128 replies to this topic

[Clit Beastwood]

How to PUG
Start match.
What lance are you in? If it is alpha, then you have no 4mans on your team. If not alpha, *follow and assist alpha*
Alternative: ASK if there are any premades on your team. If yes, ASK if you can tag along.

This isn't hard. When I run lights, PUG matches are easier than the rando groups I pick up on NGNG. At this point in time, there's no reason to complain about the lack of voice comms. Teamspeak is free and easy - if you'd like help setting it up feel free to PM me

[Mister Blastman]

Edustaja, on 23 September 2013 - 08:35 PM, said:

If you play a lot with a group your Elo shoots to a higher level because of your teamwork. When you solo you get dropped back to your actual level. Either deal with it or have a weight class you only play solo in.

Not true because you are solo versus multiple 4 mans. I wouldn't call that a true test of ability... more like a test of endurance.

[xMEPHISTOx]

Kitane, on 24 September 2013 - 01:08 AM, said:

Have one account for group play, one account for solo play.

And that is how it works best for myself...my main is primarily for 12 mans and 4 mans with solo pugging ever so rarely.
Alt account BaconFat is for 100% solo pugging and even then I still have a 59.6 win percentage.
The one negative is that I have 8 times as many mechs on my main as opposed to my ftp/solo account. So lose some variety when playing, but save myself from a lot of frustration.
Fortunatley I have had my alt almost as long as my main (since CB with alt at opening of OB)

[Screech]

Fierostetz, on 15 November 2013 - 11:33 AM, said:

ASK if there are any premades on your team. If yes, ASK if you can tag along

Why do you ask to tag along?

[Clit Beastwood]

Screech, on 15 November 2013 - 04:43 PM, said:

Why do you ask to tag along?

If a player is so new you can't play without being part of a teamspeak group, tag along with one. Watch what they do, and be a part of it. They'll be more coordinated than people off-comms, so if they start focusing a target, help out. One of them gets rushed, help them out. It's one-directional communication, if that, but it's communication. If I'm pugging and I wind up in lance Charlie I know there are at least 2 premades above me. You can usually tell when alpha lance groups tight and heads in a particular direction. If you're scouting, announce it and ask who has lrms. If you're heavy and slow, let them know and ask if you can attach yourself to their lance. But communicate - don't complain, don't blame, communicate. It's much easier than most people realize, and personally, when someone starts to follow my lance when we're in a 4man, I usually communicate with them, i.e. "we're off to do something stupid" or "we're all fast LRMS - atlas, you shouldn't follow us" or "hey DDC, tag along we'll bring targets back to you. let us know if you get rushed", things like that. It's part communication part situational awareness. The current playerbase seems to be largely focused on individual achievement, and by extension, high alpha mech builds, etc. If you learn to be more of a team player, you live longer. Voice comms are not required for communication, they just make it easier.

Edited by Fierostetz, 15 November 2013 - 04:49 PM.

[sokitumi]

yo puglife aint the weak of heart

[Bishop Steiner]

Mudhutwarrior, on 24 September 2013 - 02:49 AM, said:

I dont buy into "I pug and have no problems" especially when I see the names out there only dropping with teams. If anyone can be honest with themselves and others they will tell you the game is broken as it stands. Without in game chat any 4 8 or 12 man team has a complete advantage with voice over chat window. To say other wise is not only dishonest but contrevenes human experinece on the battefeild. When 12v matches are over in three minutes there is a huge disparity no matching or ELO will overcome.

Hopefully in time we will have in game chat so those with limited computers or isp issues can play on a level feild. I know when I run another program alongside MWO my frame rate goes in the toilet. I am sure that goes for many who can ill afford a new machine or have a lousy ISP. I the meantime we know who dominates the feild. Has nothing to do with skill and those playing since the begining know that if they were honest and dropped the false bravado.

That's nice. I pug 75% of the time. 4 Man most of the rest, sometimes bother with 12s, but only if I feel like being bored.

Oddly, not running into your issue. I go through streaks where I drop with a lot of stupid, and streaks with some smarter players, and my stats, largely stay the same.

But hey, you can continue to insist the moon is made of green cheese if it makes you feel better.

[Davers]

Mudhutwarrior, on 24 September 2013 - 02:49 AM, said:

I dont buy into "I pug and have no problems" especially when I see the names out there only dropping with teams. If anyone can be honest with themselves and others they will tell you the game is broken as it stands. Without in game chat any 4 8 or 12 man team has a complete advantage with voice over chat window. To say other wise is not only dishonest but contrevenes human experinece on the battefeild. When 12v matches are over in three minutes there is a huge disparity no matching or ELO will overcome.

Hopefully in time we will have in game chat so those with limited computers or isp issues can play on a level feild. I know when I run another program alongside MWO my frame rate goes in the toilet. I am sure that goes for many who can ill afford a new machine or have a lousy ISP. I the meantime we know who dominates the feild. Has nothing to do with skill and those playing since the begining know that if they were honest and dropped the false bravado.

I do agree that dropping 12 mans without coms is tough. The rest? meh.

[xMEPHISTOx]

I would not go so far as to say it is unplayable for pugs as a matter of fact I think it has been better for them then ever before. The days of full on pugstomping are pretty much a thing of the past. Of course it is not perfect but I cannot think of a game that I have played that provides a 'perfect' pugging experience.

[Bobdolemite]

My pugging experiences can be very mixed, rather than having a sort of logical progression of win / loss they seem to come in groups.

I think this is part of what gets people ticked off, its not just one loss, its a string of them in a row. For me though the wins happen the same way. When ive done too well and I get bumped up into a bracket with mostly grouped players it can last for days even a week, but then I eventually get beaten back down to a lower bracket where the wins and kills come easier.

I find that when things are really not going my way the best thing to do is just take a break for a while. Had a rough stint last week, took a 2-3 day break and came back in the last couple days to have the best matches ive had in months!

I do agree with the OP that the lack of social tools in the game doesnt exactly make it easy to find friends and groups. id love to see more chat options and eventually lobbies to help people organize a bit and start to level the playing field where groups are concerned. Id love to see Ranked queues or solo only queues but I doubt this will happen, I have relegated that thought to the deep recessed of my brain where it can wait for even a single ray of hope until then ill be asking for lobbies and integrated voice =) anything that helps us puggers to organize is a good thing.

[GalaxyBluestar]

W/L ratio is fine, i've just got hit reg issues to sort out, have replied in patch forums.

other than that pugging isn't a problem many players are doing good and bad because... players, not pugging.

[Troutmonkey]

Burpitup, on 23 September 2013 - 08:21 PM, said:

This game does not have a good way for groups to get together either. They need a chat system to get to know people better and better network with other people. The forms are nice but they need a better way to converse with an individual.

Party system with VOIP would go a very long way in this game

Mudhutwarrior, on 24 September 2013 - 02:49 AM, said:

Without in game chat any 4 8 or 12 man team has a complete advantage with voice over chat window. To say other wise is not only dishonest but contrevenes human experinece on the battefeild. When 12v matches are over in three minutes there is a huge disparity no matching or ELO will overcome.

Nail on the head.

Joseph Mallan, on 24 September 2013 - 04:45 AM, said:

First communication is a weapon.

One of the most powerful, and the reason premades have a massive edge right now.

Fierostetz, on 15 November 2013 - 04:49 PM, said:

If a player is so new you can't play without being part of a teamspeak group, tag along with one.

The time it takes to partner up would cancel out my free time. Playing sparodically for 1 or 2 hours makes it hard to just find people. And I don't really want to party up, I just want to be able to coomunicate efficiantly with my team, whoever they may be.

Fierostetz, on 15 November 2013 - 11:33 AM, said:

At this point in time, there's no reason to complain about the lack of voice comms. Teamspeak is free and easy - if you'd like help setting it up feel free to PM me

The above posts would state otherwise. TeamSpeak doesn't solve my problem because TeamSpeak doesn't actually let me speak to my team.

You can really see from above that what would make this that much more accessable to PUGs is efficient communication, the kind currently only found in premades with TeamSpeak or the like. If PGI offered built in VOIP, everyone would be on a level playing field. Started a thread here to try and guage how much interest there is, and by the number of duplicate threads rolling around I would say quite a bit.
http://mwomercs.com/...32#entry2915932

Edited by Troutmonkey, 15 November 2013 - 09:14 PM.

[Sandpit]

Mr 144, on 23 September 2013 - 08:48 PM, said:

lulz....since quitting my unit (and 4-mans in general) my win rate has increased 6% while exclusivly pugging

blasphemy!!! No way can a pug do well! Those evil premades are OP!

[Henry Morgan]

Bishop Steiner, on 15 November 2013 - 05:42 PM, said:

But hey, you can continue to insist the moon is made of green cheese if it makes you feel better.

Only if he can somehow make that into him being the victim and "not my fault".

[KinLuu]

Pugging can be hard at times, but in general it is OK. At least for me.

The worst part about pugging is, that it is very hard to stop a capping premade in assault, or turn around a ressource lead in conquest.

But I generally have a similar K/D and W/L while pugging. Just tag along the premades and support them. In all games I pugged today, there was at least one premade on my team. Sometimes several.

And its not like I play at the peak of mount tryhard.

[Mudhutwarrior]

Henry Morgan, on 16 November 2013 - 03:18 AM, said:

Only if he can somehow make that into him being the victim and "not my fault".

You guys are not fooling anyone but yourselves. There is no legitimate reason for not having in game voice which has been around since 1999. Only one reason for not having it is for those who use teamspeak to take advantage of the biggest exploit in the game.
You and those who defend it are just like welfare moms fighting a cut to foodstamps. You have it backwards as usual. Your sacrificing the future of the game for your own gain. Everyone gets it now on every other forum that discusses it except this censored one. Same tired people pulling the same shutdown stunts here over and over.

[Henry Morgan]

Mudhutwarrior, on 16 November 2013 - 03:43 AM, said:

You guys are not fooling anyone but yourselves. There is no legitimate reason for not having in game voice which has been around since 1999. Only one reason for not having it is for those who use teamspeak to take advantage of the biggest exploit in the game.
You and those who defend it are just like welfare moms fighting a cut to foodstamps. You have it backwards as usual. Your sacrificing the future of the game for your own gain. Everyone gets it now on every other forum that discusses it except this censored one. Same tired people pulling the same shutdown stunts here over and over.

Look at me! I'm a martyr AND a victim!

Remember, a number of us got to see your in-game behavior until it was taken down. Your in-game behavior is the poster child of why games don't do it.

Edited by Henry Morgan, 16 November 2013 - 04:39 AM.

[Mudhutwarrior]

Henry Morgan, on 16 November 2013 - 04:38 AM, said:

Look at me! I'm a martyr AND a victim!

Remember, a number of us got to see your in-game behavior until it was taken down. Your in-game behavior is the poster child of why games don't do it.

Any smear you bulls on parade can use? Nice to see and opponent so weak he has to resoert to hidden supposed transgressions?All the good players have left. The ones who actually cared and wanted this game to be better for everyone. All thats left is the usual cadre standing on the corpse declaring they know better than anyone else while defending their use of exploits on the weak and ill prepeared.. You fit that mold along with the rest who populate k-town with their destruction. You have nobody fooled anymore.

[Grey Black]

I pug a plurality of my games and I actually don't find it too bad. I will admit to some frustration over the inability to effectively communicate with my teammates, but if that gets bad, I just say, "Oh well, time to start a group." The beauty of it is you don't have toggroup up to have fun. If you want to get better and increase your skills, then grouping up is necessary. Much like WoW, for example, where puggies can't down a heroic raid without communication and skill.

[Slepnir]

Burpitup, on 23 September 2013 - 08:21 PM, said:

Out of the last 12 games i have one 3. All of them pugs. When i play with my friends we win at least half or more. 4 of the games that i lost i did over 800 damage. All but one i did over 500 damage.

I have no problem with playing vs premade teams. I have noticed that it has been getting worse since the 12v12. To tell you the truth i have no idea why it is getting so bad. I have gotten on and had 0 wins out of 12.

This game does not have a good way for groups to get together either. They need a chat system to get to know people better and better network with other people. The forms are nice but they need a better way to converse with an individual.

1.just because you loose doesn't mean the enemy team is a group/premade. in fact most teams have at most one 4 man team in any given drop on BOTH sides. 2.12V12 can ONLY be played between 2 full teams 3.there is a chat system and a way for groups to get together its called TEAMSPEAK. go look at the number of channels advertised in the forums. I frequent comstar US and 3 of the official house kurita TS servers. there is no secret codeword or handshake anybody can play everybody is welcome.