7 replies to this topic

[SmoothCriminal]

Everyone complains that X is OP, Y needs a buff or Z breaks the game, but in reality the most effective way of beating an enemy team is teamwork. here are some basic strategies that you should adopt, even in PUG games. The main point here is maximising your teams damage output. As mechs rarely die in one shot, MWO is ALL about plugging away with as much firepower as possible whilst exposing as minimum risk as possible. The key is being able to kill faster than the enemy.

1. Focus fire
You see that big angry mech that everyone else is shooting at? Shoot at it too! the difference in firepower over time, or DPS, between lights/mediums/heavies/assaults isn't that different, and having even an extra 3 medium lasers, or an ac2 will help massively.

2. Line fire
This isn't counter strike/CoD. You should not sit there stacked behind another mech, rapdily jamming the "you take the point" command. As I said above, have 2 mechs dishing out damage at the same time is (this will be a shock) twice as effective at exchanging fire. So if someone is hogging a good location, move in to the next bit of cover.

observe this wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia...anking_maneuver

Flanking allows you to use all your firepower on a limited side of the enemy's lay out. In otherwords, 6 mechs can put out (here we go again) twice the firepower on the 3 mechs camped out on the left side of the map.

3. know your weapons
Armour does not regenerate, so dont poke your head out unless you absolutely have to. Engage a situation where your range will have dominance.

4. Do not commit on your own
You cannot rambo this game. It is impossible, do not think that you can. If you run off on your own you are a liability to you team. You will die, and your team will be a man down. Scouts are obviously the exception here, but even they must avoid actively engaging in the mass of the enemy team.

5. If your team commits, so do you
If you team pushes, or hopes to push a weak point in the enemy line, do not continue holding back, go and help them out. Again, if 2 odd mechs die becuase the rest of the team still fancied sniping some more, the team will now be 2 mechs down.

6. Assaults lead from the front, take the hits
There is nothing more frustrating to a heavy pilot than seeing a cowardly atlas not taking the initiative in combat. The heavy will die, because it is not designed to take the punishment an assault can. The assault will die, because it cannot out-DPS the enemy team that now outnumber it.

Common scenarios to be aware of and act upon

A: The enemy scout party has got too close to your line/the enemy has split in two
Do: Commit mediums and lights (even some fast heavies) + relevant LRMs to annihilate them quickly. An enemy team without lights will be blind and largely immobile.

Do not: commit everyone - this will break up your line and allow you to be flanked by their main contingent.

Do not: only commit lights - in a 1 v 1 fights, the lights will simply negate each other, and you have lost your oppotunity to kill off the scouts with minimum damage

B: The enemy is sitting back and using long range weapons
Do: Advance, as a line, using as much cover as possible and returning fire as much as possible. This will allow any brawlers to get to a suitable distance to make their weapons effective.

Do: Sit back if you are confident that your team are long range also. Focus fire on specific mechs. Call them out.

Do not: sit back if half your team are lights/meds/brawlers. your 4 or so long range mechs will be out DPS'd by the enemy's range. Find a way of cutting the distance, and engage as a line.

C: you know where the enemy is but they are using cover
Do: flank, advance, relocate, try and negate any relevant cover. Do this as a group.

Do not: run in on your own and try and 1 v 1 the enemy mech. You will be out DPS'd and die. This is probably the most common occurence; people "see red" and go in for the kill, only to be focused fired down by the other team.

This is mainly common sense, and I apologise if I've insulted any fragile internet egos with this unassuming post. But this info needs to be out there. I wrote this largely after a game where my team refused to exploit a significant weakness in the other team(3 mechs, identified and completely out of place, all 8 of our mechs at the tunnel entrance), and left me to die in a dark tunnel on my own.

Feel free to add any further advice you might think is relevant here.

[Rasako]

sounds like you were out of place and your group of 7 didn't want to waste time coming back to get you in a 3v1 fight that you got caught in to be honest

[Xynith]

in seriousness though, people should listen to this.

[Davoke]

Well, you can rambo. You just have to be both incredibly lucky and at peak performance. I was playing caustic and me and a friend(both in Atlas) rushed over the crater. He apparently left 20 seconds later, leaving me with 6 of the enemy team. 3 dead hostiles later, my team sheepishly rushed over the hill, apologizing for not having come in the first place.

[C E Dwyer]

Its post about laying down a base of fire and advancing with it supporting others in your, team/squad.

It is seriously basic stuff for any co-op, fps, game not just here, which anyone even pugs without voice should be able to comprehened

Not everyone is a crack shot, and are candidates for a leet clan but many either can't or won't grasp comon sense basics.

while this has taken time and effort to produce, its a lost cause in many respects as those that want to learn are, and those that should be reading this won't as doing stompy mechs walking and shootin is guude funz

[Tarl Cabot]

Quote

6. Assaults lead from the front, take the hits
There is nothing more frustrating to a heavy pilot than seeing a cowardly atlas not taking the initiative in combat. The heavy will die, because it is not designed to take the punishment an assault can. The assault will die, because it cannot out-DPS the enemy team that now outnumber it.

For a newbie, the above is not always a wise choice, especially if they are not prepared to evade (use cover) while spreading the damage (torso twisting), with a particular mech targeted. In fact, being the slowest mechs generally means they are last into the mix of things because everyone else HAS rushed ahead.


Many of the items listed are conditional on several things such as the make up of both units and the map itself. And with the newer players coming from a FPS will generally mean the lack of experience on spreading damage, equipping an owned mech, etc.

The biggest thing though is in game communication, be it the enemy was in my location when I died (ECM mech prevented signatures from being seen on radar), to "PUSH over the ridge now!!", etc. Reading what is happening on the map is not always what it seems (ECM covered mechs). Walking around a hill and running into a lot of them bites big time , especially after a light/fast medium had already been through that area but had not reported anything.

As for the last piece of your post next time consider how effective will your general observations if you appear haughty and the type of feedback that will be produced, reducing the impact you attempted to make.

[SmoothCriminal]

Tarl Cabot, on 20 July 2013 - 07:22 AM, said:

For a newbie, the above is not always a wise choice, especially if they are not prepared to evade (use cover) while spreading the damage (torso twisting), with a particular mech targeted. In fact, being the slowest mechs generally means they are last into the mix of things because everyone else HAS rushed ahead.


Many of the items listed are conditional on several things such as the make up of both units and the map itself. And with the newer players coming from a FPS will generally mean the lack of experience on spreading damage, equipping an owned mech, etc.

The biggest thing though is in game communication, be it the enemy was in my location when I died (ECM mech prevented signatures from being seen on radar), to "PUSH over the ridge now!!", etc. Reading what is happening on the map is not always what it seems (ECM covered mechs). Walking around a hill and running into a lot of them bites big time , especially after a light/fast medium had already been through that area but had not reported anything.

As for the last piece of your post next time consider how effective will your general observations if you appear haughty and the type of feedback that will be produced, reducing the impact you attempted to make.

You're right, I wrote this mainly to vent as I was annoyed that what should have been a common sense move was totally shunned. Shouldnt have let my anger get in the way of what should have been positive, friendly advice. My bad!

[TheArcher]

SmoothCriminal, on 20 July 2013 - 03:04 AM, said:

4. Do not commit on your own
You cannot rambo this game. It is impossible, do not think that you can. If you run off on your own you are a liability to you team. You will die, and your team will be a man down. Scouts are obviously the exception here, but even they must avoid actively engaging in the mass of the enemy team.
...
6. Assaults lead from the front, take the hits
There is nothing more frustrating to a heavy pilot than seeing a cowardly atlas not taking the initiative in combat. The heavy will die, because it is not designed to take the punishment an assault can. The assault will die, because it cannot out-DPS the enemy team that now outnumber it.

I saw an Atlas go alone into the tunnel on Frozen City in two matches today. In one match, the AS died alone, accomplishing little. The rest of his team then shutout the opposing forces. In the second match, half of his teammates were dead before the AS could move into line of sight on the opponents.

Yes, some might say "follow the atlas". But I'm going to choose to follow the other assaults that are moving in a direct line to good defensive/offensive positions. Going through the tunnel at 55k just takes too long.