36 replies to this topic

[LBTaylor1984]

Right brief history.

played MW1/2/3/4

played MWO beta

came back last week to have another go.


I've played a few games and all I ever seem to do is have my engine blown out.
Frankly I've played the slow game of being a opportunist shooting from cover, got gank'd by a crab blew up in 2.6 seconds. Then I tried being a bit more aggressive, got blown to bits by 3 mechs. Again death by engine.

Anyways point i'm trying to make is I'm dying and not really doing anything to the enemy if I try the ******* mech overheats, I try to manage it but I need to stand in liquid nitrogen to have a fire rate worth while.

I've tried this a million different ways, but It's really dull, it's hardly a battle it's more like throwing offensive language across the battlefield doing little.

Does this game become more action orientated? at the moment it's like long stand offs, where accuracy has little to do with anything.

When I then consider the cost i'm not willing to cough anything up at the moment as I think it's going to be short lived, and expensive.

I appreciate some advice but if it's a case of sticking it out, I think i'm done already, I've not exactly experience a fight worth playing yet.

[Kraven Kor]

Well, with your positive and upbeat attitude, you'll go far in this game...

Are you really looking for advice, or kind of just popping in to remind everyone you still hate everything?

[WonderSparks]

Well, I am not exactly the most helpful sprite on the face of the forums, but I do see what appears to be concern regarding heat management.
Which could easily be a problem if you are using PPCs and other high-heat energy weapons. In which case you may want to consider using something cooler-running like Medium Lasers. And then adding extra heat sinks (doubles are generally the best, though expensive to acquire) to cope with the heat.

As a non-competitive player, I generally put heat efficiency above firepower, so I use Medium Lasers and "over heat sink'd" builds a lot. Easier to keep cool and still relatively powerful when in range.

[LBTaylor1984]

Kraven Kor, on 22 December 2014 - 10:48 AM, said:

Well, with your positive and upbeat attitude, you'll go far in this game...

Are you really looking for advice, or kind of just popping in to remind everyone you still hate everything?

Would seriously like to get into it but this year gaming as drained alot of my money only to be massively disappointed. At this time i'm cynical about laying out anymore cash, but I love mechwarrior, so i'm 'willing to try. However I stated at the moment it's more like chess than warfare.

WonderSparks, on 22 December 2014 - 10:51 AM, said:

Well, I am not exactly the most helpful sprite on the face of the forums, but I do see what appears to be concern regarding heat management.
Which could easily be a problem if you are using PPCs and other high-heat energy weapons. In which case you may want to consider using something cooler-running like Medium Lasers. And then adding extra heat sinks (doubles are generally the best, though expensive to acquire) to cope with the heat.

As a non-competitive player, I generally put heat efficiency above firepower, so I use Medium Lasers and "over heat sink'd" builds a lot. Easier to keep cool and still relatively powerful when in range.

I'm using the trial mechs at the moment and I can't seem to change naff all on them, how do I 'build' a mech? seems all locked out.

[Kraven Kor]

LBTaylor1984, on 22 December 2014 - 10:53 AM, said:

Would seriously like to get into it but this year gaming as drained alot of my money only to be massively disappointed. At this time i'm cynical about laying out anymore cash, but I love mechwarrior, so i'm 'willing to try. However I stated at the moment it's more like chess than warfare.

And it kind of is that way (like chess) "by design."

PGI seems to be trying to address some of the complaints from previous MW games, and doing relatively not terrible at it, or that is my opinion.

Although I tend to disagree and think we still aren't seeing much in the way of tactical play and instead seeing very COD-like gameplay; the CW matches are certainly a bit more "tactical" but for the most part it is still kind of the same old thing.

[LBTaylor1984]

Kraven Kor, on 22 December 2014 - 10:57 AM, said:

And it kind of is that way (like chess) "by design."

PGI seems to be trying to address some of the complaints from previous MW games, and doing relatively not terrible at it, or that is my opinion.

Although I tend to disagree and think we still aren't seeing much in the way of tactical play and instead seeing very COD-like gameplay; the CW matches are certainly a bit more "tactical" but for the most part it is still kind of the same old thing.

Hmm, perhaps PGI aren't taking the direction i'm after... I really wanted something smarter than Hawken, but not so tactical we all hide behind mountains.

[WonderSparks]

LBTaylor1984, on 22 December 2014 - 10:54 AM, said:

I'm using the trial mechs at the moment and I can't seem to change naff all on them, how do I 'build' a mech? seems all locked out.

Ah, the trial 'Mechs. Those cannot be modified; you need to buy your own 'Mechs in order to customize them.

At the very least, you are using Inner Sphere Champions and/or Clan 'Mechs, both of which are generally superior to the stock IS 'Mechs we had when I first joined.

[Kraven Kor]

LBTaylor1984, on 22 December 2014 - 11:01 AM, said:

Hmm, perhaps PGI aren't taking the direction i'm after... I really wanted something smarter than Hawken, but not so tactical we all hide behind mountains.

Well, in a smart match, the hiding behind mountains phase should be relatively short. If not, you are likely in trouble.

[DEMAX51]

Try buying a 'Mech of your own instead of using Trials. You don't need to spend any real money - you can buy them with the C-bills you earn in-game.

Once you own a 'Mech you can start unlocking XP-based skills for them which make them perform better. Many of these boosts help with your 'Mech's cooling efficiency (and it sounds like Heat has been a problem for you).

It also sounds like you're being singled-out by the enemy quite often. Make a better effort to stick close to your teammates/lancemates.

Edited by DEMAX51, 22 December 2014 - 11:25 AM.

[Slater01]

Another good tip - when building a mech, aim to get your Heat Efficiency close to 1.3 or if building on the MWO smurfy mechlab I usually aim for 40%.

Oh and stick with our teammates, the bigger the ball of mechs, to more deadly u are.

Edited by Slater01, 22 December 2014 - 11:36 AM.

[Basskicker]

First off, if you are having trouble with the heat efficiency of the trial mechs, I suggest taking them into the testing grounds. That way you can get a feel for what you can fire at a time and how often.

Secondly, try to avoid the main enemy force if your team is not engaging them. If you are the first mech the enemy sees, you will be the first destroyed as a rule of thumb. Push when your team pushes and shoot what your team shoots, and your kill rate and damage will rise drastically.

Thirdly, depending on which mech you are piloting some aee going to have XL (this means they are lighter, larger, and more brittle but the tradeoff is increased agility and speed) engines. In the Inner Sphere mechs this means you can die by having either side torso shot off, your center torso shot off, cockpit shot out, or both legs shot off. So effectively there are 6 ways to take you out of the fight. Learing to protect these areas take practice and starts by learning to torso twist. Which simply means give the bad guys something to shoot at besides your vital organs. Standard engines are not as brittle as XL engines but have the drawback of being around twice as heavy as their XL counterpart. With standard engines your side torsos will not cause death. Only the cockpit, center torso, and both legs being shot off can cause death.

Lastly, check your range. Weapons have a maximum effective range if you fire outside of this range then you will do 0 damage to your target. Check your hud, if the weapon system is green then you are good to go and your damage will be 100%. If it is yellow, then you will be less than 100% depending on how far out of the max effective range you are. If the weapon is dark then you will do 0 damage no matter how much you fire at the target.

I hope this helps and I would suggest joining a group also. They can teach you the more advanced aspects of the game better than the forums can. Stick it out it is worth it. Good luck and have fun.

[Jody Von Jedi]

I'd recommend using the trials until you complete your "Cadet Bonus" (25 matches). Once complete, you'll have around 10 mil C-bills to spend.

Medium mechs are the most forgiving. They offer enough speed to get you out of some bad positioning and enough power to do some real damage. That being said, the trial Timberwolf, although a heavy, has the speed of a medium mech. I'm an IS loyalist, but when I want to pilot a Clan mech, that's usually the trial I go for.

You referenced ranged warfare not being appealing to you? I feel the same way, Most of my loadouts utilize brawling weapons of less than 500m range. Learn to use cover to close distance on your enemy. Pay attention to the mini map in the lower center of the screen and move with your team. Try to be a second line mech and play fire support with Large Lasers or if you want to move up closer, Medium Lasers. Lasers are the easiest weapon to use, IMHO, because you can see where the beam is hitting. On the other hand, you have to be steady with your aim and try to keep the beam on the same enemy mech component to get full damage. If you drag your laser diagonally across the front of the mech, you're not getting full damage on a single component. It's spread all over the mech's armor.

If aiming is an issue with you, try slowing down your mouse sensitivity. There are three sliders for the mouse, only the top one is recommended, set it around 25% across and adjust from there. Turn the second and third sliders all the way to zero.

Do you plan on joining a faction and playing Community Warfare? If so, you'll want to choose your mech accordingly. Only IS factions can use IS mech in CW and vice versa. Just something to think about in the future.

Jody

[LBTaylor1984]

Thank you for the tips so far.

I got involved tonight and made 8,5m c bills.

I followed the advice of staying with the team and fighting as a unit and one match i took down 3 mechs, and survived the match

I'm starting to get the hang of it now and it's actually been enjoyable tonight. I think my biggest stumbling block initially was that unlike other games once your dead, you're dead. there is no respawn so you need to think what you're doing.

I'm going to carry on playing and see how it goes. I play the timberwolf as it's been my favourite since I was a kid so i'll probably buy one once I have the Cbills. I'm using the trial timberwolf and doing ok

I have one more post left tonight, so I'll have to respond tomorrow once I've run out of posts. Thank you to all of you for answering me and well not dismissing me out of hand. I think this has potential even if the initial learning curve is somewhat stupid hard.

Next up UK clan

[Slater01]

Best thing about MWO is it's community. These guys are always here. And then u see them in game and then they "accidentally" test fire their weapons in your back.

[Repasy Cooper]

Glad you gave the game a second chance.

My favourite mech has always been the Timber Wolf (cliche, I know.). If clan mechs are what you're digging, recommend you consider Mad Dog & Ice Ferret (after the Timber Wolf, of course.). The Mad Dog handles great in Community Warfare, pulse lasers turn light mechs into cheese. And I'm glad I gave the Ice Ferret a try, the speed lets you run circles around an Atlas, or a King Crab.

[Kraven Kor]

Slater01, on 22 December 2014 - 01:16 PM, said:

Best thing about MWO is it's community. These guys are always here. And then u see them in game and then they "accidentally" test fire their weapons in your back.

Hey, everyone! We just found Stingr4y's alt account!

[Podex]

This is a little embarrassing, but it took me about 300 matches before I started to really get the hang of it. My problem was that I always wanted to be on the front line and brawl in mediums -- not a good idea. Once I got the hang of watching the flow of battle and learned the different roles, skill increased very quickly. I think that is a majority of the learning curve. Precision, heat management and weapon strength/weakness come last. Learn how to stay alive and you’ll be calm enough to concentrate on the details.

Be patient, willing to listen, willing to learn, willing to change, and willing to shrug off mistakes (yours and other’s). Remember, this is very much a team driven game, and I would HIGHLY recommend joining a group. You’ll grow as a pilot, and the frustrations will diminish.

[Colonel Fubar]

Well it certainly Sounds like Battlemechs are not your cup of tea old boy. Now I'm not telling you to quit, mind you. No, I'm saying just the opposite eager young space cadet...Pip Pip Chin up, and dig in your heels. Britannia never gives up, never surrenders! Let it be said that this was your finest hour!

Edited by Danny Fubar, 22 December 2014 - 03:21 PM.

[Nick Makiaveli]

One thing that I didn't see anyone else mention, is your first 25 matches give you extra money, ie your Cadet Bonus. Something like 21-25 million? So I recommend waiting till that runs out, see what kind of money you are making, and reading up on how skills work before making any buying decisions.

That or start an alt account and use that to buy various mechs and try them out. Sell them, buy more etc. Once you have a clue, then you can come back to your main and be less likely to waste you money on mechs you wind up hating.

FTR, all the exp you are earning on those trial mechs isn't wasted. If you buy one of them (and they rotate occasionally) then you will have the saved XP still there. So even if you go the alt route, it's a good idea to take any trial you are interested out till you get the X2 Exp for the first win of the day.

*Edit* Oh yea, the DHB has a Euro based battalion...just saying

Edited by Nick Makiaveli, 22 December 2014 - 02:21 PM.

[luxebo]

Nobody mentioned this guy: http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/

Most important loadout page!
And click my sig for a guide on trials OP, it seems if you aren't doing well so that is the best bet. See what you prefer and what you want to get later on as any type of mech pilot. Also read here: http://mwomercs.com/...w-and-terrible/ A lot of guys already unloaded advice for the man here too, so take a look through that as a lot of stuff is a similar solution to your issues too!

Oh yeah, and push download, cancel download, scroll down, pick up 2 hour premium time for free.

Edited by luxebo, 22 December 2014 - 03:23 PM.