18 replies to this topic

[Steel Mike Eels]

Ok this may sound like a noob question (it probably is) but I want to know what criteria you use to choose a new mech.

To be clear I'm not asking "which mech should I choose?" - I'm asking what are the criteria for the choices. where do you start? What do you take into consideration? What issues arise that a new player may not have considered? Stuff like that. Where do you put your focus and what drives your choices?

[Koniving]

Desire, will it work for what I need, am I in the mood to work with it, affordability, do I have a plan for it...

Things like that. For a new player usability and affordability are the two most important things.
You, not being new, would probably have a lot more options available to you.

[Nerdboard]

1. Does it look cool?
2. Can I think of a loadout which I do not already run on one or more other mechs?
3. Do I have the C-Bills for 3 of 'em.

[Steel Mike Eels]

Koniving, on 11 October 2015 - 12:39 PM, said:

Desire, will it work for what I need, am I in the mood to work with it, affordability, do I have a plan for it...

Things like that. For a new player usability and affordability are the two most important things.
You, not being new, would probably have a lot more options available to you.

Technically, I am new.
I've only just returned since Beta so it's like learning a whole new game again. I've dropped a few ££ on MC but I'm not going to be able to do that often in the near future.

[bayoucowboy]

Preferred play style (best figured out with trial mechs) - tank/brawler(assaults/heavies), skirmisher(heavies/mediums), scout(lights), sniper

IS or Clan

Cost vs Resources (MC/cbills/$$)

[Spleenslitta]

These are my priorities in descending order.
1st. I must have at least 90 kph after speed tweak and preferably JJ's no matter what the speed is.
2nd. Torso/arm twist limits. After all a weapon can only do me any good if i can aim it at the target.
3rd. I like having lower arm actuators for better brawling potential and fast response with arm weapons.
4th. A wide mix of weapon slots is good. If i only have energy slots the build will be hot. Constant firepower is more important to me than raw alpha strike potential.
5th I like assymetrical mechs most.

6th. Then i might look at quirks...maybe.

In short i don't give a damn about the quirks.

[Night Thastus]

I find whichever one people call the "Worst" and then pilot the **** out of it.

I'll get into the 1k damage club with a Panther-10P.

You'll see.

You'll all see.

[Spleenslitta]

Night Thastus, on 11 October 2015 - 02:04 PM, said:

I find whichever one people call the "Worst" and then pilot the **** out of it.

I'll get into the 1k damage club with a Panther-10P.

I have mostly the same attitude. My Vindicators and KFX are clear favorites of mine in their weightclasses.
My KFX outperforms my FS by about 10% average match damage....and this seems to be increasing nowadays.
Vindicators stands clearly superior in my medium mech collection.

[Steel Mike Eels]

Night Thastus, on 11 October 2015 - 02:04 PM, said:

I find whichever one people call the "Worst" and then pilot the **** out of it.

I'll get into the 1k damage club with a Panther-10P.

You'll see.

You'll all see.

I like how you think. I've found in other games that there is rarely ever a rubbish build - but there are perceptions of "poor"

so I often like to take something that is perceived as weak and turn it into a badass mofo.

[mailin]

My biggest consideration is can i make the mech work for me.

While i prefer lights can i do well enough in any weight class. Probably the biggest concern for new pilots though should be does this mech work with my playstyle. I say this because the weapons, speed and equipment will largely determine the playstyle. The worst mistake a new player can make is to try to play a mech with the wrong playstyle.

Edited by mailin, 12 October 2015 - 01:56 PM.

[Wayreth]

Start with the heavy mechs first, then the mediums and then the lights followed last by the assualts. This is how the skill progression better suits new players

[Durant Carlyle]

My criteria:

1. Nostalgia. Is this one of the 'Mechs I like from the books and TROs? If yes, put a check in the Pros column. If not, then no check.
2. Looks. I will not pilot a 'Mech that I don't like the looks of. I even look at the walk/run animations in third person view.
3. Can I make at least one build that I consider fun?

That #2 is a real ball-breaker. There are several 'Mechs that I like but there's something about them that makes them unacceptable. Even the Marauder (my second favorite 'Mech of all time, behind the Locust [yes, the Locust is my #1]) isn't immune -- the orthos on the MWO instagram show it to be extremely front-heavy, looking as if it would be constantly fighting against falling forward. The hips are pretty far back, and the foot pivot is even farther back. However, I'm going to wait to see what it looks like in-game, as they have changed 'Mech stances between previews and live servers before.

Quirks don't even come into the equation. If I can take advantage, great ... if not, oh well.

Edit: Rhavin brought up something I forgot -- ECM. Some consider it important, but I don't. I have more than 10 'Mechs that can run it, but I've only got it on one -- one of my three Spider 5Ds.

Edited by Durant Carlyle, 12 October 2015 - 07:13 AM.

[Rhavin]

Outside of sheer desire to play a mech cause I loved it on tabletop or In an earlier mw game I think about the following in some order or another.

1) does it move well, speed isn't a necessity, but turn rate and torso twist matter. I like to go quickly in the direction I want, and if I can shoot practically behind me while moving away tgat is always a plus. jump jets are a plus here, hop turning is king when moving at speed.

2) can I put ECM on it, face it friends, it's called Jesus box for a reason and any mech that can carry ecm will. My flank, stick and move playstyle benefits immensely from having ecm, it isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. My Warhawks and cauldronbournes don't have it but...

3) does it look cool, particularly with flame or phraken camo, because those are my favorite camos. PhraKen on a Warhawk is cool looking, flames on my jags are awesome! I don't care for humanoid mechs either, though it isn't a deal breaker.

4) What can I load on it, I prefer a mix of weapons, having energy slots is a must, I hate counting beans (ammo). I do like having a ballistic slot for an AC 10 or 20 on heavier mechs.

That said my most piloted mechs are hunchback family, Warhawk , Cauldronborn, hellbringer oxide, shadowcat and artic cheetah. I own at least one varient of every chassis But those are my favorites. I love my hunchbacks from bowling with atlases days, and shadowcats are just so maneuverable despite their lack of hardpoints, cauldronborne was my go too mech in tabletop, hellbringer is just so perfect, the cheetah is a tabletop friend as well that I would Lance up with a Warhawk, Cauldron, and hellbringer week after week. Nostalgia, memory formed from the adolescent imagining of autocannon thunder and the smell and sight of PPC shots sending my Uncle's Warhammer down into a pilet of useless myomer fibers and melted iron.....

If I could only have one of each weight class the warhawk, hellbringer, scat, and cheetah would make the cut. Only one mech? The Warhawk, no contest. It looks awesome, moves spectacularly for its weight in both speed and agility, it has great hardpoints, decent hitboxes, and it just suits me. I love two lrm 10s, 1 UAC 10 and 4 medium lasers With a BAP and TC1. If it had ecm it would be broken And everyone would be on the masakari love train. I do wish it had a single jump jet to get me over bugged terrain, but no biggie. I hated assaults until I bought that mech and I have 2 that are 50k exp over master now. Most mechs I stop piloting much after mastery lvl but I can't put the Warhawks away.

[Leone]

Kilgrave, on 11 October 2015 - 12:34 PM, said:

where do you start? What do you take into consideration?

I start thinking about what I want that I can't already do. Do I want a medium laser boat? Got Nova's, good on it. Wait, do I want an IS medium laser boat for CW....

Kilgrave, on 11 October 2015 - 12:34 PM, said:

What issues arise that a new player may not have considered?

CW load out compatibility, or NBT if you get inna that. I 'unno 'bout you, but I don't actually come here for solo queue. Most new players can skip this. Hit boxes are a thing that I should probably put here, because that's prolly why I don't care for my orions.

Kilgrave, on 11 October 2015 - 12:34 PM, said:

Stuff like that. Where do you put your focus and what drives your choices?

For me the choices are about weaponry. Yeah, sure being able to move is nice, and I don't mind a bit of armour here an there, but trust me, I've placed twenty tons of weaponry on a firestarter before. For me, it's all about what weaponry can I bring.

~Leone.

[Galen Crayn]

Style is everything. I only have mechs i like or love - after that i am looking for a build thats fun to play with

[dragnier1]

1) Did i get a free mech from event? If so i'd probably grab 2 more

2) Mech looks cool? Found workable builds on smurfy? Grab them.

3) Mechs on same? Smurfy. Like what i designed? Grab them.

Something like that.

[DemonicDonut]

I decide what I want a mech for, then make a list of one's that can perform how I want.

I like when the three are different enough to offer some different flavor, I hate wasting money to buy one then sell it later after I basic it.

bonus points for mech agility/JJs.

I don't rely on quirks, they not only change, but they can make you feel like you HAVE to run a certain build or boat a certain weapon, which can make them boring after a time and you might not want to try a new build because it's not "optimal" for the mech, but may be for you. Don't get me wrong, I have a 2-AC5 wolverine and a 6 LLaser stalker and enjoy them, but I like to run an AC20 in my grid iron as much as gauss etc.

Also, does the mech utilize an engine I already own one or more of? I've gathered quite a few but don't have some sizes that are optimal for some mechs. Engines are relatively expensive and I'd rather not have to buy new ones if possible.

[Not A Real RAbbi]

Another wacky suggestion, mostly because REASONS...

Find out what everyone thinks is the WORST mech per weight class (light, medium, heavy, assault) per faction (Inner Sphere, Clan). Pick those up.

See, what you'll find out in piloting those is, what do you most wish it COULD do better? I could buy an Arctic Cheetah, but I've already got everything in it that I could want other than more tonnage for stuff. I won't know whether I appreciate speed more than Jump Jets, or ECM more than ballistic hard points, because I have all the things.

Instead, maybe I'll pick up a Commando. No jump jets, only the -2D (I think?) has ECM, it's relatively slow for a light mech, and not a whole lot you can do for weapons. Then figure out from THAT mech (this is, by the way, EXACTLY what I did in open beta when I started my first MWO account) what I want most that my mech just doesn't have. Thus began a love affair with the Jenner (STILL have a JR7-D(S) and JR7-F(C) on this, my second account, and love them both), only spoiled when ECM came online and the Jenner was left out of that revolution. Even then, ran the heck out of it.

So, maybe consider mechs that suck, figure out which ways they suck that suck the most for YOU, and then figure out what doesn't suck in those ways, and buy THAT.

[Thorqemada]

Do i like the Mech, has it the Lore, Look, Weapons, Equipment i feel good with.
Is it fun to Pilot.
Is it able to fight back.

If anything is yes it is Battleready - if not it gathers Dust.

Edited by Thorqemada, 12 October 2015 - 01:47 PM.