46 replies to this topic

[Viper69]

Normal lasers are a great way to find head box locations, even to hit it in the heat of combat. Track the laser around the head area and watch the paper doll of the enemy mech. When the head box lights, remember the area you hit and focus that area next time or the area around it. Head hitboxes dont move for sure but the standard laser with its long on time will help you find the sweet spot.

[ElLocoMarko]

falcyndark, on 09 April 2013 - 06:28 AM, said:

Thanks for the updates. I went back into the testing grounds firing for the glass and found the cockpit hit boxes. Instead of a gazillion hits to an Atlas you can bring them down fast.

falcyndark - if you feel this is resolved and wish to delete the whole post, you (being the owner) have a little button at the bottom of the replies "moderator tools".

If you feel the discussion was useful then by all means leave it, though I would encourage the forum admins to move this to "Player Help".

Edited by ElLocoMarko, 09 April 2013 - 06:37 AM.

[Lynx7725]

jeffsw6, on 09 April 2013 - 06:35 AM, said:

If you are fighting an Atlas and he over-heats, that is a good time to try for a head shot.

Truth be told, if an Atlas overheats, I'll probably gut his side torsos rather than try for a head shot. The Atlas head is small, and the torso is a lot larger. My mechs are usually configured to deal in 20-damage tight clusters, so I can cut through side torso armour fairly fast.

[John Mechlane]

If you go for headshots, laser should be the weapon of choice....it's easier. I'm not saying it's impossible to get headshots with ballistics, but it's a lot harder...on the upside, one headshot from AC20 will kill you....
Missiles just go all over the place. You'll eat away his torso before scoring a headshot with missiles.

[Evil Rosa Parks]

I get headshots all the time. It's a mix of knowing where to aim and having the right weaponry to do it. If you're using lasers it may not be worth it to try and get a headshot as it's way too hard to keep the lasers fixated on such a pinpoint location on a moving target. Using ballistics or ppc's, however, make it much easier to score a headshot as all the damage is placed on one location at once. Long story short: if you want headshots, equip those weapons and spend some intimate time with google to find out where all the cockpit hitboxes are, some are in deceiving locations.

[WhatTheWho]

No cockpit shot should be deceiving. In fact, to get a cockpit shot on any mech, you aim for the glass viewpoint of that mech from if you we're piloting it. The first person view from piloting an atlas is the left eye, and so is the commando. It's typically the central pane of glass from that viewpoint as well. That is the target of aim when aiming for the cockpits, and this applies to all mechs.

Kills like these shouldn't be named headshot as the head hitbox of mech is part of the CT. They're cockpit shots.

I'd advise that any opportunity to hit the cockpit should be taken. If you miss the cockpit, you have at least hit the head, and therefore damaged the CT.

Edited by WhatTheWho, 09 April 2013 - 07:16 AM.

[CDLord HHGD]

Using the grounds has helped me to locate the head box on most mechs, it's much smaller than you think. Go in with small lasers to test with so you don't one or two shot the mech and play around. You'll find it.

[Lynx7725]

JaniTheWeedman, on 09 April 2013 - 06:56 AM, said:

one headshot from AC20 will kill you.

To be technical, no, a single AC20 hit won't kill a fully armoured, undamaged head. That's because you get 18 points on fully armoured, and you still have about 15 to 17 points of internal structure. That's why a number of builds go for 35 point clustered damage -- 'Phract with twin ER PPC and Gauss (35), GunJaegers with twin AC20 (40), BoomCats with twin AC20s (40). Because you just need to get a bit lucky against certain mechs (Cats, Jagers, Centurions) to blow their heads off with a single salvo.

Edited by Lynx7725, 09 April 2013 - 08:01 AM.

[That Dawg]

speaking of testing grounds, why dont they use max armor on our targets? so we feel good about killing a light with three blasts of LL's?

hey, I'd like to see a huge HEAD SHOT blast across the top of my screen when i do, in fact, deliver a head shot.

[Garth Erlam]

Head armour: 18
Head Internals: 15

(So every Mech's head has 33 total health to burn through)

[Rakashan]

ThatDawg, on 09 April 2013 - 08:06 AM, said:

hey, I'd like to see a huge HEAD SHOT blast across the top of my screen when i do, in fact, deliver a head shot.

Bleah. Please tell me you don't also want Betty yelling "COMBO" every time you hit with multiple weapons. Just bleah.

[Lynx7725]

Garth Erlam, on 09 April 2013 - 08:36 AM, said:

Head armour: 18 Head Internals: 15 (So every Mech's head has 33 total health to burn through)

Thanks for the confirm. I'll still go with 35 at least though, in case of spread, especially for lasers. Nothing quite as... final... as twin AC20s to the head.

ThatDawg, on 09 April 2013 - 08:06 AM, said:

speaking of testing grounds, why dont they use max armor on our targets? so we feel good about killing a light with three blasts of LL's? hey, I'd like to see a huge HEAD SHOT blast across the top of my screen when i do, in fact, deliver a head shot.

Well, most stock mechs are more or less following "book" builds. Book builds get away with it due to the TT nature, but it doesn't translate well into an environment where everyone is customizing to maximize a particular attack vector.

[Gravity Won]

The head is considered to be part of the center torso. What you are after is a much smaller target that lies inside the head. The glorious 18 armor points covering the cockpit. Our very own Rainbow Unikorn and some of his boys put in some long hours well before the time of testing grounds was implemented and gave us an extremely comprehensive guide to the hitbox locations of each and every mech that existed in the game at the time. Check his amazing thread out-
http://mwomercs.com/...x-localisation/

Pay no attention to the people that claim kills via cockpit destruction are an unrealistic goal. Before I saw Rainbow Unikorns post on hitboxes just a couple of weeks ago I couldn't seem to land cockpit kill shots no matter how hard I tried. I am at best an average pilot who due to sloppy self discipline just barely manages a 1.2-1.4 KD ratio in pug matches and I now find myself having no trouble scoring kills via cockpit shots, often a couple of times a day. Stay alert on the hot maps and prepare to have a good time topping the match scoreboards.

I made a quick video for you to show how easy it can be to hit the cockpits once you know where to find them and happen to notice some poor ******* overheating his mech while spamming alphas on Caustic. I chose my most lightly armed mech for the job of demonstrating that just a bit of careful aim directed at a stationary or shut down target is more than enough to rack up shockingly fast kills.

Again, be sure to check out Rainbow Unikorns kick *** guide to hitbox locations and then enjoy yourself on the hot maps as you scout about for the Atlas spamming alphas and overheating. You'll be sure to have a good laugh the first couple of times you get accused of aimbotting by a dead mech pilot who cant figure out how is fresh assault mech just got owned by a few pulse laser blasts.
http://youtu.be/8sBzVtqZ6PU

Edited by Gravity Won, 09 April 2013 - 08:49 AM.

[IG 88]

Garth Erlam, on 09 April 2013 - 08:36 AM, said:

Head armour: 18
Head Internals: 15

(So every Mech's head has 33 total health to burn through)

wrong light mech take less damage,......

[Sadistic Savior]

Lefty Lucy, on 09 April 2013 - 06:09 AM, said:

If you want to head shot an atlas, aim for the left eye, for example (your right when looking at the front of the mech).

Awesome advice. This is really good to know. This was frustrating me as well.

[Rakashan]

IG 88, on 09 April 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

wrong light mech take less damage,......

Please elaborate. Are you referring to lights who have chosen to remove armor themselves?

I could see arguing that they take more because of hitbox issues but barring player choice I am not aware of anything that takes less.

[Josef Nader]

You're shooting at the wrong spot, chuckles. The Atlas' head is it's left eye (right, if you're facing it). The 'mando's head is the tiny little window on the front where the pilot sits. Most other mechs have heads denoted by the centermost window on their cockpit.

[That Dawg]

Rakashan, on 09 April 2013 - 08:40 AM, said:

Bleah. Please tell me you don't also want Betty yelling "COMBO" every time you hit with multiple weapons. Just bleah.

I'd like betty to ****

[Wintersdark]

Karl Streiger, on 09 April 2013 - 06:13 AM, said:

Oh the question isn't that wrong.
Look i fired a salvo of dual LBX and dual SRM into the head area of a Awesome... believe it or not...NO HEADSHOT.
I knew that cockpit plate from closed beta, as well as i know which "box" glows when you hit the head of the Atlas....but although the box were glowing there was no damage.

LBX and SRM are terrible weapons to hit tiny targets like cockpits(LBX's are terrible weapons, period, and SRM's are not the monsters they once where). It's not uncommon for no pellets/missiles whatsoever to hit the point you're aiming at.

I personally have no trouble headshotting mechs somewhat regularly (and have video, is there are doubters, including an in-game atlas headshot). Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes not... But so long as you're packing something that can do 35+ points of damage to a pinpoint location, you'll headshot people simply by making a habit of always aiming around the "magic spot". I miss way more headshots than I make, but I try to make every volley a headshot when using an appropriate loadout, and assuming there's not a tactical reason to fire elsewhere.

[Sudden Reversal]

Sephlock, on 09 April 2013 - 06:29 AM, said:

Please delete this thread. If history is any indication, head hitboxes will be expanded to encompass half of the torso in response to this thread.

Your talking about the Catapult here I take it, because it is already there.