114 replies to this topic

[Liquid Leopard]

Adridos, on 20 December 2012 - 12:50 PM, said:

EDIT: ^ Does anyone else see the pic that used to be here? ...Dafuq?!? The pic is still in the same place I quoted from, but it looks like my link is bOrkEd.

You may have already seen this scale, but I think it's a good guide for the question of "how big a target will I be?" This explains why my Centurion dies so much faster than my Hunchback of the same weight: It's a honking big target. I think the Dragon and Cataphract aren't much bigger.

From playing around on the Testing Grounds, I think the Awesome has a tiny little hitbox for the head, which makes it disappointing that a Catapult goes down from a head hit as often as it does. I haven't found the head hitbox for the Cataphract.

FireSlade, on 04 May 2013 - 01:15 PM, said:

Really? Sorry I did not notice you.

I was tempted to be a big nerd and say "hi" but I think I got distracted with the shooting and stuff.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 20 May 2013 - 06:50 AM.

[Liquid Leopard]

TOOON, on 24 April 2013 - 06:51 PM, said:

...Use an XL against someone like me that aims at the same spot over and over and I will kill you lightning fast no matter what mech you are in.

Learn to aim. Sounds like a no brainer right? Have you spectated many players? HORRIBLE.

I tend to aim for a spot on my first salvo, from there I try to aim specifically for that initial area.

Yeah, at present I can't even do that in the Testing Grounds.

Possible hardware/graphics issue? In the Testing Grounds, I found that I have a frame rate around 22.3 fps. The number is displayed in yellow most of the time. It goes as high as 23.6 and as low as 19.9. When it goes below 22.0, the number turns red, so I assume that's bad.

Could this be part of my gunnery problem? I have a hard time putting the reticle on target, much less one that's moving. Whether I'm being shot, or spectating, it seems like everyone else has a much easier time hitting a target.

(Thought I've spectated from some mechs where the pilot apparently has s*** for brains, and then I think, "How is it I'm dead and this !d!ot is still in the game?")

I had one trip to the Testing Grounds where my frame rate went down to 12.4 fps. After a minute I figured out what was different that time. Note to self: Don't leave the MediaPlayer on during a game.

...even if it is playing the MW2 soundtrack.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 04 May 2013 - 07:45 PM.

[Malzel]

That's probably a fair part of your trouble, yeah. I can't really imagine trying to play with 25 FPS or below, so my hat's off to you. My rig was impressive back in 2007, but now it has trouble keeping up with newer productions, so I lower my graphic settings until I'm getting 50+ FPS.

Anti-aliasing, post processing, and enviornmental rendering are probably the most taxing items on your machine. If you turn those off and knock your environment down low, you should have a much smoother ride. I still keep things like object detail, effects, particles, and textures fairly high, so the game is still gorgeous, it's just not trying to render the far side of the map while you're brawling. That makes it much, much easier to lead targets and pinpoint components, especially with lasers where you can correct your fire mid-stream.

[Lan]

Liquid Leopard, on 04 May 2013 - 07:39 PM, said:

Possible hardware/graphics issue? In the Testing Grounds, I found that I have a frame rate around 22.3 fps. The number is displayed in yellow most of the time. It goes as high as 23.6 and as low as 19.9. When it goes below 22.0, the number turns red, so I assume that's bad.

....

What do you have for hardware at the moment?

And yes, FPS that low will give you a harder time then running smooth on 60+ FPS.

[Liquid Leopard]

Update:
During a match my frame rate varies from 7.1 to 16.7. It mostly hangs around the 10s and 11s.

Actually, my eyes can't tell much of a difference until I see a mech teleport several meters.

I've seen worse! I started this game with a laptop I bought when I was being a cheapskate. I had a frame rate of 3 frames per second, in the Training Ground. I'd get the error message saying "Unsupported video card" and I'd say, "Shows what you know! I don't have any video card!" ...So it went for my first 80 matches or so.

My new computer has a 3.66mHz processor, 12GB RAM, and an Nvidia graphics card, but you know what? I still get the error message of "Unsupported video card". I guess a Quaddro 400 isn't cool enough. I have a better video card in hand, as I wait for a friend to respond to my bribery attempts.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 05 May 2013 - 06:11 AM.

[Malzel]

That's a little odd. Granted, video cards are not my expertise, but the Quadro 400 looks comparable to the GeForce 8800, which MWO lists as the "minimum" gfx card required. I use a Radeon 5700, which is also the "minimum," but still get at least 50+ FPS in a match. It could just be that your card isn't supported, and that makes all the difference. You also say your processor is 3.66 MHz. Most of us deal in GHz these days, so are you sure, and is your processor single-core, dual-core, quad?

I hope you can find a fix, because playing at 10 FPS would make it more or less impossible to have the kind of precision you want. I guarantee if you played a match at 60, it would be a breath of fresh air like you wouldn't believe.

[Liquid Leopard]

...Just looked up my processor, and it's an Intel Core i3-2120, 3.3GHz. (Which doesn't tell me dual-core or quad-core). I suppose I'm showing my age, but I remember when the Pentium was hot stuff, processors were rated in MHz, and RAM was in MB. Apparently, I'm now getting the units mixed up. I also still have MW2, even though neither of my good computers will play it. (A few weeks ago I thought about getting the Aptiva out of storage for that purpose.) The laptop will play MechCommander, though. EDIT: The Intel web site says it's a dual-core.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 05 May 2013 - 02:43 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

Without getting my video card upgraded I can still muddle through, get C-Bills, and even get a couple of kills a day.

I have enough C-Bills for many of the mechs in consideration, so I’m back to the question of “Which one next?” J

I could get an X-5 while it’s on sale, but I don’t think I’m ready for a mech that speedy. From my current mechs, I can’t hit a Commando, Spider, etc worth a damn. Now that I’ve tried the Jenner champion mech in the Testing Grounds, I don’t think I can shoot from a fast, twitchy mech either. I don’t know how Jenners are “easy mode”: It seems to me that, compared to heavier mechs, the Jenner bounces more on the terrain, and torso twist is choppier. Has anyone else experienced this? By the time I brought down all 8 dummy mechs, my eyes needed a rest. This may tie into my graphics/frame rate issue, but will influence my play style for sure.

One temptation is to get a Cicada, downsize the engine to a 280 (std) and add a heavier weapon load. Slower than stock is still faster than most other mechs, and I’d be a smaller target than in my Catapult. …Or, would this defeat the purpose of having a Cicada?

I’m gradually becoming convinced I should specialize in heavy mechs.

Another idea is to get a Cataphract and build it into a laser boat. Ilya looks good by the numbers, and evidently works for a lot of people, but at present I can’t shoot worth a damn with ballistics. Avoiding ballistics means using some other Cataphract.

I know from the hitbox thread and my own “head hit test” the Cataphract won’t go down with head hits nearly as often as my poor Catapults (willfully nerfed by the developers, for no discernible reason).

What sayeth my colleagues and mentors?

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 10 May 2013 - 06:35 PM.

[FireSlade]

The problem with going for a Cicada is that it is basically a light (5 tons to heavy to be called a light). Since it shares some features with lights meaning low armor/firepower, it needs the speed and maneuverability to be a threat. Personally I think lights are for advanced pilots; I see too many doing CODs when they should be hitting and running, running in straight lines, or thinking that they can handle damage. I am a big fan of heavies with speed/firepower allowing me to hit and fade keeping my heat levels manageable. That said another Cataphract would be the most forgiving or a Trebuchet. For an energy dependent the CTF 1X and 3D are the way to go or if you go for the Treb. the 3C, 5J (comes with JJs), or 5N look to be the best for energy hardpoints.

[Liquid Leopard]

I'm still plugging away in a state of indecision, which is OK because I'm saving up C-Bills.

I think maybe I suck less now, since I just had a match where I HAD HIGH SCORE FOR THE TEAM!!! Wooooooooooooh!
Score of 65, with 1 kill, 3 assists, 361 points of damage. Done with my C4 (Reykja)
We had a brawl where I'm not sure how I survived, and then we couldn't find the enemy survivors.
We thought we'd do a tease cap, and they turned it into a cap race.

All their base are belong to us!!! Mucho win!

Though 361 points is a lot for me, having high score this time doesn't make me the equal of anyone else on this thread.
I usually see people on both sides scoring much higher than that. It just happened that my score was high, and nobody else had done their usual amount of killing.
I'm exited, probably can't sleep now, but want to keep improving.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 17 May 2013 - 07:01 PM.

[Nathaniel Hazen]

I read the first dozen or so posts before going straight to posting, so I'm not sure if you've decided on anything just yet. Here goes my two cents anyway.

Lan had a lot of excellent points in what I believe was his/her first post. Using a mech well has less to do with the chasis/variant you're using, and more to do with teamwork, anticipating what your enemy will do, and knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the mech you're piloting. When I'm in a new mech, the first 20 or so matches I consider to be getting a feel for the mech and what I need to be doing with it to be effective.

That being said, don't necessarily give up on the Cats. Two of my 4 mechs are Cats. Both of them are running XL 245 engines: as you noticed, CT is usually where I die too, so having a vulnerable side torso isn't too big a problem for me. I also decided to go smaller engine so I could cram more firepower, armour, and heat sinks in there. I'm also not worried about being slow-ish (67.1 kph with speed tweak) since I'm not a frontline mech. When piloting my Cats, I tend to keep the assaults and heavy brawlers between myself and the enemy to shield me while I deal out massive damage.

My K2 is a lot of fun. I'm running 2x ER PPC, 2x AC 2, and 2x Med Laser. Watching dual PPC blasts slam into an enemy is incredibly satisftying, and AC 2s give me an additional weapon to fire at long range, but doesn't cost me nearly the heat that the PPCs do. MLas are mostly a backup weapon in case someone gets in my face since they're easier to hit with than the PPC or AC 2 if they're moving fast.

My C4 is an LRM boat (2x LRM 15, 2x LRM 10, and Artemis) with Med Pulse as a backup/close range weapon. It's the only mech that I currently have a better than 1.00 KD ratio with, so it's pretty effective with the killing. If you can get an enemy in your sights at about 600-700m, the onslaught of missiles is pretty devestating. If allies are spotting for you, it also allows you to fire over terrain so you can stay in cover and keep that CT from getting hit. The drawback is enemy ECM, the saucy minx. Still, I've had matches where my barrage of missile damage has gotten me 4 or 5 kills and dealt 450-500 damage. If you do like missiles, I would strongly recommend a C4 over an A1. Having the energy hardpoints for a backup weapon is priceless. Nothing sucks more than being useless because all your ammo has been expended and you've got no energy weapons. That advice pretty much goes for all ballistic and missile builds.

Congratulations on your awesome C4 game!! Just keep going for it, figure out how you need to use your mech to survive and be effective to the team, and have fun while doing it. Good luck on your mech hunt.

[Liquid Leopard]

Malzel, on 05 May 2013 - 12:31 AM, said:

...Anti-aliasing, post processing, and enviornmental rendering are probably the most taxing items on your machine. If you turn those off and knock your environment down low, you should have a much smoother ride. I still keep things like object detail, effects, particles, and textures fairly high, so the game is still gorgeous, it's just not trying to render the far side of the map while you're brawling. That makes it much, much easier to lead targets and pinpoint components, especially with lasers where you can correct your fire mid-stream.

Malzel, I keep coming back to your post as I tinker with my graphics.
I have most things turned to the minimum, but wtih effects, detail, particles, and texture turned to medium, the scenery is prettier (OK, not at Caustic...it's ugly regardless) and I haven't seen a hit to my frame rate.
So, I'm still having about 10-12 fps during a match.

I turn up my graphics to look at different camo patterns and colors, and take screenshots.
Then I really, really have to remember what to turn back down before I play again.

I forgot to turn it back down for a match tonight, and saw how much worse I fight with 6 fps.

[Malzel]

Heh. Glad I could help a little.

You know, as you're getting better at this with your current system settings, I feel it's like high-altitude training wearing a weighted vest. If you get to the point where you can dole out 400 damage with a kill or two at 10 FPS, then when you finally upgrade your rig and the game runs at a smooth 60, you're going to tear this game a new orifice, and I hope you're on my side when it happens.

[Fire and Salt]

if your framerate is bad, try LRMs or SSRMs


BAP will negate ECM within 150m as of the 5/21 patch...


try a catapult with 4x SSRM2 and 2x LRM15 plus a BAP.... you wont have to aim with precision to do damage... will help a lot if you have a bad framerate.

[Lan]

Liquid Leopard, on 17 May 2013 - 06:58 PM, said:

I'm still plugging away in a state of indecision, which is OK because I'm saving up C-Bills.

I think maybe I suck less now, since I just had a match where I HAD HIGH SCORE FOR THE TEAM!!! Wooooooooooooh!
Score of 65, with 1 kill, 3 assists, 361 points of damage. Done with my C4 (Reykja)
We had a brawl where I'm not sure how I survived, and then we couldn't find the enemy survivors.
We thought we'd do a tease cap, and they turned it into a cap race.

All their base are belong to us!!! Mucho win!

Though 361 points is a lot for me, having high score this time doesn't make me the equal of anyone else on this thread.
I usually see people on both sides scoring much higher than that. It just happened that my score was high, and nobody else had done their usual amount of killing.
I'm exited, probably can't sleep now, but want to keep improving.

Congratz! 360 is respectable, you pulled your weight and got 2 kills.

That's a good score for most of us, I doubt there are many who get more regularly. I usually get 1+ kill per game when I go with one of my masters Atlas but they are made to pound hard. In a Cat I rarely hit 3 kills.

My best game lately was with a Trebuchet though, a rampaging kidneypuncher that went for the critical kill with beagle and advanced sensor module (lvl 2). TBT-J with five ML's and a sixpack srms. I finished with my masters in assault and light mechs, working on heavy and just testing which medium I will go for. Trebuchets are certainly nice...

http://imageshack.us...nt20130517.jpg/

Caedwyr Amser, on 17 May 2013 - 08:11 PM, said:

...

Lan had a lot of excellent points in what I believe was his/her first post.

Using a mech well has less to do with the chasis/variant you're using, and more to do with teamwork, anticipating what your enemy will do, and knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the mech you're piloting. When I'm in a new mech, the first 20 or so matches I consider to be getting a feel for the mech and what I need to be doing with it to be effective.

....

Thanks for the praise and it's a greybearded swede actually. A little amazed so many liked that post. Common sense really.

Edited by Lan, 19 May 2013 - 01:39 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

I've just about decided my long-distance spotting problem might not be solved by frame rate or graphics.
Frame rate might help my shooting, but apparently other people can snipe targets where I don't even see them.

I've found more youTube videos posted by people with uber-graphics and uber frame rate, like this one:


I was watching this with in 1080p, full screen, looking at the scenery and going "Oooh...pretty."
The first couple of minutes, where the Stalker is sniping, I can't tell how the F this guy sees what he's shooting at. He takes a lot of shots with no target lock, and I don't see the target until its silhouetted by the sparks from the PPC hit.

If anyone else has watched this video: Can you see what he's shooting at?
How does he know which brown pixels to shoot at?!?
Is this a thing with hard-core gamers?
In the real world, I have decent eyes. I had laser vision surgery courtesy of the USAF.

This is the second video game I've played where the target is obvious to others and I can't see it AT ALL.

The first was Battlefield 3 where I tried to play with my brother-in-law, he was warning about some guy, I got shot, and he starts yelling "Didn't you see him?"
"See who? Where? F*** no, I didn't see him, or I would have done something about him! How the f*** did YOU see him?!?"
He points to the guy he's talking about, and I still don't see him.

(This is pretty frustrating, in case you can't tell.)

[Dayuhan]

Liquid Leopard, on 26 April 2013 - 03:16 PM, said:

Do better graphics make it easier to hit a target? Like, when the target is a dark object with a dark background in the Forest colony? At a distance I often have a hard time making out the outline of whoever is shooting at me, and the red square around them is HUGE, so just shooting the square is useless. I currently have to play with my System Specifications turned all the way down. If I turn them up, could it help me suck less?

Graphics resolution does play in to this, when you lower your resolution to get better FPS you lose shadows and much of the detail. If the higher resolutions hurt your FPS speed then you can compensate by adjusting your in-game gamma and contrast settings so the game is brighter.

[Malzel]

Did watch the video, and yeah, the first few targets he fired at were pretty hard to see, but two things should be considered. First, if you notice, even in the 1080p version of the video, the letters around targets are a little fuzzy, so what he was seeing in real-time was probably a little clearer than what we were watching on YouTube. Not by much, but it can be a little easier to pick out the silhouette of a mech against the haze of the background, especially on Forest Colony.

Second, if you go back an really watch, he only fires at 1:40 and 1:50 because he sees weapons fire going to or coming from that location. I don't think he can honestly see the mechs, themselves, just traces the shots fired. It's hard to see mechs ta that distance, but its easier to see movement of some kind, and FPS can help with that when you have a smoother ride.

I don't mean to make it sound easy, you're right that its ridiculously hard to snipe at that distance or see what he was shooting at, and the guy was a fairly decent pilot. But I don't think it's a supernatural ability that you're missing, Veterans can just pick out movement or weapons fire, and "do the math" to find the target and shoot back. And if it makes you feel any better, I don't feel like he actually hit either of those shots.

[Surtr]

Liquid are you running the most current drivers for your card? Go download geforce experience and it will auto config and update for your games. Also get in touch with mwo support, they can be quite helpful-

[Liquid Leopard]

Surtr, yes, I tried to download the latest drivers when I got this computer (2 months ago, I guess) and i think it was new enough it was actually up to date, right out of the box.

That leads to the question of; How often do I need to check for new drivers?

And, maybe I should contact MWO support and say "I have an Nvidia Quaddro 400 card, why am I getting the 'Unsupported video card' message?"

Malzel, thanks for your insights on the video.
Forest Colony is possibly the hardest place to see distant mechs, and I often try to compensate by using thermal or night vision to see which one offers the best contrast at a given distance.

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 20 May 2013 - 08:07 PM.