26 replies to this topic

[Catra Lanis]

Do they drop straight down once a previously estabilished lock is broken? Let's say I launch at someone, he then disappears behind a hill and my lock goes away mid flight. Can i still control the missiles by guessing that he went left and move the reticle a little left and maybe get lucky?

[Koniving]

Catra Lanis, on 06 August 2014 - 10:36 AM, said:

Do they drop straight down once a previously estabilished lock is broken? Let's say I launch at someone, he then disappears behind a hill and my lock goes away mid flight. Can i still control the missiles by guessing that he went left and move the reticle a little left and maybe get lucky?

Nope.

But if you had lock then lost it but re-acquire it, the missiles will make a VERY sharp turn to make that lock and hit possible again. You can use this trick to shoot around corners with the help of a spotter.

[Fauxwise]

No, you can't steer LRMs as both they and Streaks need a locked target. LRMs will fly to the position last occupied by the target if lock is lost after launch.

Edit: Koniving gave a more detailed answer, with the addition of some cunning.

Edited by Fauxwise, 06 August 2014 - 10:44 AM.

[Catra Lanis]

That clarifies it, thanks for the answer. On another note is there an estabilished damage range for each weight class that you can use as a rough reference in order to see how much you suck? I do badly, the best I've done is 460 in YLW and 420 in a 2X but I mostly hower around 200 or a bit over. What is acceptable?

[Sudden]

don't worry about how good you play. just put in an effort. lots of guys that have been playing for a long time get anything from 0 to 1800 damage a match . happy hunting

[YouKnowNothing]

yeah, as Sudden says, it depends on your and your team's luck and skill. I went over 400dmg a couple of times in my 30ton spider (once the best dmg in my team ), but I also do below 100dmg in my 70ton cataphract from time to time (i think i did 15mg one match to my deepest shame).

Edited by YouKnowNothing, 06 August 2014 - 11:18 AM.

[Eximar]

One more sneaky thing about missiles. If someone withing range is standing still but ecm is preventing you from getting a lock, put the reticle on them and fire, the missiles will hit them without a warning if they don't move.

[Tiamat of the Sea]

Damage alone is a poor method for counting how well you're doing in this game.

I've had games where I only managed 30-50 damage but did something vital to a win (usually distracting half to all of the enemy team at a vital moment when my damage is that low, but also capping important locations on Conquest).

Generally speaking, your win-loss rate is most important.

If you're concerned specifically about your combat performance, you know you're getting better at it if you can reduce your damage dealt compared to your (component destructions plus kills)- a higher damage total usually indicates that your damage has been very much spread out, which is inefficient. Mind, spreading of damage is rarely entirely your fault (twisting and moving targets result in damage spreading) but the better you can mitigate it, the better you're performing.

Damage per match is also shaky because sometimes all it takes is one small mistake- peek around the wrong corner at the wrong moment, turn to face the wrong way, shoot one target instead of the other- to suddenly get dogpiled and destroyed with little hope of retaliating. Which is why win/loss is really most important (although getting less tiny-damage oops-death matches is better).

[Sug]

Catra Lanis, on 06 August 2014 - 10:51 AM, said:

That clarifies it, thanks for the answer. On another note is there an estabilished damage range for each weight class that you can use as a rough reference in order to see how much you suck? I do badly, the best I've done is 460 in YLW and 420 in a 2X but I mostly hower around 200 or a bit over. What is acceptable?

Damage doesn't tell the whole story.

The mech that covers his team with ECM and does 40 damage probably was more important than the guy that has 400 damage 1 kill and 0 assists.

Quickdraw Crobat, on 06 August 2014 - 11:20 AM, said:

Generally speaking, your win-loss rate is most important.

My W/L is currently positive for the first time in 3 years of solo pugging. 692/691

Plus the archived stats it's 3179/3188 : /

Edited by Sug, 06 August 2014 - 11:29 AM.

[YouKnowNothing]

Sug, on 06 August 2014 - 11:24 AM, said:

Damage doesn't tell the whole story.

[...] the guy that has 400 damage 1 kill and 0 assists.

This usually happens when you don't see the forest for the trees. I know it because i did it multiple times... regularly the situation ends up with me being cut to pieces by the dead mech's mates.

[Stickjock]

YouKnowNothing, on 06 August 2014 - 11:17 AM, said:

yeah, as Sudden says, it depends on your and your team's luck and skill. I went over 400dmg a couple of times in my 30ton spider (once the best dmg in my team ), but I also do below 100dmg in my 70ton cataphract from time to time (i think i did 15mg one match to my deepest shame).

will have to look for my screen shot... if my failing, aging memory serves me correctly... I had one drop (don't we all tho') where I managed to do 1 pt of damage... and got a kill out of it... smh...

and don't ask me about my attempts at Assault Mech piloting... I typically appologize to my team after the fact but *ugh*... I want to play them so bad but just can't seem to do it...

As to the reply about getting hit with LRM's and not having a lock... exactly correct... have seen that used many times before... D-DC thinking he's in the clear and gets unloaded on with direct LRM fire... LOL

[B L O O D W I T C H]

Stickjock, on 06 August 2014 - 12:00 PM, said:

As to the reply about getting hit with LRM's and not having a lock... exactly correct... have seen that used many times before... D-DC thinking he's in the clear and gets unloaded on with direct LRM fire... LOL

Doesn't have to be ecm covered (though, it's still effective against ecm), if someone doesn't move (sniper, lrmboat etc) i usually tend to fire the first full misslevolley unguided, the moment he/she got hit and "what teh fuq?!" i start to get a lock.
Pretty usefull, since a misslelock will warn them and pretty much ruin a full volley at long distances.

----

(and, to be honest at least, to prevent that a teammate will make "my" target shoo into cover. And, yeah, it's not my dual-gauss-jager teammate, it more often then not my MLas Teammate 715ish meters away. May not be the nicest move towards my mates, but hey, they'll get the lock once the target starts moving.)

Edited by LOADED, 06 August 2014 - 01:05 PM.

[Koniving]

Catra Lanis, on 06 August 2014 - 10:51 AM, said:

That clarifies it, thanks for the answer. On another note is there an estabilished damage range for each weight class that you can use as a rough reference in order to see how much you suck? I do badly, the best I've done is 460 in YLW and 420 in a 2X but I mostly hower around 200 or a bit over. What is acceptable?

This really depends.

If that's a 2X Raven that is pretty decent. If it's a 2X Cataphract then strive for closer to 300.

Remember that all gauges are merely opinions. This following chart is simply my own.
The rough estimates for "you're doing okay and pulling your weight" ranges are:
100 to 250 for mechs 20 to 35 tons.
200 to 450 for mechs between 40 and 50 tons.
250 to 650 damage for mechs 55 through 75 tons.
300 to 700 for mechs 80 tons and up.

Add 300 to the minimums on those for "You're doing very good." Add 500 to the minimums instead for "Fantastic!"
And anything beyond the high ends of fantastic, well, falls under "Bull."

[Koniving]

Stickjock, on 06 August 2014 - 12:00 PM, said:

I had one drop (don't we all tho') where I managed to do 1 pt of damage... and got a kill out of it... smh...

My favorite match had a spider player who acquired 2 kills for 1 point of damage.
Though I still love my personal best kill to damage rate: 1 kill for 0 damage. Colliding with the enemy -- which didn't cause enough to register as a point -- killed it.

One great reason to fear a Stalker's bull rush. It's rarely seen but when it happens it does hurt even if it can't knock you over like what used to happen in MWO. Now I miss knockdowns again.

[Stickjock]

Koniving, on 06 August 2014 - 12:43 PM, said:

Now I miss knockdowns again.

Amen to that... how I'd LOVE to see them back in... LOL

[TheCaptainJZ]

Koniving, on 06 August 2014 - 12:39 PM, said:

This really depends.
Remember that all gauges are merely opinions. This following chart is simply my own.
The rough estimates for "you're doing okay and pulling your weight" ranges are:
100 to 250 for mechs 20 to 35 tons.
200 to 450 for mechs between 40 and 50 tons.
250 to 650 damage for mechs 55 through 75 tons.
300 to 700 for mechs 80 tons and up.

Add 300 to the minimums on those for "You're doing very good." Add 500 to the minimums instead for "Fantastic!"
And anything beyond the high ends of fantastic, well, falls under "Bull."

I'd agree with those ranges.

[B L O O D W I T C H]

Stickjock, on 06 August 2014 - 12:51 PM, said:

Amen to that... how I'd LOVE to see them back in... LOL

[Stickjock]

LOL... the good ol' days of Dragon Bowling...

[RLBell]

Sug, on 06 August 2014 - 11:24 AM, said:

Damage doesn't tell the whole story.

The mech that covers his team with ECM and does 40 damage probably was more important than the guy that has 400 damage 1 kill and 0 assists.

That being said, the LRM boat with 1200 damage, zero kills, and twelve assists probably did some heavy lifting. That is my story, and I am sticking to it. I got the Seriously! and Philanthropist achievements in the same match!

[Pekiti]

Most stats in MWO are worthless, but especially damage done. Concentrate on your accuracy per shot (both direct fire and in LRM use), and your win/loss record. Accuracy means you are hitting what you aim at, and therefore probably being very efficient at dealing damage. Win/Loss is the only stat that affects your Elo rating, and the only one that matters in a Tournament. (chuckles)

Consider your role, too. Assault /Heavy mechs should probably be putting up high damage numbers, because of the relative advantage they have in armor (allowing them to survive longer) and tonnage available for weapons (over light/medium mechs, who must use a greater percentage of their weight for mobility). Lights and mediums typically have a broader variety of builds/roles in a match, so their damage will likewise vary wildly, depending on play style and team composition.

I have relatively low damage output matches...but I bring ECM/AMS/UAV to every match and I get at least one kill per match by finishing off cripples or hunting enemy EWAR mechs. By 'raw damage' I must be a freeloading, dead weight on my team...but I scout, I mark targets for LRMs, I provide EWAR and antimissile support - nobody on my team thinks I'm not pulling my weight, even in PUG matches.

Don't sweat damage, just look at each match afterwards and ask yourself - "Did I contribute significantly to my team's win (or loss)?"

Edited by Pekiti, 07 August 2014 - 02:56 AM.