24 replies to this topic

[Macksheen]

Love all the help so far. Finished through my 25 runs, bought a few things I wanted to try - some thoughts & questions.

(a) In terms of playing, I seem to have decent luck getting XP, but not CBills. Is XP based on "goal achievement" (spotting, assists, caps, etc.) and CBills just on straight-up damage? If so, that would mean that as a relatively unskilled / starting player I should stick to mechs that generate damage for me, and not "goals".

( Looking at the advancement, is the recommended path to buy three of the same chassis? Mech bays seem to be one of the most limiting factors. The base capabilities (the few I've unlocked) are really useful - are the elites just as noticeably impactful? Or is it better to just standard advance a handful of different classes, etc.?

(c) Is there a way to "save" a loadout? Like, say, let's assume I have a missile boat and want to have an option with LRMs, vs one with SRMs ... can I save and quick-apply a loadout, or is it manual?

(d) Is there an offline capability for something like smurfy's?

(e) Aiming vs. targeting vs. hitting ... there are times when I swear I'm dead-on, and miss and times when there's no way that shot should hit and somehow I connect. Do some of the weapons "aim" behind the scenes if you have a target hard selected and are "close", where the system adjusts for you? I'm still very new, and FPS isn't my strongest game-set in general (never the best jump-headshot guy). Missiles are too easily foiled in most groups I've run in (LRMs at least), lasers seem to require some constant under-the-reticle exposure time to do decent damage. ACs seem somewhat forgiving - but maybe that's just grass being greener as I've not purchased any of serious quantity and/or mix yet.

Thanks in advance

[Craig Steele]

a) According to other threads you get more XP for goals (spotting, UAV, ECm etc) so if XP is your goal, thats where to go. Having said that, sooner or later you are going to want to XP heavy / Assaults so its much of a muchness.

IMO, yes, the elites are very strong for the relative mechs. eg, speed tweak for lights, very powerful. Also, once all 4 elites are done the Basic bonus is doubled, so its a bigger boost to heat especially.

c) no, not under current UI

d) idk, anyone else??

e) sounds like ping and HSR (Host State Rewind) issue. Search Forums for full explanation. Also Hit Boxes might be a factor, have a looksie on forums for that too.

BTW, Welcome to MWO and hope you enjoy it Big things for the game this year

Edited by Craig Steele, 13 January 2014 - 03:21 AM.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

1 - You earn c-bills and XP for every in-game action. You do get bonus c-bills based on your damage score, yes, but it's not your primary income. Assists pay very well, so hit as many enemies as you can! Every mech will 'do damage for you'. The weapons all work the same, no matter which chassis they're mounted on.

2 - Yes. If you like a chassis you buy, always go for getting three (you can always sell the ones you don't want after you unlock their first 8 efficiencies, for space). The Elite skills are not only good in their own right, but once you have all 4, the first 8 have their impact doubled. FTR, get Speed Tweak and Quick Ignition first. The other two are disabled/broken and only serve to help double the Basic-tier skills.

Mechbays are one of the best (if not the best) value items in the game. Depending on MC package, they work out as around $1.50. Maybe buy a few if you want to start Elite on more than 2 chassis.

3 - Not yet. It's meant to be coming with UI2.0, meant to be coming on Feb 4th.

4 - No, and AFAIK there are no plans to add one. Smurfy is a great resource, though, good to see you using it already.

5 - Hit registration can be funky on MWO, because the game is server-authoritative. So you might see a target in plain view, and you might see your weapon hit. But if the server says otherwise, no hit will register. Works vice versa, as well. Sometimes you'll think you missed, but the target moved to where the server said the shot was and it 'hit'. The worst affected weapons right now are SRM's (and it should tell you how much I use them that they're my highest-damaging weapon anyway, ha), followed by LB-10-X autocannon. Lasers can occasionally be funky. AC/20's seem to suffer occasionally too.

Lasers do their listed damage over their entire beam duration - if you only manage to swipe an enemy with a third of the beam, you'll do a third of the damage. LRM's can be relatively easily dodged or covered from, and entirely nullified by ECM, so they can be a temperamental weapon to use. When they work, though, the tears of the enemy team can slake your thirst for days. AC's are very popular right now because of their generally low heat, pinpoint damage and no damage-over-time mechanic.

EDIT: the easiest missile weapon to consistently score hits with is the Streak SRM. Once you lock on and fire, you're all but guaranteed to hit. The sodding things don't miss.

Edited by Arnold J Rimmer, 13 January 2014 - 03:26 AM.

[Craig Steele]

Also, if you're not yet purchased mechs, I would recommend Jenners as a good starting point.

Its fast, packs a solid punch and JJ and is a very nifty little fighter. Mainly energy weapon sets but good heat capacity. With this mech you can get a little seperated from the group and still be OK. It is forgiving of poor positioning which if you are getting used to the ebb and flow of battle is more important than you might think. Note, this doesn't mean if you are 2kms from your team and facing the whole company you will survive, lol

I have some freinds that swear by the Hunchie too as a first mech. Its got ballistic which is FOTM atm and a nice loadout options. With this you definitly want to hang around your team though. Find an assault mech, protect his 6, hang maybe 150 m behind and what he shoots at you shoot at.

In the heavy band, Orion is pretty nice now the Hit boxes have been fixed. Balistic/ Missile and energy points its got a lot of options and plenty of armour. There are "better" heavies but this one has options.

Assaults well opinion is divided. I hear Highlander is probably the most flexible chassis so have a looksie there. If you do go assault. NEVER NEVER NEVER (like the 2 1/2 men epsisode) get alone. If you don't have 3 team mates around you, you have screwed up your position. Hell if you need to even ask for an escort at the load screen. I'll watch your back if I'm around

Again, have fun

[Turist0AT]

b: yes an elited/masterd chassie is noticeably better. Better cooling, faster fire, faster speed.

d) yes, i think so. seen some announsmets on the forums. Im gonna se if i can find it.

http://mwomercs.com/...b-mechlab-tool/

http://mwomercs.com/...r-mechlab-tool/

http://mwomercs.com/...onix-inc-saber/

There are probably more.

Edited by Turist0AT, 13 January 2014 - 04:37 AM.

[Squash]

d) Skunkworks is another option. If you have a windows phone, you can even go mobile!

http://mwomercs.com/...echlab-utility/

[Kotzi]

I get as much average income for scouting as for damage. You have to focus on spotting and scouting though. Every tag, every narc gives you cbills. Kills and assists also give more cbills than normal damage. But as a scout reconnaissance is the easier way to gain profit than pure fighting.

Quote

The final tip for boosting your C-Bills is to know exactly what earns you those C-Bill bonuses at the end of a match. The following shows all the factors that go in to your end of match C-Bill total.
Assault Game Mode

• Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
  
• Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
  
• Component Destroyed = 2,500 * how many components you have destroyed
  
• Enemy Kill = 5,000 * how many enemies you have killed
  
• Enemy Kill Assist =7,500 * how many kill assists you got in the match
  
• Spotting Assist = 2,500 * how many spotting assists you got in the match
  
• TAG/Narc Assist = 2,500 * how many TAG/Narc assists you got in the game
  
• Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the match

Conquest Game Mode

• Win/Loss/Tie = 25,000
  
• Team Kill = -10,000 * how many teammates you have killed
  
• Component Destroyed = 1,250 * how many components you have destroyed
  
• Enemy Kill = 2,500 * how many enemies you have killed
  
• Enemy Kill Assist = 3,750 * how many assist you got in the game
  
• Spotting Assist = 1,250 * how many spotting assist you got in the game
  
• TAG/Narc Assist = 1,250 * how many TAG/Narc assists you got in the game
  
• Damage Done = 25 * how much damage you did in the game
  
• Resource Bonus = 50 * how many resources you have collected

As you can see, the largest C-Bill bonus is for kill assists.

http://mwo.gamepedia.com/C-Bill

EDIT: Narc suck big time so rather tag.

Edited by Kotzi, 13 January 2014 - 05:17 AM.

[AaronWolf]

Since everyone got to answering your questions before I could this weekend, I will give you my welcome:

[Arnold J Rimmer]

Kotzi, on 13 January 2014 - 05:15 AM, said:

cbill post

That list is a good guide, but is now out of date and not wholly accurate. The earnings have been adjusted and tweaked since 12v12 and the introduction of Skirmish, as well as UAV and ECCM bonuses.

[Amsro]

Great to see everyone chiming in and helping!

I can recommend saving up for Jenners as your first mech, buy 3 and master them. By the time you master the 3 variants you will be much better experienced for another chassis.

The difference between a stock mech and a Basic/Elite/Master + 2xBasic experienced mech is huge!

This process goes by quick enough if your remembering to have fun.

Last work of advice is use the Smurphy Mechlab Tool to mess around with builds so you don't waste your C-Bills in game. http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ You can create an account and save your builds for future reference too.

See you on the battlefield!

[Macksheen]

Thanks for the responses - love that CBill list, even if it is out of date.

I really want to gear up some ACs - always been a fan of the long range sniper aspect. Had some trouble getting the guass to work like I expected on the trial mech though (not a problem w/ the ACs, but if I'm running an AC mech it's a Rifleman or Jaeger type thing in my preference ... but have to work up the $ for one).

[Arnold J Rimmer]

Macksheen, on 13 January 2014 - 12:35 PM, said:

Thanks for the responses - love that CBill list, even if it is out of date.

I really want to gear up some ACs - always been a fan of the long range sniper aspect. Had some trouble getting the guass to work like I expected on the trial mech though (not a problem w/ the ACs, but if I'm running an AC mech it's a Rifleman or Jaeger type thing in my preference ... but have to work up the $ for one).

They haven't been adjusted very far, and AFAIK the ratios between them are still the same. (Also bear in mind that kills do actually pay the same as assists, as you always get at least one Component Destruction with a kill - that CT counts as a component, too! There's just a different level of effort involved in earning it, which is why the conventional wisdom goes that assists pay better.)

The Gauss has a wonderful, logical (/sarcasm) charge mechanic besides its reload time. You have to hold the trigger for 0.75 seconds, and then have a 1.5-second (1.25s?) window in which to fire before the rifle discharges and you have to start over.

[Macksheen]

Arnold J Rimmer, on 13 January 2014 - 01:59 PM, said:

They haven't been adjusted very far, and AFAIK the ratios between them are still the same. (Also bear in mind that kills do actually pay the same as assists, as you always get at least one Component Destruction with a kill - that CT counts as a component, too! There's just a different level of effort involved in earning it, which is why the conventional wisdom goes that assists pay better.)

The Gauss has a wonderful, logical (/sarcasm) charge mechanic besides its reload time. You have to hold the trigger for 0.75 seconds, and then have a 1.5-second (1.25s?) window in which to fire before the rifle discharges and you have to start over.

Yeah, that charge thing was annoying. Does it work the same if you have two of them linked? Or do they not play well when charging/firing in a group?

[DEMAX51]

Macksheen, on 13 January 2014 - 02:31 PM, said:

Yeah, that charge thing was annoying. Does it work the same if you have two of them linked? Or do they not play well when charging/firing in a group?

It works exactly the same way if you have two of them in a single weapon group. Hold the fire button for .75 seconds to charge them both, release to fire them both.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

DEMAX51, on 13 January 2014 - 02:39 PM, said:

It works exactly the same way if you have two of them in a single weapon group. Hold the fire button for .75 seconds to charge them both, release to fire them both.

Basically just don't chain-fire them.

[Macksheen]

XP upgrades, extra ammo and freaking AMS makes a huge difference on an LRM boat.

Plus, more $ armor/endoskellie

[Satan n stuff]

Macksheen, on 13 January 2014 - 03:08 AM, said:

(d) Is there an offline capability for something like smurfy's?

You could save the page, that will give you something that lets you build mechs, but you can't save your builds and you can't load stock mech builds. I tested it on my pc, then moved the saved copy to my smartphone ( no internet for both tests ) and it works, but it's a pain to use with such a small screen.
You'll also need to get a new one every time there's a major patch, as it obviously won't be up to date otherwise.

[IraqiWalker]

People seem to forget about the existence of the heat simulator.

This thing is basically the mustard to your smurfy hotdog sandwich
http://keikun17.gith...eat_simulator/#

You can test ANY kind of weapon-related heat release for any chassis with any engine and heatsink count. It also factors in Ghost heat (you have to turn the option on)

[mailin]

One thing that nobody mentioned, is the double xp bonus. Once per day, per mech, you get a double xp bonus for the first victory. If you're grinding and either have new mechs, or a mech that really, really sucks, play them at least once per day until you get a win. It makes the grind a LOT less painful.

[Macksheen]

Thanks for the replies. Now one week in and having fun - and sucking a bit less each drop.

I've got a few additional bays (made a small purchase), nabbed the jenner w/ the big engine and a few other chassis with $.

The first I'd purchased was a Catapult, which I like but proved very frenetic in actual play. With a group that helped with locks (and after I gave the thing more ammo, etc.) I tend to do pretty well considering. In poorer groups, not so much. I also realized that, while it's cool and all, getting 3 chassis of that was going to be pricey in CBills, so decided to try to play out a medium instead (I don't have the mentality for run around crazy lights). Due to the way I saw the sorting, I didn't see the all the medium's listed (I guess the MC ones were listed first) so ended up with hunchbacks. I also didn't fully understand some of the loadout limitations (engine size max, can't put jumpjets on every mech) before the purchase (else I'd have gone with something else). Regardless, sticking with it and .

I'm close to filling out my 3rd hunchback (have the 4G, 4SP and 4P). I really dislike the mech, but I'm sticking through it as to get elite skills you only have to master 3 of ANY chassis in that class, right? So I can pick the single griffon / shawk / wolverine / etc. and go from there, yes? (after the basics are done)

Given how the skills advance once you're elite, I can see how someone who's got those unlocked will be out circle-dueling me easily in the same chassis. It really seems to make a big difference. That third hunch with no skills unlocked turns like a pig comparatively.

Just some mental checking as well on the builds.
- For each, I took the engine out of another mech (an XL 255 I yanked from somewhere) so I could get some more speed ... not huge with CBills, so using an old engine not buying the exact right one. The sluggish 60 is horrid, the 80s is more tolerable. I would have put the 300 in from the Jenner but I didn't realize there's a cap on engine size.
- When I run the 4P, I run with all ML (basically). Heat management is a pain, and I've put in as many sinks as I can - still, that thing has pretty cool short-term burst. This one has all basics unlocked.
- The 4S I pulled the AC 20 and put in a set of AC2s. The 20 was fun for a few big damage runs, but I find the range capabilities to supress and get assists seems to work better. This one also has all basics unlocked.
- Four the 4SP I've got SRM6s in and an ER LL ... and this is the one I have questions about the most. The SRMs are for burst, and the scatter is about the only way I can deal with the zippy lights who can out-maneuver me (as they have more maneuverable mechs, likely skills added and are simply better players). I've got a bit of spare space, how useful is it for random people to be using TAG for others to get locks -- or should I just go for more DPS? I could fit in a second ER LL likely.

I'm also using AMS on most. ECM isn't a guarantee, and it seems to prevent a goodly chunk of damage - both for me and others. Is this a trap / bad idea in general?

Now that I've played a bit, I think my next "real" body will be something like one of the 55 meds w/ a small handful of streaks and paired w/ an LBX or LL/PPC (and a few lasers for just-in-case). I'm toying with something with 3-5 streaks ... and can probably fit in a BAP, TAG as well - but want to sanity check that and make sure those aren't just a trap. Thoughts?