41 replies to this topic

[Soulblight]

i came back after 1 year of abstinence and it seems this game changed drastically. I used to control assault mechs -> Atlas RS with a ton of PPC on it. At least back then this was powerful and easy enough to handle for a derp like me. This time around im just useless with this. Its not so much the built that bothers me, but the whole game is so much different

The ecm meta thing. You have guys with ecm: Easy cruising. You dont have them: Lrm **** inbound and you cant even fire back. Does this force better teamplay? I dont know, my current games sway between extrems, from easy win to total and utter destruction. And im part of the problem. Since my Atlas cant fit ecm things and im basicly a huge, fat target. I get owned from lrms, sniped from PPC, cant lock targets because...ecm maybe. What the hell. How do i play an Atlas nowdays. Its beyond me.

Then the LRM problem. I read in the other channel the only solution is hard cover (ok, i get that ) and "not putting yourself in such a sitution". Yes, but how can i apply that to Atlas Gameplay??

I stay behind and snipe and peeps yell at me. I go forward, i die so fast, its not funny.

What can i actually do to be an asset to my team in an Atlas-RS?

[Kiiyor]

Hey man, it's cool! Relax! The came has changed substantially since you last walked it's halls. The Atlas isn't quite the powerhouse it used to be; Victors, Cataphracts and DRAAAAAAAGON SLAAYERS are where it's at now. It's all about huge, pinpoint alpha strikes with the Inner Sphere, especially when fighting Clan mechs. Fire a burst of doom, get the hell back to cover.

Cover is more important than ever now, especially seeing as the clans can fir LRM20's on even their light mechs. An Atlas in the open is easy, easy meat. Mount AMS (mandatory in an Atlas) and loiter near cover until you get your Mojo back.

My Advice? Don't be point man. Follow someone else around, set your brain and trigger finger to cautious mode. And ignore people that yell at you for sniping, if it works, go for it.

[xMEPHISTOx]

Soulblight, on 25 June 2014 - 03:49 PM, said:

i came back after 1 year of abstinence and it seems this game changed drastically. I used to control assault mechs -> Atlas RS with a ton of PPC on it. At least back then this was powerful and easy enough to handle for a derp like me. This time around im just useless with this. Its not so much the built that bothers me, but the whole game is so much different

The ecm meta thing. You have guys with ecm: Easy cruising. You dont have them: Lrm **** inbound and you cant even fire back. Does this force better teamplay? I dont know, my current games sway between extrems, from easy win to total and utter destruction. And im part of the problem. Since my Atlas cant fit ecm things and im basicly a huge, fat target. I get owned from lrms, sniped from PPC, cant lock targets because...ecm maybe. What the hell. How do i play an Atlas nowdays. Its beyond me.

Then the LRM problem. I read in the other channel the only solution is hard cover (ok, i get that ) and "not putting yourself in such a sitution". Yes, but how can i apply that to Atlas Gameplay??

I stay behind and snipe and peeps yell at me. I go forward, i die so fast, its not funny.

What can i actually do to be an asset to my team in an Atlas-RS?

Sell it...

Kiddin.

But really imo Atlases are not the most effective mechs in the game atm, okay to use if in group but if soloing not as good. Need team mates to support for it to be most effective, and even then they can be a liability. They are slow and puggies often will run at first sight of incoming fire and leave you to die if get to far from the main group.
I ever so rarely run any of my atlases at this point and my RS build is the same as it was a year ago as a brawler.
AS7-RS

Edited by xMEPHISTOx, 25 June 2014 - 04:03 PM.

[DarkMetalBlade]

I used to be an experienced Atlas pilot myself, that is until the clans arrived. I normally pilot the D-DC, since it can hold ECM, but since you're in an RS, all I can tell you is, try to stay in the midst of your team. That way, if your team starts engaging the enemy, they'll end up focusing you down. & don't really worry about dying in an Atlas, because most of the time, an Atlas pilot's job is to draw fire away for the others, so that they can lay the smackdown without any reprisal coming at them. & if by some chance they decide to aggro someone else, you'll likely have an open lane to them.

THe other thing to tell you is, with the problem with LRMs, since you're not in a D-DC, is to either invest in AMS, or one of those Radar Deprivation Modules.

Here's hoping that it helps you.

[NRP]

Don't worry too much about it. Most of us are a liability to our teammates, LOL.

Regarding LRMs, a lot of people are running NARC spotters, so chances are you're getting "NARCed" because you're a big, slow target. About the only thing you can do try really hard to stay within 180m of a friendly ECM mech. ECM Lights are typically selfish little SOBs that run off on their own, but I have actually seen a lot more D-DCs since the latest patch so you should be able to keep pace with one of those. Another thing is to really learn the maps well, and try to go where it is harder for LRM jockies to maintain LOS. Always stay near (tall) cover and consider using the new Radar Deprivation module (makes enemies lose target lock immediately upon losing LOS, except of course if you're NARCed). Finally, just focus on killing enemy mechs. The more enemies you kill the easier it is for your team's numerical superiority to overwhelm the LRM boats.

Also, play drunk. It tends to take the edge off.

[Flak Kannon]

It's cliche... but think of the Kenny Rodgers song...

You have to know when to move Hold, and when to Show.

Its hard..

Make sure you run a STD engine, carry a AC20, Medium Lasers and either SRMs or LRMs based on your preferred play style.

There isnt any easy answers, its all about the flow of the game, make up of each team, players pilot skill on each team, and the map that your on.

Some games will all be roll stomps, some wont.....


An Atlas is a damage soak... that's its roll usually.. learn how to do that effectively in the new meta... I can't tell you how, I wish I could.

[Edustaja]

Use it to unlock the elites for a D-DC

Sniping in an Atlas is hard. You need vertical cover like buildings. Then you only expose one arm and the ballistic. So maximum of 2PPC's and a Gauss. You're slow to move so torso twisting is key.

Maybe something like this;

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...cec46d9376fab10

[Grey Black]

Well if the question is only how to play an atlas in the new meta, the obvious response is buy a DDC.However, the Atlas RS can still be effective if played correctly. First, understand that 4xPPC is not useful. Far too much Ghost Heat (and that is a whole different thread). Atlai RS should make use of their arm cannons, which points in the direction of brawler, so maybe 4 mlas an AC20, and LRMs to reach out and touch someone.

[quackychief]

Playing an atlas is all about patience. You move around the map with the group and dont get to fight for sometimes, quiet an extended period of time but when you do you need to maximize how much damaged your doing and ensure that you can still move back into cover. Two try and minimize how many mechs you are attacking as the atlas is slow to get back into cover.

[Koniving]

Soulblight, on 25 June 2014 - 03:49 PM, said:

What can i actually do to be an asset to my team in an Atlas-RS?

"Hello everyone. I'm Koniving, and I'm a liability to the team."
Everyone: "Hello."

Atlases in general are priority targets. Everyone wants them dead. Now.

First. Armlock off if it is not already off. Second... if you're feeling ballsy try 42 SHS and twin ER LL and twin LL. Ignore the message after the scene; PGI's never gonna listen to it.

On Forest Colony Snow, you can fire that thing non-stop for 97 seconds.

Otherwise... Have you considered some ER LL? LPL? Twin LPL is more powerful than an AC/20, shoots slightly faster, but is as hot as firing 1 ER PPC.
I use it on my Boar's Head. Twin LPL on both sides + a tag on each arm to know if my weapon will hit the target or hit a wall before I fire.

Spoiler

It's a very situational mech, but it will put a Timber Wolf down in 20 seconds if it's within 350 meters.

[Koniving]

Actually as I just discovered..
The Boar's Head design if you endure the ghost heat can put a Timber Wolf down in a single shot provided you can keep the arms on the transplast (transparent metal alloy... the "glass").
35 damage needed to kill by cockpit. One alpha (4 LPL) does 42.4 damage, and about as much heat as twin AC/20 fired at once.

Which means with the same design on an Atlas RS you can do it too. Just don't do it on Terra Therma.

Edited by Koniving, 25 June 2014 - 06:04 PM.

[xXBagheeraXx]

Ive been a looong time atlas driver. She just doesnt quite seem to have it like she used to. Atlases only scare me when they sneak up on me and im running a sniper build, as is my usual mount of choice these days...I had two very lousy 300 damge losses back to back in my atlas, Hopped in my large laser/ac20 victor and clobbered 3 clan mechs in hpg manifold and didnt even lose any of my frontal armor doing it....And i used to hate the ground that mech walked on. The game has moved towards fast, manueuverable mechs, or high alpha mechs with the introduction of clan mechs....Another thing that kinda bugs me about the atlas is how hard it is to get all your weapons onto a single point, since some are torso and some are arm mounted...My ac20 victor can just splat some hapless ******* in the face with two larges and an ac20 with little aim, My atlas i have to aim each weapon system indivitually unless my target is sitting perfectly still. That may just be down to lack of driving the things but i much rather have my weapons easier to aim than they are on that thing.

[Ursh]

Most people are liabilities. Not necessarily in their ability to shoot other mechs and do damage, but in their ability to read the battlefield and move to better positions based on what they see the enemy doing, or based on the map/mode they're on.

Pro tip from a mediocre talent like me: on Canyon network, if your team all books it to set up camp in D4-D5, you're probably going to lose the match.

[Soulblight]

There is no upvote system here, but anyway.. THANK YOU guys. This cleared up quite a few things (and also made me feel less miserable). I appreciate your effort guys.


However, there some follow-up questions i dare to ask.

1. Atlas D-DC best Atlas because ecm y/n??

2. Assaultmech-Class: Does the current meta favour fast Mechs and/or smaller hulls and therefore big fat guys are a bit . um...useless. Or are there Assault mechs that can cope better with the current situation ? Im not sure if this is a rather complex question, maybe there is a short answer here. But reading your answers which more than once said things like "Atlas is not what it used to be" makes me curious which assaultmech can cope or if its just a problem for the atlas in particuliar.

3. Shortrange vs. Sniper [not really a question ]
I forget to say that one of the solutions for my recent problems with teh atlas was sniping. The relative safety of sitting back i do enjoy and also the survival rate (or rather: time). Now, this leads to two main problems

-> you waste your armor by sitting far in the back, other mechs can do this even better
Some of you guys said it: use the armor, help the team.

-> your actual impact on the game is little.
Yes, you can dish out some dmg and help, but it depends how well teh guys up front brawl it out. If they die fast, you will end up as teh sole survivor and get ganked. If they brawl well, you are not really needed. its rare to see that your sniping atlas tips a tight battle in your teams favour.

Thats why i think a sniping atlas is not really....my thing anymore. I will try this

Spoiler

Quote

But really imo Atlases are not the most effective mechs in the game atm, [..]They are slow and puggies often will run at first sight of incoming fire and leave you to die if get to far from the main group.
I ever so rarely run any of my atlases at this point and my RS build is the same as it was a year ago as a brawler.
AS7-RS

and

the dual LL/dual ER LL built aswell, if you tell me what engine you used. And yes, its hilarious how this thing spams lazors. But not in a good way hilarious...

Edited by Soulblight, 25 June 2014 - 11:35 PM.

[Elizander]

You generally don't want to stand out in the open and take shots from 8 other mechs at the beginning of the round, nor do you want to be the only mech standing while being swarmed by light mech near the end of the round. Sniping is hard because you are too slow to properly re-position yourself once your location is compromised. You'll generally need to know when to charge in and be in the proper position to charge in.

LRMs - Allows you to deal damage behind cover and contribute to battles 1,000 meters away while you lumber towards it. Since the intention is to just chuck LRMs from afar and behind cover, you can probably get away without using Artemis. An LRM15-20 is recommended, but an LRM10 is fine too. This can help you bag more assists.

Sniping - You'll have to outright outrange your opponents so 2 ER PPCs and a Gauss Rifle will do the trick here. You need to know your maps and engage them well beyond the range of most weapons. If you are shooting them past 1300+ meters, the only return fire you will get is from ER PPCs, Gauss Rifles, AC2s and Clan ER Large Lasers. Everything else won't reach you. (again note that if they close in you can't re-position quickly because slow). If your heat is high, just hide and cool down. Don't push it and overheat out in the open.

Brawling - You'll be hiding behind cover a lot of the time (or you'll be dead to snipers and LRMs) so first plug in an LRM10-20(+2-3 tons ammo) then build the rest to brawl. Chuck LRMs until you get the opportunity to fight.

This isn't top of the game advice here, but it'll help you participate in the battle while minimizing the damage you take.

[Tim East]

Soulblight, on 25 June 2014 - 11:33 PM, said:

There is no upvote system here, but anyway.. THANK YOU guys. This cleared up quite a few things (and also made me feel less miserable). I appreciate your effort guys.

They have a "like" button. Bottom right corner of any given post.

[Mahws]

1. ECM is nice. On top of that though you get a 3rd SRM launcher and all you lose is either your (not that useful) nipple lasers or the extra arm lasers. The RS is the only other real contender of the standard Atlases, if you're using a larger engine it can edge out the D-DC for brawling because of the weight saving of 4 ML over larger energy weapons.

2. A lot has changed since you stopped playing. The increased player count in each match as well as the introduction of the clans has driven up the amount of firepower on the field by a considerable margin. It's much harder to be big and slow now, simply because there's more people to shoot at big and slow targets. The Victor is the choice inner sphere Assualt for most players because it's fast and nimble and plays more like a big heavy than an Assault mech.

As someone who's recently bought Atlases and is working through leveling them my advice is to learn to play to the Atlases strength. Don't do long range, you're massive, slow and you're not carrying anymore firepower than faster, lighter mechs. Build for brawling and try to fight in parts of the map that best accommodate hammering people in the face at point blank range. Prime examples of places where the Atlas can still be king are the tunnel on Crimson Straight and under the dish on HPG.

And always remember to twist between shots, soak as much damage as you can with those big chunky arms.

[LiGhtningFF13]

If you drop alone nerver take an Atlas nowadays cause you won't last long. Team up in a lance and it's still ok. To slow and heavy handed this thing.

[Rogue Jedi]

Soulblight, on 25 June 2014 - 11:33 PM, said:

However, there some follow-up questions i dare to ask.

1. Atlas D-DC best Atlas because ecm y/n??

2. Assaultmech-Class: Does the current meta favour fast Mechs and/or smaller hulls and therefore big fat guys are a bit . um...useless. Or are there Assault mechs that can cope better with the current situation ? Im not sure if this is a rather complex question, maybe there is a short answer here. But reading your answers which more than once said things like "Atlas is not what it used to be" makes me curious which assaultmech can cope or if its just a problem for the atlas in particuliar.

3. Shortrange vs. Sniper [not really a question ]
I forget to say that one of the solutions for my recent problems with teh atlas was sniping. The relative safety of sitting back i do enjoy and also the survival rate (or rather: time). Now, this leads to two main problems

1) there is no best ECM mech, the Atlas D-DC is a good ECM mech with lots of firepower, but it does not have the speed to stick with the team unless they decide to stick with you and if alone dies fast.
the Spider is a great ECM harrasser (high speed + jumpjets),
the Commando, Spider, Kit Fox Cicada and Raven can all do a great job as ECM scout/spotters,
the Cicada Raven and Kit Fox can be great as ECM support mechs (can keep with a team to provide ECM support, while adding respeciable firepower).

2) I suggest ignoring the meta and playing what you enjoy
the meta is based around pinpoint damage and using cover so favores PPCs and balistics on a jumping mech, for meta users speed is not that important, however a wolfpack of fast mechs can ruin a meta mechs day,
the meta favores mechs with both balistics and jumpjets, so Shadow hawk, Cataphract 3d and Victor, (Highlander used to be but got enough of a manuverability nerf to force it out) are the top meta mechs.

3) long and short range are both good, if a brawler can close in cover whe sniper is dead, however if a shiper catches a brawler in the open at range the shiper wins every time. sniper weapons work fine up close while brawler weapons are usualy useless at range.
if you are fast (100+) you are usualy safe to use only short range weapons, if you have a team who will help you get close or are confidant in your ability to use cover to get close you are fine in a slow brawler.
a shiper needs to be fast enough to move to good positions with both cover and line of sight, you need to work with the team or you will find your self ambushed by fast mechs.
a mix of long and short range works well for some people but others concider this useless
having the most heavily armored mech hanging back and doing little damage when it could be giving and tanking huge amounts of damage as the bastion of a charge will annoy some PUGs
make your choice based on your persional preferances

[Levon K]

Koniving, on 25 June 2014 - 04:39 PM, said:

I use it on my Boar's Head. Twin LPL on both sides + a tag on each arm to know if my weapon will hit the target or hit a wall before I fire.

Absolutely brilliant. Hats off to you Koniving.