"And lo, PGI did undo-eth
the placement of turrets upon maps for
the hallowed ASSAULT mode,
and there was MUCH WHINING
and MANY lamentations from
the seething masses
because something CHANGED
and was DIFFERENT."
- Margaret Thatcher, 2015
Now that I've led off with a totally non-combative title that is sure to be met with reasoned argument and a clear head from my fellow forum warriors, i'd like to address something that has annoyed me about the removal of turrets from assault. IT'S THE WHINING (and yes, fact that i'm whining about whining is not lost on me). Apparently, this has led to stagnant gameplay and a 100% RETURN "OMG EVERY TIEM THEY CAP ME" of BASE CAPPING, and by extension, lower game rewards and NO FUN.
I did see this for a while. The usual daytona would commence, and some part of the primitive PUG hind brain would be drawn to the shiny glowing square set oh-so-tantalizingly to the right. It became predictable.
Then, in a flash of inspiration whilst I was furiously lambasting my team for ignoring a cap, I discovered the secret of it all:
an ignored cap attempt is almost always successful.
Success in Assault hinges on how and how quickly your team reacts to the enemy starting to cap or threatening to do so.
If no-one takes the reigns, it's all over.
There's an implied task there. You have to react.
How do most PUGs react though? Like a herd animal; they do nothing, only faster.
Frantically.
So, I created a simple 3 step personal challenge that revolutionized the Assault mode for me! You won't believe how well it works! Doctors hate me for it!
Instead of watching and waiting for someone else to do something, try this:
*Base is being captured*
0-5 seconds later
- STEP 1: Information
Kiiyor<Team> Someone tell me how many there are
Not "We need to deal with that" or " OH GREAT, A CAP" or "FFS" or "ARE WE JUST GOING TO IGNORE THIS" or any other completely useless crap like that.
GIVE AN ORDER.
Typing "SERIOUSLY?" in global chat will NOT make the enemy stop capping. Starting a game of "YOU DID IT FIRST" at the end may be cathartic, but achieves nothing.
Give an order! Get outside your comfort zone! I PROMISE you won't have to stay there long.
Phrasing an order as a question to be answered forces your team, your ENTIRE team, to at least acknowledge that the base cap is happening. You need to jam that kernel of truth in there, or the average PUGGER will simply ignore it, or worse... let herd instincts take over. *shudders*
If you do it early, people will be far more inclined to do what you say next, because YOU have stepped up decisively, and if there's one thing a herd loves, it's a mother ******* shepherd.
SomeDude<Team> 1 light
- Step 2: DO SOMETHING
Kiiyor<Team> One or two ONLY head back to deal with that please.
Don't screw around with this one. If you don't give an instruction, panic will take hold, and people will react on their own. An entire lance might head back. Or all your assault mechs. Or ALL of your lights. OR, EVERYONE BUT YOU might head back. If you let the herd decide, the herd will decide.
But what if it's more than one mech capping? GREAT QUESTION.
If there's more than one mech capping:
Kiiyor<Team> Alpha lance, deal with that please.
Kiiyor<Team> The rest of us, hold and shoot things.
One lance ought to do it. At the very least, they'll tie the cappers up. The enemy has a dilemma now, because they either have to help with the cap, or roll you over - so being defensive is a definite advantage to you.
If there's a lance OR MORE capping:
Kiiyor<Team> EVERYONE RTB.
** OR **
Kiiyor<Team> EVERYONE CAP THEM.
Kiiyor<Team> Things with lots of guns cover the move.
These fights are a bit more... swirly. There may be enemy behind you. You may not get back in time. It may be too late. You might get back, only to find that no-one is brave enough to stand on the cap.
Doing SOMETHING is better than nothing though. Even if you make a fight of it and still lose, match rewards will be higher than they would have been if you sat on your hands lamenting the loss of your turret friends.
Also, Just saying RTB or CAP never seems to work for me, unless I follow it up with more instruction. The reason for this dawned on me - people want to SHOOT THINGS. Implying that they can will usually convince them to grudgingly follow your brilliant plan.
- Step 3: THERE IS NO STEP 3.
NOTHING. NADA. You don't have to do anything else, because you've done all you need to do! Dealing with a cap doesn't mean you are suddenly a glorious leader. It means the rest of the fight can proceed as normal, because you haven't ignored the cap. If you lose, you lose, but I guarantee the fight will be closer than it would have been if you ignored the cap.
70% of the time, it works every time.
B-b-b-b-b-but what if people ignore me Kiiyor?
Well... chalk it up as a legitimately **** pug. If they don't want to take care of their own interests, don't stress about it. At least the match will be over quickly.
If the team ignores the cap, I'll usually try to deal with it myself if i'm close enough, or i'll berserker charge the nearest enemy mech and try to at least chalk up some damage.
B-b-b-b-b-but what about mass rushes? They suck!
As far as mass rushes go, I don't see them nearly as often as everyone else seems to. The only really successful ones I've seen are super early, well organized dedicated rushes - and, let's be honest; an organized deathball is just as effective.
In almost every other fight, capping is used as a tactical tool, and it's a fantastic tool:
- Having trouble rooting out a well entrenched foe? Send a light or two to cap, and capitalize on the panic.
- Being outflanked? Again, send a light to cap, and enough of the enemy might peel off to give you some breathing room.
- Notice that the enemy is waaaaay over committed, and wants to daytona? Well... just cap. They made a mistake.
- The enemy has started capping, and you're close to their base? CAP. Send some mechs to try and delay them.
- Notice that the enemy has sent a lance to cap, and wants to hold you up with their remaining forces? Well, now they are SPLIT! You have to either roll over them, or fight past them to stop the cap. I like to go for wherever the larger of the split forces is.
... unless it DOESN'T keep everyone honest, and they ignore the possibility of it and are capped. Avoidably. Usually.
Leave the turrets out. I've had some of my most exciting, dynamic and tense fights ever in Assault.
TL,DR;
*Base is being captured*
Step 1: FIND OUT HOW AND HOW MANY.
Step 2: DOOOOO SOMETHING! DO IT! YOU TIMID WHINY CHUMPS!
But seriously my friends, just DO something, and I guarantee you'll have a closer match.