8 replies to this topic

[Foxfire kadrpg]

This game is open to different play styles, but I believe the novice pilot might not realize what approach he is best suited for, or even what complements his chosen style.

In MWO, there are three ways to destroy an enemy mech: Brawling, Sniping, and LRM-ing.

Brawling is combat in direct line of sight with the opponent, either overcomming the foe with greater firepower or out manuevering the foe with greater speed. The Brawling pilot needs to have nerves of steel since he will almost assuradely be taking fire. He will need a good sense of mech specifications in order to quickly decide whether he is winning an exchange or not. Good reflexes are also a bonus in order to make every shot count or to handle the speed needed to dodge. Mechs with large arms, narrow profiles and good torso twisting ability are preferable for Brawling. Weapons with high DPS are prefered.

Sniping is a method of using direct fire with the specific trait of preventing return fire. This is either done by excessive range or by firing from cover. "Poptarting" is included in this method. The Sniping pilot will need greater forethought than normal since success requires minimizing the amount of time you are in view. This forethought is used to both anticipate where an enemy will be and when he will be there in order to spend as little time as possible outside of cover. The sniper also needs to be aware of his teams movement faster than the others simply because he will often be the farthest distance from them. Mechs with hardpoints located high on the body or at the far edges of the body, along with mechs that have jump jets, can favor the sniping approach. Weapons with burst fire or short duration of fire are prefered.

Long range missles are actually a team weapon when used properly. "LRM-ers" are not just the guy with the missles, but really include spotters and other supporting teammates. The LRM minded pilot and his teammates will benefit from good communication skills more than the other two approaches, and they need a better sense of their teammates' statuses as well.
Spotters need to be pilots willing to check fire and spend time simply hiding until they can keep eyes on a target, while the missle boats themselves need to inform their allies if they are narced, report when the missles cannot reach a target, or alert friends to enemy scouts harrasing them. Any of the middle weight on up mechs with missle ports can generally be used as LRM boats, although heavier classes and JJ equipped ones will probably be able to support fire for longer periods. ECM is a great complement to both the Spotter and the Missile Boat itself.

[qki]

what about boom and zoom?

A tactic 100 years old.

[Arnold J Rimmer]

The harrasser, the wolf-pack...

[Koniks]

Headshot -- any mech, easier on some (e.g. Cataphract) than others (e.g. Commando)
Rear CT -- all mechs; tougher to get behind lights, tho
2 legs -- any mech; but especially the Raven; probably not the Atlas
Front CT -- any mech; but especially the Jenner, Timber Wolf, and Dire Wolf
1 Side Torso -- Inner Sphere XL mechs; Victors and Shadow Hawks especially
2 Side Torsos -- Clan mechs; probably better off just aiming for the legs.

Bonus
1 leg -- any mech stupid enough to put ammo down there.

Edited by Mizeur, 28 June 2014 - 03:40 PM.

[Bront]

qki, on 27 June 2014 - 04:27 AM, said:

what about boom and zoom?

A tactic 100 years old.

Hit and Run sorta falls under sniping, with a bit of brawling sensibilities.

Arnold J Rimmer, on 27 June 2014 - 05:56 PM, said:

The harrasser, the wolf-pack...

Those are brawling tactics, usually that are a little more team reliant.

[Ovion]

Technically the 3 ways to kill a mech are:
Cockpit (Head) Destroyed.
Engine (CT with STD Engine, 1 Side Torso or CT with XL Engine, 2 Side Torsos or CT with C-XL Engine) Destroyed.
Both Legs Destroyed.


The things you described (Brawling, Sniping , LRMing) are 3 different playstyles / tactics / builds.
There are MANY more.

For example - Hit & Run, Harrasser, Hunter, Support and it's sub-variants (First Line Support, Second Line Support, Fire Support, ECM Support, Missile Support, Escort + more), Defence, Tank, Aggro, FLD, Shock & Awe, Brawler, Sniper, Crit Seeker, Carrion Seeker, Clean Up, Back-Stabber, Assassin, Scout, Sandblaster and that's just off the top of my head.

[Foxfire kadrpg]

Ovion, on 29 June 2014 - 03:31 PM, said:

The things you described (Brawling, Sniping , LRMing) are 3 different playstyles / tactics / builds.
There are MANY more.

For example - Hit & Run, Harrasser, Hunter, Support and it's sub-variants (First Line Support, Second Line Support, Fire Support, ECM Support, Missile Support, Escort + more), Defence, Tank, Aggro, FLD, Shock & Awe, Brawler, Sniper, Crit Seeker, Carrion Seeker, Clean Up, Back-Stabber, Assassin, Scout, Sandblaster and that's just off the top of my head.

I am describing play style simply as it applies to actually fighting a mech. There ARE many other roles within a group of players that fulfilled by behaviors that do not directly kill the enemy (such as scouting and providing ECM cover)

The attempt was to remark about the personality (and mech selection) that best suit each method of killing; (direct fire while the enemy can return fire, direct fire where the enemy can not return fire and indirect fire)

I see so many 'meta builds' such as Twin PPC and Gauss on a mech that are then played improperly, and often think to myself "dude, if you want to step out in the open and circle an opponent at close range, maybe you should try a brawler approach..."

This post wasn't clear, but I hoped to encourage novice players to consider attack method in the abstract so that they might realize they could be more effective with a different play style than whatever was popular.

[Reported for Inappropriate Name]

here are the three ways to kill a mech.

missiles

ppc's

gauss

[Ovion]

And I can get behind that - Variety is good, and seeing all the major roles and a number of the smaller roles filled would be good.

I would simplify it down.

First, cover the main ways of killing a 'mech as above (cockpit, engine, legs), and a brief guide on which is easiest for each weight class and why.

Then break it down into Close Range and Long Range combat.
In close range include Brawling, Aggro, etc, and what benefits those.
In Long Range include Snipers and Artillery.

I'd be happy to go through it and figure something out with you later if you like.