54 replies to this topic

[RichAC]

Then you start getting smashed. Why is this? Matchmaking? i don't get it.

I loved the trial spider and atlas. Did great in them, I mean i was 41-10 at one point with the spider. and a positive k/d with atlas too.

Now i'm a big squishy target and cannon fodder no matter what I play. I wonder if they match you differently after you buy a mech?

The trial spider and atlas felt like they took so much dmg.
Now i bought my own atlas, and i'm dead after only a couple hits?

Same thing happened on my last account. I made a new account and started over...and now I am having the same exact experience...I feel like i would do better making a new account doing nothing but playing on the trials...I know that sounds crazy haha

This is as suspicious as the launcher heating cards more then the game itself.

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 10:05 AM.

[Blue Boutique]

You have to understand that the trial mechs are champion mechs that the community voted upon for best mech of the month, They have upgrades like double heatsinks and endosteel which helps pack on more equipment. Use the following link, http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ and look for the SDR-5K(C) and the ASR-RC(C) version to see what could make your purchased mechs better. After this, go into pilot lab and get the effieciencies to make your mechs shine even better.

[RichAC]

What do you mean by champion mech? and so they are the best mechs they put for trial, that makes sense.

Maybe i just need to get used to this atlas i bought that is not exactly the same. I'm trying to put endo steel and it is saying not enough slots. Is there any other benefit to it besides weight? Does it take more dmg? How can I add it?
Thanks for your reply.

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 11:13 AM.

[Captain Stiffy]

This is kinda like in metroidvania where they give alucard all the great stuff and then take it away

[Adridos]

RichAC, on 19 October 2013 - 11:05 AM, said:

What do you mean by champion mech? and so they are the best mechs they put for trial, that makes sense.

Maybe i just need to get used to this atlas i bought that is not exactly the same. I'm trying to put endo steel and it is saying not enough slots. Is there any other benefit to it besides weight? Does it take more dmg?
Thanks for your reply.

Champion mechs aren't necessarily the best mechs around, but they are mechs designed with this game balance in mind.

When you buy a new mech, you buy a stock variant from the Battletech universe, but those don't work very well in this game. They tend to use single heatsinks (SHS) and not have endo steel (ES), both of which are pretty much a requirement for an optimised mech on-par with the opposition.

Here is a tool you should use before making any changes: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...echlab#modified

There, you can build a mech that works and then just buy the parts in the game. It is also completely possible to recreate the exact same loadout as the trial mech has if you have the same variant. The logic behind it is that you will then be able to unlock Pilot efficiencies on the mech, while those are locked for trial mechs. And of course, those trial mechs won't stay there forever.

As far as Endo-Steel goes, it's only advantage is that it gives you more free tonnage. It's only downside is that it takes up critical slots and you won't be able to stuff your mech full of weapons (although this only applies to assault mechs, heavies, mediums and lights all use it without any noticable drawback as they can't mount that many weapons, anyway).

You might want to look into the: http://mwomercs.com/...lt-mech-guides/ to find what other people use on the variant you own.

[RichAC]

I did add some double heatsinks.   still not as heat efficient as the champion mech though....
But Why is it not letting me add endo steel?   Its says not enough slots....but like you say there is nothing more for me to add anyways. except maybe more heatsinks or ammo?

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 11:26 AM.

[Bobdolemite]

RichAC, on 19 October 2013 - 11:05 AM, said:

What do you mean by champion mech? and so they are the best mechs they put for trial, that makes sense.

Maybe i just need to get used to this atlas i bought that is not exactly the same. I'm trying to put endo steel and it is saying not enough slots. Is there any other benefit to it besides weight? Does it take more dmg? How can I add it?
Thanks for your reply.

There are several types of mechs:

Trial Mechs - These rotate every couple patches

Standard Mechs - These are the mechs you can buy with CBILLS (standard MWO money)

Champion Mechs - These mechs cost MC (Real Cash) and have a bonus to experience gain (while piloting that mech)

Hero Mechs - These mechs cost MC (Real Cash) and have a bonus to CBILLS earned or Experience (while piloting that mech)

///////


They use some champion mechs as trial mechs so that new players can get the feel for a build that the community and or devs has decided is competitive, or at least competent (most of the time)

Most trial mechs suffer greatly from lack of double heatsinks and poor loadouts for weapons.

Which model is your Atlas and what are you running, perhaps we can get you some tips (your playstyle will also help to get you a good fit)

NOTES:

Generally you dont want to run an XL engine in an atlas, the XL's take 3 critical slots in your side torsos. If the side torso is destroyed while you have an XL you will die. Standard engines do not face this problem, only way to die with standard engine is to be cored in your center torso or have your legs lopped off.

Make sure your running close to max armor favoring the front but not letting the back have too little armor

Pay attention to ammo placement, as it can explode and damage your mech.

Stick with the group, crossing open terrain can be a death sentance in an atlas look for good cover or move as a team.

[Valore]

Well isn't it great that PGI took all that effort to make the game more accessible to new players.

[Otto Cannon]

Valore, on 19 October 2013 - 11:30 AM, said:

Well isn't it great that PGI took all that effort to make the game more accessible to new players.

Just imagine how many people didn't bother making a forum thread to get some advice...

[El Space Doctor]

And remember the ELO matching. When/if it works, it will start matching you against better players. So when you start, you'll face the noobest of the noob. Make short work of them and the system is supposed to start throwing you into games against people who can shoot and will do their best to chew through your chest in an assault. Or side torso, if you're moving suspicously fast with plenty of weapons on board.

[RichAC]

Valore, on 19 October 2013 - 11:30 AM, said:

Well isn't it great that PGI took all that effort to make the game more accessible to new players.

Thats nice but it only becomes disillusioning after buying a stock mech and kills any sense of progression.

I added some double heatsinks though, only 1.05, not the 1.24 that the champion mech is.

a my armor was pretty much already maxed....except for maybe 2 points on the legs and 2 points on the torso after adding ferborous.

I'm using the A57-D I didn't buy the R5 cause I read ac/20 does more damage...and it is much easier for me to aim and connect with by far I feel.

I still can't add endo steel and I don't know why.

El Space Doctor, on 19 October 2013 - 11:34 AM, said:

And remember the ELO matching. When/if it works, it will start matching you against better players. So when you start, you'll face the noobest of the noob. Make short work of them and the system is supposed to start throwing you into games against people who can shoot and will do their best to chew through your chest in an assault. Or side torso, if you're moving suspicously fast with plenty of weapons on board.

I have a feeling, it also matches you based on what mech you own, rather then what your stats are.......so after buying your first mech your thrown in to the upper tier and with the better players, as you say, even though the trial mech is better then what i own right now imo.

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 11:46 AM.

[Adridos]

RichAC, on 19 October 2013 - 11:24 AM, said:

I did add some double heatsinks. still not as heat efficient as the champion mech though....
But Why is it not letting me add endo steel? Its says not enough slots....but like you say there is nothing more for me to add anyways. except maybe more heatsinks or ammo?

It would be for the best if you recreated your loadout in the tool I've linked earlier and posted a link to your mod. To start with the mech you've got and not an empty chassis, simply find the mech in "Mechs and Weaponstats" instead of that drop-down list you get when you click on "No mech selected".

As far as the issue with ES slots goes, you will have to take out some weapons and switch them for smaller ones, or take out heatsinks/ammo, as they all consume critical slots and you need a certain number of those free to install ES.

Edited by Adridos, 19 October 2013 - 11:42 AM.

[Roughneck45]

El Space Doctor, on 19 October 2013 - 11:34 AM, said:

And remember the ELO matching. When/if it works, it will start matching you against better players. So when you start, you'll face the noobest of the noob. Make short work of them and the system is supposed to start throwing you into games against people who can shoot and will do their best to chew through your chest in an assault. Or side torso, if you're moving suspicously fast with plenty of weapons on board.

This.

To sum up, while you still have your cadet bonus, 25 matches I think, the ELO system will try to match you up against as many other pilots that are also in the cadet bonus stage, so you are fighting as many new players as it can cram into the match.

After the cadet bonus, it uses your normal ELO and matches you against everyone.

If you were dominating in the trials during the cadet bonus you probably got yourself a better than average ELO and are being put against more skilled pilots now that you are finished your first 25 matches.

Edited by Roughneck45, 19 October 2013 - 11:42 AM.

[p8ragon]

The atlas D doesn't have the same hardpoint layout as the atlas (RS)...I'm assuming that you ran the AS-RS(C) trial mech which is currently available. It will be very difficult to replicate the heat efficiency as well has hardpoint layout with your variant in mind. However, having said that, the AS-D is still a formidable machine, and if equipped right, is better than the RS imo (I have both)

What's your playstyle like? The D is built more like a brawler while the RS is a long ranged support platform.
From what I remember, the RS (C) is outfitted with a gauss rifle. That's a sniping weapon. The ac/20 is more of a close ranged weapon, and is used to wreck targets @ 270 meters or less (vs the 750 or so meters of the gauss).

My suggested build

Ac/20
2 ER large lasers
2 SRM 6
Standard 300 engine
and with all the extra tonnage Double heatsinks. Don't bother with Endosteel and Ferro. Apologize for the scant answer on a tablet

[RichAC]

Roughneck45, on 19 October 2013 - 11:41 AM, said:

This.

To sum up, while you still have your cadet bonus, 25 matches I think, the ELO system will try to match you up against as many other pilots that are also in the cadet bonus stage, so you are fighting as many new players as it can cram into the match.

After the cadet bonus, it uses your normal ELO and matches you against everyone.

If you were dominating in the trials during the cadet bonus you probably got yourself a better than average ELO and are being put against more skilled pilots now that you are finished your first 25 matches.

I don't think it has as much to do with my first 25 matches, which i passed a long time ago. I think it has more to do with the fact I didn't buy anything until now.

here is my build http://mwo.smurfy-ne...echlab#modified

I will buy the RS variant next and see if there is a diff for me.

eh apparenlty i have to register to save the loadout, basically i just added ferborous armor, artemis, and doubleheatsinks.

upped the armor 2 points in the center, one for the front, one for the back.

then 2 points on each leg.

then i have 2 DHS in the engine, one in the left arm, also in left arm i added ams and ams ammo....

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 12:36 PM.

[Chemie]

Also, the spider is bugged so you were lulled into a false sense of skill; no one can hit the thing because of some combination of hitbox, HSR, and hit detection

[Thorqemada]

When you leave the "New Player Status" and the Standard ELO ranking occcurs you are matched against other Players based on your success and what weightclass you pilot.

Each weightclass (Light, Medium, Hevy, Assault) has its own ELO ranking - that means practically you do not have 1 but 4 seperate ELO Rankings.

And the starting Point of the Standard ELO Ranking is pretty high!

The Trial Mech are optimized for the current Meta and competitive enough to participate.
The Stock Mechs you buy are that - pure stock loadouts that you want to tailor for your specific playstyle and that is the Beauty of Mechwarrior that you can do exactly this very successful and in many different ways.

Enjoy!

PS: Use Endo-Steel whenever possible, Ferro Fibrous Armor on Lights and some Medium builds, XL-Engines depending on the specific Mech Model (on Lights allways).

Edited by Thorqemada, 19 October 2013 - 12:46 PM.

[MCXL]

I hate to tell you this Rich, but Ferro armor is bad. Endo takes up the same amount of slots but nets you an additional several tons over fero.

The only people that take Fero are lights/small mediums that take boths it and endo for that extra little bit.

[RichAC]

MCXL, on 19 October 2013 - 12:42 PM, said:

I hate to tell you this Rich, but Ferro armor is bad. Endo takes up the same amount of slots but nets you an additional several tons over fero.

The only people that take Fero are lights/small mediums that take boths it and endo for that extra little bit.

I tried putting standard armor back and adding endo. But i cannot add the endo. I've stripped everything, all weapons... all item i can take off the mech. And i STILL cannot add endo steel.


Also i passed 25 matches a long time ago guys. I waited till i had like 14 mil,. which came very slow.

Just like on my last account, there is an immediate noticeable diff once you buy your first mech. Which i really believe has nothing to do with the ELO, or a trial period.

I'm tempted to make a new account, and never buy a mech, just to see if I notice a difference lol
But i just found out from someone in game that usually the trial mechs are not champions...

Edited by RichAC, 19 October 2013 - 01:12 PM.

[xe N on]

There is a simple rule to sucess. It's called mounting as many Autocannons as possible on your mech.

After doing so, get the Advanced Zoom module.