79 replies to this topic

[Leded]

Ok, so firstly I started to think this up during the weeks leading up to that god awful jumpjet “fix” so I’m doing this under the assumption that, that is going to get lessened or better yet tossed out.

1. First and foremost: Speed. Be fast be mobile, if you are going to stop moving have a good reason. A fast moving target is a hard target to hit with heavy firepower. Most times you can outmaneuver an Assault Mech into the ground and there are cases where circling can be a bad thing, because you are going to running through his field of fire every time you come around, which can come to the next big thing...

2. Use your superior mobility to you advantage and to your target's annoyance. Most times against heavier mechs I have tossed circling out the window and would at times stop behind him and reverse and come back around the other side and if I am lucky I can just stay close behind and not be subject to much return fire if any (this works especially well on Stalkers)

3. Be a sneak. If you have plans to run wide and come around behind them, control your trigger finger. If you have eyes on them and they have not seen you yet, don't blow your cover until you're ready to attack. Rolling up behind a Heavy or Assault and blowing their back armor off at point blank can have some devastating and also confusing effects. I took out a Highlander once before his buddies figured out I was even there.

4. Defense line breaking/harassing. Jenners work well at hit and run. Come in fast on their flank or rear and take shots at a few of them and zip off. If their whole team happened to be there you can draw half of them off and separate that pack a little. If you get any faster chasers lead them into your teammates. Rinse and repeat, if you finish the match with 8 assists your job is done

5. Jump Jets. Don't take them off, they are your life saver. If you are fleeing in terror from chasers its most times faster to hop over that rock than run around it, or even better get up a cliff they can't follow you up. A little harder to master is the jump 'n' gun. Works well against slower targets; run in towards your victim shoot on the way in, run right by hit the jets and turn 180, tap 'em to hover backwards and take a few more shots at him, then by they time he turns around you can whip him with the same thing again. This also works while fleeing a target, just hop up turn and shoot and land in the direction you're going to moving next. It's good at keeping them guessing (and missing).
*Warning*: this can often times result in both legs being blown off due to them hitting low.

5.5: only a side note: Armor that little beast up. Its default armor hp is dam near half of what it can use. Endo Steel can free up some tonnage. XL Engine is not a terrible idea either.
I've had the most luck with my JR7-F. Popped 6 Med Lasers, Endo Steel, 15 DBL Heatsinks, XL 270 Engine and maxed armor. JR7-F

And remember, the more obscenities the other team yells at you during the match just means you are a good Jenner pilot.
Have fun out there folks!

edit: just tried this today. if you come over a hill for a look and you see a bunch of targets to lock. mash the R a bunch of times, it will light them up on the map for at least a second or 2 letting everyone know they are "there" at least if little else.

Edited by Leded, 28 July 2013 - 09:47 AM.

[RuzzBot]

I concur, and thanks to Leded for pointing it out in a well-written fashion.

Let me add 6.: Use a scalpel. You can have up to 6 med lasers on a jenner. Use those to tear into the enemy where it hurts most, which isn't always the rear ct. On lights or centurions I generally go for a leg if I can sneak up on them. Why? because once they turn around, that rear ct will be very hard to hit, while you can alway go for a leg. On centurions, it's just easier to leg them then to blow up their ct; those things are damn resilient. On ac40/dual gauss jagers, I'll aim for a side torso to get at that juicy xl engine in there.

If a friend is in trouble, add that weight of fire where it'll help the most. If the enemy is still pristine, blow off that rear armour and confuse them. if your friendly atlas is duelling with an enemy atlas, and both front cts are red, please aim there (speaking as both an atlas AND a jenner pilot here)

Don't forget to press R and to look for the most damaged section!

Edited by RuzzBot, 14 June 2013 - 01:55 PM.

[Xeno Phalcon]

7: Bring your lucky rabbits foot, several six leaf clovers and your grandmothers favorite spitoon while praying to several different religions deities that no one on the enemy team has seismic sensors installed.

Edited by Xeno Phalcon, 14 June 2013 - 01:50 AM.

[Hammerhai]

Concur.
Jenner 7F is also by a long way my best ride pound for pound.
On seismic sensors... What range do they have? ie. How many grid squares should I stay away if I am scared?

[RuzzBot]

Seismic has 200 or 400m range. And while it's annoying, it goes both ways. my jenner has the module too, so no running accidentally into atlases . I usually stay 200-300 m away anyway unless I see an isolated target, so seismic is less of a problem.

[Mindwipe]

This applies to all light Mechs, but if you have to dogfight at full speed, especially the PPC/Ballistic boats, then if you're forced to come into their front, expand your turn a bit as you move through their side arc and as soon as you are in their front arc tighten the turn up. If you keep your turn as tight as it can go from the start you loose a bit of wiggle room and I've found being able to suddenly get closer is much safer than having to veer away.

As well, if there is any chance whatsoever that the enemy can see you, then weave while you move. Any shots that hit you while jinking back and forth are either pure luck or a pilot so good you're about to die anyway.

Also try and learn the hitboxes of the various mechs. It's an ongoing thing but you can learn useful tricks. For instance, as others have said, shooting the back of a mech isn't the best option for 6 medium lasers if their front is nearly cored. On mechs like the poor Stalker, you can shoot them between the legs in the back and get their front CT. A very good way of staying out of your teammates way and still killing the Stalker. You do need to be a surgeon in a Jenner, pick your shots, make them count.

People may complain about the Jenner being to hard to hit or whatever excuse the assault pilots come up with to explain their death by light, but always remember as a Jenner pilot you are in the least armored unit in the game with only three hit boxes, your CT and two legs. I've died from a side torso loss once or twice in about five hundred matches with a Jenner. So remember, every shot could be your last, and you're the bravest MechWarrior on the field!

[Leded]

RuzzBot, on 14 June 2013 - 01:46 AM, said:

Let me add 6.: Use a scalpel.

should have added something like that for mid to late game. picking apart the damaged enemies can be alot of fun. if you see any area in the red just zap it off and ruin their day. nice one there tho.

[DEMAX51]

Jenners have enough crit slots to use Endo, Ferro, and DHS - if you're serious about piloting a Jenner you're going to want all 3 and, ideally, an XL 295 (with the speed in the game capped at 150kph right now, there's not much point in taking an XL 300 - an XL 295 with speed tweak will put you right at 150).

A few other tips:

1. Streaks are your worst nightmare right now. They should be patched soon as to have less of a "coring" effect, but for the time being if you're being hit by streaks you need to run away as fast as you can.

1-b. If you're using streaks, try to put all of your laser fire on your targets center torso too, because that's where the streak damage is going to go.

2. Seismic sensor, Target Info Gathering, and coolshot 9 by 9 are your friends.

3. If you leg an enemy DON'T STOP moving. (I see this all the time - a Jenner will leg another light, and then stop and just stand there to finish him off - if you do this you're giving away the advantage you've just gained by legging him!)

4. Know where your team is at all times in case you need to regroup.

5. Keep an eye on your base-cap. Usually, it's going to be up to you to stop an enemy cap or at least stall 'em long enough for your teammates to back you up!

6. Constant movement isn't always enough. Move unpredictably! Bob, weave, use jump jets, serpentine - whatever you need to do to make the enemie's shots as difficult as possible!

7. Keep a close eye on your heat. On overheated and shutdown Jenner is a soon-to-be-dead Jenner. It's a good idea to have at least one weapon-group that puts your lasers on Chain-fire so as to keep attacking when your heat is high, but don't be afraid to break off from the fight and cool down a bit from time to time.

8. When you're still in the "scouting phase" and the other team hasn't noticed you yet, try not to use your jump jets unless absolutely necessary - the sound can give away your location.

9. Use your jump jets to make tighter turns instead of slowing down.

Edited by DEMAX51, 14 June 2013 - 12:27 PM.

[mailin]

Seismic sensor can tell you not only where the enemy is, but which way they are moving and how fast. Which means, that if you are hidden and detect enemies on seismic and suddenly they are moving towards you, they have seismic as well. Also, note whether they are moving fast or slow. This will usually tell you what type of mech they are.

[Xeno Phalcon]

DEMAX51, on 14 June 2013 - 12:06 PM, said:

9. Use your jump jets to make tighter turns instead of slowing down.

Be wary other mechs can do this too, alot of jenners over the A&C challenge have paid steep prices for comming up behind my BJ-1 and slowing down only to have my mech JJ180 and unload into them at point blank.

Edited by Xeno Phalcon, 14 June 2013 - 01:08 PM.

[Zerberus]

I would like to add that most of this (if not all of it) applies equally to Spider pilots

[Leded]

Zerberus, on 14 June 2013 - 01:30 PM, said:

I would like to add that most of this (if not all of it) applies equally to Spider pilots

Probably so, but i'm not good enough of a Spider pilot to pwn people with them i bombed hard on running a Spider. probably even worse now with the jumpjets the way they currently are.

[Leded]

ok i wanted to add, i was just fooling around today with my JR7-D and i jokingly would call it my "Minipult" a pair of LRM5s and 4 Medium Lasers lol. oddly enough it didnt work too bad. can pepper them at long range with the LRMs and you're fast enough to not be subject to return PPC or Autocannon fire.

[Urdnot Mau]

All Jenner run hot in intense battles. Take at least 1 cool shot and DON'T use 6 medium lasers.

[LoboSG]

I play heavier mechs most of the time, so I'll share something that may be useful.... I like to wait for the lights with JJ to land, and then I shoot. That is the only time when you can count on them being stationary. i.e in short, if you are using JJ, don't land in view of the enemy if possible.

[DEMAX51]

Urdnot Mau, on 16 June 2013 - 08:30 AM, said:

All Jenner run hot in intense battles. Take at least 1 cool shot and DON'T use 6 medium lasers.

I disagree. I run my -F with 6 mediums and I'm pretty good at managing the heat. Cool shot is essential though.

[Leded]

Urdnot Mau, on 16 June 2013 - 08:30 AM, said:

All Jenner run hot in intense battles. Take at least 1 cool shot and DON'T use 6 medium lasers.

DEMAX51, on 16 June 2013 - 07:14 PM, said:

I disagree. I run my -F with 6 mediums and I'm pretty good at managing the heat. Cool shot is essential though.

Double Heats Sinks my friend, Double Heat Sinks

[RuzzBot]

Mine has 6 med lasers as well,it requires moderate fire discipline but does great damage!

[Uncleclint]

The 6 med laser config is OK and you can manage heat quite easy if you chain-fire 3 of the meds and group fire the other 3.

But actually I wanted to add two more points to the piloting-a-jenner thread:

#367. You don´t need all of the 5 JJ´s. 2-3 are enough, if you need another ton for something else.

#368. BAP can be your best friend, especially when you meet enemy ECM scouts and got streaks equipped. It will disable the enemy ECM when in range and enable your teammates to unleash some LRM salvos for assistance. It also increases your sensor range which makes it easier to relay enemy targets to your team.

Have Fun

[Mawai]

My favorite Jenner build at the moment:

JR7-D
280XL
DHS (just the 10 in engine)
ES
FF
4 ML
2 SSRM
BAP
AMS
Near Max armor

It can run hot in an extended engagement so one weapon group only fires 2 lasers which works fine.

Modules are:
Adv Seismic
Adv Sensor range
Capture Accelerator, Target Information, or Cooling depending on preference and circumstance ... rarely the cooling one.

I also have the JR7-F which I have run with variations of 5ML+TAG and 6 ML ... most of the SL builds just don't have the range to be very effective I find. Other weapon loadouts using LRMs, PPCs, LLs are possible but due to tonnage requirements tend to sacrifice speed, armor or other equipment.

As for driving them ... the preceding posts have covered most of the high points ... but I'll emphasize a couple.

1) Always be dodging ... if you travel too far in a straight line you are an easy target for many.
2) Never run directly at an opponent who is facing you ... if you run around a corner and find yourself in that situation then consider jump jetting over the target.
3) Be prepared for a target you are following on seismic to be facing you when you come around a corner ... either dodge or dont go around that corner
4) If you plan to peek over a ridge or other terrain feature do it briefly and quickly ... too many folks in any mechs die by looking over a ridge and lights die faster than most if alpha'd.
5) Always try to support your team mates ... keep an eye on the mini-map and if you see an opponent engaging a team mate 1:1 ... make it 2:1. Also, pick off any stragglers ... any situation where an opponent is being engaged by your forces is a good place for a light to add their firepower to take down that out-numbered opponent as quickly as possible.
6) Don't chase an opponent into almost certain death. An opponent that retreats into the mass of the opposing force becomes a target of opportunity for later ... keep an eye on them if they are damaged ... but chasing them into the opposing force will often lose or cripple your mech even if you manage to get the kill. This is a judgement call though ... if you can get the kill and get out with limited damage ... do it.