That right there is one of your biggest problems. It took me forever to get good with aiming at my terrible FPS (was around 14, now it's in the 19-22 range).
It makes using consistent ballistic fire very difficult. It also makes your weapons fire very inaccurate, because you're waving your beams around trying to catch things that might not be there 3 frames later.
Don't know what to add to all the answers already given.
Maybe emphasis one thing: higher fps = much better.
I did play on two diff. pcs for some time, a 4GHZ Intel i7 with 32GB Ram and GTX 970 (~90 fps @ 1920x1080) and a 3.4GHz Core 2 Quad with 8GB Ram and GTX760 (~30 fps @ 800x600, beamer and projection screen 1m x 0.75m).
The big screen does compensate some of the bad effects of the low fps but the difference is still huge.
And jumping from on mech to another, always trying different builds truly helps to keep your PSR low.
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Contrary to the constant abuse, LRM mechs are difficult to play well. I have over 700 matches in a single mech; the CPLT-C1.
It takes a lot of work to use it and generate kills. Even then, its not about the kills. Its about letting the brawlers kill their target a few seconds faster, so they take less damage and stay in the fight longer.
With low FPS (under 25), LRM mechs make you a more valuable contibution than trying to brawl against foes on 80fps/50 png connections. Reaction time matters at close range.
You wont get the framerate any higher with this setup. You are running an entry-level notebook CPU/APU there with integrated graphics. Is this a laptop or desktop pc? I saw there are also some entry-level PCs with this APU.
If this is something like a mini-tower PC you may be able to squeeze in a graphic card if it a a slot for this. You would get a better performance then, but the CPU will remain the bottleneck.
I was like you but watching these guys videos was very helpful they go through everything you need to know/do to improve your play,
i myself just got off a game where i got 5 kills and 5 assists and last week in a game where we was 10-7 down and i went on to kill the last 5 enemies to win, based on those videos of the above players.
So if a 56 year old can do it then so can you.
And to top it off EVERYONE is so helpful towards new players.
No, I don't plan to quit playing, but I am thinking about seeing just how low I can get my PSR to drop.
4 months of playing daily (currently 660 matches) and I am still very firmly in Tier 5. 48 kills, 612 deaths and a 0.08 rating and always seeing my rating drop after each mission.
At what point do you abandon an account and create a new one to start over now that you know what you are doing? Or is there hope of ever seeing Tier 4?
Seriously, the only thing we can help you with there is giving you tips on how to play. Try to make a video of an average match you have (deffinitely not your best match ever as that would negate the excercise adn one where you live long enough to actually be seen playing) and upload it to Youtube or simlar.
You will get uninformative morons posting you are crap and should feel crap etc... but just ignore them like the rest of us already do. Ask for players to give you a rundown of what you did wrong in that match and what you should be looking to do instead and Im 100% sure, that you will get some really good hints and tips from the community here.
No plans to quit, but initially wondered if my first few months are poor enough that the account is tainted and I should start over. Right now I am rather amused watching the bar on PSR drop from the middle to the N in pilot info (it was over the O when I started this thread)
PING likely sucks cause 10 households use the same cable box connection. We lose internet radio streaming all the time.
I changed settings and senativity to low and FPS is still 15 on average
Hi.
Sorry, I opened this thread and walked away from my computer before returning later to write an answer. Apparently, I missed some very important information regarding your system and connection specs as I did not refresh the page.
As already pointed out by others, your FPS count is way too low and this is together with not the greatest connection your biggest problem. Changing mouse sensitivity will not change this, I wrote that because I thought you had problems aiming. This suggestion will also only be helpful if you are able to increase the DPI settings on your mouse as well, or else the responsiveness will be way to slow. Also, turn off mouse acceleration in the OS.
Then again, as long as the game are running as slow as this, you will have problems regardless. As also pointed out, you should perhaps consider a LRM build. Keep in mind that even if they are easy to use, they are hard to master in a way that benefits your team.
Regarding the you dyeing immediately, often on the flanks, take a look at what I wrote earlier. Better yet, take a look at these two as they are good places to start regarding your play style issues and sugestet move to LRM boating. At least those can be dealt with without cost.
PING likely sucks cause 10 households use the same cable box connection. We lose internet radio streaming all the time.
Wut??
And your ping is not really the issue, but your framerate is killing you (literally). I run a pc that is true "potato" class, and my framerate stays around 30, which is really barely playable. I've been toying with the idea of buying a gaming pc, just dragging my feet on it really.
Ok, from a "potato" pc gamer, you need to add all this to your user config file :
The only thing you really don't need anymore is the top line, "cl_fov = 80", because now it's actually a setting you can manipulate from the game settings page. And make sure your damage glow is off, and all your video settings are on low in the game client settings.
This may help the framerates, but you'll still be driving a potato.
Agree with the recommendation to add more memory (from 4gb to 8gb at minimum) to the laptop if possible, theoretically it should help both the CPU and the integrated graphics in the APU since they usually share access to the same main memory. May still not be enough, but it's usually an easy laptop upgrade.
Second, see if you can get a wired access to the internet through your existing router. The wifi ping variability is probably also contributing to the problem.
Other than that, lower the screen resolution you are playing at, ie 1920x1080 to as low as you can go. This will reduce the work the APU has to do.
Most matches I average 100-300 damage but there have been way too many where I've scored 0 before death. (I drained my AC or LRM ammo and scored no hits at all? Seriously!) I definitely have accuracy issues which I am working on but either my weapon choices or abilities are awful cause damage output is so low.
Have you checked your frame rate? It may not be all you, it could be your rig. If you aren't getting at least 20 fps you're definitely hampering yourself. 30 is better.
Another solid piece of advise is to turn your mouse DPI down as low as possible. This will greatly improve your aim. I have multiple setups, but most run 400, 500, 1000 or 450, 500, 800. This really cuts down mouse shake and improves your aim immensely.
Edited by Kali Rinpoche, 09 January 2016 - 02:20 AM.
Have you checked your frame rate? It may not be all you, it could be your rig. If you aren't getting at least 20 fps you're definitely hampering yourself. 30 is better.
My FPS tonight is 9-11 Even with low settings and lowered mouse shake etc.
Poor computer (brand new last summer) and abysmal combat skills. (I sucked at phs ed in school too.) I will continue to play and be a hinderance to my lance-mates and easy kills for our opponents.
On the other hand, 480 in a CW match tonight...so personal best there. 1 kill as well.
Edited by MattNovaCat, 09 January 2016 - 09:10 PM.
Realistically, your problem has very little to do with your physical abilities.
You're new so you are still learning the game which is a non-trivial exercise in its own right. Couple that with a computer that cannot deliver a decent frame rate and variable latency on your connection and it becomes a gargantuan task.
Concentrate on the things you can improve independently of the hardware and connection constraints i.e. learning the maps, watching how teams move, working as backup for your team mates by sticking with them and firing on their targets, etc.
Again, I strongly recommend using weapons that either have guidance like streak or lrms. Alternatively, consider weapons that have spread like srms, lbx, or duration weapons like lasers.
Further more, you can learn to compensate a little for your constraints by watching your targeting reticle when firing to see if it turns red to indicate a hit and adjust your aim point accordingly till you learn how much to lead by. However, I would caution that having a variable latency in your connection makes this a little iffy.
My FPS tonight is 9-11 Even with low settings and lowered mouse shake etc.
The same thing happened to me when I first started. Once I invested in some hardware my game came along quickly and dramatically. In the meantime, take comfort that you aren't a bad player. You are playing an entirely different game from your opponents: one essentially where you're playing under a strobe light while they're playing in full daylight. It's no wonder you can't connect your shots as well and avoid shots the way they do.
If pulling together the scratch for a better setup is going to take a while and your current experience is just insufferable, you might want to limit your play until you can get on a more even field with everyone. Another alternative is to focus on weapons where you don't need such precise timing to make hits. Those that know me will laugh at my saying this, but try weapons that require locks or work more like a shotgun, like LRM's Streaks, and SRM's, for example.
Also, you could try a brawling playstyle where you get in your opponents face and aren't as likely to miss due to your low framerate. That would entail lots of SRM's, short range lasers, etc. Facetanking isn't a good strategy for long term survival in a fight, but it does let you hit your targets and contribute damage before going down. If you time it right, you can take one of their guys out of a fight focusing on you while your teammates wreck elsewhere.
Poor computer (brand new last summer) and abysmal combat skills. (I sucked at phs ed in school too.) I will continue to play and be a hinderance to my lance-mates and easy kills for our opponents.
Just to add - this tells me it might just be your graphics card. If you have the card that came with your machine, there's a good chance it just isn't up to snuff. A change here might get you up to 30+ fps and only cost $200 - $400. I'm assuming you're comfortable changing a graphics card on your own?
I have a terrible frame rate too. Here are a couple of tricks I've learned to compensate, especially when using lasers.
Pilot a slower mech. I've found that when I approach 100 kph my shots are all over the place. If I'm in a 70-80 kph medium I'll put up 300 - 400 point games frequently. I'll pilot a fast light and get under 100 damage even though it felt like my aim was just as good in the slower mech.
Fire at mechs that are a medium to long distance away. If a mech is within 75 m or so things break down. The other day I was piloting my 3 ERLL Crab and easily legged another Crab from 100- 150 m. I closed to finish him when an enemy legged Cheetah joined the fight. Even though I was right next to the Cheetah and had 4-5 what looked like good hits, nothing registered. Same thing with the crab once a friendly took out the Cheetah for me. I couldn't hit his remaining leg even though all my shots looked true.
Find out what maps are especially taxing on your frame rate and just accept that you will have to play a slower game and not do as well as on other maps. For me the three new maps are the worst. Forest Colony, River City, and Caustic Valley are bad maps for me.
To Paraphrase an old commercial: "Dude, it's the Framerate!"
Long story short -
I had an older computer (FPS around 14-18... sound familiar?? ), I could only do consistent damage and help my team playing LRM's and ERLL shooting at long distances.
I got a much better computer and graphics card, and my FPS shot up into the 30's and 40's and now hold my own in PUG matches, and truly have started getting "good" in CW using Lasers and Ballistics.
I can suggest springing for a new Graphics card to try to push up your FPS, or save up and get a "decent" Processor/Graphics card combo to get even better FPS. THAT decision is all dependent on your wants and financial means!
Glad you still enjoy the game! Hope all these suggestions given by folks that truly care increase that enjoyment!
Edited by William Slayer, 10 January 2016 - 10:53 AM.