Battletech: Why Do We Love the PPC?
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- Today we take a little journey through the history of the PPC, some popular mechs that use it, and discuss why it's such a popular weapon in the #Battletech universe.
#Tabletop #CatalystGamelabs #Mechwarrior
Well if we are taking from a lore perspective, the PPC is kind of a perfect weapon. It offers high pinpoint damage, that has kinetic, thermal and electromagnetic effects when it strikes a target. From a Kinetic standpoint, the impact can disrupt movement and aim and can also significantly mess with the balance of an object that shouldn't be able to stand upright. From a thermal standpoint it can cause flash fires, burn wiring, melt precision components, etc. Electromagnetically, it cause electrical disruption to include disrupting sensor, preventing firing circuits from working, etc. The only cons a PPC has is weight and heat generation but honestly it is not that much hotter than a large laser system and as well all know, a mech can be easily designed to handle the heat a PPC generates. It is pretty close to the perfect weapon honestly.
It definitely has a lot of things going for it.
Yeap. When i used to play larger games frequently years ago i frequently brought a trio of schreks and they always ended up blowing at least one mech by turn 2
Plus no need to keep an eye on your ammo counter, not worrying about ammo explosion, and ability to kill some mechs with a lucky shot.
It’s weight is not even that bad either. Weighs as much as an AC/2 with a ton of ammo. The AC/2 wishes it was the PPC.
@@paladinslash4721 I don't know why the AC2 exists other than to annoy me.
Everyone who does battletech goes in to great depth talking about the mechs, so seeing someone giving the same treatment to the weapons is a great change of pace
I try to zig when the most obvious move is to zag. I don't foresee doing individual mech videos because there are several other really good YT creators doing that well.
My PPC story is the tale of my first table top game, was sucker by a clan player into playing by weight class matching. I get a heavy, he gets a heavy etc. Yet I didnt pick up on the warning bells when he let me have a numbers advantage, 8 to 5. He only matched the first 5 I picked, the biggest, because again I was new and young. Long story short I get initiative in movement and set up a pincer on his Mad Cat with my entire force, all the rolls but one later I had managed a little damage everywhere including an SRM to his head (important). Last roll was my Banshee's PPC. Headshot. He was mad.
The rest of the game was me watching my units explode over two turns, to little effect on his side. But I probably wont forget that moment, it felt so damn good. And my genetic level hatred for clanners was born in the same game. Sphere forever, suck it test tubes.
Original 3025 Mechs it would be roughly 1 company (12 Mechs) vs 1 Clan star (5 Mechs). He also made sure that he could pick the heaviest Mechs. Yeah, the Clan player exploited his advantages. Now what would have been good is another Clan player walking up, and betting they could win with only 4 Mechs vs your force.
Heh. Sounds like he played just like a clanner too.
We all love those players who always want to play Clan vs. Inner Sphere and they want to be the clanners all the time.
They are so confident that the superior tech of the clan mechs would win for them - until they learn that it doesn´t...
this sounds like the type of dude that grows up in Indiana, but his favorite teams are the Yankees, Cowboys, and Lakers. We had a dude move to our town that said he was a Battletech savant, but only ever played if he got to take a Turkina B or a star of Turkina B's. And then that one time that he agreed to play, but only used ArrowIV and tag units...
Yeah man. Head shots are no joke. I got a perfectly good Jenner (on tabletop) as salvage because my LBX10 autocannon knocked out the pilot. From so many headshots. I pressure washed him out of the cockpit with medium lasers from called shots. Nice piece of salvage. When it's turn three and you take yet another headshot. Lol
Also, good job killing his best mech turn 1. Lmao
I became a PPC convert with MechCommander. In MW2 Mercenaries, PPCs were incredibly hard to use, with a very slow ball of lightning that your target was more likely than not to dodge. With MechCommander, though, it gave you an excellent salvage-positive weapon that could at least partially compete with Clan weapons for range. The single large hit was more likely to pop a cockpit, or to knock out a 'Mech without risking too many critical hits to vital bits like engines, making salvage of rare and valuable Clan 'Mechs that little bit easier. The Clan ERPPC was down right abusively good.
I do enjoy the fact that the premier Clan weapon was a refinement of an upgrade path pioneered by the Wolverines. Every time a Clanner uses a cERPPC you can remind him to thank the Wolverines for making it possible.
The slowing PPCs to balance them thing always annoyed me.
In Mechcommander 2 they are visceral, the shriek is like nails on chalkboard that's been sped up. The visuals and the BOOM that usually follows doesn't help reassure the opposition.
I first used the PPC in Mechwarrior 4; one of the early missions gets you an Uziel in salvage, which is a jumping 50-tonner with two PPCs and an SRM-6. It's your first actually-good mech, and so, twin linked PPCs is your first actually-good main weapon. That *screech* as you fire the PPCs and delete a tank was satisfying
The Mechwarrior games were great at making the PPC experience memorable.
MW4 is great for including all the variations of the PPC, my favorite is the light PPC + recharger combo, it's basically an ULTRA PPC! 1.5 second cooldown means you can shoot it constantly.
you can get a Mauler as salvage in the first mission by shooting its legs off
thats how you get any mech in any mechwarrior game as salvage - just leg it
My PPC story is more or less my Battletech story.
I started getting into battletech by watching youtube videos and browsing Sarna. So at some point I read about that weapon system. And I fell in love with it.
So started looking for a Mech that I would call my favorite. I did not want it to be an Assault Mech, as those look too imposing and powerful. I didn't want to be "that guy" who likes something just because it's a strong unit. I settled on heavy 'Mechs. As they provide the mix between firepower and mobility I was looking for. Then I started to look for Mechs with certain criteria.
1. I wanted it to be humanoid. I prefer the human aesthetic over the bird legged mechs.
2. An all energy weapons loadout as IRL I'm not a good shot and and as such ammo dependency scares me.
3. At least one PPC.
What I found were the Gallowglass and the Black Knight. And the Black Knight became my favorite 'Mech, as it isn't a Wolf's Dragoons exclusive design. Yes, it's a powerful mech, that can comfortably punch above it's weight. I didn't know that back then. But it's such a cool 'Mech. All my Mechwarrior 5 playthroughs start with me looking for a Black Knight and end with me having at least 3 of them.
Hah, love the Black Knight.
I really love building a custom timber Wolf with an ER on one shoulder and a standard PPC on the other and a pair of mediums on each arm
Solid choice. Knights have the room and weight to bring some pain but they get where they're needed in reasonable time. Very well balanced mech. Might not be the thing I hunt for but I'll never turn down a good black knight chassis.
my current mw5 playthrough was made much easier by finding a Partisan early on, loading it with an ERPPC, LBX10, and 5 medium lasers. 3k damage is a common thing during the higher level missions.
Black Knight and Warhammer. My favorites. And I don't want no assault mechs either...
It's a question of the time frame. If Black Knights would be available (early 3rd Succession War, or Clan era+), I'd take that. Otherwise the Warhammer. Remove the SRM, and have fun...
My PPC story is in MegaMek, one of my first times really playing against another person. I had a Royal BattleMaster hiding in a woodline, taking pot shots at a *much* larger enemy force while my ally was running interference and skirmishing nearby. An enemy Raven ran straight at my BattleMaster and for whatever reason, decided to *kick* my leg off. Just right off. I retaliated by punching in the cockpit of the Raven, but was now stuck prone with an otherwise perfectly functional battlemech. So I did what any good soldier ought to and kept firing! Laying prone, the BattleMaster managed to core a Vindicator which was bunny hopping around some fortifications. I like to imagine he just plucked him right out of mid-air.
My other PPC story is a Clan Wolf Warhammer IIC sitting in a small lake tearing apart a Jade Falcon Hellbringer and Summoner essentially on its own with just the ERPPC's while the poor Timber Wolf didn't do much of anything in the meantime. It pretty much sealed my love for PPC's and ERPPC's as 'main guns.'
Never give up. Never surrender!
A man made lightning bolt is probably the best description I've heard for a ppc. Makes it way easier to explain to people.
Lacking a better explanation, I think it works.
@@MechanicalFrog It is how most of the Battletech novels describe the weapon, man-made lightning has been lore accurate since the 80s.
I've always jokingly called the Vindicator the halfahammer. Love using lighter mechs like the vindicator and panther for fast moving swarm tactics.
The Vindicator is a pretty solid pick
It is so... mediocre and underwhelming, until a good pilot begins to nail shot after shot after shot and leaves large holes in everything in sight.
My PPC story is that I had a mission go pretty badly in Battletech (the pc game). 1 mech down, 3 others with basically no armor/ammo left and there was still an enemy kintaro on the field. My griffin lost a whole side torso so all that was left was the ppc in the arm, which somehow managed to land a headshot on the kintaro, winning us the mission and a shiny new heavy lmao.
Excellent Griffin moment.
Way back when, in the 90's, my friends and I were playing a campaign. My Jade Falcons came under attack in an out of the way place, my main line forces WAY out of position. The only forces I had were 2 stars of light and medium Solahma mechs going up against a company of "Steiner scouts". One of my mechs, an Incubus, was taking cover in some woods, when it sighted an enemy assault (i cant remember what it was) and took a shot with its ERPPC. Headshot! Kill the meat, save the metal, right? The game continued, At this point I was down an entire star of mechs, and my second was pretty badly shot up. I had made a good accounting for myself, but I was definately going to loose, when, my little incubus, sights in on another Steiner assault mech. Yup! Headshot! Mech goes down, my opponent looks at his notes, and decides to withdraw! Loosing 2 lances of heavy and assault mechs were too expensive for what he was trying to accomplish. My friends decided for the pilots luck, he would get a backstory, he was a trueborn washout, not good enough for front line duty, but good enough for Solahma. These days he can be found in my cluster's command star, piloting a Turkina. Not the Star Colonel, but kind of like a senior NCO.
My PPC story is from MechWarrior Online. I was running a Hunchback 4P with dual PPCs in the shoulder on Canyon Network. I crested the top of the canyon to scout out the opposition and see if I could take a few pot-shots at any enemy 'Mechs crossing the plateau. Lo and behold, an enemy scouting light 'Mech (I can't remember exactly what it was but I'm feeling it was a Locust) happened to be out and about, and with a heavily-damaged leg and exposed centre torso at that. I reflexively fired off one of the PPCs and clipped his damaged leg, taking it out completely and reducing him to a hobble. Surprised by my unexpectedly good aim, I let the PPC cool off while I took a moment to carefully line up my next shot and - BLAM, sent two more bolts of charged particles at the poor doomed scout, striking him dead-on in his CT and coring him completely. At that point, my HUD alerted me to a barrage of LRMs flying my way and I had to quickly drop back down into the canyon before I got pummelled myself.
Nice shooting, Tex!
Ah yes, my Mechwarrior 5 PPC story came with when I stumbled across a K2 catapult in the mech market brand new, near 3/4 though the story. and I was like, wow, this could be useful. After a few upgrades switching out the PPCs with highest Teir, I had avaliable and double heat sinks I had from special rewards.
And the next few deployments was live fieldtest to see how well it performed. It did really well. It suited my need for brawling and most importantly spelt doom for many cockpits as aiming center mass can have you pop them out wither in 1 Salvo with both cannons to take it out or strip the armor and let the chin mounted Medium lasers and Machine guns finishing the job.
Many pilots burned alive in their cockpits, especially in the Orion or Chartafracks. Legs have been shout out of locusts and Cicada's. VTOLs were shot out of the sky. I would end Mechwarrior's lives in a flash of blue lighting. Officlly named My CLP-K2, The head capper and those PPCs were the cause of it.
i miss playing this tabletop back in the 80's. once head-shotted a spider while it was mid-jump. satisfying...
Spiders burn bright, and out.
My introduction to Battletech was MechWarrior 2. And I fell in love with the PPC as soon as I first fired it. It's always a go-to option for customizing a 'mech. Even to the point that I made a Blackjack with 2 Light PPCs in each arm. And it's my favorite Blackjack.
It really is a great weapon for the IP. Very iconic.
I find all of your videos a great source of conversation amongst my BattleTech club there's one that I haven't really seen anybody do a video on traditional map size of 1.5 inch seems small. some of us in the BattleTech club recommends a 2-inch hex size. could you please consider a video on traditional and non-traditional hex size and how that would affect gameplay and if it's actually worth changing it especially if you're considering on making terrain for the game... As always we thank you for all the effort that you're putting in for the BattleTech players and organizer's.
It's worth a ponder. I'll have to think about how that would impact things.
If this is an actual question, then it goes back to MW2. Lasers and ballistic weapons are 'point & click' weapons. Missile weapons generally have a lock on, but the PPC requires actual skill to use, You need to lead your target, it gives your opponent the ability to jink and dodge the damage dealt. MW4 onward, this was only an issue at extreme range, as the bolt moved signifigantly faster.
More of a rhetorical question, but I loved hearing everyone's explanations.
My PPC story. was playing career mode in Battletech, the PC game on steam, first month in I had managed to purchase a marauder spending most of my funds. First fight with it had a rookie pilot and got flanked by two vindicators who landed one in front of the other they were aiming to core out my shadowhawk from behind, i targeted one and first PPC got a headshot the other missed and got a headshot on the one behind him taking them both down. Now I have never locked a pilot to a mech, nor have i put multi target on a pilot as i prefer bulwark and master tactician. But i did this time. That mech belongs to her now and she'll be using multi target as often as possible, and when she dies i'll put that mech in storage.
Epic moment!
I was 8 years old when MechWarrior 2 came out so my first introduction to the PPC. So after I got done spamming the 4 large lasers on the Rifleman IIC because I thought 4 super long barrels looked so cool and it was effective, I saw PPCs and was like "OMG LOOK AT THAT HUUUUUGE GIANT ENERGY BALL! OMG IT DOES SO MUCH DAMAGE!". So I used it whenever I could for a while. Then as time went on I mostly made it just for the enemies to use because I love dodge and weaving between all the huge blasts like I'm some super skillful pilot dodging everything, while I started using other things to use. At the time towards the end of the game I settled on loving LRMs the most (heavily biased by my first time using Mad Dog in the first Wolf mission to 1 shot lights), Gauss 2nd most (gameplay wise same as PPC but way more effective and sounded + looked cool too), and PPCs 3rd. For a long time I always loved the looks of the Hellbringer, Warhammer and Marauder because their guns looked like they were made for the PPCs. Though my favorites would end up being the Mad Dog, and at the very end of the game's lifespan the Jenner IIC 'cuz speed and jumpjets. (and the Tarantula a Quad mech, and Elemental who I took down a dire wolf alone with the stock elemental loadout with at one point in time... but those were more because they are so different, and using cheat codes to unlock things made me biased back in the day. I had a lot of Elemental vs Tarantula fun towards the end. I'd slap PPCs on them if I could lol)
Then got to see more PPC action when I got to play MechWarrior 4. LRMS were still my favorite in this game as well, but this is probably the worst they were at, but I still defaulted to using the Catapult and Vulture whenever I could. PPCs on the other hand were significantly more fun to use in this game. Uziel is such a wonderfully designed mech that I love so much. Also whenever thinking of Mechwarrior 4, I have fond memories of taking the Nova Cat, slapping 4 PPCs on it, and just absolutely shredding anything in one to three shots, then taking cover behind stuff to cool off. I actually had to take the nova cat out a few times in later missions because there were so many enemies, and they just kept ignoring my AI teammates, so I just had them whittle them down and I just annihilate stuff if they dared get close. Immersion breaking for sure, but at the time I was just using things that were fun, not because they were meta. Which meant boating weapons I wanted to use at any point in time =p
Then cut to MechWarrior Online which also has a nice feeling to the PPCs, and I got to use some nice PPC builds before things got min-maxed to the craziness that the mechs have today. However, PPCs took a bit of a hit, because Catapult is my favorite inner sphere mech, however that is when I got introduced to the Catapult K2. Taking off the missiles and jumpjets just made me have the strong gut reaction of "You're taking away the entire identity and design of the mech!", and it made me realize I never had to choose between LRMs and PPCs up until that point. Considering MWO was the first time I got to see the LRMs go shooting up into the air, before raining down on enemies that someone else locked onto being one of the coolest weapon systems I've seen in a game, I was heavily biased towards LRMs at the time. Though I do remember doing 4 PPCs on the K2 just because I loved boating weapons at the time and it was neat, and this was before ghost heat was introduced and I loved seeing the PPCs go from all corners of the screen converging onto a target. I was bad enough of a pilot that I didn't do anything too crazy with the 4 PPCs. (me using a max XL engine splatcat A1 when most people didn't have meta builds on the other hand, was a different story. Also that short time using 4 ac/5s on that one cataphract before many mechs got added that can do the same thing but better. It was like a prototype dire wolf before clans got added). I have since then learned to love the K2, but I will always prefer the LRMs backed up by mediums, while using the terrain to my advantage. In olden times for MWO, I was that catapult that when up to the front lines to get stuff started for my allies, shooting LRMs and medium lasers up close to the enemy, then running away giving them a false sense of security 'cuz LRM boat running away. Only for them to run into my teammates and they get absolutely shredded. I can't do that with the K2.... Still fun just dealing crazy damage in one shot with PPCs though.
Note: I haven't had a chance to use all the new tech in MWO yet. I got pulled away, and never had the chance to come back to get the c-bills to get the Heavy ppcs, snub ppcs, etc.. I'm sure I would've loved it. Especially since 2 Heavy PPC catapult variant almost feels like the whole point of the kuritan catapults in the first place.
Mechwarrior 5 took another hit to the PPCs, because since enemies get thrust into you constantly, you need all teh DPS you can get so you don't have a massive repair bill. AI is too dumb to stay near you while you snipe, and other players are going to be too impatient if they aren't also sniping. And the maps are built for brawling anyways, especially when they constantly spawn enemies on top of you (better spawns mod fixes that thank goodness. Let's me have the option to bring ranged weapons)
Also I've been dabbling in the other types of PPCs because of mods adding them to the game, but haven't gotten around to doing a proper playthrough with the snubs, light PPCs, heavy PPCs, PPC capacitors and such yet.
I played the BattleTech video game for a little bit, and I started to like it a bit more again because the vindicator you start with was a reliable source if just taking out so many mechs before anything got close enough to deal any damage. How you build mechs in that game is just so vastly different compared to all the other MechWarrior games because it includes a lot more game mechanics, so perhaps PPCs will be more fun. My first playthrough of BattleTech I actually failed which shocked me thoroughly since it's been such a long time since a game has been tossed my way that is hard enough to make me lose. I'll have to grab some guides, and perhaps with a second playthrough, it'll re-ignite my love for PPCs.
One thing I do like about PPCs is that they tend to be a different weapon in each game I've played. Ballistics are basically the same in all the games. Lasers basically have the single projectile-like quality in the old MechWarriors, and melty type properties in the new ones. LRMs are either all in one load, or streamed, but ever since MWO I they always go far above terrain (like they are supposed to) which makes them pretty cool.
I'll always like PPCs though. If I were to design a mech from scratch, I'd like to have LRMs in the torsos, and either a PPC in each arm, or a PPC in the CT (would have to be clan or a smaller future IS PPC though). And have jumpjets, because I like the map-play a bunch. Of course, I looked at the exhaustive list of battletech mechs and I can understand why PPC + LRM combo is really rare. Its expensive, and it's kinda like doubling down on being support in two different ways instead of specializing.
Wow, what a tale. It's so cool to see so many people passionate about the game.
Pre-clans, and pre-lostech-rediscovery, the base PPC set the standard for power/weight/range ratio. Anything that hit harder or was longer range generated more heat or had very limited shots. Anything that did the same damage per shot was shorter ranged or generated too much heat. Anything with longer range didn't deal as much damage. And with no ammo requirements, you can keep firing all day long.
I first fell in love with the PPC in Mechwarrior 2, in the mid-90's. Here was a weapon that served well in all environments. Space mission? Underwater? Tundra? Grassland? Volcanic Caldera? Doesn't matter. It's a perfect middle-of-the-road weapon that doesn't really excel at anything, but never falls flat either. And from day one, I appreciated that reliability.
Now, one of my standard tactics is using Panthers like British Redcoat firing-lines.
Excellent. MW2 was the entry-point for so many.
My first encounter with a C-ERPPC was playing as ComStar in a Tukayyid scenario. Had a 3F Stalker on my side of the table, it took a PPC hit to the head in the opening round of the fight, instantly killing it. Got to fire its weapons one time and then the model was removed. Made me a bit sad at the time as the Stalker is a personal favorite, but did show me how dangerous a Clan mech can be.
A 12 can really change things up.
We love the PPC as it was the longest-range direct fire weapon in the base rules, did the most damage of any energy weapons, and therefore tended to hit hard in the opening phases of the battle, weakening or even opening armor for later-game crit-seeking weapons to be effective.
ER variants are a bit situational, depending on the cooling ability of the 'mech it's installed on and the rest of said 'mechs' loadout. Sometimes this can be managed with proper range bracket shooting... sometimes not so much.
The ultimate in pew pew. Warhammer. And nice vid.
Thank ya!
In the Battletech PC game, this weapon is burned into my memories.
There was an armoured convoy driving accross a snowy landscape, and I set up an ambush on top of a slope, on the other side of a woodline.
My mechs dealt with the light mechs, tanks and trucks one by one. Then, the two Manticores rolled up.
One shot fired, one hit, and the Shadowhawk's arm flew clean off. It was the heaviest mech in my lance, and I had to make use of the jump jets to order a full evacuation off the planet.
I would say that it is one of the best bang for your buck/bang for the weight weapons there is. You get at least 55 damage for 7 tons. There are ways to beat that, but we are talking about fringe weapons like rocket launchers. Which brings me to the second reason, no ammo count. You can fire a PPC as much as you can manage the heat, and as long as it remains on your mech.
Fun and economical!
I think part of people talking about the shotgun effect and cluster table for the Snubnose PPC may also come from HBS Battletech, where the Snubnose does actually fire a cluster of PPC rounds.
I prefer that.
10/94 my very first battle Warhammer v Warhammer. Ran a turn. Walked we both fired 2 ppc . Eleven to hit. He hit 1 I hit both. Rolled 11 and 12! He hit my leg I hit his head with dual 12s. He looked from the dice to me back to the dice. Shook his head and said Well THAT went well. Been hooked eversince and have taught 15 veterans all the way from newbies including my wife son and 2 brothers
Hah. That's awesome!
I remember, once, a long time ago in the days of when MWO was just marginally more popular than it is now. I was in my Centurion, rounding about a corner. I was damaged, but not moderately so. About 88% I think, or close to it. Here I was, a support mech with LRMs and my light auto-cannon. I just hang back and deal damage, nothing really about it. Then I saw it, lumbering toward me from the corner of my eye like some great whale having grown legs and attempted to force evolution to bring it on land. A Dire Wolf.
I turned to engage, because I'm reckless and like to do that, and the next thing I know I'm blasted with about twelve Clan-Tech ERPPCs all at once. I just explode, and after a few moments, so does the whale.
Must have been quite the lightshow.
@@MechanicalFrog It was until the PC crashed from stressing out, lol
I'm currently playing in a champagne where I am the commander of my own merc company. My main mech is a Warhammer. I started with a Griffin. Another player is piloting a Maurauder. We captured an Awesome. The main weapons in our outfit by far are ER PPCs and PPCs.
One of the other players also calls the Snubnose PPC 'the thinking man's PPC.'
Sounds like a very bright and flashy battlefield.
I liked the PPC because my first Battletech Experience was Mechwarrior 2, and they made the PPC shots look like blue BFG Deathballs from Doom.
Yeah that really was a unique way to do it.
I have a PPC story from a tabletop game in college ages ago. There were 7 of us playing in a 6 v 1 in a set scenario match as part of a long running campaign. Basically it was a company of mechs moving on an objective. Since that's twelve mech we each got two mechs to control but we were limited on total tonnage and weight class. I forget the exact amount but I distinctly remember barely getting the Warhammer I wanted due to the weight limitations and the fact that I had to get a second mech.
Anyway the first turn basically consisted of moving to close range. Second turn some limited engagement with LRMs had started and the enemy forces were revealing themselves. A force that seemed rather heavy. That's when the head and shoulders of an Atlas appeared from behind a hill moving to engage us. It was at the most extreme range of my PPCa as it could be. But I took the shot. Needed 12 to hit missed the first shot made the second. Rolled on the punch hit table because legs were behind the hill. I hit the head. A head that only had 9 points of armor on it. So one point went to internals and gave a chance to cause critical damage. Rolled to Crit I did rolled on location to see which system got hit...it was the cockpit.
It was a miracle shot but a beautiful one. This was part of a tabletop campaign. Let's just say our mercenary company got a lot stronger that day. And my guy got a new mech uncontested by the others because it was purely my kill.
The best part of the match was that mission was supposed to cripple the company. Hence why we were not allowed to bring our assault mechs. The GM wasn't very happy with me that day. Having to deal with my Atlas for a few more matches didn't improve his mood.
Hah, what a great story! A head-capped Atlas is always a gem.
First game I ever played of battletech in high school in the 90's (bought the boxset and played in the store with the owner) first shot from my Warhammer was his PCC rolled a 12 on hit location and got a crit that crit hit the cockpit. Was hooked on battletech ever since and the Warhammer has been a favorite mech eversince
Those head hits are always so exciting.
Ayy, this one's popping off! Nice nice!
Just enjoying the ride while I work on the next one. 😎
Why do we love the PPC? Because it works. It's simple, reliable, durable, and effective. It's powerful against targets of all sizes, it attacks by vector of heat, impact and electricity, forcing enemies to deal with armor loss, loss of balance AND electronic disruption all from one weapon. Being energy based also means it fares phenomenally well in extended engagements and campaigns without needing explosive ammo, CASE or reloads, so it's a logistical blessing. Best of all, it stacks nicely with itself. If a mech can fit more PPCs without totally compromising its armor or vital functions, there's precious little reason not to. Some mechs don't fear missiles, some mechs tank or evade cannon hits, some mechs can laugh at lasers all day, but EVERY mech takes a pair, trio or even quartet of PPC's deadly serious because all that lightning will RUIN YOUR DAY.
"It just works" well put.
In real-time games, the PPC is king, and I'm glad now that I got started all those years ago in Mechwarrior, instead of the tabletop. As long as you have the stock, and a decent tech, there is no real reason not to drop every PPC you have for a large laser as long as it is a campaign setting. But now my lizard brain gets to shriek at me whenever I consider such customizations.
"I am become death, destroyer of worlds..."
I learned of the power of the PPC when playing MW3 and getting my hands on a salvaged C-ERPPC.
Afterwards everything got blown up quite quickly, by an annihilator with 6 of them.
Big boom.
Mad cat with as much PPC's as possible :D . two of those, paired with raven and catapult and you're good to go in 95% of cases
Never a dull moment when PPCs are involved.
My first introduction to the "PPC" was in Mechassault and Mechassault 2. When I was barely in school. Main memories coming from usage on the 'Puma', Uziel, Mad Cat and Blood Asp/Star Adder. I enjoyed the sound effects, visuals and the overwhelming damage that they could yield. Especially at Level 3 on slower targets who couldn't outrun or dodge the tracking. Let alone the improvements that were made by having Plasma PPCs on the Star Adder/Blood Asp in Alpha mode. Nothing stood up for long that was within eyesight.
Then about a year or so ago I came across a game installment that was a part of a series that was similar to Mechassault called MechWarrior 5 on Gamepass. Imagine my world view when I slapped on a new tier 1 PPC onto my recently acquired PNT-9R and it shot a slow sniper round and not a charging ball of crackling electricity looking for a target. Here I was thinking the Draconis Combine had a great idea of putting together a chasis with a shotgun (SRM-4) and the best weapon system outside of a freaking Lava Gun, together and I'd mess something up in medium-close range. Come to find out it's actually a slow, long range, fire support mech. In that moment I was pissed. Mainly because I had a Firestarter breathing down my neck and had to loosen my collar because it was getting a bit toasty in the cockpit on a snow world. Adding salt to the wound I read the loading screen tool tip, after limping out of that mission, to read that the PPC had a limited range where it will deal no damage in close proximity.
Nowadays the PPC and Large Pulse Lasers are my favorite things to install in Large Energy hardpoints. Especially on a Marauder-II.
PPCs in mechwarrior games are... interesting.
A weapon so awesome the lore had a drink named for it in Warrior: En Garde.
Either on the table or in computer games, always favored Mechs with PPC's for the range and punch. Plus the fun of nailing someone's cockpit was always fun in MW3.
Never a dull moment with a PPC.
Dont really have much in terms of PPC stories, but anyone who played MWO just this last summer will remember when the snubs were overtuned and everybody started carrying them, to the point that snub boats are still around even after they've been brought down a peg or two, whereas they didn't exist beforehand.
Do they have a shotgun effect in MWO? I haven't played in years.
@@MechanicalFrog No, but they deal splash damage instead
@@DankRedditMemes Hrm.
PPC in Mechwarrior 2 is a slow, epic projectile that you lead the target with. feels so good to land it.
Feels very good.
Oh I got a story for you alright
A few weeks ago, I played a game against my brother, he used the Knights of The Inner Sphere while I the Ghost Regiments. I used my Mongoose to chase down down his Wolverine across the valley, but his Awesome 10KM emerged from the other side and let loose its Heavy PPC into the poor thing. Dude ended up losing his entire right side lol, I've never been more terrified of a mech since.
Hah! That's awesome.
Next time surprise him with a Warhawk Prime. Nohing can ruin a day better than four C-ERPPC linked to a targeting computer.
I slapped 14 ER PPCs on an Annihilator in MW3. An Alpha Strike prompted caused what I assume is a nuclear explosion, because the screen would flash and I heard a loud boom. Next thing I see is a crater where my mech once stood.
Cause...meet effect.
I was playing Battletech one day with a friend, we had an 9M Awesome (Me) facing off against a Prime Thor (them) in a canyon in a classic Zellbrigen fight. Round one of firing, 9M ERPPC shot hits the head, goes internal and immediately kills the pilot. Hyena Laughter ensues, although, Me and my friend didn't speak for a couple days after that...
All in good fun...
Very nice! Props for including the Spartan, too.
Glad you like it!
I love the PPC because it's a freaking lightning gun man. A LIGHTNING GUN. How cool is that? My PPC story is from MW4... Overloaded a Black Knight with PPCs for a ridiculous first strike weapon. It was like piloting the SDF-1 from Macross. The damn thing would overheat every time I fired a shot. I'd have to fight in water, because if not the reactor would probably meltdown... The sheer damage though! If it hit something... That thing would be slag. So satisfying.
Who doesn't want to roleplay Zeus and throw a few lightning bolts around?
Duncan Fisher would say "I cast Lightning Bolt!"
Heat damage and Kinetic damage all rolled in one, I will take two please! Thus starts the fight between the Maurader and Warhammer pilots
Awesome 4 lyfe. Moar PPC.
I'll take the marauder just because when you are looking straight into an enemy your profile is way smaller, great mech to use XL engines!
I love it when I learn something new. Even though I'm an old grey beard and started play BT in 1988. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I still think my favourite Inner Sphere mech with a PPC is the Panther! They are a great fire support mech for my heavier Drac mechs!
I think we found that damn kuritan spy...
Check out the Gladiator. A 55-ton 5/8/5 Mech with a PPC, 2 Medium Lasers, and a SRM-6. It is a Draconis design, but production of the design stopped in 2495 (half a millenia before the 3025-era setting). Twice the price of a Panther, but faster, more maneuverable, ~50% more armor, same heavy weapon, and more short-range weapons.
@@toddkes5890 I've seen the variant before! And I like its style, reminds me a lot of a Wolverine 6k (Which is one of my fav medium mechs). I just need to get a few Gladiator models.
@@cool_dude_like_really n... no..
Blech. a 35 tonner with one PPC and the speed of a heavy mech? The panther just screams "fire artillery in this direction!" to me.
a locust with a Light PPC and a Small laser or two is fun... everyone should try it just once or thrice ....
Ah, the PPC. Who doesn’t love a 14 ton weapon system? (Seven for the PPC and seven more for the extra heat sinks you gotta add so you can move and shoot without cooking yourself in your own cockpit.). That’s why adding double heat sinks was such a game changer. They make energy weapons a lot more weight efficient than auto cannons.
Unfortunately, the ACs really suffered as a result.
@@MechanicalFrog The did add in Rotary ACs and ultra-ACs so you had some ammo options and ways to make an AC5 (8 tons, 20 shots and it does the same damage as a 1-ton medium laser) do more damage, and CASE to keep ammo explosions from being a constant death threat (you wanna take out an Atlas with a couple medium mechs? Keep jumping your Phoenix Hawks behind it and blow the AC20 ammo bins!). But yeah, a couple of ER Large Pulse Lasers with double heat sinks cooling you (and no fear of running out of ammo) and who wouldn't prefer the energy weapon?
Well I have a story, well less my story and more my best friend's story. Me and couple other friends played and rp session for quiet some time, with most of them not knowing much about the story other than big stompy robots when we started. My best friend joins us later down the road in story after teaching him how to play we have a meeting engagement with Whacko's Ranger's which quickly turned into a slug fest. (Literally and figuratively) In his Vindicator he gets into a protracted gun duel with Wacko and his Battlemaster. Wacko eventually blows off one of his legs and sends him crashing onto his back, and like the good soldier he is he keeps fighting. His medium laser hits torso with the lrm 5. And the dice for his ppc roll across the table and come up headshot! It was glorius!
Never give up, Never surrender! Great story.
I always thought of the Thug, the original "Zombie-Mech". 2x PPC's and 2x SRM-6 or 4's gave it a pretty good punch and all that armour (don't remember how much, but it was a lot) made it a pretty good Assault Mech at 80 tons. I don't think the Thug gets enough love. I'm a little disappointed you didn't mention it haha
The Thug will get its own video some day soon.
@@MechanicalFrog Noice
This video earned you a sub. I love MW content. I mean look at my Tag I have had since the early nineties.
Thank you, I will keep working hard to earn it.
Your narration style kinda reminds me of another channel called RetroAhoy, barely a minute in, subbed.
Welcome to the thunderdome... I'll keep working hard to earn it.
Hits like a truck. Doesnt take ammo to fire. Bonus damage that also causes system failures. Supremely accurate. Whats not to love?
Plus, you know, you're basically firing a SUN at someone. And until plasma weaponry shows up later in the time line, this is as close to hurtling a star at someone as you'll get.
Plus, it's just fun to see a lightshow.
It might a hot, high tech weapon, but the ER PPC is perfection manifest.
It has exceptional range, great damage, infinite ammo, and a superb psychological effect.
Other than a full Catapult's LRM salvo, a PPC is the only weapon to truly scare me.
Fire and forget. 10 damage. Messes with target sensors. Looks cool. Screeches like a banshee when fired. Common enough to lose one and not panic.
Did I mention it looks *cool* ?
Fire arrows were never real.
They're called Night Arrows and they were in the very real documentary movie called Timeline.
In MWO I had a 3 erPPC Thunderbolt and loved it. I replaced one though with 3 MLs and more Heatsinks.
Toasty boi.
@@MechanicalFrog Yeah, but I liked it!
@@Fer-De-Lance Then it was awesome.
Ppc are amazing. I always love mix of ac5 and ppc for some lighting and thunder
Yes they are!
Marauder gang unite
"Do you want a gun that can shoot lightning?" "Yes." "Okay, but it has high heat, and a minimum ran-" "I already said yes."
"Hey, what are you doing with all those PPCs?"
First of all, lower your voice...
hey Frog.
You mentioned a lot of Mechs that carry PPCs, but no tanks. I wonder why? The Shrek is a favorite of mine, with 3 PPCs mounted upon it. I try to field them in my forces as often as I can, to support Mechs and generally take advantage of low laying cover.
In one well remembered battle, I fielded 3 Shrek tanks in revetments (tank foxholes), supported by other vehicles and battle armor. Doing this on an 'island' in the center of a long low valley that frequently floods, I was able to destroy or maim over a dozen Mechs and tanks, before a flash flood further decimated the opposition.
Now mired in thick mud, the remains of the opposing force were pretty much just targets for my fire, and all but one or two were eventually destroyed, while I lost nothing more than a couple of the supporting tanks and a few suits of battle armor.
Being in hull-down revetments with only the turret exposed, inside heavy woods, with light woods surrounding the position, it was hard for the foe to gain target locks, while I was only hindered by the light woods. A matter of +3 for them, vs +1 for me, for targeting due to terrain.
Their movement made my fire difficult to bring my firepower to bear upon them, but once the valley flooded, and they were forced to slog though deep mud, this changed drastically.
Just one of literally thousands of battles I've played over the decades (oh, my god... is it almost 40 years? How time has flown by).
I had an inkling that I was going to focus on specific videos for vehicles later. The Schrek is a beast, for sure. I have two of the Ral Partha pewter ones in my collection.
@@MechanicalFrog : I understand. I was only pointing out that no Tanks were mentioned, nor any hint at a further video on PPC tanks. The video as presented was your usual, finely made product. As for PPCs themselves... they are highly sought after weapons in Battletech... even if somewhat 'crippled' by their heat issues. As for Mechs that mound PPCs, like Tex of the BPL, I prefer the 3025 Awesome. If playing in a later era, I will upgrade the heat sinks for better performance, but the Awesome is a tough, reliable, hard hitting Mech, that can positively destroy you, if used well.
So real particle beam weapons have been theorized (using electron beams), and from what we know they would be pretty terrifying weapons (think a lightning bolt that goes easily through armour and gives the target fatal radiation poisoning). Un/fortunately they are very hard to actually make, have pretty sharp limits on their accuracy and range, and would give the user radiation poisoning as well.
A sacrifice any House Liao general would happily make on behalf of his/her mechwarriors.
6:40 I think the whole "Snub PPC shotgun" stems from the MWO version that deals splash damage on impact.
-Splash damage is MWO exclusive and isn't cannon-
Disregard that i suck coks
HBS Battletech SNPPC did splash damage prior to MWO's relatively change to do splash damage, fyi
I always thought that the PPC should have a emp effect. A chance for it to shut down the location it hits.
That would be interesting.
The Clan ERPPC is so evil that, like a Gauss Rifle it can one shot any mech with a single headshot. There are verrrrry few weapons that could boast that in the invasion
They can ruin someone's entire day.
Re; the Snub PPC.
I think that the 'sawn off shotgun' analogy works, but on TT at least it's firing slugs, not shot. Slugs that disperse over distance admittedly, hence why it loses damage over range.
Thank you
Have a great week!
Coming at his mostly from HBS Battletech: PPC. 50pts Damage. 20pts Stability Damage. -1 Accuracy to Target Debuff. *100pts Psychological Damage.*
Can't underestimate that psychological damage.
I know missiles give me a better chance for crit-fishing, but there is something pure and satisfying about sending accelerated charged particles to rip armour off an opponent. Same heat, no ammo explosions.
It's really difficult to challenge the allure of a bolt of artificial lightning.
@@MechanicalFrog Hey wait, I wish to challenge you for more information because I know the more comments you get, the more youtube recognizes your video! Maybe we should argue more!
@@Silverlightlive Hmm... Something to ponder.
I remember mounting 4 PPCs onto a Black Knight in MW4. Sure, firing your weapons will cause an immediate shutdown, but it turns your target into a pile of slag.
A give and get! Everyone is happy.
Try the PPC with a capacitor, more bang for your lighting buck!
For me it's simple ... a PPC does 10 points of damage. The most armor ANY mech (be in a 20 ton Stinger or 100 ton Atlas) can have is 9 points. One good (or lucky) shot and you can drop any mech on the field with a dead or unconscious pilot.
I forgot megamek existed. Might have to redownload it. Need to find a link first. Good vid.
megamek.org/
My favorite Battletech weapon is the Gauss Cannon.
I'm finishing up the Gauss Rifle video today.
First Mechwarrior game I played (Mechwarrior 4: Vengeance, I think) I tried to build every Mech
I used arround the PPC. I'm terrible at FPSs so if I managed to hit something I needed it DEAD.
Never a dull moment with a PPC.
Awesomes are Awesome.
All day every day.
My love for the PPCs took off with MechWarrior 4. I would grab an awesome and stuff it with 5 clan ER PPCs. Never did solve the heat problem but it's kind of a moot point when it one shot everything from across the map.
When they work, they really work.
If I'm not mistaken, in vanilla Awesome had 3x 3E, 1x 2E and 1x 2M slots so you could only fit 3 PPCs.
In Mercenaries or MekTek they changed the Missile slot to a Heat slot, so you could fit 3x PPCs and 2x Small PPCs, is that what you meant?
@北欧宅 -Hokuwotaku- maybe it's been a fair few years since I last played mw 4 mercs
The real advancement for I.S PPCs was in fact the Light PPC. The Heavy PPC has too many draw backs to be practical, it has a shortened range, it has a minimum range requirement so it's useless for fending off harassing lights or mediums, it weight heat and damage ratio is out of whack. It's too hot, too heavy, and too short both in minimum and long ranges.
Better off with a Ballistic OR an ER large laser rather than an I.S HPPC.
But the Light PPC now there's an improvement, I have 7 mounted on my Annialator and it is ice cold even with 7 ppcs. The range is great the damage not so much, but it's effect on the enemy pilots nerves and will to fight is inescapable. The effects of the electrical disruption coupled with deactivation of ECM and stealth armor is unmistakably excellent.
Nothing sends brave ECM AND LIGHT pilots into a panic like a BLAST from 7 light PPCS. Shutting down their main forms of defence will send them scurrying for safety while damaged and smoke trailing behind dripping slag all the way.
Never a dull moment when PPCs are involved.
@@MechanicalFrog true, a ppc is the gift that keeps on giving, its fun for the entire family even little Johnny will get a jolt of joy from the ppc.
I love PPCs because as a loyal subject of the Draconis Combine I'm actually required to by law
This math checks out.
It's a pity that the LPPC took so long to get into service; it has a lot of potential, not just in lightweight applications but because swapping a PPC for two LPPCs frees up tonnage and gives very precise heat control... too late for it to matter, because double heat sinks had gone mainstream.
Have a MWO story where my triple HPPC Awesome smacked a light mech when it was only 2 pixels over a ramp on my screen. Guy showed up with the most cherry red CT structure a few minutes later, he died shortly after that ;)
Ah MWO... I almost miss playing it.
Heavy PPC is very scary
If you want an actual PPC shotgun, Quicsell Industries has you covered! The Quicsell LBX PPC fires fhqwghds clusters of ionized death in every direction except where you're aiming, providing accuracy through volume of fire at the cost of ...well, basically everything except cost. God damn these things are cheap.
I need.
Big number and dramatic effects. Large Lasers are much more heat and weight efficient, and they'll just do more damage over the span of a mission than a PPC, but it's not as dramatic as seeing a big number shatter a cockpit with a single hit.
You date the PPC, you marry the Large Laser.
@@MechanicalFrog Wonderful way of putting it.
@3:05 Two of those are "unseen" :P
I see them!
If you can't mount a Gauss Rifle, you mount a PPC. I still think the Gauss Rifle is the superior weapon, but it's also a 15-ton (17 tons with a reasonable amount of ammunition) invest that a lot of 'mechs, regardless of tonnage, can't afford. The PPC is a lighter, more compact and logistically friendly (though admittedly vastly hotter) alternative that can give even light 'mechs a fearsome punch. And if a 'mech has the tonnage spare (and the heat sinks) to mount a battery of them, they can control entire battlefields with the firepower they have at their disposal.
The original rules for Battletech state that P.P.C.'s only fire every other turn as they had to charge up........and all auto cannons are A.C. 2's.
That sounds... awful.
No idea, I usually end up replacing it with a Large Pulse Laser.
I'm ok with that.
First turn of my first game I got a headshot on my opponents atlas with an adders clan er ppc. My poor adder got hard focused with lrms from an archer and longbow and bit the dust the very next turn.
But what a glorious way to go...
I read "PPC" and thought kf the charged particle cannons in ZOIDS which was airing at the time. And while it's bot THAT powerful, it always struck me.
False advertising... the creator should be flogged.
@@MechanicalFrog Pfft should have predicted the art effect of a show from the early 2000s
I just like the big blue ball of fuck you.
And as maybe not lore accurate as it is, snup PPC being a ppc shotgun is awesome.
It is a neat idea...
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it
I should have mentioned the Scorpion instead of the Griffin. Damn.
Next time... maybe.
The original ppc's were quite "meh" with no double heatsinks that 10 heat was killer, the heavy/snub/clan ppcs and Double heatsinks killed the innersphere auto cannons viability and made the ppc's much much better.
To be honest it's the noise it makes and explosion on impact.
Fair.
The Awesome is THE PPC mech.
MWO really skews the perception of any weapon that isn't a laser given the nerfed "travel time" for projectiles for the sake of "balancing".
It's kinda ridiculous seeing people dodge a PPC AFTER it's been fired rather than the more realistic form of dodging via "don't be in front of where the barrel is or will be pointing upon firing", simply due to how slow the projectile moves.
You won't catch me saying too many nice things about how MWO does things.
Well thats a dumb question. Particle blast capable of head shots. In the clanner ER version its even better for a ton less weight. Your barrel even smokes😎
More of a rhetorical question. But I hear ya.
Because I want to saddle up a *Warhammer* and stride the land like a pagan thunder god with fists full of lightning. Next question?
silly me for asking. :D
I hear PPC, I think Uziel.
I'm painting one up right now!
Hi. What BT Program is he using here? Looks like an updated Version of Amiga Mechforce to me. So is this a PC Version? I would love that. Please enlighten me. I miss that game. It brought me to play BT RPG/Tabletop. 😎
megamek.org/
@@MechanicalFrog Thank you. Keep on rocking.
@@thorstenkrug144 Happy hunting.
its a laser that shoots bullets, enough said
I've always imagined it as directional blue lightning.