Talk to me about the...Dire Wolf!

[Diablo48]

I expect it would work fighters and VTOLs and such over with little trouble, but I play with HAGs so seldom that I've never had the chance to put it to the test in practice.

I have used it against armor, and the extra crits are nice, since sand paper damage is not really a factor against opponent with only a five hit locations that all feed to the same internal.  But, you still suffer from that low pure damage at range, so while your crits can often imobalize enemies you still have to punch out the armor so against a tank with ER LLs or ATMs or AC2s, you're still in the fight and you have to slug it out (and your allies do too if its got PPCs and GRs and what ever and they need to close more to engage other things).

That sounds like what I expected would happen, and it also sounds like my idea of a single HAG 40 supported by stronger long range weapons like ERPPCs would be a good way to go.

[Iron Mongoose]

Well, the joy of the Dire Wolf's omni nature is that 1) if your group permits customs, you can do that with little trouble (from an IC stand point, I can't imagine there's a front line cluster in existance that hasn't got a few spare PPCs that it can allocate to a Dire Wolf) or 2) you can just pair it with or convert it to an A or a B or a Hohiro if you need larger holes to be punched, because you're in a mech heavy environment, or just because that's how you roll (this would be my take on it).

The main problem I have with the D (I did some mental math at work, but I've only now been able to check it) is that its roughly 800 BV more than the B, which is clearly and admitedly the very worst canon Dire Wolf, yet at most of the long range band the D gives up power and groupings to its inferior cousen.  Yes, the B will run a bit hotter with the PPCs plus some or all of the ACs, but it will do more damage with the same or more crits depending on which ACs you use and in what mode.  And its the B.  I think that sort of thing underscores the long range deficancy of the D.

And for thouse who retort that the D will maul the B in close range, and power levels on both are low enough to alow it to reach close range in many cases, I'll answer that the B can bring along a new Javelin or a Mist Lynx, or several points of BA, to help.  Which against the power of the mighty D in close might still not be enough, but its still the Dire Wolf B and some second rate light mech.

[Diablo48]

Well, the joy of the Dire Wolf's omni nature is that 1) if your group permits customs, you can do that with little trouble (from an IC stand point, I can't imagine there's a front line cluster in existance that hasn't got a few spare PPCs that it can allocate to a Dire Wolf) or 2) you can just pair it with or convert it to an A or a B or a Hohiro if you need larger holes to be punched, because you're in a mech heavy environment, or just because that's how you roll (this would be my take on it).

I do have a very nice custom configuration with one HAG, twin ERPPCs, and some backup which I posted here, however it is even more expensive than the canon D which limits its usefulness unless there are some non-'Mech units on the table.

[Grantwhy]

plays around with possible configs

 :o

oh this can't be right?

a Dire Wolf can carry: 5 x IJJ, 4 x LPL, 1 x ER Small Laser (not a 'real' Clan 'Mech without one?  :D) and enough heatsinks that a jumping alpha strike adds only 3 heat (or, if you leave the ER Small Laser out, only 1 heat)?  And it doesn't even break the 3K bv mark.

 ???

Ok. It is not the best possible use of a Dire Wolf, but that has got to be several flavours of bad/wrong/fun, no?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

No, because you're putting out roughly the same damage as a mech 2/3rds your size is expected to be able to, and paying 14 tons for +2 jump is a rather bad trade off.

[Diablo48]

The Dire Wolf does accept iJJs well because as backwards as it seems it is actually at the optimal weight for a 3/5/5 movement curve with an extra half ton for combined weapons and armor over an 85 ton frame with the same components.  This is generally not the best idea because the Dire Wolf is better suited to direct assault than heavy cav work, but in extremely broken terrain you can do horrible things to people because you move like a Summoner while still carrying 30.5 tons of weapons and 19 tons of armor.  I have a brutal urban specialist that does this with all the weight dumped into quarters weapons, and thanks to the omni nature of the Dire Wolf you are never required to use it anywhere else.  Just remember that when you add 5 iJJs the Dire Wolf actually moves into the realm of heavy cavalry because it can keep up with more traditional 5/8/0 or 5/8/5 designs in broken terrain.

[Iron Mongoose]

If I were going to go the IJJ route, the quad LPL proposal (unimaginitive though it may be) has appeal, because on a 3/5/5 mech you generaly have to commit yourself to jumping as often as possible.  Its the only way to get around quickly and you still manage to break even on movement mods, plus with 20 tons sunk into it there's a sort of urgancy to get your money's worth.  So if you are committed to jumping, then pulse lasers are a good answer.  It would make a very frusterating skermisher, since it would be hard to close with, yet very well able to soak up the occasional lucky shot and still able to deal notable damage at range.  It compares favorably with something like the Black Python, which also jumps 5, and has two TCed LPLs against four unTCed ones.

That said 1) the Python is a lot cheaper 2) such a Dire Wolf would be one of the only ways to earn even more disaproving looks than the widely disaproved of Python 3) with Python will probably do nearly as much damage, since not only does it have a TC, but it can chouse to walk or run from time to time and actaly still keep its TMMs up and so not be hit by return fire at the same time.

Now, I don't like IJJs.  But, as has been said, if you have to do 3/5/5, the Dire Wolf really is actualy technicaly the best mech to do it on.  And if you really had to do something like that, I'd probably do a take on the S rather than a skermisher, since you'd mostly be better off with something like the A or Hohiro in the ranged combat role (the Dire Wolf has so much armor and power that its better off standing still and taking the hits and simply dealing so much damage back that its opponent will be cored out before the Wolf has its armor breached, rather than trying to avoid damge with jets).  Imagine in tight terrain a Dire Wolf making a five hex jump into your rear arc, where upon it can train its Ultra 20 (I'd use an Ultra over the S's LB just for shock value) on your butt. 

If you really had to.

[Hellraiser]

I'd probably do a take on the S rather than a skermisher

I made one up last night and started w/ the S as the base platform.
w/o getting too specific, it looked like this.

Type/Model:    Dire Wolf  -  S2
Jump Jets:     5 Improved Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armament:     
  1 LB 20-X AC  (15 ammo)
  6 Medium Pulse Lasers
  12 Light Machine Guns (100 ammo)

Its not going to see much use on most maps, but in a city, forest, or canyons.... quite brutal.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Isn't 12 LMGs just a touch excessive?  Or were you trying to make sure that you'd be able to expend all that LMG ammo?

[Hellraiser]

Isn't 12 LMGs just a touch excessive?  Or were you trying to make sure that you'd be able to expend all that LMG ammo? 

Perhaps.
The S had only a pair of MGs, but it also had A-Pods & Streaks.
I had a couple tons to play with and felt this might be a fun way to use them    :D
And yes, I figured if I have to have 100 rounds of ammo I might as well be able to use it   ;)

[Diablo48]

If I were going to go the IJJ route, the quad LPL proposal (unimaginitive though it may be) has appeal, because on a 3/5/5 mech you generaly have to commit yourself to jumping as often as possible.  Its the only way to get around quickly and you still manage to break even on movement mods, plus with 20 tons sunk into it there's a sort of urgancy to get your money's worth.  So if you are committed to jumping, then pulse lasers are a good answer.  It would make a very frusterating skermisher, since it would be hard to close with, yet very well able to soak up the occasional lucky shot and still able to deal notable damage at range.  It compares favorably with something like the Black Python, which also jumps 5, and has two TCed LPLs against four unTCed ones.

That said 1) the Python is a lot cheaper 2) such a Dire Wolf would be one of the only ways to earn even more disaproving looks than the widely disaproved of Python 3) with Python will probably do nearly as much damage, since not only does it have a TC, but it can chouse to walk or run from time to time and actaly still keep its TMMs up and so not be hit by return fire at the same time.

Now, I don't like IJJs.  But, as has been said, if you have to do 3/5/5, the Dire Wolf really is actualy technicaly the best mech to do it on.  And if you really had to do something like that, I'd probably do a take on the S rather than a skermisher, since you'd mostly be better off with something like the A or Hohiro in the ranged combat role (the Dire Wolf has so much armor and power that its better off standing still and taking the hits and simply dealing so much damage back that its opponent will be cored out before the Wolf has its armor breached, rather than trying to avoid damge with jets).  Imagine in tight terrain a Dire Wolf making a five hex jump into your rear arc, where upon it can train its Ultra 20 (I'd use an Ultra over the S's LB just for shock value) on your butt. 

If you really had to.

That was my thinking as well.  It is generally a better idea to keep the Dire Wolf buried in weapons, but there is something truly horrific about using ECM and an Active probe to drop a Dire Wolf into someone's rear arc and flaying them with a UAC 20, 12+ SSRM tubes, some anti-infantry weapons, and a 20 point kick under double-blind rules before they know what is going on.  It is especially hilarious because in a city you can actually run down most Timber Wolf configurations while still carrying significantly more weapons and armor than the lighter machine.