Missions & Complexes

This is not a troll attempt or anything, its just my Mach isn't destroying stuff as quickly as I thought it would. Does it matter if I have minmatar and gallente battleship at 4 instead of 5? My other gunnery skills are pretty good and i'm using T2 guns.

I run T1 (faction) 800mm autocannons in my mission-runner mach, shooting plain ol' phased plasma ammo, and that seems to work fine. I am BS3 for both min and gal.
My mission-runner alt (BS 5 for both) uses blast and T2 800s which, again, works fine. Neither of us bothers changing ammo for the different types of mission rats. It would prolly speed things up a little but we're not keen on the fiddle-factor.

We've never used hail.

From memory I don't think we melt baddies at 64km, but they certainly start hurting bigtime once they're 50km away.

Our machs run 3 x gyro and 3 x tracking enhancers in their lows, and no tracking / targeting mods in their midslots ... just tank and prop mods there.

Hm ok...I'll try using T1 Phased Plasma and optimal range tracking computer, and see if that helps.

Any other suggestions from Mach-flying specialists on how to do level 4s the best way is welcome. I used to fly a Tengu and it was pretty EZ mode and I thought a mach would be faster but it doesn't seem so.

A Mach with a tracking computer???/ Just get in there and fight that's why it is a fast ship with a vast tank...use drones for frigs.

Don't bother using T2 ammo. Use faction ammo if you're blitzing, standard t1 ammo if you're all-clearing. Use a optimal range script on your tracking computer. Get trajectory analysis to IV if you haven't already. Use an MWD to move around faster.

No. See the link I posted for details, but basically there are two factors at work (three I'd we want to throw in signature, but let's not for now). The first is tracking, which has no direct relationship to optimal OR falloff. If your gun can track as well or better than your relative angular velocity vis-a-vis your target, you hit. If not, you suffer a miss chance and a hit quality reduction (these are related, but let's skip on just how to keep it simple).

Second, you have range. IF YOU CAN TRACK, any shot within your optimal will hit. Outside of optimal we hit falloff, which slowly (at least for ACs; not so slowly for pulse lasers) degrades both your hit chance and your hit quality. At optimal plus falloff you do circa 40% damage on average due to how these factors combine. The decline is not linear, so at optimal plus half falloff your damage is still decent (again, providing you can track your targets).

By scripting your TC for tracking, you likely weren't changing your hit quality one bit (you could already track just fine). By scripting for range, you increase your optimal and your falloff, which means your targets aren't as deep into your falloff envelope, hence you hit more frequently and with better quality.

A mach runs missions much like a tengu honestly. The big change to remember is to *not* move. Just sit there, seriously.

The falloff scripted computer advice earlier is sounds, as is the t1 phased plasma / fusion (angels).

As you warp in, target the frigs first and try to blow them up before they get in close. You should be be able to knock most of them out, the rest get to meet your drones.

From there move on up the ship size ladder to dessies \ cruisers \ bc's \ bs's. The idea here is to kill all the smaller stuff while they are still running straight at you, which means nearly zero transversal. That effectively takes tracking out of the hit equation, which means frigs will get vollied.

you're doing it wrong!

There is no way that a Tengu is faster. Its a good mission ship and true is alot more of a 'forget about me' ship, but doesnt compete with an actively piloted Mach.

Machs shine when fitted with 4 x faction gyros, 3 x TE, MWD and XL burst tanks. No need for Tracking Comp in the mids - if you handle your range properly you will track and apply *alot* of DPS. I used to use a Tracking Comp but it had no effect in reality and dropped it for a 15km web but it could be anything in that slot really.

As the other posters say. Warp in, remain still (or directly approach individual frigs), aggress and shoot scrambling / webbing frigs as they come at you. Deal with them and then just blap. You can kill rats out to 70km but your best kill zone is around 20km so MWD pulse to this and you will track everything. Leave the BS till last and then zoom up to them and orbit at optimal. Very rarely need to deploy drones. T2 / faction ammo is not cost efficient... use 5% hardwirings instead.

Two high sp alts in Machs makes me 120m+ isk / hour missioning.

you cant expect huge dps on target that is 64k away thats almost @ the end of your falloff so you should try to close is as soon as possible or if you cant use barrage.

Can the commenters in this thread please suggest why scripting a tracking computer for optimal, with weapons that operate in falloff, is a good idea? No? No?

No.

Either use it unscripted, or script it for tracking speed.