun in groups, but, it is fairly useless in PUG drops. Ask Lan. He wrecked me tonight. Without good support and teamwork, this support build is pretty weak. Arms get picked off right away. Does not solo.
Just bought this build... At the first glance - very squish in melee TT ac2 boats - hate them :S CPLT-C4
Hey Chatt, i just changed my 4 Stars Voting to 5 Stars now after the Patch. Sooo cruel the Splash Damage! One of the very best Brawler Build for the C4. Thx for the gread idea! next rounds: http://i57.tinypic.com/30a80wg.jpg[/img] http://i57.tinypic.com/16ibq6s.jpg[/img] (LT Satisfactory also ran SRM24+A on his Stormcrow, but he fought on a different position. We totally destroyed them. Long live the Splash Chickens!!!! ) another great rounds: http://i59.tinypic.com/20pyhw9.jpg[/img] http://i58.tinypic.com/281wsjt.jpg[/img] OK, i got this C4 (worst Variant) on Master in only 2 days with this Build! Just FYI! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PViC7oQH8fo
Guys who played this build effectively, can you share some tips to me? In 3 cases of 4 matches follow pretty same scenario. [list type=decimal] [*]The match started, teams go to each other until contact. [*] I'm standing behind the first or second line in hope to unleash all my DPS from behind teammates shoulders. [*]BUT they all are just standing near some corner or narrow point and both teams are poking each other at 500-750m distance, so I cannot contribute! [*]Nearly all my team killed, enemy is engaging, and killing all, including me, because I cannot do much at this point except firing negligible 1-3 alphas. [/list] So, my problem with this mech is completely lack of initiative. I'm just standing behind and hoping for the best. Other 1/4 is pretty same, but my team overwhelming and pushing. At this point I can kill 1-2 mechs. Obviously I don't do any difference, just making victory a bit faster or waiting until defeat is unavoidable. Completely luck-based gameplay? Like a coin flipping. When I try to push, I'm just die from right-on-cue LRMs and lack of pushing support from team. That's all present with other mech, yes. But this build also adds vulnerabilty to fast lights, big size and importance of arms which makes you think twice if you should torso twist or better just face damage with your front, and fragillnes of this mech overall. When I try to flank or to go lone-wolf any casual enemy light tears me with his fastness, LRM support and my dependence on arms. I find some cover and LRM prevents me from trying to leave it and go anywhere. So I'm fighting with that light. No big deal at first, but enemy like lone mechs so much, half of enemy team just leave their poptarting and go for me. No escape, no hope. For now I have to agree with this: and this:
Hi Mate, i try to answer your question about this build since i have pretty good success with it. The mentioned matters of this build are right - it has it`s disadvantages against high range/Allround Builds, that`s clear. Second thing is, it is also correct, that the Catapult is not the best Brawler Chassis due to it`s sensitive CT Hitbox. But that doesn`t mean, that you cannot have good success with the Chassis and/or with this build. The Purpose of this Build is pretty clear - it`s an Executioner Build, a Terminator. Nothing else. You cannot contribute much in long distance stationary battles, where each team is trading pokes with Powersnipes etc. You can only contribute much, if your Enemies are within the SRM Attack Range. So you need some requirements for this build to have success: 1. You need to play in Skirmisher Attack Style and get into your SRM Attack Range. Nothing else is more crucial for this build. Doesn`t mean that you should seek the 1v1 Battle, but rather that you wait until some Enemies are engaging your Teammates, while you support to defend with brutal Ninja Attacks from the Sides or the Rears. The extreme high Alphastrike Damage and the insane DPS is making you an effective High-Burst Fighter. If you attack, never stay stationary like a Turret. Just strike in fullspeed motion and instantly move out or even jump out of the Targets Vision. You don`t want him to strike back with full firepower at your CT or your "Ears". It works best, if you are fighting in Cities or on locations where you have Objects to use as Cover, like Pillars etc. Just try to be outside of the Targets Visuals. And forget the "Fire from behind teammates shoulders" - you are in Targets Vision. Sneak in from the Sides or Rear whenever you can. 2. You need some good Lance/Teammates to protect you from Lights or any other Opponent, as you need that in almost every good game. If you stick together, Lights usually go a suicide run if they try to attack you. If you stand alone, you have bad odds as usual - a Light is flying around you while some mean Missile Boat is taking you down from a safe distance. 3. You need some good Lights Pilots (best with ECM to give your team Protection against LRMs) to clear the Battlefield. It`s crucial to know your Enemies positions, because it`s always bad to get engaged by surprise. Especially in the fragile Catapult. If you can foresee the next enemy step, you can avoid heavy damage and can try to take down Targets in a short time window of extreme high Burstdamage, while your Enemy cannot strike back fast enough to take you down. Watched my latest Video? There you can see that even Assault Mechs are taken down within Seconds, when you support attack with this Executioner Build. About your scenario matters: It is clear that in competitive games you wouldnt run this config or even this Mech, because most players would run Meta Poptard Builds where you clearly have no real chance to get into attack range before you got cored. IMO this build works best in PUG Games, where not the majority of the Players drive Powersniper Mechs. If you sync drop with some good friend, even better! In early game it is absolutely normal that each team is poking at each other at 500-750m, while you don`t contribute much. You still have a single LLaser to make some assist damage, but you should avoid enemy`s attention. So wait till both team are clashing against each other in direct brawls. Before that just hide in the shadows, take cover behind building, but always stay ready. Use your agility (Speed+JJs) to always reposition if you have the feeling that you can get ambushed easily from the flanks. If your team is nearly completely killed in the second half of the game, there is no build that can save your ass against an overpowered Enemy Team. So yeah, try to take one of them with you to hell for the Glory. But if your team is not doing too bad, by sticking together, protecting each other, focus fire attack every engaging enemy, you will contribute alot with this nasty build. I wouldnt say this, if i havent got the highest Damage Scores for the C4 with this build but nothing else. At this point you have to understand, what you can do to push the maximum Team Effect out of a Variant. The C4 is not the best Catapult Variant, because it has only 2 CT Energy HPs, where you can only load either two MLas/MPlas or a single LLas or LPLas - you don`t have good backup/defense weapons against Lights. What you have instead are four Missile Slots. Either you go full Missile Boat with Quad LRM10s or Double LRM20+A, but playing Missile Boats can also be tricky and frustrating when your Enemies have some ECMs and btw playing Missile Boats is somehow pretty boring. Or you go full Skirmisher/Executioner Build with a nasty set of SRM24+A with 51.60 Burstdamage, add the single LLas Beam to it and you have 60.60. You get it? -> 60.60 !!! Give 2-3 Alphastrikes and even an Assault is most times completely smashed. You just have to master the Way of the Ninja. Move in the Darkness and strike nasty from the Shadows. If you can succeed in surprise Attacks, your Targets will be crushed soo fast, that they can`t even react to your Attacks. The only things you need are the things i mentioned before. If you fail, then maybe only because your Team sucked, or you get cored too fast (and that means you yourself sucked as a Ninja ) Success Rate in PUGs: at least 50% (because half of the PUG Games either your Team or the Enemy Team sucks), higher if you play in sync drop with good lancemates. But if you succeed you usually get insanely high scores and plenty of Component Destructions (get ready for the Achievement 'Shreddin'). It`s not a competitive Build, but it`s a high effective Short Range Killer Build. Just try to imagine how you would kill best as a non armored Assassin with an ultrasharp Ninja Sword - would you run solo in the open field with it against Enemies with Sniper Rifles? Would you like the Opponents to see you in a direct line beyond your own attack range? If you can answer these questions with No, then you will find out how to use this build effectively. Cheers
I also suggest you play this build in Conquest. There's usually more movement, brawl and flanking opportunities on this mode. PS: my build uses Artemis AND pulse laser, because I fear nothing.
Played plenty more times today, tried hard to follow your tips, but not big difference. Here is more problems: [list type=decimal] [*]For ninja it's way too slow. You strike, you are escaping with your laughable 74kph, you get lasered, LRMed and autocannoned pretty fast. [*] Looks like I'm really unlucky, but before I go all around to flank, there is already 10 red vs 6 blue. [*]When you flank, enemy flank too. If you face light + LRM boat, you die. If you face that omnipresent clan light or med, you die, because they love to flank and they love to brawl in close range. [*]Sometimes I find good target and hit it at full speed as you suggested, and what do you think happens? Always this target is distracted by me and chasing me, and I again cannot escape with my laughable 74khp. Plus usually some lights or fast meds are distracted too, because they always hungry for easy target. And LRM, being hit by LRM just gettings whole new meaning when I'm in this build. [*]Lack of information is hell! Half of team don't bother to lock as you know, especially lights. You say good light makes your day in this build. But do you really see good light often? I see sometimes good meds, heavies and assaults, but good lights are just super-rare. And even when light pilot is good he usually doesn't bother with providing you information, because he knows that in full PUG it will not have big effect. [/list] So, overall, looks like this mech is veeery dependant on having friend to play with. I do not have friend to play with (insert forever alone smile here). Otherwise, it's just luck, maybe you'll get nice target, maybe you'll get nasty surprise with overwhelming forces, maybe you'll get lone target, but he will either destroy you before you can finish him with a second or third salvo (especially if you missed at least one shot), either core you, so you'll die immediately in next contact. Mostly second, third or forth case... Looks like this ninja finisher kind build is not for me and/or my ELO. I need “starter”, not finisher. I mean some build that tailored to be used with typical teammated, not dependant on rare cases or having MWO-friends. Probably I should use Heavy Missile Support, because: I have cool 2.60 W/L ratio in trial CPLT-A1 boat; it's highly rated; it's made by Blagg Zear, who knows things and whose tips here and there are very helpful (yeah, this particular build didn't behave well, but it's just one case vs few contrary). Sooooo... If someone is reading this and having same problems, do know that insistency probably will not save you from sucking in this build, maybe it's your skill, maybe your ELO, maybe your inflexible playstyle.
Dont worry mate. Every Player needs to find out which Mechs/Builds suit his playstyle best. I for example suck as a Lights Pilot, while the best (skilled) Pilots out there are probably the successful Lights Pilots. I like it heavy and stompy and smashy.
I usually let Blagg and Epikt charge and tank for me when I'm on the Smashcat. Either we wipe the floor with them or we die a horrible death Heh ..
