62 replies to this topic

[PeptoB]

TripleHex, on 25 June 2012 - 03:18 PM, said:

@LoneWolf53,
If you'd like, you can join the Dark Sabres in a training session on MW4:mercs, or in a game of MWLL (if you have that). We are currently training, and would be more than happy to teach you some advanced piloting skills (and some basic ones too, if needs be). PM me back, and I'll give you some details concerning who to get in contact with us. Look forward to hearing from you!

Hye, I was thinking about re-installing my MW4 and playing, anyone with success using Win7 64x? Maybe I should just try. What about updates and such? Any tips? Let me know!

PeptoB

[light487]

Or you could get Mechwarrior: Living Legends.. it's a Crysis Wars total modification from what I recall.. if you can pick up Crysis Wars for cheap.. maybe through Steam or somewhere.. then you can get the mod for free and start playing straight away... but it ain't gonna compare with MWO

[Kooky Carter]

All four of the founders 'mchs seem to be pretty specialized in my opinion. The problem with starting out in a light 'mech is that you can't screw up; you have so little armor that if you get rocked a couple times you're out. The Hunchback, I think, requires one to be not only a good pilot since you have to get up close but you have to be a decent shot since your only real weapon is the AC/20. The Catapult is very reliant on your team working with you and so could be a poor choice if you have no one to work with. And the Atlas...I think it's too slow and make someone who is new to the game too much of a target; you'll get pounded by everyone immediately.

Of the four, I would choose the Catapult. The stock variant is good for fire-support but you can always switch it around in the MechLab. For example, if you don't want to rely on a decent scout for information then you can drop your LRMs for some SRMs and be more of a brawler. In addition, you also have increased maneuverability with jump jets which can teach you how to pilot better. I think it's one of the better starter 'mechs...plus, I think it has the most unique looking skin of the four founder's 'mechs.

tl;dr
The Catapult is a good choice because it can easily be customized for something other than long range fire-support (i.e. SRMs, LLs), has a lower profile, and can teach one decent piloting.

[Insidious Johnson]

As a NEW pilot, go with the Jenner. Why? It is a scout role and scouts primarily observe and report. By doing that job, you will learn the game very fast while watching how the other roles are played. Also, since old timers will perceive a light mech as little threat, you'll not be as much of a target. You can still get your shots in and be of use to the team but you'll soon become a tactical expert as you learn the maps better than most of your wingmates.

[zencynic]

Out of the 4 founders mechs, I would recommend the Hunchback. Try it as is for a bit, the drop the AC/20 for an LBX10, some more armor and a slightly bigger engine. It's a fun ride.

If you like it, try the Cataphract CTF-1X out.

IMO, new pilots should start with

• medium speed
  
• 2/3 close range, 1/3 long range weaponry
  
• zero/few weapons systems that are more complicated than aim/fire

The only curve I really like to throw at new pilots is giving them the possibility to overheat. It's a good lesson to learn early and gives them a solid reason to try out more ballistic and missile loadouts - hopefully now that their aim is better

[Scimitar]

My reaction is go with your gut

Your general play style should be the deciding factor in which mech you choose, not 'which is easiest'. All the mech types have their subtleties you need to learn to play them well so my advice is if you want to be speedy and scout pick light. If you want to be a brawler but still be able to move decently pick medium or if you want to play either offensively or defensively specifically go heave or assault.

Hope this helps

[Boldar]

I will say something on each of the four mechs from MY point of view. This is my personal oppinion, not the ultimate truth (i guess)

Jenner: You can run around (and away) rather fast. You even have a decent punch, But if you end up in the wrong place (in front of bigger mechs) you are screwed. A fast mech is all about knowing where you are, knowing where the enemy is and knowing the map. Not what I would usually recommend for a beginner. But if you like it, try it.

Hunchback: I do not like the Hunchback. For a mech of this size you are slow. You weapon are all short range. Your armor is ok, but you are still a medium mech, not too much to expect here. And everybody knows what you can do (AC20 is more or less your only weapon). Excellent for close quarters (cities), rather poor in open terrain.

Catapult: My personal favorite. Standard speed for a heavy with added manouverability due to jump jets. Excellent support mech. The supporting role is what I would recommend for a beginner. If you do have a proper command structure you get your targets named for you, your job is to observe and position yourself. You can see what the others do with their mechs and learn from it (especially the mistakes ). And if one of the small mechs gets too close, you can still depend on recent armor and som medium lasers. But that will be a hard time for you...

Atlas: I think this mech will be easiest to pilot for the first two or three games. Lots of armor and weapons, you will survive for quite a while. BUT: you are big and slow and probably the prime target for all the enemy team. You are always in the thick of it, you only get some rest if you are out of position (which will probably result in getting your team killed and you swarmed by the enemy afterwards). But it will be very hard to improve with this mech as a beginner. Best point for the Atlas: He is one of the best looking mechs in the game!

As I said in the beginning, this is my opinion. I personally will go elite these days with a Catapult. I just love these LRMs.
Hope I could be of a little help. Have fun and see you on the battlefield.

Edited by Boldar, 25 June 2012 - 11:02 PM.

[Teralitha]

The hunchie is a fun mech. Light mechs are fun too... but takes a certain degree of experience and skill to survive. Catapult looks nice now, but will be outclassed later when more mechs are added. Assault mech are slow moving and a big target, not much fun if your new to the game, and also requires experience and skill to survive.

For you, I recommend - Hunchie.

Edited by Teralitha, 25 June 2012 - 11:18 PM.

[Adrienne Vorton]

hunchie seems to be a good alrounder and one that i would train my recruits on, if a had an academy running
it´s mobile, has a good survivability and you can experiment with the loadout in some ways.

but generally, the only mech i wouldn´t recommend for the very first days of your career as a Machwarrior, would be the Jenner.
Unless you want to learn the hard way You might die alot, but if you learn to handle that machine well after a while, i think it could be worth the pain;

[Sable]

I agree about the catapult as a good learning mech. Good range of weapons available, lasers, missles, decent speed. Its a good all around work horse mech. the others available are more specialized in roles. The Atlas is slow and heavy which can make the player feel left out of the fight if they don't know what they are doing. The jenner being fast can sometimes leave people unable to turn well enough to keep their sights on target. The hunchback with its autocannon requires more skill with aiming and timing of the rounds to hit target. Meanwhile the catapult with LRMs for long range and Lasers for closer combat offers more forgiving skill development.

Edited by Sable, 26 June 2012 - 11:07 AM.

[Decepticon]

Kinda wish Id read this hour ago...

[Daigoro]

Damn you Decepticon and your deceptive ways!

[WaddeHaddeDudeda]

PeptoB, on 25 June 2012 - 09:12 PM, said:

Hye, I was thinking about re-installing my MW4 and playing, anyone with success using Win7 64x? Maybe I should just try. What about updates and such? Any tips? Let me know!

PeptoB

Its running on Win7 64x like a charm.
All you basically need is the MTX-Extractor-Utility and a programm to download torrents,
Start downloading the 0028 version and then download and patch your way up until 0030c (ignore all versions prior to 0028).

[Schtirlitz]

For novice - Cata for sure

[Lonewolf53]

After much thought, I got it all. Couldn,t help myself. A GIANT leap of faith. *walk away shaking head*

[CL_Kodiak]

We always went lights and meds for training because without good piloting skill, just aiming was worthless. You needed to be able to be aware of your surroundings and fight while torso twisted (sounds easy enough) You would be surprised how many of our recruits would become disoriented while fighting twisted and just sit there banging into terrain

I would definitely say piloting over gunnery skill first. Once you can drive - focus on shooting.

A light mech in a scout role gets you two things. You can observe fights and the flow of the battles, you also get your piloting skill up.

Edited by Kodiak Steiner, 29 June 2012 - 04:56 AM.

[Kumakichi]

Lonewolf53, on 25 June 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

Never played mechs before. Have read a ton on the forums. My questions is: IF, I buy the founders deal and get the one with one free mech, which one for a novice pilot? I understand the basic speed vs power, no need to get a basic answer. I just want to know which do you think would be the best to learn on and have fun with? There are no wrong answers here. TY for your time.

Without knowing anything about you I'd say get a Hunchback. Its a solid medium mech so it will have decent speed yet its a brawler and would do well in shorter range fights. I've found most people new to the mech genre favor short range fighting and tend to load up on ACs. Hunchback would be good for this.

Can't recommend a light mech or assault mech for a novice. Something in the medium or heavy mechs that favors shorter range loadouts IMHO.

[Fire and Salt]

In order to be effective with the Jenner, you need to have enough pilot skill to stay at a high speed all of the time... doing it may be difficult for a beginner.

Atlas makes you a target, and because it is slow,it will be harder to stay with your team.


Logically, I would start off with a hunchback or catapult.
Remember that the catapult can also mount SRMs and jump jets as a combo, so you can potentially use rough terrain as cover while closing on you enemy and the leap out from behind cover... sure it is a little slow but you make up for that a little via jump jets.



I would say there are a few good catapult configs for beginners....
-lrms and lasers as backup will be good for firesupport... lrms only is going to be hard because they have a minimum range...
-srms only + engine upgrades and good armor would be an effective brawler... as a beginner I would probably go for thick armor and decent speed rather than all out firepower, as you will survive longer... plus you learn just as much by firing 3 ssrm6 as you do firing 4...

[Fire and Salt]

Keep in mind that if you bought a founder pack, you get cbills too... not just mechs....

And because the 25% cbill bonus is a 1 time thing.. . You may want to get the mech that you think you will be best for the future, not learning in.... and just use you cbills to buy your 'training' mech...




The dragon is a well rounded heavy.. could spend some cbilld on that... also there is the awesome which is an assault that is more geared toward long range than the atlas.... you might gave more survivability in an awesome for that reason alone.

Edited by Fire and Salt, 29 June 2012 - 08:21 AM.

[Remarius]

Lonewolf53, on 29 June 2012 - 04:47 AM, said:

After much thought, I got it all. Couldn,t help myself. A GIANT leap of faith. *walk away shaking head*

Will see you on the battlefield.