79 replies to this topic

[oldradagast]

Too long, didn't read.

The main failings with assault are simple:

- It is an idiotic concept for a game mode. "We have to protect this base that has no defenses other than our mechs." Great. So why bother ever leaving the base area? It just doesn't make sense and punishes players for actually trying to engage the target.

- All defenses of the current assault idiocy simple assume that "somebody else" will be playing a fast light mech, hanging near the base, and otherwise being shoe-horned into a narrow and often boring role "just in case something happens to the base." Again, that is failed game mode design - a game mode's success should NOT be dependent upon players making poor choices and voluntarily reducing the amount of fun they are having "just in case" something happens.

But who cares - assault is "great" so long as I can fight other mechs in my Timberwolf or assault mech, and then yell at the rest of my team for not playing Lights and stopping the cap. Ugh...

Edited by oldradagast, 03 August 2015 - 03:24 AM.

[masCh]

Why are you telling people this?

Now you're going to give me my 9-1 win ratio on Assault mode a good challenge!

[Weeny Machine]

The problem is not the mode. The problem lies with the players.

Actually it isn't just deathballing. The problem is brainless NASCARing + deathballing.
Heck, people even NASCAR on Crimson Straits. Reason? Because they can.

The point is: if you keep your team between your base and the enemy they cannot cap. And if a light breaks through, 1-2 lights can kill it.

[Grandpaw]

I don't have much reason to post about assault or conquest modes since I only play either of them during events,but what I'd like to see them do is change it so that only lights can capture.Then those modes would be more like "defend the convoy" and lights would become very valuable in those games.Im sure all the light pilots out there would love to see us trying to protect them instead of stepping all over em anyway lol

[Joseph Mallan]

Sarlic, on 02 August 2015 - 11:30 PM, said:

Who got a capture acclerator module? I will kill you!

Come git me Bro!

[Weeny Machine]

Sarlic, on 02 August 2015 - 11:30 PM, said:

Who got a capture acclerator module?

I will kill you!

Speaking off...is it worth to buy one (I don't have one)

[masCh]

At first I thought you meant whining about Assaults:

[Mystere]

Appogee, on 03 August 2015 - 03:03 AM, said:

Assault is great - much better than skirmish - when the cap is used strategically.

Unfortunately, there are too many trolls (or maybe they are just clueless idiots) who march straight to the cap and make the win 'worthless' in the sense that the rewards end up being so low for their team. I particularly dislike when my 2XP bonus for the day is wasted because an entire lance walked to the cap without giving the rest of us a chance to rack up any points.

While the turrets had their issues on some maps, the mode needs something more than it has at the moment.

Mystere, on 02 August 2015 - 07:08 PM, said:

Money isn't everything.

[Sarlic]

Bush Hopper, on 03 August 2015 - 04:24 AM, said:

Speaking off...is it worth to buy one (I don't have one)

No idea.

I found it a silly module. Capping is worth when several mechs are standing next to you. The more mechs you have the faster the cap. One man can't make a difference in a short amount of time.

[Mystere]

oldradagast, on 03 August 2015 - 03:23 AM, said:

- All defenses of the current assault idiocy simple assume that "somebody else" will be playing a fast light mech, hanging near the base, and otherwise being shoe-horned into a narrow and often boring role "just in case something happens to the base." Again, that is failed game mode design - a game mode's success should NOT be dependent upon players making poor choices and voluntarily reducing the amount of fun they are having "just in case" something happens.

If this is how you play assault, it's no wonder you are not having any fun. The game mode is just the scapegoat.

[Mystere]

Grandpaw, on 03 August 2015 - 04:17 AM, said:

I don't have much reason to post about assault or conquest modes since I only play either of them during events,but what I'd like to see them do is change it so that only lights can capture.Then those modes would be more like "defend the convoy" and lights would become very valuable in those games.Im sure all the light pilots out there would love to see us trying to protect them instead of stepping all over em anyway lol

Actually, the enemy discovering that they are being capped by a Dire Wolf as they trickle one by one back to their base is so much fun ... especially for the Dire Wolf.

I once did that three times in one day. And that was when we still had those idiotic turrets.

Edited by Mystere, 03 August 2015 - 06:58 AM.

[Wintersdark]

Jman5, on 02 August 2015 - 09:09 PM, said:

Pro tip: Get your team to go Clockwise (left) instead of counter clockwise in Assault Mode. Most teams go counter clockwise which means you will run straight into them and counter common cap rush paths without even trying.

You know, I've been trying to get pugs to do this since (the much loathed) NASCAR started. I mean, really, just clump up into a ball, and push the other way. Don't even really need to move much, go slow, together.

Pug NASCAR matches, 10 times out of 10, see the teams race at full speed counterclockwise. This invariably spreads the team out, with the faster (and thus squishier) elements in the lead. You'd absolutely crush the lead elements, then you have to go out of your way to lose the match.

[Ultimax]

Mystere, on 02 August 2015 - 07:08 PM, said:

Money isn't everything.

As there are only two, tangible payouts, CBills & XP - money is, literally, at the minim half of everything.


Intangibles are as real as the tooth fairy.

[LastPaladin]

The reason nuisance caps aren't used much in PUG queues is because a nuisance cap often winds up becoming a real cap when the enemy ignores it and doesn't turn around

[Mystere]

LastPaladin, on 03 August 2015 - 01:08 PM, said:

The reason nuisance caps aren't used much in PUG queues is because a nuisance cap often winds up becoming a real cap when the enemy ignores it and doesn't turn around

If the enemy is not responding, then I will finish cap and move on to the next game. The only time I might not do so is if we are way ahead and people feel inclined to kill the enemy to the last.

[Sjorpha]

The only thing wrong with assault mode is that the cbill rewards are not balanced towards taking the objective.

If you look at it purely as a game mode for two coordinated teams who play for the win and not for rewards it's actually a good game mode.

But puggers often play for the money rather than the win, which creates artifacts like "useless wins" when they don't get paid.

I personally don't track cbills on a per match basis, I just play to see if my team can beat the other. That means a cap rush is worth the same to me as a grind for cbills, and it's more elegant. My team beat yours for whatever reason, we won and that's the only result worth noting along with my own degree of contribution to that win.

I can see how this creates tension between me and people grinding cbills, as I won't wait for farmers if I can just win quickly. I understand that, but it's not my job to make your games profitable, ask pgi to freward cap wins properly if you have a problem with that.

[Deathlike]

Personally, the biggest problem with Assault are that players don't know what to do. Yes, they struggle and panic, and I'm sure they avoid this mode as much as possible. However, it's really as simple as knowing the situation and playing it correctly.

It's not really solvable in the solo queue, so it is what it is. In the group queue however... since the deathballing and NASCAR are still things, people haven't really exercised their minds (yes, this is where the "thinking man's game" comes in) and uses their brain to figure out what's going on... instead of primarily focusing on the limited FOV deathball that doesn't adapt fast or well enough to the situation at hand.

If players were taught (say in a tutorial, you know, Lostech) and understood what went wrong (like watching match replays), then things would not be what they are.

As much as I don't care for e-sports, but understand why and how things work is important to build the foundation of higher level of play. Since people either don't care or don't know any better, this contributes to the problem at hand...

People sometimes honestly cannot analyze their own play and figure out "what's wrong" and once you admit "I can do better", then you might actually get better results. Right now, people really don't understand the game enough (even if they've been long time veterans) to properly understand what just happened.

I dunno... PUG Life™.

[Slepnir]

Kiiyor
tactic, paying attention to objectives, defending your assets?

Madness I say!


Thanks for pointing out the obvious, making players multitask ads so much more to the game, especially when some players cannot grasp the concept.

Edited by Slepnir, 03 August 2015 - 03:43 PM.

[Wintersdark]

Deathlike, on 03 August 2015 - 01:53 PM, said:

People sometimes honestly cannot analyze their own play and figure out "what's wrong" and once you admit "I can do better", then you might actually get better results. Right now, people really don't understand the game enough (even if they've been long time veterans) to properly understand what just happened.

I dunno... PUG Life™.

I don't know what you're talking about. I know - it seems everyone on the forums knows - exactly why we lost that last match: Everyone else on our team was a drooling incompetent, and we can only carry so hard. Meanwhile, the other team was filled with hardcore comp players sync dropping.

[InspectorG]

Wintersdark, on 03 August 2015 - 04:01 PM, said:

I don't know what you're talking about. I know - it seems everyone on the forums knows - exactly why we lost that last match: Everyone else on our team was a drooling incompetent, and we can only carry so hard. Meanwhile, the other team was filled with hardcore comp players sync dropping.

Hey, that ALWAYS happens to me, too!