For future reference

I was guilty as well, but then I realized that I was about to dis someone's build as "too hot" while posting an imho-ok build that was just as hot and worked fine for me, under certain cicumstances. So I learned that nothing beats hands-on experience. There are good builds out there that are like a good reliable work horse, and there are good builds out there that are more like a thoroughbred - treat it wrong, be thrown off.

 

We're also forgetting the fact that most mechs dont receive very many votes, if any. A 1 star build on a mech within the first day of its life may cause people to never look at it and therefore, never be tested and rated by other people.

Im all for letting people rate in a public setting, but in the end, i cant really see a way to stop the trolling of the internet. its going to happen. The only thing i can do is look at whichever mech catches my eye and vote/post on it accordingly regardless of any previous actions of the creator. Its not the mechs fault i dont agree with the creators general game style so i try and rate by taking the idea the creator had and basing my judgement off of how well it actually performs that role.

 

That's one of the reasons I was trying to rate untested builds - to help them from disappearing in obscurity. The best thing we can do is get a lot of votes and get a consensus on builds. Therefore, I was trying to honestly rate every new build I saw from the forums I follow to help reach this critical mass.

 

But that's like rating a Dalorian without ever having driven one!

Sure it's got an engine, 4 wheels, 2 doors and looked great in back to the future but from a real world practical standpoint it's a POS. You wouldn't know until you tried it.

 

But sometimes you don't need to try it to know that it is a piece of crap.

 

..and then there are cars with crap engine, 3 wheels, 1 door, looks shitty and wouldnt be better after tried.

and then there are workhorses where you have really everything you need on the road and it wouldnt be worse after tried

 

When I am planning a new 'Mech I read through every build on the site, every comment made (by those who's opinion seams justified), and pick out everything good from each post. The task is to then test Frankenstien and post your findings. If I read a design that sounds great I will try it out as written and come back to write my opinion in the original post. We all need to remember that they are all just opinions. The stars don't mean much to those of us with a great deal of experience but it is helpful to the newer pilots or for people who have never piloted a particular weight class. I think that this site is an excellent tool for everyone and will continue to be so with or without pretty yellow stars.

Mythweaver

 

THIS!
But the yellow stars does spell "read me first" and that helps newbies and people that are getting into a new mech model.

 

For future reference, what Enileph said is damn important for a LRM carrier. Without BAP, any ECM carrier can shut all your targeting down just by standing within 180m. Even if you don't target him but someone 500m away, he still shuts you down by being around. This is a underestimated role of ECM lights.

As for the later discussions, I will always motivate my ratings. I will sometimes rate without playing the exact build, because I have played hundreds of rounds in that chassi with all parts of the build at one time or other. I will not rate any builds that differ substantially from my tested ones. You never know.