14 replies to this topic

[IR_Quinn]

I play both game modes and all 3 variations of the Jenner, all my builds include 4-5 medium lasers, with SRMs on the 2 variations with missile hard points. My mechs are all running 300XLs so they are pretty fast even though I don't have my elite skills yet.

I've only been playing a little over a week but I've been doing fairly well, I can do more damage than most heavies in my games and I do well with assists/capping etc. However when I get this map I just fall apart I have no idea what to do or where to go, it seems as though wherever I try to go to flank or poke the enemy team can spot me.

The only thing that seems to work is wait for the first 3-4 minutes until the fighting is in full swing and join the battle then, hoping my team don't take too many losses while I wait.

I'd really appreciate any advice fellow light pilots have for this map.

[Appogee]

Use the tunnel, Luke.

[mailin]

Flying through the cave as Appogee suggests can work, if you do it right away, and if the enemy is watching or going water. If you have seismic, there are a variety of spots you can get to easily near the cave and wait for something to show up on seismic. If something starts heading towards the cave or coming through the cave, depending on where you are, you can then let your buddies know their numbers and whether they are fast movers or not. There is a fair amount of terrain that a Jenner can use, but just be careful when you're in the water, because there you are pretty exposed.

Edited by mailin, 09 September 2013 - 09:03 AM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

RyanUNDEAD, on 09 September 2013 - 08:45 AM, said:

However when I get this map I just fall apart

I'd really appreciate any advice fellow light pilots have for this map.

You have my sympathies - really.

I have similar problems with River City: Night.

As for being spotted - FC is surprisingly open, especially since the Jagers/Bjacks got added....

When I Lightmech that map, like Appogee recomended, I first head over to the tunnel - if I haven't got any hostile spots yet (seeing the red triangles somewhere) I head through the tunnel (slowly so I can back out easier if I have to) to see if the enemy is trying to go through it.

If they are I back out as fast as I can (the tunnel is not Light/med friendly for fighting) and warn my team.
If they are not, I either swoop through the tunnel to try and flank and/or partcap their base.

...Other times when I am feeling more brave (or stupid) and esp if the map is ...whatever the 5 cap-point is (the names are not very helpful for me) and if I am on the side nearer the cap in the water, I will head out there, trying to stick near what cover there is.

[mailin]

Patience is always a good thing, and it's really nice to see that someone who hasn't been playing that long has already developed this. While you're waiting, take a note of whether the enemy has lrm boats, and if so, where they are. You should try to make them your priority targets. This will do a couple things. 1) Get the enemy lrm boats to stop firing at your assaults and concentrate on you. 2) Possibly pull other enemy units back to protect their lrm boats. If they do fall back, get out of there and rejoin your group to then focus on taking out some assaults. If lights chase you, simply lead them back to your friendlies where you and several others can hopefully focus the lights into oblivion. Then, it's lather, rinse, repeat time.

Edited by mailin, 09 September 2013 - 09:03 AM.

[Lostdragon]

Stick close to your team and avoid going into the water early in the match. It is easy to see and shoot at mechs in the water from a large part of the map. Scout ahead a bit on the land but stay close enough to be able to get back to your team quickly. Avoid running through the middle of the open area in the middle of the map, stay close to cover at all times.

[mailin]

From purely a scouting point of view, you can also go high by the radio tower and then when you have a good field of view and are relatively hidden, shut down your mech. This will eliminate any possibility of being picked up on enemy sensors while still allowing you to see which way the enemy is going and relay that info to your team. Just be prepared to flee if ppc or gauss rounds start coming in your direction.

[NickFury271]

I play this map in all 3 Jenners and the Raven variants as well. I also have 3 Catapaults but you are asking about light mechs in your question.

When the game mode is Assault I will generally stick to running escort for an Assault or Heavy mech. Primarily I am looking to defend them against Lights and Mediums. Having one or more of the heavier mechs nearby usually means I am not the target and I am free to help my escort partners repel attacks. I can usually score at least 6 - 10 kill assists going this route and I pretty routinely get a kill or two. When its Assault stay close to the big guys and wait for targets of opportunity. Spotting out enemies for your LRM boats and telling the team where they are is also very helpful.

When the game mode is Conquest I run out and help grab the closest cap, then if things arent already gone totally crazy I can often sneak to the middle and grab theta, making sure to use the resource collector as a shield to make it a lot harder for the enemy to hit. From there its mainly watching the resource points and making sure I stay moving and keep the cap balance at least 3 - 2 in my teams favor. If you are lucky enough to have a few other lights on your team I recommend chatting with them and organizing a cap / defend lance so you can stick together and make sure the caps stay up and with focus fire you can start bring down their mechs while watching the caps.

In either case I always run with Advanced Seismic Sensor and for all the variants that have two or more module slots I throw on Advanced Sensor Range as well. I plan to add Cap Accelerator for Conquest maps once I unlock it. Situational awareness and remembering to keep moving "speed is life" is essential for the light mech pilot to do well.

Edited by NickFury271, 09 September 2013 - 10:29 AM.

[NickFury271]

In terms of using the terrain on Forest Colony I agree the cave side of the map generally has more spots for you to use for cover than the water side. If you can equip jumpjets with your loadouts you can use some of the cave side terrain as a screen and do some quick "poptart" shooting. If the enemy charges you then simply jumpjet over the top of the terrain and use an escape route that gets you back to the bulk of your team in the shortest time.

Edited by NickFury271, 09 September 2013 - 10:37 AM.

[Macbrea]

You probably shouldn't use my tactic when in my spider.. So, the match starts, I get up and run down to the kitchen and grab a soda.. or read the forums for the first minute. Then nicely prep to fight this battle after 1 minute into the fight.

At this point, the battle should have started for everyone else. You apply the throttle to the floor, yes, your never going to stop moving. The goal is to get as close to enemy mechs as you can possibly get while weaving in and out of the damaged battlefield. You want your opponents to shoot at you, while your crossing in front of their wingman. You want that guy the the ppc to point and try and gun you down when your dodging behind his friend. And if anyone has LRMs targeted on you, you want them to strike the guy you pass dodge into.

Yup, you have become a menace! And you are out there to get the guys in heavies and assaults to cuss your name as a light.

Note the important part on this map.. don't be first down range. Take your time, and stay as close to them as you can stand.

[Oppresor]

Ryan, you are currently running in what is probably the best all round fire unit available. The only direct competition you have, in that it can out maneuvere you, is the Spider; don't worry we all fear the Spider.

Running & Flying
In my experience the Jenner performs best as a hit and run unit. It's loadout can be savage, especially from my point of view, I run an Atlas Sniper. What I would say is keep moving and try to maintain spatial awareness of the bigger picture; yes it's great when you catch an assault out on its own, all you have to do is run around it and stay out of its firing arc. The problem comes when while you are doing this a Sniper gets a chance to gauge your speed and direction of movement; some of us have been out there a long time.

Forest Colony
Probably one of the best designs available. Starting to show size limitation now, especially with big teams. I would go along with what Mailin said about the caves, they create an excellent ambush area (Interestingly, a new thread has started up recently exploring ways that Forest Colony could be expanded. The caves are one such direction!). The other tactic is to use the Wreck as a hit and run shield, your speed advantage will let you do this really well if you are fighting mediums to assaults.

For the Inner Sphere

[John Buford]

Macbrea, on 09 September 2013 - 11:10 AM, said:

You probably shouldn't use my tactic when in my spider.. So, the match starts, I get up and run down to the kitchen and grab a soda.. or read the forums for the first minute. Then nicely prep to fight this battle after 1 minute into the fight.

Hey don't tell tall tales to new people asking for advice, your kitchen is just across the hall which makes the fridge not 10 ft from your desk.

[DONTOR]

I was actually just thinking this while piloting my cicada and commando recently, and its because of 12 mans. There are way to many mechs on this tiny map. If you go water clearly you will be spotted and maybe hit by a PPC or 2. If you go cave you will either have a clear shot to their base to pull a few back or get met by 8 mechs in cramped quarters and get obliterated. This is the only map where i play very conservative with my lights best of luck hope some of this helps. Oh ya and on conquest if you go Theta using the minimal cover available, chances are youll gwet overrun by 3 jenners or sniped from multiple angles.

[mailin]

I never go to Theta on Forest Colony, River City or the canyon map. Theta on all of these is too exposed for my liking. Even Kappa on Forest Colony can be a bit challenging at times.

[CPT Orangetayo]

Going water as a light can be good if you lure some inexperienced enemies players into the water after they spot you. You just have to hope that your team doesn't follow you into the water. Going tunnel is always nasty, not preferable for either side. Lights on this map do well to call out enemy movement and wait to push forward since it's a small map. Once the engagement begins, I've seen good harassing play from lights high on the hills around the tunnel entrances. Good places to shoot down from, while the enemy is hard pressed to aim up.