205 replies to this topic

[Funkadelic Mayhem]

Gyrok, on 27 May 2014 - 07:44 AM, said:

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.

even at 58kph there is plenty of time to move away from the smoke. If you dont see the smoke. Maybe you need to stop shooting your lights in the back as they are protecting you form enemy lights and watch whats going around you.

[Orbit Rain]

We aren't here to fight in battlemechs, we're here to artfully damage with random number generators! Player retention be damned! I too hear incessant btching from my addicted brethren, I don't hear from all the people that left this game.

[Joseph Mallan]

Gyrok, on 27 May 2014 - 07:44 AM, said:

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.

Thats faster than my 53.5 KpH Atlas... Arty killed me twice so far.

[A banana in the tailpipe]

Strikes were a pretty lousy idea for a money sink but they do serve a purpose.

[Davers]

lockwoodx, on 27 May 2014 - 07:53 AM, said:

Strikes were a pretty lousy idea for a money sink but they do serve a purpose.

Better than R&R.

[Octantis]

I would love fake strikes as a module. Maybe 3 per module buy. Just drop red smoke on a position. Mostly for the LoLz because I can't aim those ******** to save my life. But I could see their use for pug ball breaking and for "boy who cried wolf scenarios".

[Dawnstealer]

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.

Oh, sure - it's usually on someone who thinks they found a safe spot to snipe or launch LRMs. But if I'm in my Locust or even Ember, I can get waaaaaay behind enemy lines before they would normally start looking.

As for when I take them, it's usually only on my Mastered mechs. So one module slot is ALWAYS Seismic, then the second depends on what the mech is and what mode I'm playing (so Target Info or Cap Accelerator). The third is usually a Strike.

Even if it's an experienced player, they will still have to leave the immediate area or possibly break lock. It also works like a flamer where it can blind the target for a short bit. If I'm fast enough, that's usually enough time to get away and find cover.

[Appogee]

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.

So you check behind yourself every 4 seconds to ensure there's not a plume of smoke there...?

That is soooo totally believable.

[Mavairo]

.... I'll admit it.. I've called Airstrikes down on myself when I'm about to die anyway to further damage the enemy...

[Joseph Mallan]

Mavairo, on 27 May 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

.... I'll admit it.. I've called Airstrikes down on myself when I'm about to die anyway to further damage the enemy...

Last act of defiance!

[Funkadelic Mayhem]

Mavairo, on 27 May 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

.... I'll admit it.. I've called Airstrikes down on myself when I'm about to die anyway to further damage the enemy...

[Davers]

Octantis, on 27 May 2014 - 07:57 AM, said:

I would love fake strikes as a module. Maybe 3 per module buy. Just drop red smoke on a position. Mostly for the LoLz because I can't aim those ******** to save my life. But I could see their use for pug ball breaking and for "boy who cried wolf scenarios".

They said there would be 'red smoke' consumables in the future. But I am not sure they even come close to the real thing in usefulness. Even if we got 3 fakes per purchase, that doesn't equal a single real one.

[Bhael Fire]

Appogee, on 27 May 2014 - 08:00 AM, said:

So you check behind yourself every 4 seconds to ensure there's not a plume of smoke there...?

That is soooo totally believable.

No, but I never sit in the same spot without moving for more than a few seconds.

[Mavairo]

Funkadelic Mayhem, on 27 May 2014 - 08:02 AM, said:

Joseph Mallan, on 27 May 2014 - 08:01 AM, said:

Last act of defiance!

Oh yes. It's not over with me until I've keeled over.

The best part is, is sometimes team mates will start dropping their strikes in succession. I've noticed when one smoke drops everyone else decides its a great time to start dropping strikes too, quite often. So my strike is often the first of many.

I've lived through my own strike before, only to be killed by an allies...but it's totally worth it

Edited by Mavairo, 27 May 2014 - 08:11 AM.

[Appogee]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 08:09 AM, said:

No, but I never sit in the same spot without moving for more than a few seconds.

Ok. Good strategy and a fair call. (Constantly moving isn't ''situational awareness'' though.)

Edited by Appogee, 27 May 2014 - 08:16 AM.

[Joseph Mallan]

Appogee, on 27 May 2014 - 08:15 AM, said:

Ok. Good strategy and a fair call. (Constantly moving isn't ''situational awareness'' though.)

In a combat situation standing still increases the likelihood of having a shell land on your head! Situational awareness.

[Bhael Fire]

Appogee, on 27 May 2014 - 08:15 AM, said:

(Constantly moving isn't ''situational awareness'' though.)

But it is; the more you move around, the more aware of your surroundings you become.

I think the whole problem that people are having with strikes is that they are sitting in the same spot focused on their target without paying attention to what is going on around them.

Strikes were introduced to be a a direct counter to this strategy.

[WildeKarde]

I've no issue with the strikes as such but they do get overused. I've seen half a dozen used at the same time in matches. Also it's hard to be aware of what's going around you at times. I've sure we've all on some occasion turned a corner to have a sniper hit us, you try to back up then wonder why it's all gone red in your vision

I think there should be something to help you as it's too easy a item to use for minimal risk a lot of the time. Air strikes should be a lot slower to hit as well, or do we all have fighters circling the map edge with fingers on the trigger waiting to see smoke appear.

[Trauglodyte]

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.

Just to emphasize Davers' point, you also don't get a warning when someone fires LRMs at you without a lock AND AMS doesn't work against such use of LRMs. Btw, don't discount the power of non-lock direct fire LRM use. You'd be surprised at the sheer amount of people that like to just stop to fire when they're in a position to get nailed by several firing lines.

[Appogee]

Bhael Fire, on 27 May 2014 - 08:21 AM, said:

But it is; the more you move around, the more aware of your surroundings you become.

Ok, I see what you mean. FWIW ''situational awareness'' isn't the same as ''techniques for achieving situational awareness''.

"Situational Awareness" is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening to the team with regards to the mission. There are many techniques for achieving situational awareness, which include moving around (as you said), checking the minimap, listening/watching for the direction of weapons fire, noticing where friendlies get destroyed etc etc etc.

But anyway, we are on the same thought process.

Joseph Mallan, on 27 May 2014 - 08:18 AM, said:

In a combat situation standing still increases the likelihood of having a shell land on your head! Situational awareness.

That's more ''risk management'' than ''situational awareness''. But anyway, it's splitting hairs, we all acknowledge that standing still or in a group increases the risk/potential for a strike.

Edited by Appogee, 27 May 2014 - 08:56 AM.