10372 replies to this topic

[LauLiao]

PlaidDragon, on 01 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

Is there a comprehensive reference somewhere that I can read to learn about all the weapons/systems/etc in the game?

I've never played any TT or other version of MW until now and a lot of this is greek to me. I'm not talking about the base weapons. Instead, I'd like to know more about how everything works like artemis, tag, why double heat sinks aren't available for me to purchase when config'ing mechs... many other questions.

Most of your questions require a pretty extensive explanation, but I can answer your heatsink one pretty quickly. Before you can buy and install double heatsinks, you need to "convert" your mech to be able to use them. In the mech lab, the far right button will take you to the screen where you can upgrade to FF armor, IS, etc. You must make your mech able to use double heatsinks there for a nominal cost, then you can purchase and install double heatsinks. Think of it like doing a fuel conversion on your car. You need to invest in the modifications necessary to make it able to use Diesel (or whatever) fuel before you can actually start pumping that diesel in.

Just be aware that when you do the upgrade, it will strip ALL the heatsinks out of your mech except for the ones integrated in the engine.

Edited by LauLiao, 01 November 2013 - 02:02 PM.

[PlaidDragon]

Thank you all. I'll check it out.

[scJazz]

You can read the Beginners Guide pinned in this sub-forum at the top.

[Koniving]

PlaidDragon, on 01 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

Is there a comprehensive reference somewhere that I can read to learn about all the weapons/systems/etc in the game?

I've never played any TT or other version of MW until now and a lot of this is greek to me. I'm not talking about the base weapons. Instead, I'd like to know more about how everything works like artemis, tag, why double heat sinks aren't available for me to purchase when config'ing mechs... many other questions.

In addition to what Redshift provided (which is pertaining to MWO only), there is also these.
http://www.ign.com/w...hwarrior-online An independent wiki and resource for guides.
http://mwo.gamepedia...title=Main_Page A fairly comprehensive gamepedia. Keep in mind it is usually one to three months behind on any critical changes or minor info. It's maintained by players and most of us have lives.

And finally the most comprehensive guide to all things Battletech, http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page including information on mechs, variants, weapon systems, etc. While it's not 'complete', it is perhaps the most complete resource you can possibly get for free and the owners are very meticulous about housing only official Battletech material (i.e. you can't put anything in without references and they get checked out before they get accepted). Houses both official rules as well as official lore from the books. If you want to read about anything that isn't officially released by PGI but mentioned as forthcoming, you can get an idea of what it will do from Sarna -- but keep in mind PGI takes a free license with everything it touches. Mechs will look different (usually better) in MWO. Most equipment will usually behave very differently than described. Always take any future equipment or tech that PGI will introduce with a bit of a tongue in cheek mentality.

If you want a bit of history without having to flip through dozens of pages, here's a brief 16 minute history of the universe (more like 13 if you skip the mood-setting intros/outros) in two videos made by someone a few years back. This starts with the beginning of the universe's largest government, its collapse, how the houses came to feud in the first video. The second covers the origins of the Clans that invade, their society, etc.

Spoiler

Edited by Koniving, 01 November 2013 - 07:54 PM.

[MavRCK]

PlaidDragon, on 01 November 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

Thank you all. I'll check it out.

Wadde's guide is the best bar none...

[TercieI]

MavRCK, on 02 November 2013 - 08:08 PM, said:

Wadde's guide is the best bar none...

Huge +1. And since MavRCK doesn't seem to want to self-promote...

Read Wadde's guide, 80bit's guide to mechs and MavRCK's Mech Tier list.

Those three resources, carefully studied, should save a new player a lot of pain and major stupid mistakes. Just keep in mind some info in the first two is a bit dated.

As a "still feel new but can't really be 2000 games and 30 mechs later" player, I wish I'd studied all three earlier than I did. Would've saved me from starting with Commandos! (Protip: don't do that)

S

[PlaidDragon]

Beagle Active Probe - is this passive or do I have to activate it?

Also, is there any advantage to how my weapon bay doors are toggled if running a catapult?

Edited by PlaidDragon, 03 November 2013 - 10:10 AM.

[TercieI]

BAP is passive.

Missiles will take an extra beat to launch if your missile doors are closed, but you will be a bit more vulnerable while they're open (I think, it may be that you have extra protection if they're closed).

S

[Koniving]

Supposedly a +10% damage resistance if they are closed.
If you were more vulnerable with them open it would be a "-10% damage resistance if they are open" (which is actually how it should be in my eyes, as the current setup means any mechs with doors can survive more abuse by leaving their doors closed and never equipping missiles).

Actually thinking about it, I think I know why my Misery seems to lose its arms so much more often than any other stalker. "Huh."

(On the arms. You know what I mean.)

PlaidDragon, on 03 November 2013 - 10:07 AM, said:

Also, is there any advantage to how my weapon bay doors are toggled if running a catapult?

That said, here's how I treat the doors. Video time skipped to choosing a target.

Edited by Koniving, 03 November 2013 - 11:56 AM.

[scJazz]

PlaidDragon, on 03 November 2013 - 10:07 AM, said:

Also, is there any advantage to how my weapon bay doors are toggled if running a catapult?

I'm a Master Catapult driver. I always keep the doors open. Always. So always that I've macro'd opening the doors when the game starts. Adding another half second delay to missile firing just insures more misses.

Please note: Stalkers and Centurions don't necessarily count for the ALWAYS open approach. In fact it could be argued that keeping the doors open on these two mechs isn't just bad but stupendously stupid.

[Denolven]

Denolven, on 27 October 2013 - 09:50 AM, said:

If my UAV gets XP/credits by spotting, do I get those rewards?

No. The UAV seems to be an own player and keeps everything to itself. Its only difference is that it can lock more than one target.
Yes, now we get rewards.

Also, it can be jammed by ECM exactly like a player, wich answers one of my other questions (not I was jammed, the UAV was). Which of course means it's of very limited use when the ninja Atlas that is supposed to be spotted also jams the tool that spots it.
(This is unconfirmed!)

Edited by Denolven, 21 November 2013 - 03:43 AM.

[Hexenhammer]

The price of war.

Win = 25,000 CB
Lose = 25,000 CB
1pt of damage = 21 CB
1 kill = 4300 CB.
1 Kill assist = 6500 CB
1 Component Destruction = 2099 CB

[Koniving]

o.o;

The UAV is a destroyable object that appears about 200 to 250 meters above the launcher (i.e. if you launch it from way in the air, it'll be much higher than if you launch it from the ground). UAV cannot be jammed but it can be destroyed. It's been noted as a bug that a UAV which has been fairly damaged will stop transmitting despite not being destroyed; this is unintentional.

It detects: powered down mechs, cloaked mechs shrouded in ECM, and regular mechs. It cannot detect mechs visually concealed (i.e. you launch one in the sky, they hide in the tunnel; no go). This includes any visual obscurity including mountain ridges, rocks, buildings, etc. If you can 'run into it', it can block the UAV's "sight."

The UAV has a very limited horizontal radius, too.

UAV rewards are forth coming with the next patch or two. But as of this writing, no, you do not get any rewards for using it.

[Nick Makiaveli]

Macbrea, on 29 October 2013 - 05:54 AM, said:

Yeah, there is no weight limits for 12v12 at the moment. A perfect example of the absurd is the following:

Spoiler

Given that the Steiner scout company was defeated, I would say working as intended.

[Denolven]

Koniving, on 03 November 2013 - 03:31 PM, said:

UAV cannot be jammed but it can be destroyed. It's been noted as a bug that a UAV which has been fairly damaged will stop transmitting despite not being destroyed; this is unintentional.

Does that bug include a temporary misfunction? What I saw:

• UAV was not destroyed
  
• no obscuring terrain (Caustic Valley near D3)
  
• UAV info vanished for a few seconds sometimes during the duration, but reappeared again
  
• opponents had ECM
  
• the "jamming" happened several times and was always short - it would fit to a jumping ECM mech pattern, but that's just a guess

I'd love to outrule the ECM jamming as a reason for the info flickering, but testing is... barely possible without custom games. Any tipps? Like a testing grounds map with an ECM mech in 100m height?

Edited by Denolven, 04 November 2013 - 05:02 AM.

[scJazz]

Denolven, on 04 November 2013 - 05:00 AM, said:

Does that bug include a temporary misfunction? What I saw:

• UAV was not destroyed
  
• no obscuring terrain (Caustic Valley near D3)
  
• UAV info vanished for a few seconds sometimes during the duration, but reappeared again
  
• opponents had ECM
  
• the "jamming" happened several times and was always short - it would fit to a jumping ECM mech pattern, but that's just a guess

I'd love to outrule the ECM jamming as a reason for the info flickering, but testing is... barely possible without custom games. Any tipps? Like a testing grounds map with an ECM mech in 100m height?

There are no ECM mechs in Testing Grounds and BAP and ECM don't work there anyway.

Have you submitted a bug report? support@mwomercs.com.

[Robert Montjoy]

Hello Everybody!

I do have two short questions:

1.) What is the Match Score?
2.) About the right Code of conduct / Etiquette on the Battlefield?


Please let me explain what I mean:

about 1.) In my Opinion the Match Score is a Measurement of how well/effective one performs on the Battlefield. But it seems to me that the only Emphasis is put on "How many Mechs one destroys" and "How many damage one makes". Is this Battletech- I may ask? In my Opinion it is not. Battletech is about Outthinking the Oponent and not simply bashing him away. At least in my Understanding. So why does a "Rating" but the Emphasis clearly in Favour of Bashing and thus put MWO in the same Line as nearly any generic Shooter? I would like to spice this up with an example. As mentionend in my Posts above I'm really bad at shooting and aiming and piloting the Mech all at the same Time. Therfore I try to be usefull as Support with LRM's or with Fast Mechs to annoy the Opponent and maybe snatch a Resource Point when they are not looking. In one Game I did exactly that: The Match Score was in our Favour and we only needed 50 Points or something. Two of the Resourcepoints were captured be myself alone and I was the last Mech in our Team. The Opponents started searching and came after me. So I ran like hell but unfortunately they got me and I went down. So we lost. But if I only had lasted a few Moments longer our Team would have won. I was "rewarded" with a lousy Match Score of 2 (In words TWO). Is this in any Way right or fair? Was my "Usefullness" not any higher? I mean with a bid more Luck (or Skill a/o Experience) on my Side we would have won. I find this frustrating.

about 2.) Is it desired to give Hints on the Battlefield after one is down and watching the Match from another ones Cockpit? I mean the Pilot is busy Fighting and maybe don't have Time to warn his Mates or something by pressing the "Y-Key" and typing a detailed report. Me on the other Hand has little to do. So is a Warning like e.g. "Atlas at the Enemy Base" or "Heavy Lance at Kappa" desired or not? Is this Unfair cause one could see multiple Sights? I mean the downed enemy Players could do the same. Is this "NERD-Behaviour"? Is this a big No-No. Please give me some advise.
(Disclaimer: Reasons why an Noncombatant Observer gives Hints to his Mates could easily be invented to honour the Battletch Background. Maybe he's in the Dualcockpit of a Battlemaster or an Atlas DC or he's the Guy at the Radar in the Base... I mean we all remember the Intro Video of Mech-Commander).

Many thanks in advance and Greeting from rainy Germany
Robert

edit: Rechtschreibung ;-)

Edited by Robert Montjoy, 04 November 2013 - 07:02 AM.

[scJazz]

1 ) While I appreciate the sentiment of your point you must remember that killing the enemy is ALWAYS the primary goal of any match. Your team will win more often if you and your team spend some time focusing on causing there to be fewer enemy mechs! Do you have to focus on killing exclusively? No, not at all. In a match I played just this morning I capped the first point along with most of my team. Then I moved off to Cap Point 2 which was being captured by an enemy light. I killed the light, then Capped that point and then joined the rest of the fire fight. Ending the match capping Point 3 because during the fire fight I found myself close to another cap with no living enemies nearby. I ended up top score for that match.

My point being... the tactical situation, map, friendly and enemy performance dictates what should be done to win. Sometimes it is just pure Capping but that situation is rare. Get in the fight!

2 ) Giving info and warnings once you are dead is perfectly acceptable and good. "3 blah blah in D3 just killed me, the Atlas is nearly cored" is a wonderful example. What you are not allowed to do is report the location of a friendly mech in order to help the enemy team finish the map.

[Koniving]

Robert Montjoy, on 04 November 2013 - 06:52 AM, said:

Hello Everybody!

I do have two short questions:

1.) What is the Match Score?
2.) About the right Code of conduct / Etiquette on the Battlefield?

1) It's difficult to answer. Sometimes I have many kills and damage but a normal match score. Sometimes I have few kills and damage but a high match score. I believe it is a combination of damage, kills, assists, and all other rewards (spot assists, capture assists, savior kill assists, defense kill assists, etc) thrown together. But it is true that most of the weight (score) appears to be in kills and damage. This is supposed to change in the future. You are correct though, a score based mostly on kills and damage isn't really "battletech." For now, what else can we base the score on?

2) That simply depends. Some people like being helped, especially if you inform them of a weak spot on an enemy that they cannot target. Others feel insulted by it, as if somehow a person who died before him or her suddenly knows how to play the game better.

Good examples.

Spoiler

A good example such as this one, (Atlas, RT, cherry red), means that the Atlas's ballistic-side needs only a hit or two to be destroyed.

Here, in this video, an ally informs me that the Jenner on the right is almost dead.

"That Cataphract is busy and his leg armor is weak. Sneak up behind him and shoot his legs out. Left leg first!"

"Hold the fire button for Gauss. It needs to charge up. The cockpit lights will go out when its ready to fire. There ya go!"

Positive reinforcement is always good.

Bad examples.

Spoiler

There are some bad examples too. Any advice using profanity is likely to get ignored. But the most useless advice you could ever give is "Aim at the target." In their eyes they are aiming at the target and what you see is wrong. With the game communicating positions back and forth, rewinding for lag as well as everything else not everyone sees the same thing.

What I see is not what you see. And me playing to what you see will make me miss.

Personally I even help my enemies when it is very clear they need it. Most of the time in helpful ways, other times it is genuine advice but in a sporty way.

Spoiler

"Your PPCs can't hurt me from this close."
"I'm beyond your weapons range buddy, but don't worry I'm coming to get you soon as I kill your friend here."
"I'm too far away for that medium laser. Try your PPC? There ya go. For energy weapons your maximum range is double what it says."
"Your LRMs aren't even coming close to me. Are you using R to target?"
"At less than 180 meters, those missiles are foam darts. I'm 20 meters in front of you. Hi there. (Waves with mech's arm.)"
"There's a cliff behind you, just so you know. I want you to fall because you'll be isolated from everyone else."
"If it helps, I've got an XL engine."
"Tell ya a secret, I've got 1 point of armor on my back."
"Tell ya a secret, I've got more armor on my back than I do on my front just for little mechs like you."
"Just so ya know, at 90 tons your little 25 ton mech isn't going to keep me pinned even if I can't shoot you. Give me a second here." (A few seconds later his mech is destroyed.) "Knockdowns might not be here, but I can still crush you with my legs just by walking into you."
"Right now, standing still is the worst thing you can do. There's too many of us too close for you to capture that base."
"Psst, (name), I'm right behind you."
"I see you chose to back up away from me. Shame you didn't use R to check my weapons. I've got only 3 medium lasers but 4 LRM-15s. 15 damage or 66 damage?"
"You're firing too many (weapon) at once. Check up on Ghost Heat or Heat Scale on Smurfy or the forum. Better off chain firing them or limiting how many you fire at a time."
"I'm hot but you really haven't got a chance unless you start aiming for weak spots. Hit R if you haven't. So I'm going to power down, pour a drink, and if you haven't killed me by the time I power back up you're going to die." (End of match versus a trial mech with an XL engine and cherry red side torso).

[Macbrea]

2) Honestly, they made a mistake when they allowed communication with lance and team to work after death. The correct method in which it should work is after death only full match conversation should be allowed. That way, all players can see if the dead person is directing the match still. In compensation for that, I would suggest a change to death messages to change from the following:

Koniving killed Macbrea.
To instead being:
Koniving killed Macbrea at D4.

This would instead change it to conversations may occur between dead players after their death, but a dead player may not work as a useful computer for a playing player. Warnings given out in main chat would be warnings to all living.

Just my personal opinion on this. As it stands right now, a dead person (myself included) can point out things quickly to living players like 'Your current target is without weapon, switch to the near cored atlas.' In order to increase the chances your side will win.

Edited by Macbrea, 04 November 2013 - 07:49 AM.