9 replies to this topic

[Joe Marberg]

So observer mode sometimes makes me tear what little remains of my hair out. So for those folks out there that are terrible (which i don't mind when you are on the OPFOR but on my side less enjoyment) here's some top tips.

1) Know and understand your weapons

LRM max range is 1000M firing at stuff beyond that range does 0 damage

LRMS also have a minimum range. Inside 180M they also do 0 damage

SRMs and Streaks max range is 270M firing at stuff beyond that range does 0 damage

Lasers do damage out to twice their listed range (it's reduced but lets not worry over much about that) so Medium lasers fired at >540M do 0 damage

Projectiles do damage out to three times their listed range. I believe their damage is reduced as well but might be wrong.

OK so sometimes it isn't a terrible idea to shoot at people beyond those ranges. Some people are hideously risk averse and will duck behind a ridge from pretty lights that do zero damage. But you cannot count on them being terrible. Usually best not to waste the ammo or heat.

2) Know and understand your Mech

If you are in an assault you will be slow compared to lighter mechs. Turning and running away is rarely a good idea if you run into a bunch of them. Sure try to take cover or use terrain to split them up but just plodding away from them and doing 0 damage while they shoot you in the back is not a long term survival strategy. Sometimes all you can do is die well.

In any mech always keep moving. Movement is life. If you have to stop moving to fire....well just don't. Learn to fire on the move. If you cannot master that then get used to being a smoking wreck. A lot.

When in a brawl torso twisting is a great way to spread damage over several areas rather then taking it all on the CT. Know where you are vulnerable. Try to turn that area away from the enemy.

If you are in a brawler fit seek out close terrain with short lines of sight. If you are in a sniper seek a commanding view of the battlefield. Know which you are.

3) Know your enemy

There's some mechs that are good at killing other mechs. Example: if you are in a light and that Catapult or Kintaro starts spamming you with streaks run the hell away. Go find some one else to fight because you have just brought scissors to a rock fight.

4) Know yourself

If your instinct is a shoot and scoot and run away from trouble then an assault mechs not for you dude. If your instinct is to get in close and slug it out toe to toe then medium mechs not for you dude (generalizing horribly here - some Meds just fine for this). Understand your own fighting style and pick a mech and fit that suits that. Example: I am not one of natures snipers. I am one of natures brawlers. I have many mechs that project very little damage beyond 270M and I'm OK with that.

5) Know and understand the battle.

Situational awareness is key. Try to shoot at targets other people are shooting at. The faster you can get an enemy Mech down the faster the odds can swing in your favor.

Be aware of your own damage. I lose count of the number of people that got hyper focused on shooting things in front of them that failed to notice the Stalker standing right behind them melting a hole through their rear armor.

Try not to end up off on your own. If you get isolated try to head back to your support.

Support your team mates. If some one pushes over r e t a r d ridge then follow them. Sure it may not be a great idea but if you let them go over alone they will just get killed and the enemy will be one mech up. Support them and maybe things will go better. Leave them to die and it can only go worse.


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And that's all for now,

March towards the sound of the guns.

Edited by Joe Marberg, 31 December 2013 - 01:30 PM.

[Nick Makiaveli]

What Joe said.

[Bront]

RE: Beyond Max range

Missile max range is a hard cap.

Energy weapon damage deteriorates linearly up to double the range (where it does 0).
Example: A medium laser fired up to 270m does 5 damage, a ML fired at 405M does 2.5 damage, and does 0 damage at 540m.

Ballistic weapons damage deteriorates linearly up to triple the range (where it does 0)
Example: An AC20 does 20 damage up to 270m, does 10 damage at 540m (yes, further than an AC10 does full), and 0 damage at 810m.

At the moment, no weapon does damage under it's Min range (LRMs at 180M and PPCs at 90)

[Targaryen X]

Id like to add:

Target Lock your enemies. ALWAYS!!!!
So many times I see players brawling away without lock-targeting their opponent, so how do you know where to shoot them? Spraying and praying is basically playing for the other team. They prefer you not target them so you cannot see if they are cored somewhere and take them out with shots to the big red "shoot me here" sign that you totally cannot see because you do not have them targeted.
And iirc targeting information is shared among allies so if you have an enemy targeted long enough to gather damage/weapon info any ally who then targets that enemy gets the info immediately rather than having to wait. Conversley if your allies are targeting enemies and gathering targeting info, you can more easily evaluate enemies because they have done the information gathering aspect of targeting for you.
But if you dont target then you get nothing, you are shooting blind. You dont know if the enemy you are about to engage is at full health or almost dead, is packing a pair of ac2s or ac20s, etc etc.
Target your enemy, you are not only helping yourself but also your team.

There is I suppose the possibility that everyone I see not using their targeting is practicing for fighting ecm mechs but somehow I doubt it. Its possible! But probably not. Theoretically an explanation! But color me skeptical.

Target your enemies people.

And if you dont know how targeting works, well amazingly finding detailed info was more challenging than I expected, but I found this in the dev blog, I hope it is still accurate:

Targeting

There are five different levels of targeting information that the player can receive about an enemy ’Mech.
Whenever the player can see an enemy ’Mech, or is receiving information about it from a teammate, it is marked with a red triangle that floats above it. This is technically not a targeting level, but simply what happens when the player is aware of an enemy ’Mech.
When the player presses a button to target an enemy ’Mech, they achieve the first targeting level and the enemy is framed by a set of red brackets.
After a few seconds pass with an enemy ’Mech being targeted, the player receives the second level of information which displays the name of the enemy player as well as the name and model number (e.g. Atlas AS7-D) of the enemy ’Mech above the brackets.
After a few more seconds pass with the ’Mech being targeted, the third level of information is revealed. This adds the overall health of the enemy ’Mech, shown as a percentage, along with the other information.
Finally, after a few more seconds, the final level of information is displayed. This adds a callout to the HUD showing a detailed damage breakdown of the enemy ’Mech, similar to the player’s own health readout. In the callout, each section of the enemy ’Mech is colored to represent the damage state of its armour and its internal structure. Alongside the damage breakdown is a list of the enemy ’Mech’s weapons and their locations. These are also colored to show the damage they have taken.
If the enemy ’Mech takes cover behind anything other than a ’Mech, so as not to be seen by the player or any of the player’s allies who can relay targeting information to him, for a few seconds, all of the targeting information and the red triangle disappear and need to be reestablished from the beginning of the process.
In addition to the targeting information system, the player can establish missile locks on enemy ’Mechs, if his own ’Mech is equipped with any guided missile systems. The player establishes a missile lock by pointing his reticle at an enemy ’Mech for the required time to lock. The missile lock will last until the player’s reticle leaves the enemy ’Mech for too long. Any homing capable missiles fired while a lock has been established, will home in on the targeted enemy.

Edited by Gederix, 03 January 2014 - 11:55 AM.

[Kjudoon]

At 1000m, your LRMs explode. I've had them blow up just a few scant meters in front of me doing no damage for a 60tube fulsade. I then walked forward 10 meters and killed the guy with my own 40 tube blast because he didn't pay attention to range.

And yes... not only does hitting the R key on who you're shooting at, brawlers, by telling you where to shoot, you can get instant Mech softener applied when someone with LRMs starts dropping on him, OR force that less than confident opponent to run from you and you gun them down as they break from the fight.

Also, if you see an ECM mech, they are just about the highest priority for you to kill if you have nothing threatening you or another fire mission going on. Killling those reveals so much, particularly for your LRM boats it can swing the tide of battle.

Edited by Kjudoon, 06 January 2014 - 05:48 PM.

[White Bear 84]

Gederix, on 03 January 2014 - 09:03 AM, said:

Target Lock your enemies. ALWAYS!!!!

THIS IS GOSPEL - 100% PURE BIBLICAL PREACHINGS. DO IT.

In addition:

• If you are scouting or you spot ECM mechs or a zerg horde it really helps your team or stragglers to know what is going on, get safe then report in so your teammates do not get a surprise steiner zerg to the face. Situational awareness can be the sole thing that saves a match from being a stompfest!
  
• Dont stand directly behind friendly mechs - if they need to back off from enemy fire, you are probably going to end up being the guy that gets them killed when they cant reverse.
  
• Dont run off into the wild expecting instant victory and glory! Patience and teamwork, work with your mechs, dont make yourself an easy target and as said before - know your role
  
• FOCUS FIRE! Constantly switching targets just spreads damage and does not kill targets, focused fire does!
  
• Dont pilot a Locust.
  
• Dont chase kills at the expense of helping the team
  
• If you are not confident then hold back a bit and protect the mechs that lead the charge

[NRP]

The 1000m LRM max range includes the arc length of it's trajectory. Therefore, firing LRMs at a mech that is >800m (give or take) will do no damage. Don't waste your ammo. The best LRM shot is when the target is about 500m out with a clear line of sight.

Also, a very important thing that falls under the "Know your mech" category is to know what level of heat load you can maintain and still fire your weapons. This is map dependent, do some testing at the start of the match (just don't shoot your teammates). Overheating in the middle of battle (especially a brawl) is a mortal sin. And I do mean mortal. I see people shutting down right in front of their enemies far too often.

I also want to second the point someone above me made about targeting your enemies. Not only does it give you useful information, but it also gives your teammates useful information. Seriously, just do it. Always.

[Kjudoon]

NRP, on 06 January 2014 - 06:17 PM, said:

The 1000m LRM max range includes the arc length of it's trajectory. Therefore, firing LRMs at a mech that is >800m (give or take) will do no damage. Don't waste your ammo. The best LRM shot is when the target is about 500m out with a clear line of sight.

Uhhhh... please tell me why I get kills at 900-1000m then with 40LRM broadsides? It seems actual gameplay contraindicates this statement.

[Victor Morson]

Kjudoon, on 06 January 2014 - 10:56 PM, said:

Uhhhh... please tell me why I get kills at 900-1000m then with 40LRM broadsides? It seems actual gameplay contraindicates this statement.

He means that against anyone that is competent awake, they will calmly walk out of range or to cover and since it calculates where you were firing from, not where you are during flight, you might as well wait for closer ranges. It's not bad advice even if a bit overzealous in it's statement.

[AnotherOne]

Also I'd like to point out the proper usage of ECM (or more accurately its counter-mode):

If you are in a Mech with ECM and get the Low Signal-symbol/-indicator, switch to Counter (J by default) - unless you are on your own (which is a bad thing in itself, as stated above) your teammates can target the enemy mech(s) and destroy them more easily.

The correct usage of ECM is especially important if you are covered by another friendly ECM as the effect does not add up