Arctcwolf, on 26 August 2014 - 05:13 PM, said:
Here's the problem with traditional tanking in terms of RPG's...
The tank usually has a self heal/damage resistance, or a separate player healing them...allowing them to continue "tanking" damage long term. This game isnt an RPG. Its a team based FPS.
This is a very good point- but it's mostly a point about peoples' perception of what 'tanking' is and how it works. By the most common use, you cannot 'tank' in Mechwarrior Online, because there is only one form of actual damage soaking in it- avoiding the damage in the first place, or what I like to call 'proactive damage reduction'- capabilities that prevent the damage from having been dealt.
'Reflexive damage reduction', which reduces the damage as it is dealt, doesn't, strictly speaking, exist in this game. In a sense it does, because having a bigger 'mech means having greater durability, and thus the percent of damage you can take that is lost from each hit is reduced. Realistically speaking, though, between the weight-class matching, four-threes, and the relatively small variance (assuming the same percentage of maximum armor, an Atlas or Daishi is roughly five times as durable as a Locust or Fire Moth, where in an MMORPG you can look at same-level differences such as tanks with 300k hit points and DPS with 15k or less), this 'reflexive damage reduction' is a very small change. This is especially so when you consider that the 'mechs that effectively have more of this invariably have considerably less capacity for 'proactive damage reduction'.
'Reactive damage reduction' is then abilities that restore health or heal, essentially undoing damage after it's dealt. This flat out doesn't exist in Mechwarrior Online (which is a good thing mostly because of the absolute nonsensicality of it- it doesn't fit with any of the rest of how this stuff works either thematically speaking or in the more detailed analysis of the kind of tech the setting has) and also constitutes the majority of what's used in most MMORPGs. It's compounded in those settings by hilariously high hit point counts, which give those using these abilities more time to use them.
With the way the game operates, only 'reflexive' and 'proactive' methods work, and if one of them is in full effect the other isn't in effect at all- although many 'mechs manage a combination somewhere in between, with the two scaling conversely to one another. This makes it impossible to tank by those definitions.
However, the player-versus-player nature of the game and the more tactical rather than learned-pattern combat in it mean that players are capable of actions that, while not tanking in the MMORPG sense, are still a form of attention/damage dissipation. A light or fast medium can flank the enemy team and harass their backs while popping in and out of cover, a medium or fast heavy can make 'strafing runs' through enemy lines or along enemy flanks from behind, returning to the main force even as they draw attention, a heavy or assault can soak extra damage by forcing enemies to try and shoot them through corners or forcing enemy 'mechs to knock their arms off to get at their torso. 'Mechs with an appreciable LRM footprint or long-range direct fire weapons mounted in snipe-enabling locations can deny areas of open ground to the enemy, 'mechs with ECM can mitigate that same kind of area denial to a point while reducing the enemy capacity to target weakened 'mechs and 'mech parts, AMS reduces incoming missile damage for self and allies, and so on and so forth.
This kind of 'tanking' is available to all 'mechs and should be used when possible
regardless of the size and weight of the 'mech- as nice as it is to be willing to die for the team, it's even more useful to be able to survive for the team- but specifically
for the team.
Personally, when I'm running missile-heavy 'mechs, I do tend to keep to cover even though I maintain a certain degree of close combat capability. However, I will not refuse to get my own missile locks, and I will not refuse to take the front line if other front-line capable 'mechs are either unavailable or incapacitated (legged, out of ammo, destroyed or nearly so). However, this is also true of me in a light 'mech or medium.
I consider it wasteful when a 'mech of
any size is unwilling to expose themself to risk for the betterment of the team, because this is a team game. That win accounts for, in most games, a good 60-80 thousand C-bills and 300-700 XP of gain for
everyone on the team, and not being willing to put forth your effort towards that is an inefficient, ineffective, and generally rude to teammates way to play.
Keep in mind here that I will never look down on a sniper or LRM carrying 'mech for staying out of the spotlight when doing so is reasonable. It's when these particularly egregious cases come up- an LRM Stalker carrying only three medium lasers for backup weaponry that is either last to die on its team because it was hiding so thoroughly that it was last alive and still had pristine or at worst pale-yellow armor, or an ECM ER Large Laser Raven that continues to only snipe even when the rest of its team is visibly getting ruined by a hail of LRMs and has no other ECM source- that I start to frown on what's happening.
Arctcwolf, on 26 August 2014 - 05:13 PM, said:
lights run ahead...scouting...harassing enemy positions by using speed, agility, and stealth to avoid damage while trying to slow or split up the enemy forces. later in the match, they focus on flanking enemy positions, focuing primarily on the heaviest mechs by tonnage, taking advantage of speed to out-maneuver the larger mechs, and ganging up on said mechs 2:1 or better.
mediums lead the main group...focusing on finding and hunting down light scouts, as well as hitting an enemys main force initially, drawing them into position for the heavier mechs to lay down fire, using speed and agility to avoid damage. later in the match, they play the role of harasser for enemy mechs, while also defending the heaviest mechs from light mech harassment.
heavies are the main fighters. they move into a superior firing position where they can do the most damage in the shortest time possible. most focus will be on mediums since they will lead the enemy group, then falling back to cover to reassess and reconfigure forces to best damage enemy mechs as quickly as possible. later in the match, they will help with cleanup of lights and mediums that try to flee or flank.
assaults are always the vanguard. the vanguard pulls up the rear, providing support and defending key positions with as much firepower as possible. they have no agility, so when they move, they better keep moving till they get to the next position of strength. they lay down fire against enemy heavies and assaults, as well as mop up mediums that have been diabled due to legging or loss of arms. they provide overwatch, alpha strike capabilities throughout the match. they are supposed to be the focal point around which the rest of the group operates.
I do, however, take issue with this part of your post. You've indicated these distinctions as 'always'- made blanket statements that are, simply, wrong.
Ravens that use all their hardpoints, Kit Foxes, Adders, and other Light 'mechs that drop their speed down to around 100kph or a bit lower make very effective fire-support 'mechs, clinging around the ankles of assaults and heavies and contributing additional firepower while either (1) moving around enough to take relatively little damage and distracting enemy fire or (2) being generally ignored and having free choice of targets. Some light 'mechs- particularly ECM Ravens, Spiders, and Kit Foxes, but to a lesser extent also Jenners, Commandos, and certain builds of Firestarter- are well-suited to taking sniping positions and can, instead of harassing and slowing/diverting enemies, locate weakened points on enemy 'mechs and finish them off before they get a chance to deal damage (particularly when the target believes they have cover from all enemies).
Medium 'mechs focused on LRMs are again excellent fire support as well as area denial, and like the well-suited lights, often make excellent snipers (although through slightly different means, Cicada aside). Certain mediums- mostly some Hunchbacks, but also SRM-laden Wolverines, Griffins, Kintaros, Stormcrows, and Shadow Hawks as well as others- make amazing ambush 'mechs, getting into position and waiting for an enemy to happen by, unloading a short burst of heavy fire, and then fleeing or hiding again. A few (particularly some Hunchbacks and most Centurions, but also certain forms of Blackjack, Vindicator, Nova, Wolverine, and Stormcrow) should not be trying to draw enemies into position but instead waiting for the enemy to be in position and then engage in agile, fast-paced brawling that will shorten their lives but if done effectively shorten the lives of enemy 'mechs much more.
Not all heavies are main fighters. Dragons are usually harassing 'mechs that harry the flanks and distract enemy forces, as are Quickdraws and a few forms of Catapult. Jagermechs are largely fire-support 'mechs, peeking over hills and providing ranged fire that can reach any part of the combat in progress. Many heavies do the medium 'mech 'job' you listed here better than medium 'mechs, particularly when using a standard engine and CASE (if necessary). Quite a few simply can't handle light 'mechs these days (and probably shouldn't be expected to on a regular basis).
While the team should probably anchor itself around the assault 'mechs, given their relatively low speed (in most cases) and relatively high firepower weight (again, in most cases- usually the same exceptions) that doesn't always mean that the assault 'mech in question should be expected to sit at the back of the weapons mass. Some builds of Atlas, Highlander, Dire Wolf, and Stalker are specifically built to take advantage of the durabilities inherent to their tonnages and soak damage from the front of the combat, as true vanguards. Others are intended to perform closer-in direct fire support that forces enemies to choose between taking out a target that deals less damage in any given period of time but is tougher, and shooting at a more-damaging but frailer 'mech (usually a heavy or another assault). Some assaults are best at the back of the pack- usually missile-focused or those that fire in small bursts of intense damage (looking at you Gauss Dire Wolf and PPC/dual AC/5 Victor- or is that now PPC/PPC/AC/10?) that then are difficult to reach but alluring targets intended to draw enemies into shootable positions.
With the degree of customization and variety of options even before then, it's really not effective to make blanket statements about what a given weight class is 'supposed' to do, because that can be determined as much by visual profile, hardpoints, hardpoint location, and what equipment can be mounted as by tonnage- all five of these factors (shape, available weapon options, location of weapons, construction decisions, and available weight of 'mech) are roughly equal in determining value, despite the fact that some of them help to shape others.
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