52 replies to this topic

[Kjudoon]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 04:03 AM, said:

Well ... topic speaks for itself. how can i/do you get a pretty neutral win/loss rating if you are playing only solo games? after a break i began to play again and collected more losses than wins leaving me around a -50 w/l. after a even longer break i came back to play and after learning about the current meta and which mechs you should avoid i managed to reduce it to -20. and now since the last event it is just going down really bad ... currently i am around -60 while my k/d is more or less staying the same (0.76; mostly using lights / started with 0.50).

i know that i am not such a great player and often way to agressiv in my playstyle but overall i think i am no burden to my team. i am having huge problems with the massiv lrm-spam (no you cant outrun them, ams aint saving you, ecm aint always there and aint saving you against tag lrms and hell there are maps which have no cover on most spots) and often enough the high alpha dmg (mostly from certain clan mechs) leave me in a real bad shape which limits my movements.

so any hints for me or do i just have to hope matchmaker will someday be able to put players of equal ELO together (it doesnt; have learned that during the tournament)?

p.s. feel free to think it is a whinethread but as long as pgi is sticking to those poor stats (they had enough time to put in things like spotted targets, assists, components destroyed, bases captured and so on) i would like to have some stats that dont look like i am a better bot.

Keep playing. Elo is designed to keep you near that. You'll experience boom/bust periods where you can't lose no matter what you do and followed by not knowing who you have to sue to get a win.

[Rando Slim]

Heres a tip for you OP that I didnt see yet: if your having lrm problems (I totally feel your pain about them in every way I HATE them so much and wish they weren't in the game or just worked way differently) then you need to do two things. The first is unlock and buy at least one radar deprivation module, its kinda broken and is essential in this lrm heavy environment, the second piece is whenever you hear a warning of incomng missiles, continue running forward at max speed for about one second or so and then while still holding down the accelerator POWER DOWN. As your mech powers off its built up momentum will still carry it forward a few steps after its technically "off" and the missiles have lost lock. The lrms will literally fly right past your face or wherever you were just standing a second ago about 20-40 meters away. Of course NARC is still a death sentence cause it still is on even if you are powered off. This "zombie walk" technique works with heavier mechs too.

EDIT: oh and for the zombie walk thing, it is helpful to look up and find where the missiles are coming in from so you see their trajectory, make sure then you pick a direction to run and power off thats perpendicular to the trajectory of the missiles. In a light mech (and ONLY light mechs or REALLY fast mediums) you can do this technique without even powering down. You look up, find the missiles, wait for them to stop curving and then as they straighten out and get on top of you, you just move sideways at the last second and literally "juke" them like a football player dodging a tackle (this part admittedly takes practice as nowadays missiles are faster and it wont work as well if the missiles are fired from really close range). All that's required is you have your legs pointed in a direction perpendicular to where you are looking so you just accelerate sideways at the last second. Admittedly these things are situational. If you are in the midst of a fight and you get narced or you are just too distracted it wont help.

Edited by Scrotacus 42, 31 August 2014 - 01:01 AM.

[Tarys]

thx for the hint with powering down. will try to test it out. had the feeling lrms are now even worse in terms of following someones movements. but would be cool to get rid of those things ^^

[Ed Trend]

Hello mates ,

@OP
Well mate , ppl here gave you some very nice advices . Since i am a player with similar stats like you , i would like to give you some advices of my own. Before i continue , i would like to tell you that i havent payed a single coin to this game yet , not that it matters much tbh.

1) Pilot and mech are one . They fullfil each others strenghs and weaknesses . Altho thats true , its far easier to build a mech to suit your playing style , rather than the other way around . Many ppl do that mistake , and try to change their playing style in order to fit their mechs abilities and capabilities....
For example , due to trial and error process and after spending several tenths of million c-bills , i realized that i can only play decently the Cicada 3M . The reason is that its the only mech that matches my requirements of speed , firepower and protection (ecm) . So i sold all other mechs i had , and just bought a second Cicada 3M . The 2 mechs are build differently , with different engines , weaps and equipment . To me now those are 2 different mechs , altho its the same model.

2) Observe yourself . We all have our habits , right ?...learn yours then , and build your mech accordingly , in order to compensate for your character flaws. Dont get me wrong , its always good for you to see how other ppl build their mechs , but always remember that those guys , are not you , and so they dont have the same needs . For example...
Observing my own playing style , i noticed that i rarely back off from a fight , even if i am up against an Atlas . And when i do back off , i tent to move backwards.I tried to change that habit , but when i am in the heat of the battle , my insticts kick in , and i just do the same thing all over again ...so...i just moved all Cicadas armor to the front , leaving only 1 point of armor in the back of the every torso section . Ofc if anyone manage to get behind me , can kill me with a single small laser , but hey , thats rare , cuz of my bad habit as i described it.

3) Simple solutions are the best . Because a mech has several kinds of weapon slots , doesnt mean that you should fullfill em all . Not every weapon performs well for every mech , even if it comes installed with the stock build . An example...
As i said above i am using Cicada 3M . That mech comes with a UAC/5 . I found out that this weapon , altho powerfull , its very unreliable for my taste , so i replaced it with a Large laser . I also added 3 xMPL's and a MG . I grouped the LL on its own group , and the rest of the weaps in group 2 . Now i have good range , good alpha , good dps on most ranges , but most important...i have reliability and simplicity . Personaly , i am not a multitasker , and i like to play games while having a beer , thus , keeping things simple for me its a neccessity .

4)Firepower not always comes from huge alphas . I see many ppl , "overload" their mechs with too many weaps , which they can actualy use em once before they overheat . In general , a mech which can alphas 3-4 times before it shuts down , has the ability to get more assists or kills , from a heavy loaded mech which can alpha only once .

5)Change your tactics . For example , in solo/PUGland , scouting is not a necessity anymore . We are playing the same maps for eons now , so more or less , we all know where the enemy is or where they will show themselfs . And since nowdays , everyone out there is loaded for bear , advanced scouting equals suicide for light mechs . Instead , you could escort your teams heavies and assults when they are trying to break through enemy line , while you are getting your fair share of kills and assists.

6)Good speed sure , extreme speed unnecessary . You may have noticed that in some cases , adding the next aveliable engine , is not always the best thing to do . Adding for example 2-3 extra tons to your mech , just to get 10-15% kph more , is not such of a benefit . Actualy , in some cases , its rather a disaster . For example , in my Cicada , i realized that running around with a 320xl and 142kph , caused me far more broken legs , than using the 295xl or 280xl (131kph , 124kph with tweaks) . Falling from Moons map top lvl to second lvl with 142kph , always made my legs deep yellow and beyond that , the dmg passes to my center torso aswell . Also by downgading my engine , i gained some extra tonage for DHS or extra weaponry . A good player that can hit you running with 124kph , can do the same when you run at 142kph with no problem , trust me on this .

7) Always hit the center torso . Iknow , i know...ppl always telling you to look for weakness on your enemies stracture and explore them . Thats great if you can do it realy fast and without exposing yourself for more than a sec . But if you cant do it fast , dont do it at all , especialy if your a european like me with a ping above 100 . The reason is rather simple...trying to aim specific points while facing an enemy , will get you far more dmg than you will infict on him . High ping means that you already got hit , before you see it or feel it. I am sure you already had cases while you thought you got behind that wall , only to blow up a sec later from a AC/20 which you were sure that it missed you.Well...it didnt . You just never saw it coming .
So in all and all , make a fast pass , hit the center torso and run forward . Besides , in contradiction with the general belief , the vast majority of bugs , they are shooting its enemies center torso . So if you shoot where everyone else do , it will almost always grands you with a kill , kill assist or a component distraction .

I could say a few more things , but i already wrote a wall of text , so i ll just stop here .
To sum up everything...
Find a mech that you like and suit your needs and build it in a way that copensate for your weaknesses as a player , and highlight your strenghts .

In a nutsell?....learn yourself

Ty for your attention and plz excuse my bad english , its not my native language and i left school yeeears ago

[DAYLEET]

Don't play Conquest mode until you are confident you can put up a good fight, Conquest is the most fun you can have in MWO but it's also the hardest game mode. First Learn in skirmish but DON'T let yourself be locked in a single way of playing like they do over there. Everyone have to be aware of everything, forgot how many times i got suck in a fight 10 seconds too long and we lost because i wasnt careful enough to keep an eye of the whole of the fight and reposition myself. Conquest will be rewarding when you win.

Assault is skirmish 90% of the time, 5% of the time youll have a good fight when someone rush a base and it degenerates into a huge brawl(very fun) and 5% of the time is going to be a side that rush your base mid game with the only option of rushing their base too and hope for the best.

[Galenit]

Marmon Rzohr, on 30 August 2014 - 07:12 AM, said:

Anyone can get up to 1.2 win/loss and 2.0 KDR.

Thats wrong!
If you have 1.2 w/l there must be someone with 0.8,
if you have 2.0k/d there must be someone with less ...

You have 24 players, 12 increase their wl in a match and 12 decrease it.

[Xmith]

My advice is to check all game modes. It's not as difficult as people would have you believe.

Playing all game modes forces a player into builds that can handle every map and every game mode.

No fun when only one game mode checked. Two checked is borderline, it can still get boring with just two checked.

You can eventually have maybe up to three different balanced builds for your favorite battlemech.

Don't gimp your fun by not checking all game modes.

[Roughneck45]

Carry Harder!

[Galenit]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:18 AM, said:

thanks so far for your answers but is it really possible for a light pilot (at least in most matches) to carry his team to victory by his own? often enough before i can flank an enemy a lot of my team is dead or i run into a bulk of enemies while trying to scout/harass someone (i really have luck with this). not to mention that my Huginn has little use on open maps with little to none cover.

Your huggin?
A that litttle bird that is only an annoyance?
Not that much weapons, tiny legs, no ecm?
That would explain your stats, if you run alone ...


Or do you talk about your huggin, the low thread next to the big bad assault?
The little fu.... that uses his missiles to add damage to the assault or countering the enemy ecm with narc and chase that enemy lights away?
The one that uses his mgs and missiles at open armor parts to remove limbs or giving the killing blow?

Maybe your huggin is running in a light pack?
Than its a little of both of the above ...

Edited by Galenit, 31 August 2014 - 01:03 PM.

[Angel of Annihilation]

I have 459 wins and 359 losses since the stat reset a while back, 100% solo PUG drops so roughly a 56.5% win rate. Didn't do anything special except played the game.

Honestly I think it is mostly sure randomness that dictates win/loss rate although I am sure there will be alot of people who will disagree (was a huge debate in WoTs so I am sure it will be her as well).

Personally think of it this way. If you flipped a coin 1000 times, chances are between 400 and 600 would be heads based on just sheer random chance. That is a 40% to 60% win rate. Now flip those 1000 coins 100,000 times and will have 100,000 different results all ranging between 40% and 60% heads with a small percentage being either lower than 40% or higher than 60%.

Now compare player results to this experiment and more than likely you will see that the player stats and the random coin tosses will likely match exactly.

Anyway, that is my theory, take it or leave it as you will.

[fat4eyes]

Lots of good tips in here, I'm adding a few that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Watch the flanks. Being flanked can be the difference between an even fight and a stomp. Lights are particularly well suited for this as they can venture out a bit from the main body, see if the enemy is flanking and return in one piece. The 5-10 second warning you give your team can make all the difference.

Carry a UAV. UAVs are great. They give a huge advantage in an urban brawl, they see through enemy ECM so your lrmboats can shoot, and can reveal a flanking maneuver so your team can turn and face it. UAVs are best placed right on top or slightly behind the enemy team where it won't show up on their radar. Lights are the best at putting UAVs at that sweet spot because of their speed. You can make up the cost of using a UAV by shooting at everything, going for assists rather than kills.

Play for the team. More of a general piece of advice than anything. I have a similar k/d ratio to the OP (around 0.8) and I have more or less given up on racking up lots of kills when on lights. I now play to make the team win rather than getting kills. This means doing a lot of things that are bad for my k/d. Things like legging an enemy and then running away to stay alive, leaving the kill to a teammate. Or chasing other lights away from your lrmboats. Or using a UAV as the enemy closes then running amidst them to sow confusion as my team moves in to brawl. My w/l is at 1.2 over 2k mostly PUG matches so I guess it's making some difference.

Edited by fat4eyes, 31 August 2014 - 06:43 PM.

[Carrie Harder]

Roughneck45, on 31 August 2014 - 10:44 AM, said:

Carry Harder!

[MoonfireSpam]

I like playing anything fast since it lets you get to turn a 3v3 into a 3v4 / can protect some fatter mechs when they's get wolfpacked by enemy lights / start harass from the start. Even in a tiny mech those little bits helps start dat snowball rolling. Generally feel that the team netting the first kills has a massive advantage.

Make your damage count and strip enemy firepower (or just kill if cored).

Never stop moving (in open). Always look for openings / easy shots on enemy fatties, land damage then get back to safety and repeat.

Stay near cover (avoid LURMS).

Don't suicide (i.e. if one of your teammates has gotten himself into a dumb position, lend assist fire, but don't get yourself killed in an impossible fight).

Sitting at 383/309 so I pretend I had an influence on that. 300-400 average dmg.

Edited by MoonfireSpam, 31 August 2014 - 07:31 PM.