48 replies to this topic

[Craig Steele]

@ OP







scout·ing
/ˈskaʊtɪŋ/ Show IPA

noun
1.
an act or instance of reconnoitering; reconnaissance.
2.
the activities of a scout or scouts.
3.
( often initial capital letter ) the program of activities of the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts.

Origin:
1635–45; scout¹ + -ing¹
Related forms
scout·ing·ly, adverb


Dictionary.com Unabridged




scout
¹ /skaʊt/ Show IPA

noun
1.
a soldier, warship, airplane, etc., employed in reconnoitering.
2.
a person sent out to obtain information.



re·con·nais·sance
/rɪˈkɒnəsəns, -zəns/ Show IPA

noun
1.
the act of reconnoitering.
2.
Military . a search made for useful military information in the field, especially by examining the ground.

There is no law that says light mechs are scouts. Indeed many Light mechs have roles other than scouting (Jenner is astriker, Panther a city fighter, Valkyrie a support for light lances and so on).

I know of a few Atlas pilots who have been very grateful I hung back in my Jenner waiting for the enemies lights to come a calling and chased them off his 6.

At least one purpose built medium is a dedicated scout, the Hermes II. The Fenris is another medium that prodives scouting services of Clan Wolf toumans particularly. There are more I am pretty sure which I can look up if you need.

[Ryan Steel]

In all seriousness guys, he is a great scout even though he doesn't say anything whilst he kills everyone. In fact, we don't really need a scout on our team as his introductory taunt brings in the fodder like moths to a flame.

[Niklaus Kotare]

Because of tiny map sizes and short wash-rinse-and-repeat scenarios, "scouting" in MWO is nothing more than well-intentioned fast light mechs racing off to abandon their lancemates left vulnerable to highly mobile mobbing without light mech support while they rush off to die either quickly or alone at the end of the match with a 1:4 or greater KDR failure to your discredit.

Short of popping out to relay the enemy's avenue of approach from a hilltop and scurrying back to the herd to be of real team asset, scouting here is a worthless and futile endeavor. Better to set a slow speed to stay with the heavies and overload the enemy with highly mobile distractions in and out of LOS while the assaults sponge DPS long enough to get behind someone and leg them and/or shoot their rear CT out rather than run off and die alone at the end of a match with only one or two kills to show for your entire team's effort.

Edited by Herc Conley, 19 March 2014 - 12:16 AM.

[Niklaus Kotare]

Trauglodyte, on 18 March 2014 - 11:20 AM, said:

I often wonder if the reason we don't have all of the things that we want is because the people that want them are the hard core gamers that want as much immersion as possible whereas the primary consumer is just a dumb neckbeard that wants to shoot stuff.

This reply did make me laugh out loud.

Ryan Steel, on 18 March 2014 - 08:21 PM, said:

Or when you team kill hunchbacks, toke up, and 1v12 assault mechs with a Jenner F.

Ryan Steel, on 18 March 2014 - 08:21 PM, said:

Or when you team kill hunchbacks, toke up, and 1v12 assault mechs with a Jenner F.

This post made me laugh for 5 minutes straight. Damned dog picture.

[Niklaus Kotare]

Nicholas Carlyle, on 18 March 2014 - 11:22 AM, said:

Well...the problem is...if you were going for the "just shoot stuff crowd" you should've advertised the game that way.

Instead of creating design pillars, promising role warfare, calling it a thinking mans shooter...then fleecing a bunch of people for their "Founders" money.

In the future, developers will need to impress me with some vetting and a lot of good reviews to get any investment out of me - that is if they can manage to keep a lid on the hacks and cheats long enough past full release.

Sadly, this has become another nail in the coffin for me in the game pre-sale cash model arena. MWO needs to decide on an identity and forge ahead. With all the swaying back and forth, the bait and switch taste left in my mouth after spending real money for epeen only to be devalued by a heavy nerf-bat in a matter of weeks is too hard to wash out.

Finally, asking $500 per elite clan mech chassis was the final insult against taking this title seriously. They can't even get hit boxes and convergence working. As a decades long FASA BTech fan, I'm disappointed.

[Fooooo]

What we have now IS scouting but its only use is to get locks for other people really, and to say to other people on the team with R that there is a mech over there.....

There is no need to send a mech 2 or 3 minutes away from the team to check a route in a valley. (that would end up letting the enemy get behind them etc) As everyone knows where everyone will be or can make contact very quickly etc.....ie maps too small.

You'd need really big maps with some type of objectives etc for real scouting to play a fairly big role....

IE

1 team must escort something and can tell it where to go with waypoints or something. (it would be best also to have "decoys" of the actual stuff they have to escort they can send off with a few mechs to.....you know....be decoys ? )

The map is HUGE, say 20km x 20km, they must get it to a point on the map unknown to the other team.

Other team MUST fan out scouts to make initial contact ASAP in this situation or they will end up sending their force the wrong direction and be too far to do anything etc etc........add getting within 150-250m to inspect as well. (mw2 style) (not as a requirement to win, but it would make it faster to pick out decoy convoys at a risk etc)


Thats just a loose play of what 'could' happen with scouts if we have bigger maps and objectives that mean something etc.

Edited by Fooooo, 19 March 2014 - 12:15 AM.

[Niklaus Kotare]

Goose, on 18 March 2014 - 10:07 AM, said:

Does anybody scout at all... Or is it something that might happen if, and only if, both Achievement- and cash-rewards get boosted by a factor of eight or so?

If you want to scout, then ask PGI to deliver vastly larger and vastly more interestingly terrained 100x100 hex or larger maps with long running around the clock robust scenarios in which scouts might become heroes.

Otherwise, If or when they boost rewards by a factor of 8 for diminishing combat effectiveness by running off and abandoning your mates to do your own thing is the day I go find a better way to waste my time in an office chair.

[Wildstreak]

Trauglodyte, on 18 March 2014 - 11:43 AM, said:

Spotting Assist - XP and cbills; can be done by anyone
Drone Bonus - XP and cbills, can be done by anyone with the module
TAG/NARC Bonus - XP and cbills, can be done by anyone with the equipment

Scouting - no reward, can be done by anyone willing to go off alone and risk dying for the betterment of their group (not team)

Spotting Assist - I know of these but it seems the only time they are gotten is when LRM fire from a teammate hits your target. Without that, no bonus.
Drone Bonus - Keep hearing about this, no idea what it is.
TAG/NARC Bonus - While true, like Spotting Assist, they only kick in when missile fire hits the target.

Since 2 of those are based on weapon fire and NOT actual scouting (that does not require weapon fire), those 2 don't count. Close but not true scouting.

Actual scouting bonuses would reward for the first time FINDING an enemy, not when it first gets hit by weapon fire. There are no tools currently in game for actual scouting.

[Bagheera]

Herc Conley, on 18 March 2014 - 11:57 PM, said:

MWO needs to decide on an identity and fofoforgetrge rge ahead.

They did decide: arena shooter with minimal battlefield variables, individual achievements and solo tournaments.

Faction Tourney: Community Warfare 1.0.