22 replies to this topic

[DI3T3R]

Are the boni I get from mastering the elite-level of a Mech worth it?

For example: What is "pinpoint fire" (or whatever its name) good for?

Should I really invest untold millions of CB and untold weeks of grinding into this?

[TercieI]

Well, 2 answers... 2 of the elite efficiences (Pinpoint and Fast Fire) do literally nothing.

But Speed Tweak is awesome and Quick Ignition is useful. BUT...most important of all, finishing elite doubles the effect of all basic efficiences. This is always good and in some cases like a whole new mech. I've learned not to judge a chassis too harshly until post-elite because it can utterly change the performance. So, yeah. Finish elite on your mechs.

S

[WVAnonymous]

Advancement costs no c-bills. Speed tweak is worth it for anything that doesn't hit the 151 kph max speed limit.

The real benefit is when you finish all your elites, all 8 of your basics double. The increases there are worth the trouble.

Edit: Ooo, too slow.

Edited by WVAnonymous, 28 October 2013 - 08:21 AM.

[Darwins Dog]

Speed tweak is definitely worth it, fast startup is pretty good (everyone shuts down once in a while), fast fire is not noticeable (imo), and pinpoint fire is a useless placeholder at the moment.

The real benefit is the doubling of basic skills. That is worth the time (if you like the chassis).

[Macbrea]

When you finish the elite on a mech the basics are x2. So, cool running 7.5% becomes 15%. The speed tweak is worth it.

[M X Striker]

The short answer is a resounding YES! Once you get all of the Elite Level skills unlocked, it doubles the bonuses from the Basic level.

[Buso Senshi Zelazny]

They are definitely worth it. Speed Tweak is probably the most useful, giving you a 10% boost to that mech's max speed. And when you get all four, your Basic Efficiencies are doubled which vastly improve the mech's maneuverability, as well as help to offset and negative heat effects from Double Fire by boosting heat efficiency.

[Koniving]

the only two that actually function at the moment are Speed Tweak and the faster startup (shutdown and start up faster so you can recover sooner from emergency shutdowns). The other two do not function. And yes, there's the double bonus to all of the previous skill sets. One might ask why level up now when the whole system is soon to change, but the unlocks you get now will count in XP towards the new pilot tree coming after the new interface. So it's not a total loss.

It's unknown whether there will be mech-specific unlocks or multiple trees forcing choices. But the entire system is to be revamped before the 6 months of phases for Community Warfare is complete. If there's no specific unlocks or multiple trees, expect all the new skill sets to be pre-unlocked for those of us who unlocked it all for the current system.

Edited by Koniving, 28 October 2013 - 08:25 AM.

[Macbrea]

Advancement does cost c-bills if he has sold off the chassis. He would have to buy the mech back in order to work his way up through them. Mastery isn't a must have though, as it only frees up another module slot.

[Goose Igaly]

I will have to say absolutely. While some bonuses provide no real bonus to some mechs, all are beneficial as a whole. For instance, every 'mech can make use of speed tweak. I can get my Atlas up to 62.# kph with the bonus, and lights require the speed tweak for increased survivability. Quick ignition is also good to have power ups from an overhead can take an eternity.

The best way to put it is this:

I have my Atlas' mastered out. It was a steady progression back in beta and I've been playing them for so long that I don't really notice the bonuses. Then I created an alternate account to try out the new pilot experience. I took out the champion Atlas and cursed it continually. It's a solid build, but I don't care much for it. On top of that, it felt like driving something that forgot how to move. Slow, sluggish torso turns. Every little bit helps.

[Void Angel]

Terciel1976, on 28 October 2013 - 08:21 AM, said:

Well, 2 answers... 2 of the elite efficiences (Pinpoint and Fast Fire) do literally nothing.

But Speed Tweak is awesome and Quick Ignition is useful. BUT...most important of all, finishing elite doubles the effect of all basic efficiences. This is always good and in some cases like a whole new mech. I've learned not to judge a chassis too harshly until post-elite because it can utterly change the performance. So, yeah. Finish elite on your mechs.

S

Don't I remember that they fixed fast fire a while back?

[Rift Hawk]

WVAnonymous, on 28 October 2013 - 08:21 AM, said:

Advancement costs no c-bills. Speed tweak is worth it for anything that doesn't hit the 151 kph max speed limit.

The real benefit is when you finish all your elites, all 8 of your basics double. The increases there are worth the trouble.

Edit: Ooo, too slow.

I thought the speed limit got increased to 170kph ?

[RatBast]

Imperial X, on 28 October 2013 - 09:14 AM, said:

I thought the speed limit got increased to 170kph ?

I've seen commandos running around at 171kph, so there might not even be a speed limit any more.

[Blalok]

I think we need some actual testing here - Locust with max engine, no speed tweak is rated at over 153kph; I've seen 'mechs whose speedometers read 170+. Are they actually going that fast? At this point, I don't trust old posts (even from devs) without data to back it up.

[TercieI]

Void Angel, on 28 October 2013 - 09:08 AM, said:

Don't I remember that they fixed fast fire a while back?

Nope. My source is Koniving by way of scJazz. I trust those guys. They say it's been tested, I believe it.

Imperial X, on 28 October 2013 - 09:14 AM, said:

I thought the speed limit got increased to 170kph ?

RatBast, on 28 October 2013 - 09:18 AM, said:

I've seen commandos running around at 171kph, so there might not even be a speed limit any more.

Blalok, on 28 October 2013 - 09:29 AM, said:

I think we need some actual testing here - Locust with max engine, no speed tweak is rated at over 153kph; I've seen 'mechs whose speedometers read 170+. Are they actually going that fast? At this point, I don't trust old posts (even from devs) without data to back it up.

I have been driving my Death's Knell since the bump. It is noticeably faster than any of my Jenners. 170 is definitely faster than 150. ZOOOOOOOOOM!

S

[Durant Carlyle]

For those that don't know...

All Locusts can go 169.3 kph with Speed Tweak.
The -1B, -1D, -3A, and -TDK variants of the Commando can go 171.1 kph with Speed Tweak.
The -5K, -5K Champion, and -5V variants of the Spider can go 169.3 kph with Speed Tweak.
The -2X and -4X variants of the Raven can go 140 kph with Speed Tweak.
The ECM-variant lights (Commando -2D, Spider -5D, and Raven -3L) were not affected by the speed increase.
The Jenner was not affected by the speed increase.

This has been true and proven since October 15th when the changes were introduced. Please read the patch notes (under Game > Patch Notes on the web site) in the future.

Edited by Durant Carlyle, 28 October 2013 - 09:53 AM.

[Blalok]

Terciel1976, on 28 October 2013 - 09:32 AM, said:

*snip* I have been driving my Death's Knell since the bump. It is noticeably faster than any of my Jenners. 170 is definitely faster than 150. ZOOOOOOOOOM!

S

I have been seeing a LOT more TDKs lately; guess that would explain why anyone would run around in such a lightly-armored 'mech. Oh, wait. I've been driving a Locust...

[Koniving]

Blalok, on 28 October 2013 - 09:57 AM, said:

I have been seeing a LOT more TDKs lately; guess that would explain why anyone would run around in such a lightly-armored 'mech. Oh, wait. I've been driving a Locust...

Mine runs a 230 Standard Engine. Lasts a lot longer than most.

---------------

Back on topic, I thought I might note this: It's worth while if you like the chassis. If you don't like the mech you're using at all, just grind until you can replace it and throw the thing in a ditch somewhere. Don't worry, there's always some dude like Justin Xiang Allard who'll turn it into the next hero.

[Sadistic Savior]

DI3T3R, on 28 October 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

Are the boni I get from mastering the elite-level of a Mech worth it?

For example: What is "pinpoint fire" (or whatever its name) good for?

Should I really invest untold millions of CB and untold weeks of grinding into this?

Who cares about the advancements themselves...the doubling of basic advancements ALONE is worth eliting. By completing all four elite advancements, all the bonuses on Basic ones are doubled.

That being said, the only Elite advancement I really care about is Speed Tweak. That turns my 65kph Battlemaster into a 72kph Battlemaster, which I enjoy.

[Koniving]

DI3T3R, on 28 October 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

For example: What is "pinpoint fire" (or whatever its name) good for?

To answer the actual question here though since it went unnoticed or ignored since it doesn't work...

Much earlier in the game, a way to deal with pinpoint accuracy was to create a time to converge. Essentially you would aim at something, and then the targeting computer would make a calculation, adjust your weapons, and center the range for those weapons to unit at precisely that range. The actual "adjustment" time is "1 second" for an extreme adjustment.

To avoid abuse this was a server-side function. On most US and Canadian gamers this was fine. But those overseas would have to wait almost 2 seconds to get it properly aligned and by then the target was lost. Any shots fired before then went rather wild in X-shaped or V-shaped paths. This essentially made the game almost unplayable for them.

PGI had implemented the Pinpoint unlock which was to speed it up. It's a great idea, but the tears were just too many.

Ultimately it was removed. It's now instant.

Fast fire accelerated your firing rate.

The faster restart allows you to power down and start up more quickly. Here's an example of before and after. (Note, so far as is known, all start up and shut down times are the same on all mechs.)

And speed tweak.. The difference here should be enough. Reference.
180 engine in a Raven. Before "83.3" kph. After "91.6" kph

Edited by Koniving, 28 October 2013 - 11:11 AM.