144 replies to this topic

[Jody Von Jedi]

Keyboard, how quaint !

Scotty had the fastest typing skills in the 23rd century.

One of my favorite movies.

[blood4blood]

OP, you're on the right track, so don't feel bad at all. The only thing more annoying than a new player who won't learn is an old player who won't learn, and you obviously don't have that problem.

KISS principle ("keep it simple stupid") applies to anything with moving parts. IMHO that includes mech lab and setting weapon groups. I've been playing video games since the 70's, mech games since the 90's, and competitive online games starting with MW4 since 2002. I don't use more than 3 weapon groups either. (At the same time, using the same KB & mouse, I can easily manage over 30 different skills in an MMO without being a clicker...go figure.)

Pointers: in PUG games, start by going to your assaults or heavies unless you're in a scout mech. Group with the big guys, shoot what they're shooting, watch both your field of fire and theirs otherwise you'll be blocking each others' shots - it's usually good to stay near their flanks if you can. Also watch that you're not stepping on each others' toes, damaging legs, pushing each other into enemy fire, etc. It happens all too often in PUG drops. You're absolutely right that in this game, mechs that run alone usually die alone (fast scouts being the exception).

[Darth Futuza]

Welcome to MWO!

I highly recommend finding yourself some teammates to play with, MWO is vastly more enjoyable when you drop into matches with buddies. Teamspeak/voip makes it even better since you can call out tactics, etc directly and make winning and fun easier. Feel free to add me to your friends list if you want to try out dropping with a group. Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Flak Kannon]

Hi Claw,

Yep...

Experience is the best teacher.

Fail, then try something different.

It takes hundreds of matches before you can start to consider yourself merely average in MWO, and thousands to get merely good, and thousdands more to get better than good..

[Revis Volek]

After your first 1000 matches you will be considered DECENT! lol

Its a tough game for new guys but you seem to be determined which is half the battle. Dont let forum warriors or trolls get your down. We were all new guys at some point and made all kinds of silly mistakes.

Best way to learn IMO is in a medium mech so you are starting out on the right foot. Find heavies to protect when it gets hairy and stick with other mediums when hunting. You should NEVER be alone unless you go 150+ kph and have a escape route planned or at least cover nearby. Just do things in steps...plan 2-3 steps and then move....once you have made it to step 2 plan a few more.

Taking your time and assessing the field before running head first into it is always a better tactic. Unless there is bad guys behind you!

[Nick Makiaveli]

C J Sparrow, on 18 December 2014 - 01:14 PM, said:

"old man" in this game is someone in their 90's
Lots of original MW/II/III/IV/LL veterans playing!

Even us vets are learning all the time.
Be it a new weight class, new style of play (scout vs brawler), or optimising an old mech with the recently introduced "quirk" systems this game will keep you on your toes!

I'm a lonewolf dropping on my own in public matches (P.ick U.p G.ame-r) supporting the team however I can which is frankly the hard way but a great learning experience! (Especially grinding EVERY IS mech!).
As others have offered, there are some great teams out there who play casually that'll have you trained up as a force to be reckoned with in no time.

Above all, may all your battles be FUN.
Welcome to the war

Gee thanks...I remember BattleDroids

[Papapeshu]

Hey, some of us are battling 'roids as well as droids

[Clawgore]

Flak Kannon, on 19 December 2014 - 01:22 PM, said:

It takes hundreds of matches before you can start to consider yourself merely average in MWO, and thousands to get merely good, and thousdands more to get better than good..

DarthRevis, on 19 December 2014 - 01:38 PM, said:

After your first 1000 matches you will be considered DECENT! lol

Thanks to everyone who posted. I appreciate it. I have the whole house to myself this weekend and I'm going to be sitting in front of the computer playing Mechwarrior Online, over and over and over and over. In my underwear. Yea, that's right. Picture that! hahaha

I've been buried by real life the last few days so have not put any of your advice into practice yet but I will. The quotes above from Flak Kannon, and DarthRevis, really struck home for me and I wanted to point them out specifically.

I've played enough matches to earn about 11m credits and while you might think that's chicken feed it took me a while at around 150k per match; sometimes much less.

My point is that I THOUGHT I had played enough matches to be competitive and to not be such a noob. Thanks to you guys, I feel much better and thank you so much for posting what you did. I don't feel so bad now, and that's just what I needed to hear.

Oh, and I'm 53 with a bad back and a bad attitude when in pain, so you BETTER BELIEVE I'm going to be bringing it on the battlefield. Nothing helps me feel better than blowing people up.
(salute)

[Nick Makiaveli]

Main thing is to have fun. Play what you like, play the modes you like etc. If anyone gives you grief about your build, just remember to politely tell them to go breed by themself and go back to having fun!

PS: Contrary to popular belief, Support@mwomercs.com does respond to players being reported for language. I know this because I recently sent in a screenshot reporting two players and I know for a fact that they contacted one of them. How you ask? Well, let's just say I didn't use the word "breed" when talking to him.

[Shaemus Shadow]

Nick Makiaveli, on 19 December 2014 - 06:23 PM, said:

Main thing is to have fun. Play what you like, play the modes you like etc. If anyone gives you grief about your build, just remember to politely tell them to go breed by themself and go back to having fun!

PS: Contrary to popular belief, Support@mwomercs.com does respond to players being reported for language. I know this because I recently sent in a screenshot reporting two players and I know for a fact that they contacted one of them. How you ask? Well, let's just say I didn't use the word "breed" when talking to him.

Amen. My personal experience with supports@mwomercs.com has been great. Be patient with them, because they are really busy and it may take a couple of days to get back to you. But they do care and are willing to help.

[LT. HARDCASE]

4 days in, I was contemplating just admitting that I'd never get it, and quitting. I was completely in over my head. 4 or so months later, I'm really, really happy I stuck with it.

Looking back, I know you feel completely lost because you: don't know the maps, don't have a feel for the ebb and flow of combat, don't know what playstyle you'll like, don't understand the best usage of the different weapons, don't know how to spread damage, don't....

See what I mean? The learning curve in MWO encompasses so many different things. I feel your pain, because I've been there. It gets better, if you stick with it.

Every time you die, ask yourself whether you made a mistake which led to it. Were you away from the team? Were you just out of position? Were you too aggressive? Did you poke your head out from the same spot, one too many times? Then try to not make that mistake in the next match. And if you do, don't beat yourself up over it.

[Clawgore]

Kevjack, you are absolutely correct. Last night I had a game where I scored ZERO points. I'm pretty sure it had to do with my armor distribution but still, ZERO points! Oh the shame.

Changing subjects... it was advised that I post my questions in this same thread and here are a couple if someone has time to help me with them I'd appreciate it.

1. In the Mechlab, I think I'm missing something. IF I buy weapons for a mech and/or completely unload the mech, can I use that "stuff" in a different mech? If I can, I do not know how. I have two mechs now and I cannot see the weapons and heat sinks I bought while editing one mech when I'm editing the other mech.

2. All of the advice I have read says for new players to stick with the heavy mechs and support them. Well, at least when I'm in my medium mech. But when a pug group mission starts up I do not see a column on the READY display that shows me who the heavy mechs are. When we launch and I hover my reticle on another mech I do not see a designation of heavy, assault, medium, whatever. Of course the lights are easy to identify as they scamper off looking for trouble but some of the mediums move forward slower than some of the heavies! Is there a display that shows me more than the mech's name?

3. Ballistic weapons sound really cool, but I'm not sure if I understand them. I need a weapon that will fit into my loadout, then I need ammunition. That is pretty clear. What I don't understand is their damage. Some of the machine guns list their damage rating as 1, some are a little bit higher. While their energy consumption is low, their range, for the most part, is also very low. If I am standing next to an enemy mech I am going to die so do new players use ballistic weapons with short range and low damage?

4. Last night I took a gauss gun out of a mech and experimented with some different ballistics. I wanted to put the gauss back to better match my large laser's range but the gauss would not place because it said I didn't have enough slots. The body part looked empty to me except for the default grayed out listings so I'm not sure how I'm screwing this up. I think it has to do with me increasing the armor because a couple of times I received a message saying that I did not have enough armor to increase and it looked like I purchased more "capacity" but if so, how do I take it out to enable my gauss to fit again?

Thank you for any answers.

[ColdPsyker1]

Clawgore, on 20 December 2014 - 08:35 AM, said:

Kevjack, you are absolutely correct. Last night I had a game where I scored ZERO points. I'm pretty sure it had to do with my armor distribution but still, ZERO points! Oh the shame.

Changing subjects... it was advised that I post my questions in this same thread and here are a couple if someone has time to help me with them I'd appreciate it.

1. In the Mechlab, I think I'm missing something. IF I buy weapons for a mech and/or completely unload the mech, can I use that "stuff" in a different mech? If I can, I do not know how. I have two mechs now and I cannot see the weapons and heat sinks I bought while editing one mech when I'm editing the other mech.

2. All of the advice I have read says for new players to stick with the heavy mechs and support them. Well, at least when I'm in my medium mech. But when a pug group mission starts up I do not see a column on the READY display that shows me who the heavy mechs are. When we launch and I hover my reticle on another mech I do not see a designation of heavy, assault, medium, whatever. Of course the lights are easy to identify as they scamper off looking for trouble but some of the mediums move forward slower than some of the heavies! Is there a display that shows me more than the mech's name?

3. Ballistic weapons sound really cool, but I'm not sure if I understand them. I need a weapon that will fit into my loadout, then I need ammunition. That is pretty clear. What I don't understand is their damage. Some of the machine guns list their damage rating as 1, some are a little bit higher. While their energy consumption is low, their range, for the most part, is also very low. If I am standing next to an enemy mech I am going to die so do new players use ballistic weapons with short range and low damage?

4. Last night I took a gauss gun out of a mech and experimented with some different ballistics. I wanted to put the gauss back to better match my large laser's range but the gauss would not place because it said I didn't have enough slots. The body part looked empty to me except for the default grayed out listings so I'm not sure how I'm screwing this up. I think it has to do with me increasing the armor because a couple of times I received a message saying that I did not have enough armor to increase and it looked like I purchased more "capacity" but if so, how do I take it out to enable my gauss to fit again?

Thank you for any answers.

1. You can use stuff you buy for one mech for ANY mech. HOWEVER, they cannot be used at the same time. Essentially, you have to strip the equipment from one mech to use it in a different one. Yes, this takes a lot of time, which is why some of us are sitting around with 3-4 XL300 engines (expensive in C-bills, but if I want to quickly switch between mechs that use that engine, I do not have to take it out of one mech and put it in the other)

2. That is something you learn with practice. If you notice in the next match you drop in, there will be a string of about 5 letter and numbers next to the name of each pilot on your team (and on the enemy team at the end of match screen). This tells you their Mech and specific variant.
For example, my Hunchback 4G is abbreviated HBK-4G. This will take a while, but it is a skill that is worth it.
Also, while you are stomping around in a match, you can hit the "unbound" button- by default I believe this is "Q"
-If you look in the direction of a friendly, it will show more information about them

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=1
- This link is pretty much invaluable to me. Not only can you play around with mech loadouts, but it will also tell you the mech's abbreviated designation

As for telling which ones the assaults are, general rule of thumb- if they are big and slow, they are probably an assault mech.

3. Ballistic weapons- pretty simple. Autocannons (AC's), are listed with a damage rating. An AC20 will fire a round that deals 20 points of damage, while an AC2 will fire a shot that deals 2 points of damage.

The bigger the Autocannon, the more damage it will do per shot, but it will have less range- the AC20 has a 270m effective range, while the AC10 (which does 10 damage per shot), has an effective range of ?450m?
-For a new player, I would stick with either AC5's or AC20's- these are generally considered the "best". Nothing beats the AC20 at putting the hurt on an enemy, while the AC5 has a good mix of fire rate, damage, range, and tonnage

-Onto the weird stuff
-- LBX-AC10 is a "shotgun-ish". It fires 10 pellets in a cone, and each pellet does 1 point of damage. This gun is most useful for hitting internals, as it has a bonus critical chance against internals. Also, dont let the high effective range fool you- this gun is best used at sub-200m, as otherwise you will just spread 1 damage pellets all over the enemy.

--UAC-5. If the AC5 wasn't spewing enough lead at your opponent, this is your weapon. It weighs more and costs more tonnage slots than the AC5, but you get the ability to "double tap". If you fire this weapon while it is on cooldown, it will fire another 5 damage shot again; HOWEVER, there is the potential that it will "jam" and not work for about 5 seconds. This is a good DPS weapon, but if you want reliability, go with the AC5

--Machine Gun- these are really only good on light mechs, due to the severely limited range. They do next to no damage against armor, but they are VERY good against internals. I think currently they fire 10 bullets per second, and each bullet deals .1 damage- so essentially for every second a machine gun fires, it will do 1 point of damage- dont quote me on these numbers however

--Guass Rifle- this gun is a very good sniper weapon. If you notice, it deals less damage that an AC20 (guass deals 15), weighs more than an AC20, but has a vastly extended range and projectile speed.

4. On the mech in question, did you buy Ferro-Fibrous? From what you are saying, I am guessing that is the answer. On Inner Sphere mechs, the critical slots taken up by Endo-Steel and Ferro-Fibrous are "dynamic". If you buy Endo-steel, it will take up 14 critical slots, but these critical slots can be placed anywhere there is room. If you start to run low on critical slots, it will grey out enough slots in the section I am viewing. If I only have 3 open critical slots left, and I view my left side torso in the mechlab, it will have 9 slots "greyed out", and the same will happen if I view my right side torso.

If you want to take out Ferro, go to Mechlab->configure->Upgrades tab

Also, ALWAYS take Endo-steel before you take Ferro- both occupy the same amount of slots, but Endo will always save more tonnage than Ferro.

PS- You mentioned you purchased more armor "capacity"- Ferro-Fibrous does not increase "capacity". A Battlemech's armor capacity is set by its tonnage- until the end of time, the 50 ton Hunchback will always be able to carry a maximum of 338 pts of armor.
-Ferro Fibrous simple increases the amount of armor points you get from a ton of armor. Normally, you get 32 pts of armor per ton of armor. With Ferro, you get 35-36 pts of armor per ton of armor.
--So, while the maximum amount of armor does not change, I have to devote 10 tons to armor to reach the Hunchback's standard armor of 320 pts. With Ferro, I only have to devote 9 tons to reach 320 pts. In either case, I can still only have 338 pts of armor total.

Hope that helps!

[Rogue Jedi]

ColdPsyker1's post answered most of your questions but I do have something to add to his answer to question 1:

consumables and Mech modules can be used on any Mech but Weapons, Weapon Modules and most other equipment are faction specific, Inner Sphere equipment cannot be used on Clan Mechs and Clan equipment cannot be used on IS Mechs

e.g. if you purchase a Gauss Rifle for a Jagermech you cannot then put it on a Dire Wolf, as a DW would need a Clan Gauss Rifle.
Clan Mechs are:
Myst lynx, Kit Fox, Adder, Ice Ferrett, Nova, Stormcrow, Mad Dog, Hellbringer Summoner, Timber Wolf, Gargoyle, War Hawk and Dire Wolf.

all other Mechs available at time of writing are IS Mechs

[Ren Kurogane]

Clawgore, on 18 December 2014 - 09:32 AM, said:

-fun things-

You are waaay better than me. My first 4 days were like.... used Catapult, fired LRMs without locking on, no clear line of fire and the target was still at >1000m. Got frustated, stopped playing for 2-3 months. In the end, i became stickier than a gum on someone's shoe sole until now

[Clawgore]

Well that explains a lot. Thanks ColdPsyker1 and Rogue Jedi.

Discarius, you made me laugh out loud because that's exactly what I started doing yesterday. Finding the big group and standing around the big mechs. I try to trick myself into thinking I am their bodyguards but I am pretty sure I'm one of those scavenger fish that helps clean up the bits and pieces the big fish drop by accident.

[00seven]

Excellent comments from all. Welcome to the great game. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you might keep a day job and those that you love might not leave you once it sinks it's wicked teeth into you.

Time in the mechs and awareness of what's working and not working (you seem to have this going already) will really make this a satisfying effort. One poster commented on the K.I.S.S. theory and I think that's a great one especially for grouping weapons. Grouping them down to 1, 2 or 3 groups really simplifies it so you can work on the basics and understand the chassis dynamics. Plus you'll spend more time thinking about position and target acquisition than firing. This is always helpful in a game with heat generation and team damage!

Have fun, kill something.
-Ni-

[Clawgore]

Vignette time!!

There I was, sitting high in my Stormcrow, which I affectionately call SCARECROW, on an icy planet when everyone around me starts stomping across the frozen terrain. The wind is blowing and loose snow if flying, but visibility is out to 700m or so when I'm not surrounded by half buried buildings and snow flurries caused by the cold wind whistling between the buildings.

For some reason I am grouped with several Light mechs and I watch them scamper off. Checking my map I see some resource spots and head toward the center one nearest me. By the time I get there it has been captured and everyone starts down a large ramp on the left side of the map and drops out of sight.

The hair on the back of my neck started standing up and I become suspicious of a bottleneck on the east side of the map near the resource point so I lumbered in that direction... and almost stepped off a cliff where gravity would surely have crushed my mech like a tin can.

Lasers and rockets are piercing the snow flurries and arching into the sky to my left and below me as battle is joined. Bruising combat is taking place practically at my feet and I watch the ebb and flow of battle as I protect the resource spot my side had claimed.

And that's when it happened. Inspiration? Realization? Combat Awareness? Bonding with my Mech? Call it what you want but suddenly my mind became clear and I saw the big picture of the battlefield.

Standing near the edge of the cliff I began to send laser blast after laser blast into the flanks of my enemies as they engaged my team. One Kill. Two Kills. Three Kills !!!

My old heart was beating hard and fast as my sweaty fingers began to cramp. I was blowing pieces of mech into the air, reversing my mech so his profile was not visible, then moving to another vantage point and continuing the rain of destruction.

When the battle ended I was manic; laughing and screaming. "TAKE THAT @#$@#@%%^^ !!!"

Best game of my career! 3 kills and several assists, components destroyed, movement bonuses, etc.. Oh the joy. Oh the thrill!
Thanks to you guys! Keep the suggestions going! And the encouragement, especially the encouragement. This game is really hard to pick up but I'm beginning to see the light. It's a small sliver of laser but I can see it!!!

Edited by Clawgore, 23 December 2014 - 10:49 AM.

[Podex]

Good job! It looks like you made it over the hump.

Now things start getting REALLY fun. You'll soon start flicking your eyes toward the targeting info and nailing them with precision fire. GIT 'EM!

...and you'll never forget that match. Ever.

[JC Daxion]

Clawgore, on 18 December 2014 - 09:32 AM, said:

Now I can last over 2 minutes, and sometimes until the end of the battle

Battle? Is that what the kids are calling it these days.. Just keep thinking... Baseball, baseball, baseball.. it will help!



Great post man, It is so nice to see someone say,,.,. Yea i suck, and i know it, and i want to do something about it! And yup i was that guy too, the first or second to drop for a long time.. Now I can carry on teams and grab the wins. (not always of course, but it has been known to happen) It is a steep learning curve and hopefully you stick around long enough were you can be the vet saying.. I made that mistake too!