69 replies to this topic

[TrapMech]

Ok in my medium Cicada I either get cut up by two smaller mechs or pounded by a heavy or assault mech.

So is a medium just good for pop shots?

[Bishop Steiner]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:44 PM, said:

Ok in my medium Cicada I either get cut up by two smaller mechs or pounded by a heavy or assault mech.

So is a medium just good for pop shots?

I do fine in my Mediums.

Mediums are all about supporting the big boys, holding to cover, but keeping the fast guys off the big guys:

[BlackBeltJones]

Hunchbacks make the (BT) world go round. Just not here.

[mindwarp]

Medium mechs can do pretty much anything with the right build. Especially the 55 tonners.

[TrapMech]

All mine are 40 to get decent firepower I have to strip them of armor but I am also close to making them elite.

[Mcgral18]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:59 PM, said:

All mine are 40 to get decent firepower I have to strip them of armor but I am also close to making them elite.

I'm afraid to ask; where did you remove said armour from?

[Wolfgang2685]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:44 PM, said:

Ok in my medium Cicada I either get cut up by two smaller mechs or pounded by a heavy or assault mech.

So is a medium just good for pop shots?

Medium mechs in general are mechs with armor between lights/heavies, meaning they can take that dual gauss/3 PPC shot and still live. Their speed is typically on par/faster than heavies allowing a getaway from assaults. They typically capitalize on ONE weapon system with few/no backup weapons to maximize in a specific weapons role.

The Cicada as a medium is a mech that capitalizes on speed to get away from medium and heavy mechs, at the cost of armor and weapon tonnage space. You should still be capitalizing on one weapon system, and maintaining distance from all targets for as long as possible using your mobility. Lights can catch you, but any other medium cannot. To do this job effectively you should learn to use Large lasers (and ER variant) or PPC's very well. If you happen to get a light on your tail, don't dogfight it...rather run to your teammates so they can deal with it more effectively...

Most of the weakness you experience vs lights can be flushed away once you become more skilled with aim, as the cicada has no problems maneuvering enough to actually combat a light.

[ToxinTractor]

Roll of a medium? Be flexible. You fill many rolls which is usually based on your loadout, Your job is to help your big boys by stinging there big mechs in unplesent ways. The hunchback and centurion along with the stormcrow are good examples of this but any medium can do this, the lighter mediums like the cicida and the BJ 1X are also good examples of ways you can bring more firepower to your lighter mech lances while still being mobile.

The best part about the mediums is they (Usually) are responsive, turn well and can move at decent speeds.

[Wintersdark]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:59 PM, said:

All mine are 40 to get decent firepower I have to strip them of armor but I am also close to making them elite.

I don't have any 40 tonners - I'm all 50 and 55 - but I've got some 24 of those, all mastered.

In that, I can honestly say I don't have any trouble at all. Mediums aren't my strongest weight class (assault), but I'm competent with them.

The trick to mediums is understanding their strengths (high firepower relative to tonnage) and weaknesses (weak armor relative to comparably armed mechs like heavies). Support, support, support. Use your agility to stay with your team's Big Guys, and use the fact that they're scarier looking than you to allow you to push heavy firepower without being focussed down.

The trouble you're outlining in your OP is clear: You're trying to play alone. Don't do that. 2v1, regardless of weight classes, is going to be a losing proposition in most cases. 1v1 a medium absolutely can take a heavy or assault, but requires more careful play! You don't have the armor to stand toe to toe and slug it out. You have speed, though, and agility.

Hit and run: smash a heavy or assault, and immediately disengage. Hit someone else next, return to the earlier target when he's distracted.

Most importantly, though, don't try to stand toe to toe and directly slug it out with a heavier mech, that's just silly.

[TrapMech]

Everywhere by three.

[TrapMech]

Yea I am not sure how to play in a group.

[Barantor]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:44 PM, said:

Ok in my medium Cicada I either get cut up by two smaller mechs or pounded by a heavy or assault mech.

So is a medium just good for pop shots?

With my non ecm cicadas I tend to hang out with direwolves and other assaults to keep any harassers off their backside.

With my ecm cicada I end up scouting some or running with other mediums to make a hard flank and give them that ecm coverage to remain undetected.

[TrapMech]

Ok ill give the suggestions a try.

Thanks all

[Wintersdark]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 07:11 PM, said:

Yea I am not sure how to play in a group.

I don't mean playing in a group with other players, but instead just stay with them. Pick an Assault, stay close to him. Fire at what he fires at, protect him from other lights/mediums. That's a good place to start with Mediums, anyways.

[mogs01gt]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 06:44 PM, said:

Ok in my medium Cicada I either get cut up by two smaller mechs or pounded by a heavy or assault mech.
So is a medium just good for pop shots?

A Cicada isnt really a medium. Secondly, only the 3m is worth having and its better played as a sniper.

Everything gets pounded by heavies and assaults..That is how TDM works.

[Mcgral18]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 07:08 PM, said:

Everywhere by three.

Alright, don't do that.

Cicada's are oversized lights, so don't take it off the legs either. Max the torsos. Remove some from the head, if you really have to, but that leads to some unfortunate situations, when the RNG arty hits you, or lucky shots.

If you don't have arm weapons, take some from there.

Now, tell me what the armour allocation is; how many points on the front and how many on the rear?

Edited by Mcgral18, 14 November 2014 - 07:25 PM.

[TrapMech]

Head 10 right torso 8 left torso 8 arms 5 legs 10

6,9,6 for the back torso

[Mcgral18]

TrapMech, on 14 November 2014 - 07:37 PM, said:

Head 10 right torso 8 left torso 8 arms 5 legs 10

6,9,6 for the back torso

I'VE FOUND YOUR PROBLEM!!

Stock armour; NEVER do that.

MAX your armour, get Endo Steel, don't use Ferro until you're done your build. If you have more than 16 slots, use it and upgrade the engine.


That's why you die so fast. You should have ~36 armour on your RT, not 8.

Build your mech here, or try a few builds using this:

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

Edited by Mcgral18, 14 November 2014 - 08:00 PM.

[Kiiyor]

Mediums = Harassing and striking.

Lights are all about opportunity strikes, and wreaking havok. They are one of the few mechs that can venture far from the protection of the general ball of doom that is the geographic area your team covers.

While mediums can't range as far as lights, they can still flirt around the outskirts of a battle. I think mediums are all about poking holes in defences, and looking for weak points to exploit.

EXAMPLE: In my mediums, I like to start near the middle of a formation. If you sneak to the flanks too early, you're more likely to be the attention of several enemy mechs and take a big hit early, which is doom for a medium.

As the battle goes on, I move further towards the edges of the fight, because damaged mechs will often be attempting to withdraw. This is when you should attack, either to make them even more defensive, or kill them outright.

You need to use your mediums to keep enemies off balance. Don't stay and slug it out. Fire, back away, fire again, relocate if necessary. The trick is to move far enough away that you can engage otherwise occupied enemies, while remaining close enough to your teammates so you can withdraw if required. Most players tend to face towards the middle of where they think the enemy team is - and this is what you can use to your advantage.

What you're looking for are fire positions where you are ignored for as long as possible. If you are noticed by more than one mech, it's time to relocate. This is a decent tactic too - if enemies are waiting for you to pop out and engage, they aren't shooting your teammates (really, what victory most often boils down to in MWO, is who has more mechs firing at fewer mechs for the longest). If you do this all over the edges of the fight, you'll be frustrating the hell out of your enemies. You may even cause them to follow you, where they will often wither under your team's guns.

Overall though, I think the greatest weapon of a medium is the incredible, debilitating power of forced multitasking. Mediums aren't about one on one combat (except for DoomCrows ) - they shine when they use their speed and agility to put themselves in situations where they are able to add their firepower to allies, because if an enemy has more than one thing to think about at once, they have what is commonly referred to in military circles as... a dilemma.

[Asmudius Heng]

The role of a medium is to be so huge for your weight and so much worse than heavies that you are classed as a teir 4 or 5 and so get massive buffs to your weapons and can finally hold your own with a slight egdge in mobility and firepower but not armour.