22 replies to this topic

[Talimar1]

Hello Everyone!

First off, Congratulations to Broceratops! I was expecting you to be in the top 3, I was really surprised this morning when I got up and saw you had taken the overall position! I can't wait to drop with you again and see it after I die(If I die...).

Anyway, the last 3 days have been crazy! I started at 3:00 est, so I was late to the party, and just wanted to see how well I could do. I also knew I didn't want to pilot a 3L, first because I think they are easy mode with streaks, armor, speed, and and ecm, and second because I dont even own a raven so I would be at a disadvantage trying to level one up. My Spider has everything but the Master Module slot, which is OK because I only have the Advanced Sensor Range Module as of yet. I have also been trying to get really good with the spider the whole time I have played MWO(SDR-5V was the first mech I bought, I started playing just a couple of days after it was released) so this was my chance to see what my ranking was.

Here is the build I used:
Endo Steel, Ferro-Fibrous Armor, Double Heat Sinks
XL255 Engine
1 Medium Laser in the torso
2 Medium Pulse Lasers in the Right Arm
Guardian ECM
7/8 Jump Jets
Advanced Sensor Range Module
210 Armor, the key to it being have 15 on Right/Left Torso and 13 on Right/Left Torso Rear, and have 20 for both the Center Torso, everything else maxed.

Ok, on to Tactics. I had the Most trouble against Raven 3Ls. As a spider pilot, my advice is to not engage unless there is no other option, or try to lead them back to the rest of the group if they are nearby. Even if your team is nearby, it will be nearly impossible for a spider pilot to spend much time engaged with a 3L. If you must engage them, I aimed for their legs, or if I had the shot, at their back. This can allow you to do damage. Keep Jumping, and jump on and over buildings to try and get their streaks to hit that. Cover is your friend.

Other than 3Ls, my advice is to engage, but always keep your terrain in mind. I can keep all 8 enemy players engaged if need be, but I do have to look out for those heavy hitting one shot builds. Remember what Roger Bacon said, scientia est potentia, or Knowledge is Power. Always target enemies and remember to look in the upper right at what weapons an enemy has and where it has been damaged, and keep in mind the general armor values so you know what you might be seeing in terms of number. An orange atlas ct and an orange atlas back torso rear mean very different things. Always stay moving and use terrain to your advantage. If your team has LRMs, they are counting on you to pick the targets, so don't always choose one mech or the other, but change it up, it can be a nice surprise for an enemy in the open Other than that, the Spider is all about hitting the enemy quick, minimizing damage from enemies, and hitting the enemy where they are weakest. This is required because I didn't have much fireposer, and you wont as a spider no matter the build. Something to help minimize the damage is to master the jump and turn. For that you jump high in the air, then move your lower body and the upper body in different directions, trying to keep in mind the direction you want to run when you land. This is different from jumping to change direction quickly, which I also recommend, because it spreads damage around your whole body consistently. Also, don't be too worried about fall damage, It hurts but can be minimized.

Regarding ECM, as a spider you have to be active with ecm use. Scientia est potentia again. If you are being disrupted, ALWAYS counter, even if for just a second or two. This allows both yourself and the team to get a quick read of a situation, while preserving ECM superiority. A spider can react quickly on the battlefield, and should go where teammates are being disrupted if not otherwise engaged.

If anyone has any questions, please ask Any Questions regarding the tournament should be in good taste and should not be of the ilk of "Where can you find a Life" etc

TL;DR I have gotten better as a spider pilot because of the tournament, finishing 8th in the hard fought light category, and am willing to answer questions about tactics and my experience in the tournament.

[Gaan Cathal]

Firstly, grats on the placing.

Secondly, thanks for typing this up - as a light pilot, definitely an interesting read.

One thing though:

Talimar1, on 25 February 2013 - 06:11 PM, said:

210 Armor, the key to it being have 15 on Right/Left Torso and 13 on Right/Left Torso Rear, and have 20 for both the Center Torso, everything else maxed.

Any particular reason you leave the left arm with armour on it? Dropping that 20 points would free up more armour for the torsos (or let you drop JJ7 to go 3MPLAS?). Just wandering what the thought process was.


Again, grats.

[Mr 144]

Congrats on the tourney !!! Mad props to going through it in an unconventional way.

Mr 144

[Talimar1]

The reason I keep 20 on the Left Arm is because I use it as a shield. When I am fighting someone, I only look at them when I am about to fire or am about to jump over them. The extra armor on the arm helps my Left Torso from getting chewed up which would mean a loss because of the XL engine. I have tried just about every variant of Spider loadouts on all 3, and the 1 extra point of damage is not worth it to get rid of jump jets or sacrifice armor. With FF, the armor lets you continue to hit the opponent in one spot and do more damage, allowing you to possibly kill an enemy if you can consistently hit the same spot, whereas you would be closer to death because you couldn't maneuver as well or had less armor with the extra point of damage. plus, its nice to have a Medium Laser for a little extra range and for heat issues as well, and for shooting faster mechs legs when not certain of the shot.

[Mechwarrior4hire]

Congrats on the placing, if I had a choice of what mech to run I doubt it would be the Spider, but when I get enough CBills I intend to run them all, and this might help a bit.

I had no choice but to try and level up my Ravens as I went through it, and it sometimes was not a pleasant experience doing so, but I learnt a lot and had fun, and I hope you did also. (I'm ALMOST ready to Elite my Raven 3L, and should be able to do so tomorrow, very excited!)

One thing about the Jump Jets, I always found it fairly easy to kill most mechs that had them fitted, either while they are in the air with my missiles or as they land and blast them with everything I have while they don't seem to move for about a second or so after landing...do you consider removing them and putting more firepower on the Spider?

[Talimar1]

Also, the Title refers to a Gundam Pilot named Char Aznable who uses speed and tactics to win fights, and that is who i am trying to emulate. My Spider 5D is painted red, which makes my life even harder on some maps, and can be even harder when sleep deprived and trying to "hide" on Alpine and keep watch for the enemy....(That did happen once, I thought I was hiding so let a hunchback or something get into range and then he started shooting me. I had the mech powered down too so it took a few extra seconds for me to react.

[Naelobo]

He spent a good chunk of it in flames

[Talimar1]

Yes, I have considered removing my Jump Jets, and even tried it, but the weight limitation really stops you from putting real firepower on it. And if the weight does work, slots make it hard as well. I would ultimately have to give up too much to get more firepower. Like I said, I have tried all sorts of builds for my spiders, and this is the one that works the best for me. A spider is a distraction that can kill over time, not a run up to someone, shoot them a few times, and call it a day. I do wish I had more firepower though, I just can't sacrifice the things that make the spider work.

By the way,I came close to running a Raven 3L on Saturday, but decided to stand on principle

[Alistair Winter]

Very impressed that you placed so well with a Spider. Thanks for making this thread, and showing the kids out there that it's possible to do well in other light mechs.

[Mazzyplz]

is your spider painted red?
post a picture of your cammo plz

[Istral]

Congratulations, I didn't have the endurance or time to continue on after the first day.
I have to ask, one spider pilot to another, when fighting heavies/assaults do you also have a tendency to focus almost solely on the right torso first?

[Gaan Cathal]

Talimar1, on 25 February 2013 - 06:32 PM, said:

The reason I keep 20 on the Left Arm is because I use it as a shield. When I am fighting someone, I only look at them when I am about to fire or am about to jump over them. The extra armor on the arm helps my Left Torso from getting chewed up which would mean a loss because of the XL engine. I have tried just about every variant of Spider loadouts on all 3, and the 1 extra point of damage is not worth it to get rid of jump jets or sacrifice armor. With FF, the armor lets you continue to hit the opponent in one spot and do more damage, allowing you to possibly kill an enemy if you can consistently hit the same spot, whereas you would be closer to death because you couldn't maneuver as well or had less armor with the extra point of damage. plus, its nice to have a Medium Laser for a little extra range and for heat issues as well, and for shooting faster mechs legs when not certain of the shot.

That makes sense, hadn't really considered the use of arm-shielding on lights since it doesn't work for Jenners/Ravens and the Command's arms aren't big enough to shield that huge round lego head.

Mechwarrior4hire, on 25 February 2013 - 06:49 PM, said:

One thing about the Jump Jets, I always found it fairly easy to kill most mechs that had them fitted, either while they are in the air with my missiles or as they land and blast them with everything I have while they don't seem to move for about a second or so after landing...do you consider removing them and putting more firepower on the Spider?

Yeah, you'll more or less smoke a spider that lands in front of you, but spiders don't JJ like that when piloted properly, they go over things. Buildings, hills, cliffs. You. Essentially they use it to land out of sight and reinitiate the combat as suits them. Pretty much text-book hit and run is the only way to play them and see success. (As Talimari has pointed out, just giving my perspective.)

[Talimar1]

I do tend to hit their right torso if engaged with a heavy/assault from the front It is like my go to spot haha. I do normally do a test shot on the legs though to see if they are weak, and if they are I focus on that leg as I might get an ammo explosion. But that is only if the damage seems like it is more for a leg, as the right torso has a chance to kill if they run an xl.

[Istral]

Glad to know I'm not alone in that. Noticed recently that it's almost always "Cleave off the right torso quickly!" with my Spider unless I'm fighting a a Catapult or medium/light. Catapult turns into "Core it while trying to cut off its head!"

[Bubba Wilkins]

meh, so you had more time to play and a low ELO to start with.

[Talimar1]

Mazzyplz, on 25 February 2013 - 06:58 PM, said:

is your spider painted red?
post a picture of your cammo plz

Yes, it is red. I haven't been on forums in a few years, so let me get back to that. It is just basic red though, I have not spent any money on this game yet so I can't do a whole lot to strike fear in the heart of my opponent besides be good at the game

Bubba Wilkins, on 25 February 2013 - 07:15 PM, said:

meh, so you had more time to play and a low ELO to start with.

I did not have a low elo going in to the tournament. The day before the tournament started I played with 4 different devs in 3 different games. Garth was one of them and I don't remember the other 3s names. Garth was in one game, 2 were grouped in another, and then there was another dev in a 3rd game. I have been playing pretty hardcore since I began.

Edited by Talimar1, 25 February 2013 - 07:25 PM.

[Broceratops]

it takes guts to drop in a spider in any setting, let alone one where all the 3L's will beeline into you because they think you're food. kudos!

[Talimar1]

As per the request above, here is the screenshot of my beloved spider. Also, I can't wait to face everyone when we are all not sleep deprived!

[Mazzyplz]

Talimar1, on 25 February 2013 - 07:36 PM, said:

As per the request above, here is the screenshot of my beloved spider. Also, I can't wait to face everyone when we are all not sleep deprived!

quite epic sir!
you found the cake and won the internetz

[mekabuser]

OP...

SHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh......

No one is supposed to know what a spider can do... Capiche??