30 replies to this topic

[travelbug]

youll only know if you try it out, but i strongly suggest to take konivings offer.

[Primal Pharaoh]

I got a few matches in and I definetely enjoyed it! I have no idea about what weapons do what or what mech is vulnerable to what but it was fun none the less. After giving everything a try and watching some videos I would have to say that I like the idea of a faster hit and run style over a big slow tank. How can I find some of these said teamspeak servers to find people to play with? Where would a good place be to figure out how weapons and components work and whos vulnerable to what?

[Johnny Marek Summers]

Sigh... this is the third time trying to post this. Hopefully this means that I can convey the information better.

Teamspeak. There is a topic pinned here that will get you on the Comstar servers. There are other groups out there and they will have their own servers.

Information. The forums here are really good. I also go to Mechwarrior Online wiki it has a lot of info and links to others including Smurfy and Mechnomancer.

As for mech vulnerabilities... armor is armor. Ferro is going to be damaged same as standard, it's just that Ferro is lighter but takes more critical spots in your mech.

Weapons on the other hand might have various effects of which you should be aware. There are a lot of forum posts here about weapons and their uses. Just remember that a lot of the posts are going to be opinions, based on experience, but still opinions. Unless it's a lot of math, the math is most likely right, it's how it is interpreted that is opinion.

[Hauser]

If you have trouble piloting a mech, try playing Mechwarrior 4 instead. It plays like MWO but it is single player and has a tutorial and story campaign to get you familiar with the mechanics. It is not as pretty but it plays pretty nicely.

Edited by Hauser, 09 August 2013 - 10:12 AM.

[TheCaptainJZ]

Primal Pharaoh, on 09 August 2013 - 08:19 AM, said:

I got a few matches in and I definetely enjoyed it! I have no idea about what weapons do what or what mech is vulnerable to what but it was fun none the less. After giving everything a try and watching some videos I would have to say that I like the idea of a faster hit and run style over a big slow tank. How can I find some of these said teamspeak servers to find people to play with? Where would a good place be to figure out how weapons and components work and whos vulnerable to what?

Vulnerabilities:
Nothing is specfically vulnerable to anything else. There are two "layers" for damage: armor and internal structure. Once the armor of a location ("component") is depleted, damage is dealt to the components ("equipment/weapons") inside and to the internal structure. When the internal structure is destroyed, that component (arm, leg, torso) is destroyed as well as anything inside. Each piece of equipment has a health value. Certain weapons have a bonus against internal damage (see below).

Weapons:
3 types: Energy, ballistic, or missile

Energy:
Sm laser - - - - - very short range, low damage, low heat, very light (.5 tons)
Med laser - - - - "de facto" laser, mid damage, mid range, mid heat, effective in multiples
Lrg laser - - - - - longer range, more damage, but more heat, good for heavies/assaults
ER lrg laser - - - - very long range, same damage as lrg laser. Personally, I don't think the range is good enough for the extra heat
Sm pulse laser- - - - - -
Med pulse laser - - - - -
Lrg pulse laser - - - I'll lump these together. They all do a little more damage, generate a little more heat and weigh a little more compared to their standard counterparts. In exchange, they do damage in pulses (rather than incremental over the entire duration. It's "lumped" into those pulses) and have a shorter duration. Except for the sm pulser laser, they also have a shorter range.
PPC - - - - - - Behaves like a projectile. Good damage, med/med-long range requires aim, temporarily disable ECM for 4 secs. Generated a moderate amount of heat. Minimum range of 90m (does reduced damage closer than that)
ER PPC - - - - - Same as above but long range, more heat, no minimum range.
Tag - - - - - - - - Not a weapon but a support tool. "Tags" an enemy mech for missile lock-on for you or your allies. Cuts through ECM as long as you are outside it's effect. No heat. Can fire continuously, but functions for 1 sec (so you need to maintain the target). Can be seen by the enemy so don't use it to give away your position!
Flamer - - - - - - Generates heat, but heats enemy target almost to the point that they can't fire without shutting down. Has a bonus on causing critical damage (require armor to be destroyed first). Does little actual damage and has the shortest range of any weapon.

Note: Lasers do damage over time. That means to be fully effective, you need to maintain fire on enemy for the entire duration of the beam. You can "splash" the target all over, but it won't do much good. It is very effective if you can focus on the same component for the entire duration. Pulse lasers behave a little differently: They deal damage in accordance with the pulses so the potential damage is divided between the pulses. If a pulse hits, it does damage. Their duration is shorter, so it should be easier to keep on the target.

Ballistic:
Ac 20 - - - - - - A heavy hitting weapon, 20 damage, short range, can only be fired one at a time without a heat penalty, takes up a lot of space in the mech. Will not fit in all sections of a mech that is even capable of mounting one
Ac 10 - - - - - - Your basic, mid damage (10), mid range Autocannon, moderate heat
LB 10-X Ac - - - Fires 10 shells instead of one slug (shotgun effect), has bonus like flamer for damaging internal components, weighs one ton less than the AC 10.
Ac 5 - - - - - - - Mid/long range, fires fairly quick.
Ultra Ac 5 - - - Allows a "double-tap" whereby you can fire twice as fast, but has a good chance of jamming in the process, weighs one ton more
Ac 2 - - - - - - - Light damage (2), long range, fires fast, great in multiples, good as an attention getter (enemies will target those that are constantly hitting them--psychological warfare), one shot doesn't generate much heat, but it fires so fast that you do have to watch your heat.
Gauss rifle - - - 15 damage, almost no heat, long range, ammo can't explode, but the rifle itself can (and most likely will when it is destroyed)
Machine gun - - - no heat, little damage, short range, bonus against internals (like flamer and LB 10-X). If armor is gone, can be very effective against internal components

Note: All ballistic weapons must have the correct ammo installed. Heavier weapons will provide less ammo per ton. All ammo has a chance to explode if the armor in that section is gone and it takes damage to the internals. Gauss rifle ammo cannot explode, but the gun itself can. Ammo explosions will damage your mech, possibly destroyed you entirely. CASE can mitigate the risk of ammo explosions if used correctly. See CASE below.

Missile:
SRM 2 - - - - - - - Short Range Missile, fires 2 missiles, pretty much useless
Streak SRM 2 - - - fires 2 missiles, lock-on weapon (randomly targets different parts of enemy mechs), short range, good against fast mechs, will not fire if not locked on
SRM 4 - - - - - - Fires 4 missiles, still not much use if there is only one launcher
SRM 6 - - - - - - Fires 6 missiles, try pairing with at least another SRM launcher
LRM 5 - - - - - - A lock-on, Long Range Missle, Can be shot down by a single AMS pretty easily, fires over hills and buildings, indirect or direct fire, very effective use of LRMs requires a teammate spotting, perhaps with TAG, with the LRM mech behind cover
LRM 10 - - - - - Locks-on, long range, still not much of a threat unless the target is alone and doesn't have AMS
LRM 15 - - - - - The most efficient launcher in terms of missiles and weight, a good LRM boat will fire 30+ missiles at a time
LRM 20 - - - - - Weighs more than the LRM 15, better use only if missile hardpoints are few, and your mech's design allows you to launch 20 missiles from a launcher
NARC - - - - - - Similar to TAG but fires a missle that transmits target for up to 30 secs. Not usually used as you have to put in the launcher and ammo and TAG is lighter and easier to use.

Note: Missiles must have the correct ammo installed just like the ballistic weapons above, which means they are also able to explode and damage your mech. Also, how many missiles your mech can fire from one hardpoint is determined by the mech's art. For example, the Raven 3L has a Narc tube in the left arm. That translates to one tube and it will fire any missile system in that arm one missile at a time, even an LRM 20! (To clarify, upon firing, it fires 20 missles, but one after the other instead of all in a volley). Contrast that with the Catapult A1 which can fire 15 missiles off of each arm simultaneously. Another example is the Hunchback SP. If you put a LRM 10 launcher in either torso, it will fire in 2 volleys of 5 since there are 6 tubes.

Other:
ECM - - - - - - "Disrupt mode" generates a 180m bubble around the mech preventing targeting from enemies outside the bubble. Any enemies inside the bubble can get targetting data on enemies inside, though they can't share that info with allies like normal. Also prevents all missile locks from enemies. Can be countered with TAG, NARC, BAP, or an enemy ECM put in "counter mode" (J on keyboard to toggle, by default)
BAP - - - - - - Increases sensor range. Directly counters ECM within a short range (180m?)
AMS - - - - - - Shoots enemy missiles, requires ammo

Upgrades:
FF - - - - - - - Ferro-fiberous armor. Only use if you have a light mech that has available crit slots for this upgrade after putting in ES below. Armor weighs less, but you are still preventing from adding more points than normal, a small weigh savings.
ES - - - - - - - Endo-steel internal structure, the first upgrade you want to get. Internal structure weighs less (a small, but helpful weigh savings), but it takes up 14 crit slots. Assault mechs may or may not have the available crit slots.
DHS - - - - - - Double heat sinks. Removes single heat sinks (but doesn't sell them) from the mech, new double heat sinks must be purchased (besides the automatic ones included in the engine). They take up 3 crit slots, but weigh the same. DHS in the engine are 2.0 times as efficient, other DHS outside the engine are only 1.4 times as efficient, pretty much a mandatory upgrade like Endo-steel
Artimus - - - - Increases the tightening of the spread as well as increasing the lock on time for missiles, weighs 1 ton more per launcher and requires different ammo that must be purchased separately

Note: You must pay to upgrade AND downgrade if you later decide to do so!


Also, check out the "boating pealties" post ("Heat scales - the maths" under the command chair). You can only fire a certain number of each weapon simulaneously without incuring an extra heat penalties.

Edit: Tidying post

Edited by TheCaptainJZ, 09 August 2013 - 07:39 PM.

[Fire and Salt]

•The most commonly used chat tool is teamspeak 3 for those that want to team up.
http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/


•There is a "Cadet Bonus." You get bonus income for your first 20 matches (or something like that) This is to help you buy your first mech.

•Supposedly, you can get a free day of premium time, which means more cbills and more XP. You need to activate it though. (I dont know how) Maybe someone else can chime in...

•You dont need to worry about the "boating penalties" mentioned above until you buy a mech as (usually) stock mechs aren't affected.

•If you do really bad your first 10 games, and then find out a new trick that helps you do a lot better, it might be good to restart your account so that you can take better advantage of the cadet bonus.

•When buying your first Mech, don't buy a light just because its all you can afford - unless you actually like light mechs. It will be worth daving money for a medium or heavy if that is your style.

[Xeno Phalcon]

You have my condolences for being a new player in the breadline cbill grind. On the brightside pugging solo is not a death sentence , at least not once you learn the ropes.

[Fire and Salt]

Oh, its not that bad. i watched my roomie do it. It made him that much more proud of his first mech - a Catapult-K2 affectionately known as "Robo Stomp"

[mailin]

Fire and Salt, on 09 August 2013 - 01:58 PM, said:

•The most commonly used chat tool is teamspeak 3 for those that want to team up.
http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/

•When buying your first Mech, don't buy a light just because its all you can afford - unless you actually like light mechs. It will be worth saving money for a medium or heavy if that is your style.

Also, note that in order to be effective lights require XL engines, DHS, Endo and FF, which actually makes mediums less expensive in the long run. I'm not trying to scare you away from lights, I'm just trying to practice full disclosure. For Jenners you'll need an XL300, Raven 3L an XL295, and for Spiders an XL255. I don't remember about Commandos because once I got them mastered I sold the lot. I know that there are those who love the Commando, I'm just not one of them.

[Jenovah]

Primal Pharaoh, on 08 August 2013 - 01:54 PM, said:

Sitting at work today bored and started looking into MWO as a new game to pick up and play. I have read through the forums for newbies and got some good info, but I'm seeing a lot of information here and elsewhere, implying that trying to play alone is almost pointless. As I don't have a clan and it would just be me coming to the game alone, I'm wondering if its worth my time to install and try it out if I have little sense to what is going on. I enjoy team based games and I have played them in the past but I know very little about the MW world. I would love to give it a try and if trying to get into pub games alone is as bad as I've been reading what would be an alternative? I have had issues in past games with this style of tactics where newbies get shunned and left in the dust and getting into a clan meant more experience than I could muster up from a lack of good pub games which ultimately led to me just uninstalling. Any advice?

Come on in... The water IS nice... But yes, you will need someone to help guide you along the way and obviously, it is a teamwork/strategy based FPS. So come join us at phoenixdominion.com. We can get you into TS and help you get started the right way!

[Bront]

TheCaptainJZ, on 09 August 2013 - 01:36 PM, said:

<lots of good stuff>

Great post. I do want to add that the Beagle Active Probe (BAP or Beagle for short) also speeds up missile locks for LRMs and SSRMs.

mailin, on 10 August 2013 - 12:23 AM, said:

Also, note that in order to be effective lights require XL engines, DHS, Endo and FF, which actually makes mediums less expensive in the long run. I'm not trying to scare you away from lights, I'm just trying to practice full disclosure. For Jenners you'll need an XL300, Raven 3L an XL295, and for Spiders an XL255. I don't remember about Commandos because once I got them mastered I sold the lot. I know that there are those who love the Commando, I'm just not one of them.

FF is cheep, but it isn't always worth it. On a commando in particular it's possible to run out of crit slots, and FF saves you at most .6 tons, so it's quite possible to live without.

But yes, super fast mechs generally need an XL to be able to carry anything sane regarding equipment (Who wants a Jenner with a single small laser?).

XL engines are useful in the following situations:

• Light mechs, where losing a torso means you're mostly dead anyway, and you can reach top speeds that make you hard to hit.
  
• Some medium or heavier mechs who are in the same situation as light mechs (Cicadas or one of the Treb models) or just are built for speed (Quickdraws, Dragons, Victors)
  
• Your mech is getting cored anyway, due to either hitbox or playstyle issues (Dragons, Quickdraws, Trebs, Kintaro's, Catapults, and even Victors)
  
• You're willing to take the risk to free up extra tonnage.

Standards are better in the following situations:

• Speed is not a high priority in your mech/build (Lots of heavier mechs, but some mediums as well)
  
• You can't spare the 6 extra crit slots (Usually with heavier mechs, or mechs trying to save tonnage with other methods like ES or FF).
  
• You need to be able to lose a torso and live. (Valid stratergy on Centurians, Hunchies, or weapons platform mechs like the Atlas or Stalker, some Highlander or Victor builds)
  
• You can't afford the right XL (Seriously, XLs are expensive enough, you're better off using an ok fit standard than buying the wrong XL and finding it's not a good fit. Some of the most useful XLs are the XL360 & XL300 (near top engines for multiple mechs, and a sweet spot in tonnage), with the XL330, XL280, and the XL255 or 265 (half a ton difference) being other popular ones. Some mechs work with oddball ones (The Commando that works with a 195 or 200 XL, BJ that fits a 295XL Max), but do your research before you plop down for an XL.
  
• Using an engine under a 250. There's less of a difference in weight the lower you go (A 225 has a 5 ton difference), so there's some though to saving the crit slots and money and going with a standard engine.

Ultimately, it's somewhat personal preference. I like speed, so I'm usually willing to sacrifice the possible durability to go with an XL to get extra tonnage for weapons, but others won't go XL in almost anything. Just beware on what engines you buy, and I suggest research your mech you want to build before you splurge on an XL engine for just about anything.

And seriously, the utility of a 300XL engine is pretty amazing. I got it for my Jenners, also use it occasionally in a Quickdraw (little slow, but made room for lots of weapons), Catapult (made for a mobile splat-cat), and Victor (Oh the weapons I could mount and still outrun an Atlas) with some success, and while it's not ideal for all of them, it wasn't a bad build for any of them.