1017 replies to this topic

[Uncle Totty]

MischiefSC, on 14 August 2015 - 09:22 PM, said:

That is the flavor of failure.

It's really very simple - if you bring a mech that is, by design, going to perform inferior to another in pug queue that's great. Go nuts. Sure, you're screwing your team over but it's a pug match. Nobody expects much from a pug team. You bring that to CW though and you're being a selfish jackass. You're shafting the people who waited to drop with you as well as the faction you picked. You're actively and intentionally making the game worse for everyone on your team you're playing with.

That's not a 'good thing'. You can make a huge number of good builds, it doesn't have to be 4 cookie cutter meta mechs. Like I said before I had a great game with teammates in Hoppers and Awesomes. I had a Urbie in my drop deck. It just wasn't running a LBX with 1 ton of ammo and small lasers or whatever terrible equiv to the TW build you posted would be.

Meta isn't 'cheese'. What works is just that - what works. You don't equip your special forces military with WW2 era guns and anime-style worthless huge shoulder pauldron armor and make them drive a Ford Focus through the desert, because cutting edge military weapons technology and optimized armor and vehicles are just so 'meta cheese'.

The idea that screwing your team by taking badly designed robbits is somehow 'noble' or 'better' is not just absurd, it's selfish. Do it in pug queue if you need to and for giggles but it has no place in CW. Intentionally gimped enemy mechs in PvE for single player campaign stuff is great. That's all about the illusion that the player is actually better than 'average' and I get that. No problem with it. For training someone for CW though, yeah. Bots would need to be absolute cutting edge builds and designed to win. Otherwise you're just teaching people to keep being bad.

Sorry, but I am just so damn bored of using THIS every single match:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c185d8b69903bf2

[Aresye]

Nathan K, on 14 August 2015 - 10:10 PM, said:

Sorry, but I am just so damn bored of using THIS every single match:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c185d8b69903bf2

Don't then...considering that is not even a normal meta mech, has poor heat efficiency, has no side to shield with, and loses 4 tons to the ineffective weapon system that is Clan LRMs.

Have you tried CERML+Gauss? What about SRMs+Artemis+CERSL? 2CLPL+1CERML+Gauss? SRMs+CERML? Have you even tried the typical TBR meta w/ 2CLPL+4CERML?

I'm sorry, but I find it laughably funny that you are complaining about having to use a "meta" mech when in fact your mech is the complete opposite of meta, and is in fact, terrible.

[IraqiWalker]

Nightshade24, on 14 August 2015 - 10:04 PM, said:

some contradictory answers you gave there.

but I will focus only on some of them:

"you can listen and do not need to talk"- this only goes on for so far. The problem with this is most of the time people with the mics rarely talk to you or notice you, you disconnected? no one notices and you are waiting for a long time while they launch a game without you and play a game while you wait. or they didn't notice you DC mid game and you died quickly as they didn't know you were not around with them.
That or they fail to know where you are on the map and/or do not know if you need help or not. Overall you get neglected for not having a mic at least by the majority of grouped play with headsets and such. (happened to me in 15 different units between 2012 (late) to 2014 at most of the times I got no headset/ mic)
It is also harder to co ordinate some data such as your mech- taking a LRM boat and then an enemy comes in close? your group can't tell the difference between you winning the fight in an awesome brawler or a streak boat to a lil locust or you getting ****ed by it as you only got a pair of medium lasers to fend for yourself..

Of course a completely pugged game (such as pug only que for normal matches) do have a bit of a layer of obliviousness there- there are many times I have seen team mates go back for me/ vice versa just because they see there team mates health slowly dwindling away and a "low signal" ecm icon on there name. that and pugs tend to be more observant on what some people on there team have and work accordingly- at least at the elo I am at.



Also switching faction isn't really an option available to some people- especially if you are a loyalist. And some factions out there struggle to barely get 12 pugs together and get a match (at least in my time zone) let alone have an active unit in that area.



and for the dump those people- for a few of the smaller merc units and lonewolfs, those are the only people they can join up with as they are the active unit for that faction.


For the "only be there for that match" doesn't really work when after say the first grouped game you get and go away for a bit or mechlab, when you are able to play again you have to wait for those people (half hour or less) to get out of match, and due to CW length of time, quite a few groups that are playing disband over time. (by group I mean the actual group and not the unit and stuff)





Also I wouldn't mind joining house davion- it was my faction of preference in MW: O since day one, but I switched to the clans due to my unit and right now I have responsibilities for that part of the unit I only got jade falcon, ghost bear, and wolf as my possible aligned factions.

My point from that, is you can always find a way to coordinate with others. There is always a way to do it. Whether it's through typing. Just following the blob, with or without listening to orders ... etc.

Out of all those points you made, the only one that makes no sense is the one about going to work in the mechlab. Would you want the other 11 or so people to wait on you while you fiddle for 30+ minutes? That's disrespectful to them. So step out, do your fiddling, and wait for them to get out of their drop, if they were in one, by the time you finished.

These are not excuse for why someone can't coordinate with others. These are excuses for why someone couldn't coordinate that one match on Tuesday. Save for maybe the language one, and even then,Words like Alpha, Bravo, Delta, have become practically universal now.

[Armando]

Nathan K, on 14 August 2015 - 10:10 PM, said:

Sorry, but I am just so damn bored of using THIS every single match:
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c185d8b69903bf2

Aresye Kerensky, on 14 August 2015 - 11:11 PM, said:

Don't then...considering that is not even a normal meta mech, has poor heat efficiency, has no side to shield with, and loses 4 tons to the ineffective weapon system that is Clan LRMs.

Have you tried CERML+Gauss? What about SRMs+Artemis+CERSL? 2CLPL+1CERML+Gauss? SRMs+CERML? Have you even tried the typical TBR meta w/ 2CLPL+4CERML?

I'm sorry, but I find it laughably funny that you are complaining about having to use a "meta" mech when in fact your mech is the complete opposite of meta, and is in fact, terrible.

While I have seen far worse load outs Aresye Kerensky is right Nathan K....that is NOT a 'meta' mech (first hint: LRMs). If you like pulse lasers and want to try something that is actually 'meta'...

Thunder Wub: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...3ca60295ea0e8fc

Unlike the mech you posted, the Thunder Wub actually has Quirks that make bringing Medium Pulse Lasers viable.

Energy Range: +25%
Energy Heat Gen: -15%
Medium Pulse Laser Range: +25%
Energy Cooldown: +15%

The fact that you have claimed to be a solo player (we've covered this, you are moving on to the next lesson), and don't seem to understand what is or is not 'meta' tells me you have a lot to learn.

That said, you will never learn a damn thing if you are not willing to listen to the people who try to help you, WANT to help you. Me, I'm not mad at you....we have all been there (myself included*) which brings me to my next point.

_______________________________________________

<<<* - I am very embarrassed to say what I am about to say, but I think it is important that it be said....

....I installed the game and for the first 5+ months I played the game I THOUGHT I was a decent player (not 'great' mind you...just decent). When I did lose, I told myself many lies not the least of which was that it wasn't my fault....I just got stuck with crap players (hay I'm doing good damage, getting kills, these guys aren't....must be their fault).

After 5+ months I decided that enough was enough, I was SICK of losing because I was stuck with 'Bads' for teammates, so I went to the forums....found a unit that sounded legit, and joined it (The Templar's). That was MY first step to a greater understanding.

The first thing I learned was about 'rolls' that make up a Templar team (I'm no longer in the unit therefor I will not going into details here...it is not my place to share), but what I can freely say is that the mechs I used and how they were 'loaded out' was a vital part of playing as a Templar.

I learned that even though my AS7-D-DC 'looked' like a 'meta' mech (yes, long ago the D-DC was a meta mech)...I had 2 medium lasers, and AC/20, and SRM-6 x3, but the 'reality' was I was running a STD 300 ('meta' at the time was STD 350) and was back loading the SH!T out of my armor (20+ points in the back)....but hay, my paper doll showed the same load out as everyone else (boy was I WRONG).

During subsequent lesson I found out WHY it is so important to be in a viable mech that used a viable load out.... I was part of a TEAM. That team was made up of leaders (called Drop Commanders by The Templar) and people willing to be lead (The Templar members).

I learned that leadership NEEDs to know what they are working with (how mechs members used where loaded out), so they can call the game accordingly (everyone moving at 60+ kph plays out different in a match than a team who has players moving at 48.6)

See before I was like many reading this tread...I thought that because I wasn't part of team when I queued up that I was playing solo. What I learned from The Templar was that I was NEVER a solo player, that I was ALWAYS part of a team (even when I drop by myself). I mean, I KNEW I wasn't alone...but yet somehow I still lied to myself, I still told myself I was dropping solo and that I was a solo player (sound familiar?).

My 'world' was forever changed, I started playing SO very, Very, VERY much better...it wasn't 'JUST" because I had teammates, but because I stopped thinking like a "Solo" player and I learned what mechs where 'viable' and how to use them (people say 'meta' like it is a bad thing, when the reality is simply that 'meta' means 'a viable load out on a viable mech').

The results: Dropping with my team, and just as importantly dropping as a 'pug' (It's been YEARS since I have dropped "Solo" LOL)....my numbers SKYROCKETED (damage, kills, deaths, everything), and my win % started going through the roof.>>>
________________________________________________________

Don't get it twisted, just because you start acting like you are part of a team, and take 'viable' (aka....meta) mechs, doesn't mean you are going to win a ton of matches (oh...but you will play much, Much, MUCH better). There is more to winning consistently than joining a team and using real mechs (knowing when to move, how to move, where to move....knowing how to torso twist to spread damage, etc), but it is where you START.

If you are 'new' or even if you have played for years, but did so with a 'solo mindset'...Take that first step. Start playing like you are on a team....Find out what the viable mechs are, how to load them out, get them, then use em.

Edited by Armando, 15 August 2015 - 01:57 AM.

[ApolloKaras]

Armando, on 15 August 2015 - 01:30 AM, said:

Good stuffs

It also has to be said it depends on what aspirations the player has as well. Some don't have a desire to be competitive, and I think that's where people have a problem with CW. On a pug queue you're going to have ELO level some of that out. I never see builds in the solo queue like I do in CW. Some of the stuff I'm running into is just... wow. I'm sure its a culture shock to the casual player when they hit that CW queue, only to find out how they are being beat up by the 'meta mechs'.

Huge Edit:

@NathanK LRM's really don't work at the competitive level. Everything is direct fire. You almost have to come prepared with your heavy direct fire mechs.

In single queue I can't get away with piloting a locust. Its just not going to work. I consider myself to be an above average pilot. In CW I play it the same way, whatever the bleeding edge of the Meta that's where you'll find me. However for me to be competitive these are the things that I need to be dropping in to pull a decent amount of weight:

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=164&l=a7152eae638203bb61576b693a96834adb72225c

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...d107ffb3230767f

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8d63b2449b92e0e

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c5e92874d2f6a7c

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0af55a6a9547830

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7dc048744cc4437

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...a96834adb72225c


These are the mechs Im stuck in. I'm missing a few Shadow Hawk 2 ac5's, 1 Er ppc, Nova with 2 er PPCS, Firestarter A with small pulse, Artic Cheetah... Welcome to the meta my friend.

Edited by Saxie, 15 August 2015 - 02:39 AM.

[TWIAFU]

MAX909, on 09 August 2015 - 04:44 PM, said:

what are you smoking i want to be that detached from reality, pug stomps 1% hahahahahahaha 99% of the cw i play is stomping pugs yet pgi suggests that all these easy farming matches i play with my team only make up 1% of matches how fortunate that we manage to avoid all those premade teams and just get pugs

i'm also pretty sure (dont really care if im wrong how ever) that pgi said 12 v 12 made up 1% of games not 12 mans stomping pugs

What I am smoking is AWESOME and not for children and legal.

Even though you ARE wrong and stated you don't care that you are;

Out of the WHOLE CW population, ONLY 1% is the 12man Unit. That means, 99% of the time you are stomped by PUGs and Solo's. 1 time out of 100 you will face the 12man Unit, 99 out of 100 are PUGs and SOLO.

So, PUGs and SOLOs need to be nerfd so they cannot farm solo's and pugs.

But they do NOT want that! They want to erroneously blame the 12man Unit that uses teamwork. If these Solos and groups would actually play as a team and work as a team they too would be on even footing. Since they cannot/will not, they want to nerf 1% of the CW population so they are no able to use Teamwork. They have to be brought down to the level of solo and pugs, instead of solo and pugs rising up to meet the challenge.

Just like solo and group queue, there is one reason why the "groups" of players are so easy to roll over, lack of teamwork!

I will take 6 working as a team vs 12 of these solo/group players and still rolfstomp them.

Until players stop thinking that they are 'solo dropping' and the solo mindset in a group/team game, they are doomed to be red shirts. There are no solo drops, only pug drops into a group. Soon as you hit PLAY, you are NO LONGER SOLO but a TEAM-MEMBER. Just act like it, get out of the way, or go play wanna be ECM Snpier and be last one alive sprinting for the edge of the map, again. while the rest of us laugh.

[MaxFool]

With that 1% statistic you keep repeating, I wonder when was the last time you played CW. Nowadays at least 30% of the attacking teams are 12-mans, and maybe around 50% of the defending teams are pure solos (=not grouped up).

[Uncle Totty]

Wow. This news actually makes me fell BETTER about what I use. Also shows that I have truly picked a fitting name for it: Defiant.

[Robot Kenshiro]

Played CW. liked it a little bit. Played it with coms. Liked it. Won some. Lost some.
Why I hate it. And why I think it should be scrapped. Is because we'll. I don't think any one plays it except for the elite population. Which is..... very little compared to puglandians and soloists. Planets do jack. Having territory does jack. Fighting for them does jack. So....why are you guys fighting for them? They are of no value. If you can give me a good reason why we are fighting for planets that really give us nothing in return than yea. I'd be happy to join the fight. Solo and pug ppl join CW to see what it's like. And I assure you alot of them never return.
As for me. I do like CW. I just hate that there is no return for it. The earnings and such are crap. Being loyal to your faction is just for decoration imho. If say. Your rewards are like increased with planets held and defended.
Eg. 1 planet =0.5% increase in cbills. Yea this would be world fighting and holding planets.
Imagine fighting and defending your 50 or so planets that give you a cbills increase across the entire game or certain planets gave xp modifiers. See. Now that would make CW worth fighting and joining up and playing better for. Right now. It's nothing but a mess. And has no meaning. Woopy do let's defend a cannon that really just looks cool.

CW needs to be redesigned. Redone. Relaunched. Not alpha. Not beta stage 1 2 3. This should of been well planned and thought of before released. I feel sorry for all the founders and ppl who have played this game longer than I have to get this sorry excuse of end game content so to speak.
Said once and said it before. PGI has done a great job revitalizing this franchise. But they have done it backwards. Straight to online pvp slugfest. No one but the fans know what is going on. New generation players will have no idea who or what is happening in this world.
Should of made a story campaign. Than made online pvp with a high grade polished CW.
my 2 cents. o7

[Aresye]

Robot Kenshiro, on 15 August 2015 - 08:12 AM, said:

Played CW. liked it a little bit. Played it with coms. Liked it. Won some. Lost some.
Why I hate it. And why I think it should be scrapped. Is because we'll. I don't think any one plays it except for the elite population. Which is..... very little compared to puglandians and soloists. Planets do jack. Having territory does jack. Fighting for them does jack. So....why are you guys fighting for them?

Maybe some of us are just tired of nascar tactics and 3-4min games in the solo and group queues? CW offers at least some semblance of tactics and teamwork, and even in the worst stomps ever, you're still playing for at least a solid 10+min.

[Robot Kenshiro]

Oh I understand that frustration. I do. I pug all the time. I choose to cos it's just more beneficial and occasionally get good coordinated pug teams. Yes the Nascar is bad. I hate it. But you can blame whoever started for that. It's renamed a flanking manoveur. I laughed when someone told me that. Nascar. The new method flank. Yeah right.
But anyway. I do get you point of view. I enjoyed the length of CW matches. They are great. Good game ply experience. All I am quite crummy about is the worth of it. If they fix the worth. I think players would be more urged to fight harder for their selected factions. Being loyal to your faction is one thing and being rewarded is another. Having both separated generates 2 different pov's. Imagine having those put together being loyal and rewarded for being so. The end game result would be much greater for the players like yourself, others and myself included.
I'm not here to challenge any means of why CW crap. I'm just saying for me. It's crap. And I understand why ppl choose CW over solo/pug. But ppl have to understand the opposite of that too.

Edited by Robot Kenshiro, 15 August 2015 - 09:44 AM.

[Void Angel]

Nerdboard, on 10 August 2015 - 02:28 PM, said:

To be fair, that is exactly what the title says though as well as your initial post. I get your point, but you might want to edit your initial post to clarify. Not everyone will read all 6 pages (and they should not have to).

No, no! It's Laser's fault, for "not reading."

[Armando]

Nathan K, on 15 August 2015 - 07:43 AM, said:

Wow. This news actually makes me fell BETTER about what I use. Also shows that I have truly picked a fitting name for it: Defiant.

Wow: This news actually makes me feel as if I have wasted my time trying to help you. Also tells me that a fitting name for you mech should be: Willful ignorance.

My step-father was an A-Hole, but this reminds me of two of his favorite sayings...

1) Buy em books and buy em books and all they do is eat the pages.
2) If brains where gunpowder, you couldn't blow you noes.

Void Angel, on 15 August 2015 - 10:17 AM, said:

No, no! It's Laser's fault, for "not reading."

In Laser's defense he is not the first person who read a headline then stopped reading.

Edited by Armando, 15 August 2015 - 10:55 AM.

[Ihasa]

MaxFool, on 15 August 2015 - 06:29 AM, said:

With that 1% statistic you keep repeating, I wonder when was the last time you played CW. Nowadays at least 30% of the attacking teams are 12-mans, and maybe around 50% of the defending teams are pure solos (=not grouped up).

PGI's own statistic given by themselves, town-hall style. Apparently no good boogeyman goes un-ignored through good data though.

[MischiefSC]

Aresye Kerensky, on 14 August 2015 - 11:11 PM, said:

Don't then...considering that is not even a normal meta mech, has poor heat efficiency, has no side to shield with, and loses 4 tons to the ineffective weapon system that is Clan LRMs.

Have you tried CERML+Gauss? What about SRMs+Artemis+CERSL? 2CLPL+1CERML+Gauss? SRMs+CERML? Have you even tried the typical TBR meta w/ 2CLPL+4CERML?

I'm sorry, but I find it laughably funny that you are complaining about having to use a "meta" mech when in fact your mech is the complete opposite of meta, and is in fact, terrible.

2xUAC5s, 4xCERMLs. Not bleeding edge meta but it works very well - especially for pushing or resisting pushes, those uacs tend to shake people up a bit.

Some people just take pride in 'being bad'. Again, it's all good and fun in pug/group queue.

This whole conversation though is exactly why some people feel that CW punishes them or is 'unfair' -

They don't care about their team, they don't care about winning. They want to play sub-par in a sub-par build and still do as well as people who put in a full effort. The solution is not to try and make everyone else be terrible and not care about winning.

For someone like that I can appreciate that CW isn't always a good fit. What we need, what we really, truly need, is a tutorial video for CW that makes it clear what CW is - it's WAR (not duels/speedmatches) between FACTIONS (as in a group with a larger over-arching goal than just your personal stats). That is what it is and why it is. It's about fighting for more than just your own KDR or giggles. It's about winning as a TEAM not an INDIVIDUAL.

For some people that makes no sense. No problem, doesn't have to. If that concept doesn't make sense than CW isn't a good fit any more than someone who loves team oriented sports would enjoy a dueling game that doesn't allow teams.

Being that guy who joins your local competitive soccer team because you enjoy playing soccer but then don't practice, wear generic sneakers and never even try to learn plays or run your position and then complaining that your team always loses..... that's what this is. Everyone else who is winning and doing so constantly is putting in the effort to win and have their TEAM win. Of course they hate the guy who shows up, doesn't really try and then complains that it's too hard. **** you it's too hard; everyone else on the team is already doing it and the other team certainly was. It's not mean or terrible to tell that guy to sack up and carry their own weight or GTFO. Sure, they'd love another guy to play - love to have someone else playing the game. The expectation though is that anyone who comes to play in the actual competition level team sports instead of just dicking around in their back yard is coming to effing WIN.

[MischiefSC]

Ihasa, on 15 August 2015 - 10:50 AM, said:

PGI's own statistic given by themselves, town-hall style. Apparently no good boogeyman goes un-ignored through good data though.

Hey, let's not try and ruin a good anecdotal misconception and confirmation bias with actual data. The fact that there isn't enough 12mans to fill even 10% of matches shouldn't be trotted out to challenge a '50% of games' perception.

Admittedly if you've only played 2 matches in CW and one of them had a 12man (probably an 8 man that's misremembered but whatever) then in the incredibly skewed sample size in question, maybe I guess?

[Uncle Totty]

Armando, on 15 August 2015 - 10:47 AM, said:

Wow: This news actually makes me feel as if I have wasted my time trying to help you. Also tells me that a fitting name for you mech should be: Willful ignorance.

My step-father was an A-Hole, but this reminds me of two of his favorite sayings...

1) Buy em books and buy em books and all they do is eat the pages.
2) If brains where gunpowder, you couldn't blow you noes.



Laser is not the first person who read a headline then stopped reading.

The problem here is that your idea of "helping me" is really to just "turn me in to you". Yes, they are great mechs, but NOTHING is unkillable. (I know, I have my fair share of killing a few.) Yes direct-fire weapons do more damage when you have LoF (Line of Fire). But when your LoF is blocked, the damage you are doing is zero. LRMs on the other hand help keep the pain going.

Edited by Nathan K, 15 August 2015 - 11:14 AM.

[Vlad Ward]

MaxFool, on 15 August 2015 - 06:29 AM, said:

With that 1% statistic you keep repeating, I wonder when was the last time you played CW. Nowadays at least 30% of the attacking teams are 12-mans, and maybe around 50% of the defending teams are pure solos (=not grouped up).

Attacks from who? Kurita? FRR?

Some factions are organized enough that they only attack in groups of 12.

The attacks I've pugged on with CJF have typically been 12 solos, or at most a group of 2-4 with 8-10 solos.

That 1% statistic takes the entire CW map into account. If you want to face more pugs while playing defense, the best advice I have for you is to play IS. Clanners are lazy and pug all the time. IS are neurotic tryhards (ilu guys) and grab everyone in faction TS for attacks.

Edited by Vlad Ward, 15 August 2015 - 11:25 AM.

[Airwolf]

Ack ... too many pages to read ... read a couple of pages from the beginning, and read some of the pages at the end.

My 2 C-Bills (for what it's worth).

1) For many, if not most of us, it's the first viable MechWarrior/BattleTech game in over 10+ years. We *LOVED* the "big, stompy, shoot-em-up robot mayhem" and that's why we're here, it's as simple as that ... period.

2) Is this game perfect? ... got news for you guys ... *NO* game is perfect ... there's *always* room for improvement and PGI's working on it. Does it seem haphazard at times? ... Try having thousands of people constantly screaming in your ears, demanding everything under the sun and see how well *YOU* do.

3) Why team up / group up / join a unit / get on TS / etc? For me it's simple, it's for the social aspect. All the coordinated movement, tactics, etc are just a bonus. We get to celebrate together when we succeed, and yell and scream and blame each other when we fail (and believe me, we really get ugly with each other when we fail ).

4) Why play CW? Simple, you can end up doing something really stupid with your first or even second mech and still make up for it with the rest of your mechs. In the Public matches, if you screw up, you're done, it's over for you, start another search.

5) No rewards in CW? Um ... Faction Loyalty Points / Levels? ... I haven't done the math (too lazy) but I'm pretty sure that the rewards are far greater overall than the Public Achievements rewards. Sure it'd be nice if taking / holding planets gave you something (other than bragging rights). It'd also be nice if we could actually *DO* something with the Unit Coffers. Once again, I believe that PGI's working on it.

My personal opinion is that the biggest issue is NOT with the game, but with the mentality of too many of the players. Many come from those FPS games where (while you may be assigned to a team) it's basically a go-do-your-own-thing, free-for-all. MWO is *NOT* one of those types of games, never was, and (hopefully) will never become one. This is true in both Public and CW matches. If you're one of those go-do-your-own-thing, not-work-with-others type of person, then you may be happier with some other game. I'm sure that your teammates would appreciate it.

When I first started playing this game ... let's face it ... I sucked ... being ineffective, losing, over and over and over again. It was about a month before I even heard about Teamspeak. Just getting on comms made a *WORLD* of difference. Sure, I still lost many a game ... but now I didn't lose as many games and I was able to either learn from others or learned *with* others what worked and didn't work both mech build-wise as well as tactically on the field. Joining a unit just made everything more consistant and we won many more games than we lost.

For you guys *CONSTANTLY* moaning and groaning about the quality of 'Solos / PUGS' that you end up with on your team or even on the opposing team, let me ask you something ... what have you personally *DONE* about it, anything? ... have you tried to direct / guide them through in-game chat / VOIP? Yeah, I know that wrangling PUGS sometimes is harder than herding cats (and there are those that just won't listen ... ever) but I've had many matches in both Public and CW where I've been lucky enough to do exactly that and we've won ... even against full 12-man teams. Our unit has, on many occasions, told the enemy PUG / Rainbow team exactly what our attack plans were at the start of the match. Once (although, I wasn't there to be a part of it ), our unit did a batchall and bid away our first 24 mechs ... even before they knew who they were up against. Luckily someone recorded it. And for the record, we won that match . Our unit tries to make it a point to teach / guide others both friendly and enemy so *EVERYONE* can have more fun. I'm sure that many/most people can learn what we've learned on their own, we just want them to learn it quicker .

I can think of several dozen guys that I've played with over the years from many different units that if we all ended up on the same team, not using TS, nor in-game VOIP, nor in-game text chat ... I'd bet that we'd either completely smoke the enemy team or at least give them one hell of a run for their money. It's called experience ... it's called having a clue ... we might not be on any type of comms, but we've learned and know what needs to be done and we do it, not individually, but together ... as a team.

Bottom line is that if you want better Solos / PUGS, then you more experienced guys *HAVE* to help them get more experience in the game and get better. I'm pretty sure that when many / most of you started out playing this game, you weren't all that good either, at least compared to how you are now.

[Armando]

Nathan K, on 15 August 2015 - 11:13 AM, said:

The problem here is that your idea of "helping me" is really to just "turn me in to you". Yes, they are great mechs, but NOTHING is unkillable. (I know, I have my fair share of killing a few.) Yes direct-fire weapons do more damage when you have LoF (Line of Fire). But when your LoF is blocked, the damage you are doing is zero. LRMs on the other hand help keep the pain going.

Trust me, I have given up hope that you can be helped. I am not responding to your post for you anymore, but for those who have read what you have said and can identify with it...

Direct-fire weapons work when you have LoS (Line of SIGHT), line of fire is not the same. If you don't have a LoS it is because you are not presenting to the enemy, and the only pain your LRMs are causing is to your teammates who are presenting when you are not.

The "I am part of a team" mindset....understands the importance of presenting as a team, they know how to present as a team, they know WHEN to present as a team. When the enemy sees them, they have to chose which one of the 12 players to fire at before they get wrecked.

Your mindset however is very much a 'solo player' mindset....You don't need to present to the enemy with my team, you will just let your teammates present by themselves (and get wrecked because the enemy has 12 players who are presenting) until they are dead...then you will get overrun by the enemy because you let all your teammates die and you are all alone.
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All that said, the thought that "I" could help "YOU" have a more enjoyable experience playing this game was a mistake as "YOU" clearly know more than I do about this game.

Edited by Armando, 15 August 2015 - 12:34 PM.