80 replies to this topic

[Koniving]

Tip number 6: Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you..yet.

"Sometimes the best way to approach an enemy is as a friend."

When an enemy mech is occupied with an absorbing task such as sharp shooting from cover, chances are they will not notice your approach from behind even if they hear your footsteps. That is unless you blow your own cover by shooting first. Get into the perfect position before you fire, and you can buddy-buddy with your enemy to take out their friends before you take them out.

(An example).

Naturally, if you are discovered before you can get into your ideal optimum range, always have an exit strategy.

[crossflip]

Koniving, on 11 May 2014 - 04:04 PM, said:

Tip number 6: Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you..yet.

"Sometimes the best way to approach an enemy is as a friend."

When an enemy mech is occupied with an absorbing task such as sharp shooting from cover, chances are they will not notice your approach from behind even if they hear your footsteps. That is unless you blow your own cover by shooting first. Get into the perfect position before you fire, and you can buddy-buddy with your enemy to take out their friends before you take them out.

(An example).

Naturally, if you are discovered before you can get into your ideal optimum range, always have an exit strategy.

This is also important because you may have teammates who are yet to position themselves to fire.

[Koniving]

crossflip, on 12 May 2014 - 06:12 AM, said:

This is also important because you may have teammates who are yet to position themselves to fire.

Also related: staging before a strike. "3. 2. 1."

It's a shame we couldn't make a clean getaway because we got too aggressive and chose to hunt for more.

[crossflip]

Haha that was brilliant I'm still laughing

[AlmightyAeng]

Koniving, on 11 May 2014 - 04:04 PM, said:

Tip number 6: Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you..yet.

"Sometimes the best way to approach an enemy is as a friend."

When an enemy mech is occupied with an absorbing task such as sharp shooting from cover, chances are they will not notice your approach from behind even if they hear your footsteps. That is unless you blow your own cover by shooting first. Get into the perfect position before you fire, and you can buddy-buddy with your enemy to take out their friends before you take them out.

(An example).

Naturally, if you are discovered before you can get into your ideal optimum range, always have an exit strategy.

Yeah...had a game a few weeks back on Frozen City where sneaking my Boar's Head up behind a Raven 3L that CLEARLY wasn't using seismic and one-shotting it at point blank range felt REALLY good...

Granted once the 3L was gone I saw 4 other radar signatures around me...lol

[Koniving]

Ghost Badger, on 12 May 2014 - 09:55 AM, said:

Granted once the 3L was gone I saw 4 other radar signatures around me...lol

Oh there's always something.

I sat comfortably here behind enemy lines for a while til I was told to act.
I seriously miss the tactical nature of the old MWO. I was -- true story -- using the fire to hide my thermal signature while ECM hid my actual one.

Edited by Koniving, 12 May 2014 - 10:20 AM.

[Koniving]

Tip number 7: Bullet Proof Door
"Every decent punk has a bullet proof door. But people forget that walls are made of plaster."

If an enemy mech seems unusually tough, that extra armor had to come from somewhere. Probe body parts (especially legs and arms) for weak points. Typically a back is much weaker than the front; and if it isn't, then someone skimmed the legs.

Some food for thought...
Think of where most people shoot a certain kind of enemy. Is it where you shoot? If you were that enemy, would it not have the highest defense? Where do people not tend to shoot it? If you were the enemy, would you have lowered that armor to make for more tonnage? Have you tried it? Is it weak? Why aren't you shooting that instead?

[Void Angel]

I think people max armor on locations other than the legs, then pull armor off of the legs or unarmed locations (like an arm; har-har,) which means that their torsos are usually pretty even (the Hunchback being the obvious exception.) So, when I probe for weak points, I look for a 'mech that's carrying a lot of guns. AC/40 jaegers are nearly always weak in the legs, for instance.

[Koniving]

Consider this: Some Jagermechs smart to that tactic but carrying small barrel weapons (AC/40 Jagers, MG Jagers) are keeping their legs beefed up but then drawing armor away from the arms instead. They're small and no one aims for them anyway. Even with long barrels the arms are smaller than legs.

Jagermechs that are especially afraid of Streak weapons have done 'something' to warrant the fear of taking damage to limbs.

Though even destroying a worthless limb can have its benefits.
Most Centurions and Shadowhawks use their arms to protect their side torsos. But once the arm is gone, they rely on large shoulder hitboxes to cut any damage by 50%. What many people don't know is while those broken wires and such reduce damage, there's still a whole area of side torso that you can now hit below the arm pit. Think of it like jabbing them in the side of the gut. No ribs to toughen it up, yet they'll foolishly keep giving it to you until you blow it up. If they're still alive you just made it easier to take 'em down anyway.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Koniving, on 27 May 2014 - 12:05 PM, said:

No ribs to toughen it up, yet they'll foolishly keep giving it to you until you blow it up. If they're still alive you just made it easier to take 'em down anyway.

Huge problem with the old Centurion hitboxes - now gone (side torso go all the way down last I checked)

[Void Angel]

Oh, to be sure - Jaeger arms are small, and hard to hit from the front. So a lot of people just go for the legs or the side torso - my point is that armor vulnerabilities are indicated by loadout, not armor. There's no requirement that armor in one place has to be pulled from another, except with front/rear torso distribution - and you often don't get

So while I agree that you should always probe for weak armor if given the opportunity, vulnerabilities are better indicated by heavy weapons or excessive speed. If he's packing an AC/40 and running 70kph, he's got to have paid for it somewhere.

[Raigner]

Obligatory bump post.

[Koniving]

The Eighth Tip: Tying Up Loose Ends.

"There are some fights you just can't win. A force can be so overwhelming that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can't win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons; it works for me."

It doesn't matter how good or bad you are, and no matter how calm, collected, or tactful you can be. A simple fact that always holds true is that some fights are impossible to win. So how can you make sure that if you lose, your attackers lose too?

Always have a contingency.

Mine is an artillery strike. It's refreshing how well it works.

In a slow moving assault and surrounded by enemies, I find that dropping an artillery strike directly on myself or ahead of where I'm going can work wonders. (One of the safest places to be when caught in a strike is directly in the smoke; unless they have an artillery accuracy module too.)

When they are busy attacking you, drop one right between their legs where they won't see it. If they are too spread out, draw them in when possible.

Edited by Koniving, 21 July 2014 - 06:57 AM.

[IraqiWalker]

Koniving, on 21 July 2014 - 06:52 AM, said:

The Eighth Tip: Tying Up Loose Ends.

"There are some fights you just can't win. A force can be so overwhelming that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can't win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons; it works for me."

Was in a match where the last teammate was outnumbered 3-to-1, he was in a stalker I believe, and was facing down a BLR-1G at 300 meters, right as he was about to die, he dropped an airstrike in front of the BLR. When the match ends, all mechs freeze, and that BLR got 3 bombs into it, and dropped dead with the STK. It was quite impressive to watch.

[1453 R]

If all else fails and you know you're about to go down...start shooting for the feet. Even if all you do is strip armor, anyone with a brain in their skull will see a naked leg and decide it needs harvesting. I've gotten a lot of revenge kill assists hammering legs when I'm in a bad situation.

[Koniving]

Tip number 9. Receiving a Scout's Information on Enemy positions.

"When you have to get information about an enemy position, you have a choice. You can watch from a distance, slow and safe. Or you can go inside and take a look, quick, but potentially fatal."

Once the team is made aware of an enemy position, you may notice their tenancy to flock to that location. At this time you'll see one of three reactions. The sort who keep their distance but watch that direction... then there are the ones who will move toward that location and encircle it. Finally, there are those who rush right at the destination with guns blazing.

Each of these three reactions have their merits and flaws. Keeping distance is good, but if you're the only one doing it you might be the only one alive in a few minutes because of that. Flanking is good, provided you know that the force you're about to flank isn't the entire enemy team as by then it'll be too late. Charging right away can, in fact, be very effective...but often you're charging in alone, the resulting sensation of loneliness is like being dead before you die...

[Sonny Black]

Koniving, on 02 January 2015 - 08:52 PM, said:

Tip number 9. Receiving a Scout's Information on Enemy positions.
.but often you're charging in alone, the resulting sensation of loneliness is like being dead before you die...

Been There...Done That...Got The T-Shirt.

I've put a sign next to the monitor Walk Don't Run. Also peeking is a good thing...some day I may even start to do it.

[Tim East]

I run instead of walk, but I'm a Locust driver. If I can strafe through the entire enemy formation zapping foes the whole way and not die, of course I'm going to. Where else are you going to get that kind of thrill?

I'll take charging in alone and dying in a blaze of glory over cowering and waiting to die any day of the week, and if I live? Icing on the cake, baby.

[Koniving]

Minor bump. I know I haven't made new ones since the Burn Notice marathons stopped, but the info's still pretty good even today.

[Morggo]

Good stuff as usual, worthy of the bump.

I especially like the topic about paint and colors. I tend to paint my rides in rather garish and bright colors/patterns and yes, it does seem to draw more fire many times (you know those moments when you are in the stunningly bright Cicada amongst a bunch of plain heavies and assaults.. and you keep saying "why the heck are they all targeting me and not the real threats...." )

Being a 'flash git' myself I know I do keep an eye out for the likewise showy paint jobs on the other side as they do often tend to be of higher skill. It's weird that way but seems true enough.

Or, as my lancemate says, "shoot the pretty ones first, it's easier to appreciate the colors when they aren't moving... "