39 replies to this topic

[Photec]

Hi there! I am a total novice in all things mechwarrior. My only experience before my first few battles ingame was that I loved the animated series I watched as a child

I tried this out in beta, but found it frustrating and not very intuitive. I decided to give it a second chance though, and man am I glad I did

Having a ball running around in my Jenners but there are a few things I hope you guys can answer me

1) AMS - is it passive? Do I need to activate it somehow?

2) If I were to spend 100+/- 10%, how do I get the most bang for my bucks? I was thinking either the Max MC and get som heromechs or Project Phoenix Overlord with Sabre Reinforcement. What do you think?

3) Is there some kind of "clan" that **** new players when it comes to learning how to be efficient in their mechs?

4) C-bills is a problem, I always need more. Is there some way to get a lot of C-bills?

5) As far as I understand I need to get basic training on ALL different versions of a chassis before I can get my pilot from basic to elite. Is it the same from elite to master? I don't think I want to keep all the mechs I am driving

6) Is there a place where I can make builds WITHOUT buying all the components? It gets a bit expensive when I make buildmistakes.

I got hooked watching the NGNG podcast. Those guys make this seem easy, but it sure ain't! Hopefully I can bring some more of my mates from Warthunder and World of Tanks over to this game. So far the community here seems alot nicer

-Photec, scrub mechpilot

[Arnold J Rimmer]

Welcome back to the game! Glad you're having a good time. In order, then:

1) It is always on - if it's mounted and has ammunition, it will shoot down missiles within a certain distance of your 'mech (I forget exactly how far... less than 200m I think) and prioritises ones aimed at you.

2) Phoenix Overlord and Saber would be best overall, I reckon. You get what, 18 'mechs? And mechbays for them, plus premium time. It's an excellent deal compared to what you'd pay for a similar amount of stuff individually. Aside from that, all I've really spent MC on is mech bays.

3) Pretty much any clan that'll accept new players will help you. Some are more competitive, but most will help. I myself am part of Clan Snow Wolf (cswolf.net) and we use the NGNG TeamSpeak server. You'd be more than welcome to come and learn some ropes with us, and either join or not

4) Other than playing lots of matches, not really. Premium time is extremely helpful, as well as Hero mech variants. Combining both will give you an 80% bonus to C-bills earned (but you'll pay a fair amount of RL money for it)

5) Once you have unlocked all 8 basic efficiencies on 3 variants of a mech, you unlock the Elite tier. Completing a single variant's Elite tier will unlock the Master slot for that variant, but there's no real benefit to it besides unlocking another Module slot (and if you're having C-bill flow problems, buying Modules isn't too helpful).

Corollary: good Modules to get are the Seismic Sensor, and Sensor Range. The former is essentially a game-legal wallhack and the latter is always useful for highlighting enemies to your team if scouting

6) I use http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab for all my mech planning needs Easy to use, similar layout to the in-game mechlab, and it'll tell you exactly how much you need to save to fit your mechs the way you want to.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions Happy to help.

[Ingga Raokai]

1. Passive it is

Well hero mech can help you a lot in grinding cbills, they proveide x% bonus cbills, just pick which one you like. and i think phoenix will also have the bonus cbills.

6. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de or http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com

[scJazz]

1 ) AMS is passive... just have it, it works.

2 ) No need to go all crazy spending $100 when you don't even have a feel for which mechs you like. You could however buy like 3 Heroes and some mech bays.

3 ) Not really... you can join public TS servers though. People help a lot. There is also this forum.

4 ) Buy Premium Time you get one day free just for downloading... click download top right this window... click download... cancel... you should see Redeem in bottom left unless you have ad blockers turned on.

5 ) Read this... http://mwomercs.com/...cies-explained/

6 ) http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

Welcome to MWO!

[Phoenix Gray]

As another noob let me answer the ones I think I know.

I think you have to activate AMS, after that it fires automatically.

If you're going to spend cash money (ie, MC) the Overlord/Sabre package is a great bargain, but be aware they're going to dole it out in bits and pieces over the next few months so you don't get all those gorgeous mechs at once.

There is no "Clan Noob" I know of. What you want to do is play a lot and try to develop good habits as a player to improve your own ELO, or expertise rating. WHAT makes a good player? There is a LOT of advice right here on this board, or you can go to something like Vercinix's Pilot Handbook (http://tinyurl.com/pdg6o5v) Then start hanging around places like Team Speak 3 at NGNG and try to make a positive impression on the more experienced players there. You could even go into their chat while they're streaming and ASK what they think makes a good player. I'm sure people like Phil and Impy would respond to a polite question like that.

More playing = more CBills, and more experience, too. Keep grinding. Best way.

I think you have to qualify on three variants of each chassis.

mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab is a great place to fiddle with designs.

Play. Play more. And talk to people who will talk to you civilly about playing. Have fun. Stomp things. Blow things up. Try not to die.

[BrianLocke]

Welcome to MWO. It's always good to see new player who want to learn.

Here are some answers to your questions

1. Yes AMS is passive, it is always on as long as it has ammo and will shoot any missiles that pass close to you even if they are not targeted at you.

2. I would say save your cash until you get good at the basics, then invest in one or two hero Mechs because they give you bonus XP and C-bills. Also buy some premium time, but only buy it a day or two at a time since it keeps running even when you are not playing and if you can't play for a week, you lose a week of premium time for no gain. Also you will evntually want some extra mech bays to store mechs. The project Phoenix mechs are really nice but not essential. they are mostly for old school players who miss the "unseen" mechs.

3. I would sugest you try out one of the teamspeak3 servers listed in various places, like the NGNG teamspeak server or the Comstar server and talk to people there. You will find the game much more fun and people willing to help you when you have voice coms.

4. Hero mechs and Premium time are the best ways to earn Cbills. Also keep in mind you get more C-bills for an assist than you do a kill. In a perfect scenario you will have 12 assists every match. This is unlikely, but 5-8 assists is a good goal to shoot for as well as a kill or two.

5. You need to Unlock all the basic Skills on three different variants of the same chassis to unlock the Master skills and then unlock all the Master Skills before you can unlock the Elite slot. These are big help performance wise.

6. Smurfy is your friend http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ they have an online mechlab where you can tinker with designs.

Hope these answers and the answers of others help

Edited by BrianLocke, 21 September 2013 - 02:39 PM.

[Phobic Wraith]

Hey, I may not be the most knowledgeable pilot out there, but I might be able to answer some questions from my phone here.
First, AMS is passive. It is activated when missiles are fired and pass near you. Not necessarily at you. Just install it on your mech and add ammo of course. 1 ton is enough for just about any match. However, AMS is no substitute for finding cover, however.

Bang for your bucks? Best 'deal' is the phoenix pack. At the top teir $80 I think, not only do you get all the mechs, but you get the battlemaster - the most expensive of the lot. Bonus is that you'll get the bays to go with your new toys for free. On that note, next best bang for your buck are mech bays and premium time (which can't be turned off and on like a light switch)

Third, I know of no group that does this specifically, but the community, for all our faults being on an island, we're pretty happy to help you make your death machine more deadly.

Mech skills are pretty simple. Basic level any three variants of a Mech to unlock elite. Finish elite on any three mechs of a particular weight class to unlock master

C-bills are a problem for everyone now. The economy is only slightly better than the US at the moment. Which isn't saying much. There are tricks you pick up to earn more per match.

And finally google smurfy mechlab. It is the only way I get through my day now.

[Redshift2k5]

Phoenix Gray, on 21 September 2013 - 02:30 PM, said:

If you're going to spend cash money (ie, MC) the Overlord/Sabre package is a great bargain, but be aware they're going to dole it out in bits and pieces over the next few months so you don't get all those gorgeous mechs at once.

If you BUY a package, you get them all on the release date; they are only doled out in bits and pieces for those of us who did not/could not buy a Project Pheonix pack.

[SethAbercromby]

Heya, welcome to the funhouse.

While AMS sounds like a great idea, currently there isn't much gained by using it. Since hardpoints have no size restriction like in MW4:Mercs, insane LRM boats can be created which will render your AMS effectively useless (it might be able to shoot down 10-15 missiles but when there's 60+ LRMs raining down on you with each salvo, there's no real difference).

The Phoenix pack will give you a great base to start with. Other than that, MC is fairly expensive so for now I'd not recommend buying too much of it. Hero 'Mechs cost about 15-30$ depending on tonnage which would be fine if custom camo wouldn't cost almost the same. I was shocked after I did some calculations how much cash I had spend using my Founder's MC finding I had spend about 18$ just for painting my stalker. I find 5$ for a single color a bit expensive.

[Kyynele]

Please do take this with a grain of salt, it's my opinion only. I've played since february, currently own 63 mechs (not counting the phoenix mechs that are coming starting next month), and have spent more money than I want to know. (well, skipping the ones I don't have anything new to add)

2) Honestly, I'd say the best bang for buck would be the most boring stuff you can buy: mech bays and premium time (at least 30 days at a time.)

The phoenix mechs are a pretty good deal, you get the same bonuses hero mechs have, plus a ton of standard variants. One thing to note though, is that even the special phoenix non-standard variants have standard hardpoints. They're just the same mechs people can buy with c-bills, but with c-bill bonuses. The hero mechs on the other hand have unique hardpoints that you can't have without paying. If you value that, you might consider the heros better bang for buck.

I'd suggest avoiding the following heros: Death's Knell (not newbie friendly, dies very easily), Fang (Flame is better), Pretty Baby (Awesomes have big problems in general, and PB is not really one of the best Awesomes.) Other than these you can probably make your mech of choice work. Firebrand and Ilya Muromets are pretty safe choices imo.

[Photec]

Wow, thanks for the response!

100$ is just a few beers in a bar (the universal currency) so thats why I set that amount. Hell, one premium tank in WoT costs the same as 18 mechs here Looks like I'll be buying the Project Phoenix then! Does anyone know when it expires? I still have 2 weeks left on my WoT-premium and kinda want to get play my tanks a bit before it goes out the window again

As a 30 year old man with no kids and a VERY understanding wife I should have no trouble playing 85+ of those 90 days of premium.

I've already added NGNGs TS3 server to my bookmarks, so as soon as I get my headset back from the shop I'll be sure to join up and have a chat with people there.

I love my Jenners but the high speed dogfighting is a bit tiresome, so I try to use them for dodging in and out and taking potshots instead. Results have been... Mixed.

Ty for the feedback, and hopefully I'll se ya'll ingame at some point

PS: After playing WoT with a bunch of 14 year old polacks, russians and czechs, this community seems a fair bit more mature and welcoming

Edit: I've been looking at the X-5 and Ilya Muromets as a few hero mechs to begin with, and possibly the Misery as well.

Edited by Photec, 21 September 2013 - 03:42 PM.

[Attackmack]

Dont spend any real money on this game just yet.
Being new you might not have noticed it but the developers is threading on thin ice and unless they get back on track very soon, this game will probably fade away and die soon.

Im glad your enjoying the game, so did I the first few months I was playing, and i dont wanna take that away from you.
But be aware that this game will most likely not be supported for a long time, and the playerbase is probably drop in masses the coming months.
It might be good to know about that before you drop any real money into it.


Anyway, enjoy your stay and the game.

[SethAbercromby]

Attackmack, on 21 September 2013 - 03:48 PM, said:

Dont spend any real money on this game just yet.
Being new you might not have noticed it but the developers is threading on thin ice and unless they get back on track very soon, this game will probably fade away and die soon.

Im glad your enjoying the game, so did I the first few months I was playing, and i dont wanna take that away from you.
But be aware that this game will most likely not be supported for a long time, and the playerbase is probably drop in masses the coming months.
It might be good to know about that before you drop any real money into it.


Anyway, enjoy your stay and the game.

I see no evidence for any of the statements people like you have made before and and still see no reason to believe them. The ones waging war are you and only you and the devs are taking the right decision to take any you people say with a grain of salt.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Photec, on 21 September 2013 - 03:34 PM, said:

Edit: I've been looking at the X-5 and Ilya Muromets as a few hero mechs to begin with, and possibly the Misery as well.

I would highly recommend playing with some of the C-bill variants before you buy a Hero

If only because if you want the most out of your hero - you are going to have to play the C-Bill variants anyways.

Welcome to the game, and please feel free to make your own descisions on what does or does not work
As with most games what works for one does not for another
An example being LRM weapons - most will tell you they are only valuable if you can launch 30+ missiles at once - whilst ignoring the suppression potential of the smaller ones

[Photec]

Even if the game were to go away within the next few months, I'd still think it was worth it to pay for some goodies. It's just cash and not a lot of it. I have seen nothing that makes me fear for the games future, although it doesn't seem to be very well advertised :\

I already have a few Jenners, and I love playing them. I'm done with basic on 2 of the variants and I'm about to start on the third. Having fun, but I want a bit more variety

The heromechs looks like a lot of fun, but my lack of C-bills is so bad that I'm even considering buying a few mechs for MC just so I can sell them for C-Bills >_<

[mailin]

Seth Abercrombie wrote: While AMS sounds like a great idea, currently there isn't much gained by using it. Since hardpoints have no size restriction like in MW4:Mercs, insane LRM boats can be created which will render your AMS effectively useless (it might be able to shoot down 10-15 missiles but when there's 60+ LRMs raining down on you with each salvo, there's no real difference).

Sorry but Seth is wrong here on a lot of accounts. AMS is not useless. It weighs ½ ton, ammo weighs 1 ton (place the ammo in your head) and it will possibly shoot down 5 missiles per salvo. That means less damage that you will take from every salvo. Also, it will help protect friendlies that have missiles coming in at them. This means that if there are several friendly mechs relatively close together and they all have AMS they may ALL be effectively immune to missile fire. Also, under the current meta, anything over 40 in one salvo means that the lrm boat is taking a heat penalty, so there are very few that do this anymore.

Phobic Wrath had it right regarding skills: Mech skills are pretty simple. Basic level any three variants of a Mech Chassis to unlock elite. Finish elite on any three mechs of a particular weight class to unlock master.

But also note that once you get all the elite skills for a given variant all of the basics are at double their normal efficiency.

As Shar Wolf has suggested, there are some who don’t fire huge salvos. My lrm boat has 5 lrm 5s which I chain fire. I have my reasons for this, and when I drop against guys who are on my friends list, I will usually have a message from them after game about how devastating my lrm rain is.

If you like driving a Jenner, and are thinking about going the X-5 route you may want to seriously take a look at the other Cicadas as well. The 3M has ECM, but only energy hard point, same for the 2A, but they can be a lot of fun. Also, If you buy the X5 you can work that up to get the efficiencies in that variant until you have enough for a 3M and so on. (The X5 is one of several mechs that I still enjoy driving.) The best use of money currently is mech bays and premium time. Mech bays because they are very cheap and let you buy mechs and not have to worry about selling them (you make a pittance on selling mechs), and premium time because of the bonuses you get. Think about the Phoenix pack because you will get hero mechs in a couple of weeks and the mech bays to hold them.

Check out the smurfy website that has been previously linked by others. We all use it to design our mechs before spending any of our precious c-bills.

Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions or want to drop with me. (I’m a pretty decent light driver.)

A last bit of advice for you, if Koniving chimes in on this thread, listen to him. He is a great source of correct information and he has helped a lot of new players feel not quite so lost as they were before.

[Snegtag]

Hi-I started playing in Feb had a bad start then someone I don't know who stopped in front of me on the River City map and bam--my first kill. I then did what you thinking off doing spent some money (not a big deal for me) to leap frog forward.
I agree the Phoenix works out pretty good if you add up the MC cost for bays + preimum time + "30%+ Cbill" mechs.
For Hero mechs wait for a sale. Normally 1 weekend per month there is a sale with 1 or 2 hero mechs.
Have fun and take everything with a grain of salt--

[maddog6707]

Project Phonex mechs will be delivered Oct 14 so you better buy soon. I don't know if they will continue the sale after the mechs are released.

Premium time really helps with generating loads of cbills. Also since you are piloting Jenners you are probably not getting very many kills per match or high damage. I suggest buying a Jager or a Cataphract. I consistently get more kills and do more damage with these mechs than some of my other chassis. Better match performance = more dough in the bank.

Two good builds
JM6-DD: 2 AC5's and 2 AC2's all grouped together
CTF-3D: 4 ML and 2 AC10's with 2 jump jets

[SethAbercromby]

mailin, on 21 September 2013 - 04:44 PM, said:

Sorry but Seth is wrong here on a lot of accounts. AMS is not useless. It weighs ½ ton, ammo weighs 1 ton (place the ammo in your head) and it will possibly shoot down 5 missiles per salvo. That means less damage that you will take from every salvo. Also, it will help protect friendlies that have missiles coming in at them. This means that if there are several friendly mechs relatively close together and they all have AMS they may ALL be effectively immune to missile fire. Also, under the current meta, anything over 40 in one salvo means that the lrm boat is taking a heat penalty, so there are very few that do this anymore.

Sure, chaining like 5 AMS next to each other is helpful but the only 'Mech that can really defend itself on average (multiple smaller groups, spread over various strategic points, also considering only 40-75% off all 'Mechs actually having AMS mounted) is the Stalker 5S that uses dual AMS which seems to improve the efficiency of each individual AMS by about 50% (but I suppose that's just the much better coverage the two systems can provide). As I've said, AMS itself isn't bad but it's still very easy for LRM boats to net devastating hits with each salvo. Hell, even with 2 'Mechs AMS firing at my salvos, I can still get quite a few hits in with salvos of just 20 missiles. I could be wrong with that but especially large numbers of missiles seem to overload the AMS making it actually less effective, as sometimes a single AMS mine has barely shot singles missile when I got targeted by LRM 40+ salvos.

[Alaskan Nobody]

maddog6707, on 21 September 2013 - 05:01 PM, said:

Project Phonex mechs will be delivered Oct 15

Close - but we do not want people blowing up because they expected it a day early now do we