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#1 Denolven

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 04:58 AM

o/
This is supposed to reduce topic flooding, so the bigger discussions don't drown

If you have a relatively simple question, just put it here straight forward, and people will answer straight forward :D

#2 Koniving

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 10:25 AM

Updated: Tuesday December 31st, 2013.

I usually don't have questions that I can't answer myself, but I can think of a few good ones that are commonly asked.

Q: "Why does it look like mechs can only be bought with real money?"
A: "When you first select Buy Mech, they list the 'premium' mechs which are regular mechs with experience bonuses or hero mechs with cbill bonuses and unique looks and hardpoints available for also known as 'Real Money'.

Posted Image

On the right hand are 5 mech icons. The star means premium. L is light, M is medium, H is heavy, and A is assault. The price is the in-game price.

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Q: What mech should I buy first?
A: This isn't a short answer if you know what you like to do. If you have no idea: then consider the following:
  • Hunchback 4SP. Cheapest jack of all trades there is. For more than 3/4ths of a year it's been the most recommended mech variant.
  • Shadowhawk 2D2 (Lots of missile slots) or 2H (lots of ballistic slots).
  • If your ping is really high, focus instead on a Kintaro where you can take advantage of the Kintaro's typically better land-based maneuverability and long range missile support.

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Q: Why do machine guns seem to suck?
A: Don't treat them like ballistics. The game mechanics use them and flamers as hit scan weapons; if your crosshair is on the target it's an instant hit. No travel time, no leading. Ignore the particle effect. Your MG performance will increase significantly. Even so, the MG is not a primary weapon. It is significantly more effective once the enemy armor is gone.

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Q: Someone just killed me. Was he hacking?
A: Given the server-controlled nature of the game, most of the common free to play game hacks do not exist in MWO. That said, while the possibility is less than 3% if you suspect someone of cheating it is recommended that you contact support@mwomercs.com to submit a ticket with any and all information you can give. Please note you need more than "Koniving hacks."

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Q: "What's this 'wall hack' I keep hearing about?"
A: See center-upper-right and far right.
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"Seismic Sensor."

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Q: What's the difference between XP and GXP?
A: XP is mech variant specific. It applies to unlocks for your mech here.
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GXP is general experience, and while it can be used (read: wasted) on unlocking skills for your mech faster, it is better to use them under "Pilot Trees" to unlock modules which are far more valuable.

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Q: I got the same build as my friend but his performs better than mine. (Not because he plays better.)
A: See above. The friend unlocked mech trees for his or her mech. You should do the same.

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Q: Trial mechs suck. Why do they suck so bad?
A: Normal trial mechs (non-champions) suck because their typical thermal limit to shutdown (threshold) is 40. The average mech in MWO has a threshold of 60 to 90. This is a game design flaw in the eyes of some, and "amazing" in the eyes of others. Whatever the case, as typical for a free to play game you start with something awful (when it doesn't have to be were the game designed just a little differently) and you're in for a rough ride.

I recommend going through each of your weapon groups with the left/right arrow keys and hitting backspace on all of them. This sets chain fire. You'll shutdown a lot less with that enabled. Good luck, you're gonna need it. Also, being a rear-guard isn't such a bad idea. Give it a shot.

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Q: I'm travelling with a group and the group is splitting off. Who do I follow?
A: Will try to keep this short: If you're slow, stick with the slow people even if they're bigger than you. If you're fast, stick with the fast people. It's ideal to stick with your lance (that ugly teal green color) but if you can't keep up with them or they are too slow, consider following a different group that you can keep up with.

As a new player you should never travel off on your own.

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Q: Why don't I get to play on the red team?
A: What if I told you: the red team thinks they are blue and that you are red.

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Q: Why is almost every one of Kon's posts edited?
A: Kon types fast. Sometimes important stuff is missing. In this post's case, there were too many words; unnecessary words.

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Q: When is surrender an option? I heard it was common for the last mech on a team to surrender in closed beta.
A: When / if repair and rearm makes a return. Otherwise, never.

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Q: I tried a weapon and it works great. So I put on 2 or more and suddenly I'm getting insane levels of heat.
A: "Paul" is a name you shall scorn. What you need to know about Ghost Heat (also known as "Heat Scale" can be found here. Look the chart over carefully, it's updated within 3 hours of any patch. The website itself is virtually invaluable for players new and experienced.

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Q: I just saw some whackjob named Koniving in a mech with 3 shades of orange using flamers. He obliterated me! Are flamers that powerful?
Posted Image
A: No. But you probably were that blinded while I picked you apart. The flamers are actually useless aside from blinding people due to the way PGI has designed them.

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Q: What's the protocol for quoting a huge post just to get the person's attention?
A: Snip anything and everything not related specifically to what you're asking or commenting on. No one likes it when a 3 page long post is quoted just to ask "What about when this happens?"

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Q: I'm trying to fire the Gauss Rifle and it isn't firing. What gives?
A: The Gauss Rifle has been given a charge-up mechanic. Hold the button for 3/4ths of a second and it will be ready to fire. You'll note when the rifle is fully charged, the lights in the cockpit will dim. At its lowest point of lighting it is safe to release and fire. If the lights turn back on, you've held it too long and must charge it again.

Q: Most Autocannons have a number associated with them. What's that mean?
A: Autocannons are rated for their damage. This means a total damage over a period of time. Since MWO only features single shot ACs, this is total damage after firing once. 2 does 2 damage. 5 does 5 damage. 10 does 10 damage. 20 does 20 damage.

Q: The UAC/5 and AC/5 do identical damage. Why is one a ton heavier and a slot larger?
A: The UAC/5 in MWO's version allows for a second shot from a smaller, secondary breach while the main chamber is still reloading. This is Lost Tech and because of this, the understanding isn't perfect for engineers. As such it comes with a nasty potential to jam due to missteps during the chamber-switching process. (Tip, let go of the trigger when it jams. There's a bug where it re-jams before it fires if held).

Q: What's the difference between an AC/(#), UAC/(#), RAC/(#) and LB-(#)X?
A: (Answers given in MWO's implementation only).
  • The AC is a single shot cannon and can use special ammunition (not yet enabled).
  • The UAC is identical to the AC but has the option to fire double tap for fire at exactly twice the rate. This is LostTech.
  • The RAC can fire up to 6 times the rate of an AC but with immensely more heat in the same period of time and an exponentially increasing jam rate (not yet available). This is NewTech.
  • The LB-(#)X series is also LostTech. It is essentially a shotgun. In MWO's implementation it fires the same number of 'cluster-shot' from a round as it does damage with each one doing 1 damage. The LB series could also fire regular rounds (not yet available, may not become available until AC gets special munitions).
  • The UAC, RAC, and LB series of autocannons cannot use special ammunition (aside from the LB's cluster shot).
Q: What's the difference between lasers and pulse lasers?
A: Regular lasers are longer ranged beam weapons. They require a bit of time to deal their full damage so focus in on the target as long as you can to get the most out of them. Pulse lasers are shorter ranged beam weapons, rapid fire and require significantly less time to be focused on target.

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If you have any questions, ask away. Someone, anyone, will answer your question and will try to be as concise and direct to the point as they can (yes even me). If you want someone specific to answer, a soft quote (quote the person but delete everything inside the quote) will get their attention directly on what you asked.

Added something from another thread with lots of useful information. Spoilered below.
Spoiler

Edited by Koniving, 31 December 2013 - 06:36 PM.


#3 IllCaesar

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 04:56 PM

This thing needs a sticky, just for what Koniving posted. I didn't actually know that MGs were scan weapons, good to know.

I would add this question:

Q: "Why am I unable to use my XP to unlock any of the Elite skills for my mech?"
A: "The Basic tier must be completed for three different variants of a type of mech before they are unlocked. Example: To unlock the Elite skills for a CPLT-A1, you must complete the Basic tier for two other Catapult variants. Champion variants do not count as separate from regular C-Bill variants, so the CPLT-A1 is treated as the same mech variant as the CPLT-A1©."

Q: "Why is everybody so insistent on completing the Basic tier for three different variants of the same mech? Are Elite skills that valuable?"
A: "While doing that does unlock Elite skills, it also doubles the effects of each Basic tier efficiency. For example, the Heat Containment skill, which raises heat capacity by 10%, will increase to 20% once three mechs of a chassis type all have their Basic skill trees completed (ie: HBK-4G, HBK-J, HBK-P)

I've only been here a month and I see a lot of people not knowing this very, very useful information.

Edited by MarsAtlas, 02 October 2013 - 04:57 PM.


#4 mailin

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:09 PM

View PostMarsAtlas, on 02 October 2013 - 04:56 PM, said:


I would add this question:

Q: "Why is everybody so insistent on completing the Basic tier for three different variants of the same mech? Are Elite skills that valuable?"
A: "While doing that does unlock Elite skills, it also doubles the effects of each Basic tier efficiency. For example, the Heat Containment skill, which raises heat capacity by 10%, will increase to 20% once three mechs of a chassis type all have their Basic skill trees completed (ie: HBK-4G, HBK-J, HBK-P)

I've only been here a month and I see a lot of people not knowing this very, very useful information.

Sorry, Mars, but you're almost right. Fully completing the all of the Elite skills for one variant will double the basic skills only for that variant. And yes, the double skills really are that important, not to mention the speed tweak.

Edited by mailin, 02 October 2013 - 07:10 PM.


#5 Skiddywinks

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:29 PM

View Postmailin, on 02 October 2013 - 07:09 PM, said:

Sorry, Mars, but you're almost right. Fully completing the all of the Elite skills for one variant will double the basic skills only for that variant. And yes, the double skills really are that important, not to mention the speed tweak.


Wait, what? I'd never heard of this before so all of it is new to me anyway, but I read this to mean that if I complete ALL of the Elite skills (second tier), that doubles the effectiveness of your basic tiers (so, presumably, all 8 skills have their effects doubled), but it works on a per variant basis. i.e. my HBK-4J has all four Elite tiers filled, where as my 4SP only has 3 of them. So the 4J's 10% heat capacity is doubled, as well as the extra degrees you can turn, heat dissipation, deceleration etc, where as the 4SP gains nothing until that last Elite skill is unlocked?

Correct?

#6 mailin

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:48 PM

View PostSkiddywinks, on 02 October 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:


Wait, what? I'd never heard of this before so all of it is new to me anyway, but I read this to mean that if I complete ALL of the Elite skills (second tier), that doubles the effectiveness of your basic tiers (so, presumably, all 8 skills have their effects doubled), but it works on a per variant basis. i.e. my HBK-4J has all four Elite tiers filled, where as my 4SP only has 3 of them. So the 4J's 10% heat capacity is doubled, as well as the extra degrees you can turn, heat dissipation, deceleration etc, where as the 4SP gains nothing until that last Elite skill is unlocked?

Correct?


If what you're saying is that the basic skills for your SP aren't doubled just because you're missing one elite skill, you're absolutely right.

#7 Lord Baldric

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:51 PM

You do not get the double effect for your 4sp until it has purchased all 4 elite efficiencies. You will note on your mech tree for a mech that has all 4 elite that there is a 2x on the left side of the basic tree

#8 mailin

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:52 PM

Once you get all the Elites for a variant, a blue 2X shows up right below the word BASIC in your mech skill tree.

#9 Aym

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 08:50 PM

Additionally once you have Elited 3 variants of a Weight Class, not limited to a specific mech, you gain access to Master unlocks for Elited mechs of the Weight Class. It doesn't change the requirement to have 3 of a single variant to get to Elite, but there it is.

#10 Denolven

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Posted 05 October 2013 - 01:18 AM

Does CASE help me to contain a gauss rifle explosion? Or does it only help with ammo?

#11 Skiddywinks

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Posted 05 October 2013 - 06:58 AM

Yes, No

#12 Denolven

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:14 AM

To those who have background knowledge: Which Mechs are likely going to be Kurita-Mechs when CW is implemented?
Jenner and Dragon I suppose, maybe the Kintaro as well? Which else?

#13 scJazz

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:33 AM

View PostDenolven, on 08 October 2013 - 06:14 AM, said:

To those who have background knowledge: Which Mechs are likely going to be Kurita-Mechs when CW is implemented?
Jenner and Dragon I suppose, maybe the Kintaro as well? Which else?

That is an astonishingly difficult question to answer.

The Jenner, Dragon, Kintaro, All Variants marked K.

The Victor, Jagermech and all variants marked D are Davion

The Highlander and Commando and all variants marked S are Steiner

The Cataphract and Raven and all variants marked L are Liao

Dunno what Marik has Battlemasters I think and all variants marked M.

I'll see if I can do some digging in the Lore and come up with a more useful list.

#14 Kargen

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:47 AM

View PostscJazz, on 08 October 2013 - 06:33 AM, said:

That is an astonishingly difficult question to answer.

The Jenner, Dragon, Kintaro, All Variants marked K.

The Victor, Jagermech and all variants marked D are Davion

The Highlander and Commando and all variants marked S are Steiner

The Cataphract and Raven and all variants marked L are Liao

Dunno what Marik has Battlemasters I think and all variants marked M.

I'll see if I can do some digging in the Lore and come up with a more useful list.


That is some good info for noobs like myself.

As a follow up question to this: My lancemates have "encouraged" me to align myself with house Kurita - will there be any restriction on my usage of the non-Kurita mechs that I have in my mechbays after CW is introduced?

Apologies if this cannot be answered yet.

#15 DEMAX51

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:49 AM

While they haven't said anything like that yet, I would assume if you already own it you'll be able to use it freely. I think the house allegiance will only affect you buying new 'Mechs.

#16 Denolven

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 06:51 AM

Ah, so that's what the letters are for - I always wondered why anyone would give such arbitrary names. Also makes sense that the basic chassis was widely available and the factions modified them to suit their preferred style.
Now I'm wondering what the F in my beloved Jenner really stands for - probably not "The Jenner that f***s you" I like to believe ;).

Edited by Denolven, 08 October 2013 - 06:52 AM.


#17 Koniving

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 07:12 AM

View PostKargen, on 08 October 2013 - 06:47 AM, said:


That is some good info for noobs like myself.

As a follow up question to this: My lancemates have "encouraged" me to align myself with house Kurita - will there be any restriction on my usage of the non-Kurita mechs that I have in my mechbays after CW is introduced?

Apologies if this cannot be answered yet.


As one of the people to record the newest CW announcement, I will tell you this.
  • You will have "access to your factions mechs at the cheapest rate of anyone."
  • This access will remain in effect unless "another faction takes control of a planet that your favorite mech is manufactured on. The prices will go up."
  • "If you lose all the manufacturing planets for that mech, you will have to go to the black market in order to purchase it at inflated black market prices."
  • If there is a non-Kuritan mech you want, you should buy it now. "When Community Warfare launches, mechs not available to your faction can always be found on the black market at higher prices. If you want those prices lower, you need to take those factories that produce them. The more factories responsible for producing that mech you have under your control, the lower those prices get."
And this is a personal note: If repair and rearm were to be re-implemented, several factories would be linked to judge the repair and rearm costs you would endure as well. Though from the sound of it, with R&R gone we're unlikely to see brand name engine, armor, structure, and weapon variants as without R&R, they would have no real impact on the economy and thus no reason to exist.

Edit: Added link.

Edited by Koniving, 08 October 2013 - 07:17 AM.


#18 scJazz

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 08:43 AM

I did the previous list from memory.

Here is a more complete list.
http://mwomercs.com/...ch-manufacture/

EDIT: Yes, from memory... you play BattleTech for 28 years and this stuff gets stuck in memory permanently.

Edited by scJazz, 08 October 2013 - 08:44 AM.


#19 Alaskan Nobody

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 11:35 AM

View PostscJazz, on 08 October 2013 - 06:33 AM, said:

That is an astonishingly difficult question to answer.

The Jenner, Dragon, Kintaro, All Variants marked K.

The Victor, Jagermech and all variants marked D are Davion

The Highlander and Commando and all variants marked S are Steiner

The Cataphract and Raven and all variants marked L are Liao

Dunno what Marik has Battlemasters I think and all variants marked M.

I'll see if I can do some digging in the Lore and come up with a more useful list.



A fair amount of what I understand to be Davion Variants are marked with an X instead - though I do not know how much the X would actually signify Davion or if that is just random coincidence (like the Cataphract 4-X and raven 4-X)

#20 Koniving

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Posted 08 October 2013 - 12:07 PM

View PostShar Wolf, on 08 October 2013 - 11:35 AM, said:



A fair amount of what I understand to be Davion Variants are marked with an X instead - though I do not know how much the X would actually signify Davion or if that is just random coincidence (like the Cataphract 4-X and raven 4-X)


"stolen" mechs, if I'm not mistaken or general models. The Raven facility was stolen from the Liao, and some Cataphracts (a Liao exclusive unit) were captured and re-engineered. The Cataphract 3D is actually the Davion mech, if I'm not mistaken. The X's are usually experimental designs with no specific faction.

Examples, the Raven 1X is Liao designed and used against the Davions. But then the Davions captured them and re-outfitted them to what's called the 2X design. It goes back and forth.

Most of the Cataphracts, 0x, 1x, 2x were all Liao-exclusive designs. The 4x is a Davions prototype.

Quote

Sarna
CTF-4X - The 4X is a Federated Suns prototype produced following the capture of Tikonov, but never saw use due to a lukewarm reception. The Large Laser of the 2X is retained, but all of the other weapons are removed in favor of two Autocannon/5s and an LRM-5. In order to fit all of this equipment, the top speed is lowered to 56 km/h. In a strange twist of fate, the copious ammunition bins for the autocannons became popular with the creation of special munitions, making this design much more well-liked than it had been in the past.






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