19 replies to this topic

[Catra Lanis]

Does the game have a version of decay? I installed today and took a Trial Mech a Jenner into a match and got stomped after doing an amazing 6 p of damage but that's ok.

However once I buy a mech and it get's blown up, do I loose the chassie and the weapons and components so I have to grind up more C-Bills to buy another one?

Edited by Catra Lanis, 11 June 2014 - 10:38 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

No, the Mech is yours forever, unless you sell it.

no cost to repair or rearm after each match. the exception is consumable modules like Artillery, Air Strikes, UAVs and Coolant

however fully outfitting any Mech you have purchased can be really expensive, especially with Lighter Mechs. some Mechs can cost 10,000,000+ to fully outfit and upgrade AFTER the initial purchase, with 6,000,000 for an XL engine required for most lights and many heavier Mechs (however after you have an engine you can swap it into any other mech) and 1,500,000 for Double Heat Sinks is almost a compulsory upgrade for most Mechs which do not come with them as well as Endo Steel (good for most mechs) and Fero Fibrus (only if you have more than 14 spare internal space after adding all weapons) both of which swap internal space for free weight.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 11 June 2014 - 10:50 AM.

[Catra Lanis]

Rogue Jedi, on 11 June 2014 - 10:38 AM, said:

No, the Mech is yours forever, unless you sell it.

no cost to repair or rearm after each match. the exception is consumable modules like Artillery, Air Strikes, UAVs and Coolant

however fully outfitting any Mech you have purchased can be really expensive, especially with Lighter Mechs. some Mechs can cost 10,000,000+ to properly outfit after the initial purchase, with 6,000,000 for a good engine required for a light. 1,500,000 for Double Heat Sinks is almost a compulsory upgrade for most mechs which do not come with them

Well that's a relief, thanks for the answer, should I start with a medium and build up XP for that you think?

Edited by Catra Lanis, 11 June 2014 - 10:49 AM.

[Modo44]

The only thing you could call a penalty is the locking of a mech for the duration of the match. Repair & rearm costs were removed specifically because they would unduly punish new players.

Start by playing various trial mechs, then buy in a weight class you prefer. The bonus from your first 25 matches should be enough for a medium or heavy mech with some upgrades (double heatsinks are pretty much required for a good setup). The Shadow Hawk 2D is a popular first mech choice as it is 1) really strong in the medium class and 2) very versatile, allowing many good builds with various weapon combos.

[DEMAX51]

Catra Lanis, on 11 June 2014 - 10:48 AM, said:

Well that's a relief, thanks for the answer, should I start with a medium and build up XP for that you think?

My advice would be to play around with the 12 trial 'Mechs for a while, and see what works best for you. Save up your C-bills until you know for sure what sort of 'Mech you'd like to play or role you'd like to fill.

Mechs and upgrades aren't cheap, and you'll only get about 50% of your c-bills back if you choose to sell one that you've bought.

Edited by DEMAX51, 11 June 2014 - 10:53 AM.

[Phobic Wraith]

Welcome to the game Catra, glad to have you. First things first, you may or may not know this, but bear with me - it's important - your first 25 matches you get what's called a "cadet bonus." You'll never make money like you do in your first 25.

I would strongly recommend trying a variety of the trial 'mechs before you buy anything at all. After your cadet bonus is over, you'll have a nice pile of bills to spend on whatever you like. Also keep in mind you'll need three variants of a chassis to really get the most out of your baby. For example, if I bought the Hunchback 4G, I'd need 2 more, like the 4SP and the 4P to unlock the elite and master efficiency levels. So whatever you buy, make sure you like it..

Edited by Phobic Wraith, 11 June 2014 - 10:56 AM.

[xMintaka]

While playing your first 25 matches to earn c-bills, I'd suggest trying all the trial mechs that look enjoyable to you. From there you should be able to work out what sort of playstyle you enjoy.

As for a first mech, the three most would recommend are:

Hunchback
Centurion
Shadowhawk

The Shadowhawk has a variant (-5M) which comes pre-upgraded and includes a useful XL275 (these and XL300 you will never have enough of). The chassis as a whole is very well rounded, allowing you to experiment with all sorts of builds, as well as being a favourite in the competitive scene.

The Hunchback and Centurion are arguably less competitive than the Shadowhawk, but force you to learn defensive torso twisting to really get the best out of them. The Hunchback has variants able to boat any of the three weapon types (always a mix of Energy + Ballistic or Missile) whereas the Centurion has all three hardpoints on every model available for c-bills.

I think I missed the point of this thread >.>

Edited by Lunatech, 11 June 2014 - 11:03 AM.

[Koniving]

Catra Lanis, on 11 June 2014 - 10:37 AM, said:

Does the game have a version of decay? I installed today and took a Trial Mech a Jenner into a match and got stomped after doing an amazing 6 p of damage but that's ok.

However once I buy a mech and it get's blown up, do I loose the chassie and the weapons and components so I have to grind up more C-Bills to buy another one?

No decay. The ability to 'lose' a mech has been asked for (strangely), but that was during the days of repair and rearm (2 years ago).

Repair and rearm might come back into play in Community Warfare, but it's a very big 'maybe'. However, there are supposed to many additional ways to get cbills by then including bounty hunts, 'earning ranks', and so on by that point in time.

[Fut]

Koniving, on 11 June 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

No decay. The ability to 'lose' a mech has been asked for (strangely), but that was during the days of repair and rearm (2 years ago).

It might be a little strange, but it'd definitely add some intensity to the game.
At the moment, a lot of the game feels like the special olympics - even when you lose, you're a winner.

[Koniving]

Fut, on 11 June 2014 - 11:08 AM, said:

It might be a little strange, but it'd definitely add some intensity to the game.
At the moment, a lot of the game feels like the special olympics - even when you lose, you're a winner.

I agree, but it'd definitely be something for the Unit Life (Mercenaries/guilds/etc) aspect where the 'hardcore' gamers and the 'competitive' guys are expected to be.
In general I'm thinking different levels of R&R would make sense too, with a much softer one or no R&R on random public matches. New players would obviously be in this category while they learn anyway.
Followed by a moderate one on the actual faction versus faction (which according to Russ's twitter CW's faction versus faction will not be the same as public matches), and then the hardcore on the Unit Life (guild) one.

Edited by Koniving, 11 June 2014 - 11:18 AM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Fut, on 11 June 2014 - 11:08 AM, said:

It might be a little strange, but it'd definitely add some intensity to the game.
At the moment, a lot of the game feels like the special olympics - even when you lose, you're a winner.

What is strange to me is that the ability to play that way is (kind of) already in the game.

You lose a match - sell your mech.

People have been complaining for a long time that the resale value of mechs is to low.

People don't pay much for scrap, do they?

[TheCaptainJZ]

If there was a mode where you could lose your mech, mech salvage should also be implemented (and the possibility to salvage your own mech). Yeah you lost your Firestarter to a core meltdown, but you salvaged an Uller!

[DEMAX51]

I'd be surprised if the "unit life" players ever had to rebuy destroyed 'Mechs, but I'll bet they'll have to pay a hefty price to repair (or buy new, when destroyed) dropships.

[Koniving]

Spoiler

DEMAX51, on 11 June 2014 - 12:53 PM, said:

I'd be surprised if the "unit life" players ever had to rebuy destroyed 'Mechs, but I'll bet they'll have to pay a hefty price to repair (or buy new, when destroyed) dropships.

Welp, Lordred and someone else put a dropship on megamek. After hearing about it, I put 12 King Crabs up against it and started 3 hexes away (90 meters). That thing put all 12 King Crabs down.

I don't think we'll ever see dropships involved in combat, and if we do... lets put it this way, it'd be like fighting 30+ turrets at once in MWO, with no cover between you and them, and they're loaded with LRM-20s, AC/20s and Large Lasers. O_O

Besides.. 216 million cbills just to get one dropship (minimum requirement to be able to form a Mercenary Unit officially is 216 million cbills and 12 players). o.O; Ain't no way that thing is going boom. Mechs are much easier to replace.

On a side note, the "What 3/3/3/3 cost us" link does lead to a Community Warfare-bred example of Unit Life as I interpreted it, with "Dropship mode / Limited Respawns" and "Repair and rearm" and "Planetary Assault" all mixed in.

I highly recommend using the test server tomorrow. Last time the test server gave a large sum of and for players to 'try' new things with. It stays on the test server so it won't do you any good on your main account, but if you wanted a chance to 'try' something before you buy it, I recommend it.

[Draconis Nagasawa]

The only stupid question is the one not asked!

[Catra Lanis]

Thanks again, I come from SWG and a short stint in EVE. Decay didn't really bother me there but it probably would here because it's a much faster paced game so you could be blown up a lot during one evening. I'll check out the mechs proposed.

[IraqiWalker]

Catra Lanis, on 12 June 2014 - 09:37 AM, said:

Thanks again, I come from SWG and a short stint in EVE. Decay didn't really bother me there but it probably would here because it's a much faster paced game so you could be blown up a lot during one evening. I'll check out the mechs proposed.

I recommend doing at least 4-5 drops in each trial mech. That would give you some insight into each one. Once you have a style of your own. You can buy into that. If you are still indecisive, Mediums would be the place to start, as they are fast enough to play close to light, and carry enough daka and variety in hardpoints to play close to heavies. The mediums are the jack of all trades, master of none, in general.

I'm partial to people starting with the Hunchback chassis for training purposes, however, the Shadowhawk is just as viable as a starting mech. In the end of the day though, the chassis you are more comfortable with, is the chassis you will be great at. My Ember is a great mech and I can destroy a lot of real estate with it. However I still do far better in my Commando than in it, because of how comfortable I am with it.

In fact, I can do more damage with my commando than some heavies and assaults. That's the power of finding the right chassis for you, and getting comfortable with it.

I recommend this website for learning about mechs and their hardpoints:

mwo.smurfy-net.de

I will also put a shameless plugin with my Mech building guide.

http://mwomercs.com/...-mech-building/

It's got great tips for helping you build your mech and understand how mech construction works. I would also appreciate any feedback you give me, since it is aimed for new players.

[mailin]

Welcome to the game, and the community. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. There's also the short question and answer thread as well.

One reason the trial mechs are there is for new players to figure out what types of mech they will have the most fun in. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you buy mechs for c-bills (game money) not MC (real money), unless there is no other way to get that mech (Hero Mechs). However, PGI has been pretty good at making sure that this game is NOT pay to win, so you really don't need to spend any real money on this game to be able to win.

[Alreech]

Rogue Jedi, on 11 June 2014 - 10:38 AM, said:

however fully outfitting any Mech you have purchased can be really expensive, especially with Lighter Mechs.
Some Mechs can cost 10,000,000+ to fully outfit and upgrade AFTER the initial purchase.

6,000,000 for an XL engine required for most lights and many heavier Mechs (however after you have an engine you can swap it into any other mech)
1,500,000 for Double Heat Sinks is almost a compulsory upgrade for most Mechs which do not come with them.
Endo Steel (good for most mechs) and Fero Fibrus (only if you have more than 14 spare internal space after adding all weapons) both of which swap internal space for free weight.

Yeah, you have to spend C-Bills to modify your Mech. And you have to play variants of each Mech-Chassis to Level up.
Besides modifying your Mech you are also able to level up your Mechwarrior. To advance above Basic Level you have to complete the Basic Level of 3 Mechs of the same Chassis.
To advance above Elite Level, you have to have 3 Mechs of the same weight class with completed Elite Level.

Take as example the Spider 5D.
It's a very good Mech because it's the only light Mech able to carry an ECM System an Jump Jets. It's a Mech most players want to level up to Elite or Master.

So after you have completed Basic Level with the Spider 5 D you have to play the Spider 5K and Spider 5V.
But Spider 5V and Spider 5K come without Double Heat Sinks, so you have to pay additional 1 500 000 C-Bills on each Chassis. Without Double Heatsinks most Mechs aren't very effectiv.

But you can sometimes avoid the upgrades by playing the Trialmechs.
At the moment there is for example the Spider 5K(C) as Trialmech aviable. By playing this Trialmech you get XPs for the Spider 5K.
You won't see those XPs in the Game, but you can check your XP account in the statistics.
If you later buy a Spider 5K or Spider 5K(C) you can directly unlock the first skills without the need to playing them without Double Heat Sinks, Endo Steel or Ferror Fibrous.

I strongly recommend to level up at first 3 Jenners or 3 Firestarters up to complete Elite Level. (Light Mechs)
Do the same with 3 Blackjacks or Shadowhawks. (Medium Mechs)
Catapults or Jaegermechs are easy to level up (Heavy Mechs)
Stalkers are the Assault Mechs of choice (Assault Mechs)

A note on the Jaegermechs:
All Jaergermechs are cheap to level up. You don't have to spend 1 500 000 C-Bills on double heat sink... if you mount dual Gaussrifles.
The same applies to AC5s and Ultra AC5 on Blackjack and Shadow Hawk.

Tldr:
Playing Trialmechs gives you XPs for some chassis, so you can later buy them and unlock basic levels without paying 1 500 000+ C-Bills on Double Heat Sinks, Endo Steel, Artemis FCS or Ferror Fibrous.

[plodder]

Crusadiar, on 11 June 2014 - 01:50 PM, said:

The only stupid question is the one not asked!

There are stupid statements though. Heh heh.

Have you been on teamspeak, you can get sooo much quick info that way. Just do not rush into any mech, there are some very opinionated folk, that believe their way is the only way, and if you do not agree, your doing it wrong. Gl hf o7