54 replies to this topic

[Spleenslitta]

Koniving, on 28 July 2016 - 09:24 AM, said:

If you are alone, you're doing it wrong.

In the beginning as a new player gains experience this is very much true. It's also true for most players after they are veterans.
But it is not necessarily the truth when you're in a fast medium or light mech. Why?

The long answer is in my guide which takes a while to read and understand. Link to the guide.
http://mwomercs.com/...-tactics-guide/

Short answer is this.
If a light mech stays with the team the enemy is allready looking in his direction because that's where his team is. So when he comes out of cover the enemy is quite likely to get a shot of first.
Faster mechs have big engines and frequently suffer from having thinner armor.

But if he is alone on the flank he stands a much better chance of getting a free shot or two without return fire.
The rest of how to survive alone is in the guide but be prepared to read a 5 post long textwall guide.
Don't worry Tiberius. The guide contains maps with colorcoded routes if you're interrested in going for a more non traditional way of playing MWO.

If you shoot the enemy and get shot in return you're doing it wrong.

[Koniving]

Tiberius Grogan, on 28 July 2016 - 10:10 AM, said:

hate to waste a post on this but is there a record somewhere that tells me how many ive played? and if so - where?

Alternatively on the site, click Profile, then the sub-header Stats which will lead you to here.

[Keltan]

Click Select Mech. Near the top you'll see buttons labeled 'Light', 'Medium', 'Heavy', and 'Assault' for different mech classes. The one labeled 'All' displays all the mechs in your garage.

Click on a Mech to select it. It will have a blue border.

On the left, click on "Loadout" to open the Mechlab. Here you can change your mech around. If you click on a component and drag it off the mech, it will be removed from the mech. The component will be stored in your garage.

To strip your mech, go to the select mech screen. On the lower right is a box labeled Mech Stats. Just to the right is a button 'Strip Mech' that will strip the mech of equipment- you'll be offered different options.

Once done making changes, on the middle left is a Save button. The cost of your changes is shown above the button. You have to Save before taking the mech into battle.

Finish at least 25 battles before picking your first mech. Inner Sphere mechs look really cheap, but it's usally a trap - they need many expensive upgrades eg Double Heat Sinks (DHS) before taking into battle.

After you die in battle, click 'Spectate' to watch other players. Use the arrow buttons on the left to shift to different players on your team. You can watch how a mech plays, which helps gives you an idea on what you want to buy.

[mailin]

Welcome to MWO, and I hope to see you on the battlefield.

[Void Angel]

Tiberius Grogan, on 28 July 2016 - 08:32 AM, said:

OK - I just joined the game and for , i dont know, maybe ten or so matches, Ive piloted the trial mech. Havent killed anyone yet - but survived most battles and did a little damage.

My questions are:

1.) What do I do now? I know I need to buy a mech - they all require real money - correct?
2.) Im ok with paying - its a fun game. But is there a tutorial somewhere beyond the basic piloting one?
3.) Ive done a little online research - ive concluded I want to play an Assault or Heavy mech. But Im not quite sure how to modify it once I buy it.

Looking for helpful advice so I can actually be of use on the battlefield.

thanks!

Welcome to the Inner Sphere, Mechwarrior.

Most of what you need to know has been explained - but I would like to recommend a few resources to you:

• Smurfy's Awesome MechLab - and helpful reference site. Smurfy's pulls its data directly from the game files, so its accuracy is assured and automatic within hours of a patch. It is also the best reference site I have ever seen for a game.
  
• Tactics 101 Comics! A simply wonderful explanation of the basic tactical situations you'll encounter in MWO, and how to react to them. It's a superb explanation, and we stickied it for good reason.
  
• Finally, I have a couple of guides I wrote myself, and they're linked in my signature if you're interested.

[Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky]

Tiberius Grogan, on 28 July 2016 - 08:32 AM, said:

OK - I just joined the game and for , i dont know, maybe ten or so matches, Ive piloted the trial mech. Havent killed anyone yet - but survived most battles and did a little damage.

Looking for helpful advice so I can actually be of use on the battlefield.

thanks!

Stop right there. Before you do anything else... Go into settings...

Lower your ingame mouse sensitivity!!! (Drag the bar far to the left!!!)

I run .16 to .18

Try something in the .2 area! You will notice that you will starf killing opponents faster since they will be a lot easier to hit!

[Tarl Cabot]

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kerensky, on 28 July 2016 - 03:44 PM, said:

Stop right there. Before you do anything else... Go into settings...

Lower your ingame mouse sensitivity!!! (Drag the bar far to the left!!!)

I run .16 to .18

Try something in the .2 area! You will notice that you will start killing opponents faster since they will be a lot easier to hit!

Just quoting it so I can like it again!!!

Before PGI added the mouse sensitivity sliders in Options, a player either had to modify their user.cfg or really adjust their DPI mouse settings, if available.

[Spike Brave]

TercieI, on 28 July 2016 - 08:59 AM, said:

Oh, yeah, seriously, google Spike Brave's tutorials.

-Yes, a Mechbay is a slot to store a mech. You have four to start
-Yes, there are 16 or so trial mechs at a time, decent builds, pretty well optimized
-Yes, either/or price CB or MC
-Yes, trials of all weight classes, both clan and IS
-You can change weapons on owned mechs, not on trials though, as noted the builds are decent

Keep asking the questions, that's how you learn, don't be embarrassed.

Yes keep asking questions. This game has a steep learning curve. We like to help so ask away. Also so you don't have to google, here are my UI tutorials: https://www.youtube....M5iZBc94hAMs8HD

Here is a link to my channel if you'd like to see other stuff like gameplay examples: https://www.youtube....tNUCKmcC0Q7pKJQ

[Ruhkil]

I dont know if anyone has said this yet but in order to really get the most out of a given mech you need to buy 3 different variants of the same thing for example you would need to buy the timber wolf C variant timber wolf D variant and timber wolf prime variant to unlock the chassis elite skill level which upgrades your mechs efficiency dmg output potential and speed. pick a mech you like from the trials and buy 3 different designs with you cadet bonus if you are able or it will be harder to get into the game.

[TheFourthAlly]

I just have a few months under my belt, playing reasonably regular. What all the more knowledgeable people upthread already said, plus:

- Read This Forum!

I found out so much stuff on here. Not just by asking myself, but clicking every headline that was a question I had and a few I had not even thought of.

And seriously, those trial mechs are good fun. Try a new one out on a practice map first, to understand the guns a bit (check the range on guns too, saves lots of silly shots) and go for it. Dying is learning and I learn a lot.

I had over 40 million c-bills just playing Cadet bonus and trial mechs before I even looked into buying mechs. I have 5 now, haven't even spent money yet. Events gave me enough MC (gold) to buy my own additional mechbay.

I'll probably put some money in on the sale this weekend or one in future, but really, you can happlily run for free for a fair amount of time and have good fun.

[Dago Red]

I know you said you'd prefer to get your feet under you before finding a unit but grabbing tea speak and hitting the hubs to play with those people will help the learning process faster than anything else you can do.

There's a ton of useful minutia to learn for this game and being able to ask questions on the fly is the best way to pick it up.

Also the most reliable way to get free mech bays is faction warfare and you will want as many of those as you can get. Going mercenary for that will give you the largest available options for who to play with while still getting rewards but I do believe you still need clan mechs to fight with clanners and I.S. To fight with I.s.

So figuring out which factions tech and style you like better with the trials before committing to buying will save you a lot of money and grief.

[Koniving]

So Tiber, how'd you fair so far?

[Tiberius Grogan]

Fantastic resources - I'm learning a lot - ive done about 28 matches so far and have 19 mil in cash - I'm gonna wait a little longer and gather more credits so I can build a great mech. Thanks for all the help!

[FuzzyNova]

Find which kind of mech you want to buy. Assaults and heavys are great choices. I would start of with a Heavy. Im gonna try and make this short and sweet. Assaults are super snail slow. While they are great powerful mechs to have . Heavys would give you more options. And they go way way faster. I would try out one of my favorite go to mechs. The Ebon Jaguae-A variant. With 3 ballistics and 7 energy it's a monster. Don't get all hung up on Lrms like most new pilots. Try it out

[doughnut001]

I'm also a new player and I had the exact same confusion as the OP about buying mechs.

They really need to change the UI a little on the store so it's clear that mech costs are credits OR MC.

I'd also like some advice on what to do next in my game. I bought some MC for mech bays and I'd like to get myself a nice little stable of mechs for every role / style and I'm looking for suggestions on what to save for next.

Currently I have:

3X hunchbacks. HBK- G, an H and a P. They're all fun but all close range although the one with the AC10 can at least do stuff at medium range. Currently they're all maxed on basic skills but have none of the elite skills (I'm working towards speed tweak on the G variant, the one with the AC-20)

2X Stalkers. The 3H (LRM boat one) which is OK and the 4N (nice mix of weapons) which I have much more fun with.

3X commando. The ECM one, one with a large laser and one with lots of close in weapons.



All my mechs are stock and I'm not sure what to save up for next. At the moment I'm stuck between:

1) Upgrading the ECM commando as it's way too slow for a light mech and I can't help much with it yet.
2) Upgrading the Hunchback G 'cos I love that AC20.
3) Upgrading the stalker 4N as it's fun but horribly slow.
4) Buying a 3rd stalker to unlock the elite tier skills.
5) Buying a heavy mech as I have all the other weight classes. I'd prefer one that is a different playstyle to all my other mechs but am not really sure what to go for.
6) The smartest option which is one I haven't thought of yet.

I suspect upgrading the hunchback will mean I earn credits faster but I may have more fun buying a sniper style heavy but since I'm new to the game I really don't know.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Also, should I be looking for a newb freindly clan and if so where would I find one?

Edited by doughnut001, 02 August 2016 - 04:59 PM.

[Koniving]

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

I'm also a new player and I had the exact same confusion as the OP about buying mechs.

They really need to change the UI a little on the store so it's clear that mech costs are credits OR MC.

If you click "Buy" it will give you the choice (if you have the value for both).
(If you do not have the value for both, then one of them will appear; whichever you have the value for).

[p4r4g0n]

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

-snip-
I'd also like some advice on what to do next in my game. I bought some MC for mech bays and I'd like to get myself a nice little stable of mechs for every role / style and I'm looking for suggestions on what to save for next.

Currently I have:

3X hunchbacks. HBK- G, an H and a P. They're all fun but all close range although the one with the AC10 can at least do stuff at medium range. Currently they're all maxed on basic skills but have none of the elite skills (I'm working towards speed tweak on the G variant, the one with the AC-20)

2X Stalkers. The 3H (LRM boat one) which is OK and the 4N (nice mix of weapons) which I have much more fun with.

3X commando. The ECM one, one with a large laser and one with lots of close in weapons.

All my mechs are stock and I'm not sure what to save up for next. At the moment I'm stuck between:

1) Upgrading the ECM commando as it's way too slow for a light mech and I can't help much with it yet.
2) Upgrading the Hunchback G 'cos I love that AC20.
3) Upgrading the stalker 4N as it's fun but horribly slow.
4) Buying a 3rd stalker to unlock the elite tier skills.
5) Buying a heavy mech as I have all the other weight classes. I'd prefer one that is a different playstyle to all my other mechs but am not really sure what to go for.
6) The smartest option which is one I haven't thought of yet.

I suspect upgrading the hunchback will mean I earn credits faster but I may have more fun buying a sniper style heavy but since I'm new to the game I really don't know.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Also, should I be looking for a newb freindly clan and if so where would I find one?

Depends on whether you want to just stick with Quick Play or move on to Faction Play.

Personally I would recommend sticking with Quick Play for now and getting a decent Heavy. If you are sticking with IS mechs, the Grasshopper is a good option, specifically the 5P and 5H. If Clan, get the Timberwolf. However, since all the rest of your mechs are IS, I suggest going with the Grasshoppers.

This way you can leverage off what you have to build a drop dec for Faction Play as you already have decent mediums, the Stalker 4N and can use the commandos as fillers for the 4th slot.

Before going into FP, modify and optimize your mechs. If you need ideas, you can take a look at metamechs.com or mechspecs.com. Please remember that these sites should be used as guides, not holy writ.

Upgrade path: Which mech earns you the most C-BIlls consistently? That should be the one you prioritize to hasten you ability to upgrade the rest of your mechs. Do bear in mind that damage done is a significant component, thus lights and sniper builds generally would not be C-Bill generators.

Units: Most units are new player friendly with the possible exception of the competitive groups. After each QP match, note down players who you think you would like to drop with in future. Once you have a compiled list, note how often you have dropped with said person(s). This will indicate that they are generally playing at the same times as yourself.

Send a friend request and try to hook up on TS3 with them to at least chat and get to know them as individuals, the rest of their unit mates and the unit's faction loyalties, if any. If comfortable with all of the above, then ask to join.

Or you could just join based on whoever sends an invite. If so, be prepared to move often unless you luck out.

Edited by p4r4g0n, 02 August 2016 - 07:19 PM.

[Void Angel]

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

I'm also a new player and I had the exact same confusion as the OP about buying mechs.

They really need to change the UI a little on the store so it's clear that mech costs are credits OR MC.

I'd also like some advice on what to do next in my game. I bought some MC for mech bays and I'd like to get myself a nice little stable of mechs for every role / style and I'm looking for suggestions on what to save for next.

Currently I have:

3X hunchbacks. HBK- G, an H and a P. They're all fun but all close range although the one with the AC10 can at least do stuff at medium range. Currently they're all maxed on basic skills but have none of the elite skills (I'm working towards speed tweak on the G variant, the one with the AC-20)

2X Stalkers. The 3H (LRM boat one) which is OK and the 4N (nice mix of weapons) which I have much more fun with.

3X commando. The ECM one, one with a large laser and one with lots of close in weapons.



All my mechs are stock and I'm not sure what to save up for next. At the moment I'm stuck between:

1) Upgrading the ECM commando as it's way too slow for a light mech and I can't help much with it yet.
2) Upgrading the Hunchback G 'cos I love that AC20.
3) Upgrading the stalker 4N as it's fun but horribly slow.
4) Buying a 3rd stalker to unlock the elite tier skills.
5) Buying a heavy mech as I have all the other weight classes. I'd prefer one that is a different playstyle to all my other mechs but am not really sure what to go for.
6) The smartest option which is one I haven't thought of yet.

I suspect upgrading the hunchback will mean I earn credits faster but I may have more fun buying a sniper style heavy but since I'm new to the game I really don't know.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Also, should I be looking for a newb freindly clan and if so where would I find one?

Your next purchase should be to upgrade your current stable of Battlemechs. You'll get more out of them that way, and your combat reflexes will be tuned to what the machines are actually capable of. You don't have to go whole hog and spring for XL Engines (you don't want them for hunchbacks and Stalkers anyway,) but you should upgrade the Hunchbacks to 250+ engines with endo steel and streamline the weapons so they work together more easily. After that, it's probably worth your while to get the third Stalker, but that's really up to you - if getting a long-range heavy seems like more fun than fully developing the Stalkers right this second, go with that.

While you're doing all this, keep an eye on your GXP. Tempting as it can be, you should not use GXP for 'mech masteries; instead, save up for Radar Deprivation, Seismic Sensor, Improved UAV, and Improved Artillery Strike module unlocks - roughly in that order. Since you're just beginning, a lot of players won't have modules yet, so it's not critical to get a Seismic and a Radar Deprivation ASAP, but they're very important purchases, and the UAV in particular will help you get experience in your 'mechs if you deploy it properly. Plus UAV and strike consumables can strongly influence matches; but right now you're looking for c-bills, so use consumables sparingly.

[TooDumbToQuit]

Tiberius Grogan, on 28 July 2016 - 10:10 AM, said:

hate to waste a post on this but is there a record somewhere that tells me how many ive played? and if so - where?

Look for an add-on to your browser call "Mad Stats". It gives you more info. One little thing about Trial Mechs is that the XP you gain while playing them stays with them and if you ever buy it, you can use the XP on it.

[Leone]

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

I'd also like some advice on what to do next in my game. I bought some MC for mech bays and I'd like to get myself a nice little stable of mechs for every role / style and I'm looking for suggestions on what to save for next.

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

6) The smartest option which is one I haven't thought of yet.

My suggestion would be to play around with the mechlab. Alter your builds, have some fun. Test every weapon out there you can. (I'd suggest reading up on build considerations, and remember not to do any upgrades you might wanna undo. (Endosteel, artemis wise. You can always buy new weapons to test out. It's not like you don't keep em lying around if you take em off. But adding an removing artemis get's expensive with no net gain.) Also, always endosteel instead of Ferro-Fibrious. The commando might be able to hold both, but everything else is better with just endosteel. Usually.)

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

I suspect upgrading the hunchback will mean I earn credits faster but I may have more fun buying a sniper style heavy but since I'm new to the game I really don't know.

My thoughts involve Upgrading the 4G to gauss an trying that out, and/or going Dual uac 5s. That'll give you a feel for the weapon styles, an if you like em, you can try to find a decent heavy weapons platform to put em on.

doughnut001, on 02 August 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

Also, should I be looking for a newb freindly clan and if so where would I find one?

If your thinking of doing Community Warfare, The Jade Falcons tend to be the most active, and thusly, you should get the most assistance there, methinks. That said, if your not looking to do CW yet, then whichever clan you join doesn't matter. Also, I'd suggest getting a clan heavy then, since all your other mechs are Inner Sphere mechs.

~Leone

Edited by Leone, 02 August 2016 - 08:42 PM.