21 replies to this topic

[Xmasterspy]

I have tried to find it on the web with no luck, but I am looking for the term of a group of people that will stop their forward advance to chase down a inferior opponent.

I have seen whole teams get decimated by eveyone trying to chase down a light.

It's like the whole team forgets that we are going for an objective (getting cap points) and turns around like a chicken with its head cut off. Like a dog getting called in for dinner, its only thought it yum yum yum yum dinner then the see the neighbor cat... then its CAT CAT CAT CAT CHASE!!! The thought of food long gone.

If we are walking as a team and a light happens to run past (most likely heading to our start point cap) Everyone should keep pushing forward except 1 one or 2 people to prevent the back cap. These people could be the person in front, back, a couple of lights.. NOT the whole team. Watch your hud and if you see someone break off then you know they are giving chase. If no one breaks off, its your responsibility to.

I seen this behavior in WOW for about the first year or so when AV first started. Horde would push Alliance to their bridge and then we would stalemate for hours. No one would ever push over the bridge.
It would be amazing how I would buff up, ghost wolf, and then run right across the bridge. Their whole team would turn around and give chase. Of course I would die, but I could drag their whole team to their own graveyard. I would do this a few times, then get a few people convinced to follow me in. After a few times, because they would break their front lines (and not let the people in the back kill me), horde would eventually push in. (sorry for the reference to WOW if ya never played)

TL;DR We don't need the whole team to chase down one light.

[Duncan Aravain]

Tis true that ADHD is rampant in MWO....oh look, a locust!

[Nothing Whatsoever]

Yeah, it happens.

And I'm often reminded of this scene, when I see it:

[mailin]

We call lights squirrels. I am currently running Shadowhawks, which make great squirrel chasers. However, if I spot a light, I will typically type in team chat that I got him. Usually this helps a lot. If I see my whole team start to chase after him, I will see which mechs are doing the chasing. If it's assaults or heavies, I will usually type something in team chat about how (name(s)) need to continue to whatever spot they were going before and the light killers will deal with him. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but at least I tried.

[Strayed]

Yeah I laugh when assault and heavy mechs chase a light mech and then wonder why their team loses badly? lol

Try typing out "SQUIRREL!" at end of match if you experience the enemy team or yours doing this, quite often people don't understand the concept of someone being "bait" once people learn that not chasing everything in sight is smart then you get better games.

[Ertur]

Look deeply in my eyes, and hear nothing but my voice.
You are feeling sleepy, so very sleepy.
If you see a light mech, you must chase the light.
If you see a light mech, you must chase the light.
If you see a light mech, you MUST chase the light.
Nothing is more important than chasing the light mech.

When I snap my fingers you will awaken, feeling refreshed and alert, and you will CHASE THE LIGHT.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
A Jenner Pilot.

[Xeno Phalcon]

Yeah its a pretty common and well known problem for bloodthirsty pilots to get tunnel vision for lights, that being said had a spider get womped a few matches back trying that and he cried so many delicious tears about being ganged up on


Interestingly enough this same phenomenon afflicts spider and jenner pilots when locusts are around, iv led a few of them merrily to their deaths because apparently locusts are such juicy targets that they make some other pilots blind to the group of heavies and assaults they are chasing you into.

[Dawnstealer]

Praetor Shepard, on 23 October 2013 - 07:15 PM, said:

Yeah, it happens.

And I'm often reminded of this scene, when I see it:

Absolutely this. When I'm in a heavy and PUGging, I'll specifically tell people not to chase the squirrel unless they're fast enough to catch it. Seriously, I say that phrase enough that I should make a macro for it.

When I'm IN a Light, and not specifically capping (ie. playing Assault), I will almost always try to get a trickle of enemy mechs to follow me into my allies to get picked off one by one. I've noticed that, in the vast majority of games, if you can go up by two kills, you'll probably win that match.

[DONTOR]

I like when it happens because at that point I know which team mates I can count on.

[Serapth]

It's a common enough phenomenon not just in MWO. Target fixation is a term labeled in WW2 from pilots becoming so focused on their target the would run right into it. I experienced it personally in really life when I first started riding bicycles. Someone had created one of those annoying road sign shrines at the apex of a twisty corner and on a bike you go where you look.

Couple target fixation with blood thirst and stupidity and... there you have the PUG life.


That said, it used to be WAYYYYY to easy to cap in this game, so if on a larger map you ignored a light you lost. The game desperately needs a no cap mode.

Edited by Serapth, 30 October 2013 - 06:57 AM.

[NuclearPanda]

Serapth, on 30 October 2013 - 06:56 AM, said:

The game desperately needs a no cap mode.

You're not kidding. I've been waiting for this forever now.

[Veranova]

Xmasterspy, on 23 October 2013 - 07:00 PM, said:

I have tried to find it on the web with no luck, but I am looking for the term of a group of people that will stop their forward advance to chase down a inferior opponent.

You're looking for the term "Lemmings" I think.

[Felio]

It's not only lights. Blood lust in general loses more games than anything else. People will gang up on someone who's obviously going to die because they want to boost their damage or get the kill or whatever, all the while their base is being capped or a portion of their team is being wiped out 300m away.

[Nevin777]

some people do seem quite obsessed with going after the light mechs. They are annoying to say the least, but having at least 5 medium+ mechs chasing a light is well... stupid.

[Phlinger]

A lot of players, new ones especially, get focused on a single target. They become determined to get the kill and take it personally if they don't. After a few moments, this becomes a competition as others join in the chase, and soon you have half your company chasing the single Jenner while the other half dies while trying to hold the line.

We need to come up with a term that is simple, one word that people will understand that will snap them out of this mindset. Squirrel might work, but it will be lost on some until the term gets widespread. Names won't work, that will just make people get defensive.

[Xmasterspy]

Serapth, on 30 October 2013 - 06:56 AM, said:

It's a common enough phenomenon not just in MWO. Target fixation is a term labeled in WW2 from pilots becoming so

Thanks! This is what I was looking for! I knew there had to be a name for it!

[wintersborn]

Sometimes those lights "Cough Spiders....cough" can kill your LRM support, CAP, TAG and even take out slow solo assaults left behind.

They are a real threat and that is why.

[Wil McCullough]

pair this with allied timidity and you get a very awkward game.

half the time this is how the play goes:

1. rabbit leads 4-5 mechs to his allies, with 3 of them blowing big holes in their leading mech's bum.
2. the rabbit's allies for some reason decide to back away upon seeing red triangles pop up on their screens.
3. the enemies back away upon seeing red triangles pop up on THEIR screens.

4. intermission time! cue rage essays in all chat about friendly fire and general uselessness.

5. both sides continue to muddle around doing nothing but rubbing buildings and paint (and some significant armor off their light mech allies).
6. random solo light mech from either team manages to stumble to his opponents' base after taking more damage from allies than enemies.
7. that random solo light mech gets the cap win because no one dares to move out from cover.

ggwp, next game.

considering i'm drawing players like wmusil in my games, i don't think my elo is low either.
i'd hate to imagine what the lower elo games are like.

[Vanguard319]

wintersborn, on 01 November 2013 - 12:03 PM, said:

Sometimes those lights "Cough Spiders....cough" can kill your LRM support, CAP, TAG and even take out slow solo assaults left behind.

They are a real threat and that is why.

You make a good point, (once murdered a catapult lrm boat without taking any dmg in a raven) but if you are committing half your force to stomp one little locust, and half of those are heavies and assaults, then your team is not making good use of it's assets. That is why these teams get owned: Too many ppl trying to kill the one lone light.

[ego1607]

I think it's (at least in part) about people being obsessed by their KDR. They'll drop everything and run for a kill, ignoring a large blob of enemies steamrolling rest of their team, their base geting capped etc. I've had some fun matches in which I was left weaponless and just ran around enemy team laughing my *** off as they all went for an easy kill, turning their back to the rest of my team and geting smashed.