7 replies to this topic

[zraven7]

Ok, I've been playing for maybe a week, now, and I'd like to let new players know a few things things, the most important of which is "Yes, it's worth it!".

I am certain a lot of you are starting the game and not really knowing what is going on. There are a few tutorial videos, but nothing that really helps like it should, and with the game being in Beta still, that's expected. The game's speed and rhythm are different than anything else out there, the controls are odd, and the mech building process is more than a little confusing. But give it time. I did, and I'm happy.

Yes, at first, the controls will seem wonky to most of you, and you will spend a lot of time walking into buildings and mountains. I did too. The game uses the keyboard buttons that we are used to, and the mouse we are used to, and does something entirely different with them. There is a reason to this, though. You are not steering a nimble robot, but a hulking battlefield behemoth. Even the "light" mechs in this game weigh in excess of 20 tons. Despite what the latest Transformers movies would have us believe, physics would heartily disagree with something sharing mass with a large number of semi trucks dancing about like a ninja. Start to think of yourself steering a tank more than a person, and it will make a little bit more sense. The legs are the treads, and can go forward and back, or turn left or right. The torso is the turret, and can move independently of the legs, and points where you wanna shoot. The orange line on your radar shows where your legs are facing, as does the bottom of the two orange arrows at the top of your HUD.

Next, it can seem like, in battle, that you aren't contributing. You feel like you shoot the enemy's, and parts light up, but the result is a wash. This is common, but is so far from the truth. Understand, there is no regenerating health is Mechwarrior. There are no glowing shields that charge back up after a few seconds, and there are no health packs littered across the field. There are no medic mechs. Any damage you do is permanent, and therefore IMPORTANT. The damage numbers in this game are lower than a lot of other, similar games, but that boils down to the original creators kinda thinking extraneous zeros are silly. Yes, your end-game report may say you only did 85 damage. Consider, though, that some mechs have arms that can only take 40 points of damage before blowing off. Every point of damage you did contributed, and one of your team mates may have gone down before he could destroy the enemy mech had you not dealt that damage.

Also remember, damage is not the only way to contribute in combat. If you see an enemy in combat, press "R" to lock onto them. As long as you maintain line of sight, and stay locked on, everyone else in your team knows where they are, and can lock onto them too. That means mechs with long-range missiles can start shooting at them. This is why you sometimes see a light-weight mech running circles around your team, but hardly firing. They are simply spotting for the rest of their team. (Spotting a unit your team then kills gets you bonus exp, also)

Finally, building a mech is amazingly confusing for the uninitiated. Luckily, you have the forums, here. There is a whole thread here with me talking about getting started, and possible first mechs, and weapon loadouts, with veteran players helping me out the whole way. There are also multiple groups, clans, and other playing get-togethers who will jump on teamspeak and help talk you through some of the more confusing bits. I recently started running with a group myself I rather like. I don't wanna randomly plug people here, but if your interested, message me and I'll tell ya where to find em.

IT took me probably 3 to 5 days of playing a couple hours a day to start getting the feel for it, but let me tell you, the first time you blow an enemies arm off, it's pretty awesome. This is a great and rewarding game, with one of the best communities I've ever experienced. Stick with it, guys. It's worth it.

[Redshift2k5]

An excellent post! Here are a couple more points:

• Don't be afraid to ask questions.
  
• Make use of mech information available on sites such as MWO Smurfy http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

[zraven7]

Redshift2k5, on 23 January 2013 - 07:48 AM, said:

An excellent post! Here are a couple more points:

• Don't be afraid to ask questions.
  
• Make use of mech information available on sites such as MWO Smurfy http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

See? See? Helpful community members, and you didn't have to ask. See you in game soon, fellow rookies!

[Dovvol]

Don't forget, standing still in a large open area will get you killed pretty fast. Learn your controls and learn how to shoot on the move while ducking behind cover once in awhile will extend your life. Especially if the other team has sniper builds or a lot of LRMs. Also take the time to think about what you want your role to be. Long range, brawler, scout, or a nice little mix. Once you figure that out, the game will be a lot more enjoyable.

Nice to see somebody that hasn't been playing long really enjoying the game.

[Tenam]

I am not sure how others in the community feel about this but if someone says they're new in chat during the start of the match I will try to take them under my wing and keep an eye on them as much as possible. If they have a chat client (Vent, TS or C3) I will usually offer to group up and spend some MWO 101 time with them if they like.

[Eisenhorne]

Experienced players are generally nice to new players, so don't worry.

Unless your on the other team. Then you should worry. A lot.

[zraven7]

Tenam, on 23 January 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

I am not sure how others in the community feel about this but if someone says they're new in chat during the start of the match I will try to take them under my wing and keep an eye on them as much as possible. If they have a chat client (Vent, TS or C3) I will usually offer to group up and spend some MWO 101 time with them if they like.

It's good to hear the Founders and Vets talking like this. I got lucky and found a group on here with a Teamspeak and a great attitude, and they are helping me out immensely.

That is one other thing, fellow rookies. This game is immensely more enjoyable with friends over a voice-chat of some sort. I know Skype eats bandwidth, and some people's computers or net connections dont work well with it running in the backround, but I've found that Ventrilo or Teamspeak are both viable options, each using much less resources than Skype. A lot of the groups and clans on here already have their own servers, and I know there is a Newbie training server in one of the stickied posts in this thread. Voice chat makes it a different game, in all the right ways.

[Koniving]

Been playing since June 23rd, 2012 in the Closed Beta. Info's been changing rapidly during that time. For example PPCs used to accelerate to their final velocity. Now they instantly achieve their final velocity.

My info isn't always up to date but I'll always be glad to help out and more than happy to invite or accept requests to team up.

If you're on the other side of my weapons, chances are you might be on your way down. However if it was a clearly one sided skirmish -- which sometimes happens -- I'll give you some advice in chat. For example, a lot of the enemies I take down who are heavily using their PPCs at close range, I'll pass on the minimum range information. If you're using a trial 'Mech, I'll let you know that the XL is a dangerous thing to have and you need to protect your side torsos. Sometimes the new players don't realize a 'Mech they chose comes with an XL engine. And If you're heavily overheating, I'll let you know that backspace can help manage your large laser group's heat better. Or that moving away and not shooting might be a better idea in the future until it cools down.

If I go out of my way to leg you, you're mostly disarmed and you're in a trial, then run off; do yourself a favor and don't chase -- I'm trying to spare you a death!

Just, do yourself a favor. If you are in a situation like that with someone else, don't power off while a group is looking at you. Especially if they stopped shooting. It makes the more sadistic players want to pull the trigger. You're more likely to be spared while powered on when you're helpless. Powering off is a sign of giving up.

Power off after they move away so it's harder for them to find you again in case if they change their mind.

Good luck out there!

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P.S. Please be kind: I have lots of 'Mechs and if you see me in one that you think is useless (i.e. Commando or Spider), please don't be a bowl of lard.. My Spider averages 180 to 397 damage (current highest) and my Commandos deal typically do about the same. Don't kill me just because "Spiders are useless." It's not nice.

Edited by Koniving, 23 January 2013 - 07:01 PM.