209 replies to this topic

[Kristian Radoulov]

Last night my roommate and I were having a long talk about the meta and how people's closed minds when it comes to mech builds take so much of the fun and variety out of the game. I mean really why even have the mechlab if we all end up using cookie-cutter builds? Just give us a sniper gun, chain gun, RPG, pistol, etc like any other FPS and be done with it!

To that end I want to showcase a "bad" mech doing well once a week here to hopefully encourage people to start thinking for themselves and finding ways to make each mech work. *update this will now include mechlab theorycrafting as well*

Mods, I know this thread could go into player creations, but I really hope you keep it in the general discussion so that it can be at the forefront of people's minds and we start to break the meta up a bit and add a little variety to the game.

Week 8 Video: 4 Kills 978 DMG Atlas S (XL ENGINE!!!)



Week 7 Video: 4 Kills 549 DMG Orion V (STD ENGINE SAY WHAT?!?!)



Week 6 Video: 7 Kills 884 DMG Orion K as requested by Mycrus, DaveGT27 and Novakaine.



Week 5 Video: 3 Kills 848 DMG Cataphract 0XP featuring a forumwarrior Bishop Steiner kill



Week 4 Video: 2 Kills 670 DMG AS7-D-DC featuring an old school Atlas push right into the enemy line



Week 3 Video: 712 DMG WVR-7D Match (Loyalty Mech FTW!!!!)



Second Week Video: 1 Kill 601 DMG Zeus 6S Match




First Week Video: 3 Kills 721 DMG Ice Ferret Match

Edited by Kristian Radoulov, 06 April 2016 - 04:43 PM.

[Sarlic]

I'm having fun with my Atlai builds.

None of them are 'meta' but they are in my taste my opinion 'optimized'. I enjoy building different loadouts and deliver a pounding. Even when i fail to deliver the pounding i still have my joy out of these builds.

I have tried the current laserspam on a trowaway account and i must say its incredible dull and easy to get some high damage numbers with it. I didnt have to do a thing (or better said: no effort) and everyone who thinks this is 'skilled' is in my opinion fooling them selves.

It's rediculous. But the Clanners is not something for me. Never liked it.

Edited by Sarlic, 16 September 2015 - 11:08 AM.

[Yosharian]

Even an Ice Ferret can pull some damage if its completely ignored in a match. Doesn't mean you've 'broken' the meta.

[Kdogg788]

I like the "Flak Jager" build I found for the A. AC20, 3 ASRM6, 2ML. The Arrow machine gun build with a large pulse and mediums is nice too.

-k

[Kristian Radoulov]

Yosharian, on 16 September 2015 - 11:15 AM, said:

Even an Ice Ferret can pull some damage if its completely ignored in a match. Doesn't mean you've 'broken' the meta.

I was not ignored in the match as evidenced by my beat up mech and the fact I pushed hard into the enemy line a couple of times and had to fight my way out of a surround.

Edited by Kristian Radoulov, 16 September 2015 - 11:23 AM.

[Red Shrike]

Kristian Radoulov, on 16 September 2015 - 10:54 AM, said:

Last night my roommate and I were having a long talk about the meta and how people's closed minds when it comes to mech builds take so much of the fun and variety out of the game.

You're absolutely right.

Kristian Radoulov, on 16 September 2015 - 10:54 AM, said:

To that end I want to showcase a "bad" mech doing well once a week here to hopefully encourage people to start thinking for themselves and finding ways to make each mech work.

I don't even know what a "bad" mech looks like.

Heh, nice video.

Sarlic, on 16 September 2015 - 11:05 AM, said:

I'm having fun with my Atlai builds.

None of them are 'meta' but they are in my taste my opinion 'optimized'. I enjoy building different loadouts and deliver a pounding. Even when i fail to deliver the pounding i still have my joy out of these builds.

I dunno where on the meta scale it's located, but I run my AS7-S with the standard AS7-D loadout. And I'm doing alright.

[Jman5]

The funny thing is I occasionally see the great players in non-meta mechs and often times they do just as well in them. Sometimes they even do consistently better. Then they turn around in the same breath and say the mech is bad.

Meta build are sturdy and strong at what they do, but it's not some magic voodoo.

[Sarlic]

Quote

I dunno where on the meta scale it's located, but I run my AS7-S with the standard AS7-D loadout. And I'm doing alright.

Good for you. That's the joy we seek' no?

Jman5, on 16 September 2015 - 11:37 AM, said:

The funny thing is I occasionally see the great players in non-meta mechs and often times they do just as well in them. Sometimes they even do consistently better. Then they turn around in the same breath and say the mech is bad.

Meta build are sturdy and strong at what they do, but it's not some magic voodoo.

Really? I have seen the opposite to be honest. Running the 'meta' is a thing is it takes no effort to be good at it.

Edited by Sarlic, 16 September 2015 - 11:45 AM.

[Lorian Sunrider]

Kristian, you and I have had discussions both in threads and via PM about how I may not watch every single video you upload like I do with some content creators, if you keep making these I guarantee I will watch if for no other reason than build ideas I can use myself. I don't always run Meta and I'll usually only resort to it if I'm on a losing streak and I need a win to boost my morale.

Keep it up!

Edited by Lorian Sunrider, 16 September 2015 - 11:41 AM.

[Lorian Sunrider]

Sarlic, on 16 September 2015 - 11:39 AM, said:

Really? I have seen the opposite to be honest. Running the 'meta' is a ting is it takes no effort to be good at it.

Depends on the pilot. Take St.Jobe for example. Most people can't make Commando's viable. Yet he still consistently outscores a lot of people in Meta build Mechs.

I for one run Jenners, Adders and lots of other non-meta lights and mediums. And it's still fairly frequent that I'm in the top 3-4 on the team in damage/score.

However, I do agree that if you take a mediocre pilot and put them in the Thunderbolt or a Timby? Yeah, they will likely do better. Honestly I love my Timby's because I run Dual UAC5's on one and an UAC20 on the other, but I get why people say they are easy mode. Thunderbolts are honestly the easiest for me to load up Meta builds and just wreck shop on.

[Yosharian]

Kristian Radoulov, on 16 September 2015 - 11:21 AM, said:

I was not ignored in the match as evidenced by my beat up mech and the fact I pushed hard into the enemy line a couple of times and had to fight my way out of a surround.

The match was an absolute steamroll where you mostly poked in a fast clan mech armed with ERML, one of the most overpowered weapon systems in the game for ranged combat. You were mostly ignored or experienced very little return fire. You didn't break any meta, period.

[Alek Ituin]

Kdogg788, on 16 September 2015 - 11:18 AM, said:

I like the "Flak Jager" build I found for the A. AC20, 3 ASRM6, 2ML. The Arrow machine gun build with a large pulse and mediums is nice too.

-k

No no, silly.

Flak Jäger is quad AC/2's with some MLas backups, or as I like to call them, "Flak-38's".

[Squirg]

"Let's break the meta!"

>runs a clan laserboat.




Snobbery aside, I like the idea you have. What you posed just isn't it.

[Lorian Sunrider]

Squirg, on 16 September 2015 - 11:54 AM, said:

"Let's break the meta!"

>runs a clan laserboat.

Snobbery aside, I like the idea you have. What you posed just isn't it.

While I don't disagree on the running a laser boat comment, I think the Mech being run plays a large part of the Meta as well.

[Rhaythe]

I slapped a UAC20 on my Adder. I <3 it so much.

[xMintaka]

The point of the meta builds is that they perform consistently well with an average pilot.

Having one or two good games a week in subpar builds is hardly breaking the meta. Anyone can post a one off match with 2+ kills and >500 damage if you give them a week to try for that "perfect" game.​​​​

[Lorian Sunrider]

Rhaythe, on 16 September 2015 - 12:07 PM, said:

I slapped a UAC20 on my Adder. I <3 it so much.

I do that too! What else do you manage to get in there? I'm at work so I can't watch right now.

I think mine has 3 SML and 2.5 tons of ammo or something along those lines.

Edited by Lorian Sunrider, 16 September 2015 - 12:14 PM.

[Rhaythe]

Lorian Sunrider, on 16 September 2015 - 12:14 PM, said:

I do that too! What else do you manage to get in there? I'm at work so I can't watch right now.

I think mine has 3 SML and 2.5 tons of ammo or something along those lines.

Think you're pretty much running a carbon copy of mine.

[Tyler Valentine]

Bringing a clan 'mech boating med lasers is hardly non-meta... Just reworked my guassless Dire Wolf to include 4 machine guns. That's how you do it.

[SolarCleric]

Kristian Radoulov, on 16 September 2015 - 10:54 AM, said:

Last night my roommate and I were having a long talk about the meta and how people's closed minds when it comes to mech builds take so much of the fun and variety out of the game. I mean really why even have the mechlab if we all end up using cookie-cutter builds? Just give us a sniper gun, chain gun, RPG, pistol, etc like any other FPS and be done with it!

To that end I want to showcase a "bad" mech doing well once a week here to hopefully encourage people to start thinking for themselves and finding ways to make each mech work.

Mods, I know this thread could go into player creations, but I really hope you keep it in the general discussion so that it can be at the forefront of people's minds and we start to break the meta up a bit and add a little variety to the game.

First Week Video: 3 Kills 721 DMG Ice Ferret Match

Look my friend, every game out there has meta builds....world of warcraft, league of legends, call of duty, diablo3, you name the game and there is a meta (most effective play style) for it. That's just how things roll in the video game world. By all means make whatever build you want...but the most effective builds right now involve lasers.....lots of lasers...with....pinpoint damage. Even a long long time from now when the re-balance (the end times) happens...there will be a month maybe where people will be playing all sorts of whacky builds....but eventually it will boil down to a new kind of meta build. Just relax, enjoy the game anyway you like to play it, and look forward to the changes to come. I'm hoping machine guns become the new weapon of choice...wouldn't that be hilarious! I'd love an excuse to dust off my old spider.