43 replies to this topic

[Arc Viper]

I'm a mechwarrior vet but still relatively new to CW so I have been looking for a group of equally skilled players. What unit tag inspires fear in you?

Who are the top faction groups right now?

[Chef Kerensky]

Ha ha ha.

[Tunk45]

I would say Davion and Marik are pretty strong right now, with Ghost Bear right on their heels

[Divine Retribution]

PGI, they are so good they've seized Terra and Tukayyid! They could take even more and no one could stop them. That literally makes them unstoppable.

[Davers]

I honestly don't think there is a faction as powerful as Kurita at the moment. Not even a close second.

[Chef Kerensky]

Davers, on 02 April 2015 - 03:01 PM, said:

I honestly don't think there is a faction as powerful as Kurita at the moment. Not even a close second.

The mercs who don't play CW.

[MischiefSC]

I dunno. CSJ and CJF are both really strong - Kurita right now just has some population advantages but when there's no big name mercs in either spot CSJ and Kurita tend to push to a balance. CJF is about as tough as CSJ is in terms of hardcore house units.

Mercs can't be worked into the equation. If you ignore them (and pretty much you need to) you end up with those three being the toughest core units. While some of those may technically be mercs they're pretty dedicated to their current homes.

Chef Kerensky, on 02 April 2015 - 03:52 PM, said:

The mercs who don't play CW.

Anyone who doesn't play CW really doesn't matter save to themselves. Tournament competitive doesn't mean a lot anymore except to a relative handful of people. CW competitive is the future of MW:O and the only thing that's really going to mean anything on the only scoreboards that are going to mean something 3 months, 6 months, 5 years from now. It's two very different skill sets. One is Rules of Queensbury boxing championship in a small shire, the other is world MMA championship.

[Jman5]

Do you mean unit tags like SJR or generic faction tags like Marik?

If you mean generic faction tag, I don't really worry about any one in particular. There are some factions with a couple of good units, but aside from them, the faction is no different than any other. Plus good teams are usually floating around from one faction to another so it just depends.

If you're talking actual units that are common in CW? I would probably say MS. they're a conglomeration of a bunch of pretty good teams, so they're always a challenge. I think 228 plays a lot of CW too, but for whatever reason, my unit seems to be on the same Clan/IS rotation so we never fight.

To be perfectly frank if you're looking to join a successful unit, you need to be comfortable with how the unit succeeds. There are a lot of mediocre teams in Community Warfare that win a lot, but the do it through generator rushing pugs. If you want to join a unit that actually outplays its opponents through pilot skill, you should look to join a team that participates in competitive leagues. Off the top of my head I would say MS, 228, QQ, Seraphim, Sky Rangers. There's also a bunch of European teams, but I don't know which ones play CW.

A lot of the units in CW are a bunch of gen-rushing cheesers that can barely outfight pugs. If PGI ever fixes gen rushing to make it a high-risk strategy like it should be, many of these units will likely rage-quit out of CW.

Edited by Jman5, 03 April 2015 - 12:40 AM.

[dervishx5]

MischiefSC, on 02 April 2015 - 04:00 PM, said:

I dunno. CSJ and CJF are both really strong - Kurita right now just has some population advantages but when there's no big name mercs in either spot CSJ and Kurita tend to push to a balance.

[Surn]

Kurita is strong like bull... err dragon.

I am in a very small unit comprised of players from MW2. We are pirates. Let that sink in.

I built the first automated MW league in 1996, maybe the first automated, massive multiplayer league period.

I have been a MechWarrior for a looooooong time and sometimes I can't find a team because all the dropships on Teamspeak are full.

Kurita is strong.


this.. strong... http://soundcloud.co...returns-opening

Edited by MechregSurn, 03 April 2015 - 02:45 AM.

[SgtKinCaiD]

Jman5, on 03 April 2015 - 12:37 AM, said:

To be perfectly frank if you're looking to join a successful unit, you need to be comfortable with how the unit succeeds. There are a lot of mediocre teams in Community Warfare that win a lot, but the do it through generator rushing pugs. If you want to join a unit that actually outplays its opponents through pilot skill, you should look to join a team that participates in competitive leagues. Off the top of my head I would say MS, 228, QQ, Seraphim, Sky Rangers. There's also a bunch of European teams, but I don't know which ones play CW.

A lot of the units in CW are a bunch of gen-rushing cheesers that can barely outfight pugs. If PGI ever fixes gen rushing to make it a high-risk strategy like it should be, many of these units will likely rage-quit out of CW.

QFT, I second the Hunchback fornicator statement.

[Khereg]

Jman5, on 03 April 2015 - 12:37 AM, said:

Do you mean unit tags like SJR or generic faction tags like Marik?

If you mean generic faction tag, I don't really worry about any one in particular. There are some factions with a couple of good units, but aside from them, the faction is no different than any other. Plus good teams are usually floating around from one faction to another so it just depends.

Similar to above, the 10 factions swing in relative strength with the movement of large and/or skilled merc units. Which is to say that every week or two the landscape is going to change significantly. Trying to say one is better than the other is an ever-changing debate. Although, that won't stop loyalists from puffing out their chests in chat or on the forums...

As for specific units having talent, there are a few exclusive units with very limited membership that are pretty much guaranteed to wipe the floor with you every time you see them: SJR, EmP, Lords, and a few others I'm probably forgetting.

Edited to add: Most of these truly elite groups play CW rarely, if at all (especially as a 12-man). If you see 1 - 4 of their members among another group or even pugs, they can have a significant impact on the outcome. One guy I know can routinely put up over 3,500 dmg playing with pugs in CW. He's essentially a 1-person lance...

There are also larger units with a subset of elite players that can rival the above groups if you get the right people in a drop, but whose skill drops a bit if you encounter "the B-team": 228, MS, RJF, NS, NKVA, SRPH and many others

Then there are simply large groups who have a wide disparity of talent: many of the faction-loyal groups like CWDG, CBGI, HHoD, SRoT, CWI, SWOL, 12DG and many, many others that I don't know.

Finally, there are myriad smaller units with vastly different levels of talent. Way too many to get into.

These are all just examples pulled from the groups I've had encounters with, almost all NA-based. I don't think any individual can give you a comprehensive list.

Not sure why you asked the question - if you're looking for a strong faction to join (or consistently fight against), there isn't one IMHO. Pick one you like.

If you want to join a specific unit with talented players, there's a bunch to choose from and the above lists give you a starting point. Most skilled units have web pages that will point you to their teamspeak and most are willing to let a new player join them for a few drops to see if there's mutual interest. Some of the most exclusive units are generally invitation-only.

Edited by Khereg, 03 April 2015 - 10:16 AM.

[HARDKOR]

Yeah, there's about four classes of units in CW.

Units that only accept the elite(elite is getting 2k+ per match, 4/5 games)<---i don't see how this could be fun outside of league play. Expect to get spawn camped on EVERY map. Pat yourself on the back if you can take em to 30-40 kill range.

Units with lots of elite that train anyone <---I recommend this experience, you'll learn the most and still have enough losses to keep it interesting. These guys mostly just kill the enemy to win, but you'll get spawn camped or rushed on hot map for sure.

Units with maybe one elite player <---these guys tend to be the ones that play the rush game and do other boring stuff. Expect light rushes, running back to spawn when one kill up, and anything else you might consider lame gameplay. Wins are few and far between for these guys so they will do anything it takes.

Tiny units that are just friends playing together <---often worse than pugs. If they aren't in a faction that all uses same coms, they will be terrible. Otherwise, they are a wildcard.

[YCSLiesmith]

Arc Viper, on 02 April 2015 - 02:13 PM, said:

I'm a mechwarrior vet but still relatively new to CW so I have been looking for a group of equally skilled players. What unit tag inspires fear in you?

Who are the top faction groups right now?

[z MadButcher z]

I would say in the end whichever house ends up with the big merc groups seems to do the best. If you see Templars, 228, OLD, Seraphim, Aces, or QQ then whichever faction they are rolling with is going to have big firepower. All of these merc groups change factions fairly regularly so sign up with a merc group today ( shameless plug for the Seraphim ) I must admit I love fighting Aces and Templars. Whichever group you go with I think you will enjoy any of them.

[Krivvan]

Tournament-focused units rarely have many players playing CW (many find it too boring and easy). Usually you'll find 2-4 players on such units playing at a time, maybe with a larger group of people from other units. Personally CW to me is a PvE game mode for when I don't want to play tryhard and/or when there's something I want to watch or listen to that won't take all my attention,

What Khereg said is pretty much the case. You have units that have very, very strict recruitment (Emp, SJR), units with A-teams, B-teams, and C-teams so you have to know the individual players (228, Seraphim), units with a few great players but not enough to carry the unit (these players sometimes end up "poached" by other units), and units that will accept almost anyone and therefore have a high population but without much concentrated talent (HHoD, CI, CWI). There are of course many, many small units that I'm not really factoring in since they may as well be a collection of a few solo players.

Units also can change, for example I'm noticing that one of the CI 4v4 teams is actually starting to show some potential, but there probably aren't enough of them to field a decent 12v12 team. As another example, many Lords have left to join multiple other units, so you won't see too many anymore, especially in CW (there were only a few that played regularly, and pretty much no one now). Other units don't nicely fit into such discrete categorizations.

-MS- is an example of a unit with a high number of average to somewhat above average players (as opposed to a high number of mostly meh players), which gave them quite a bit of CW success. This is not surprising since -MS- is an amalgamation of multiple okay but not really standout units (to be honest though, it sort of really seems like -MS- playing so much CW has given a lot of them really bad habits back in league matches and even in regular queue). They can field more than one 12-player groups. A unit like SJR, however, could play dozens of games before a ceasefire with a 4-player group and not lose a single one yet still not make much of an impact in the end.

As for factions, you'll find that factions that are popular to join for story reasons (Wolf, Davion, Ghost Bear) pretty much have the worst players. Out of the Clan factions, Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar have better loyalist players by far compared to Wolf and Ghost bear. The difference is almost uncanny.

For Inner Sphere I guess Kurita is strong right now, Steiner has a huge population, and Davion is lol.

There are also players that recognize that CW gives you awful habits if you play too much. With opponent skill all over the place you tend to get complacent in making safer pokes and having to work on more complex group movements than "move up." Not to mention the fact that you tend to play more reckless knowing that you can risk your mech more if you have 3 more waiting in the dropship.

Edited by Krivvan, 03 April 2015 - 11:09 AM.

[HARDKOR]

Krivvan, on 03 April 2015 - 10:52 AM, said:

Tournament-focused units rarely have many players playing CW (many find it too boring and easy).

Whats messed up is that if you field 12 slightly above average players you will find CW too easy. The basic metric I have seen is that if everyone on your team is good for 1000+ damage, you're going to win 95% of the matches you play. If you have some noobs who are only good for 500 damage, this is easily balanced by having one or two good players who can pull 2000. Overall, I'd say "average player" = 750 damage per game, which is really not ok, considering that unless they are hitting only what they are aiming at, they are doing way less damage than they are taking. That would be fine, but the problem is that since thats the average, it means most players are actually in need of being carried by someone.

Edited by HARDKOR, 03 April 2015 - 10:59 AM.

[Scoops Kerensky]

HARDKOR, on 03 April 2015 - 10:58 AM, said:

Whats messed up is that if you field 12 slightly above average players you will find CW too easy. The basic metric I have seen is that if everyone on your team is good for 1000+ damage, you're going to win 95% of the matches you play. If you have some noobs who are only good for 500 damage, this is easily balanced by having one or two good players who can pull 2000. Overall, I'd say "average player" = 750 damage per game, which is really not ok, considering that unless they are hitting only what they are aiming at, they are doing way less damage than they are taking. That would be fine, but the problem is that since thats the average, it means most players are actually in need of being carried by someone.

1000 is a good baseline, the alchemy of it can get messed up depending on who's on your team. Some guys are really good and their damage going up can mean a disparity for other players where you'll have 3-4 people doing under 1000, but you're right that when you can start measuring people's damage that way you know you have a fairly good group composition for CW.

[Krivvan]

Scoops Kerensky, on 03 April 2015 - 11:07 AM, said:

1000 is a good baseline, the alchemy of it can get messed up depending on who's on your team. Some guys are really good and their damage going up can mean a disparity for other players where you'll have 3-4 people doing under 1000, but you're right that when you can start measuring people's damage that way you know you have a fairly good group composition for CW.

Those that are really good only get a real chance to get huge damage if their own team isn't taking much advantage of situations.

This isn't a game where one player can literally carry a game all by themselves. They can have a huge influence on a game, but no player is going to be walking in and essentially killing 12 fresh mechs all by themselves.

[Impossible Wasabi]

Krivvan, on 03 April 2015 - 10:52 AM, said:

Tournament-focused units rarely have many players playing CW (many find it too boring and easy). Usually you'll find 2-4 players on such units playing at a time, maybe with a larger group of people from other units. Personally CW to me is a PvE game mode for when I don't want to play tryhard and/or when there's something I want to watch or listen to that won't take all my attention,

What Khereg said is pretty much the case. You have units that have very, very strict recruitment (Emp, SJR), units with A-teams, B-teams, and C-teams so you have to know the individual players (228, Seraphim), units with a few great players but not enough to carry the unit (these players sometimes end up "poached" by other units), and units that will accept almost anyone and therefore have a high population but without much concentrated talent (HHoD, CI, CWI). There are of course many, many small units that I'm not really factoring in since they may as well be a collection of a few solo players.

Units also can change, for example I'm noticing that one of the CI 4v4 teams is actually starting to show some potential, but there probably aren't enough of them to field a decent 12v12 team. As another example, many Lords have left to join multiple other units, so you won't see too many anymore, especially in CW (there were only a few that played regularly, and pretty much no one now). Other units don't nicely fit into such discrete categorizations.

-MS- is an example of a unit with a high number of average to somewhat above average players (as opposed to a high number of mostly meh players), which gave them quite a bit of CW success. This is not surprising since -MS- is an amalgamation of multiple okay but not really standout units (to be honest though, it sort of really seems like -MS- playing so much CW has given a lot of them really bad habits back in league matches and even in regular queue). They can field more than one 12-player groups. A unit like SJR, however, could play dozens of games before a ceasefire with a 4-player group and not lose a single one yet still not make much of an impact in the end.

As for factions, you'll find that factions that are popular to join for story reasons (Wolf, Davion, Ghost Bear) pretty much have the worst players. Out of the Clan factions, Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar have better loyalist players by far compared to Wolf and Ghost bear. The difference is almost uncanny.

For Inner Sphere I guess Kurita is strong right now, Steiner has a huge population, and Davion is lol.

There are also players that recognize that CW gives you awful habits if you play too much. With opponent skill all over the place you tend to get complacent in making safer pokes and having to work on more complex group movements than "move up." Not to mention the fact that you tend to play more reckless knowing that you can risk your mech more if you have 3 more waiting in the dropship.

Really solid summary of CW, the game itself and the nature of many units, worthy of a quote.

Edited by The True Space Pope, 03 April 2015 - 11:28 AM.