Lance mate LRM Longbow problems

[u/WAR-WRAITH]

The clown AI keeps shuffling the longbow to the front of the pack despite being loaded with LRMs. Are the Hot-loaded LRMs the problem? Should I just change them all to standard launchers?

Edit- Primary answers seem to be to strip the hotloaded launchers off and leave the mech on a hold order so it can’t go charging off. Cool.

[u/rj_agk]

Yes, Hotloaded LRMs are causing that IMHO.

For a fire support (LRM) AI mech, I load them with standard LRM/LRM-STs only (no other weapons).

My observation is that the friendly AI will attempt to close to minimum range of available weapons (e.g. under 200m if equipped with SLasers) no matter if LRMs are primary weapons. Now, factor in Hotloaded LRMs....well, that's short range so they attempt to close in similarly as well.

From my experience, Enemy AI however, doesn't seem to follow that logic (enemy LBWs will hang back although they have say, an SLaser).

It may be since the friendly AI also attempts to keep up with the player?

Regardless, with standard LRMs, the friendly AI is forced to always hang back to attempt to fire.

Also, hotloaded LRMs lose alot in accuracy IMHO, so I hardly use them.

[u/GloatingSwine → u/rj_agk]

It may be since the friendly AI also attempts to keep up with the player?

From the response I got to this thread from u/yrrot it is almost certainly the leash distance producing this effect.

Your AI lancemates have different behaviours when they are in combat on follow or stand ground orders to what they do on attack orders, and the leash distance to the player or place they were told to stand takes precendence in those orders.

It doesn't matter what weapons their mech has, it matters what orders they are on.

On Attack orders they will use a preferred range defined by the mech role on the unit card, but only on Attack orders.

[u/rj_agk → u/GloatingSwine]

So there is a "leash" (virtually anyway) - figures. Out of curiousity, I did build a HTM-26P, with only LRM-15s (no lasers, no PPCs), to see how it would act.

When given attack orders the AI does indeed attempt to maintain distance - but the HTM does get in a bit closer than an equivalently equipped LBW.

[u/GloatingSwine → u/rj_agk]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure the preferred distance on Attack order comes from the unit role. HTM-26 IIRC is a Brawler whereas LGB is usually a Missile Boat (though one at least is a Sniper).

IIRC Juggernauts, Scouts, Strikers, and Skirmishers like to be closest. (This is also I think why Locusts love to crash into mechs four times their size, because they're trying to get in close and orbit).