41 replies to this topic

[Acierocolotl]

Yeah, see, Redshift 2k5 hit it. But let me summarize that brilliance: WHY do you suck?

But you know what's more important? Not giving a single greasy poop. It's game. Have fun. Ignore the haters, they're just bitter little people.

One observation to take with you: The people who complain about their team are always the worst players. Stick with your team and don't complain and I guarantee that you will not be the worst player there.

[Xeno Phalcon]

Continue to suck, be the anti-carrier! Share your suck with the masses, forget those 1k damage 10 kill tryhards, embrace your below 50dmg contribution to the team!

(Bonus points if you attach yourself to the most opinionated bitchy loudmouth on your team thats hell bent on informing everyone else why they suck, assuming said cryhard is actually alive....most are already dead when the tears start flowing.)

[C E Dwyer]

Not sure how you define suck, is it your getting caught alone, or is it simply you can't hit a barn.

tactical awareness comes with experience of your mech and even now some founders have zero understanding of whats happening around them.

just being a poor shot can be delt with in several ways,

get rid of any xl engines your mech might have firepower isn't any good if your dieing in four seconds flat, use a mech with a standard engine.

lurm boat but not just a lurm boat the catapult with 4 lasers and lurm 15 x2 is a good mech to use as you still need to be using your lasers and your shooting will get better.

Another way is brawling, it was a lot easier before the big maps came out, but running a mech with ac20 or a couple of lb-10's srms (yes even those) medium lasers with a big standard engine in get in their faces and fire, until you feel more confident.

this works on the basis of if you can't hit a mech at more than 500 meters not any point in having ac2 and ac5's until you get better short range weapons usually hit harder and the lb-10 has a spread so it helps until your aim improves

[990Dreams]

Dual AC/20 Jager.

Or a SPD-5K for assault cap rushing.

[salkeee]

If one suck and he wants to improve he will improve time is questionable.

Most complicated but most efective would be to record ur matches and reviev tham to see ur own mistakes only to try not do tham anymore.
Do not focus too much on how bad ur teammates are that is draging U away from realizing and understanding ur own mistakes all U can do about it that actualy help is giving a friendly tip with a friendly attitude.Remember this U can not change other ppl but U have all the power to change and improwe U self.

U need to find mech chasis that suits U, many ppl say "stick to ur group" well its good advice but its just imposible to do on many matches If ur in a slow mech so for learning maps and game in general Its better to go with something with decent speed so that U are able to actualy stay with a group otherwise U will spent half ur gaming time chasing ur own teammates,that is my problem now with my 1st assault mech(stalker).
There are many diferent weapons in this game and U should realy try to master at least 1 pinpoint weapon(ACs or PPCs)this makes U kill ur enemyes if only slightly faster its still faster.Thats meta of this game for the reason that it makes wins come easyer.
Try to find a group/friend to play with this makes game a litle more easy also.
AAAnd OFC read guides watch those videos read the forums.

Last and even most important do not play frustrated,if U get few lose streaks and ur morale goes down,dont play imediatly afther that there are many funny videos that can cheer U up and when U are in good mood u automaticaly play better.And this leads to less rage in game and rage doesnt help any1.

[Tesunie]

salkeee, on 17 March 2014 - 06:14 AM, said:

U need to find mech chasis that suits U, many ppl say "stick to ur group" well its good advice but its just imposible to do on many matches If ur in a slow mech so for learning maps and game in general Its better to go with something with decent speed so that U are able to actualy stay with a group otherwise U will spent half ur gaming time chasing ur own teammates,that is my problem now with my 1st assault mech(stalker).

Stalker can be a very good chassis, but it is slow.

My suggestion would be to talk to your team on that. Sometimes, they don't realize that someone is being left behind (or you need to place a larger engine into your Stalker. I'd suggest a 300 std). If you go "Hey, guys, can someone stay with me?" In team chat, I find normally the other assaults/heavies will slow down, at least till contact with the enemy...

[Axefan]

no one, on 16 March 2014 - 06:36 PM, said:

Find the biggest 'Mech on your team and follow it like a lost puppy. Shoot what it shoots and what shoots it.

This ^. That's what I did to start out. Then last March, I watched as Koreanese swept the 'Spring Clean em Up' tourament, and when he put out a series of videos, I watched them - then I precticed ALOT in the training grounds until I had his technique's mastered (specifically pin point fire and jump techniques). He has some really great tactics that all players should learn. His videos may be found here: .

[Koniks]

1) Other people's advice to stick near the big uglies is step 1.
2) When you die--and you'll die a lot, stick around to spectate the other players on your team and see what they do well or poorly.
3) Figure out what playstyle you like. Do you like slow mechs that pack a big punch? Fast mechs that can hit and run? Do you like fighting up close? Sniping from far away?
3a) Figure out a mech chassis and loadout that suits your playstyle. Then master that chassis. A lot of being a bad player is just piloting mechs that haven't reached peak performance and don't have a loadout that suits your strengths.
3b) Spectate other players who are piloting similar mechs.
4) Whatever style you choose to play, practice other styles, too. The skills of piloting a fast light are useful for learning how to shoot on the run or while jumping. Piloting a heavy or assault will teach you how to spread damage. Piloting a medium will teach you situational awareness and positioning to make up for having a mech that doesn't have a unique strength.
5) There are very few times you will die from 1 or 2 shots if you're moving. Keep moving when you engage the enemy. Make sure you use the time between shots to look at the paperdoll to see weak spots on the enemy. Target them.
5a) Learn the usual weak spots on mechs that are fresh. Dual AC20 Jagers probably have an XL engine, target the torso. It's hard to kill light mechs with torso shots, so aim for the legs.

Edited by Mizeur, 17 March 2014 - 03:05 PM.

[Malcolm Vordermark]

It depends on what you are capable of.

If simply getting around the map is a problem LRM boating will allow you to contribute without much movement other than walking from point A to point B. It is however easily countered.

If you can move but have trouble aiming using a streak boat will help. Chain firing streaks shakes the enemy's screen, so long as you keep moving they should have trouble tracking you. Also makes light mechs easy kills.

If you can aim but have trouble moving without bumping into stuff while fighting consider dual AC20 or dual Gauss Rifle Jagers.

Finally if you can move and shoot but have trouble defending against enemy damage check out the spider... Due to hitboxes, HSR, and people just generally wishing to shoot at anything other than a spider if possible they usually live to the end of the match.

These builds aren't the strongest and in some cases will only take you so far but they do have attributes that can allow less skilled players to contribute more.

Edited by Rouken, 17 March 2014 - 04:00 PM.

[Sug]

Stop being on my team.

[KnowBuddy]

PACoFist, on 17 March 2014 - 12:38 AM, said:

Use some of the "easier" weapons:
1. LRM lock on a target, no need for aiming skills.

LOL at LRMs being easy to use. This is false. Trying to switch to LRM-focused builds when you are feeling that your MWO skills are poor will just lead to feeling worse. Redshift2k5 nails it below:

Redshift2k5, on 17 March 2014 - 04:12 AM, said:

Running LRMs or capping is not the answer; LRMs can be difficult and frustrating, and capping in Assault mode is no easy feat anymore! Work on your teamwork

Some good general advice in this thread. MWO is a complex sim and can be difficult on many levels. Reading forums is a good start. Spectating players can be helpful. Joining up for training drops with better players can probably be most effective if you can arrange it. But the most important piece of advice is that this is a game, and if you're enjoying yourself it ultimately doesn't matter what other people think or say.

Acierocolotl, on 17 March 2014 - 04:27 AM, said:

But you know what's more important? Not giving a single greasy poop. It's game. Have fun. Ignore the haters, they're just bitter little people.

One observation to take with you: The people who complain about their team are always the worst players. Stick with your team and don't complain and I guarantee that you will not be the worst player there.

QFT

[Takashi Uchida]

In my opinion, there are some major factors in determining how much someone will "suck" on the field. Here are four big ones.

1. Optimal equipment and efficiencies
2. Situational awareness/general tactics
3. Reflexes
4. Teammates and communications.

1. Optimal equipment and efficiencies

We've all been there. Engines, mechs, heat sink/armor upgrades, mods, and some weapons are not cheap. When starting out, you will likely not be able to field optimal builds. You will meet kitted-out mechs that have all efficiencies unlocked and you will die if they so much as look at you.

Solution:

-Be smart with your purchases. Buy equipment that can be used with mechs you already own and mechs you intend on owning. Do a lot of research on mech builds. Check out mechspecs, the mwomercs forums, reddit, and other discussion places to find out some "tried and true" builds you can aim for. In combat, focus on getting assists (if you damage an enemy, even just a tiny bit, and that mech is destroyed, you get a nice cbill bonus).

-Once you start building your arsenal, you will have more freedom to tinker around and see what builds you can get away with. If you are willing to pay real money, consider a hero mech or premium time to make the grind easier.

2. Situational awareness/general tactics

The nature of mech games is a bit different from the traditional FPS. As people mentioned, you will die. A lot.

Solution:

-I believe this factor is the easiest to improve and has the highest potential to affect your gameplay. There are a lot of concepts to learn (heat management, terrain, torso twisting, etc).

-I recommend checking out these guides which are excellent introductions to tactics and gameplay (https://docs.google....d.g263f6502b_00, https://docs.google....HaXc/edit?pli=1).

-Take mental (or physical, if you prefer) notes on your matches. Are there commonalities between what happened in the matches you won? When you got a kill? When you died? Stick around and spectate when you are dead. Consider checking out some streams or youtube videos of experienced players.

-Join a group with voice chat where experienced players can fill you in on aspects of combat in real time, as well as provide text resources for various piloting skills.

3. Reflexes

In my opinion, this is the hardest area to improve. Some people just have better fine motor skills and reflexes.

Solution:

-Practice. Muscle memory can be improved with training.

-Consider role-types where "twitch style" gaming skills are less important. Snipers and light skirmishers are going to need very good reflexes. A brawler a little less so. An LRM supporter even less so. Notice as you go further down, you will generally need more situational/tactical awareness and team skills.

4. Teammates and communications.

The world of pugging is fun, but can be incredibly chaotic and unpredictable.

Solution:

-Again, go out of your way to find a group of people to play with. It doesn't even have to be a dedicated group. You can usually find a few folks hanging around the unofficial teamspeak server willing to group up (info: http://mwomercs.com/...mspeak-servers/).

-If you are 'bout dat pug life ("pickup game," not playing with a premade group), there are still some things you can do. With no in-game voice chat, communication is difficult. However, you can still do basic things like announcing you have LRMs. Typing can be a problem when you are in the middle of a fight, but if you can, little messages like "2 lights e4" or "ac40 jager near base" can really help. You can even try giving orders and corralling your team into doing something, but whether or not they will listen is another story. Sometimes they will, sometimes they won't.

[Amsro]

Spectate after death, look for someone in a similar mech as you, learn from what they do. Good or Bad. Knowledge is power.

[xengk]

When in doubt, go direct support with PPC or AC5.
Pack an AC/5 or a couple PPC or both and follow the biggest mech on your team, shot whatever they are shooting at. This hold true even if you are the heaviest mech on your team.
Bring Large Laser instead if your aim if you have trouble hitting consistently.

That is how I play most of my mechs before unlocking Elite on them.
By the time you are done with Basic skills, you should figure out what that mech is good for. Else, MOAR direct support.

Edited by xengk, 17 March 2014 - 07:49 PM.

[Naduk]

learn learn learn
if you are a new player or a vet its the same thing

winning is great and fun but it teaches you nothing
when you lose you gain invaluable data that we can use to learn from and better ourselves

play the game however you choose to play (best part about it)
when you die , just take a few seconds, sit back in the chair and breath, calm down
then think about what went wrong, replay the events before you got wasted in your mind
not so much the getting shot to bits, but how did you arrive at that point
where were you !?
where was your team !?
what was your damage state before you engaged that enemy !?
what was the known enemy status of the area !? did you go in blind !?
how many enemy were alive !?
what range did the engagement take place and how many weapons in that range did you have !?
what was your ammo count at !?
what was your heat level at !?
what could you have done differently to survive that encounter !? (there is always something)

to often people quickly blame anything but them selves for why they just lost
my team is bad, my enemy was cheap, weapon X is op, mech X is op, map X sucks
these are common way that people deflect negative input

the major problem is this "negative input(losing)" is actually positive opportunity for improvement

if you apply each of the above questions to your self after every match or when watching a match you will very rapidly find that its nobody's "fault" but your own when you lose
its not the teams fault, its not the maps fault or anything else but your own choices that lead to your demise

to properly utilize this mental stance you must understand that directing the focus of a loss towards your self is NOT a negative action
its a pure motivator
its not suggesting your the worst person in the world and every loss ever is solely your doing
its saying that a loss is the combination of mistakes made by players in the game

during every match there is a point in the game where you have lost
by asking your self questions like the above, you can figure out where this mistake happened
then you can make sure to correct that mistake for your future matches

additionally we can learn from the mistakes of others
critiquing your own play can be a hard practice
removing your ego from the game is crucial
after you die use the spectate function (or watch one of the many streams out there)
put your analytical hat on and watch someone else play
with out the stress of being shot at it is easier to observe the mistakes made by pilots
(a common one is brawlers not pressing R on their current target and shooting for weak spots)

you will soon start to spot what makes a good pilot vs a bad pilot
this works even better if the person you are observing is your friend and you can ask them
questions about why they did this and not that (dont ask them in the middle of battle)

then its just a matter of applying what you have learned to your own play

if you want to expand your understanding of these type of concepts (that apply to all games not just MWO)
check out these links

Sean "Day9" Plott ,champion Starcraft player and Tournament commentator
also author of the Day9 daily show, entirely dedicated to improving peoples play skills
watch this episode particularly

alot of his newbie Tuesday series contains cross compatible knowledge

David's Sirlin, champion street fighter player and game designer
he wrote an amazing book called "Playing to Win"
this link is the most important chapter in the book, but the entire thing is worth reading
http://www.sirlin.ne...ates-guide.html
entire book can be found here
http://www.sirlin.net/ptw/

[dragnier1]

I remember those days when the old matchmaker used to match the really good players with the terribad players. I learnt a lot spectating. I'm not sure if spectating (now) would yield the same results, since i'm no longer a new player.

[Orbit Rain]

My one line answer: Get an ECM Spider and figure out how the battles play out.

[AlmightyAeng]

One of the things that I see constantly is player NOT targeting, and not checking ALL their targets.

When it comes to aiming, at a fresh target, aim center torso. At a target that has an exposed section? Shoot the exposed section.

If you see two mechs coming at you, target them in succession to determine if one is already damaged. If a fresh Atlas and a Stalker with a cherry red torso both come at you...what makes more sense? Hitting the Atlas and letting them BOTH chew you up? Or taking out that Stalker first and effectively cutting their firepower in half?

Play smart...taking out the weak helps...and ganging up on the fresh guys is important. Be a thug. Beat up on people in groups.

[John Buford]

no one, on 16 March 2014 - 06:36 PM, said:

Find the biggest 'Mech on your team and follow it like a lost puppy. Shoot what it shoots and what shoots it.

First of all find a Mech you like and keep playing it and if you really want play some of its other variants, all while doing what no one said.

[Tombstoner]

Why care at all.... your there for fun.... do what makes it fun for you. if you suck at it...ie short life times..... then try ambushing. learn from what your doing and stop it...