42 replies to this topic

[willydd3]

Despite the title, I'm asking a serious question. I seem to have an incredibly hard time getting my targeting reticle on the target. Other than the real possibility that I just suck, is there something about my mouse or its settings could be causing me trouble?

Are there targeting 'tricks' that I should know? I don't play much FPS, could it just be inexperience? Think back to when you were learning, are there things I can try to get better?

[Duncan Aravain]

go to the proving ground, practice a lot,win.

[xenoglyph]

Let me count the ways...

j/k

Just practice and ignore the haters.

I'm sure one weight class would be better than another for learning. I got used to the game with an Atlas and switched to a Jenner later. If definitely took more skill to properly pilot the Jenner....though of course that was back when knockdowns were around

Edited by xenoglyph, 07 March 2013 - 05:23 PM.

[Royalewithcheese]

Inexperience is possible. But if you're new, everyone does badly starting out in this game, so don't sweat it

Also, have you tried checking your frames per second? You can hit F9 to check them. ~30 is playable, but some people prefer 60+. Anything below 30 means that you might be having issues from that. I had some pretty serious framerate issues starting out, and after I migrated to a new computer it was night and day.

Edited by Royalewithcheese, 07 March 2013 - 05:22 PM.

[Demoned]

this game will take you at least 200 games to get the hang of,
it starts feel like second nature at that point, aiming movement and such.

[CoffiNail]

Hop on a TS3, drop with some other people. They can give you advice and help you improve.

NGNG Outrech MWO server for TeamSpeak 3
voip01.n1585.hypernia.net:9992
pw: mechwarrior

Always a lot of users online, all the units I have dealt with are friendly and accepting. This game is meant to be played with bros.

[Buckminster]

Don't sweat it, we all sucked at some point.

But seriously, MW:O is a different game. I HATED mouse and keyboard - I found that I have much better success with a joystick. The big thing for me is the throttle slider - I don't know how many times I'd be running around all derpy using m/k because I didn't take into account that just because I stopped pressing "w" didn't mean I was going to stop moving.

I also found that the torso twist would tangle me up at first. I'd be looking one direction and running in another, it made it tricky to shoot on the move when you are physically moving in a separate direction.

But seriously, hit the training grounds. It'll give you a lot of practice time without getting your butt kicked.

[El Death Smurf]

it could be any number of problems that are non-technical. if it is a hardwhare problem, i cant say much, but here are some tips that might help.
1) there are two seperate reticles. the "o" is for your arms and the "+" is for torso mounted wepons.
2) the faster the mech, the faster your torso twists and your mech can turn. Because of this, anything over 80 tons likely takes a little more time to aim with, and if you dont pay attention the arms will rarely be aiming at the same spot your torso is.
3) some mechs like the catapult, stalker, and raven dont have Lower Arm Actuators which means their arms go up and down, but not left and right. switching between these and the other mechs can be confusing at first.
4) most commonly you will keep wanting to turn your mech to get yoru target into yoru center an dover extend your arms way far off to the side, then when you pull the trigger 1/2 of your wepons shoot way off to the side because your arms are off to the side (pay attention to the "o" and the "+"

thsi all might be known by you alreday, but they're common mistakes i see while spektating.

good luck!

[CmdrPoopyPants]

If your mouse is set to be too sensitive, you will "fly all over the screen" while trying to aim. If it's not set sensitive enough, you can never get on target fast enough and have to move the mouse too much. The other thing to keep in mind is, you have to get used to moving the mouse at the right speed to match your mech.. if you move it too fast and anticipate where the reticle will be, you'll fire too soon and miss as well..

Other than that, it just takes practice. And some weapons are easier to use than others.. Lasers are easier than SRMs because SRMs are dumb fire and go right where you were poiting when you clicked the button.. lasers let you see that you're off target and you can try to mvoe to get on target.. and, lasers are "instant" fire.. ballistics and missiles have travel time, and that can mess you up too. Keeping a "smooth motion" with the mouse while firing lasers is important, but not always possible.. but it's a way to learn the motions easier than with SRMs or ballistics, I think..

Just keep at it

[willydd3]

Thanks guys - a lot of really helpful info! I'll head out the training grounds and keep working!

[Loc Nar]

Get your mouse down to 800dpi if you haven't already done so...

[UphillMercury]

If you're new, it could just be that you need more practice. In terms of mouse settings, I, as well as a lot of my friends, play on lower sensitivities, but that is merely a matter of personal preference.

Edited by UphillMercury, 07 March 2013 - 05:57 PM.

[ShinVector]

willydd3, on 07 March 2013 - 05:11 PM, said:

Despite the title, I'm asking a serious question. I seem to have an incredibly hard time getting my targeting reticle on the target. Other than the real possibility that I just suck, is there something about my mouse or its settings could be causing me trouble?

Are there targeting 'tricks' that I should know? I don't play much FPS, could it just be inexperience? Think back to when you were learning, are there things I can try to get better?

Trying looking up the forums on configuring Mouse Sensitivity. Lowering alot might help your game. (I set it to 2.5 myself.)
By default it is usually too sensitive and makes it hard to move and train your cross hairs on a target at the same time. (This is so much fun on light vs light 150kph battles. LOL!)

Other than that as the other mentioned... Train train train....

[Lifeline975]

I know where your comming from ....
And you dont suck ....

Remeber ... if your new ...

Trial mechs are not exactly efficent .. in weapons, heat management and even in some cases armor placement.
Most are slow stock engines that also affect your torso twisitng ... which affects your aiming ....
Something else that took me a few hundered drops to realize was that you can upgrade your piloting skills after you purchase your own mech ...that also improves your aiming, heat management and overall play ...

For pugs just take it as training for free ... as you really dont lose anything but a bit of time ....

I started out wanting to learn how to manuver a mech .. so I purchased a light first ...

I got a raven .. not to make c-bills but to learn to move around and not get killed and also to learn basic short range weapons...

For awhile to improve my piloting skills I would lower my legs armor to half ... just to force my self to move and hide from bigger mechs ...yes i died alot dispite all the talk of lag shields ...
Either way i got decent at moving about and firing short range weapons
small lasers, medium and SSRM and SRM
along the way got all my piloting skills that further improved my game play ...
learned to upgrade engines and the importance of std versus xl, single heat and double heat, learned about oher mechs weakpoints .. learned to control the urge to spam every weapon and to aim for the red sweetspots ...

My next step was to learn how to be a medium brawler .. or use medium range weapons to support the frontlines
So i took in a cent and learned how to move around a bit slower than a light with more punch
Med-large lasers
SSRm and SRM
and learn basic small balistics for aiming ..ac2 uac5 ac5

Currently I am training myself with heavies to take on medium range to long range support/brawler
and took a cat
learning
LRM
SRM
PPC
Large laser
and bigger balistics AC20-gause etc...

Over all what people are saying is true .. train and practice ... I did a more specific focus per weight and role but u can do this for any mech u choose ...I did elite ravens, cents and on my way with cats ..

along the way you find what style you also prefer ... but knowing how other ranges and weapons handle makes u a better killer ...
So if you see 3 lights running at you which one do you take out first ... knowing thier basic weaknesses and possible load outs gives you the precious few more seconds to injur /take out the highest threat .. making you last longer ...

Now although I am far from perfect ... I average on pugs between 200-500 damage and usually with 1-3 kills, if i dont do somthing stupid like run into the middle of battle .. just be targeted by every ememy mech LRM and die ...
my best ever was over 1k damage 5 kills and 7 assists ..and it feels goood not sucking anymore ...
the more I learn the better off I am to the group ...

I still look forward to learn how to be a fronline fighter ... a true sniper and learn group tactics ...
and thats part of the fun ...
You'll be there in no time ...

[willydd3]

OH YEA!!!

Two things made a huge difference! Thanks to all of you:

1) Turned down graphics, i was running around 12 fps!
2) Mouse sensitivity was KEY - now I can actually hit something!

I still suck, but not quite as bad - thanks again!

train ... train ... train... but now with a light at the end of the tunnel. (ha - no pun intended actually)

[Lifeline975]

I know where your comming from ....
And you dont suck ....

Remeber ... if your new ...

Trial mechs are not exactly efficent .. in weapons, heat management and even in some cases armor placement.
Most are slow stock engines that also affect your torso twisitng ... which affects your aiming ....
Something else that took me a few hundered drops to realize was that you can upgrade your piloting skills after you purchase your own mech ...that also improves your aiming, heat management and overall play ...

For pugs just take it as training for free ... as you really dont lose anything but a bit of time ....

I started out wanting to learn how to manuver a mech .. so I purchased a light first ...

I got a raven .. not to make c-bills but to learn to move around and not get killed and also to learn basic short range weapons...

For awhile to improve my piloting skills I would lower my legs armor to half ... just to force my self to move and hide from bigger mechs ...yes i died alot dispite all the talk of lag shields ...
Either way i got decent at moving about and firing short range weapons
small lasers, medium and SSRM and SRM
along the way got all my piloting skills that further improved my game play ...
learned to upgrade engines and the importance of std versus xl, single heat and double heat, learned about oher mechs weakpoints .. learned to control the urge to spam every weapon and to aim for the red sweetspots ...

My next step was to learn how to be a medium brawler .. or use medium range weapons to support the frontlines
So i took in a cent and learned how to move around a bit slower than a light with more punch
Med-large lasers
SSRm and SRM
and learn basic small balistics for aiming ..ac2 uac5 ac5

Currently I am training myself with heavies to take on medium range to long range support/brawler
and took a cat
learning
LRM
SRM
PPC
Large laser
and bigger balistics AC20-gause etc...

Over all what people are saying is true .. train and practice ... I did a more specific focus per weight and role but u can do this for any mech u choose ...I did elite ravens, cents and on my way with cats ..

along the way you find what style you also prefer ... but knowing how other ranges and weapons handle makes u a better killer ...
So if you see 3 lights running at you which one do you take out first ... knowing thier basic weaknesses and possible load outs gives you the precious few more seconds to injur /take out the highest threat .. making you last longer ...

Now although I am far from perfect ... I average on pugs between 200-500 damage and usually with 1-3 kills, if i dont do somthing stupid like run into the middle of battle .. just be targeted by every ememy mech LRM and die ...
my best ever was over 1k damage 5 kills and 7 assists ..and it feels goood not sucking anymore ...
the more I learn the better off I am to the group ...

I still look forward to learn how to be a fronline fighter ... a true sniper and learn group tactics ...
and thats part of the fun ...
You'll be there in no time ...

[Koniving]

I'd give my two cents here...but I think these covered it.

Just a quicky: You can independently control the one of the two reticles. Press CTRL to control your arms separate of the torso.

[nungunz]

Wow, it looks like a lot of people got back to you. If you ever want to group up, just send me a PM or message me in-game!

I hang out in Comstar NA a lot as well.

[Volume]

If the game runs terrible that is the biggest hurdle.

[tuokaerf]

Here's a few things that took me about 100 games to figure out:

1) The urge to rush into a fight is high, try to chill a bit. Hang back in the second line, with cover, and take well placed shots. This will help you survive and still be a big asset for your team. As you learn your play style and become comfortable twisting and turning to absorb damage while moving, be more aggressive when it makes sense to.

2) Don't chase light mechs around all over. Running after them will seperate you from your team and if you're in a mech that's slower than it, you'll be Raven food. Additionally, the really good light pilots will lead you into their team's killbox and you'll become Atlas food.

3) Don't get Mech Fever. It's tempting to blast away and chase the closest mech, but in a lot of cases, it's not the most dangerous one to focus on. I got cored through the back enough by a gauss rifle/AC weapon/PPC from chasing after a Centurion or something by the more dangerous mech another 100 yards away. Watch what your teammates are doing and focus on the mechs they are shooting at as well. Well placed team fire can destroy 8 mechs in quick fashion while the other team is shooting all over the map.

4) Press R, a lot. ECM can complicate this, but in general, it's always good to do so even if you don't have any lockable weapons. The targeting info will tell you the condition of the mech. Aim for areas in yellow/red. A lot of new players will blast away at any part of the mech, ignoring the center torso that has all the armor stripped off of it. Focusing on these areas can put down a mech in a couple of shots.

5) Use cover. LRMs and snipers will eat you up. If you hear the "Incoming Missile" warning from Betty, get behind something. At the very least you'll minimize the LRM damage. Cover is also your friend while fighting. Pop in and out, take a shot, and move to a new location. Similar to not fixating on the closest mech, being predictable about shooting + covering will make you an easy target.

6) If you have to move, keep moving, especially when being shot at. This is the most difficult. Twisting your body to avoid exposing critical areas or low armor spots will help you live longer.

7) If you're in a brawl with a much larger mech, get behind them and away from their weapons. You're likely faster than they are, and taking less shots to focus on better positioning will help in the long run. In addition, most mechs have weak rear armor and can be an easy kill.