My Forbidden Love: The Medium Laser

[OmniscientQ]

As I design my 'mechs, I find myself picking one or two long-range guns (PPC's, ER Large Laser, Gauss Rifle) depending on the weight available, then filling in with some decent all-round weapons. And every time I find myself trying to decide what to put in those last two or three tons of payload... I always come back to good ol' reliable Medium Lasers. They're old technology, but I just can't seem to convince myself that there is a better combination of weight, damage, and heat ouput with any other weapon.

Is it wrong? Is my love for the classic medium laser a sin? Should I be favoring the ER version or putting more MPL's in my 'mechs?

[Arkansas Warrior]

Nope.  The good old ML is quite possibly the all-around best weapon in the game.  Better than the clan pulse lasers or LRMs, better than gauss rifles, better than anything.

[OmniscientQ]

Nope.  The good old ML is quite possibly the all-around best weapon in the game.  Better than the clan pulse lasers or LRMs, better than gauss rifles, better than anything.

Better than Clan pulse lasers? Let's not get crazy. I love my medium lasers dearly, but I'll gladly double their weight for the extra range and accuracy of a clan MPL. And let's not even discuss the clan LPL's...

[black magic battalion]

As I design my 'mechs, I find myself picking one or two long-range guns (PPC's, ER Large Laser, Gauss Rifle) depending on the weight available, then filling in with some decent all-round weapons. And every time I find myself trying to decide what to put in those last two or three tons of payload... I always come back to good ol' reliable Medium Lasers. They're old technology, but I just can't seem to convince myself that there is a better combination of weight, damage, and heat ouput with any other weapon.

Is it wrong? Is my love for the classic medium laser a sin? Should I be favoring the ER version or putting more MPL's in my 'mechs?

be loud and be proud!!!!
one of my favourite Mechs after all these years is still the Hunchback 4P

[Dave Talley]

and this is why the Hunchback 4P is the best mech ever

JINX BMB posted a few seconds before I did

[Nibs]

There are quite a few BT players who love the Medium Laser dearly, and do so openly.

[OmniscientQ]

I just looked up the HBK-4P, and I gotta say that is one sexy-looking 'mech.

Combine that with a few DHS and some jump jets and... Well, I think something wonderful could happen.

[Reaver]

I just looked up the HBK-4P, and I gotta say that is one sexy-looking 'mech.

Combine that with a few DHS and some jump jets and... Well, I think something wonderful could happen.

Or you can put them in a corner of the mechbay, close it off for a week, and come back and see the baby Komodo they've made.

Seriously though, medium lasers are great in small to medium doses, but once you get more than six, it starts to get ridiculous.  By that point, you're compromising the ability of the mech to reach out and touch someone or to crit seek for no additional benefit in keeping people away from you.

[Dave Talley]

here is a 3025 version
http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,3239.0.html

[black magic battalion]

I just looked up the HBK-4P, and I gotta say that is one sexy-looking 'mech.

Combine that with a few DHS and some jump jets and... Well, I think something wonderful could happen.

i would never in my wildest dreams call the 4P "sexy-looking"

deadly, zombie personified, brutal and effective...but not sexy

[Diablo48]

The classic Medium Laser is a fantastic weapon to round out heat brackets for close defense, but in design I like to look for other things like Flamers, ECM, C3 nodes, TAG, Probes, or other assorted toys to give me extra functionality rather than piling on more lasers than I really need for bracketing out the big guns.

[OmniscientQ]

The classic Medium Laser is a fantastic weapon to round out heat brackets for close defense, but in design I like to look for other things like Flamers, ECM, C3 nodes, TAG, Probes, or other assorted toys to give me extra functionality rather than piling on more lasers than I really need for bracketing out the big guns.

Oh, I agree with you entirely. In fact, the ECM and C3 nodes are the *first* thing to go on my 'mechs, so their placement is assured. It's only after those and the main guns that I need to fill in space. ECM is just too useful and too cheap at 1.5 tons to pass up. Same for a C3 slave. BAP and TAG generally only get put on my dedicated scout/spotter 'mechs, but they go on EVERY scout 'mech I build.

[Tempus]

our old design rule in 3025 era for energy balance was


 PPC's for range, 3 ML's for every PPC, and then
  if you have excess heat but not much weight, more ML
  if you have excess weight but not much heat, SRM's or LRM's depending on your preferred role.


If I have an extra ton, my choice selection typically goes like this.


Is my armor maxed?
Do I need some special gear like ECM, AMS, supercharger, that would aide my designed role?
Is the design tending to run HOT?   (buy heatsinks if you have the room for them)
Is the design constantly running out of ammo? 
if no to all the above, buy a medium laser  (ERML if running clan)

[Diablo48]

Oh, I agree with you entirely. In fact, the ECM and C3 nodes are the *first* thing to go on my 'mechs, so their placement is assured. It's only after those and the main guns that I need to fill in space. ECM is just too useful and too cheap at 1.5 tons to pass up. Same for a C3 slave. BAP and TAG generally only get put on my dedicated scout/spotter 'mechs, but they go on EVERY scout 'mech I build.

That works, although if the heat budget is such that the extra ML does not add much effective firepower, a Flamer is always a good option because it lets you butcher infantry or create smokescreens to hide your forces behind for only a ton.  Other options with the C3/ECM in place on non-scouts would be SPLs for more accurate anti-infantry weapons or AMS for extra defense, and RL 10 packs are also a good option if you are just looking for a way to add burst damage because they are lighter and hit harder than MLs.

[Demon55]

I would not call it a forbidden love, but I would not want a mech armed with only medium lasers.  I like to have them as back ups for longer ranged weapons. 

[RangerRob]

3 of my fav 3025 mechs are medium laser boat variants of truly bland mechs.

Firestarter, Javelin and Vulcan.

[Hersh67]

Have to agree with Demon55.  MLs are cost (and heat/damage) efficient and deadly, but only close in.  You need to have a complementary "reach out and kill someone" weapon.

That's why you see the 3 ML / 1 PPC designs - it's like a choice for your opponent: do you want to die at long range to the PPCs or step up and get critted to death by the MLs?

[Diamondshark]

I love the Mlaser, it and its ER variant are always the main weapons I use for my TSM mechs (yes, I am that guy).

[Demon55]

I think mechs like the Komodo and Hunchback 4p have too many medium lasers and in the Hunchback it has the same shortcomings of of the 4G Hunchback, it must close to be effective, but is hampered by its slow speed.  The Komodo does have the same problem, but its speed allows it to close more rapidly with the enemy.  The Komodo 2A sacrifices 5 MLs for a single LL which gives it some more range and like the Wolfhound or Phoenix Hawk it can fire at range as it closes. 

Mechs like the Spider which can charge and retreat rapidly it is forvigable to have only MLs, but on slowe mechs too many medium lasers is a hinderance as they take away room and tonnage for longer ranged weapons.

[FedSunsBorn]

I found out I really did love Medium Lasers when I realized that I was constantly thinking of ways to change designs and convert them to carry Medium Lasers instead of their standard config. ER versions seem a bit too heavy on the heat to be as effective and IS pulse lasers always seemed too heavy for my tastes. The Medium Laser is the standard to which all other short range support weapons must compare too.

[I am Belch II]

I think the Medium Laser  is one of the best "level 1" weapons out there. Lots of damage for little weight. Sure the range is short but very much worth it.

[Dread Moores]

Medium laser really is the best weapon, period. All others pale in comparison, when you look at effectiveness per ton. Very manageable heat and excellent damage for 1 ton. That said, I tend to find that I prefer designs which mix up laser types, as it keeps them from becoming boring ML boats like some of the designs mentioned earlier.

[Arkansas Warrior]

Better than Clan pulse lasers? Let's not get crazy. I love my medium lasers dearly, but I'll gladly double their weight for the extra range and accuracy of a clan MPL. And let's not even discuss the clan LPL's...

damage/ton
damage/heat
range/ton
range/heat
 
The ML beats the Clan LPL in all of these, and is easier to fit onto any given design, and that's before you take economics into account.

[Akalabeth]

i would never in my wildest dreams call the 4P "sexy-looking"

deadly, zombie personified, brutal and effective...but not sexy

Yeah we should reserve the term sexy-looking for the Mackie alone

[black magic battalion]

Medium laser really is the best weapon, period. All others pale in comparison, when you look at effectiveness per ton. Very manageable heat and excellent damage for 1 ton. That said, I tend to find that I prefer designs which mix up laser types, as it keeps them from becoming boring ML boats like some of the designs mentioned earlier.

you may refer to Mechs like the hunckback 4P as a boring ML boat but i like to think of it as a roller coaster ride into the land of brutal efficiency and total intimidation