52 replies to this topic

[Tarys]

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.

[Budor]

It takes some time to get accustomed with the game if youve been away for a while. At least it took me a while, but im old so theres that

[OznerpaG]

there is no such things as mechs/loadouts to avoid since it's all personal preference - i'v always hated ACs smaller than the AC20 and PPCs so i almost never use them, even though that's been the so-called 'meta' forever now

i have 4000 games experience playing and the single most important thing you need to do to get better is play, play, play and the big picture will come into focus after a while and you'l know what works for YOU. don't EVER expect to get much better than 50/50 win/loss

biggest thing to focus on - know all the maps like the back of your hand. in a way you are not playing against other players, you are playing the map and using it to maximize success. once you know the maps, incoming LRMs become a joke and you can play any mech it it's strength no matter what it's loadout is

and lastly, in the end fun is more important than success. had fun even though you lost? then really you won

Edited by JagdFlanker, 30 August 2014 - 04:47 AM.

[mailin]

The matchmaker and ELO system should be trying to get you 1:1 W:L. You can help it by actually maybe not being quite so aggressive. Depending on what you like to drive you may want to stay just a little bit behind your team until they commit. The mech that leads the charge often gets killed the fastest. This is especially true if the enemy only sees one mech for a bit. That mech WILL get focused into itty bitty mech bits.

GL and HF. It does get easier.

[Kiiyor]

Lights are hit and miss. IS lights are hands down better than the Clan offerings, but are still outclassed by Clan heavies/assaults especially. Lights are satisfying as hell (my favourites, btw) but are also the most unforgiving, which is compounded if you're unfamiliar with current meta.

I'm noticing Yagermechs doing quite well, especially dual gauss. It might suit you if you hate LRM's, as the Yager's inherent weaknesses in taking damage are offset when lurking behind cover and taking opportunistic strikes.

Stalkers are also good performers, as are Banshees.

Radar deprivation is amazing, and with the new module system, the AMS stuff is absolutely fantastic. Grab a Stalker with dual AMS, a few large lasers and a couple of ALRM15's and you'll bring your ratio back up in no time.

EDIT: OOH, also, I think KDR is a crap stat. What you need to do is copy your mech stats into Excel and work out your DMG/match, DMG/kill (lower is better) and DMG/death. IMHO, those stats are far more useful, and can even help you find chassis you perform well in.

Edited by Kiiyor, 30 August 2014 - 04:58 AM.

[OznerpaG]

and subscribe to this guy on youtube - AMAZING vids

https://www.youtube....-CgGGLb7-F_dXpC

[Ph30nix]

Carry Hard, Carry VERY VERY VERY hard.

[Tharnes]

Very easy, here is my 3-step plan for you:
Phase 1: Use Timber, Metawhale or Stormcrow.
Phase 2: ?.
Phase 3: Profit.

[Escef]

I PUG almost exclusively, and right now I'm looking at (since stat reset) 1,127 wins to 1,143 loses. That's a 0.98 ratio. Being within 16 matches of even after over 2000 games sounds about as close to even as one can expect if one samples at any random time. (Pre-stat reset I was at 3,036 wins to 3,361 loses. Around a 0.90 ratio. I attribute the rise in my ratio to better match making, some improvement on my part, and the reset causing my earliest -and worst- performances to not be a factor.)

[Rampancy]

Know your mech's limits. Don't over-extend. Don't hesitate to forego taking a shot because it exposes you too much. If your team starts pushing, PUSH WITH THEM.

Remember to torso-twist to spread damage, and try to keep the freshest side of your body facing your enemy as much as possible.

Source: Somebody who exclusively PUGs and has a 1.77 kdr. I'm not a rock star by any means but I've figured out how to get decent performances out of most of my mechs.

Edited by RampancyTW, 30 August 2014 - 06:13 AM.

[Johnny Z]

Like someone else said dont expect to be much off the 50/50 win losses. Anywhere near there + or - your doing ok.

Secondly, this isnt a level based game, it really is an experience based game, where knowing the maps and your mech is what will give you the edge.

Its also a gear based game. Not in the old MMO style where getting the right sword trumps all, but where having the right modules, weapons, counter measures and properly managing heat etc will also add to your chances of doing well in a match. Any player knows this can take countless matches to get a balance you like and does well.

Winning or losing can be one bump into the wrong wall at the wrong time, over heating and shutting down at the wrong time, or making the right moves at the right time. All players in mechwarrior find this out soon enough.

[Faith McCarron]

There are a few basic principles that many people often overlook. Obviously you want to practice to get yourself as good as possible in your preferred style of mechs, but beyond that, here are a few things to help maximize your chance of victory.

1. Stay ALIVE as long as possible. I know this may seem obvious, but many people don't take it to heart. The longer you are alive, the longer you are putting out damage, and the longer you are asserting your influence on the game. That means don't charge in headlong unless you know you have support. If you find yourself in a bad position, DO NOT try to just fight your way through it, and DO NOT settle for just going down fighting. All too often people are getting smashed and they just try to get one last alpha off before they die. If you find yourself in a terrible position, keep trying to get to cover and support. Getting away hurt and fighting for 2 or 3 more minutes lets you put out WAY more damage than one last alpha strike.

2. Shield. This goes along with number 1. Just shielding and twisting to absorb damage will increase your lifespan by HUGE amounts, which lets you do more damage and contribute more to a win.

3. Maximize your damage output. This means riding the heat curve. All too often you will see a sniper Raven 3L at very low heat. This means he is NOT putting out as much damage as he could.

4. Read the paper doll. Find the weak spots on your targets and exploit them rather than just spraying damage all over the place.

[Onmyoudo]

mailin, on 30 August 2014 - 04:52 AM, said:

The matchmaker and ELO system should be trying to get you 1:1 W:L.

This is misinformation. Elo does no such thing.

[Johnny Z]

I forgot to mention speed vrs firepower, This is one of the most important factors to balance based on your play style at the time.

Sometimes i like a fast mech etc, but getting a fast mech to do well is entirely different than an assault mech.

Lastly, a loss will help the player more than a win to get the right balance for your mech. Its when your team is doing badly or needs someone to step up and do well to tip the match in your teams favour that you find out how well you know the map and your mech.

haha and one more thing try having a good mech in each weight class rather than having one that does everything well.

[Escef]

Onmyoudo, on 30 August 2014 - 06:38 AM, said:

This is misinformation. Elo does no such thing.

Not misinformation, but perhaps poorly expressed. The match maker uses ELO rankings to assemble teams for matches that are as close to even as possible. One could say that the match maker and ELO systems work in concert as a single system (note mailin said system, not systems). You're kind of splitting hairs on this.

[Marmon Rzohr]

Well if you've been on a break it takes a while to get a feel for the game again.

I'd like to offer my advice on the off chance it could be helpful

1. Learn from other players. Watch some streams. It's very useful, as you get to see how to play the various maps with various loadouts. That's the most important skill for a Mechwarrior, IMHO, as most people can shoot things quite alright and torso twisting is a habit one picks up quite fast. If you get fed up or iritated playing the game, hop on twitch.

2. Don't die. It sounds stupid, but seriously, don't die. Don't run in and die to do damage. Learning to do damage without dying is an essential skill. Quick tips on how to do it:

Spoiler

A) Stay close to your team. If they are slow to move instruct them in chat, but don't be impatient and go off alone, unless it's a game winning play and you're sure of it.

Never poke out of the same spot to fire once an enemy mech sees you. Don't be predictable. This is especially true at the start of a match when you can find yourself facing 5-6 mechs who will alpha you in the face.

C) When facing an enemy mech who is shooting back - always turn your torso to the side immediately after firing your shot/finishing your laser burn. NEVER trade shots openly with a mech. Even if you can kill them, you will usually take too much return damage.

3. Finally, this is subjective, but my advice is: don't take no for an answer. You can and should aspire to do very well. Shoot for higher numbers and keep going. Anyone can get up to 1.2 win/loss and 2.0 KDR. Ofc you can do much better than this, but this is just for illustration. The key is to think "what did I do wrong/what could have I done better" every time you perform under your target. Treat it all like a lesson and have fun

3.1. A good idea would be to find the mech you do the best in/feel most comfortable piloting and track your stats in it first and ignore your global stats because those proabably change too slow for you to track your progress.

[Tarys]

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.

as well i have the problem that i often cant kill targets fast enough meaning they get help (often lrm raining time) and i either have to try to get away (possible but most times it means i take a lot of damage; mostly going for my legs) or die while trying to take down my target.

[Tarys]

if you are interested; may stats so far (maybe it is easier for you to point out if i suck ^^):


<cant manage to get things right; too dumb to get an Image in here>

Edited by Tarys, 30 August 2014 - 07:39 AM.

[El Bandito]

Tarys, on 30 August 2014 - 07:23 AM, said:

if you are interested; may stats so far (maybe it is easier for you to point out if i suck ^^): trying to get it right

1. Stick to the mechs/classes you are good with.

2. Avoid tourney or challenge weekend. Seriously.

3. Do not be a hero, except on Terra Therma center rush.

4. Try to avoid long breaks. Faster you learn, faster you get rusty.

5. Invest in Artillery/Air Strike. Costs a lot, but your WLR will improve.


And lastly, buy Clan mechs for your favorite class. Yes, they are that good, once you master them.

Edited by El Bandito, 30 August 2014 - 07:32 AM.

[Marmon Rzohr]

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.

as well i have the problem that i often cant kill targets fast enough meaning they get help (often lrm raining time) and i either have to try to get away (possible but most times it means i take a lot of damage; mostly going for my legs) or die while trying to take down my target.

Carrying in light mechs is a thankless job

I'm nothing to write home about when it come to light mech piloting, but I can recommed Adi's stream:
http://www.twitch.tv/mfmadiuvo

El Bandito, on 30 August 2014 - 07:26 AM, said:

And lastly, buy Clan mechs for your favorite class. Yes, they are that good, once you master them.

Clan lights really are worse than IS ones though