70 replies to this topic

[Hexenhammer]

Shame MWO doesn't get the reputation for "You FF people at the start of the match, the whole team smokes your *** with impunity."

Edited by Hexenhammer, 03 November 2013 - 08:57 AM.

[Tesunie]

Heavenly Angel, on 03 November 2013 - 04:12 AM, said:

It tells you the heat buildup of your weapons on the specific map. If your alpha causes 20% heat then you know not to shoot if you have less than 20% left. This knowledge can prevent you from making a misjudgement and accidentally shutting down. I am ever so sorry that the sight of me shooting into the ground is so infuriating to you.

As far as I understand the heat mechanic, the % your heat goes up from shooting does not change from map to map. Just the rate it drops (how fast it bleeds or cools off) and the starting % your heat scale will read at (like 6% on Caustic, 15% in the Crater of Caustic, and I think 10% for Terra Therma). Everything else remains the same and is a constant of the weapon itself.

[Tesunie]

Dez Telinov, on 03 November 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

I does not hurt to test weapons at spawn. If I am aiming at the ground near my feet and your little spider gets blasted, oh well. Maybe you should not drive at spawn.

Sorry, but this statement makes no sense. It's the other mechs fault you pressed the trigger and they were just in the way? That Spider that you hit, he's trying to go out and find the enemy, so you know where to start heading to kill stuff. Or he's moving to Kappa/Ep/Theta to capture those points as soon as possible, so you don't lose from point capture or to make you win by point capture in Conquest.

So, how is it their fault if they are doing their job, and you are recklessly shooting your weapons off without a live target like some green cadet?

Hexenhammer, on 03 November 2013 - 08:51 AM, said:

How about "Don't return fire because they blew your back out" ?

Or "Email PGI cause thats the right thing to do and we'll stop it. But you'll never know cause we'll send you a form letter back back."

or "Just like the NFL we only see the second penalty not the first."

Shame MWO doesn't get the reputation for "You FF people at the start of the match, the whole team smokes your *** with impunity."

I report obvious FF that seems intentional. I also will defend my team and myself from "enemy spies" if I see them repetitively shoot an ally. Normally one alpha into them is enough to get them to stop. (Or a "too close to cause damage" PPC discharge, as the flash is a great way to get someone's attention.) (Once I had an Awesome think my Stalker was a Targeting board. After he shot into me twice, I was done and Alphaed 6 med lasers and 4 SRM6s into him. He promptly decided that it wasn't a good idea anymore when his overall health dropped by 5%.)

A "Start of match FF" I tend to ignore, unless it continues to hit a friendly mech. A single shot is an accident. Several shots (or a well lined shot in mid match if you know what I mean) means you are an enemy spy and need to be eliminated. I'll report later after I have defended myself and my team. (Of course, I screen shot the FF before I take action, and inform PGI of my own part in the deed.)

[Navy Sixes]

Dez Telinov, on 03 November 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

trolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrolltrottlrotttrolltrolltrolltrott

DO NOT FEED.

[FireSlade]

A good trick that I do to prevent FF is go next to a hill or wall and aim at that and the ground to test the heat and I only do that for energy weapons so that I do not waste ammo. But the whole testing on teammates sucks; I had a Highlander alpha my Shadow Hawk and put my side torso in the dark red. So at the start of the fighting with a MG Spider harassing people it takes me out with a few bullets to my back and all I could do was 13 damage for that fight. Moral of the story for all the new players is when you shoot a teammate to test your weapons you hurt the whole team possibly costing you the match before the match even starts.

[Kaosity]

Levon K, on 03 November 2013 - 03:10 AM, said:

How is firing your weapons at the start of the match helping you learn anything about your mech? It doesn't tell you anything. You think it does, but it doesn't.

I alpha fire all energy weapons into the air. I know how much heat should be generated so that's no help, as you said. However I watch how long my current heat sink setup and map temperature interact to see HOW LONG it takes to dissipate that heat. That's the info I'm after and I DO learn something from it.

To each their own. I do what works for me as I'm sure everyone else does. As long as the tester doesn't hit you why should you care?

[Tesunie]

WhenReaperComes, on 03 November 2013 - 11:59 AM, said:

I alpha fire all energy weapons into the air. I know how much heat should be generated so that's no help, as you said. However I watch how long my current heat sink setup and map temperature interact to see HOW LONG it takes to dissipate that heat. That's the info I'm after and I DO learn something from it.

To each their own. I do what works for me as I'm sure everyone else does. As long as the tester doesn't hit you why should you care?

Because all too often that (maybe not yours) test fire ends up damaging, crippling or even killing a teammate. As long as it doesn't hit any team member, I do not care. I still feel it is an undo risk and is unneeded, but if it doesn't hit anyone, I am not overly concerned.

I don't understand why the Training Grounds are not used more though. I test on one map (Terra Therma) and any heat test done there will show me what my mech can do. If it can handle that heat, I don't even have to worry on other maps, so I have no need to test. (The three maps you need to test on for most every heat scale: Terra Therma, Forest Coloney/River City, Frozen City/Alpine Heights. Caustic is a maybe, as it isn't as hot as Therma, but if your mech can handle Therma, all other maps becoming Irrelevant.)

[xMintaka]

Not sure if the FF accidents this causes at the start of the game are worse. Or if, when your team is trying something different (ie, not marching to the stargate on Tourmaline, etc), someone continously fires their lasers into the air.

Element of surprise? Where?!

Edited by Lunatech, 03 November 2013 - 12:50 PM.

[Kekkone]

Tesunie, on 03 November 2013 - 12:27 PM, said:

Because all too often that (maybe not yours) test fire ends up damaging, crippling or even killing a teammate. As long as it doesn't hit any team member, I do not care.

I've test fired my energy weapons countless times, i can't recall a single instance where i've crippled or killed a teammate. Some of us actually check if the coast is clear
There seems to be lots of overreaction towards test firing on this thread, people should really go berserk only after someone has actually hit them.

Quote

I don't understand why the Training Grounds are not used more though. I test on one map (Terra Therma) and any heat test done there will show me what my mech can do.

Running 9 mechs for daily doubles, can't be bothered to memorize the actual percentages they generate. I'm interested in the percentage of generated heat while test firing, so i know my limit percentage that will land me on ~99% after firing.

Oh and regarding some earlier post: i'm sorry i gave away my teams position at the start of the match

[DerelictTomcat]

To make this as simple as I can. Without a team and any communication... We the old guard who did this all before voice comms rely on what Ive always known as battlefield awareness. It isn't very hard to wing with another pilot this way.

What does suck is hearing multiple shots go off including laser fire into the sky reveling our location. My brain thinks someones firing I need to at least look at what he is firing at. It sucks really and it never happened in any previous MechWarrior titles that I remember.

I'm hoping the weapons grouping being moved to the lab in UI 2.0 may stop some of this.

~S~

[DerelictTomcat]

Hey you guys do know there are stats on how many times you fire a specific weapon as to how many times you hit as well. These percentages are being collected. I like using them to see which weapon I'm doing the most damage with.

Carry On!

[Tesunie]

Kekkone, on 03 November 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

I've test fired my energy weapons countless times, i can't recall a single instance where i've crippled or killed a teammate. Some of us actually check if the coast is clear
There seems to be lots of overreaction towards test firing on this thread, people should really go berserk only after someone has actually hit them.


Running 9 mechs for daily doubles, can't be bothered to memorize the actual percentages they generate. I'm interested in the percentage of generated heat while test firing, so i know my limit percentage that will land me on ~99% after firing.

Oh and regarding some earlier post: i'm sorry i gave away my teams position at the start of the match

I tend to try and make all my builds and loudouts, regardless of mech type, have similar cooling levels. I test all of them on Terra Therma. Since the introduction of Testing Grounds, I have not had to fire once at the start of a match. Then again, I tend to make very balanced builds that can work under any map, terrain and hopefully distances as well. This is what I do, I know I am not like everyone else out there.

As long as you make sure it is safe, and you do not hit any friendlies, I will have no problem with you in game. (Out side of game I might mutter a bit, but don't we all?) If I see what I deem accidental fire, I will ignore and "watch" the perpetrator of the act for a while (do to trust issues now, and to see if it "happens" again). If I see it as an intentional act (or the "accident" happens again), I will react, hopefully in a manner to stop the action from happening again with a warning.

[Ensaine]

OMG wow this thread delivers........some pretty weaksausage defense of test firing.

Guys, stop test firing at spawn: period. If you absolutely need to go test firing, spawn, and head to an isolated rock nearby, and have at it.

But once you 'know' where your heat is, and possibly adjust it after the match, after about 3-5 matches, you should know where your heat is. Is the heat acceptable, or not?

Once it is acceptable, you should not have to retest your heat. The 'cant remember all my mechs heat' is a weak argument. Was the heat acceptable last time you played it?

The ALT+TAB oops is also a weak argument. I ALT+TAB all the time, and have yet to tab back into the game and auto fire.

Stop it, just.... stop.

The issue is, once some toolio opens fire to test, other n*u*b*s think hey, lets all celebrate, and fire our junk too. Eventually, someone gets hit in the a$$.

Guys, this is the most n*u*b thing you can do.

WhenReaperComes, on 03 November 2013 - 01:42 AM, said:

You expect everyone to memorize heat dissipation for every mech/weapon/heat sink combo for every map? You must have a photographic memory... I do not. Sorry, but I will continue to test heat dissipation after spawn. Better now than in battle.

Then go off by yourself, and fire into a rock, though this is a weak argument. I have 11 mechs in my stable, and ALL are built with similar heat, so I know how each performs out of the box.

Stunner, on 03 November 2013 - 08:39 AM, said:

I think it has to do more with the longer waits to get into a match or the fact that they have added a second ready up. I'm often Alt-tabbed out of the game and when I come back in *POW* alpha auto-fires.

I don't do my heat testing until I move away from teamates.

Though it's appreciated that you move off, the Auto Fire from an ALT TAB should be fixed. I ALT TAB plenty and have yet to auto fire anything.

Dez Telinov, on 03 November 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

I does not hurt to test weapons at spawn. If I am aiming at the ground near my feet and your little spider gets blasted, oh well. Maybe you should not drive at spawn.

Oh well, my lance just turned you into scrap at the spawn. Report me. But, I have screenshots, and one hotkey turns on video recording. I'll bring my evidence, you bring yours.

WhenReaperComes, on 03 November 2013 - 11:59 AM, said:

I alpha fire all energy weapons into the air. I know how much heat should be generated so that's no help, as you said. However I watch how long my current heat sink setup and map temperature interact to see HOW LONG it takes to dissipate that heat. That's the info I'm after and I DO learn something from it.

To each their own. I do what works for me as I'm sure everyone else does. As long as the tester doesn't hit you why should you care?

The heat should be the same as the last time you played that mech. Was the heat acceptable then?
Also, you give position away by nubishly firing into the air, and give all the other nubcaques an excuse to join in, and not everyone is firing into the air........

Kekkone, on 03 November 2013 - 12:52 PM, said:

I've test fired my energy weapons countless times, i can't recall a single instance where i've crippled or killed a teammate. Some of us actually check if the coast is clear
There seems to be lots of overreaction towards test firing on this thread, people should really go berserk only after someone has actually hit them.


Running 9 mechs for daily doubles, can't be bothered to memorize the actual percentages they generate. I'm interested in the percentage of generated heat while test firing, so i know my limit percentage that will land me on ~99% after firing.

Oh and regarding some earlier post: i'm sorry i gave away my teams position at the start of the match

And again with weaksauce..... was the mech acceptable YESTERDAY? So, what changed TODAY? Did the PGI ninja's go in and cut all your DHS in half?

Guys, run Training Grounds. True, the efficiencies are not in there... even BETTER. Set your heat for Training Grounds, and when you are in a live match, your heat management should be MUCH better.

Oh, I'm in that Cataphract that just stopped and turned around in front of you, with 3 other guys from my Lance, waiting to see if you're a tool or not, while you go all nubcaque.

[Rushin Roulette]

Tycho von Gagern, on 03 November 2013 - 08:12 AM, said:

Yup. People can say joyfire is necessary all they want, but the fact is that it's a rookie-clown maneuver. I don't know how many times my team has spotted some fool killing the clouds, which totally gave away their position and heading.

The thing about this is... some people will use just this method against you. Quite often I see my team moving to the right Ill fire my weapons into the clouds off to the left for a few seconds... and lo and behold we go around the corner and find most of the enemy team mooning us looking for contacts comming from the other side...

[GuardDogg]

They need to put on a safety switch, or timer. I now wait for everyone to move in front of me, before advancing. That feel of getting shot in the back, legs, any where from behind, specially a friendly is annoying.

[StarGeezer]

I would totally be okay with them putting a weapon dampening field for maybe 500m or so around the spawn area for the first 30-60 seconds of a match to allow folks to get a good headstart away from the test-fire turkeys before they start shooting up the place.

[scJazz]

I still prefer my 10 to 30 second, ALL-FF damage reflected to Head Internal idea. That would stop the stupid in an instant.

[Geek Verve]

Ensaine, on 04 November 2013 - 03:37 AM, said:

And again with weaksauce..... was the mech acceptable YESTERDAY? So, what changed TODAY? Did the PGI ninja's go in and cut all your DHS in half?

Guys, run Training Grounds. True, the efficiencies are not in there... even BETTER. Set your heat for Training Grounds, and when you are in a live match, your heat management should be MUCH better.

Oh, I'm in that Cataphract that just stopped and turned around in front of you, with 3 other guys from my Lance, waiting to see if you're a tool or not, while you go all nubcaque.

Lotta cool internet memes there. Sorry, but I've got to agree with Kekkone here. Many mechs x many maps = my not trying to remember exactly how each manages heat on them all. I don't blame you for getting riled about someone blasting you, but if you're not put in harm's way, then you're just overreacting. Like Kekkone said, many of us ensure the firing lane is clear, before test firing.

[Lord Baldric]

Ensaine, on 04 November 2013 - 03:37 AM, said:

But once you 'know' where your heat is, and possibly adjust it after the match, after about 3-5 matches, you should know where your heat is. Is the heat acceptable, or not?

Once it is acceptable, you should not have to retest your heat. The 'cant remember all my mechs heat' is a weak argument. Was the heat acceptable last time you played it?

The issue is, once some toolio opens fire to test, other n*u*b*s think hey, lets all celebrate, and fire our junk too. Eventually, someone gets hit in the a$$.

Guys, this is the most n*u*b thing you can do.

Then go off by yourself, and fire into a rock, though this is a weak argument. I have 11 mechs in my stable, and ALL are built with similar heat, so I know how each performs out of the box.

The heat should be the same as the last time you played that mech. Was the heat acceptable then?
Also, you give position away by nubishly firing into the air, and give all the other nubcaques an excuse to join in, and not everyone is firing into the air........

And again with weaksauce..... was the mech acceptable YESTERDAY? So, what changed TODAY? Did the PGI ninja's go in and cut all your DHS in half?

Guys, run Training Grounds. True, the efficiencies are not in there... even BETTER. Set your heat for Training Grounds, and when you are in a live match, your heat management should be MUCH better.

Oh, I'm in that Cataphract that just stopped and turned around in front of you, with 3 other guys from my Lance, waiting to see if you're a tool or not, while you go all nubcaque.

Yes you generate heat the same regardless of map. Testing grounds do not account for skill tree yet. So testing dissipation will not be accurate there.

You can memorize all your mechs load outs and performance. Good for you. Not everyone can or has the desire to. You are welcome to have an opinion on the matter. Want to do something useful? Educate people on the pros and cons. Leave the childish insults out of it.

Its simple. So long as no one is being hit or positions being given away its none of your concern. If either of the former statements apply then civilly educate the pilot(s) in question.

[scJazz]

Lord Baldric, on 04 November 2013 - 11:56 AM, said:

Yes you generate heat the same regardless of map. Testing grounds do not account for skill tree yet. So testing dissipation will not be accurate there.

Or you could just read my sig and click