50 replies to this topic

[Metus regem]

thehwdge, on 19 March 2015 - 03:15 PM, said:

how do you survive the lrm rain though, sometimes im fortunate enough to have an ECM buddy or have the lrmboats spam someone else but when it starts, only the dead know peace from the screenshake

LRM rain is something I've not had to deal with in almost 8 months now, either through a combination on not exposing myself, using cover, using ECM, using radar deprivation module or running with a pack of AMS toting puggies.

Those skills I picked up using "bad" mechs, like pre-quirk Dragons and Locusts, because they lacked the gimmicks and crutches of the "meta" mechs, that don't teach you much, other than to rely on broken mechanics, not skill to stay alive.

[JC Daxion]

it is all about getting close under cover... why brawlers don't group up and pushy, with ranged fire support.. i just don't get.


Best thing is to talk in game when you launch, and say.. HEY I'M A BRAWLER!!! though most of the time people don't react, or just dont have voice added, for fear of people being jerks..

I will say, since VOIP went live,, i have had to mute exactly 1 person.. 99% or the people, Dont talk, or they are just nice and fun.. I have zero clue why people say everyone is mean, or jerks, or what...


So, yea.. play your brawler, and get the other brawlers with you

[Saryonarve]

I'd like to point out that using the term 'brawler' for light and medium mechs just seems wrong(and may even be slightly misleading). Calling them skirmishers seems more accurate.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Saryonarve, on 19 March 2015 - 09:22 PM, said:

I'd like to point out that using the term 'brawler' for light and medium mechs just seems wrong(and may even be slightly misleading). Calling them skirmishers seems more accurate.

Depends on the mech. A Hunchback or Centurion can straight-up brawl very well, as can most of the 55-tonners. A Jenner or a Firestarter doesn't really brawl so much as assassinate.

Skirmishing tends to be about hit-and-run or drive-by engagements. Lights often stick in to a fight in a way that is definitely not skirmishing, but the manner in which they do their fighting isn't really brawling, either (at least the good ones).

Admittedly, for any brawler, standing and trading hits is a bad idea, and Medium brawlers tend to be better at not standing and trading hits, given their generally superior mobility.

[RedEagle86]

JC Daxion, on 19 March 2015 - 08:19 PM, said:

it is all about getting close under cover... why brawlers don't group up and pushy, with ranged fire support.. i just don't get.

Back before the 3/3/3/3 was implemented, I used to run groups of "400 tons of fun", we were on comms, and generally rolled everything that came our way. Ahh, the good old days... (Especially on the 8vs8! Hilarious!)

Edited by RedEagle86, 20 March 2015 - 07:21 AM.

[stuh42l]

Koniving, on 18 March 2015 - 08:03 PM, said:

Do machine guns count?
If you can get close enough for MGs....heh.
KGC inspired brawler (Warhawk). Lots of cover though. Epic slaughter is still worth while.

Two KGC vids.
This one uses tunnels and cover, but once close it takes advantage of the fact that no one takes MGs seriously... Then shows you what not to do.

I had that same build after the Crabs first dropped. I can't count the number of people spectating me that threw derision and curses my way for the MG's.

[Satan n stuff]

Levi Porphyrogenitus, on 19 March 2015 - 09:30 PM, said:

Depends on the mech. A Hunchback or Centurion can straight-up brawl very well, as can most of the 55-tonners. A Jenner or a Firestarter doesn't really brawl so much as assassinate.

Skirmishing tends to be about hit-and-run or drive-by engagements. Lights often stick in to a fight in a way that is definitely not skirmishing, but the manner in which they do their fighting isn't really brawling, either (at least the good ones).

Admittedly, for any brawler, standing and trading hits is a bad idea, and Medium brawlers tend to be better at not standing and trading hits, given their generally superior mobility.

Light mechs can brawl in low elo matches, but against more competent players they take too much focused damage for it to be worth the risk even one on one.
No matter how good your hitboxes are or how fast you are, you'll probably lose to a competently played heavier mech in a straight up fight, so against most of the better players you're better off playing them as strikers, snipers or skirmishers. You can still solo a heavier mech, but to do that you're going to have to fight smarter, not harder.
Scouts and spotters are useful regardless of whether or not the team has LRMs, but in MWO every mech needs to be useful in combat so you should never prioritize those roles over pure combat roles.

[InspectorG]

thehwdge, on 18 March 2015 - 07:01 PM, said:

Maybe it's just me but i find brawling other giant mechs with my giant mech much more fun that shooting at ants from a kilometer away or just leaving a paperweight on my LRM macro,

but all butthurt and salt aside, how do these med/heavy or even assault brawlers manage to survive walking to the distance where they're close enough to get their weapons off in a map like tourmaline?

Usually not that difficult, unless you are in a slow mech and get NASCAR'd.

[InspectorG]

Saryonarve, on 19 March 2015 - 09:22 PM, said:

I'd like to point out that using the term 'brawler' for light and medium mechs just seems wrong(and may even be slightly misleading). Calling them skirmishers seems more accurate.

It was a good term but since the Hit Scan fixes its obsolete.

FS can still do it a little but since CW, more pilots just sweep the legs.

[Telmasa]

Brawling depends alot on speed, for me.
Everybody says the Atlas is a "brawl-meta" platform with mass SRMs; yet the only mech I feel I can reliably use SRMs with is my Hunchback 4SP; on any other mech it's a second-thought option at most, and I usually decide on using the tonnage elsewhere.

So with my Atlai I actually tend to create balanced loadouts, aiming for midrange (300-500), for several reasons:
- map design favors close engagements on all except Alpine Peaks
- maintaining long-range combat usually requires speed
- rarely does anybody try to stand in front of an Atlas for very long, or get too close to one, so seeing an enemy at midrange that you can't hit because you brought a pure brawler loadout becomes all too normal - and once they figure out you can't touch them back, then you become little more than big, slow punching bag for ranged weapons

My heavies, I tend to use in flanking-fire roles - just enough speed to manouver & move on a flank, enough firepower to worry even assault mechs, and the armor to take a few punches when I grab their attention.

And my light mechs, naturally, can't take hits in a brawl (and I don't go around relying on jumpjet-bunnyhop-glitching, and I don't have low ping to abuse a lagshield) - so I treat them as spotters & opportunistic "nibblers".

Which leaves my medium mechs. The thing with medium mechs, is they can only take a couple good hits, and they start going down; this means they need speed to be able to 'hit and run'. This matches perfectly with my philosophy for brawling, because to brawl I want speed to get in close, and then also be able to move, rather than being a mostly stationary target. I can't take as brutal a loadout as a heavy or assault mech can, so target choice is important, but out of the possible choices my mediums are the best fit for a need to brawl.

[SethAbercromby]

Paradoxically, my best brawlers are those that do not exclusively brawl. Being able to soften up targets at range or being able to contribue when there is no good opportunity to brawl can go a very long way in your brawling performance when it does eventually come down to short range face-eating. My most sucessful Brawler (and one of my more oddball 'Mechs) is my Misery which can engage enemies at its own pace until it gets the chance to brawl and proceeds to eat its opponents' face off. The one odd CT medium laser can be a bit annoying at times, but otherwise the 'Mech has been quite sucessful with me.