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First things first. TARGET YOUR ENEMY. The default key is "R". I suggest mapping it to something very handy. As handy as your weapon groups and throttle, at least. R works for me, as I use WASD for navigation and can easily target enemies while moving.
Now, onto the meat of the post:
I've had many chances to spectate and noticed something disconcerting. So many entirely decent players either do not Target at all, or Target poorly. I suspect much of this is due to PGI's crutch for new players where the game will Target for you, if you hold your reticle over an untargeted enemy mech. This is not always optimal. The purpose of this post is to share and collect information on how the in-game Targeting system works and how to use it to your advantage. (NOTE: I intend to cover ECM near the end of the post, most of what I say at the beginning will be true in all cases where ECM is not present, but may be changed significantly by the presence of ECM on the battlefield.)
Targeting Basics:
An enemy who is not targeted has a hollow red triangle above their mech. This means that YOU have line of sight and that the enemy mech is within your sensor range. YOU can see the mech on your minimap, as can any of your allied mechs who ALSO have line of sight on the enemy and sensors with sufficient range.
An enemy who is Targeted has a solid red triangle above their mech. ALL FRIENDLY MECHS can see a Targeted enemy on their minimap and HUD. In addition, any mech who is currently Targeting that mech will acquire in a short time a readout of the enemy mech's loadout and damage readout ("Paperdoll").
You can Target any mech who has a hollow red triangle (within your line of sight), or any mech that one or more of your allies have targeted (mechs with solid red triangles). If a Targeted mech leaves line of sight or moves out of your sensor range, you will lose Targeting after a brief time interval. In addition, a mech that is shut down either by overheating or deliberately powering down is unable to be Targeted.
Targeting and Missile Lock:
Guided missiles, which include Long Range Missiles (LRMs) and Streak Short Range Missiles (SSRMs) require the user to Target an enemy on which they wish to use guided fire. After some amount of time a Lock is acquired and the missiles, when launched, will attempt to correct course to hit the Targeted enemy.
(Note that LRMs may be "dumbfired", that is fired without guidance. If you do this they will attempt to hit the point currently under your reticle/crosshair. SSRMs may not be dumbfired.)
What does Targeting Get Me?
Firstly, it shares the physical location and map coordinates of the Targeted enemy mech. If you do not Target the mech you are facing, your teammates may not know about it at all. Secondly, it shows you what weapons the enemy carries and the state of its armor and internal structure. Thirdly, it allows you and friendly mechs to acquire Missile Lock on the Targeted mech.
While this sounds simple, the knowledge communicated by the First and Second listed uses will make or break a battle. Knowing where your enemies are at any given time, what their weapons are (including effective range) and where they are weakest gives you an immense advantage.
Targeting is easy. The simplest way to use it is to Target the enemy you are currently firing at. This shows you that enemy's weak spots (such as a weak side torso you can use to remove half its weaponry) and lets your team know 1.) Where your enemy is and what direction his legs are facing, and 2.) That you are currently focusing on taking down that particular enemy mech. This contributes greatly to "Focus Fire" situations.
A side note: Enemy mechs who have been Targeted have a "Target Designation" on the top of their red triangle. This is a letter from A to L, given in order of being found. This can be helpful for communicating information quickly. Instead of "Focus on the Atlas" you can say "Focus target B". In particular, when the enemy team has more than one of a given mech chassis, say 4 Atlai, you can use the Target Designation to distinguish between them.
Advanced Targeting
While simply Targeting each mech you are fighting is helpful to both you and your teammates, there are several techniques that greatly help your team's situational awareness. None of these are terribly difficult to do, but used properly they can easily make the difference between victory and defeat.
Minigame: "Fill in the Empty Triangle"
Sometimes it may be more helpful to your team if, instead of Targeting a mech who is already being Targeted by your teammates (has a full red triangle), you focus on those not yet Targeted. By Targeting an untargeted mech you mark their location on the minimap for your teammates, which is immensely helpful. In theory, with a 12 v 12 situation, each teammate could Target a different enemy mech and thusly your team would know exactly where the entire enemy team is at all times. Sounds great right? In actuality I've found it's unlikely you'll have more than 3 or 4 enemy mechs Targeted at once, and often there is only 1. Every additional Targeted mech gives your team realtime information on that mech's movements and orientation. In a brawl or ambush situation this can keep your teammates from exposing their vulnerable rear armor to an enemy mech. If the Targeted mech is a long-range "sniper" or LRM boat it can also help your teammates avoid the enemy firing range.
Priority Target
Normally I recommend switching Targets to whatever you are focusing on at a given time. Sometimes however there is one particular mech that may be a huge threat to you or your teammates. In this situation you may want to avoid Targeting a new mech. Even if your currently Targeted enemy mech leaves your line of sight or sensor range, and thus you lose Target info you will immediately reacquire Target on that mech when it moves back into your range. This is very helpful for light or medium mechs who like to sneak around behind cover then pop out and take potshots, as you will know almost immediately when they are nearby merely by seeing their Target readout appear at the top of your screen. In addition, your teammates will be able to see their location on the minimap and thus potentially be able to react by avoiding or neutralizing the threat.
Panic Spam/"Distress Signal"
Sometimes you turn a corner and run into an entire lance or even the whole enemy team. This happens more often to mechs who choose to "Scout" but can happen to any mech who turns around the wrong bit of terrain. While you take evasive action I recommend spamming the "R" key (or your current Targeting keybind). This causes several red triangles to flicker in quick succession on your teammates HUD and minimaps, alerting them to the fact that there are many enemy mechs in a location. By doing this, you can help to prevent your teammates from walking into overwhelming fire or an ambush situation.
"Echolocation"/Quick-Targeting
Similar to Panic Spam, but in a different situation. As a scout mech I often will be in a position to see several enemy mechs (say lined up on a ridge in firing positions) but lack time to relay the coordinates to my team. In this instance I will attempt to Target each enemy mech for a split second as I move past them. Even though the information shared vanishes quickly, this can convey the general layout of the enemy formation in a very short window of time.
For instance a blob
X X X
X X X X
X X X
looks and responds very differently from a sniper line
X X X X X X X
ECM and You:
ECM generates a "bubble" with 180m radius centered around the equipped mech. Mechs within this bubble behave differently in regards to Targeting abilities. ECM has its own special set of rules, counters, and mechanics but for the purpose of this post I will only detail its effect on Targeting.
For a "Friendly" ECM bubble (one generated by your teammates) all covered friendly mechs gain certain abilities, for a "Hostile" ECM bubble (one generated by your enemy) all covered friendly mechs lose certain abilities.
Friendly ECM shows up as an "Eye" style graphic on your HUD and a similar icon appearing to your teammates on their HUD when viewing your location indicator (Blue triangle). The range at which a mech covered by Friendly ECM may be detected is 200m, rather than the 800m default. This means that a covered mech cannot be Targeted by an enemy further away than 200m, which in turn prevents Missile Lock from being acquired as well.
Hostile ECM will cause your HUD to flicker and a "Low Signal" type graphic to appear on your HUD as well as a similar icon appearing to your teammates on their HUD when viewing your location indicator. Hostile ECM prevents the ability to share Targeting with your teammates. You may still Target an enemy, but your teammates will not gain any information on the Target's location or facing as long as you remain in the Hostile ECM bubble. In addition, you will not be able to benefit from any Target information shared by teammates while disrupted by Hostile ECM. Hostile ECM will also prevent you from acquiring Missile Lock, regardless of line of sight and sensor range.
Using a TAG laser on an ECM cloaked enemy will allow you to Target that enemy as long as the TAG remains on the mech. If Hostile ECM within 180m is disrupting your mech however you will not be able to use your TAG laser to share Target information or gain Missile Lock.
Additional Info: Sensor Range, BAP, NARC, and Modules
Base sensor range for a standard mech is 800m.
Equipping a Beagle Active Probe (BAP) increases sensor range by 25%, to a total of 1000m. The Sensor Range Pilot Module increases sensor range by 15% or 25% (upgraded) to a maximum of 1000m. A mech with both BAP and the upgraded Sensor Range module will have a maximum sensor range of 1200m. A BAP equipped mech also can detect and Target shut down mechs out to a range of 120m.
NARC missiles attach to an enemy mech and will allow all Friendly mechs the benefits of Targeting. This includes Locational Data (HUD and minimap icon) Target Info (loadout and paperdoll) and Missile Lock. ECM counters NARC effects within its radius but a NARC'd mech who loses the protection of ECM will once more be affected.
UPDATE 4/14: As of Mar 18: NARC Weapon Update
- NARC no longer gets knocked off a 'Mech via damage.
- NARC counters ECM while the NARC is still active.
The 360 Target Retention Pilot Module allows an equipped mech to retain Target on an enemy within 200m using a 360 degree line of sight rather than the normal forward facing arc.
The Target Info Gathering Pilot Module reduces by 25% the amount of time needed to acquire detailed information (weapon loadout and damage readout) on the Targeted enemy mech.
The Target Decay Pilot Module increases the amount of time you can hold Targeting and Missile Lock on a mech once it leaves your line of sight. This is helpful for many mechs, not just guided missile users, and often works just as well as the 360 Target Retention module for the purpose of mechs who have gone behind you.
UAVs give locational information about all enemy mechs within a circular area centered on the drone and below it in elevation. This is available to all friendly mechs and allows Missile Locks on enemies in the UAV's radius, but friendly mechs will not acquire full Target Info such as loadout and damage paperdoll. The base radius of UAV detection is 240m and may be upgraded to a 300m radius. Note that UAVs detect ECM covered mechs as well.
Edit 1/24/14: Completed. Inserted NARC effects on the Targeting system. I intend to try to keep this guide updated if Targeting mechanics are changed or possibly to reflect new strategies and information related to Targeting.
Edit 4/14: Added updated NARC info.
Comments and discussion are welcome below.
Edited by DodgerH2O, 17 November 2017 - 04:05 PM.
