39 replies to this topic

[Felicitatem Parco]

I like to pack 2 Particle Cannons on a Raven with ECM and just stay with my team. They like my ECM, they like my "ER-AC/20," and they like my targeting assistance will all the targeting modules I carry. If I make my team happy, then I'm happy... because they wouldn't be happy if they were dying.

[Valdemaar]

You run. You harrass. Learn the weapon ranges and know how to stay in the safe zones and the weapon placements as well as which chassis are more likely to run XL Engines. SSRM boats are terrifying but have the drawback of needing to be within 270 meters and maintain a lock. Skirt around them at range blasting your medium lasers into their back, use the terrain to break lock, and carry AMS to minimize damage. Hit them and keep on running, don't give them a chance to return fire.

Do these things and you possibly will survive.

[supertrieuper]

The point is not for you to go toe-to-toe with a heavier mech, especially one designed to bring you down. Know that you can still harass when possible, play the hit-and-run game, spot guys, and counter opposing lights. And those mediums running XLs? Not hard to hit. Don't let anyone convince you side torsos are difficult shots to make.

cleghorn6, on 01 March 2014 - 07:32 PM, said:

If you want to stick with lights, learn to pick your battles.

Pretty much this. Every class has pros and cons.

Never forget about those silly lrm boats that think they are safe 500m behind the main force. Those are nice.

[Szegedin]

Davers, on 01 March 2014 - 03:15 PM, said:

Sorry, I should have added the caveat "If you know how to aim and are not relying on SSRMs yourself".

you make it sound so easy Davers!

Yes it can be done. but you have to ask yourself if its worth it to get into a fight which is going to damage the armor on every component of your mech, just so you can take out an enemy which is of basically no threat to anything on your team except lone lights like yourself...

[General Taskeen]

Arcade Auto Streaks sure are fun aren't they?

[Krinkov]

I blow their leg off with two alphas from my jenner then run away.

[Cyborne Elemental]

Lights without ECM are for misdirection, harassment, and cannon fodder IMO.

With ECM, Lights are amazing scouts and forward observers, and harassment.

When I'm in a light and my team is pinned by LRMS or poptarts, I will rush the enemy team like a madman using cover and terrain as well as can be done, and start pissing lasers and whatever I have at the LRM boats, If you're doing your job correctly, all attention will be on you and your team might have a good chance of moving up to engage.

That, and they're pretty damn good at eating up Lonewolf Assaults or heavies that wander away from the team.

They seem overpowered ATM, but if Hitreg ever gets fixed scouts will pretty much be useless as a single mech in combat and be forced into a recon role where distance and intelligence gathering is key.

BTW, as far as hitreg is concerned, this is likely what is happening thats throwing off any weapon that has to travel to a target like ballistics do, its probably throwing off Hitscan for lasers too on high ping players.

Its not the same, but best thing I could think of to compare to whats happening.

Edited by Mister D, 01 March 2014 - 08:42 PM.

[Monkey Lover]

Krinkov, on 01 March 2014 - 08:32 PM, said:

I blow their leg off with two alphas from my jenner then run away.

So you found a noob with a 116kph mech not moving?

Edited by Monkey Lover, 01 March 2014 - 08:50 PM.

[Davers]

Szegedin, on 01 March 2014 - 08:09 PM, said:

you make it sound so easy Davers!

Yes it can be done. but you have to ask yourself if its worth it to get into a fight which is going to damage the armor on every component of your mech, just so you can take out an enemy which is of basically no threat to anything on your team except lone lights like yourself...

Ok, you need to stop making sense right now!

[Asmudius Heng]

Darian DelFord, on 01 March 2014 - 01:37 PM, said:

When around every corner is a damn Medium mech that can go 115 KPH loaded with streak misses (

You can not be an effective scout without ECM yet only a handful of them have ECM. You get a streak medium on your arse and your toast unless you really have terrain on your side. It used to be your speed could get you out of most situations but not completely true anymore. They can keep up.

You try to be sneaky and get in the backfield and from 999 meters away another mech spots you and the red triangle goes up and you show on everyone's radar and they turn to nail you. I mean is it me or has the role of the light drastically been reduced and is continued to be reduced with the development of this game?

They need passive and active sensors in this game and to rework ECM, the lack of stealth available to anyone without ECM is rediculous

[stalima]

have you ever considered that mechs can be designed for a purpose? all streak mediums tend to be weaker against higher dps Heavy/assault class mechs some of which can do the exact same thing to them...

they pretty much reduce their overall dps by a fair bit just to "not miss" which can end up as being counter productive against a mech that they arent exactly going to miss in the first place, that is the disadvantage of streak srm

[Ngamok]

Khobai, on 01 March 2014 - 01:38 PM, said:

explode.

Tank.

[Mole]

I'm a light mech pilot and I inflict plenty of damage with my light mechs. I never have trouble with streakboat mediums because the only medium mech that I can't instantly put distance in between myself and them would be the Cicada, and I've never run into a Cicada sporting streaks. I tend to harass by taking a shot and then using my speed to disappear. I find that staying in proximity to an enemy mech by running circles around them is a recipe for death unless they are truly isolated because more often than not I end up getting half the enemy team on me when I try to do that. The only time streaks give me a hassle is when another light that I can't simply outrun is bringing them to bare on me.

[DarkDevilDancer]

I play my Sarah's mech every day and do just fine without ecm, and my ember gets regular 3 kill games using the machine guns to chew up assaults.

Streak boats you can just avoid and let an assault on your team have a laugh as the streaKs spread their damage.

Be thankful lights are in a place where a decent pilot can take on an assault and win, previous games made light obsolete the second you strapped into anything bigger.

[Vellinious]

Pretty easy, really. Stay at between 150 and 200 meters (you run faster than they do, shouldn't be an issue), run AMS (at that range AMS will have a chance to take down at least 3 of the missiles, reducing damage done), and fire back. At that range, you'll be doing full damage with medium lasers. Mediums have weak legs...pick a leg, and take it off. Now they move even slower, and you have the advantage. 2 full alphas from a Jenner F should be enough, if you're good enough with lasers, to take the legs off just about any medium out there. Once you have that leg off, stay outside the streak range (270 meters), and pick away at the other leg. If there's more than one...run to your heavy mechs. If they follow you, they'll die a fantastic death.

It's about picking your battles, and knowing what to shoot. I play lights almost exclusively, and don't think this is an issue.

[Supersmacky]

In lights, speed is life. Being still is death. Choices in the mech build for a light should (generally) be engine first (largest/fastest), armor second (the most possible), weapons last. Four MLAS and going 150kph is a lot better than six MLAS and going 130kph. Keep moving and don't ever, EVER, feel safe until the match is over. Avoid moving straight line for more than a second or two. Jink and turn unexpectedly. Speed and maneuvering = armor for a light mech.

Work the fringes of the enemy force, not the middle. Pick off stragglers and the beat up ones.

Whenever possible, hunt as a pack.

Lights are all about the stick-and-move, not stand and blast (even against other lights).

Lights are not the tip of the spear...they really aren't any part of the spear. They are for harassing, finding flanks, spotting and dealing with other lights.

GET LOCKS! If your team has LRMs and you get a lock on the enemy it acts as a force multiplier for you. They not only have to deal with you scurrying around them, but the huge wallop that keeps raining on them.

Don't skyline or move run down the center of a lane. learn to peek and learn to hug walls while moving without getting stuck.

If you can't shake a medium and both you and he are all by yourselves, then don't. Turn and fight...at least to the point were your line of retreat and his back are pointing the same direction.

If you're more that three seconds from cover, your doing it wrong.

Make sure that mech you see all by itself is really all by itself BEFORE you commit. Nothing leads to certain death quicker that saddling up on an solo enemy mech, rounding the corner and finding his three team mates waiting for you.

And never miss an opportunity to so infuriate an enemy medium, heavy or assault to the point they leave the protection of their group and come out for a one on one. Get the lock on them and lead them to your team. If the wise up and try to turn back to their team (exposing their back to you), take ever shot you can at their back armor.

[John Buford]

Few things to remember about Streakboats that use the max engine size and run at 120+ KPH. First MedLas have a greater range than Streaks, and second they don't have a lot of firepower other than streaks. This does give Lights some advantages such as its easier to stay outside 270 meters and if they follow the rabbit take them to you heavy's and watch them die. Yes this easier said than done but its not impossible.

[Johnny Reb]

I dont run much anymore but the fast Cent-D is a scouts nightmare. 133kph(xl 380?) with 2 medL, 2 streaks (bap) and 2 machine guns. Fun ride!

[KharnZor]

General Taskeen, on 01 March 2014 - 08:29 PM, said:

Arcade Auto Streaks sure are fun aren't they?

*edit* because i should be nice

Edited by KharnZor, 07 March 2014 - 05:23 AM.

[Prezimonto]

stjobe, on 01 March 2014 - 04:04 PM, said:

It's not you; the game is made for heavies and assaults, mediums and lights aren't really a consideration and have to settle for playing the heavy and assault game of trying to get the most damage, kills, and assists.

It's the only way to bring in the CB/XP.

So here's a tip from someone who's been running Commandos for the last 20 months or so: Fire on everyone. Make sure you get assists on as many kills as you can. Don't try to kill stuff if you instead can fire at someone you haven't fired on yet, but do try to steal a kill here and there; if nothing else you might get a Savior assist, and those things are gold.

Also, if you can, TAG, Narc, or UAV anything that looks even remotely like it has incoming indirect fire; the purpose isn't to help the LRM boat but to get a spotting assist, so do it even if you're shooting into the furball. Every bit helps.

This is the only real way to earn XP in the majority of light mechs that are less than 35 tons.

There's a few caveats... the Spider K is a clean up machine.. you mostly hang back until both teams are down to 50% and the remaining have some open armor... until then peck and run with your one laser. Once the armor's open you go on the offensive and become the tiny buzz saw of death that 4mg's make's a small highly mobile attacker. Too bad the Locust V can't manage this as it just can't take enough damage to sustain close quarters combat against larger mechs, you'll only survive against highly distracted foes who don't have team support.