How much Rear.Armor is reasonable?

Hello guys, i start this topic, because i'm seeing a lot of Builds here with paperthin Rear.Armor (e.g.

 

I think it depends on mech models and role. A LRM boat and sniper would get hit in the front more often so the front armor should be higher.

For atlas I am doing CT26, LT/RT 21 usually, the Ct can get as high as 31 at one point if I PUG or feel like I have no friends/help recently, but beyond that would be counter productive. But this can change depending on the role as I said.
XL and STD engine matters too. You can put more in the front armor if it is a side torso with nothing important and youa re running STD, then it works better as a shield. THAT, or when your side torso have a GIGANTIC FRONT, like a hunchback.
On the other hand mechs that expace lots of frontal confrontation I will skim down back armor to 16. I think 16 is usually the minimum if you ask me. But obviously things are different when you are in a light, like a commando.

The idea is that if you are in a slow and sluggish monster there should be enough armor to take a hit or two so you can back into something, or your guardian lights/mediums have the time to go fly swatting. Having it below 10 just meant that you get cored down on the first hit of a jenner, which is not good.

Oh, and having AMS means that you take less damage from LRM in the front (I expact you to be advancing not hiding in the corner or turning tail running) which means you can place the armor to the back.

 

I try to imagine which shot I will take from behind. I often play "fast" heavies (catapult, cataphract), thus I think i could take a shot from PPC or Gauss from behind before reacting, but almost never an AC/20. So I will put a rear armor of at least 16. It is really uncommon for me to die from a rear shot with this config.
I begin with assault, and I put at least 20 points of rear armor to prevent a one AC/20 shot from disabling me... But actually, I suck as assault pilot

 

Lights are a special Case because of their high Speed, but still i run them with Rear Minimum at 10 to survive better a direct Rear-Hit from a Sniper, if i ever get hit from behind.

 

Every 'mech, basically, has at least a 2:1 surface area ratio between the front and back torso compartments. After you calculate in the tops of the torso, it can climb as high as 3:1 (In the case of the Huncback's RT, ~4:1).

When I start my builds, I put the armor ratio at around the surface area ratio. I almost invariably balance more forward.

In general, I don't like to put the rear armor of anything at less than 10. It's nice to be able to soak a backstab. On matches where I expect I wont get flanked, I actively use my rear armor to absorb smaller missile volleys.

I'll make an exceptions to the 10-minimum rule for light 'mechs, since they have so little armor to begin with.

 

It really depends on the role. For my AC based Phracts I will go as high as possible on the centre torso since you need to be able to stay on target for as long as possible, so I run at 70:18 which is a 3.9:1 ratio. That said, I usually run the side torsos at 44:16, which is still a 2.75:1 ratio, so still not nearly as aggressive as some builds I see, since I really din't feel comfortable going lower than that on the rear.

When I was playing Commandos more, I actually ran them with a 1:1 ratio everywhere since you have to run around in circles so you're presenting all sides equally. I also spent a lot of time running away since I would get myself into stupid situations.

 

I start with very low back armor and see how often I get killed from the back. Most of the time it is very rare and so I leave it low. On an atlas or slow assault with poor torso twist I have a bit more but most of the time its about 85/15 and I dont have issues often enough to justify taking some from the front. It feels like wasted armor if I have fresh armor on the back and get cored in the front CT. Also keep in mind that your internals have health in addition to the armor. I also use the size of the torsos to evaluate how much goes where.

 

1, 11, or 16.

Anything else is a waste. Sometimes I go like, 12 or 17.

If you're playing with legit players, they have your proverbial back - get it? Even if soloing, how many times are you running out into groups that you have to backtrack from...

 

You're right, Soy, I picked 10 because it's a nice, round number. However, it makes much more sense to put your armor at one higher than a common weapon's damage.

I used to play a bit of a game, guessing at the internal structure of each compartment (why don't they just publish this?), and calculating my survival based on various common weapon combinations. Soy's headshot test video has shown that critical hits have made that a very dangerous game indeed.

 

Bingo. I only drop my back armor when I'm grouped.

 

Also, for assault, 21 is fine too, or 26. 21 is really good for mny assault, 26 is mostly atlas.

 

For my lights, I tend to use:
Center Rear: 4
L/R Rear: 8

I die more often to front CT coring than all other deaths combined, especially in my Jenner. More front armor equals more time to do damage and a higher survival rate.

 

I don't understand you can't have a lot of armor in the back. So it's just where you need to aim and what you need to protect.

I uselly run stock on armor in the back. I rarely change that.

And my best mech is a fireband so with low armor in the back.

 

Most of the rear hits I take are from LRMs, not direct fire. When moving away I tend to tack or spiral so I keep my front/side facing the enemy. It's suicide to run in a straight line for long with a light, and a heavy moves slowly enough that rear armor won't help much if it gets exposed. 11 is my most common value.

 

The answer to everything is 42.

 

Had an interesting experience recently. Powered down by our cap on River City to play defense (and so I can watch football game).I soon hear stomping, then a Jager walks right past me. I gamble that it is an enemy, So I power up directly behind him in my AC40 Jager. Alpha his Rear CT expecting it to be GAME OVER MAN GAME OVER!

nope

Rear CT was certainly open and as red as red can get, but no death. I'll also mention that the only thing damaged on him after that alpha was his Rear CT... so I know I didn't hit anywhere else and spread the damage. He immediately turned his rear and backed into a corner, quickly coring one of my side torsos killing me (XL engine).

I was dumbfounded that he did not die... 50 damage point blank from 2 AC20 and 2 MLas...

How much rear armor was he running!?

Nao I c....

 

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

If I'm pugging, I run 20 CT rear and 16 ST rear. If I run with at least a 4-man UMAD group, 16 CT rear, 12 ST rear. Trust your comrades to protect your flanks.

 

I try to keep my around 15 but it may drop down to as low as 11 or so for a few mechs like the Hunchback. Never have less than 11 or no circumstance though.