10408 replies to this topic

[DavidStarr]

Thanks a lot! I thought it probably is discounted properly, but was confused by the price after checking a bunch of other random IS mechs. Glad I asked, and appreciate the detailed answer.
I was looking at the 4P because it was in the patchnotes for the latest update, it had a nice missile quirk buff.

Returning after a break, there are SO MANY MECHS I know absolutely nothing about! Is there a resource to get quick info on mechs I don't know - how they play in general (like the big torsos here - I wouldn't notice if you hadn't mentioned), which variants are better/fun etc.?

Edited by DavidStarr, 25 September 2025 - 04:25 PM.

[Void Angel]

Not as such. The hitbox localization thread is in the guides section; that'll tell you about how big the various hit boxes are. MechDB is, as always, a very good resource - the only caveat is that it's sometimes a little off on its calculations, and some of the newer 'mech stats have display bugs. It still pulls directly from the game's API, and is great for building 'mechs.

And of course, builds matter a lot; some matches are lost in the MechLab before anyone hits the field; The GrimMech's Build Database is an excellent list of optimized builds - they're not always the best builds possible, but if you want to do something with a 'Mech, GrimMechs is a great starting point for your builds.

[DavidStarr]

Is there a way to get Mechbays, other than to pay MC or to sell mechs?

[Tesunie]

DavidStarr, on 27 September 2025 - 03:19 PM, said:

Is there a way to get Mechbays, other than to pay MC or to sell mechs?

You might also get them for event rewards or free mechs that might be earned and selling the free mech (if you don't want it or have a second copy of it). There are a few exclusive mechs that can't be sold, but those are rather rare.

Otherwise... not really?

[Kaiyalai]

Void Angel, on 22 September 2025 - 11:31 PM, said:

Like Ekson says, you do not want to use a first-order controller in a game with mouse and keyboard - because the mouse in particular is a zero-order controller.

...

But as you love your sanity, do not use a gamepad for MWO.

Ah, so, back to playing other Mechwarrior games until MWO has gamepad support that doesn't amount to "don't" it is.
That's unfortunate, but so it goes.

[Void Angel]

Kaiyalai, on 30 September 2025 - 01:59 PM, said:

Ah, so, back to playing other Mechwarrior games until MWO has gamepad support that doesn't amount to "don't" it is.
That's unfortunate, but so it goes.

Not quite. Honestly, if your gamepad is like my mouse, you can just assign any buttons the game doesn't recognize to unused keys (that's how I got it to use my G502's mousewheel side-clicks to trigger strikes.) Maybe there's even a way to get it to aim with one of your thumbsticks; I don't legitimately know.

But we're not telling you that there's not enough support for it (though MWO will almost certainly never support more control options than it does right now.) We're trying to tell you that in a PvP game, you do not want to use an empirically inferior control device. That's not just for MWO.

Bear with me a little, here:

Games that have cross-platform play typically separate mouse-and-keyboard players from gamepad users in PvP lobbies (Destiny 2 does this, unless they're part of a mixed fireteam.) And for good reason. Destiny 2, for example, will slow down the gamepad player's reticle movement when a target is under their sights, and the game's built-in aim assist is significantly stronger. One of the ways players were caught cheating in Destiny 2 was using a program to trick the game into thinking a mouse player was connecting with a gamepad.

Back in the Day, when the world was young, and Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, the original Halo was the first big hit First-person Shooter to cross platform lines. Of course, this ignited debates about whose setup was better - and so they decided to test it. CAL league players - professional gamers - from console and PC teams were invited to play in test matches, console against PC. It was brutal. The mouse and keyboard players solidly outperformed the gamepad users - and when the hosts turned off all the aim assist, it was simply murder.

This isn't a matter of inadequate hardware support; it's just that for this kind of game, a mouse and keyboard is better. Empirically, it is better. Imagine having to race someone in an identical car, but you have to go around the track twice. That's what it means to use a first-order controller against a zero-order controller. I know, likely you're used to your gamepad, and prefer it - but I have to warn you that you will be at a severe disadvantage playing any game, with a game pad, against mouse users.

TL/DR? As you love your sanity, do not ever use a gamepad in a PvP game unless everyone else is using one, too.

[Carl Avery]

Void Angel, on 30 September 2025 - 09:30 PM, said:

As you love your sanity, do not ever use a gamepad in a PvP game unless everyone else is using one, too.

The exception is if it's something like an arcade flight game. In a game where you need to be turning for an extended amount of time, the mouse's requirement of repeated lift-and-drag can become not worth the benefits of superior snap accuracy. Although, even in that case, a full-length joystick will beat the gamepad, which means that gamepad is always a second-class controller, performance-wise. The only thing it does better than any other controller is its ability to play from a comfy couch instead of a desk chair.

Edited by Carl Avery, 01 October 2025 - 04:03 PM.

[Void Angel]

Controllers are better for fighting games, as well. I should have said "first-order controller," but I mixed the terminology because of the subject at hand.

[Void Angel]

Mice aren't just superior in terms of snap movements, though - they're simply more accurate, because to move your point of aim you move your hand. For a first-order controller, be it a gamepad or a joystick, to move your point of aim you have to do more steps: tilt toward the new point, then move back to center to stop. And that's not even dealing with the corrections against a moving target.