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Situation awareness is the perception of environmental elements with respect to time and/or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, such as a predetermined event.
So what is this in plain English and how can it help you?
Basically, you need to keep track of many different factors and hold them in your head. Then the hard part is extrapolating that information and acting on it correctly. Factors in Mechwarrior include:
Enemy positions
Friendly positions
Enemy Loadout / Health
Rates and Directions of Travel
Firing Lines / Angles of Approach
Ammo counts
Heat (Friendly and Enemy)
DPS capability
Engagement Range
Etc
Real world examples:
The basics. Your team mate walks into a gap between buildings. You should be aware that an enemy might be behind the buildings, and not crowd him in case he needs to beat a hasty retreat. Instead, perhaps position yourself to flank the building, use JJ to get over it etc.
Check your corners, never stay still! Even when sniping you should be rocking back and forth in an unpredictable interval. Look left and right, swing your vision to cover your maximum field of view. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.
You are in Conquest. Your team has 3 points, the enemy two. They have just finished capping Theta. You control Eps, they control Kappa. There is a very high chance the enemy is going to head for Eps next. If you start moving now, you could intercept them.
You are fighting two enemy mechs. A stalker (slow, can't turn well), and a Jager mech. The Stalker is on full health, the Jager is damaged. Your best bet is to try and separate them. Try and lead the Jager back into your closest team mate, while also breaking line of sight on the Stalker. Don't stand there tanking the Stalker while the Jager has free shots at you.
You took the Side torsos off an Atlas or Stalker on an Assault map. They have no weapons left now. An enemy Cicada was attacking you while you fought the bigger mech. Do - switch immediately to the Cicada. Don't - Keep trying to kill the Assault while the Cicada keeps killing you.
You launch on Forest Colony. There are 8 people on the enemy team. It's 2-3 minutes in, and your scouts have only spotted one or two enemy mechs. At this point, there is a very high probability they are taking the tunnel and flanking you. You should start moving now for a position that has over watch on the tunnel, yet can also respond if they push elsewhere. What you shouldn't do is decide to stop waiting and walk up the middle or break cover.
This is really a difficult topic to cover, as what mechs your team has (are you slow and heavy, lots of lights etc) will drastically effect your tactics. Battlefield awareness, the ebb and flow of the fight is also critical. Are you getting spread out? Did you get drawn away from your team? Does the enemy have some LRM boats or snipers left alone at their rear lines?
Did an enemy mech just kill the team mate next to you? This one I see the most when spectating. Many pilots get tunnel vision and focus only on their individual target. Lets say your team mate opened the CT of the AC20 Jager before going down next to you. Your target is still armoured and currently ducked back into cover. Turn and kill that Jager before it kills you to! You should be aware of where it is, where it was headed when it killed your friend and where you should position to get the drop on it.
Did you think you saw a Hunchback heading around the flank out of the corner of your eye while you were fighting? Chances are you did. Don't forget about it and just rush ahead, or next thing you know he will be stripping your rear armour next.
After a while, these decisions will become second nature. If X, then Y. You will be where you are most needed, at precisely the time you need to be to turn the battle. Start planning ahead, don't get tunnel vision and watch your team mates backs for them.
Finally, trust your instincts! If that corner feels suspicious, don't walk around it. Don't even wait there to be sure. Nobody will think you're stupid for a strategic withdrawal to get a better look. The next thing you know, 2x Atlas will walk around that corner and you would have been dead.
This topic could form the entire basis of your learning how to be a better pilot if you let it. Just start asking yourself these questions as you play. Am I attacking the right target? Am I performing my role in the team? What should I do next?
You will forget often, make stupid mistakes and guess wrong. However those moments where it all comes together and you correctly anticipate and counter an enemy mech before they even knew what they were about to do themselves are some of the best moments in the game, making all your hard work worthwhile.
Edited by Arcturious, 29 April 2013 - 06:10 PM.
