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Just spitballing here, but a lot of advice I find on here with regard to tactics and strategy rely on knowing your team or having an effective commander guiding the players, lances, and team as a whole. Generally knowing the flavor of mechs you're dropping with is straightforward right now because we can see it on the pre-drop screen. But that's it. Even if you have every mech variant memorized, the chances of everyone running a stock configuration are slim to none.
To remedy this, I'm thinking of a second tab similar to how the end of match screen works. All it would really need to show is each player and their mech's loadout. That way you know how many LRM boats you have, what kind of range your team can function at, or even develop a better strategy.
The Loadouts:
Let's say you've got 3 of each class to make numbers easier. Let's also say you've got 3 Ravens, none of which have TAG or NARC, but do have twin LL's and an ECM.
Moving up a weight class, let's say you've got mediums setup with a combo of SPL's, MG's, and ML.
Going up again, let's say your heavies are equipped with everything under the sun with one guy specializing in close, one at medium, and one with only long range weapons. Each range using the appropriate lasers and SRMs or LRMs.
Finally, your assaults all decided to rock the ammo-based setups with ACs, Gauss, and missiles.
Given this information at the beginning, a lance or company commander could develop a strategy dependent upon the map and hopefully help the team work together more effectively.
Alpine Peaks Strategy:
The lights will be most useful for scouting and harassing but will be unable to provide a significant amount of LRM targeting because they'll have to maintain LOS on an open map. This wouldn't be very good for their health. Next, the mediums are SOL unless they come in from the back or can manage to do some serious flanking as they duck between hills. Third, you know the heavies can stick together and cover themselves. They may work well for a self-sufficient diversion while your mediums and assaults get into position. Lastly, your assaults have limited ammo and need to use it intelligently. As such, the commander should make sure they understand that they pick their shots and unload into the enemy when they have a good chance of hitting. When they're ammo is up, they should move it and act as cannon fodder so the other three classes can take pot shots on the enemy. An assault with no ammo is only useful to take damage in place of a teammate.
Mining Collective Strategy:
The lights won't have long lanes to fire at the enemy through and thus should be used for initial scouting and harassing. If you're playing assault they may just head straight for the enemy base to try and cap it or distract the other team. The mediums would likely make great light hunters and hit-and-run brawlers because they have the short range and enough speed to weave in and out of buildings and through the ranks of the enemy team. Your heavies are a mixed bag because one may have range that handicaps it (the long range one) while the other two should be able to brawl in the tight quarters. Finally, your assaults may have a rough time because there are few firing lanes that let SRMs and ACs rack up damage. Also having a Gauss can be more of a handicap on this map unless you have a pilot that knows what they're doing.
Conclusion
As you can see, developing a strategy can be much easier if you generally know your team's loadout prior to dropping. Even if it never results in someone stepping up to lance or company command, the individual players can use the information for their own benefit. If I'm running a short-range brawler I might try to find a similar speed brawler to team up with. If I'm a light and my focus is on using TAG and NARC but my team has 0 LRM boats then I won't waste my time trying to mark the other team. This also could help new players (such as myself) get a feel for what the other variants can pack on them. If I see two different Catapult variants with their respectively different loadouts I can more readily associate the abreviated name with roughly the right weapons or hardpoints.
Just throwing it out there but I thought this might be a worthwhile suggestion for the game. Either way, I'm having a blast and can't wait to get on after work tonight and turn some mechs into scrap metal.
Edited by butchly13, 15 January 2016 - 01:04 PM.
