123 replies to this topic

[Fatal25]

The title pretty much says it all. I have been told that solo drops always spawn in Charlie Lance, but it is hard to believe that the other two lances are grouped players in every game. If I were ever to spawn in one of the other two lances I would have to take a few seconds just to figure out where I was.

I want to preface this by stating that my opinion comes from that of one who almost exclusively pilots assault or heavy mechs. Medium or light pilots may have no issue whatsoever in where they spawn simply because of their speed.

As an assault pilot being in Charlie Lance can be a significant disadvantage simply because you are so far from the other two lances, depending if you are on the red or blue team. River City is a perfect example. The standard pug tactic is to turn right, run across the water, and join the other two lances. If you are in an assault mech you almost assuredly get engaged before you get to the other lances, or worse get shredded by a pack of lights. You can turn and walk backwards, but you move slower and quickly see the incoming missiles coming at you like a scene from the movie 300. As in almost all pug matches no one stays back to help unless they are also a slow assault mech. I fully enjoy a good fight, but 4 on 1 while I'm standing in the middle of the water isn't my idea of a good fight. There is always to option to not cross the water and engage the enemy head on, but no one in a pug match will come with me and it is 4 on 1, if not 6-8 on 1 in a matter of seconds.

Snow City is another example. You spawn down the large hill. By the time your assault mech climbs the hill the other team is waiting for you with 3-5 mechs with their fingers hovering over the alpha strike button. If you don't climb the hill and turn and go down the path towards where your other lances spawn, which is away from the battle, you still have to climb another large hill and the battle is well underway by the time you even crest the hill. That is assuming a couple of lights don't come up behind you and rip your legs off before you even get to the hill.

All I am suggesting is that PGI re-thinks and adjusts who spawns in what lance. Spawning in the same lance, in every game, every time is a bit ridiculous and not well thought out. It is certainly no where near balanced.

[Jeb]

I find I end up in all three lances, but I certain maps I tend to end up in the same lance over and over... (not always but more often then not...)

[Malcolm Vordermark]

I've heard that the match maker starts with groups and then fills in with solo players. So it would make sense for them to be in alpha.

I know just where to go when I'm in charlie, I'm a little disorientated when I spawn in bravo, and I'm completely lost when I spawn in alpha.

[tucsonspeed6]

Is it Charlie lance that is really far from the rest of the team on terra therma conquest? I just know that there's one red team lance out there too that you can get into a 4v4 brawl with while you wait for reinforcements. I actually like that spawn point because you can jump right in to an even fight if you want.

As for on other maps, I'm not sure. I rarely play assaults, so I don't have to worry about getting too separated from the flock.

[Varik Ronain]

More often than not when I pug I spawn in charlie but it is not every time. I end up in bravo at least a couple of times a day.

[Hellen Wheels]

Fatal25, on 20 June 2014 - 09:06 AM, said:

I have been told that solo drops always spawn in Charlie Lance

You were told wrong. I drop solo exclusively, and 99% of the time I wind up in Alpha lance.

[Wintersdark]

Hellen Wheels, on 20 June 2014 - 09:33 AM, said:

You were told wrong. I drop solo exclusively, and 99% of the time I wind up in Alpha lance.

it depends on play time, because groups are put first in alpha, then beta, then charlie, then split if need be.

Why depends on time? If there are a lot of 4 man groups, you won't end up in alpha lance. If Alpha has a 2 or 3 man premade, though, a solo player will typically end up with them.

I had one battle last night while in a two man group where my group mate spawned with the three man in Alpha and I spawned in Beta, which was quite unusual, but theme the breaks.

Basically, the matchmaker strives to keep groups together whenever possible, and that's why they're set out that way.

[Hellen Wheels]

Wintersdark, on 20 June 2014 - 09:41 AM, said:

it depends on play time

Not for me. Doesn't matter what time, EU or Australasian prime or US prime.

99% Alpha lance, solo. Your mileage may vary.

[Fatal25]

Again, all I am suggesting is that they fix it. I literally just played a match where one of the guys in Charlie Lance with me stated that he never not spawned in Charlie. I do play with 2-3 friends and we can spawn in any of the three lances, but solo it is always Charlie.

[Xarian]

Just make all the lances spawn in the same place. Problem solved.

[SilentWolff]

Fatal25, on 20 June 2014 - 10:10 AM, said:

but solo it is always Charlie.

Its got everything to do with your ELO level.
When dropping solo, I find myself if the Alpha lance, more often than not.
The only thing you can do is perform better to try to raise your ELO, but that may open up a whole other set of issues for you.

[Sandpit]

Premades in alpha
Stragglers in bravo pugs fill in rest of slots. It's got less to do with pugging and more to do with just whrre players are placed when they join. I figure they place groups first and then pick up pugs to fill out team.

[Gallowglas]

I just ended up in Alpha in this solo drop I am doing right now.

[Sandpit]

SilentWolff, on 20 June 2014 - 10:24 AM, said:

Its got everything to do with your ELO level.
When dropping solo, I find myself if the Alpha lance, more often than not.
The only thing you can do is perform better to try to raise your ELO, but that may open up a whole other set of issues for you.

Citation needed

I've never seen anywhere this being stated outside of players guessing. Elo has nothing to do with which lance you're in. If it does that's news to me

[WarHippy]

I'm solo most of the time, and I very rarely drop in Charlie.

Sandpit, on 20 June 2014 - 10:27 AM, said:

Citation needed

I've never seen anywhere this being stated outside of players guessing. Elo has nothing to do with which lance you're in. If it does that's news to me

I have not seen that stated either, but in LoL first pick or in this case Alpha lance is the slightly higher Elo players and it goes down from there. So I suppose that might be a factor, but nothing I have seen states that.

[ProtoformX]

I get pulled in as the PUG player for a 3-man premade in Alpha or Bravo all the time. I only get put in Charlie lance if we have two full premades in Alpha/Bravo, or a higher Elo PUG loaded into the match before me.

[Deathlike]

Sandpit, on 20 June 2014 - 10:27 AM, said:

Citation needed

I've never seen anywhere this being stated outside of players guessing. Elo has nothing to do with which lance you're in. If it does that's news to me

I wouldn't say it's "fact" by any stretch of the imagination, but a "rule of thumb".

The only time you are a solo PUG in alpha is when a 3-man is involved (no 4-man).

If a team have the same size of premades (2 4-mans), the team with the "higher overall Elo" gets Alpha.

So, when you're in Alpha Lance, you're "assumed" to be high Elo.

If it isn't the case for solo PUGs with high Elo, it is possible that it picked "most compatible Elo" that the MM is looking for at the time.

Still, I'd rather be in Charlie lance while solo PUGing... because I'm not expected to carry the team. When you're in Alpha Lance, you are "expected" to perform.

[Wintersdark]

SilentWolff, on 20 June 2014 - 10:24 AM, said:

Its got everything to do with your ELO level.
When dropping solo, I find myself if the Alpha lance, more often than not.
The only thing you can do is perform better to try to raise your ELO, but that may open up a whole other set of issues for you.

It has nothing to do with Elo. In fact, if it had to do with Elo, any given players position would be highly random, depending on the makeup of the team. This would be the case for everyone except those at the *very* top and bottom, a very small number of players.

Its seductive to believe that, but what happens is because typically (baring the matchmaker just making groups happen when its been looking for a long time) premade groups end up in alpha (solo pugs too, because not all groups are 4 man, Helen) ... Premade groups tend to perform better because communications and teamwork, so they'll usually show better.

Thus, people in premade groups like to believe that Alpha Lance is the High Elo lance.

[Wildstreak]

More often I wind up in Bravo, sometimes in the other 2 lances.
If you have good memory, Smufy's Map section is useful for telling where your lance spawns else I just hit BattleGrid for a second when starting to get my bearings.

[Deathlike]

Wintersdark, on 20 June 2014 - 10:39 AM, said:

It has nothing to do with Elo. In fact, if it had to do with Elo, any given players position would be highly random, depending on the makeup of the team. This would be the case for everyone except those at the *very* top and bottom, a very small number of players.

Its seductive to believe that, but what happens is because typically (baring the matchmaker just making groups happen when its been looking for a long time) premade groups end up in alpha (solo pugs too, because not all groups are 4 man, Helen) ... Premade groups tend to perform better because communications and teamwork, so they'll usually show better.

Thus, people in premade groups like to believe that Alpha Lance is the High Elo lance.

It's not selective thinking. People that I know of who I personally believe are high Elo are usually in Alpha Lance. If there was ever a match where that was not the case, it would only be because their premade is smaller than the one I'm currently in (or, they are playing solo).

I'm not saying I "can detect Elo a mile away", but there is a method to the madness. Otherwise I would've gotten the "random feeling" from how the team is constructed. I get the feeling there is an overriding Elo factor when two premades are of the same size.

The results on a team do not always represent who is elite or not either, but there's usually a "strong" correlation between how lances score at the end of the match.

When Charlie Lance is dominating the stats, it's probably because Alpha and/or Bravo Lance screwed up (and it DOES happen, even while it is rare).

Edited by Deathlike, 20 June 2014 - 10:49 AM.