23 replies to this topic

[feeWAIVER]

For months I've been playing FP with a Unit, steamrolling pugs.
It actually gets pretty boring, and every week when we voted what faction to go next, I always say go to whatever faction is fighting MS, because those were always fun games...


It seems my unit has all quit the game now, and I've been pugging in Quick play for a week, which frankly sucks. So decided to answer a call to arms.


I was dropped in a group where most players didn't even have unit tags.
I was up against 10 man unit that I would normally stomp in a real game.
..................

Anyways, I was gonna make a big post and tell about how terrible it was, but I don't even care anymore. We all know how terrible it is.

Long story short, I couldn't make it past wave 2 before I decided this is a huge waste of my life.
Fckn pugs.

[justcallme A S H]

LOL

I PUG a LOT. I usually don't have that many bad experiences in the overall scheme. Yeah some games are a steamroll against an organised team but sometimes you can actually dish out a beating. I usually do reasonably well so I get paid well enough for the time.

It does depend on the PUGs you get though, there are good and downright horrible ones.

[ArmandTulsen]

I pug almost exclusively in CW.

It's not so bad.

Edited by ArmandTulsen, 28 June 2016 - 01:18 AM.

[LordNothing]

i think people mix up pugs and noobs a lot. what you had is 11 noobs in your team. there are serious pugs who are actually capable of hurting a unit from time to time. they are usually the ones not constantly spewing salt about units farming them during the entire game.

Edited by LordNothing, 28 June 2016 - 02:44 AM.

[Murphy7]

All points are true. There are some good players out there pugging CW, but the chances you get a good mix are generally terrible. There is a very high chaff-to-wheat ratio.

Sadly, it's intrinsic to FP. The easiest way to get drops in a group is to have a full 12-person team and drop attack lanes along the clan/IS border. The easiest way get drops as a pug is to defend attack lanes along the clan/IS border.

Far more often than not, you end up with a coordinated team against a mixed group that could have a lot of trial mechs or mouth breathers or pilots more familiar with their eject button than their weapon groups.

[MechPorn]

As always, in the FP forums there are links to the different factions Team Speak Servers and you should take advantage of these. I think MW:0 did a disservice to PUGs by not adding these links in game to the forums or allow links to Team Speak to be clickable in game.

It is how Pork-Roll Steiner Special Forces was formed.

[Murphy7]

If you see a lot of Kuritans in an FP game despite a variety of unit tags, assume we are a group on the HK TS. You'll generally be correct.

[Jman5]

The question people need to answer is this: Do you want easy, but often boring matches? Or do you want hard, but often unfair matches? Sorry guys, but there is no matchmaking and the population isn't very large in FP, so you need to tailor your teams to your preference.

I prefer solo because it gives me room to grow as a player. If you go in with the right attitude, focusing on your own performance rather than the outcome, you can really improve. If you go in blaming pugs after every loss, you're going to get nothing out of it, but high blood pressure.

Edited by Jman5, 28 June 2016 - 09:04 AM.

[Count Zero 74]

I do a lot of solo drops in CW myself and you can have some fun as a Pug in CW if you follow some simple rules _

- Never ever click on one of those Call to Arms thingies. Clicking on pop - ups on the net is usually a bad idea, same goes for MWO

- Attacking is easier than defending, you have a much higher chance of playing against pug teams. So if you have the chance to join an attack go for it.

- If you jump in the defense queue do not just select the planet with the biggest numbers and click defend, always check the queue info and what matches are running (defense/counter - attacks)

- Join anytime you see a premade queued up. You'll never know if the group is made of good or bad players of course but it's still better than playing with a full pug team.

- If you're brave enough or drop with a team of 12 single players try to avoid counter attacks. If you know how the mechanic works you can tell if the next game is a def/counter and it would take too long to explain it here in full. But if for example 2 defs and 1 counter are running on a planet the next match will be counter. If you want to know more I'd be happy to help, just contact me.

Pugging CW is all about carefully picking your games. I usually watch the queues for a few minutes and look if there's a good match to join. If not I'll do a Quick Play and check again. That way I can about 1-2 invasion matches with a good chance of actually winning if I invest maybe 2-3 hours of time.

Edited by Count Zero 74, 28 June 2016 - 01:16 PM.

[MischiefSC]

So pug with a team. Find a team in TS and plug in. DDropping full pug on invasion is rough. Dropping in scout is utter wasted time.

Edited by MischiefSC, 28 June 2016 - 11:40 AM.

[Marquis De Lafayette]

A good deal of solid advice being given in this thread. A lot of folks newer to FW would have a better time playing FW (and would probably stay and even get to playing better) if they actually did some of the things suggested here. Sadly, many PUG in after doing some time in QP...get squashed (not realizing FW is a learning curve) ....Declare FW is too hard (unbalanced mechs, 12-man's, etc) and leave back to QP.

If one is going to Free-lance, solo loyalist or play as a solo unit (like me. For now.) one has to play MWO phase 3 as the game is, not as one wishes it to be. Which means to be successful you have to be smart about how you do it and try to team up with other units, whenever possible. One can full on PUG, but if you do so you have to be realistic and realize you are doing it in large part to try to learn how to fight your way out of a very disadvantous circumstance (going 12 pugs vs. 12 man team often). Of course, you can learn a lot and improve on skills in these desperate fights and when one does win with PUG's vs. a 12 man, it is indeed a glorious feeling!

Edited by Marquis De Lafayette, 28 June 2016 - 01:42 PM.

[Armando]

Not for nothing, but I tried to answer an invasion match via call to arms on my 'Freelancer' alt account last night, and while there were 2 different scouting matches that would pop up, didn't see one 'invasion' call to arms appear in 90+ minutes of waiting.

feeWAIVER, on 27 June 2016 - 10:53 PM, said:

Long story short, I couldn't make it past wave 2 before I decided this is a huge waste of my life.
Fckn pugs.

I hear that FRR has one of the best 'Faction Hubs' in the game, maybe we can talk one of the FRR Loyalist into posting FRR Faction Hub info in this tread (sorry I can't provide the information myself..I 'should' know this, but do not), so you can hop in...make some new friends...and have a more enjoyable game play experience.

While I'm not an FRR Loyalist, and I am especially not an FRR Loyalist responsible for pilots behavior using the Hub, I still feel the need to say "Please be respectful to everyone in Hub".

Much <3, much o7, and much hope that things get better for you.

Count Zero 74, on 28 June 2016 - 09:57 AM, said:

I do a lot of solo drops in CW myself and you can have some fun as a Pug in CW if you follow some simple rules ....stuff.

This information is useful and relevant... 10 out of 10 stars... will read again...will recommend anyone who feels like the OP to read too.

Edited by Armando, 28 June 2016 - 02:48 PM.

[Iron Buccaneer]

I look at pugging as a chance to practice. That's about it. If you play a lot of CW and you drop into a pug it's pretty much your job to take charge. If no one starts talking by 2 minutes in then you will know it's time to take the reigns. Even if someone jumps up to lead then give them the best info you can while fighting.

Attacking is better. Pretty much everything Count Zero said.

[xWiredx]

Skittles vs. skittles is usually okay. It's when larger groups get involved that it usually gets more lopsided.

[Armando]

xWiredx, on 28 June 2016 - 02:28 PM, said:

Skittles vs. skittles is usually okay. It's when ** any larger groups group using teamwork regardless of size ** get's involved that it usually gets more lopsided.

**EDITED BY ARMANDO**

It is not the size of the group...it is how well the group works together. The right 5 pilots can send most 12 mans running home to their momma's when they 'play as a team' at a high level.

Edited by Armando, 28 June 2016 - 05:26 PM.

[Tyler Valentine]

One game and you gave up!? Lol!

"If I can't steamroll I'm not playing "

Bahahahahahahahaha!

[Lukoi Banacek]

feeWAIVER, on 27 June 2016 - 10:53 PM, said:

..................

Anyways, I was gonna make a big post and tell about how terrible it was, but I don't even care anymore. We all know how terrible it is.

Long story short, I couldn't make it past wave 2 before I decided this is a huge waste of my life.
Fckn pugs.

Sorry to hear your unit is going inactive as of late.

Please do not apply to ours.

[MischiefSC]

It's not about steamrolling. You get a bad pug team where almost all of them don't break 500 damage... Yeah.

You'd have been better off spending 30 minutes licking lead based paint chips.

[Kin3ticX]

just gut the map and make it another mode like the others

[MischiefSC]

Kin3ticX, on 28 June 2016 - 06:47 PM, said:

just gut the map and make it another mode like the others

Admittedly I'd walk away for good, as would a lot of the people still in FW I play with (and against). However at least that would be a commitment to some sort of action from PGI. Acknowledge they just do throwaway stuff and double down on QP being the most "depth" they can do.