7 replies to this topic

[Willard Phule]

Good morning, cadets.

I'm not sure which academy you're from...the Sucklamore Academy or The Nooblering....but it doesn't matter.

I'm here to give you a few tips that will allow you to "blend in" with the mid-ranked players that you will soon be a part of.

You may be unaware of this fact, but PGI has decreed that you will have your Elo score elevated to a position you have not earned as soon as you finish your first 25 matches. Yes, I know that this is not only unfair to you but to the people that will have to carry you in the future until you've figured out basic things like moving forward or locking targets....but it is what it is. I would suggest you take up your discrepancies with Russ or Paul. They're the ones that decided you should be considered "Elite Veterans" as soon as you're done with your first 25 matches.

What I'm about to tell you here isn't going to make you any better than you are. If you haven't figured out how to play in the first 25 matches, again, take it up with Russ and Paul. If it makes you feel any better, they've played thousands of matches and still aren't any better than you. Apparently, they think we're all about as dense as they are.

What I'm going to tell you is how to camouflage yourselves so you don't stand out like a sore thumb once you're thrust into general population. You may think you've mastered the basics of the game...but, trust me, you haven't. You're going to stand out as a "newb" or a "noob" or an "R-Tard" or whatever they're going to call you. And believe me, they will call you that.

The point here is to make you look like you've played a lot more than 25 matches ( or in the case of the "no Elo" solo queue, while you're in your first 25 matches). You can't get any better if you die in the first 30 seconds of every match, right? So, here goes.

How Not To Look Like A Noob 101

1 - You are not the MVP of your team. I realize that when you were in your first 25 matches, you did the most damage, got the most kills, etc..but in the deep end of the pool, you're just another cog in the machine. Stop thinking like an individual and start thinking like part of a team. This is probably the hardest thing to do because 90% of the new players going into general populace simply "don't get it." It is what it is. Feel free to call them names when they do it...we do.

2 - NEVER ZOOM IN. Let me say that again. NEVER ZOOM IN. You may have been the best sniper to ever play Call of Duty but, believe me, you're not it here. Think about this...there's a guy out there with a dual gauss Jagermech that has the ability to zoom in, shoot, then zoom out and move. In fact, there are a LOT of them in the general populace. You may have done that adequately against your fellow Cadets....but you ain't gonna pull that off against us. You're going to either a ) stand still too long and die or b ) pull back and end up stumbling over the terrain because you have to look at your keyboard to unzoom. Unless you're comfortable with the whole zoom/unzoom concept, don't even bother. You're not going to do the pinpoint damage against someone that knows how to shoot while moving (experienced players) that you did against your peers. Which leads us to...

3 - Learn how to move and shoot at the same time. Guess what, sweetheart, you aren't the baddest thing on the map. If you stand still, you're going to die. If I've got a 'mech that moves at 50kph with a ridiculous amount of firepower and you've got one that moves 90-150kph with a moderate amount...guess what your greatest strength is. You got it. Speed. As soon as you stand still, all that mobility goes down the toilet. There's a reason why everyone whines about Timber Wolves....they've got the firepower of an Assault mech ( assuming they built it right) with the speed of a Medium. If a TW keeps moving, he's hard to take out. No reason why you can't be either.

4 - LOCK YOUR OWN DAMN TARGETS. The number one thing that paints you with the "I'm completely worthless" brush is to announce to the entire team "LRM boat here, please lock targets." I know that's what you said. Want to know what we read? "I'm totally useless unless you stand in the line of fire and take damage for me while I sit back in safety and lob LRMs at the target in hopes that he'll die." If you're that kind of new player that simply can't figure out how to shoot direct fire damage, at least don't tell us you are. Believe me, we'll make fun of you.

5 - Grow a pair. Yeah, I said it. GROW A PAIR. There are a lot of things I could reference here with regard to Military Science but it all boils down to "seize the initiative and do something with it." But that's the point. You see the enemy...you have a choice...either back away from him and put yourself on the defensive or advance and make HIM back away from you. Call it whatever you want, but I'm telling you this much...both the US Army and the US Marines teach their people that the best way to deal with an ambush is to "assault through it." Sure, you're the only guy that got ambushed....so what? Run through them, shooting all the way. If nothing else, assuming you locked your targets, the rest of the team knows where it happened and will send someone to deal with them...whether you survived or not. Remember rule #1? YOU ARE NOT THE MVP.

6 - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP TESTING YOUR WEAPONS IN SPAWN. Hey, guess what? Most of us that have played for more than 10 minutes know that if we're curious about our heat load, we go to the testing grounds. I know that PGI's complete lack of "new player experience" shunts you away from this but...for God's sake....if you MUST test your crap on a map, wait for everyone to get out of spawn. At best, you'll be made fun of....at worst (aka: running into Me), someone will declare a "Circle of Equals" and make you a fine red paste where you stand. Cry if you want, but it is what it is. We accept the friendly fire in spawn when we make an Alt account....when you're in general populace, you're more of a danger to us than the enemy is and will be dealt with accordingly. Take that into consideration.

This is an awful lot to read and even more to remember....I understand that you Cadets of either the Sucklamore Military Academy or The Nooblering have it rough. Believe me, I do. I'm sick of carrying you every time I drop, since I drop into the "No Elo" Solo queue. Lord knows I've killed my share of you.

If you follow these directions, odds are fairly good you'll dodge public ridicule. If you stick to them, you might even learn to play better. But, noone cares if you do. In fact, it would be best if you dropped $100.00 on the game and uninstalled. I know PGI would be happier if you did and so would most of us in mid-range Elo bracket.

[terrycloth]

The 'test firing of weapons' also happens because MWO helpfully fires weapon group 1 for you when you click back into the game after being tabbed out.

'Please lock for LRMs' is recommended to say so that people remember it exists. Plenty of non-n00bs say it. It gets annoying, just like 'remember to stick together and focus fire' that other people copy-paste into team chat, but it's usually not the new players saying it.

Also, don't 'keep moving' forwards into the middle of the enemy if no one else is following you. Especially in a slow mech. That's usually a bad idea. Turn slightly to the left or right.

[Beo Vulf]

Really? Really!
As to your rules
1) I agree with this one
2) This is a toughey. The skill must be learned, that said the best place to learn it is in the testing grounds. This is a situational skill that others besides snipers use.
3) I agree with this one.
4) I whole heartedly disagree with you on this. Everyone I repeat everyone should be locking targets to the point it becomes second nature. The only reason not to is if you are a K/D ***** who is afraid someone might steal your kill, let alone assist you in killing that enemy mech. This is a TEAM skill.
5) I agree with you here and I refer you to number 4. You charge the enemy no one knows how many there are or their locations. Repeatedly hitting that R key lets everyone on your team know were, and how many enemy mechs you just ran into.
6) I agree. I can not say it enough Use the test range, Use the test range, Use the test range.

[IllCaesar]

terrycloth, on 24 September 2014 - 07:16 PM, said:

The 'test firing of weapons' also happens because MWO helpfully fires weapon group 1 for you when you click back into the game after being tabbed out.

That does happen. Plus, then there's when all of your weapon groups are reset

PGI, fix that ****, please.

Quote

'Please lock for LRMs' is recommended to say so that people remember it exists. Plenty of non-n00bs say it. It gets annoying, just like 'remember to stick together and focus fire' that other people copy-paste into team chat, but it's usually not the new players saying it.

I say "hold locks", not for people to sit in front of fire suicidally, but to lock targets that they're very much engaged with. I don't know why its so hard if you're playing with a keyboard - the R key is less than an inch away from the W key, if you're using the default control scheme. Yet, quite often, I see people brawling without locking the target. I mean, come on, you don't even know what the health of their components are! To me, thats the worst result of not locking targets.

All the time I see people not locking a target they're brawling with, and aiming for the CT. Hey, press R! You might find that you can wreck one of their arms or torsos with an alpha, or that you could rip their leg out from under them. Literally, in the past week, I've seen some aim at the CT of a Jagermech that had two exposed arms with a still quite healthy CT. If they had just pressed the R button, they could've completely disarmed it in about six seconds flat. But no, they get killed in a heavier mech by a Jager whose weapons are hanging on by a thread because "CT or bust, amirite?"

I'm glad to see that somebody responded to my two main objections. Otherwise, I generally agree. I think zooming in is a valuable, but you need the skill first, and anything less than 600m away, as a noob, I don't think that they should be zoomed in for until they have mobility down.

Now if I may add one of my own - spot with the map grid. Its invaluable. Say how many mechs, and where. If you can, weight class as well, and whether there is ECM. Makes a huge difference.

Edited by MarsAtlas, 24 September 2014 - 07:50 PM.

[Mech42Ace]

Oh wow, this makes me feel like even more of a noob, so that's how to lock targets... R. Okay just to clarify press R to lock targets?

[_____]

I'd add another one here which is use the trial Champion mechs until you can afford to buy your own chassis AND at least upgrade it to Double Heatsinks. If your owned chassis has SHS, you'll wonder why you're shutting down for half a minute after firing just 3 weapons.

[The Great Unwashed]

Is it typical of "mid rank" players to shoot someone who accidentally hits someone at spawn? To make fun of people who are learning? To call them names? To be as condescending in-game as you are in the opening post?

How about some noob noob-tipper tips instead? Be friendly and supportive to new players. This is a game that people play to have fun and you are ruining it for them.

[Mike Forst]

That sure is a lot of words