Ammo Detonation, Evasion Chevrons, and UAC

[TheMoe]

From time to time I get an ammo detonation, and I assume I've fired into structure where ammo is located. Are there any particular weapons that increase the chance of an ammo detonation? I just watched a YouTube BattleTech episode, where it appears that lasers were good at causing a detonation. Is there a strategy for getting a detonation, besides looking to see where the ammo is stored and using a call shot to target that location?

Also, it's always been my understanding that each evasion pip is a 5% reduction in chance to hit, but I've been looking at my weapon debuffs and I'm starting to think they are worth 10%. BTW, I am by no means a professional with this game, and I'm still at the stage where I'm trying to piece everything together, learn what to look for when shooting, etc.

On the surface the UAC looks like a good deal, since they are auto-cannons that fire twice. Twice the damage, twice the stability damage, and not too much extra heat. I have to admit that after starting over and working with stock UAC's with no "-2 refire" bonuses, I'm finding that I can only fire ever other shot. If I fire a regular auto-cannon, then the next time I fire I tend to see +1 Refire. I don't know if that stacks and becomes +2 for the next shot, but I was quite surprised to see +3 refire on the second shot from my UAC. I guess that sequential firing has a cost? I don't know what happens if I fire three times in a row, because I took it off after noticing the debuff in accuracy, which is quite a bit for low skill mech drivers to overcome.

Am I right about the +3 debuff on the UAC? Does it stack and become +6, then +9 with the third and fourth consecutive shot or is it a constant +3 on the second shot? What about the shotgun versions of the AC? Do they have a similar debuff or is there a reason to use them over a standard AC?

 

[Kharille]

bonus to criticals? machine guns? multiple hits with those machine guns.

 

[GrayDeath]

The recoil debuff from autocannons does not stack. You have it, because you shot last round or you don‘t have it. UACs simply have a much higher recoil effect. And the bigger the UAC the more dramatic it gets. I think the UAC/20 has a +9 recoil modifier.

 

[Aluminium Gerbil]

Each +1 to hit defense is 5% (up to a point, there are diminishing returns.) Each evasive chevron gives you +2 hit defense.

 

[ntw]

The recoil debuff from autocannons does not stack. You have it, because you shot last round or you don‘t have it. UACs simply have a much higher recoil effect. And the bigger the UAC the more dramatic it gets. I think the UAC/20 has a +9 recoil modifier.

are you sure? i as positive it stacks...

 

[MeiSooHaityu]

I thought recoil stacked up to a certain point too. Then it resets as long as you skip firing the weapon for a turn.

I don't remember how many times it stacks before stopping, maybe after 3 consecutive firings. I'm not sure.

 

[MarkDey]

I don't think I've ever seen recoil stack from turn to turn. Either you have the recoil penalty (which yes, is larger for the Ultra Autocannons) because you shot last turn, or you have no penalty because you didn't shoot last turn.

 

[Doctor Machete]

Recoil doesn't stack, and for crits the more hits the better, because even if you have +% to crit but very few hits you may hit the desired location, even succeed in critting but the crit not landing in the weapon/ammo slot you want, it may crit on empty space (doing nothing). And that means MGs at short range, SRMs at medium and LRMs at long range.

LBX are also very good at critting but (besides the LBX2) they're pretty bad otherwise, while all above weapons are very good at their range.

 

[TheMoe]

bonus to criticals? machine guns? multiple hits with those machine guns.

Ahh. I see "LRM 15 Crit" and the like from time to time, and I see a weapon turn orange, and I do find it happens more with machine guns. It seems they can still hit me with the weapon even with it has a "crit", though I assume it means there's something wrong with it and they maybe have a lower chance to hit? I think you're saying a critical hit on ammo will likely cause a detonation as well, which would be a good reason to use machine guns. Thanks!

 

[TheMoe]

The recoil debuff from autocannons does not stack. You have it, because you shot last round or you don‘t have it. UACs simply have a much higher recoil effect. And the bigger the UAC the more dramatic it gets. I think the UAC/20 has a +9 recoil modifier.

Oh, wow! That's very important information. I haven't used anything larger than an AC/10 at this point, but very good to know! Thanks.

 

[TheMoe]

Each +1 to hit defense is 5% (up to a point, there are diminishing returns.) Each evasive chevron gives you +2 hit defense.

Fantastic! So that's essentially a 10% debuff or a buff depending on who has the chevrons. Thanks!

 

[TheMoe]

Recoil doesn't stack, and for crits the more hits the better, because even if you have +% to crit but very few hits you may hit the desired location, even succeed in critting but the crit not landing in the weapon/ammo slot you want, it may crit on empty space (doing nothing). And that means MGs at short range, SRMs at medium and LRMs at long range.

LBX are also very good at critting but (besides the LBX2) they're pretty bad otherwise, while all above weapons are very good at their range.

The info about the LBX is very helpful. I had one in the last campaign that had +50% crit, and I didn't know why that would be valuable. Now it makes more sense. Thanks!

 

[Doctor Machete]

The info about the LBX is very helpful. I had one in the last campaign that had +50% crit, and I didn't know why that would be valuable. Now it makes more sense. Thanks!

LBX are good for crits not so much because the +50% crit but because they have lots of hits, particularly the lightest ones. A 2xLBX2 have 24 hits, each one with its roll to crit (after hit the mech and after hit the exposed location). Then SNPPCs are quite good, because they have multiple hits and also are good weapons besides that (the +10 dmg variant), with good damage, decent-good range, no ammo dependency, and a small debuff. The bad side is that in principle (also matters how damage/weight efficient it is) the more hits a weapons has the worse it becomes for Precision Shots. The LBX2++ would be terrible for precision shots, but its damage/weight is such that it is okish for that, and very good for non-PS.

 

[TheMoe]

LBX are good for crits not so much because the +50% crit but because they have lots of hits, particularly the lightest ones. A 2xLBX2 have 24 hits, each one with its roll to crit (after hit the mech and after hit the exposed location). Then SNPPCs are quite good, because they have multiple hits and also are good weapons besides that (the +10 dmg variant), with good damage, decent-good range, no ammo dependency, and a small debuff. The bad side is that in principle (also matters how damage/weight efficient it is) the more hits a weapons has the worse it becomes for Precision Shots. The LBX2++ would be terrible for precision shots, but its damage/weight is such that it is okish for that, and very good for non-PS.

You make some very good points. Thank you!

 

[ronhatch]

Ahh. I see "LRM 15 Crit" and the like from time to time, and I see a weapon turn orange, and I do find it happens more with machine guns. It seems they can still hit me with the weapon even with it has a "crit", though I assume it means there's something wrong with it and they maybe have a lower chance to hit? I think you're saying a critical hit on ammo will likely cause a detonation as well, which would be a good reason to use machine guns. Thanks!

A critical hit on an ammo bin will cause it to detonate unless more than half of the ammo has been used already. Also, machine guns always have a bonus to the crit chance (50% IIRC) in addition to hitting multiple locations, so they are great for fishing for crits when you're in range.

FWIW, the unmodded game lowers the chance of the AI getting crits on the player below the player's chances of getting a crit on the AI.

 

[Timaeus]

To-Hit modifiers: ±1 to ±10 mods step up in 5% increments (ex. +5 is 25% -3 is -15%) once the total modifier goes to ±11 or more the percent set changes to 2.5% (ex. +13 is 5x10=50% for the first 10 and then 2.5x3 =7.5% for a total of 57.5%). The Base to-hit is 75%.

 

[Manii Names]

On the criticals discussion, I have always been reluctant to use +crit weapons, as you then get less loot?

 

[Panzer-Killer]

On the criticals discussion, I have always been reluctant to use +crit weapons, as you then get less loot?

I don’t think you get less loot due to +crit weapons use, in the same way that OpFor don’t have either +weapons or +equipment even though you get them in the salvage screen.

+weapons help in disabling critical components in enemy Mechs so they will be less effective in future combat rounds, whereas salvage parts are accounted for according to how a given Mech has been disabled in combat, and salvage components are generated randomly

 

[Aluminium Gerbil]

A critical hit on an ammo bin will cause it to detonate unless more than half of the ammo has been used already. Also, machine guns always have a bonus to the crit chance (50% IIRC) in addition to hitting multiple locations, so they are great for fishing for crits when you're in range.

FWIW, the unmodded game lowers the chance of the AI getting crits on the player below the player's chances of getting a crit on the AI.

Actually I have a question about that. Do the Half MG bins explode when crit if they have been slightly emptied or do you need to use 50+ rounds to lower it enough so that it won't blow up?

 

[Icewraith]

Actually I have a question about that. Do the Half MG bins explode when crit if they have been slightly emptied or do you need to use 50+ rounds to lower it enough so that it won't blow up?

Use 50+ rounds. The game code looks at the definition file see what the starting capacity is and then checks to see if the current ammo is below half that value.