102 replies to this topic

[Werewolf486 ScorpS]

JimEvolved, on 25 March 2014 - 12:02 PM, said:

Thanks so much to everyone for the good ideas to consider, lots of good content here to think about.

As for her own account, which is a separate but important issue . . . that's less of a technical issue because obviously yes it would be nice for her to have her own bays and then I could focus on my own bays and stats, etc., and more of a parenting issue where we're still easing into the idea of still pretty young kids having their own accounts on social, connected games whose player base is mostly adults and where there isn't much of anything by way of parental controls. Which is fine, I don't expect a game like MWO to have tools like that beyond the terms of service, but it does mean I have to be aware that she could be directly exposed to stuff that is not intended for, or even appropriate for, someone who is that young. If she's playing under my account, the risks aren't eliminated but as a parent I have just a little bit more direct visibility and control over her activity. As she gets older, yes, she'll start to get her own accounts.

I feel your pain! I have two boys ages 11 and 7 who would love to play MW and I can't allow it with what happens in chat in most drops. References to things no kid should know about and things best left for 18+ and more. It sucks I have to relegate them to play in the testing grounds and that's it. I would love for the ability to set up accounts with no chat in the client or able to turn it off some way so that they can play. I know my oldest could do better then most newbs as he has years of playing MW4 under his belt (granted against the AI) and I would have even spent a little more money on MWO to have my kids play with their own accounts with enough mechbays. I have to keep telling them no and see the disappointment.

Edited by Werewolf486, 15 April 2014 - 11:51 AM.

[Decoy3]

mogs01gt, on 15 April 2014 - 06:55 AM, said:

There is a huge difference between a chassis being good for new players and someone being a fan. Hunches are horrible choices for new players due to their base STD engines, hardpoint placement and chassis design(brawler)

Man, you really seem to hate Hunchbacks.

Why exactly do stock engine sizes matter at all? Except for DHS, it's pretty much the first thing you replace on any mech (some exceptions for heroes that run well w/ stock engines). Now that PGI gives you something like 15 million CBills out the gate (do all your cadet drops in the first day w/ free premium time), it's not like anyone is stuck spending twenty plus drops grinding a decent engine for their Jenner these days.

The new player experience is still pretty awful, but that's really another thread.

[mogs01gt]

Decoy3, on 15 April 2014 - 12:11 PM, said:

Man, you really seem to hate Hunchbacks.

Why exactly do stock engine sizes matter at all? Except for DHS, it's pretty much the first thing you replace on any mech (some exceptions for heroes that run well w/ stock engines). Now that PGI gives you something like 15 million CBills out the gate (do all your cadet drops in the first day w/ free premium time), it's not like anyone is stuck spending twenty plus drops grinding a decent engine for their Jenner these days.

The new player experience is still pretty awful, but that's really another thread.

I hate Hunchies for new players, as a new player I selected a Hunchie and it made this game unplayable. I actually think they are "fun" but still a shitty mech.

They arent C-Bill efficient compared to other mechs since they start out with the 200std. either are Cents for that matter and I love cents.. Since Mediums need to go atleast 80-90kph, hunchies need a large investment to meet that speed to compared to other Med Mechs. For new players, its way more efficient for a new player to get a Med with a 250+std engine.

Example:
Cicada,Treb's, Griff, Kintaro, Hawks or Wolverines are all more cost effect since they have variants less then 5mill C-bills. I use 5 mill because to have a Hunchie reach their speeds, they have to invest 1.5mill MINIMUM. Cent's fall into this same issue but Cents are more tanky than Hunchies.

Edited by mogs01gt, 15 April 2014 - 12:54 PM.

[Tesunie]

mogs01gt, on 15 April 2014 - 12:51 PM, said:

I hate Hunchies for new players, as a new player I selected a Hunchie and it made this game unplayable. I actually think they are "fun" but still a shitty mech.

My first mech on MWO (Over a year ago now) was a Hunchback... and it's still in my mechbays for a reason... (And it's got a stock 200std engine in it!)

I actually commonly use the stock engines on many of my mechs, at least at first. And nothing says a mech can't go slow.

Example of slow mechs that work (for me):
Cicada 3C "Hollander III"
Locust 3S
Raven 4X (Slowish for what most people would consider for the 4X, or any light mech.)

(I could probably provide more if desired.)

And the current (C) Hunchback I took for a spin to get "Less Green, more Mean". Ended up with a 3.0 K/D and 485 damage per match, which ends up as 9.7 damage per ton per match, after only 5 matches. (No, I didn't start out using the Hunchback, but I finished with it!) It's actually currently the most deadly mech stats in my roster with the new stats... (I think I need to get me one of dem!)

[lashropa]

It does not get any better than a 9med laser Hunchback 4P. Load her up on coolant flush, give her two or three weapon groups and she's well on her way.

If she gets the hang quickly switch up to 9 small pulse and teach her to chainfire while moving.

Bam. Instant quality time. Mastering the mech first for her will help a lot.

[Tesunie]

lashropa, on 15 April 2014 - 01:43 PM, said:

It does not get any better than a 9med laser Hunchback 4P. Load her up on coolant flush, give her two or three weapon groups and she's well on her way.

If she gets the hang quickly switch up to 9 small pulse and teach her to chainfire while moving.

Bam. Instant quality time. Mastering the mech first for her will help a lot.

My opinion on this would disagree with yours. I find the 4P to be more of an advanced mech to use. You really need to learn fire and heat control, and you have to be really sneaky with it. I found the best way I used it was to use the 6/7 med lasers from the hunch in one weapon group, and just about ignore the other weapon group besides to burst some quick damage, or for side shots. I also had to play "pop the hunch" out of cover, shoot, and then duck back into cover.

The 4P is a nice mech, but I wouldn't be calling it new player friendly. At least not in this heat scale and with ghost heat effecting it too. Start off on a missile hunch first. That should teach some of the skills needed to survive while providing indirect fire options to help them survive. They should still get practice with lasers with the design, depending upon how one has it set up.


Personally, I think an easy to understand chassis, balanced between range and close up, will probably be a better learning mech. My Griffin 3M is one example I could bring up. Even my Hunchback 4SP as another possible example of a good build for beginners. Shoot your long range weapons when at long range. Inside a certain range, just switch over weapons to the second weapon group. (Ex: Griffin: Shoot the ALRM20 outside 180m. Inside 270m, shoot everything else.)
(This is of course depenant upon the abilities of the new player, as some new players will catch onto certain weapons/tactics better than others. This example of range banded weapons can also work for other weapons, such as with a Battlemaster (might not be a bad idea for a new player ride as well). Use ERLLs at range. Within 300m, switch to everything else, using ERLLs sparingly, if at all, in closer ranges.)

(This is, of course, my opinion based on my own observations and concepts. Figured new players have enough to learn about, might as well keep their mechs simple to use.)

[mogs01gt]

lashropa, on 15 April 2014 - 01:43 PM, said:

It does not get any better than a 9med laser Hunchback 4P. Load her up on coolant flush, give her two or three weapon groups and she's well on her way.

If she gets the hang quickly switch up to 9 small pulse and teach her to chainfire while moving.

Bam. Instant quality time. Mastering the mech first for her will help a lot.

Since when do new players have coolant flush?

4p's are for vets.

[Tesunie]

mogs01gt, on 16 April 2014 - 05:49 AM, said:

Since when do new players have coolant flush?

4p's are for vets.

I don't even have/use coolant flush! And I've been here for over a year!

[mogs01gt]

Tesunie, on 16 April 2014 - 10:37 AM, said:

I don't even have/use coolant flush! And I've been here for over a year!

lol I just now got enhanced zoom. been playing for a year...never enough cbills.

[Tesunie]

mogs01gt, on 16 April 2014 - 12:53 PM, said:

lol I just now got enhanced zoom. been playing for a year...never enough cbills.

Never enough! NEVER!

I have one Advance Zoom, which bounces from mech to mech, one Advance Target Decay and one Advanced Sensor range.

You don't want to know the list of mechs I have lined up to buy and work through...

[Alaskan Nobody]

Tesunie, on 16 April 2014 - 01:33 PM, said:

You don't want to know the list of mechs I have lined up to buy and work through...

All of them?

[Tesunie]

Shar Wolf, on 16 April 2014 - 01:37 PM, said:

All of them?

Not all of them. Just mechs I owned one of, and wanted to finish getting master on? Like, the Raven line, and Centurion... (And I wouldn't mind trying the Awesome, despite what people seem to say about it... I just recall when it was a trial mech and I liked it!)

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

the fundamentals are the most important. if you don't hunt properly you will die fast without making a positive impact to the game direction. Personally even though I'm a founder I don't have enough game hours clocked to be considered a proficient hunter, but it always comes down to a few things.

1. Tracking prey movement.
2. Determining locations and movements to lock down and kill your pray.
3. Patience to ensure you do not become the hunted.
4. Decisiveness and Efficiency in the kill to prevent unwanted attention.

people always use the same routes because they are optimal, these are the pack trails. there will be strays and stragglers, but they will almost always be isolated. In the case of other hunters, they will often form packs of their own and go off the beaten trail. This is why patience or your own organized pack is important so you do not get into a situation where you yourself are isolated.

Games that are damage/hitpoints model are race type games. Ideally so you do not get focused yourself, you want to identify potential prey that can be isolated from the group, and slowly work an advantage to your team. However you are forced to play with prey and it ultimately turns into killing their prey and outnumbering the hunters before their hunters kill the prey on your team and you become outnumbered. Make no mistake, in random games at any given time there are only 2-4 winners on each team, the rest are losers meant to be points for the people that matter, and the winner is entirely determined on which team has more idiot deaths in the first 3 or so minutes, not individual skill - although individual skill IS required to make damage and get kills... but I digress. If you want to play with competent players, do competitive oriented game modes which random games are NOT, and are ENTIRELY there for grinding credits and experience, not win rate.

as far as a medium goes, for a beginner you'll want something fast and somewhat durable. This will make most mistakes much more forgiving as you will be able to escape from them. This will maximize your survival time and you will gain more pilot experience per game than you would if you pilot something slow, so in my honest opinion I'd recommend the cicada 3m. ECM, fairly quick, 3 medium lasers and a uac5, and the side sheilds make torso twisting effective in certain circumstances, not to mention the cicada 3m has a high skill ceiling but a very reasonable skill curve. Aside from the cicada, i'd recommend a stock equipped 4sp with endo and a bigger engine or a shadowhawk 2d2 packed with streaks, bap, and a uac5 or lbx10

Edited by Battlecruiser, 16 April 2014 - 02:21 PM.

[Wolfways]

I don't know if it has been mentioned but if speed, agility, and energy weapons are the priorities i would add the Catapult-K2 to the suggestions.
It is a heavy mech but is fast and agile (with a huge torso twist range), although it's important to note that it does have a big CT which soaks up most of the hits and the cockpit is dead center of the mechs mass which means it gets headshot a bit more than other mechs. On the plus side it does have more armour than a medium and can use an XLengine fairly safely due to small ST's.

The main weapon hardpoints are high up meaning it is also easier for the mech to shoot over cover protecting the torso/legs, and while i'd suggest keeping the PPC's because they are good weapons (and if she stays with teammates should have support when the enemy get within minimum range) if leading targets is a problem they could always be replaced with ER/large lasers.

The K2 isn't exactly an easy mech to learn to use, but imo it is easier to use than most mediums....but maybe that's just me

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

Easy to play?

If missiles are ok then the Kintaro-lineup

[Plaguetongue]

the trial hunchback, 9x medium lasers, put em on chainfire... Cant be more simple than that

rust run and press mouse1 to shoot =)

[Tesunie]

Plaguetongue, on 17 April 2014 - 02:54 PM, said:

the trial hunchback, 9x medium lasers, put em on chainfire... Cant be more simple than that

rust run and press mouse1 to shoot =)

Chain firing 9x medium lasers would probably be counter productive and would, in my experience, provide very poor damage results. Not to mention you would then have to stare at the enemy the whole time, instead of twisting or anything else.

If you are just going to chain fire, 3 LLs would probably be more effective for damage. 9 medium lasers would have a lot of the lasers waiting to shoot while 2-3 would be on cool down. (Don't know if I'm being clear on what I'm trying to say.)

[Sagedabluemage]

focuspark, on 25 March 2014 - 11:27 AM, said:

GRF-1N (easy mode)

Just a pair of Large Lasers on a highly maneuverable platform with good visibility. Doesn't much better than that to learn on.

(just teach her to twist away (roll with the punch) when being attacked -- good advise for real life as well)

^ this is very good info

this is the one i use i really like it ->http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=126&l=736d37632f8daa6e5ee8e848abddb8985e18bbe8

its a very fun build and u can jump in and out when need be and its kinda like a hit and run centurion with some forgiveness on the aim. so it could be a good helper for her as well. so she can dabble in getting close and learning to fade away.

Edited by Sagedabluemage, 20 April 2014 - 09:49 AM.

[That Dawg]

and still no chat bar censor.
badly needed. my 12 year old wants to play, but again, last night, some one decided to go full goat and begin describing someones mothers sex parts

[Zen Idiot]

(didn't read the whole thread)

the KTO-20 could work. throw 2 LL on the arm, 2 ML in the ct, a bap and some ssrm2s, a 280xl-295xl engine (depending on how cool you want it to run) simple. fun. fast.