31 replies to this topic

[mad kat]

It usually boils down to a timidity/cowardice imbalance. When one team can agree on a push and has the dps and most importantly commit and not stall they will win easily most of the time. Problem is in pug queue most are cowardly and are each unwilling to front damage and tank and so spread out. I'm usually one of the first into a firefight and do my fair share of tanking which usualy gets me messed up from laser vomit alpha strike spam.

So when i take a mech that is a little more fragile or is a great mop up mech like my YLW i tend to try and take a back seat for the first half then go mental in the second. Problem is too many are taking this approach now due to aformentioned alpha metamechs.

I see it time and time again where the last couple of mechs are still fresh so its obvious they've been cowards and not tanked. Dont get me started on the assualt mechs hiding at the back.

[Morggo]

So let me ask this question... maybe I've been doing it wrong and need to improve here...

I drive a Zeus (currently a mix of LRM/ranged and MPL for eventual close in work). She's an Assault true, but I tend to drive her more like a big Heavy. First thing I typically do in the drop is check who my lance is (almost always I get dropped in an assault lance.. Crabs, Atlas, maybe a heavy in the mix) and try to stick with my Big Boy.. typically the ATL or Crab and we advance together, and I help keep his back clean while he's hammering the line. Many times it seems they pick up on this and we keep moving forward, helping each other best as you can in a PUG. The whole time, I AM still taking shots, spotting, and hitting constantly looking for targets while not getting too far from my "adopted brut"

Should I be better served just moving my (assault) Zeus forward and just hope for the best on my lancemates hanging or lumbering in the back?

Secondly, what are the experienced thoughts on "divorcing" your assigned Lance(mates) when they are clearly going off in a likely loosing tactic.... I am torn by loyalty (even in a PUG drop) to my Lance versus breaking away to go support the (often) more organized main body.

[Spungie]

Pick a lance mate who shows at least some desire to group up with the rest of the team. For the most part everyone should be trying to help the assaults but you can't count on it especially if your lance splits.

Sticking with other assaults is smart though because you can't always keep up with faster mechs should they happen to forget about you.

Edit - if a lance mate goes off alone, leave it for a more agile team mate to babysit him. No point risking yourself.

Edited by Spungie, 28 October 2015 - 09:03 AM.

[Tom Sawyer]

Team Speak. VOIP. 2 cans and a really long string. COMMUNICATION! You can speak a heck of lot faster than you can type Hey there is a Timberwolf seeking to do something unpleasant to your Uranus. And having 3 or more people talking about Fallout 4 or why the latest porno is so good DURING the fight is not going to help. Battle Coms will always help.

All 12 on Teamspeak? Ok moving to step 2:

Pick and follow a leader. Chances are there is SOMEONE in your drop who knows a little about CW. Who is willing to call and lead the fight. On to step 3:

FOLLOW THE LEADER. If 12 mechs move TOGETHER and 12 keyboard jockies are communicating it is likely they you will concentrate your fire on a given target. Having the assaults hide behind the gate while the mediums go investigate that shiny rock leaving the lights to sound the charge will result in a lot of people on coms shouting in rage. Or just rage quitting.

[Famous]

Morggo, on 28 October 2015 - 08:28 AM, said:

So let me ask this question... maybe I've been doing it wrong and need to improve here...

I drive a Zeus (currently a mix of LRM/ranged and MPL for eventual close in work). She's an Assault true, but I tend to drive her more like a big Heavy. First thing I typically do in the drop is check who my lance is (almost always I get dropped in an assault lance.. Crabs, Atlas, maybe a heavy in the mix) and try to stick with my Big Boy.. typically the ATL or Crab and we advance together, and I help keep his back clean while he's hammering the line. Many times it seems they pick up on this and we keep moving forward, helping each other best as you can in a PUG. The whole time, I AM still taking shots, spotting, and hitting constantly looking for targets while not getting too far from my "adopted brut"

Should I be better served just moving my (assault) Zeus forward and just hope for the best on my lancemates hanging or lumbering in the back?

Secondly, what are the experienced thoughts on "divorcing" your assigned Lance(mates) when they are clearly going off in a likely loosing tactic.... I am torn by loyalty (even in a PUG drop) to my Lance versus breaking away to go support the (often) more organized main body.

I know I've only got a bit more experience, but yeah the Zeus is just a slightly bigger heavy and it's okay to play it that way. It seems like the lowest end of a class plays more like the class below it rather than it's class. The Cicada is a 40 ton Light, not really a Medium. The Zeus is an 80 ton Heavy. You can tank, but just 5 tons higher in the Stalker and you can tank a lot more, without quirks. The Zeus's speed is also closer to a Heavy at 64kph stock, the Stalker is 48-54kph stock and doesn't get significantly faster.

Like you I find the Zeus plays best supporting other Assaults rather than trying to be the front man of a push. Now I have used the size to scare off a flanker push, but as soon as they broke contact I dove back into my lance because you don't have the hard points and armor to take on 4-5 other 'Mechs, heck even 1 on 1s don't always go your way.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome is the motto I take into a PUG queue, if my lance is going somewhere stupid or playing Assault snipers I look for the Medium/Heavy lance and try to catch up to them rather than being useless in the back.

Also I just noticed that you're in the QC, I'm just up the road in Greensboro. Stupid but nifty

[fat4eyes]

I'm writing a guide at

The MWO Tactics 101 Comics (shameless self promotion)

that shows some tactics you can use to get an advantage on the enemy. As a sample, here's a comic on the NASCAR tactic that people do in Caustic Valley:

Spoiler

Spoiler

What people call NASCAR is just a flanking maneuver where the entire team goes to flank. A good NASCAR involves the team moving together as a group, engaging small portions of the enemy with full force, and having some mechs act as the rear guard to make sure the team's heavy hitters aren't shot in the back.

NASCAR usually happens in maps that have a central feature that has lots of cover, and paths going around it. The classic NASCAR map is Caustic Valley (around the central caldera). It also happens often in River City (around the 'Citadel', the large tall building near the center) and Frozen City (around the central crashed dropship).

And here's one on how that tactic usually fails:

Spoiler

Spoiler

This is the most common way a NASCAR maneuver fails. Everyone goes off at top speed, not caring where their teammates are. Because mechs have different top speeds, the team gets strung out and is defeated one by one by a more organized enemy. Slow assaults in particular get shafted, doomed to an embarrassing death by light mech when their teammates abandon them.

[JigglyMoobs]

Dude, FANTASTIC.

[Kmieciu]

It takes a lot of practice to achieve the balance between being fearless and suicidal.

My advice for new players is to take chances. Dying while performing a daring flanking maneuver is more satisfying than being overrun and waiting to be killed.

[ZOTOICHI]

This is a really great post guy's thanks alot to all of you for posting,helps new players like myself become better warriors.thanks again for all of you putting your time and input in this.

[VorpalAnvil]

Having read the beginning of this thread, I am shocked! Shocked I tell you, that 12-0 stomps have gone on so long. Reading these forums on a regular basis for a few months now, I was under the impression that these lop sided matches were a new thing brought a bout about be evil tryhards and their equally evil clan lazour meta. As it turns out, shutout matches have occurred since the inception of this game. It's almost as if all the cries to rebalance the game and "fix" the MM will still fail to prevent these blowouts from happening. Did you know that for only pennies a day, you can help those that need it most? Namely terribads. Please send you cbills today in a self stamped envelope: VorpalAnvil C/O Russ and Paul. Only YOU can prevent 12-0 stomps. Thank you for your ongoing support. May Kerensky be with you.

Edited by VorpalAnvil, 30 October 2015 - 11:38 AM.

[mad kat]

Had these last night. All i can say this rarely happened when we were on the old matchmaker...

[IraqiWalker]

12-0 stomps happened all the time on the old matchmaker.