21 replies to this topic

[Jex TE]

Hey Guys,

Had my first 3 games yesterday after going through the tutorial and the training grounds. It's pretty tricky controlling the mech but not that bad and I did manage to hit something giving me 30 points of damage in my 2nd game I think (after I charged in and blasted someone and got my mech shutdown). The other games my team seemed to just leave me standing and pummeled the opposition so map knowledge is what I need to work on.

I have no idea what I'm doing in my mech bay. I've watched videos of people playing MWO but all I can choose right now are trial mechs - I don't want to buy one yet as I know I need to be careful and thoughtful on my first purchase but can I not look at my mech like viewing the component parts of it, like when you zoom into look at an arm and stuff? IS that locked because it's trial and I'm just stuck with whatever?

I'm getting almost half a million credits per game right now I think I get 25 games before I graduate or something and I have no idea what mechs to use. I've just been trying random mediums right now and playing cautiously for the most part and not sitting right behind other players.

The controls, like mouse movement is really clunky. I don't have the best PC so my FPS may be a cause of that but I also imagine part of it is coded in which is fine.

I did choose a mech with some guns that had ammo in them, so not lasers and came across this tiny mech running circles around an allie of mine and could I hit that little f*^ker...could I f*$k lol

So far liking what I see and looking forward to getting more in tonight. I'm in the UK - if anyone wants to help me out I have teamspeak, you can join my server or I can join yours but as I've been reading on the forums here, the tutorial really doesn't do enough and I'm floundering here

Thanks,
J.

Edited by Jex TE, 04 September 2014 - 04:14 AM.

[T0rmented]

Greetings, its always nice to see new players enjoying themselves despite the massive odds stacked against you. (the new player experience is horribad). Your first few games are going to try your patience but if you stick with it there is a gem of a game lurking in the shadows. As you are versed in Teamspeak im going to link you a thread containing some popular servers:
http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/

NGNG and/or comstarNA are probably the best place's to get your first groups and advice from vets. The forums allow alot of theory and knowledge but practical is what you need more. Most people on these servers are friendly and willing to help new players and you will learn much more in these places than solo.

I tend to live in comstarNA and if you ever see me in there please feel free to jump in say hi and pick my brain.

Good luck pilot

[Angry Kylo Ren]

Welcome to MWO. The first month or so is going to be pretty up-and-down but it's a fantastic game and community once you plough through that.

If you ever play in the oceanic time zones feel free to hit me up in-game (makbeer) i'll definitely help show you the ropes.

Good luck!

[Cataclysm315]

Jex TE, on 04 September 2014 - 04:11 AM, said:

Hey Guys,

Had my first 3 games yesterday after going through the tutorial and the training grounds. It's pretty tricky controlling the mech but not that bad and I did manage to hit something giving me 30 points of damage in my 2nd game I think (after I charged in and blasted someone and got my mech shutdown). The other games my team seemed to just leave me standing and pummeled the opposition so map knowledge is what I need to work on.

I have no idea what I'm doing in my mech bay. I've watched videos of people playing MWO but all I can choose right now are trial mechs - I don't want to buy one yet as I know I need to be careful and thoughtful on my first purchase but can I not look at my mech like viewing the component parts of it, like when you zoom into look at an arm and stuff? IS that locked because it's trial and I'm just stuck with whatever?

I'm getting almost half a million credits per game right now I think I get 25 games before I graduate or something and I have no idea what mechs to use. I've just been trying random mediums right now and playing cautiously for the most part and not sitting right behind other players.

The controls, like mouse movement is really clunky. I don't have the best PC so my FPS may be a cause of that but I also imagine part of it is coded in which is fine.

I did choose a mech with some guns that had ammo in them, so not lasers and came across this tiny mech running circles around an allie of mine and could I hit that little f*^ker...could I f*$k lol

So far liking what I see and looking forward to getting more in tonight. I'm in the UK - if anyone wants to help me out I have teamspeak, you can join my server or I can join yours but as I've been reading on the forums here, the tutorial really doesn't do enough and I'm floundering here

Thanks,
J.

Hey we all started somewhere mate! If you ever want someone to play with, chuck me an invite (Cataclysm315). I'll do my best to help

Welcome to MWO!

[n r g]

T0rmented, on 04 September 2014 - 04:28 AM, said:

Greetings, its always nice to see new players enjoying themselves despite the massive odds stacked against you. (the new player experience is horribad). Your first few games are going to try your patience but if you stick with it there is a gem of a game lurking in the shadows. As you are versed in Teamspeak im going to link you a thread containing some popular servers:
http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/

NGNG and/or comstarNA are probably the best place's to get your first groups and advice from vets. The forums allow alot of theory and knowledge but practical is what you need more. Most people on these servers are friendly and willing to help new players and you will learn much more in these places than solo.

I tend to live in comstarNA and if you ever see me in there please feel free to jump in say hi and pick my brain.

Good luck pilot

+1

I wouldn't worry about the mechlab or building mechs for now - it will simply be overload (all the weapon types, ammo, engines, heatsinks, upgrades etc...)

I would find the "meta" loadouts for each chassis via simply asking or online searching, and simply purchase what chassis you think you will prefer to use for the next few days/weeks.

Lights are good if you like to be fast and scout, and poke damage here and there.

Mediums are fast as-well but pack much more of a punch and some like the Shadowhawk can be just as effective as heavies (stormcrow is a great clan option)

Heavies are obviously like more powerful mediums, but a little bit slower. IMO they are the most versatile class since you can generally pack a fair amount of suitable speed but still pack a hell of a punch.

Assaults are on the opposite end of the spectrum, opposite of lights. They are very slow, some almost immobile, they do a crap load of damage and can tank quite a bit with armor, but in terms of speed and torso movement, they are sloth like.

IMO, If I were you, I would get a Shadowhawk or Cataphract.

If you absolutely find that you hate PPCs or Gauss, because they are just too hard for you to "lead" at this time, then I would advise 3ERLL on the Shadowhawk 2k or 3ERLL on the Blackjack or possibly a dual gauss K2 or Jagermech or a Quickdraw with 4ERLL if you can handle the heat.

[Garandos]

Yeah the new player experience kinda likes to take you on a date, where you go on a HIGH cliff, it shows you the view and then kicks you down into the valley below...

As suggestion, try to run Lights for a start, and just stay behind your team mates, and fire at whatever the Big mechs are firing at.

Why lights? Because if you get caught up in tunnel vision mode, and find yourself stranded on the far side of the map, you can make it back to your team in no time, if that hapenns in anything else, well...

That aside, if you get killed (and it will happen to new players A LOT) early, your team "only" lost a few tons of a light, if you are in the 100 Ton Atlas, which is a cornerstone of your team, and you get killed without doing much, chances are your team will lose.

Thats aside, lights can teach you a lot of different playstiles with the 3 Trial chassis, you can use all of them to stay behind your team and lend them support fire, but you can aswell:

use the Trial spider to sneak arround the enemy team and use it as an sniper, which is a nice way to learn the maps and the "usual movement" across the maps
you can use the Firestarter to hunt down enemy lights, which try to play sniper and you can use the Kit Fox as Fire support for your heavier team mates, while providing dedicated protection against lights which run up into your team tryint to cause chaos.

Thats basicaly 3 roles you can play and learn, while in the trial Lights, and depending on which you like the most, you can read into competive (aka effective) builds, depending on what you liked to play most and find a weight class you like, which suits your playstile.

[Jex TE]

Thanks guys

What drew me to MWO was watching a guy play on YT. It became quickly apparent that the game offers complexity in managing your damage output against your heat build up to targetting specific components, maneuvering for tactical advantages and how you build your mech. Of course right now I'm at the stage of trying not to walk backwards when I'm stopping my mech lol

I'm also limited to 4 more posts until tomorrow (3 after this one) so I'll probably IM some of you to hook up with later and we can jump on TS. I'm big on working in teams but I also need to learn to play solo. I have quite a lot of questions that would best be answered in the cockpit too - is there a way to host a private game so I can learn this all off the battlefield?

[Cataclysm315]

Jex TE, on 04 September 2014 - 05:32 AM, said:

Thanks guys

What drew me to MWO was watching a guy play on YT. It became quickly apparent that the game offers complexity in managing your damage output against your heat build up to targetting specific components, maneuvering for tactical advantages and how you build your mech. Of course right now I'm at the stage of trying not to walk backwards when I'm stopping my mech lol

I'm also limited to 4 more posts until tomorrow (3 after this one) so I'll probably IM some of you to hook up with later and we can jump on TS. I'm big on working in teams but I also need to learn to play solo. I have quite a lot of questions that would best be answered in the cockpit too - is there a way to host a private game so I can learn this all off the battlefield?

Im pretty sure you can make private games now. If you can i dont mind running around while you try and paste my mech

[Garandos]

Jex TE, on 04 September 2014 - 05:32 AM, said:

Thanks guys

What drew me to MWO was watching a guy play on YT. It became quickly apparent that the game offers complexity in managing your damage output against your heat build up to targetting specific components, maneuvering for tactical advantages and how you build your mech. Of course right now I'm at the stage of trying not to walk backwards when I'm stopping my mech lol

Hit x for that, its Full Stop

[Redshift2k5]

Welcome aboard!

You must have premium time active in order to host a private match of fewer than 24 players (and must have 1 player on each team with premium time, so a 1-on-1 requires both pilots to have premium time) It's do-able, especially if you find 2 other pilots with prem time who are willing to spend some time to show you the ropes in-game or buy a little bit for yourself

[dragnier1]

Welcome to mechwarrior and battletech. Battletech goes a long way back and has quite a bit of history and fluff written. There are personal websites and sarna you could refer to should you be seeking for information regarding battletech.

First off, as a new player you are given cadet bonus (in decreasing amount) for your first 25 games, the amount should reach around 7-9mil. Try every single mech labled "Trial" to see which ones you liked best and take note of them. If you think you need more games to try them out, do so (a good number of us veterans run trial mechs occasionally).

Next: Mechs and mechlab.

Spoiler

Mechs are broken into 4 (four) categories: Lights (20-35 tons), Mediums (40-55 tons), Heavies (60-75 tons) and Assaults (80-100). Their movement speed is based off the engines they mount, not by size. Max armour values per 5 tons are also fixed, they cannot be increased.

Next: Mechlab.

Spoiler

Trial mechs can be used any time for free and they cannot be modded/edited/changed. In order to own the same type of mech, you have to click on "Filter" (mechlab mech selection, top left tab) and change it from "owned" to "purchasable". Mechs available for purchase will be shown, with the price in cbills (in-game currency) and/or MC (real life cash) displayed below each one as appropriate.

Once you have purchased it, the and/or values will be replaced with a "configure" button when you change "Filter" to "owned". You can also view each mech's details by placing your mouse pointer over the mech or, by selecting the mech and click on "details" (lower right, above mech info showing armor, total damage, speed etc). I think my sig has links to guides on the mechlab.

Next: Controls and overheating.

Spoiler

Adjust your controls using the in-game settings menu, located at the bottom right corner. You can set your hotkeys and mouse sensitivity there. You can test your controls in the training grounds (located at your left menu bar, "main" tab).

As you have noticed, when you overheat your mech shuts down, leaving it a vulnerable, free and easy target for everyone. The trick to avoid that is to look out for the overheat warning (verbal) and watch the bar beside your mini-map (bottom, right side of mini-map). Break away to cool down when the heat is too high.

This game has a steep learning curve. Just stick with your team, persevere on and enjoy yourself.

Jex TE, on 04 September 2014 - 05:32 AM, said:

I'm also limited to 4 more posts until tomorrow

Once your cadet bonus is over you can make unlimited posts and post anywhere in this forum

Edited by dragnier1, 04 September 2014 - 06:19 AM.

[Modo44]

Welcome to MWO.

You can not modify the trial mechs, but neither do you need to buy any of them. The trials are open to try for anyone, hence no customization. To see what you can buy, go to your Mechlab, then select Filter:Purchasable. This will list all available mechs with MC (real money) and Cbill (in-game currency) prices. Some mechs only have MC prices -- those are not available yet, or at all, for free players. Click a mech, then click on Mech Details to see what it comes with, exactly. You can customize any mech once you buy it.

[Phobic Wraith]

Welcome to the game Jex! There's lots of advice that you can find around the forums here, spend some time perusing new player help topics and I can promise you'll find some pretty enlightening information.

Aside from that there are a few basics to keep in mind, first, as previously mentioned, the learning curve is steep. I can't think of another current game that is more so. Second, This game does not cater to heroes. By that I mean functioning as a capable team member will bring you more victories than becoming Rambo. People who fight alone tend to die sad, pathetic and very quick deaths. Your best bet to learn the game is to survive as long as possible. Often that means running away from a fight you can't win (Most of us are still pretty bad at that ) and learning to recognize those situations quickly.

While kills can be tempting, assists will bring you nearly as much in earnings, focus on helping and you can soften the rough ride.

I tend to play "Lone Wolf" because I can't seem to get any of my friends to stick with the game. Consequently, I've learned quite a bit about the art of not dying. I would recommend that while learning, play as much as you can with others, but try and run solo often as well. There are some things people can't teach you in a group. PM me anytime and I'll be happy to explain something if I can. If you'd like to drop with others, most of us are more than happy to oblige. I live in the US-Mountain time zone and am consequently primarily online during US peak hours.

Again, welcome to the game - We're glad to have ya.

[Koniving]

Welcome.

If your FPS is not particularly good, there are things you can do to help it along. Lower settings lower resolution, etc. It doesn't look too fantastic but it does help.

I might recommend not using anything lower than 55 tons until you have a better computer. The 55 ton trial mechs are only reasonably fast, and everything higher is slower which should give you quite a good experience. (The slower you move the less FPS actually matters).

That said, when firing on enemies keep mindful of the range on the lower right where the weapons are listed. You can shoot past those ranges, but it's not going to be nearly as effective. Also, be certain focus your aim for weak spots. Lasers especially need to be kept near one spot for as long as possible.

[King Arthur IV]

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

BAM the best link for noobs and vets a like.

SMURFY!!!!

[Domoneky]

Get ready to hate everything. Once you leave your 25 match safe zone I doubt you'll stick around more. If your friend said you'll have fun he lied to you man. The forums are toxic so I'd avoid them.

[T0rmented]

King Arthur IV, on 04 September 2014 - 10:47 AM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab

BAM the best link for noobs and vets a like.

SMURFY!!!!

^+1 Truth and gospel

Domoneky, on 04 September 2014 - 11:22 AM, said:

Get ready to hate everything. Once you leave your 25 match safe zone I doubt you'll stick around more. If your friend said you'll have fun he lied to you man. The forums are toxic so I'd avoid them.

And it was hugs and love till you spoke up. Your the one bringing the toxicity in this thread.

Unless of course, your really trying to use reverse psychology to make him stay . . .

[Domoneky]

Shhhhhhhh Don't expose my secret psychology methods.

[juxstapo]

[hugs]

*loves*

Balance has been restored...

[hugs]



[hugs]



(is it getting awkward yet?)

*loves*

[Jex TE]

Koniving, on 04 September 2014 - 09:28 AM, said:

Welcome.

If your FPS is not particularly good, there are things you can do to help it along. Lower settings lower resolution, etc. It doesn't look too fantastic but it does help.

I might recommend not using anything lower than 55 tons until you have a better computer. The 55 ton trial mechs are only reasonably fast, and everything higher is slower which should give you quite a good experience. (The slower you move the less FPS actually matters).

That said, when firing on enemies keep mindful of the range on the lower right where the weapons are listed. You can shoot past those ranges, but it's not going to be nearly as effective. Also, be certain focus your aim for weak spots. Lasers especially need to be kept near one spot for as long as possible.

I got in some more games last night but this time decided to run fraps. On doing so, I was gobsmacked - 8 FPS!!! I set to low settings and managed to get up to 12 FPS but that's still woeful. I'm not going to be able to compete rigth now but I can still run around the training grounds until I get my new PC which hopefully won't be too long now but as for fighting - pfffff lol forget it