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Stop Whining About Assault!


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#1 Kiiyor

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:30 PM

"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.
The trouble is, everyone has been spoiled with skirmish for so long, that they have forgotten how to play any different way. Tactics other than "SHOOT ALL THE MECHS" are a strange and foreign thing. Assault differs from other game modes because maneuvering in the first 3 minutes is nowhere near as important as finding out where the enemy is. There's less chance for personal glory to be priority #1, because the looming specter of a cap keeps everyone honest, and helps curb the rampant daytona that skirmish encourages...

... 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.

#2 Alan Davion

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:37 PM

There's a saying my dad likes to use when describing the world at large, regardless of the subject at hand.

You can't fix stupid.

And it certainly rings true here. I don't know how often this sort of occurrence takes place in the solo/group queue because I've personally never found the Assault mode to be much fun, with or without turrets.

As it is most of the maps are simply too small for this sort of game mode, so most games I have played have simply ended up a deathball somewhere around the center of the map. Probably the one time I actually did have fun was the day the Executioner and Cauldron Born came out... And after that the fun faded quickly.

#3 Throat Punch

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:40 PM

View PostKiiyor, on 02 August 2015 - 05:30 PM, said:

  • Step 3: THERE IS NO STEP 3.


Step 3 is always ????
Step 4 : PROFIT!

#4 Kiiyor

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:43 PM

View PostAlan Davion, on 02 August 2015 - 05:37 PM, said:

There's a saying my dad likes to use when describing the world at large, regardless of the subject at hand.

You can't fix stupid.

And it certainly rings true here. I don't know how often this sort of occurrence takes place in the solo/group queue because I've personally never found the Assault mode to be much fun, with or without turrets.

As it is most of the maps are simply too small for this sort of game mode, so most games I have played have simply ended up a deathball somewhere around the center of the map. Probably the one time I actually did have fun was the day the Executioner and Cauldron Born came out... And after that the fun faded quickly.


I found the same thing though - deathballs. Capping was a horrible thing, because it almost always heralded the end of the game. People would either head back to base in single file, or would ignore the cap and stand around twiddling their thumbs.

But no-one really uses capping tactically, except in the group queues. In PUG land, teams try to use it to end a match. It either goes badly, or it doesn't.

A little suggestion here and there can REALLY spice things up - you don't have to commit to a cap as an end game play.

"Can a light or two nuisance cap please? Just start it, and head off after a few seconds"

Try it. Watch the enemy panic, and kill them!

#5 Madcap72

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:48 PM

LOL had two back to back cap victories today, with a LOT of the same players on each team, same map to boot.

My side won BOTH times with caps. The other team had guys losing tier minds!

Don't hate the player, hate the game... mode. B)

#6 Kiiyor

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 05:55 PM

View PostMors Draco, on 02 August 2015 - 05:40 PM, said:


Step 3 is always ????
Step 4 : PROFIT!


NO! Four steps are too complicated! It's been around so long that it's trite!

THESE guys need as little instruction as possible.

Posted Image

The underhive can't cope with long lists!

#7 Mystere

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 06:51 PM

View PostKiiyor, on 02 August 2015 - 05:43 PM, said:

I found the same thing though - deathballs. Capping was a horrible thing, because it almost always heralded the end of the game. People would either head back to base in single file, or would ignore the cap and stand around twiddling their thumbs.

But no-one really uses capping tactically, except in the group queues. In PUG land, teams try to use it to end a match. It either goes badly, or it doesn't.

A little suggestion here and there can REALLY spice things up - you don't have to commit to a cap as an end game play.

"Can a light or two nuisance cap please? Just start it, and head off after a few seconds"

Try it. Watch the enemy panic, and kill them!


Oh, it's being done. The problem is the OPFOR a lot of times seems to become paralyzed long enough for the base to be capped. :D

View PostMadcap72, on 02 August 2015 - 05:48 PM, said:

Don't hate the player, hate the game... mode. B)


Nah! I disagree. :ph34r:

#8 ShinobiHunter

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 06:58 PM

It's too hard to use my steering wheel and type at the same time...

#9 DarkMetalBlade

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:04 PM

This thread should be in Guides & Strategies, not GD, it's so good & truthful.

#10 El Bandito

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:06 PM

I'm surprised people play Assault mode at all, considering its meager pay should one side win by fast cap. ;)

#11 Mystere

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:08 PM

View PostEl Bandito, on 02 August 2015 - 07:06 PM, said:

I'm surprised people play Assault mode at all, considering its meager pay should one side win by fast cap. ;)


Money isn't everything. :P

#12 Triordinant

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:08 PM

People play Assault? :huh:

#13 Mystere

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:10 PM

View PostTriordinant, on 02 August 2015 - 07:08 PM, said:

People play Assault Skirmish? :huh:


FTFY. :P

#14 QuantumButler

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:14 PM

No

#15 Kodyn

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:22 PM

Not getting into all this a second time today...I made my points, I stand by my points, albeit more calmly than earlier.

I still think it needs work, 'nuff said. Will be patient and see what PGI pulls out and how the players evolve.

#16 Moldur

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 07:48 PM

But whining is what got the rest of us into this mess in the first place. Removing turrets was a mistake. *shrugs*

#17 Wintersdark

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 08:01 PM

I loved this post. Thank you!

#18 Kiiyor

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 08:22 PM

View PostMoldur, on 02 August 2015 - 07:48 PM, said:

But whining is what got the rest of us into this mess in the first place. Removing turrets was a mistake. *shrugs*


Try my method! It's totally guaranteed to maybe work!

1: How many are there?
2: Let's ACT, dynamically!

It's at this point where you press play on your awesome 80's inspirational electronica.



#19 InspectorG

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 08:52 PM

Since no Pug EVAR thinks to camp base to 'Su-prize Muthaf*ckah' the 2-3 enemy lights that rush and leave their firepower behind...

I have been hiding behind base and legging those lights. Great lols.

Powered down on HPG about 400m away from base. Told my team i was defending...silence.
@4 minutes in a stray Cheeter teased our base...and he got my Warhawks alpha to his back. He lost a ST and ran off.

Teammate complains about fresh Warhawk to scared to fight. This point its 9-10.

I vulture 3 kills...my Mom is proud, go me. We win.

#20 Jman5

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Posted 02 August 2015 - 09:09 PM

Pro tip: Get your team to go Clockwise (left) instead of counter clockwise in Assault Mode. Most teams go counter clockwise which means you will run straight into them and counter common cap rush paths without even trying.





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