114 replies to this topic

[Surtr]

If you have geforce experience it alerts you to driver updates. I don't know man, it seems like something wonky.

[Liquid Leopard]

I just read the patch notes, and I really hate what they've done to the PPCs. I think this pretty much castrates my K2.

EDIT: Tried my K2, and confirmed that it's fxxxed.
Tried my C1 again, with LRM-15s, and began dishing out damage in a manner to which I'm not accustomed.

Now that the LRMs do more damage AND are doing top-down attacks like a swarm of Javelins, my beloved first Catapult can pull its own weight!

We shall fight in the shade

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 21 May 2013 - 08:34 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

Well, fighting in the shade was fun while for a while.
I still have to continue improving with direct-fire weapons, which leads to a new question that's less about mechs and more about software and hardware:

When I want to make small adjustments to my aim, it seems my crosshairs want to "stick" in place a bit, and when I unstick them, I've moved them about 2 or 3 times farther than I wanted to. This affects my ability to shoot the same part of a mech at range. Does anyone else get this effect?

I can't decide: Is this a property of my mouse sensitivity? Or my hands, which have never played a game with a mouse before and are apparently slow to adapt?

I hope this isn't a matter of physical mouse movement. If this is really because of the static coefficient of friction of the mouse on the pad, I'm not sure how I'd fix that.

Do different mice have different degrees of this behavior? I'm using the Lenovo mouse that came with my Lenovo computer. Besides having more buttons, are there big advantages to getting a fancy Logitech mouse?

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 09 June 2013 - 10:24 AM.

[Lan]

Hey Liquid,

What type is the Lenovo? Laser, optical or regular oldfashioned ball?

The problem you describe can be mouse mechanics, in game latencies etc. Let's eliminate the simplest, mouse issues. Have you seen that behaviour of the mouse getting stuck in other applications?

[Liquid Leopard]

It's a corded laser mouse. (Do they still make roller-ball mice?)
If the mouse is doing something similar in other applications, it must be very subtle.

In MWO it's only apparent when I'm sniping.

It's not like a few months ago when I replaced the mouse for my laptop because it would get hung up on one side of the screen and not go past a certain point. As near as anyone can figure, that was an old mouse.

[Lan]

Hm, well, when you are sniping you are zoomed in so minimal movements become much more apparent. It could be you don't notice it. I'll have a think about other possibilities.

And yes, there are still roller-balls. You never know.

[Jchan1e]

It's even more fun to try and play this game with one of those 90s track ball things.

[Liquid Leopard]

Jchan1e, on 11 June 2013 - 07:02 PM, said:

It's even more fun to try and play this game with one of those 90s track ball things.

EDIT: I wonder if my mouse issue really is a matter of the static friction between the mouse and pad. Whatever it is, having the crosshairs stick and unstick is messing with my game while I'm running my AWS-9M.

I'm holding off on buying a new mouse, until I have a better idea what's up.

I ordered an adapter, so I can plug in a nifty new video card...one with 1GB of memory which is actually supported by the game.

Also, I got a new Logitech keyboard, because I wanted illuminated keys that I could see without illuminating the whole room. Looking at the picture on the box, I thought the font of the keys looked familiar. Then, I got it plugged in and was doing a function check...

And it's the same font as most of the MWO window!!!

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 17 June 2013 - 06:01 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

My Molex–to-15-pin SATA power adapter has arrived, the new video card is plugged in and my video drivers are updated...

To Hel with homework! I’ve got...

F***! I don’t know how many Frames Per Second I’ve got! The new patch took away the F9 function! DAMMIT PGI!!!

We’re gonna find out if everybody’s right and I can shoot better with a higher frame rate.
Actually, I turned up the resolution from 1280x720 to 1600x900, and that seems to have made a difference. I might even be able to shoot worth a damn with ballistics! Wouldn’t that be great?

Once I've gotten used to the new resolution, the quest for the next mech resumes...

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 18 June 2013 - 03:56 PM.

[Malzel]

Glad to hear it, Leopard. I hope it's a breath of fresh air.

[Liquid Leopard]

It's quite nice.
...and I didn't say anything about it while playing tonight.
So far, nobody has noticed that my scores are going up.
Then again, I bet nobody noticed how bad they were in the first place!

I actually made a decent contribution as we rolled some 8-man teams.

[Tovan Cassidine]

Liquid Leopard, on 16 April 2013 - 11:03 AM, said:

I'm tempted to get a Dragon. Maybe even a Flame, since it has symmetrical energy hardpoints. I think symmetrical hardpoints are advantageous for aiming, and for staying in the fight with one arm blown off.

If I get a Dragon, does that mean my counterpart on the other team is likely a Cataphract or Catapult driver that doesn't suck like me? Could I be hurting my team that way?

I am normally a light mech pilot, but started piloting the Dragon and, I must say, it has grown on me. I now have three variants fully unlocked and oscillate between the DRG-5N© and DRG-FANG. I particularly like the FANG with a 360 XL engine and maximum armor. It is a wonderful skirmisher and makes reconnaissance by force an option. Using teamwork and proper tactics, to include taking full advantage of terrain, you will do well. It is not overly difficult to kill Atlases with a properly kitted out Dragon.

Edited by Tovan Cassidine, 24 June 2013 - 11:52 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

I'm trying to decide if my next mech should be the Heavy Metal, the CTF-1X, the CDA-3M, or the CN9-AL.

Now that the Heavy Metal is on sale, I'm kinda tempted to get it. But, I also have a few mechs that only have the Basic efficiencies unlocked, and I need to decide on another variant to buy and play to start accessing the elite efficiencies.

Even on sale, the Heavy Metal's price comes out to about $18.90 (USD). Still a bit much, but when a Hero mech is on sale, it always seems to be 30% off. Yet, there is a precedent for Hero mechs going on sale a 2nd time. Since I started playing, this is the second time the Pretty Baby has been on sale. The hero Dragons have been on sale twice. Should I take care of my other business and wait 3 or 4 months until the HM goes on sale again?

I need 2 more variants for each of these chassis, and need to prioritize the order of grinding:
Cataphract: Already have the Ilya. In the long run I want the CTF-3D. Before that I think I want the CTF-1X.
...unless someone convinces me another variant is better.

Centurion: I have the CN9-A. If I buy another Centurion, the next will be the CN-9AL. There's only 1 other variant that counts, because the Wang has lame hardpoints, and the combination of Chinese name and Japanese paint scheme is quite stupid.

Cicada: I've had some success with my X-5, but mostly while being a wingman to Ghoulee's CDA-3M. His ECM + my Beagle probe = Win! ...Sometimes. I'm not confident enough to play a Cicada in a straight PUG match. On my way to collecting more Cicadas, I'd definitely get a CDA-3M. What should I get for my other variant?

What do my fellow Space Vikings think? Cataphracts, then Centurions, then Cicadas? Then see if Heavy Metal goes on sale again?

[FireSlade]

I am a little biased in this but I would tell you to buy the HeavyMetal. The music that it plays when you kill someone (a heavy metal song and an Elvis style song) is just priceless. I bought it the first hour that it came out and I have never regretted it; plus it is one of my highest kills to deaths ratio mechs the others being my CAT-C1 and my Ilya Muromets. a couple designs that you may want to try:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...449cd0aca7b8e28
This keeps the stock Gauss, JJs and SRM6 and upgrades the engine to a XL280 (same weight as the XL275), adds 3MPLs and a second SRM6 with plenty of ammo for both the Gauss and SRMs.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...dfb0c8bc75c2f7a
This is for if you want some more direct firepower by swapping out the 3MPLs to 3LLs and dropping the twin SRM6s for twin SSRM2s and 1 ton Gauss Rifle ammo. This mech will definitely will run much hotter but it is hard to argue with 27 points of damage to the face. I have not run this yet so I am not sure how much hotter (come to think of it this design looks fun. I am going to have to build it lol).

Well I hope this helps you decide, good hunting out there.

Edited by FireSlade, 05 July 2013 - 02:12 PM.

[Liquid Leopard]

I remember well my early days of 2 or 3 frames per second, and getting excited the first time I did 50 points of damage. I remember my first kill, after 58 games, when I walked up on an enemy base and found a disconnected Atlas.

I remember finally doing 400 points of damage, when I had 11 frames per second, and the May 21st Missilocalypse fell upon us.

With 60 frames per second, and the Heavy Metal, apparently I can shoot OK: 811 points of damage to an enemy team. For many months that has been the kind of score I see other people getting, and I thought "I wish I could do that".

I did it with this configuration:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...19e58970a12b8bc
35 point strike out past 600m, taking advantage of convergence, and the fact that PPCs and Gauss rifles have the same recharge time.

I'm saving for a CTF-3D, and the next mech after that will be a 3rd Highlander.

After that I'll try to decide between collecting Centurions and collecting Cicadas.

Edit: 7/23/2013 had a game where my HM did 940 damage. The last 2 enemies were some Stalkers that sat relatively still while my teammate and I blasted them silly.

Let's see if I can post a photo:

Edited by Liquid Leopard, 12 August 2013 - 11:11 AM.

[KableGuy]

Liquid Leopard, on 16 April 2013 - 11:03 AM, said:

Greetings Norsemen! ...and women!

The search on the web site was glitching, so I can't find the current threads on "best mech". They might not have been current, and I thought I might weed out some smart-a$$ answers by keeping my query "in the family".

In a few days I should be able to get another mech to try, and I'd like some input.

Here's my experience so far:
I got a Hunchback 4SP for my first mech, and soon wanted a heavier mech. I figured with the right heavy mech I could have more of everything, and I could suck less than before. With enough firepower, I might even get a kill and increase my winnings.

I got a Catapult C1 yesterday, and I'm not enjoying it like I thought I would. I like that, when I can hit a target at all, I can shoot 4 death rays onto the enemy's torso. (I also think it's a sexy beast.)

Not long after I bought my Catapult, I read something about a "Large Head Hitbox" and "Large Center Torso Hitbox". Sure enough, it gets cored out pretty regularly. When I can, I turn to avoid getting hit in the same spot repeatedly, but I still end a lot of matches with the CT blown out and hardly any damage to any other parts. It's carrying a greater weight of armor than my other mech, a Hunchback 4SP, but doesn't seem to last as long in a fight.

I'm pretty sure I'm also a bigger target and a higher priority for the enemy's missile boats.

It's hard to compare based on stats for various reasons, including the fact that I've played 4 times as many matches in my Hunchback as in my Catapult. I can tell you my Hunchback has never been downed by a head hit, and it has happened twice to my Catapult.

I think opening the doors over my missile racks makes me easier to spot and kill. But, I've seen the delay if I leave the doors closed and try to shoot. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Another problem is that I perceive the torso twist and turn rate to be slow, even though I've unlocked the bonuses for both. I thought it was pretty bad that, whether I was turning at maximum rate or switching directions, this ****ing Raven was able to stay completely out of my field of fire, and keep shooting me in the back. I don't think it would've been quite as bad in my Hunchback.

Was the Catapult always like this, or did these issues appear in a certain patch? I remember threads saying the Catapult was great, or that it was overpowered, or it had been "nerfed".

Not only do I want a mech that's better at everything, I realize I need to get better at everything. In any mech, my gunnery skills stink.

Other mechs I've considered:
The Catapult K2 looks pretty mean, and is probably a smaller target from a distance, but will it have the same issues with taking lots of torso and head hits? Will it be just as slow to turn its torso?

I'm tempted to get a Cataphract and go for an energy-heavy loadout. I haven't seen a lot of complaints of the Cataphract being overpowered, so maybe it won't get nerfed. I've also seen a comment of "Head slightly easier to hit". Are Cataphracts going down with a lot of head hits? Does their torso turn any faster or slower than that of a Catapult?

I'm tempted to get a Dragon. Maybe even a Flame, since it has symmetrical energy hardpoints. I think symmetrical hardpoints are advantageous for aiming, and for staying in the fight with one arm blown off.

If I get a Dragon, does that mean my counterpart on the other team is likely a Cataphract or Catapult driver that doesn't suck like me? Could I be hurting my team that way?

I'm pretty sure I don't want anything slower than a Cataphract with a 300 engine. I might even want something fast.

Is a speedy Cicada a good or bad choice for someone with my p!$$-poor gunnery skills? Whether I'm dying or spectating, speedy Cicadas and Ravens seem to do a lot of damage.

I'd darn sure consider a 55-ton Bushwacker...

Desired results:
I want to have more fun, finally get some kills, and more C-Bills. For C-Bill farming, I've read that I should minimize my use of ammo, so is the CPLT-K2 advantageous over other Catapult builds? Or does it require ballistics to fight well? Doesn't a Dragon need ballistic and missile weapons to maximize its potential? Anybody like the CN-9AL? Or a CTF-1X laser boat?

I've seen on YouTube that older patches gave you a C-Bill Breakdown at the end of the match, and you could see what repairs and ammo cost afterwards. The current patch has no such transparency, so I can't tell what it costs to repair and rearm.

In the long run, after farming a zillion C-Bills, I want to pull my weight fighting against any invaders that might show up...

the best FRR mech is one piloted by a bear.

[Viking520]

And that bear is named Viking520.

[Rendhammer]

Great info here, thanks guys

[Sephlock]

Grizzly .

[Liquid Leopard]

BitMonger505, on 20 July 2013 - 06:38 AM, said:

I'm a troll who identifies with mutant space commies.

Fixed it for you.