Some more thoughts on teamwork. Skip to the
[TL;DR] for the conclusion regarding the Assault Guidelines.
Great guidelines so far but there is a fundamental problem that makes it difficult to apply them in every day PUG matches (at least until we get 3/3/3/3):
The average match in the vast medium ELO regions seems to consist of 5-6 Assaults, 3-4 Heavies, 1 Medium and 2 Lights on each side. This means that only the Medium and 1-2 of the Heavies are probably fit (in terms of speed and weapon setup) to give you the support needed and it is not unlikely that neither is in your lance. On the other hand there are a lot of Assaults there
which leads to the question: why support you specifically?
Not everyone checks the team/lance setup at the start of a match so as an Atlas (or generally: as an Assault(!) Assault pilot in contrast to a sniper/firesupport one) you might want to try giving them some incentive to stick with you. Whenever i run a mech with a specific purpose, i let the team know what i am running like
for example:
'Slowphract reporting for duty'
'hello everyone, my name is Vulcan and i will be your squirrel today :)'
Some people will check what mech you are running and maybe even ask a few questions about the loadout. In the first example it means that i run a slow and vulnerable (XL) Cataphract CTF-4X with massive dps which will probably be a priority target; staying close to me will allow them to stay relatively safe for some time while being able to shoot targets themselves.
In the seond example it means that i am in a fast Light and will get the enemy teams attention at the start. Therefore my team can move to a tactically superior position in relative safety at the beginning of the match.
From my experience it is often the people that respond with a question, a snide remark or just a simple 'lol' who will be playing a major role in the upcoming fight. They are also more likely to work together with you. There is a difference between a person playing a mech and just a faceless mech.
Conclusion / [TL;DR]
Introduce yourself to the team. People are much more aware of what you are doing when you take the time to type a few words at the beginning of a match.
Doing so in a relaxed way is more likely to get you support and is more fun for your teammates; because in the end, we all play for fun (although the exact definition of 'fun' varies individually obviously).
Examples: 'Fatlas reporting for duty',
'brawler here. call the targets and i will bring the pain!',
'the pain train is coming!',
'escort me to E6 so i can bring some BOOM and SWOOSH and pewpew and *cough* ... ok, i need a tissue now :D'
Make you moves known beforehand if you need specific assist.
Example: about to push through a pass or tunnel:
'get ready to push in 15'
'don't stop. go left, right alternating and focus the closest target on your side'
'ready?'
'go' *leads the push*
Example: advancing through an open area:
'taking D5, pls cover me from the hill on the right'
Example: securing a pass or tunnel Exit:
'securing tunnel, need 2-3 with me'
Edited by Vulcan888, 11 April 2014 - 03:38 AM.
8
I completely agree that "intros" at the start help alot. Have FUN! It's what we are all here for, so make a few friends by giving a quick "hello". You will often see me in games giving a "o7" which I was told is one version of a text Salute. It's meant for everyone, and it lets my team know I'm here to work with them to WIN (nothing is sweeter than putting one in the "w" collumn). 
then they all turn around and try to nail him exposing their backs to the rest of his team, which has just finished counting to 10 and then charges. 
