121 replies to this topic

[Soul Tribunal]

Jman5, on 07 March 2015 - 08:59 AM, said:

We often hear assault players telling the the team that he was "left them behind" or wasn't "supported". It seems from their perspective that our role in the game is to be their escort. However one thing that isn't ever discussed is what responsibility the assault players have to the team?

I think it's only fair that if assault players can demand things from their team we in turn should demand things from our assault players.

Everyone can outline the primary roles of a light mech, but what about on the other end of the spectrum? What are the general duties of an assault mech? High damage numbers? Survivability? Leading the charge? All of the above? Perhaps some assault players can chime in and talk about what they think their role is in any given game.

I have a different view on assaults that most other people do. I think of an assault mech as an Area Denial tool in MWO.
If you make people afraid of round a corner, or take a certain approach you can control an area and force opposing mechs to take a path that leads into the majority of your team.
Now of course, this has some downfalls. You cannot be seperated too far from some quick response mechs, or you will end up getting shot to pieces.

At the end of the day, the idea of an assault is really no different than any other mech. You all need support from each other to be successful.

-ST

[Mudhutwarrior]

The way this game is setup there are no roles. Only your load out decides how to play it. I would like to see clearly defined roles at some point but with the way it stands I doubt that will ever happen.

[Novawrecker]

Jman5, on 07 March 2015 - 08:59 AM, said:

What are the general duties of an assault mech?

- Crush your Enemies
- See them Driven before you
- Hear the Lamentation of their pilots


~ Conan the Axe-barian ~

(yes, I know Axeman is just a heavy, just roll with it! )

Edited by Novawrecker, 07 March 2015 - 02:38 PM.

[TELEFORCE]

Assault 'mech roles depend largely on the weapons and equipment a player puts on it (duh). It's funny how it seems that many players think that assault 'mechs are all brawlers, and yell at the LRM ones or the ones that keep their distance and slug it out at range.

The thing is, not all assault 'mechs are brawlers. ("You're kidding!" Exclaims a person at their monitor somewhere in the world.)

Even in canon, there are many fire support 'mechs that are geared to fire support. A great example is the Awesome. All of its canon variants are geared for ranged combat. It moves slow, but it is well armored and dishes out plenty of damage every round on tabletop. If anything closes in on an Awesome, its close-range firepower is usually limited unless it's the 9M with ER PPCs and Streak SRMs (its kicks on table top are also quite damaging, dealing 16 points of damage at a time).

Another example is the Longbow, which we won't see in-game unless the devs adopt a design that makes it look a lot different from the Harmony Gold one. The Longbow is an 85-ton LRM boat, with a slower variant that is well-armored with some close-range weapons for self-defense, and a faster variant which sacrifices armor and close-range weapons.

[LordKnightFandragon]

In every other mw game, Assaults are the main brawlers, the ones up front taking the hits. The heavies are also right in the mix, though heavies are more based on the chassis design, Catapults are LRM boats and the like.

Mediums and lights are the scouts and support mechs.

But, MWO changes that up by making the meta just laser boat everything, so assaults cant do the lead the charge role, they cant take the hits nearly as well as other MW games, and lights and mediums can solo them, pretty much with ease.......ITs kinda sad how bad assaults are in this game. Sure, they have higher armor, and more guns, but they dont have more survivability then other mechs. Survivability comes from not getting hit, big mechs dont get lag shield.....

So the role of an assault in MWO, idk, does it even have one? Or is it like World of Tanks, where only the fools who think assaults are big and tough play them, when the assault is actually like a Battleship, actually extinct because the smaller stuff has taken over its role and does the fast scout and flank role as well? Seems the actual mechs that everyone should be playing are the mediums and lights, flank n spank, laser vomit everything. THose who are unskilled to light play grab mediums and those who excel play lights, screw heavies and assaults.

[ThrashInc]

Eh, well. If you're getting soloed by a Light or Medium in a non-peek war (their ER Large, LRMs vs. your brawler build), like, their in your face and you're just getting soloed...

Well you have a crap build and suck at piloting Assaults, lol.

[LordKnightFandragon]

ThrashInc, on 07 March 2015 - 11:08 AM, said:

Eh, well. If you're getting soloed by a Light or Medium in a non-peek war (their ER Large, LRMs vs. your brawler build), like, their in your face and you're just getting soloed...

Well you have a crap build and suck at piloting Assaults, lol.

I do lag to much to aim straight. between my reticule kinda jumping around the screen as I try to aim, and the mech teleporting about with my 20FPS...lol. And yet I still manage some kills and decent damage numbers at times =D and then never mind 8 mechs huddling up on one corner hahaha....this game is hilarious in how entire teams will stack up on one corner just to take cover.....really makes the game feel derpy.

Edited by LordKnightFandragon, 07 March 2015 - 11:11 AM.

[Salvag3]

Once again, two the two posts above, I kinda feel like your missing the whole point of battle tech when you define the role of the mech based on its weight.

with each battle where you go and how you fight is determined by the battle itself and the needs of the moment, some times it's needed for a assault mech to spear head a attack, some times it's better to stay at range and poke at the other company. Relegating a whole class of mechs to one or two roles in your own head puts a hard cap on your skill level as a pilot. The gargoyle for example excels at being a suto tank for a lance of storm crows advancing quickly on a flank while the main force engages from the front due to its high speed for its size, but it's realative poor armor and hit boxes make it a poor choice for a front line brawler. Load out , armor, and speed determine a mechs primary role more so than a blanket judgement based on chassis weight.

[KraftySOT]

FupDup, on 07 March 2015 - 09:03 AM, said:

More or less the same responsibilities as any other mech: To kill red team gundams.

"Role Warfare™"

[Joseph Mallan]

KraftySOT, on 07 March 2015 - 11:23 AM, said:

"Role Warfare™"

Long Range Support

Brawling

Just a beast


Multiple Roles for Assault Mechs.

[Screech]

Assaults bring copious amounts of firepower. It is their responsibility to use it, it is the teams responsibility to allow them to use it.

[TercieI]

1) Take damage

2) Do damage

More than any other mech, an assault has to do both to really be doing its job. This is why LRM assaults are bad for their teams. That's a lot of damage that isn't being soaked by the mechs most able to do it.

[Kahadras]

Quote

1) Take damage

2) Do damage

This and this. Assaults are there to be the focal point of your battleline which the rest of the team revolves around. The lights scout for the assaults, the mediums protect the flanks of the assaults and the heavies supliment the firepower of the assaults. When I'm playing I want to see the enemy team pushing into the jaws of our assualt mechs. What I don't want to see is one assault player AFK (or DC), one wandering off by himself and one cowering behind cover refusing to move.

Assault players responcibility is to stick together to form a solid core of armour and firepower for the rest of the team to support.

[KraftySOT]

Joseph Mallan, on 07 March 2015 - 11:28 AM, said:

Long Range Support

Brawling

Just a beast


Multiple Roles for Assault Mechs.

Yeah. Scouts. Right Steiner?

But yeah. All those roles are still kill the red teams gundams. Though I get the point, in the TT, thar be roles. Here, not quite as much. And even in the TT, if you just plop down 12 mechs and 12 mechs and pew pew on a map sheet or two, not much for the role warfare either.

Assault mechs as a 'role' come into their own when theres something to assault. If the objective is to destroy some static thing, and you have a turn limit to do it by, the role of the assault mech is to get as close to the objective as possible without being seen, balancing slow speed and caution with the time limit, and then spring and destroy the objective.

In pretty much every other instance, heavy mechs are better, because of the insanely slow (3-5 movement is terrible) speed and inability to deal with multiple targets that are the same BV (a few locusts vs an Atlas for instance)

[Soulscour]

There is a balance between what is considered leaving an assault behind and assaults not maneuvering to their potential. If I'm in the assault lance and I'm leading the charge while one or two assaults are left behind singled out then they did not meet their maneuvering potential. The speed difference maybe 20kph in that situation. At the same time, if you're exceeding 100kph and your team is spread out trying to catch up with assaults in the back then you left your team behind. The speed difference is 40kph minimal in that situation.

[HavocReign]

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their surats.

[El Bandito]

Assault mech's chief task is to deal as much damage as possible, to take out as many mechs as possible, and should you fall down after intense firefight, you have caused enough havoc so that your team will have the definite edge over the enemy.

Edited by El Bandito, 07 March 2015 - 05:19 PM.

[BellatorMonk]

Problem is the discussion depends on the map terrain and overall team makeup.

If we assume the map is medium to small and the team has a good spread of weapon types then the ideal Assault job would be to lead the charge and break the enemy line somewhere while the rest of team provides flanking support and fire on targets.

Sadly most PUGs do not understand that or have the ability (by faults of skill, lack of comms, etc) to coordinate such a move on a basis that experienced Assaults can rely on. This forces most pilots to adjust for the worst and baby their tactics and mech.

Sadly most teams do not form up on the Assaults, wait for the team to organize in the proper spread of mechs and usually leave the Assaults to constantly try and Nascar with the rest of the team, or roll damage so much they never have the ability to fire effectively or secure a good offensive or defensive position.

[DjPush]

FupDup, on 07 March 2015 - 09:03 AM, said:

More or less the same responsibilities as any other mech: To kill red team gundams.

Can't do it alone.

[Soy]

HavocReign, on 07 March 2015 - 05:09 PM, said:

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their surats.

Was gonna link this vid, nm. What else is there to say. GJ; cookie.