7 replies to this topic

[Dragonfett]

Today, I was pugging away the hours, mostly in my ECM COM-2D when I dropped into Terra Therma on Assault. Now I had played this map a couple times before, even with this mech and on this mode, but today was different for me. I had been working on various way to support my team with only 1 ML and 3 SSRM's.

Something that I have noticed with this map is that about 2/3 of the fighting takes place in the caldera, and much of the rest of it takes place somewhere close to it. Taking that with the map's naturally high walls and overall low level of light meant that sneaking around in a 25 ton mech with a XL 200 engine would have been pretty easy for me, so I decided to do something new this game since I wasn't good enough to help a whole lot with the fight at the crater.

Almost as soon as the game started, I shot off to one edge of the map, working my way to the enemy base, trying my best not to be noticed (there were a couple times when I was startled when I thought an enemy marker appeared on my compass only to turn out to be much further away).

I quick made my way to the enemy base and I could see the turrets and became cautious because they started shooting (the lasers were, the missile turrets didn't respond). After several tense moments, I realized that they were shooting because I was nearby, but couldn't target me because I had my ECM on Disrupt. I took out the two laser turrets on my side of the base, then got into the base perimeter. By the time I had done this, the score was somewhere around 5-5 or something like that, and I was all out of SSRM's, having used them on the turrets.

I watched the ticker go down (it felt like it was taking forever!!!!), I decided to try powering down because I remember in the tips as the maps load up it says that some pilots hide by powering down their mechs. I immediately became aware that while I may have been invisible to mech's, I wasn't invisible to the turrets as the opened fire on me. Powering up seemed to take an agonizingly long time as well as I was getting hammered. Not to mention my HUD went away so I couldn't see how the battle was going.

Once I was fully back online, I rechecked the score and saw that we were losing 6-9 or 7-9 (with me, one of the 3 isolated from the rest). I intently watched ticker continue to progress to empty as the enemies score kept going up, 8-10, then 9-11. That is when I really started concentrating on that ticker.

A flash of light drew my eyes away from the top of the screen to the bottom left to where my mech's status display was and it showed me that I was taking damage. I quickly re-positioned myself to put the base between me and my attackers and then it happened. I won. 9-11. No missiles left. Only a ML and an ECM. And I won by capturing the base.

I decided that the next map I go on that I was in an assault game, I would try to capture the base. The next game I drop in was an Assault in Caustic Valley. I made a decision early on that I was going to try sneaking up the western side of the map to the enemy base. Apparently they had decided to come out the their base on the western side so I found my self running through a gauntlet of enemy forces, hoping that I would be quick enough to get through. Can anyone guess what happened to me (anyone who witnessed this from the opposing side, please don't give clues! LOL)?

Anyway, I learned that sometimes the best way for me to help in an assault map is to capture the base, and sometimes it's not. Now I just have to learn when and where the best times to do so are...

[Koniving]

Fun story, and the ECM does explain why you didn't notice the turrets much sooner.

Personally I don't like base capture as many others do not either, but not because of base capture. It's because of the work necessary to do it between turrets and base-defending mechs.... to get nothing for it. Literally nothing. The cbill payout I would get for simply being there. Oh sure I can get some experience for destroying the turrets -- if I destroyed them myself. Meanwhile I can make between 5 and 8 times more money for our team wiping out the other team and it's a lot less work and effort and significantly quicker.

Two base captures. The game needs a reason to actually go for the base capture. Total annihilation of all mechs pays more, and thus assault is simply skirmish with turrets.
Number 1 (with result).
Number 2 (crashed; victory by TA) after all that work.

A match when base capture paid more than wiping out the enemy team. Notice everything revolves around preventing the other side from getting to your base; every move, every tactic, every element of combat? It gave a clear and meaningful objective that is different from Skirmish for a unique flavor which has been lost since 2013 when the base stopped paying out for its capture.

Edited by Koniving, 22 April 2014 - 06:32 PM.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

^^^ THIS

[Wildstreak]

Try River City Assault, aka the map + mode that forces the Long Range War on everyone.

[opcow]

I have to agree, that the other game modes don't really play that well.

Interesting bit o info though. I didn't know ecm protects from turrets.

[Dragonfett]

Somewhat. The laser turrets will still fire, but they don't track your movement.

[mailin]

One reason you were probably successful is that Terra Therma is a huge map. This tactic would not work as well on smaller maps like River City or Forest Colony.

Also, a note to the OP, if you need to power down, but still want to check on how your team is doing, press TAB. It will show not only who's alive and destroyed, but will also show the resource totals in conquest mode.

[Dragonfett]

Yeah, I had gathered that. Also River City's bases are right across the river from one another, so you need to wait for the enemy to clear out first.

Also on another note, I tried this tactic on Tourmaline (sp?, the desert map) and found that the laser turrets still tracked me. I am guessing that one time on Terra Therma could have been partially due to my approach vector.