68 replies to this topic

[Bigbacon]

So as a new player to this game (but not the MW universe), you sure don't make me want to continue to play....

Missiles.....Getting hit from anywhere and everywhere. no line of sight, behind a tall structure and can still be constantly barraged until death...from 1000m away...unreal.. Makes starting out quite impossible at times.

No way to free build a mech to test using all available options. I'd like to be able to try mechs and build load outs without spending real or fake monies... let me build, see how much it will cost, test it in the test arena and then I can decide to spend or save.

Maybe this is me being new but, are there only just random games? can you get with other players you know and squad up? Anyone want to help me out? I like being to play with people who are willing to play together as too many battles are just like a big free for all though i've had a few good experiences already with just the random folks.

Can you bring back the HTAL damage displays PLEASE?? SO much easier to look at IMO

[MysteryNotes]

Bigbacon, on 19 March 2014 - 04:13 PM, said:

So as a new player to this game (but not the MW universe), you sure don't make me want to continue to play....

Missiles.....Getting hit from anywhere and everywhere. no line of sight, behind a tall structure and can still be constantly barraged until death...from 1000m away...unreal.. Makes starting out quite impossible at times.

No way to free build a mech to test using all available options. I'd like to be able to try mechs and build load outs without spending real or fake monies... let me build, see how much it will cost, test it in the test arena and then I can decide to spend or save.

Maybe this is me being new but, are there only just random games? can you get with other players you know and squad up? Anyone want to help me out? I like being to play with people who are willing to play together as too many battles are just like a big free for all though i've had a few good experiences already with just the random folks.

Can you bring back the HTAL damage displays PLEASE?? SO much easier to look at IMO

This should help you when playing with loadouts.
http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

[Bigbacon]

I want to test in game though...

[Kjudoon]

Smurfys is the only way to build for free worth anything right now. But testing in combat? Nope. Doesn't exist because they don't do AIs or PvE here.

[Sealawyer]

Right now, there are really only random games. Your best bet is to hit the recruitment threads in the House forums, or on the Outreach forum and find a unit. Most have teamspeak and are more then happy to help a new player learn. You will also find you have better results playing with a team. Plus people will help you with your mech builds as many of us have learned the hard way, through the school of rough knocks.

[Mims]

It just takes some getting used to. the more you play, the more things you can try. and it also helps to work with nearby allies. use buildings and terrain as cover, it makes lrms practicaly useless if your using your head. even though this is mostly deathmatch style playing, this game requires a very strategical playstyle. And that is what makes this different from all other mechwarrior battletech tittles. It is simulated war situations. you must work with allies, use cover, absorb damage on the least critical chasis locations, and dont charge alone in an open field. those are the rules we follow to get wins and stay alive while doing it. hang in there buddy

[Kjudoon]

Sealawyer, on 19 March 2014 - 04:41 PM, said:

Right now, there are really only random games. Your best bet is to hit the recruitment threads in the House forums, or on the Outreach forum and find a unit. Most have teamspeak and are more then happy to help a new player learn. You will also find you have better results playing with a team. Plus people will help you with your mech builds as many of us have learned the hard way, through the school of rough knocks.

Absolutely right. To the OP, If you really want to improve and grow quickly, joining a group with Teamspeak is essential. Sure you can PUG it alone and be a student of the forums, but this is a team game no matter what the statistics say (83% drop alone sez PGI).

With a group you can meet many competative players that can teach you and take you under their wing, help you with loadouts that you can then go forth and lay waste upon your enemies. I found a great merc company, but if you're more of a clanner or faction kinda guy, go for it! I know there are good people there as well.

Ultimately, with some of your gripes, they're not going away. This is never going to be a close range brawling game that feels more like rockem sockem virtua fighter. Nor is it going to be Tabletop Mechwarrior (there's a different game for that). This is a mech based, strategic team based FPS and that is not going to change. You have to play your mech as if you actually can die and that means cover, being smart and not charging blindly into an enemy force and expect to survive let alone win. There is another game if you want that experience, but not here. You are 1 of 12 here and that means even if you have the game of your llife, and the other 11 botch it... you're going to lose horribly.

So... don't play this like just another shooter. One person 98% will not win the game alone. Accept that you are not going to be able to finely craft your mech before you take it out into the field, and you're not going to be getting an 'easy' mode any day soon where bad tactics and strategy will be forgiven.

MWO is a great game... imperfect, but great. Love it for what it is.

Edited by Kjudoon, 19 March 2014 - 04:56 PM.

[Redshift2k5]

Bigbacon, on 19 March 2014 - 04:13 PM, said:

So as a new player to this game (but not the MW universe), you sure don't make me want to continue to play....

Missiles.....Getting hit from anywhere and everywhere. no line of sight, behind a tall structure and can still be constantly barraged until death...from 1000m away...unreal.. Makes starting out quite impossible at times.

No way to free build a mech to test using all available options. I'd like to be able to try mechs and build load outs without spending real or fake monies... let me build, see how much it will cost, test it in the test arena and then I can decide to spend or save.

Maybe this is me being new but, are there only just random games? can you get with other players you know and squad up? Anyone want to help me out? I like being to play with people who are willing to play together as too many battles are just like a big free for all though i've had a few good experiences already with just the random folks.

Can you bring back the HTAL damage displays PLEASE?? SO much easier to look at IMO

HTAL would be great, but this is not a suggestion forum. HTAL has certainly been requested in the past!

Grouping up with players is quite possible! you just need to find somewhere to meet. This venerable thread lists lots of chat servers http://mwomercs.com/...e-chat-servers/ and you can look at the Faction, Clan, or Merc subforums for groups looking for players

No, no option to free-build or run builds in the testing grounds until after you've checked out. Offsite building is an option though. Again, feel free to make use of the suggestion forum for making suggestions.

LRMs are certainly dangerous if you get caught in the open, and until you learn which cover will protect you. Keep in mind that the enemy has to lock to you to fire missiles that track (un-locked missiles will just dumb-fire to the cursor location, or the target's last known location if a lock is broken). If you get the missile warning, you need to move, break the lock, and keep moving because it takes time for the target lock to break. I haven't been killed by LRMs in a long time, so just learning the ropes will help a great deal in avoiding them. Massive direct-fire will still kill you faster than LRMs, even with today's LRM buff.

[Bigbacon]

my missile issue I use cover, I user cover all the time. I attempt to stay in cover and maneuver around cover all the time. Specially with access to only smaller/lighter mechs, I can't go toe to toe with much at all. Missile hit you behind cover all the time...everytime.

I always stick with other players because again, without a heavier mech and/or a mech with a long range or better load out, I stand no chance being alone unless it is specific maps where you can hit and run with a fast mech. Some maps are not newb friendly as your choices are so limited you have to get it at medium to close ranges to help and that is pretty difficult at times.

I don't play this as FPS, I know better from past MW game experience.

Maybe my problem is I am the kind of player who likes the light and medium side of the game and a lot of time that just doesn't work when you can't reach out. I like the fast and quick maneuvering stuff. Been messing around with the cicada 3C

I also miss the nova.

Edited by Bigbacon, 19 March 2014 - 05:14 PM.

[Kjudoon]

Then you're already a little ahead of many others in this game Bigbacon.

[Macksheen]

Run that Stalker trial mech a few times and see how easily folks block the LRMs, then do the same. The trick isn't cover - it's sufficiently tall cover ... and/or moving. Moving at a moderate speed perpendicular or at crazy speed any direction generally avoids. Also, breaking your target helps too - not just cover, but out-of-sight from whoever is targeting you. Break that target lock.

When I started I got eaten alive with LRMs. They lock on? AWESOME! First mech I bought was a missile boat - and then I learned (painfully) how easy they are to avoid. I also learned how to better use them, so that was good - but now I rarely run LRMs - just not reliable enough.

As it is now, I rarely get killed by LRMs ... and when I do I can usually pinpoint the action or actions I took that over-exposed me where I essentially killed myself.

Edited by Macksheen, 19 March 2014 - 05:11 PM.

[Mims]

You probebly just need more practice. with time you will develope and get better. and evolve better strategies on certain maps. it's a process all of us have gone through. and the game is always going through its own changes. Many of us have had to adapt our own way of playing to suit a viable role in this game. Looking at the big picture, where else are you going to be playing the most simulated mech warfare game to date.

[Bigbacon]

I'm also not a kill seeker, I am perfectly happy being the assistant kind of player. I like trying to help my team win, not just get a personal high score.

[Kjudoon]

Join a unit. Helping a team becomes infinately more satisfying.

[Koniving]

Bigbacon, on 19 March 2014 - 05:03 PM, said:

1) my missile issue I use cover, I user cover all the time. I attempt to stay in cover and maneuver around cover all the time. Specially with access to only smaller/lighter mechs, I can't go toe to toe with much at all. Missile hit you behind cover all the time...everytime.

2) I always stick with other players because again, without a heavier mech and/or a mech with a long range or better load out, I stand no chance being alone unless it is specific maps where you can hit and run with a fast mech. Some maps are not newb friendly as your choices are so limited you have to get it at medium to close ranges to help and that is pretty difficult at times.

3) I don't play this as FPS, I know better from past MW game experience.

4) Maybe my problem is I am the kind of player who likes the light and medium side of the game and a lot of time that just doesn't work when you can't reach out. I like the fast and quick maneuvering stuff. Been messing around with the cicada 3C

5) I also miss the nova.

1) Missiles recently received a speed buff. Whenever a weapon gets a change "EVERYONE" has to try it out. Sometimes you can wait for a buff to settle over. In the mean time, look for "ECM" on ally players and hang out under their umbrella. Missiles cannot hold locks within 180 meters of an ECM mech. But that isn't to say that players can't get around that.

Note that you not only have to be out of line of sight of the missile user but the other enemies as well, and turrets and UAVs. Occasionally powering down can break a lock but only when used in a logical situation.

To further address this remember that missile boats tend to hang back or get near the front. "Bigger ones" hang back. Smaller ones get up front. Keep your eyes peeled. If they get isolated, that's your chance to strike. ~MOST~ LRM boats cannot defend themselves too well. Scan them with "R" (Target) and make sure their weapons can't fight too well, then go for it.

The problem isn't that there are too many LRM boats. It's that no one is killing them because they are too suppressed. When there are a LOT of LRM boats...that means there are very few who can fight up close. Fix the situation; deal with the threat.

Some light/medium help with the trial mechs currently available to you.

Spoiler

Spider.

Spider - trial.

Cicada - trial.


I personally use slow-moving lights. This is using a larger mech as a mobile source of cover (after the short Jager clip)


And then this will show you LRMs and how people avoid them. Note that breaking a lock means nothing if you don't relocate.

2) This happens more often than not. It comes with the nature of the choke point designs of the map which alienate faster mechs. Try to avoid choke points whenever possible. Sometimes a player can slip around the entire outer edge of the map without ever being seen.

3) Treat this as a mix of FPS and Simulator. If you played MW4, it's a bit like that except instead of lasers it's autocannons. If you played MW3... then compared to that simulator experience MWO is a very disappointing FPS. Treat it like a cross over and you'll do fine.

4) See videos in spoiler.

5) In June you will see the first flood of Novas. It should be publically available for in July.

Edited by Koniving, 19 March 2014 - 06:39 PM.

[Bigbacon]

Sweet on the Nova news, it was always my favorite mech in MW2 and such

I do some times move arond the edges of the map in order to try and hit things or distract but more often than not, the rest of the team is clustered in one area and the distractions don't do much to help other than lure the back players away for a bit (either long enough to kill me or long enough for me to get away)

I will continue to play around...saving bills now in order to get some research in for some good medium/lighter heavy mechs and load outs.

[p4r4g0n]

Doesn't look like anyone has mentioned it but are you aware of the Testing Grounds under the Home tab? It isn't real combat but you can test out your builds there.

Do note that the targets in there die a lot faster than in real combat as they have stock load outs i.e. lower / unoptimised armour layouts. Other than that, it will help you learn maps and target recognition for some mechs.

[AlmightyAeng]

Bigbacon. Props to the preference for lights and mediums! Thrillseeker!

That said, for a brand new player, those have a bit of a learning curve. It IS frustrating that you can't test builds right off the bat...though you CAN go to the training grounds and test out mechs you own.

After your first 25 matches you'll have about 10 million cbills to play with (the cadet bonus nearly always comes out to about that).

In order to get a feel for what you want, may I recommend you buy the JM6-A and purchase various items to test out different loadouts. Just posted in another thread with examples of doing such here.

Getting any variant of the Shadowhawks will also allow you to test a variety of builds and styles with good flexbility.

Since the missile changes happened this past Tuesday patch, they're more prevalent since people want to test them for themselves (like Koniving said).

As to avoiding them...the best tips I can give you are:

1) Be aware of where your ECM mech buddies are
2) Bring AMS
3) When you die, spectate others to familiarize yourself with the maps. I don't know what cover your behind, but there are LOTS of options available.
4) When you have missiles incoming, turn your torso away from them as you move and lift your crosshair...depending on what mech you're in you can soak up a lot of damage on your arms.
5) Move from cover to cover, not across open ground. That goes for any weapons system, really. I LOVE it when targets ignore cover...whether I'm packing LRM's, lasers or ballistics.

[dragnier1]

As per my experience lrms from 600m+ away are still avoidable, even in an assault. In the past if i was the target of lrms i had the time to see where the missiles came from, slowly move away while watching the missiles as if it were part of the scenery. The main change is i need to move immediately once i get the warning to avoid it.

[Bigbacon]

this is an odd question and i'm guess this has to do with balance? why is it that the smaller engines require you to carry so many more heatsinks than a large one?

My first assumption was that it was to offset people trying to toss light engines on mechs in order to lower their tons down, sometimes significantly.

I'll have ot look at the Jager. I would like something that can carry a nice assortment of energy and ballistics of varying sizes and such which still being to move quickly around.

i really don't want to be a missile man though.

I did just have a lot of fun sniping around with an ERPPC on my cicada...Interesting to me that with lots of games, I often have more fun doing almost nothing.

Edited by Bigbacon, 21 March 2014 - 07:33 AM.