9 replies to this topic

[oldradagast]

Okay, so I ran into this one yesterday and realized that this situation is one where I have no really good options in as a close-range Light mech. Truthfully, I don't do well here in ANY close-range mech, but we're focused on Lights in this forum:

Map: Tourmaline, so it's big with a reasonable amount of open space with limited cover.
Mode: Skirmish, I believe. If it was Assault, I should have just gone and capped, so let's stick with Skirmish
Situation: Both teams end up as entrenched murderballs at medium ranges from each other, and that's basically the whole match. Neither team really moved as a group once combat was engaged, and there never was much of any true brawl, where lines are broken and mechs are intermingled. The fight was basically everyone sticking to cover and poking, either over hills or around corners.
My mech: Jenner with SRM's and medium pulse lasers.

I wasn't sure what to do here. I stuck with a Firestarter, and we poked at their flanks, trying to lure victims away, but they weren't biting. This was the group queue, so both teams were better organized. Now and then, an enemy would wander a bit away, but they'd quickly pull back to the team, which was generally aware of us. I did drop an arty strike on them for limited effect - neither side was a dense murderball - but that plus poking was about it. My SRM's were basically worthless because of the range - getting close enough to get good hits would have been death, so I was limited to scrapping people with lasers and running. Eventually, I got knocked to a stop on terrain from a bad landing and died, having done a lot of work for little effect.

What would you have done in this situation?

Thanks!

Edited by oldradagast, 23 June 2015 - 03:13 AM.

[Darian DelFord]

Death Balls are more and more common, the best you can hope to do is exactly what you did. Peek and Poke but do not do it from the same location, you will need to relocate especially if your with the group or CW queue. But other than that try to swing wide and around to get at their backs without over exposing your self. Does not sound like you could have done anything really different.

Course my Jenner D has 4 SPL's and 2 SRM 4's on it, I would have had to get a bit closer.

[Túatha Dé Danann]

In a Light, I'm patient. I'll do some scouting, launch a UAV, maybe an Arty strike if I see a good opportunity - but those are all the things you can do anyway. The real thing goes on if one team executed a push and commits itself to do something.

If your team is pushing and you look at your mini-map, you have a couple of seconds of reaction time. If your heavies/assaults go in, you immedeatly start to flank the enemy with the focus on the enemies damage dealers or fire-support units. Prime targets are Direwolfs or LRM boats. If an assault has to turn around because of you, while your main force marches on him you already did your job.

Of course this implies your team pushes through and does not stop midway. If that happens, the enemy assault turns around, will NOT get hit by the hammer, you die and everything was in vain. In pug-matches, 90% of those flanking tactics are in vain, as assaults stop and turn around if they get hit by a single MG and you are behind enemy lines with pants down.

The other solution is to rush with your main force onto the enemy - less efficient, more dangerous and somewhat suicidal but it has one major advantage: You - the light, are leading the push which motivates the assaults behind you to push with you. It sounds stupid (which it literally is), but the push will continue. You will probably die, but your team will win. You have to show the chicken behind you your balls and provoke them to grow some too.

Edited by Túatha Dé Danann, 23 June 2015 - 03:39 AM.

[3xnihilo]

Honestly, probably about the same thing you did. Although I have a propensity to charge in and attempt some strafing runs or something and end up dying due to my impatience. I am interested to see what others say.

[mad kat]

The level of cowardice in this game right now is a joke no-one seems to realise you NEED aggressiveness to win but they're far too busy playing Peekabo, and trying to one-up everyone else's alpha.

There isn't much you can do except shout into team speak aggressiveness wins...Charge ***** *******........

So yeah your limited to just hit and run so in other words bring something with lots of firepower or go home and hope that some of the team will follow you in a charge.

Edited by mad kat, 23 June 2015 - 03:49 AM.

[3xnihilo]

I one time led three charges through the enemy team with a spider. Trouble was, no one followed me And my magic hitboxes eventually failed.

[PhoenixFire55]

For just 40k c-bills our patented airstrikes and artillery strikes will make your murderballing enemies life really miserable. You dropped yours, now if everyone in your team did the same I doubt there would be much left of the enemy to keep camping.

Edited by PhoenixFire55, 23 June 2015 - 04:17 AM.

[ShinVector]

Sounds like nothing new... Typical Short range mechs aka Brawler builds and everyone afraid to make the first move issue.

Either all charge and murderball togther.
Or One of your decent snipers gets the 1 kill advantage and cause the enemy to come to you.

For lights... Wrong build for standoff type matches.. This is where Raven 3L ERLL builds get to work.

Edited by ShinVector, 23 June 2015 - 05:11 AM.

[Shadey99]

I happen to like Tourmaline depending on where an enemy chooses to entrench. Many such places have multiple points to attack from and you can use speed to (usually) get in strikes and flee before the enemy can catch you.

In general though it always plays the same. As a close fighting light pilot you want to move from cover to cover and avoid open spaces whenever possible. All of your strikes need to come in on their flanks striking their sides and rears. Especially if you have enough of an alpha to punch through a typical 'meta' builds rear armor (4-10) you can often tip the scale in your teams favor. If the enemy team keeps sufficiently aware and guards it's flanks there isn't any hard hits you can do, but you still divert people from facing the rest of your team.

[oldradagast]

Thanks for the suggestions and such - it sounds like situations like that one are just rough on close-in builds. Do the best you can, but don't be surprised when things go downhill.