10417 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.

[TheCaptainJZ]

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?

Fortunately, mechbays are relatively cheap. There is another way to earn them-ranking up in Community Warfare, but as hardly anyone plays that mode, it's not really a viable option cause you'll never find a match unless you're talking to those folks.

[Kaiyalai]

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

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.

So, here's the thing: I gave MWO a spin ages ago (April 2016), with m&kb. Well before either of the MW5 titles came out.
If I was going to stick with MWO using m&kb controls, I would've done so back then.

MW5 Mercs, and separately MW5 Clans both have unexpectedly superb gamepad controls for a 'walking tank' sort of game -- an experience I haven't had since Mechwarrior (not 3050) on SNES, save for the (specifically PS2-era, not 4 onward) Armored Core titles. (How different each game's controls are from one another is an oddity, but that's not the subject at hand and I've enjoyed both.)

If I'm looking to come to MWO from MW5, I'd like to have a similar input setup. Which is to say, using a gamepad. Because that's what I've been having fun with.

I'm not an especially competitive gamer. Co-op I'm all for, and often enough, I'll put up with PvP for that cooperative experience. While the teamwork and PvP aspects of MWO may balance each other out, they don't combine to make relearning controls I wasn't wild about nearly a decade ago worth doing.

So if someone can provide a gamepad input setup that provides a similar input experience, I can work my way through figuring out how to suck slightly less working with a handicap that still lets me have fun.

If not, well, Mechwarrior Online is a game, and games are supposed to be fun. If I'm not having fun due to the control setup, why would I play MWO instead of one of Piranha's other Mechwarrior titles that do have quality gamepad support?

[Ekson Valdez]

You are saying it yourself: You're not in for the PvP, but MWO is only about PvP. In all honesty, I'd suggest you turn to MW5 and play coop. MWO with Controller but w/o aim assist won't give you much enjoyment.

[Void Angel]

Hey, I'm not trying to tell you that you have to play MWO, or any game - competitive or otherwise. I am telling you, in the strongest terms I can, that if you are going to play a competitive game, you don't want to handicap yourself by using an empirically less-effective controller. MW5 has aim assist to, uh, assist you in compensating for the control setup so that it feels good within the game. Mouse and keyboard is still empirically better as a control system, but who cares? You're compensated for that inefficiency by the game itself, and you're only competing against the challenges set for you by the game (which is tuned for it anyway.)

It's only for competitive games that it truly matters, because you'd be handicapped against other players - and the handicap is so severe that you're unlikely to be able to compensate for it and have fun. Likely in any game, but definitely in MWO. =( No matter whether someone got a gamepad to work, you need things, like aim assist and reticle stick, that the game simply does not have.

Edited by Void Angel, 10 October 2025 - 02:29 PM.

[epikt]

Kaiyalai, on 10 October 2025 - 10:24 AM, said:

So if someone can provide a gamepad input setup that provides a similar input experience, I can work my way through figuring out how to suck slightly less working with a handicap that still lets me have fun.

Hi there.
I suggest you open a dedicated thread to ask your question. 1/ this thread is for "short questions and short answers" and is not really fit for those kind of discussion that might require multiple back and forth messages and 2/ it will make your question more visible to potential gamepad users (there are not a lot of them already, so better boost the visibility ^^)
If I were you, I'd make a disclaimer about how you know it's playing at a handicap and you don't need people to remind you of it billion of times, and that if they do you won't read their rant. You're asking a question, you want help with your problem, not "advice".
I'd also suggest you do a google search, as I have seen such gamepad setups in the past (but haven't time to look for it myself, especially since I don't know how those things work).

Good luck.

[Void Angel]

The answer includes the no-scare-quotes-necessary "advice," nor are explanations "rants." No answer to that question would be ethical or complete without the accompanying warning.

[epikt]

Void Angel, on 12 October 2025 - 01:54 PM, said:

The answer includes the no-scare-quotes-necessary "advice," nor are explanations "rants." No answer to that question would be ethical or complete without the accompanying warning.

I'm pretty sure the gamepad/hotas players are well aware of the handicap they play with, and are kind of sick of hearing that kind of "warning" when they're only there for a technical question.

[Void Angel]

No, they're really not. If they understood how much it incapacitates them, they wouldn't be asking - so since they're telling me they need the warning by asking the question, I'll give them what technical information I possess, and still warn them away from the cliff.

[w0qj]

On the other hand, a set of NASCAR wheel set is of great value for MWO
https://www.amazon.c...h/dp/B08YQV2ZKZ

(Just jiving...)