41 replies to this topic

[CheloARG]

Hello everyone, I'm new so please be pacient and don't laugh at me =P.

I read a few guides so I can start playing without losing in the first minutes and I kinda handle it for the time, but I have a huge issue: when my 'Mech is at "critical damage" instance, what should I do? Quit? Run and hide? Hide and run? Suicide? Melee attacks don't worth the time and without long-distance weapons there's not much to do, but as I'm a newbie, maybe there's something to do to recover some health or something.

Thank you for your time!

[Redshift2k5]

Never quit never surrender.

Obviously if you have no weapon left then you can't fight, but there may be objectives you can capture or you may be able to spot for target locks.

Being critical and having no weapons are different things, if you're damaged but have weapons left, there is lots you can do. Stick behind your allies, don't make yourself a target.

[SethAbercromby]

Nope, once you are critical, there is no way back but don't let that discurage you too much. If you can still fight, continue pressing forward. You might want to stick a bit closer to the heavier guys to draw fire away from you but never turn your tail and hide. You can also resort to capping in Conquest or Base defense during Assault if combat gets too hot for you. However, there are different rules of engagement depending on what you are piloting.

- Lights. You will die too easily to fight an open battle, but you can resort to cheap attacks at weakened enemies or cap positions during conquest. Speed is life in a light.

- Mediums: Stick to the heavy hitters. Move into the second or third line and strike from a distance. If you running a brawler, lure your enemy into an urban environment where you can dictate the battle and can use the cover for fast hit and run tactics.

- Heavies: Continue doing your thing but stick closer to other heavies or Assaults. Your team needs your firepower to win and can't afford you backing out of the fight.

- Assaults, especially those designed for close range fighting. Declare a reckless push. I'm not kidding here, as a Stalker pilot, when your torsos start glowing yellow, that's when the real action starts, because your enemy team will be just as beat up as you, focus all the firepower of your team behind you and move right into the enemy formation and draw as much fire on yourself as possible and deal as much damage as you possibly can. Your team will hopefully thank your heroic last stand by moving in with you and tearing the enemy team apart. You might even survive.

Edited by SethAbercromby, 24 April 2014 - 02:48 PM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

CheloARG, on 24 April 2014 - 02:33 PM, said:

Thank you for your time!

As mentioned above, there is a difference between being weaponless and critical.

What is not mentioned above, is that it really depends on the chassis you are driving - IE: an Jager at critical health means something completely different than a Thunderbolt at critical.

Some chassis can take far more punishment than you would expect - poster boys for that being the Centurion and Stalker - who both have rather narrow CT from the front. (though the CN9 family is less narrow than it used to be)

Learning to twist your torso to spread the damage can help with that, or learning to keep opponents away from "open" side torso.

In general, once you get to lower armor/structure values, you want to find a friendly in better shape, and let them take some of the beating while you shoot at the people who are targeting them.

[Rasc4l]

[TheCaptainJZ]

It also depends heavily on where your critical damage is. If your arm is critical, just keep going but try to expose your good armor towards the enemy (torso twist). Also do when when running. Don't run in a straight line, zig zag, and turn left and right some at least. If your rear CT is critical, make sure to keep facing your enemy. Don't let them get behind you. Back into a corner or wall if you must. Running and hiding helps no one on your team. You can still do a lot of damage even if very damaged so long as you play smart, and get out of your enemies' focus. If they start attacking another teammate, then they won't be attacking you. Then you can wisely provide support and maybe even take some out.

Oh, and if you are weaponless, depending on the situation, you could sacrifice yourself to act as a damage sponge for a teammate. Even act as a shield, or distract them and have them turn around to try to kill you. It could turn the tide of war!

[Koniving]

CheloARG, on 24 April 2014 - 02:33 PM, said:

When my 'Mech is at "critical damage" instance, what should I do?

Depends on what you have left. If you're legged you are going to die anyway, go out fighting. If you have no weapons you have a few choices. Dedicate to capturing bases (Conquest), spotting (Assault; if you have lots of missile boats; remember to press R to target someone!), or for Skirmish / Assault (without missile boats) you can try to take hits in place of an ally so that they live longer.

Now if it's just you're about to die but otherwise fully functional, have a plan.
I have three videos that apply to exactly what you're asking.

This first one is a Spider (trial even!). I'm about to lose a leg; a death sentence. When I retreat, watch it... then watch it again and eye the minimap; as the arrow line and cone indicate, I keep twisting my legs in mid jump to keep my weak leg away from the enemy and on the landing I recenter my legs and run to get momentum and repeat it.

This second one is a trial Cicada. It's edited with a twin computer voice setup; the softer voice is the "targeting computer," telling you what I'm going to shoot at when I aim carefully and warning when I take massive damage somewhere. Two versus one. I'm completely screwed. Too hot. Too many targets. Lost limbs. No way to win. No escape. My leg is gone. I switch my firing modes and slaughter them both. I highly recommend bringing that video back to the beginning if you have the time after seeing what I'm talking about.

This final one was made a few days ago. It's a Hunchback 4P. Just seconds after the starting point I've provided, a drop-down Jagermech will turn me into mince meat while I'm overheated. I power up, rock to the side to protect my CT just before I could have died, find cover... and come back out to carefully get 2 to 3 more kills. This, too, I also recommend rewinding to the beginning when you get a chance (it's got a building session, too, for how I made the mech, as well as more kills and a unmentioned but blatantly obvious demonstration of "+ crosshair" versus "o crosshair").

Edited by Koniving, 27 April 2014 - 07:50 AM.

[1453 R]

Unfortunately there’s no way to recover any of your health in this game – ‘Mechs are unable to benefit from field repairs in any planned or current game mode.

When you get the ‘CRITICAL DAMAGE” warning, it generally means that you’ve lost armor on a torso somewhere and are taking internal damage. The first thing to do is not panic. You still have health left, and through smart, conservative piloting, you can sometimes last the entire match even after losing all your breast armor in the first two minutes.

The second thing to do is to start piloting smartly and conservatively. You’re badly damaged, and enemies will be able to spot that. If you’re in Critical Damage state, your job becomes clean-up and unfair fights. Only engage targets that are even worse off than you are (columns of thick black smoke are a great visual indicator – both for and against you – of a ‘Mech ripe for finishing off), or targets that are themselves firmly engaged with your allies. Always, always twist your damaged sections away from enemy fire – it’s always better to lose an arm than the entire ‘Mech, and even if you’re unable to return fire you’re soaking up enemy shots they could be putting into the teammate trying to save you.

As you play more you’ll start to catch the hang of how to fight when you’ve lost your shirt, but for now just remember that they can only kill you if they hit your Tootsie Roll center. Keep other friendlies and your own limbs between the TRC and enemy owl-bullets, and you’ll live far longer than you ever figured you would. And get some juicy “Totally Gonna Die” achievements for it, to boot.

[Koniving]

1453 R, on 24 April 2014 - 03:25 PM, said:

And get some juicy “Totally Gonna Die” achievements for it, to boot.

Spoiler

One match.

[Duncan Aravain]

[SethAbercromby]

Still gotta work for that "Yep, Dead for Sure" achievement. I was down to <30% a few times now but no one likes going for my legs apparently. I have to admit, that Stalker torso is just too inviting though.

[Bhelogan]

I've tried several times to get team mates to blow a leg off me to get that last "Yep, Dead for Sure" achievement in the last few minutes of a win, but no luck so far. I tried to do 2% thermal damage once to get bellow that mark, but ended up killing myself in the process.

Also, even without weapons, you can still kill lights by ramming them, It does damage to their legs.

Edited by Bhelogan, 24 April 2014 - 03:53 PM.

[Sigilum Sanctum]

If you have a mech like a Shadowhawk 2K or any Centurion chassis. You can transfer the damage to their arms (left arm for ceturions).

The 2k has no arm hardpoints at all, so I leave them empty and use them as shields. If my right torso is critical, ill face my left arm at the incoming fire as I retreat. Vice versa if the left torso is critical. My 2K has mastered skills so it turns its torso super fast, making it easy to transfer damage. Some people dont realize this so when they get too close, ill alpha strike them in the face with my 3 SRM4s, 2 mediuk lasers, and my large pulse laser. A very venomous mistake on their part.

Learn your mech and your quirks and you'll easily deal with being crit damage. Also listen to everyone above me.

[Koniving]

Bhelogan, on 24 April 2014 - 03:52 PM, said:

I've tried several times to get team mates to blow a leg off me to get that last "Yep, Dead for Sure" achievement

Fight normally... but in a Centurion, Stalker, or if you're really good in a Commando.

Here, Lordred in his Camera Commando gets 19% (or less) health while taking screenshots. He mentions it during the base capture. My own record for commandos is only 27.

[IraqiWalker]

One of my favorites was a stalker at less than 6% I believe. The entire thing was stripped and destroyed save for the CT, left leg, and cockpit, and all three were cherry red. That guy survived the entire match. Sadly, I think it was before the achievement system was implemented

[-Halcyon-]

Redshift2k5, on 24 April 2014 - 02:46 PM, said:

Never quit never surrender.

Obviously if you have no weapon left then you can't fight,

Not true! I was in a stalker the other day and had everything blown off. I charged a very surprised Jager and ordered ramming speed.
I rammed him maybe 4 or 5 times while 3 of my teammates got in behind him and finished him off.

I patted my stalker's console and whispered affectionate things in it's speakers.

[IraqiWalker]

Halcyon201, on 24 April 2014 - 07:42 PM, said:

Not true! I was in a stalker the other day and had everything blown off. I charged a very surprised Jager and ordered ramming speed.
I rammed him maybe 4 or 5 times while 3 of my teammates got in behind him and finished him off.

I patted my stalker's console and whispered affectionate things in it's speakers.

You sir are an example for us all. -salute-

[Shatterpoint]

Play more defensively taking shots of opportunity, capping as carefully as you can and such

or

Play more recklessly and do as much damage as you can before dying

Depends on the situation (will staying alive be the difference between a win and loss?) and what you think you can get away with (critical damage isn't always a "omg I'm gonna die from one more small laser hit").

[Sagamore]

1. Are you under 30% or 20%?

YES - Go to step 2.

NO - Keep fighting, try to soak up more damage with arms/legs. If you still have weapons you could possibly turn the tide. I find that enemy players sometimes play more recklessly trying to score the kill on a wounded soldier.

2. Do you have the achievement yet?

YES - You've got nothing to lose and you're probably as good as dead anyways. If you have weapons, try to give the enemy some parting blows. If capture points are a factor, try to sit somewhere useful.

NO - Get to the chopper! Especially if you have no weapons, hunker down at your base in the Assault game mode or lay low hoping your team can carry you.

[Modo44]

Bhelogan, on 24 April 2014 - 03:52 PM, said:

I've tried several times to get team mates to blow a leg off me to get that last "Yep, Dead for Sure" achievement in the last few minutes of a win, but no luck so far.

Learn to twist (watch your paperdoll, turn to make the enemy shoot where you want), and stick with the team. There will be situations where you barely survive saved by your friends. They are not common, but they happen without forcing things.