37 replies to this topic

[rolly]

Welcome to the game Breidr!

This is a challenging and super frustrating game, but at the heart there are some really great people and groups. I heartily recommend you do pace yourself and keep taking a crack at this game. The tutorials aren't that useful, but there is plenty of useful information on this forum and people /groups who love the BT/MW Universe and willing to help you out. You've already done the first step by "sending up a flare for help"

Once you've ironed out your controls to suite yourself At some point you might as well dive in there, choose a Trial mech and run a few matches to get use to the game.

A few hard lessons I learned

1.) Don't drive an assault or a light. (yet) You're a fast or big target and there are a lot of unfortunate expectations on you to do well and carry. Or find yourself in a lot of trouble fast. Yes dabble in them and experiment till you're comfortable. I recommend to choose a Medium or a Heavy with lasers or LRM's and play support to the rest of the team until you orient yourself. Mediums for speed and flexibility, Heavy's for tanking and more weapons.

2.) Never ever go solo. Be a sheep and look for the group, instructions, targets and objectives. Aim to have a bunch of friendly mechs in front of you at the "front". Don't straggle or stray from the herd.

3,) Figure out your play style and keep it in mind. Do you like Fire Support, Direct or Indirect? Harassing, high speed scouting? Brawling? This will help you choose mechs in the future and make your adjustment to this games quirks and details faster.

4.) Survive. Whatever you do, first learn how to survive first then learn how to aim, do well, then get kills. If you can learn to survive and work with the team to defeat the enemy you'll do better in score, earn more credits, and be able to purchase more later when you've figured out this game.

5.) Exercise! Get use to the movement, torso twisting is your friend, direction of your legs and torso is key. Don't stare too long at an enemy and slug it out. Get use to practicing being mobile and torso twist. Its like dogfighting. Never fly/walk/run in a straight predictable line for long.

6.) The R key is your friend. Make it habit to press this button any time you see a red empty target triangle. Not only it will help you get more info about your enemy but will also help your team neutralize that target.

7.) Keep asking for help!

If you can, feel free to add myself to your friends list "rolly". I am on GMT -5 9pm to 12 midnight. I'll be happy to do what I can to work with you and orient you.

Edited by rolly, 19 April 2015 - 03:24 PM.

[Ialdabaoth]

I'm still a bit new, but here's my observations:

1. Getting used to how your legs are pointing can take time. There's a pair of triangles at the top of your HUD that tell you which direction you're off alignment, but I find it almost useless since it's compressed from 270 degrees down to about 75. Instead, look at your radar map. The bright cone is your whole field of view, while the arrow is the direction your legs are pointing. If your legs are pointing exactly along the left edge of your FoV, then hitting 'forward' (W) will move you exactly towards whatever's at the very left edge of your screen, and hitting 'back' (S) will move you away from the same object. (W) and (D) will turn your whole body - legs and torso - while the mouse will just spin your upper half (viewscreen + turret).

The (F) key is incredibly useful here - if you want to head towards something, just hit (W) to point your legs at whatever you're looking at, then hold down (W) to start moving forward. If you don't hit (A) or (D) to turn left or right, then your legs will keep turning until they're pointing straight at whatever you're aiming at - sort of a delayed mouselook.

Practicing this in Training Grounds should take a few sessions to get right. One way I keep it in my head is to hit (F) to center my legs, walk up to a wall or hill without moving my mouse, then turn 90 degrees with (A) or (D) so that I'm walking along the wall - THEN turn my mouse so it's pointing back at the wall again. That way, I can hit (W) to peek out from behind the wall to shoot. and (S) to back up behind cover again.

A lot of people will tell you to avoid LRMs, because they're a noob weapon. They kind of are, but I'd suggest you put one on your Atlas anyways. You just don't want to *BOAT* LRMs (aka "fill up my mech with as many LRMs as will fit") because they're too situational.

My favorite Atlas build right now has Medium Pulse Lasers, an LB-10X with 30 shots, and an LRM-10 with Artemis and a ton of ammo. The lasers are on fire group 1 (right mouse), the LBX is on fire group 2 (left mouse). and the LRM is on fire group 3 (just hit the '3' button). Here's how you play it:

1. Follow the other heavies! Always stay in a group with your lancemates, so that you don't draw attention from too many enemy mechs at once.

2. In the beginning, the mediums and lights will run ahead to engage with the enemy. Good. Let them. As they target people, you'll hear a little 'bleep' sound and see a red triangle appear. When it does, hit 'R' and then line your crosshairs up inside the red square that appears. Once the circle around your crosshairs shrinks and turns red, AND the number to the left of the square says "999 m" or less, hit '3' to fire your missiles, and hold down '3' until either the circle around your crosshairs stops being red, or you hear "target destroyed." Also, pay attention to your missiles! they might smack into a building or a high hill, in which case you need to back up a bit.

This seems like a lot to keep track of, but while this is happening you shouldn't be worrying about moving or aiming, just lobbing missiles at whoever your teammates get a lock on. This is playing on easy-mode, but you'll only be doing it for a minute or two until the missiles run out. This way you spread some damage across the enemy team and keep them from focusing all their attention on the people shooting at them.

Once the missiles run out, it's time to wade in and blow up some 'mechs. You'll look for the most damaged guy that you can get to and start peppering him with LB10X rounds; if anyone runs in front of you within 300 meters, zap him with the lasers. If someone big and slow starts stomping up to you within 300 meters, just ignore everyone else and focus fire on that guy - you'll either want to aim center of mass, or slightly to the left or right of center of mass, depending on where it looks like most of his guns are shooting from - if you can slice off the shoulder holding his biggest guns, you'll take a lot less return fire than if you just try to carve through his belly armor.

I also tend to slap a Beagle Active Probe into my mech, which means that enemies often show up on my radar before they show up on anyone else's. Pay attention to your mini-map on the lower center of your screen - it's divided into squares with labels like 'C7' or 'F4'; if you see an enemy triangle suddenly appear at F4, it's super useful to hit (CapsLock) for team chat and say "contact F-4". Your teammates don't automatically see what you see, and sending them to investigate a radar ping that your Probe picked up gives them a chance to get the drop on your enemies - which gives you a better chance to start hitting them with your LRMs early.

Another key thing to keep in mind with the Atlas, is that you are the protector of the small. If the light mechs are getting chased by an entire enemy lance, they need somewhere to fall back to - be that someone. If you see a really fast-moving blue triangle on the mini map being chased by a bunch of red triangles, see if you can move somewhere near where it's headed, and use teamchat to direct him to your grid square (again, tell him "come to C-5 if you're in trouble"). Your smart teammates will join you, and when an enemy lance of four medium mechs are all focused on swatting the Jenner, they tend to not notice that an entire Assault lance is lining up their guns for the first hilarious few seconds.

Did all that make sense?

[YCSLiesmith]

Breidr, on 19 April 2015 - 02:53 PM, said:

I want to preface this post by saying that I installed the game about an hour ago and have done nothing but go through menus and training.

The first hurdle I'm currently tackling is keybinding. I have a Razer Naga and Tartarus and am trying to get comfortable with the controls of this game. It's a big jump from others, but I think I can make it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Once I get past that I venture it's time for the game to start, but this also has me at a loss. Mechs, Mech Bays, Factions. What does it all mean. To put it bluntly, I just want to pilot a robot and not be a complete waste of space. With so many options, I have yet to figure out how I can fit into all this

Even the cash shop confused me a little bit. Pre-Orders aren't something I'm used to seeing or understanding in a game such as this one, although I don't think the model is bad from what I can see. I may even invest in the future depending on my piloting skills.

I've gotten so far as to take the Atlas for a test drive and my biggest problem is the separation of legs and torso. I find it hard to move in the "exact" direction I want. I'm used to mouselook such as in FPS games, and this is clearly different.

Once I get past that I guess I have to go through trial and error to find some mechs I like, and then I'll probably be back here to ask what the heck I have to buy for it.

In Short: HELP!

keybinding:
reduce your mouse sensitivity. Figure out the different vision modes (H is Heat Vision, N is Night Vision). possibly remap your w and s keys to add/reduce speed 10% rather than the gradual accelerate that the game uses currently.

play your first 25 games. enjoy the money rolling in, it wont last at that pace but it's good for the beginning. when you've done them, you should have SOME idea of how the game works. spend the free money on a stormcrow. Join a unit if you're into that, the game is 10,000x more fun with friends. watch some youtube videos about how to play, most of the info out there is trash because there are a lot of wannabes but some is useful. learn from your unit mates.

[mailin]

WELCOME!!!

I want to second most of what was said previously. One thing to note is that until you buy your own mech, you will be running trial mechs which you cannot customize. Sorry.

Also, as was previously mentioned DO NOT take an assault or light initially. I really can't stress this enough. Usually we recommend mediums because of their mix of speed and firepower. Stay with the team. Also, you want to always try to lock your current target (do this by pressing R). This tells your team mates where your enemy is. Do this and there is a greater chance of getting someone to help you kill the baddie.

If and when you die, observe your teammates. You can cycle through them by clicking on the arrows to the left of the screen. Observing will help you get a feel for how others play, and help you get familiar with the maps.

This game has a huge learning curve, but stick with it and you WILL get better.

Happy hunting.

Edited by mailin, 19 April 2015 - 04:19 PM.

[PremithiumX]

Ialdabaoth, on 19 April 2015 - 03:23 PM, said:

The (F) key is incredibly useful here - if you want to head towards something, just hit (W) to point your legs at whatever you're looking at, then hold down (W) to start moving forward.

If you turn off throttle decay in the game settings you don't have to hold down (W) anymore. Great for having more than the "full steam ahead!" option

For Breidr, I recommend taking something less high profile than the atlas to learn in. Big mechs tend to draw fire first, and that will certainly be overwhelming for a new player. Consider a mobile medium or heavy mech that packs a punch, like a: Centurion, Hunchback, Storm Crow, Thunderbolt, Cataphract or Timber Wolf.

Target whatever you're shooting at ( R ). Make this muscle memory, if you look at something you hit ( R ), it's just a great habit. When you having targeting data try to shoot for the red>orange>yellow areas, if there are any.

Be patient, don't rush in and give the enemy team a free kill. To that end, linger toward the back of the group with the big mechs like the Atlases so they take fire and you and your team mates can consolidate fire.

Also, I don't know if you've bought any mechs or not, but you will need to buy 3 variants of one mech in order to fully master their skill trees. This trips up so many new players because they buy random mechs for experimentation, not knowing that after 25 matches their C-Bill gains are greatly reduced.

Navigation can be a little tricky at first, but just think of it as if you were walking with a neck brace on. If you want to look left or right you have to twist your whole upper body in that direction to see but continue walking straight forward, like turning your mech's torso left and right with the mouse. I use ( C ) a lot to realign my mech's torso with the way I'm walking, others use ( F ) to turn their legs in the direction their mech's torso is facing. One or both of those buttons will help you situate yourself when you're not sure which way you're really going anymore

Edited by PremithiumX, 19 April 2015 - 04:49 PM.

[Ialdabaoth]

Actually, turning off throttle decay is a bad idea; you don't accelerate nearly as quickly that way. You want to come to a full stop quickly when you stop hitting 'W'.

I've set the 'E' key to push me to 100% throttle, which accomplishes the same thing while allowing me to instantly hit 'W' to go back to normal (still moving forward, but able to stop the moment I let go of the key).

[MavRCK]

Click on this link: http://mwomercs.com/...mwo/page__st__0

Download the manual and print it. Read it. Enjoy it.

Pray some moderator stickies it.

[GenghisJr]

Breidr, on 19 April 2015 - 02:53 PM, said:

I want to preface this post by saying that I installed the game about an hour ago and have done nothing but go through menus and training.

The first hurdle I'm currently tackling is keybinding. I have a Razer Naga and Tartarus and am trying to get comfortable with the controls of this game. It's a big jump from others, but I think I can make it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Once I get past that I venture it's time for the game to start, but this also has me at a loss. Mechs, Mech Bays, Factions. What does it all mean. To put it bluntly, I just want to pilot a robot and not be a complete waste of space. With so many options, I have yet to figure out how I can fit into all this

Even the cash shop confused me a little bit. Pre-Orders aren't something I'm used to seeing or understanding in a game such as this one, although I don't think the model is bad from what I can see. I may even invest in the future depending on my piloting skills.

I've gotten so far as to take the Atlas for a test drive and my biggest problem is the separation of legs and torso. I find it hard to move in the "exact" direction I want. I'm used to mouselook such as in FPS games, and this is clearly different.

Once I get past that I guess I have to go through trial and error to find some mechs I like, and then I'll probably be back here to ask what the heck I have to buy for it.

In Short: HELP!

Hi Breidr,

Firstly - welcome!

To begin with lets stick with the trial mechs as they are free. One you have your cadet bonus , you will have an idea of what you like and will have some game cash (CBILLS) to spend, if your going to spend real money you need to know what you want first so buying a first mech would be a tough to get right.

Naga
Same set up as what i use, maybe this will help.
Starting with the key pad in the mouse
1-target lock
2-zoom in
3 zoom oout
4 weapon group (missiles or chain fire)
5 weapon group
6 weapon group
7,8,9 - not used
10 select weapon group
11 map
12 toggle chain fire
Alpha Strike - one of the two below the scroll wheel

The tartarus is to hard for me to remember but I think the keys are the same as the keyboard.
TAB - Arty strike
Q - Toggle over ride
w - forward
E-night vision
R-Thermal
CAPS - talk in VOIP mode
A turn left
S reverse speed
D turn right
F Center torso
SHIFT - Arm lock
Z not bound
C UAV
V - score screen

Now- pick a smaller mech than the atlas that can move 80-90kph, speed will get you out of trouble more often than firepower will.
Head over to the training grounds and set up your weapons. L,R button for L&R arms and the centre button for a torso weapon. If it has missiles use button 4 on your mouse - this will allow you to use direct fire weapons and missiles simultaneously. using 5 and 6 can wait until you no longer wear L plates.
Fire all weapons using alpha strike - how hot did it get as % ? IF your heat reached 60% then you cannot alpha if your heat is above 40 or you will shut down.
Now fire the left arm then the right arm consecutively, how much heat did each weapon group add, keep firing consecutively until you get the heat above 80% then start timing your firing to keep the heat between 75-95%. You really need to learn how to manage heat in this game and this depends on what weapon, how many and how fast you fire them. Go find some targets and kill them, not by standing in front of them but try to be realistic. Go find some cover 500m away and practise ducking out, firing and retreating to cover to let the weapon cool. This will also teach you how your mech handles, acceleration, deceleration and most importantly a feel for its momentum.
Did you use 1 to select the target? If not do so for the next target, using 1 shows you what part of the target has already sustained damage. Practice hitting limbs and components, not just the torso.

Once you have a feel for the weapons, how the mech handles and how to target, drop in the pug queue and tell your team your new (Y) , they will likely tell you to stay in the middle of the group and take it from there.

Very important - learn to drive - dont bother dropping until you understand how the torso and legs operate independently. just walk straight and turn you torso side to side until you get a feel for it, legs control the direction you travel, torso controls the direction you look.

Your goal for the first few games should be to live as long as possible, always attack when your side has a numerical advantage, retreat when you dont.

Good luck

[Sandersson Jankins]

Breidr!

BREIDR!

BREEIIIDDDR

Man, just talk to me on Steam next time you see me on. This is like my new cRPG. I'll teach you literally everything.

If you're somehow another Breidr on the internet from Florida, I guess you aren't my internet homie from a while back. That'd be AWKWARD.

And convince all the other Frisians to get on this game with me! It's hard

[Sandersson Jankins]

Oh god, you're right! I do change my name a lot.

I built a sick new rig a couple months ago, m8. I'm just on the third shift so I end up playing 8am-3pm unless I'm on a day off.

I gotta turn that schedule around, man. So stupid.

Anyway, we should probably perform ******** on each other in private. I'm pretty sure doing that in public is illegal.

(and I'm at work right now, rofl)

Edited by Sandersson Jankins, 19 April 2015 - 09:43 PM.

[FlukeNL]

MWO: bringing people together....

@Breidr: I'm pretty new as well. I've made up my mind to play only trial mechs for now. That gave (and will give) me a decent understanding of what (not) to do and what I (don't) like. At some point in the future I'll buy myself a mech and customize it. I hope by that time my stats will show what kind of mech/loadout I like most or perform best in.

Obviously, there's stupid choices with certain 'Mech/weapon combinations, but those can be avoided with a bit of research.
But get this: noone will be able to tell you exactly what to do. There's way too much personal preference involved!!!

"Don't start with lights" is what you hear. That might very well be true, but at start I've had a lot of fun in them (no, I wasn't good with 125-ish damage, but it was fun!).

"Buy a *insert random mech name*" is what you hear. That might very well be a smart choice, but not always the best choice for you personally. I know, performing well is a big part of the fun. But for me, performing well in a mech I hate to pilot... just won't do it.

In the end, you'll end up buying a whole collection I fear...

Just fool around for a while, play, and have fun with your long-lost-buddy .

1) Keybindings: personal... I'm running almost stock with standard keyboard and mouse (although I have zoom on scrollwheel, and wpns group 3 on scrollwheel "push"). Just try some stuff out for yourself. After a couple of matches you will know what you want/need on your controllers. Just give the keybindingslist a read through and you'll figure it out.

2) Start with "select mech" and picking a trial mech. Click "save" bottom right. Go to testing grounds. Try it, figure out controls and how to group weapons. You WILL (I assure you ) get used to it. Than top screen: play now. Get killed, learn, enjoy. Don't bother with all the options just yet, as a trial mech can't be customized anyway. How not to be a waste of space: pay attention to your teammates. Don't get killed by having patience (don't rush) and sticking with your team. Fire on what they are firing on. Give a warning to them when some enemy pops up. Use "R" to lock. Enjoy... (have I said that already? LOL) Ah well, the rest will come. Rolly is spot on with his advice .

3) Seperation of legs and torso: I know my FPS games. MWO is different, but trust me, it will become second nature pretty quickly. I've found that's easier when you keep moving, because when moving you continually get visual feedback. Staying on the move is good advice anyway.

4) Mech choice: there's something people here call "The Meta". Those are the mechs that are considdered to be good, if not the best. http://metamechs.com/

There's a couple of things you could keep in mind while playing trial mechs for the first 25 rounds at the very very least (you will get a huge in-game currency bonus called the Cadet bonus in the first 25 rounds):

- Trial mechs are not tricked out. They rarely behave like their modified brethren. However, they give you a general insight in your preferred playstyle.
- Get a feel for the range you usually fight at, as that dictates weapon choice.
- Get a feel for the movement characteristics you like in a 'Mech (speed, rotation speed etc.).
- With this, you will probably end up liking 1 or 2 trial 'Mechs more than the others. Try to figure out what it is that you like about them. That gives a pretty good start in finding a 'Mech of your own. By that time weapon stats and quirks step in, but that's for later days I guess.

My preferred trials at the moment are the banshee and the raven. But I've set my goal to at least have played 30+ matches in all of them. I suck at making decisions in games, lol. I hope for a Huncback to pop up in the trials as that once is often advised to new players. And the firestarter or arctic cheetah (that last one has still to come out) as those are supposed to be awesome lights.

Recap: have fun, inform yourself, try to make up your mind, go for it.

[Ialdabaoth]

I bought the Spider and Atlas mastery packs and was very satisfied with the results. You level up pretty quickly and the extra C-bill boost lets you buy all the fancy toys. Right now I'm trying to grind through the King Crab, which has no Mastery pack, and the speedbump of having to save up and buy all three chassis is VERY noticeable.

Setting up for just 2 weapon groups is an extraordinarily good idea. I usually have two (lasers + boom boom) or three (lasers, boom boom, and lurms) depending on whether I'm using LRMs as my "early game softeners".

As for never starting in lights, I started with the Spider-5V and LOVED IT. I'll let someone else explain the significance of that.

Edited by Ialdabaoth, 19 April 2015 - 11:07 PM.

[Anunknownlurker]

Hi Breidr and welcome to MWO. I am just over a month in and still enjoying the game. My average experience has gone up from 800 to over 1000 and climbing - see? Even I can get better by playing!

A few things that helped me:

R - targeting helps you hit the soft bits and tells your team what you are looking at.
F- (remap as necessary) CENTRE YOUR LEGS. Get into the habit of doing this, it makes ALL the difference.
Stay alive as long as possible. As long as you gun is in the game you can do damage.
Don't worry about losing. I can't stress that enough, DON'T WORRY, just concentrate on doing damage and killing when possible.

Regarding Mastery Bundles - well, ignoring all advice I bought the Raven. The Hugin (Hero) and 3L (Champion) are great but the third is a bit, meh. As I had played the Raven trial version for a lot of my Cadet games, I had enough exp collected on that to master it. I now have the most fun in my, extremely meta, 2 ERLL Raven 3L. I have also learned to play all the Hunchbacks (not the hero) and would recommend that Mastery Bundle as well. I found the HB a great combination of factors, once fully upgraded; just fast enough, just tough enough and just hard-hitting enough to be rewarding, without being a "primary target" for the enemy. The other advantage with the HB is that you get to play nearly all weapon types on the same chassis which is a great learning tool.

Re Factions: CW is a bit...meh at the moment imho but the rewards are great for a new player. Choose a 2 week contract and play a few games a day and you'll get a couple of mech bays and a load of Cbills per faction. As there are 10 factions (I think?) that means in a few months of playing you should have collected 20 or so mech bays. As you normally have to pay real money for those, that is a good saving. Yep, you'll have to play trial mechs for a while and CW can be brutally one-sided so don't expect to shine but keep those reward in focus.

That's about it for the moment as you have tons of advice so far to get through.

Good luck <o

[mailin]

If you're certain about your mech selection, the mastery packs are a great value.

[dragnier1]

It looks like you have figured out some of MWO's gameplay so i'll provide you with links to more videos you can watch. They contain tutorial style guides and gameplay videos, for your enjoyment.

Spike Brave's channel featuring tutorials and much more

Koniving's channel of gameplay videos and a whole lot more

As for stuff you can purchase with , I recommend MECHBAYS

You can never have enough of those. They are also the best value for your mc/cash. Look out for discounts for mechbays in the future.

I'll end this with a very useful link to "theory-craft" your mechs, both present and future. Don't forget trial mechs can't be modified, only owned ones can be modified.

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ ---> online mechlab

Edited by dragnier1, 20 April 2015 - 03:47 AM.

[Sarlic]

Breidr, on 19 April 2015 - 02:53 PM, said:

I want to preface this post by saying that I installed the game about an hour ago and have done nothing but go through menus and training.

The first hurdle I'm currently tackling is keybinding. I have a Razer Naga and Tartarus and am trying to get comfortable with the controls of this game. It's a big jump from others, but I think I can make it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Once I get past that I venture it's time for the game to start, but this also has me at a loss. Mechs, Mech Bays, Factions. What does it all mean. To put it bluntly, I just want to pilot a robot and not be a complete waste of space. With so many options, I have yet to figure out how I can fit into all this

Even the cash shop confused me a little bit. Pre-Orders aren't something I'm used to seeing or understanding in a game such as this one, although I don't think the model is bad from what I can see. I may even invest in the future depending on my piloting skills.

I've gotten so far as to take the Atlas for a test drive and my biggest problem is the separation of legs and torso. I find it hard to move in the "exact" direction I want. I'm used to mouselook such as in FPS games, and this is clearly different.

Once I get past that I guess I have to go through trial and error to find some mechs I like, and then I'll probably be back here to ask what the heck I have to buy for it.

In Short: HELP!

Welcome pilot!

First of all I would not suggest driving a Atlas. I know its a very cool looking mech and i understand the nostalgia.

Being a decent Atlai pilot myself to pilot a Atlas is one of the hardest thing in-game. And i'm playing it since Closed Beta. Atlas only. It's not as easy pie as many pilots would think. It's very hard forgiving on almost all surfaces. For example positioning. The low slung arms are not helping either.

Other Assault mechs can do a better job.

I would point you to use mediums instead. Get the feel of how-to driving a mech, get a feel how you can shoot and assist.

Trial and error over again. You will make mistakes, alot but eventually you will get better.

I can point you to a guide on how to help assault pilots.

http://mwomercs.com/...he-new-players/

When you feel you are ready afford, equip and have the experience to pilot a Assault then go for it!

Good luck!

Edited by Sarlic, 20 April 2015 - 04:11 AM.

[Lily from animove]

Much to lern, for a newbie.

So welceome to the mech acacedmy cadette.
A bit sad, I think it was Mechwarrior 2 or 3 which had a pretty nice tutorial.

Throw out factions and CW. They are yet not important as well as the mechlab, since you may still not have a own mech.

For anyone not having played mechwarrior games before, lern to control your mech. Walking and twisting, firing your wepaons. That is quite somethign to get used to. If youc annot do this properly, you get shot to pieces oo fast. Use the Testing ground.

Switch off the Third person view, this is just not helpfil. (F4) also deactivate it in the options to be default ode when starting.

arrange your weapons in categories you like, apply all weapon groups on your mouse. too keep movement freedom while being able to shoot your wepaon groups.

Stick with the testing ground for a while, try to walk and shoot at the dummies. also use some mechs with a lot lasers, and get a feeling for heat and weapon ranges. Run around on those maps, it gives you also a slight idea of the map then as well.

real combat is not suited to lern those basics, because you will with these basic issues die so fast that you do not lern anything at all.

If you are used to that basic controls, play some games. do not buy a mech just because oyu have the money suddenly. Test a few. And probably save a bit more before you make the right decision. But thest the champion mechs (C), because mos other trial mechs (except clanmechs) have a really bad stock loadout and need a lot further c-bills to be improved to a better state.

But how to identify clanmechs?

well thats not even written ingame:

Use the mechlab of smurfey:

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

one of the best sources for numbers, informations and theorybuilding your mechs.

There is a ton of further tipps, But without being used to weapons, heta and especially movement, they will at this point not help you until you get the basics.

Edited by Lily from animove, 20 April 2015 - 04:25 AM.

[Sjorpha]

Since you mention planning to buy a mastery pack, don't do that before asking for advice. This game has some very strong mechs, and some very weak mechs, and it isn't obvious which is which. Even if you are planning to play "just for fun" with the mechs you like the look of, you'll still want your first investment to be a very strong mech so you can use it to earn lots of cbills.

[jss78]

You've got a ton of good advice already, just a couple of things I'd add:

- Mastery Packs are a great value compared to buying the included items individually. Yet I'd first spend considerable time (say, several dozen games?) with many trial mechs to decide what kind of a playstyle you're most comfortable with. And then buy a mech bundle that best caters to that style.

- Relative newbie myself, I'd say efficient torso rotation is one of the key things to learn, and also one of the slower things to learn. I'd say it took me 200+ games for it to become at least somewhat intuitive. The first step is to intuitively grasp that your feet and torso are facing two different directions. The second step is to know when to intentionally do it, which is typically to spread damage. I.e. if an enemy is facing you, but you cannot shoot at right that moment (you're overheated, your weapons are reloading, he's out of range, etc.), you really should twist the torso to get that possibly incoming hit into a side and not the center torso (i.e. your engine).

- Simple fire groups are a great idea (I learned this the hard way following some slapstick-quality moments...what seems clever in the Training Grounds can turn out a bit too complex in the heat of battle). I typically have long-range guns on the left button, and short-range guns on the right button. Since you have what I believe is a gaming mouse, I'd say it's also useful to have one button which cycles through different weapons, which can be a life-saver when you're too overheated to safely fire either Group 1 or Group 2. I use the middle button for this. I also like to always have the "alpha strike" (simultaneous firing of all weapons) on a thumb button, to get that "HOLY *HIT HE'S RIGHT IN FRONT ME" --> (flex thumb) action down to muscle-memory level.

(You've already made the single best decision by coming to this forum ... this place is fantastic.)

Edited by jss78, 20 April 2015 - 09:02 AM.

[Tesunie]

Breidr, on 19 April 2015 - 02:53 PM, said:

I want to preface this post by saying that I installed the game about an hour ago and have done nothing but go through menus and training.

The first hurdle I'm currently tackling is keybinding. I have a Razer Naga and Tartarus and am trying to get comfortable with the controls of this game. It's a big jump from others, but I think I can make it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Once I get past that I venture it's time for the game to start, but this also has me at a loss. Mechs, Mech Bays, Factions. What does it all mean. To put it bluntly, I just want to pilot a robot and not be a complete waste of space. With so many options, I have yet to figure out how I can fit into all this

Even the cash shop confused me a little bit. Pre-Orders aren't something I'm used to seeing or understanding in a game such as this one, although I don't think the model is bad from what I can see. I may even invest in the future depending on my piloting skills.

I've gotten so far as to take the Atlas for a test drive and my biggest problem is the separation of legs and torso. I find it hard to move in the "exact" direction I want. I'm used to mouselook such as in FPS games, and this is clearly different.

Once I get past that I guess I have to go through trial and error to find some mechs I like, and then I'll probably be back here to ask what the heck I have to buy for it.

In Short: HELP!

Well, hello there. I've seen your thread has already gotten a lot of responses. I'm sure you've gotten a lot of help already. I haven't read anything other than your post, but I'll see if I can help with any suggestions. (I'm sure it's all been covered already.)


To start, its a good thing you've been working on keybindings and making the controls as intuitive for yourself as possible. I'd recommend you take any of the trial mechs (select Mechbay in the "header" tabs in game, then one of the side tabs called "trial" for a list of current trial mechs. Trial mechs are free mechs to use till you buy your own, but can not be customized in any way) that interest you and use them in the testing grounds. (Home screen of the game, left tab. Look for one called "testing grounds".) I'd suggest you use all the trial mechs there and get familiar with them. The Testing Grounds are a section of the game that only you load into. No other players will be there.

From there, explore how your mech moves and how your current key bindings feel to you. Change your mouse sensitivity to suit your preferences and needs. Typically slower sensitivity is better, as it helps you keep your aim on target easier. Shoot your weapons are the stationary targets and notice your heat levels and ammo consumption. Observe how your weapons behave. Run around the maps and learn them as much as you can before combat. Get a feel for how your mech moves. (I'd suggest playing this game in 1st person view. The game is default to 3rd person view, which can be changed in the options menu in game. You can also change between 3rd and 1st person view at any time by pressing F4.)

Your first 25 matches will earn you something called a "Cadet Bonus". This is a one time reward that gives you extra C-bills (in game money). Hold on to this, don't spend it on the first mech you see! Experiment with the trials, and see what play style works for you. Once you figure out what weapons you like to use, ask for advise here, or pursue a mech that matches those hardpoints. (If you need help here, just ask.)

You first few matches, no matter what you ask or how much you prepare ahead of time, are probably going to be "run forward and die fast". Expect it and don't be disappointed by it. It's going to happen. A lot of things only will come to you by playing the game. Asking any specific questions on these forums can aid you with this, but there is no other teacher than experience to be honest.

If you don't know about preorders, or aren't interested in spending real money in this game, don't worry about it yet. Preorders are just packs and things you can order before they get into the game. When you do this, you will get first access to that material as well as any other preorder players. It often also comes with lots of other extra goodies. You typically have first access to that material for a few months before it's released into the public. If you don't want the extras and are patient, waiting a little while can bring you the same material for basically free. Overall, this game can be 100% free to play, and still be on even footing with Paying players. Anything you pay for provides no real game bonus. (I'd wait on any real money purchases till you get some experience under yourself. No need to be hasty here.)

As far as torso twisting and stuff... Practice practice practice.