205 replies to this topic

[Samziel]

I am sick and tired of strikes. Every single time I get striked I get from 100% to 75% if I'm lucky. I have been killed by an artillery strike when I was full hp and in an assault mech. I really hate the fact that a light mech can just pop artillery strike on your back and do more damage than an AC40 Jagermech while you possibly don't even notice until your mech headbangs like a metalhead in concert.

Why cant bitchin' Betty inform us when there is an artillery strike on our legs? If your mech can detect incoming missiles from 1000m away without even seeing them, why cannot it detect a huge red smoke behind you?

/rant. I just got enough of strikes after the weekend when around 12 of em were used every game.

Edited by Samziel, 27 May 2014 - 06:56 AM.

[El Bandito]

Well it is tourney. Just grin and bear it til it passes. Once CW arrives though, prepare to have strikes all day every day.


Betty really should give warning about strikes. That will still achieve the intended result of scattering the enemy without making it frustrating experience for many.

Edited by El Bandito, 28 May 2014 - 01:01 AM.

[Joseph Mallan]

In a solo que tourney 24+ Strikes were on the map... That sounds almost...coordinated!

[Solahma]

I would love a strike warning system.

[Dawnstealer]

Part of it is that the game doles out awards and c-bills almost exclusively on damage and kills. When I'm grinding Lights, I'd be stupid not to load up an arty. The problem is the incentives, not necessarily the strikes, which are actually doing exactly what they should.

For a further example, you play a Conquest game lately? You almost always see the Lights cap maybe one point and then jump in the fray because there's zero incentive to go cap (except for, you know, winning the match...BUT if you can kill all the enemy, you win the match AND get loads more c-bills...sooooo....).

[Funkadelic Mayhem]

Im not.
If you ignore the smoke you will get consumed by the smoke.

[Vandul]

Is that whats taking the PGI team so long? Too many strikes? I didnt know they were pro-union up in CA.

[Bhael Fire]

There's nothing wrong with strikes. You just have to move your ass when you see the red smoke column.

And that's the whole point; they are suppose to break up formations and prevent players from camping. Situational awareness is your friend.

[Dawnstealer]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 07:07 AM, said:

There's nothing wrong with strikes. You just have to move your ass when you see the red smoke column.

And that's the whole point; they are suppose to break up formations and prevent players from camping. Situational awareness is your friend.

I think the OP's point was when a clever Light drops that smoke right behind their mech, so there's zero warning that you're about to get mauled. I actually specifically do this, placing that smoke where I know the target can't see it (or at their feet while I'm rushing around shooting them)

Edited by Dawnstealer, 27 May 2014 - 07:55 AM.

[Samziel]

Funkadelic Mayhem, on 27 May 2014 - 07:03 AM, said:

Im not.
If you ignore the smoke you will get consumed by the smoke.

If you don't see the smoke at all... Well, you are doomed. It's really easy to hit unsuspecting enemies especially with airstrike, since it goes far.

[Barkem Squirrel]

I use the artillery from time to time and like them.

I have also had a match where someone made a little comment about everyone needed to learn how to use them, like the one that was just dropped. I caught 6 mechs in that area I placed the smoke on the arch in forest colony due to the fire fight going on there. I was at the tower.

I have been nailed a few times but the ones I like are when you are under the mech and put the smoke at your feet while using seismic. There is no warning there. Then the put the smoke on top of the cap point. In the lights I do have a good ability to sneak behind the enemy forces without ECM and those air strikes and artillery are golden then. Place an air strike on your side of a hill so they can not see the smoke.

I still like the different modules, so at least two are taken by them and only in the Wang, jenner K, raven 3L and DDC will I have both an arty and air strike.

[Davers]

Well strikes are not actually targeted at you, so the game would have to measure distance from every strike and alert the players who are in range? Or would it end up with a generic "incoming airstrike" warning whenever one was launched? In that case I can see players just ignoring it as background noise after a while.

The simple fact is that if you are already moving even an Atlas has time to clear the blast zone before the strike hits.

[Bhael Fire]

Dawnstealer, on 27 May 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

I think the OP's point was when a cleaver Light drops that smoke right behind their mech, so there's zero warning that you're about to get mauled. I actually specifically do this, placing that smoke where I know the target can't see it (or at their feet while I'm rushing around shooting them)

That was why I said having situational awareness is necessary.

I have never been killed or seriously damaged by a strike. Ever.

The reason people get killed or seriously damaged by them is because they are not paying attention or they are piled up so closely on each other they can't move out of the way in time.

Edited by Bhael Fire, 27 May 2014 - 07:24 AM.

[Samziel]

Davers, on 27 May 2014 - 07:20 AM, said:

Well strikes are not actually targeted at you, so the game would have to measure distance from every strike and alert the players who are in range? Or would it end up with a generic "incoming airstrike" warning whenever one was launched? In that case I can see players just ignoring it as background noise after a while.

The simple fact is that if you are already moving even an Atlas has time to clear the blast zone before the strike hits.

Well if an artillery strike is activated to your current location (you are within it's radius) it would inform it. If the game would inform everyone "incoming airstrike" it would just cause chaos and panic to everyone instead of only those who are in its radius.

[Joseph Mallan]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 07:23 AM, said:

That was why I said having situational awareness is necessary.

I have never been killed or seriously damaged by a strike. Ever.

The reason people get killed or seriously damaged by them is because they are not paying attention or they are piled up so closely on each other they can't move out of the way in time.

That's 2 less times than me! And my (F)Atlas has a stock engine.

[Samziel]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 07:23 AM, said:

That was why I said having situational awareness is necessary.

I have never been killed or seriously damaged by a strike. Ever.

The reason people get killed or seriously damaged by them is because they are not paying attention or they are piled up so closely on each other they can't move out of the way in time.

You cannot be aware of your surroundings 100% of the time while still maintaining a good rate of fire. The time from smoke to hit is way too low for you to notice if it's behind you and something else is taking your attention (let it be an enemy you are shooting or incoming missiles).

Edited by Samziel, 27 May 2014 - 07:28 AM.

[Funkadelic Mayhem]

Dawnstealer, on 27 May 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

I think the OP's point was when a cleaver Light drops that smoke right behind their mech, so there's zero warning that you're about to get mauled. I actually specifically do this, placing that smoke where I know the target can't see it (or at their feet while I'm rushing around shooting them)

there is no difference in dropping a arty behind people who dont watch their backs or a noisy cricket sneaking up and firing off 4 PPCs into someones back or 1 into 4 peoples backs.


For that matter there is no difference in an arty to people who dont watch their backs and a good flank while the enemy is chancing squirrels.

No you cant watch your back 100% of the time. BUT NO ONE CAN. EVERYONE can get arty or air. There is nothing unfair about it. Just because johnny can run a mile in 5 min and you can run it in 20 does not mean you need to have the coach take johnnys k-mart XJ-9000 shoes from him.

Edited by Funkadelic Mayhem, 27 May 2014 - 07:41 AM.

[Bhael Fire]

Samziel, on 27 May 2014 - 07:27 AM, said:

You cannot be aware of your surroundings 100% of the time while still maintaining a good rate of fire.

But that's the trade-off, huh?

Being greedy for kills at the expense of paying attention to your surroundings will get you dead. And that's the whole point of strikes; to keep you paying attention and to keep you moving instead of camping with tunnel vision on your target.

Everything has a price...and strikes are there to enforce that law.

[Joseph Mallan]

Samziel, on 27 May 2014 - 07:27 AM, said:

You cannot be aware of your surroundings 100% of the time while still maintaining a good rate of fire. The time from smoke to hit is way too low for you to notice if it's behind you and something else is taking your attention (let it be an enemy you are shooting or incoming missiles).

And these are the times you just suck it up and admit it was no fault of your own and shake it off as the law of averages.

[Gyrok]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 07:07 AM, said:

There's nothing wrong with strikes. You just have to move your ass when you see the red smoke column.

And that's the whole point; they are suppose to break up formations and prevent players from camping. Situational awareness is your friend.

Tell that to an Atlas going 58 kph with a STD 325...in my highlander, I can at least jump jet up and take less damage.

The only mechs it is actually effective against are the mechs that get focused the hardest already.

Additionally...like it or not...PUG balling up and fighting is a legitimate strategy/tactic, and it is just about the only way to get into brawl range against snipers in comp drops.