They really need to give first time players a "real" mech - these trial mechs dies if think hard enough in their direction.
As a new player, why the hell would you invest time in a game you die over and over again?
IMO, that is basic 101 for me. But i can imagine some penny pusher saying that if the new players get frustrated they will buy MC.
But they won't - they'll quit and find another game. There's a lot of games on the net, and players don't have unlimited time to spend on them.
IMO, no sane person spends money on a game without first having fun with it, and dying in crap mechs is the TOTAL opposite of fun.
Edited by Eternal Hunter, 23 March 2013 - 10:36 PM.
Hehe! I really hope the PGI devs are reading this... This is exactly what's wrong with the new player experience...
- No in-game tutorial
- Sucky trial mechs
...and just keep playing and watch the tutorial videos, loose the shutdown thing and stick with your teammates and shoot the same mechs as they are... If your teammates are dead then you'll die too.
I have to agree, its hard to understand if you are trolling or not, however, I will give you some pointers.
You have to calm down. Both here and in game. Think of it like this, once you start to learn to play, why not just make a new account and start off with fresh stats and a new cadet bonus? But if you have this "I can't do it" attitude all the time, you never will.
I mean I understand completely, sometimes you should feel that way, but you gotta remember its a game, take a deep breath and try to kill what you can. I joke with my teammates, there are 2 ways to win, kill and don't die. Seriously, just shooting what you can, and trying to live as long as you can. There are many important things to do both well, but if anything, just pick up a mech, and follow someone around. I know sometimes you die, and sometimes its quick, but just follow and help.
I agree with spectate. While it is 100% true the trial mechs are terrible, and your own mech will help a lot, if you lack the ability to pilot it, it won't be helpful enough for you to start winning. Each mech is unique, and each mech takes time to learn how to pilot.
Just keep it simple now. Focus on the positives, ask questions, and drop the "this is impossible attitude". Pick up a mech, and just do what you can, and don't let others get you down.
I would suggest the Dragon honestly, since it has some armor and speed, and people generally don't focus a Dragon right away. The Stalker is more likely to catch attention and die, as well as being too slow to escape. LRMs are pretty weak right now, and with the poor NARC weapon and the low ammo and XL, the Trebuchet is not too good. Stay very far away from the commando. While it does take skill to pilot one well, that one is very lacking in weapons and armor. Just stay away.
Try to be positive. You really lose nothing by just losing and trying your best. The first kill feels amazing. I remember when I felt like my lasers did not do damage.
Just stick in there OP this isn't WoT, WoW, CS:Go or any other type of game you're accustomed to. The learning curve is rich and the history and lore are even richer.
To those spouting about how terribad trial mechs are. You're wrong and I apologize that I have to be the one to break it to you. If one plays any build correctly you can be a valued asset to any team, and I don't care if it has only two weapons. This is not your normal pick-em up and blast 'em away shooter. Whereas so many of the games available over the years have basically boiled down to two major factors the Mech-Warrior, and the Battle-Tech Universe do not abide by the common, golden rule(s) (the two major factors being reflexes-timing and hand-eye coordination). I can say this through experience, ie: ten to twenty years ago I had "mad skills" in first person shooters and the likes; now that I am in my forties, let's just say not so much. Anyhow, today I'm just as good a mech' pilot as I was fifteen years ago. It's not that the game doesn't still require a good eye and trigger finger, but it's basically all about knowledge of the mechs themselves. I would bet my life savings that the OP knows nothing about spreading damage effectively, or where to aim on each variant of an opposing mech regardless of the class, and so, so much more. Point being is that this isn't a game you can simply pick up and be a good player in even if you have some knowledge of how you think you should be playing, or have been told how you should play. There is a steep learning curve in MW:O, of this there is no doubt, and for some it's all for not. They will never be an "exceptional pilot" in the Battle-Tech Universe. Which is more than acceptable because we all need teammates to be cannon fodder, or drawing the enemy out, or making them think the majority is somewhere they're not... you don't have to be the best pilot to be the best team player. This is a team based game and I'll take someone willing to listen and sacrifice, then lone wolf and get a couple of kills any day of the week.
Meaningless factoids: I have been playing PC games based on the Battle-Tech Universe since Multi-Player Battle-Tech on AOL in 1995 I believe (I've raised a child in the time I've been apart of Battle-Tech and Mech-Warrior). With 1,000 pug solo based battles I have a KDR of 1.38, but in my preferred class of Mech I have a KDR of 17.5 with over 300 pug battles. Stick to what you know if you're all about stats, but if you want to have fun do just that in any class, and don't worry about pixel data ~ why I create these long meaningless replies is beyond me.
Really Suggestive - just concentrate on the basics.
MWO is not a game for YOU to win - it's a team game. Your team wins, or your team loses - just you. Shutting down doesn't make you win - it means the rest of your team is fighting an uneven battle, because you are not contributing to it.
Like people said - pick a mech, then follow the group and shoot what they are shooting.
There are no instantly lethal headshots in this game. Death by headcapping may occur, but it will not be simply by virtue of head hits doing insta-gib damage.
Edit:
@Vegentius - true dat - last game I played with a nearly stock COM-2D. Stock engine, standard structure, standard armour. SRM6 and 2x SSRM2 (no laser) - 2 kills.
Thanks for all the replies, there have been to many sense I left and I'd rather not reply to all of them considering the advice is mostly the same. I think I'll give this game another shot some other time when I'm less frustrated. I really like mech warrior and so far this game has only disappointed me, perhaps it will get better.
Also to those asking, no, this thread isn't a joke I am really this stupid.
Just throwing in my 2 CN9s. (Sorry for the horrible pun.)
I don't really know how you could not know how to control your 'Mech if you have a lot of MechWarrior experience. Aside from how weapons and groupings work, the gameplay is almost identical to the rest of the franchise. I find this puzzling.
But, there are a couple huge gameplay differences between MWO and the other games. First, and this is the most important part of the game by far, you always need to know where your team is. If you see an enemy duck into cover, don't just go after him. There's a good chance there are more enemies just around the corner, and if no one on your team is there, you won't be able to see them on your map. Even a pro can quickly go down to 2v1. So never let yourself get caught exposed like that. It's pretty much suicide. Maybe in other shooters that's less a deal, but compares to them, MWO isn't as much about twitch reflex and headshots. It's about chipping and grinding away at an opponent's mech, and that means regression to the mean. As in, getting caught alone means you're dead.
Second, don't think you have to engage at point-blank. Look at the ranges on your weapons. The number to the right of each weapon on the bottom right of the game screen is actually the optimal range, not max range (usually). For lasers, the max range is optimal x2. For ballistics, it's x3. For missiles, they can only travel as far as the number says. So figure out how far back you can stay while still hitting your enemy (540 meters for medium lasers, for instance), and only get closer if you need to and if there are other friendlies in that area. Otherwise you'll likely get focus fired down unless you know what you're doing.
Finally, never use the trial Dragon. Dragons are hard to use because of their huge center torso. And they need a big custom engine to be even marginally useful. And the stock variant has a horrible weapons load. I'd recommend doing what the others suggested and using the Stalker. Although if staying around 1 kilometer away and using LRMs sounds good, you could try the Trebuchet. Just remember not to get too close, because its engine is really fragile.
Rather than reading, I think what you need is demonstration. The following links have videos. This first one is the game's official training, as found from the website. Under the big video are subsequent videos to help you. http://mwomercs.com/...raining-grounds
It also has controls on screen, and pictures with explanation on the HUD, battlegrid, etc.
People generally don't like it when you coward out by shutting down and hiding; this is because it means that while you're trying not to die, you're making sure that they die. People want to win. If you put yourself first, then you're making sure they lose. Think they want to die all the time too?
When you're dead, watch what others do. It may help.
Always prioritize targets you can hit;if there's something big and something tiny but you can't hit the tiny thing, go for the big thing instead.
Health is not measured in a bar; it's a digital display of your body parts measured in colors. Brown is healthy. Yellow is hurt, orange is badly hurt, red is "OMG I'm gonna die" and Black is "Dead." You can lose each of your body parts individually. So can your enemies.
The percentage of health means overall of all body parts. It is also meaningless, as the two main causes of death are losing both legs or losing your engine. You can die with 99% health if you lose your cockpit, so don't count on that.
Stay with the bulk of your team. There is strength in numbers. Never stop moving when you are being shot at unless you're behind cover. The fastest way to kill anything is to focus your aim at a body part. Stationary targets are super easy to hit.
As for trial builds, they can be difficult to use but they are not useless. This was a trial mech. Scored 691 damage and 3 kills with no assists (so everything I shot at, I killed personally).
For the comment on missiles being useless. This may be old, but it's fun.
Even the most worthless weapons can be devastating.
2
