101 replies to this topic

[Snuggles Time]

There is also a Tier disparity here which can be noticed across all maps. LRM's are not regularly viable in higher tier matches; a player may be able to get away with a game here or there but prolonged usage is a no-go. Players simply do not stay at optimal distance for LRM boats to be effective and LRM boats do not play well with the high damage pin point alpha brawling style. Once a wall of LRM's goes up, people not being shot look for UAV's or people tagging/narcing and suppress those things. People also tend to bring more ECM and also stay with the group covering more people and use cover for a PVE solution to LRMS.

Compare this to lower tier matches were people do no stay in groups or reliably bring ECM mechs. They crest over the top of hills and stay there as opposed to staying in trenches and moving to the sides. Newer players typically gravitate to Assault mechs, which can be tough to spread LRM damage in if you do not have torso twisting down. Also a glorious lack of torso twisting and not front loading your armor. Not actively scanning for UAV's or tagging/narcing mechs. Standing the middle of firing lanes and not using cover.

Take everything into account and LRM's are the king of lower tier matches, in tier 3 LRM's get dethroned by ballistics, laser vomit, and light mechs. Tier 1/2 usually only sees LRM's from pre-made groups.

[DAEDALOS513]

MechsForTheMechGods, on 28 January 2016 - 05:04 PM, said:

I just wish I could get to actually play this damn map. I have only seen it twice in vote screen and alot of people seem to hate it, but I really need to play this map to have a good idea on what it is like.

Goddamn map voting....

Man, i get this map way too often.. just picture a long flat map and.. and.. THAT'S IT. This is basically it! LRMs reign supreme on this map. PGI catered and created a map for players that use LRM's. End of story.

[AnimeFreak40K]

Rattazustra, on 27 January 2016 - 11:22 AM, said:

I maintain this, but I do not deem it an issue any longer. The map IS incompatible with most of the dominant game mechanics, but I no longer feel that it is the shortcoming of this map. it is a shortcoming of all other maps to allow for such discrepancies to exist in the first place. The cover situation is actually quite interesting. There is little to no HARD cover. That IS a problem. There is a lot of soft cover and indirect cover, though. Overall it is fine. It is just not very forgiving. Nonetheless, after more thought on the matter I feel more maps should be like this one. Especially CW maps. More asymetrical obstacles would be nice and in general PGI should give every map multiple sets of spawn locations that are randomly picked each time so that it does not become repetitive, but that is something else entirely.

This, right here, is *EXACTLY* why I feel that Polar Highlands is a great map. It forces players to adopt a completely different mindset that, to be frank, should never have existed in the first place... or at the very least, should not have taken as strong of a hold such that they became dominant in the first place.

Is it perfect? No. Issues such as lack of hard cover, spawn points for assaults, etc. are things I can see as being legitimate issues. That said, there is nothing wrong with having a map that has a lot of the core concepts that make Polar Highlands a great map (asymetrical obstacles , demand for actual team-oriented play, etc.) are things that should be applied into maps moving forward, both in Public and CW maps.

This being said, I really think that the more people play on and adapt to this map and future maps that are developed going in this direction, the present set of maps will end up being played in a different manner. I mean, think about it; imagine how much different playing on River City or Alpine Peaks will be if people played those maps in the same manner that Polar Highlands demands.

[Gerwig]

it's a meta-fest perfect for long range laser vomit, nice and cold. of course people love it.
This is what a CW map should be like as far as size,design,etc.

[762 NATO]

While I agree that this breaks the meta, it is something of a welcome break. I solo PUG (Tier 3 currently up from 5) almost exclusively so when I get to this map (completely against my will), either my team either brought ECM and AMS and fails to utilize it, or doesn't and bemoans their fate.

My OPINION is the map is just too big. Trimming it down by a single gridsquare on all sides would be a simple and easy fix. Two grids would bring it down to the size that is more comfortable without too much sacrifice. (See how I did that? Posted a solution to my problem instead of whining.)

Currently my experience:
Conquest: A deathball that NasCars around the points and whoever is faster as a group wins, either by turning inwards when they own 3 points or just running in circles (lots of fun and worth a whole 120xp).

Assault: Stay at your base while the whole opposing team walks at you -or- do unto others. If you do take the walk, you get base capped. If you stand still, you have no reasonable cover.

Skirmish: Meh, whatever. Shoot stuff/die. If you can coordinate a flanking maneuver off a firing line, you will probably win. But if you can coordinate anything in a PUG, you would probably win anyway.

Edited by 762 NATO, 30 January 2016 - 01:57 PM.

[Chados]

I wanted to hate Polar Highlands.

I just knew it would be a LRM and sniper paradise.

Then I ran it.

I employed terrain masking. Because there exist so very many opportunities to employ terrain masking.

Fun happened. More fun than on any other map.

I'm liking Polar Highlands. Just as it is.

Oh, by the way: I've been running it with SRM brawlers. Inner Sphere SRM brawlers. Yes, Virginia, you can get close to the enemy and rain SRMs on them...if you use terrain masking. Skylining yourself on this map is an invitation to get lurmed into the ground or to lame gauss/ERLL snipers to pop another Red Bull and reach for that bag of Cheetos while they snipe you dead from invisible distances. But use natural cover...and watch 'em scatter like the roaches they are when you pop out from a wash or gully IN THEIR FACES with three ASRM4s! Let the giggles begin.

And full disclosure: I'm a tier 5 scrublady with a 0.62 KDR, who has great difficulty seeing over my steering wheel. Yet I'm able to fire and maneuver on Polar Highlands. If I can do it, anyone can.

Edited by Chados, 31 January 2016 - 05:23 AM.

[Warpig1227]

I just started playing MWO the day before Polar Highlands came out so I don't have any entrenched opinions about what effect this map has on the existing game mechanics but I LOVE this map. I can see advantages and disadvantages to the layout and pacing of the other maps but action does tend to focus on two to three chokepoints in the all of the others. It gives them the feel of being a close quarters FPS twitch fest, generally without many surprises or the ability to maneuver. Polar Highlands is the sort of terrain I would expect mechs to be employed in. In past MW games mechs were integrated as part of a larger warfighting effort. Combined arms and maneuver made missions varied and interesting. Most of the MWO maps make you forget that you are piloting a vehicle, rather than walking on your own two legs. Knowing how to take advantage of terrain and position your vehicle are important aspects of fighting from a vehicle. Long lanes of fire, suppression, flanking, requirement for thinking and strategy, and being able to adapt to the changing lines are some of my favorite parts. Forcing pilots to analyze terrain and find different covered approaches is amazing. And desperately trying to find cover to break and LRM lock can be really heart pounding.

I don't have strong opinions about anything yet as I am still learning the game but it seems this map adds variety to a selection of maps that are all fairly similar, at least in playstyle if not in appearance or layout.

As for the issue about lances being too spread out due to speed, why are people so opposed to slowing down and waiting on the heavies and assaults? You're going to be in position to do the most damage if you can get the gunlines set into each other so you might as well wait for your biggest guns to establish your lines. One part of it might be the that the default throttle key only lets you go full speed ahead. Use the numpad, set your throttle at 50-75%. Another two minutes waited isn't a terrible thing and it will let you set up a much more enjoyable, fluid match.

[Kjudoon]

Heuvadoches, on 19 January 2016 - 07:26 PM, said:

As the title says. It's a sucky lrmfest. Will avoid it as much as possible and even take the penalty for quitting the games. This map sucks.

...again....

[MarineTech]

Personally, I'm still loving the new map.

Of course I spent some time on it in the training grounds making notes of where all the sneaky places are.

Hang out in a fold in the terrain, pop up and whack a couple enemies, drop back down, check notes and move along to the next spot. Rinse, repeat.

I was running a Dakka Ebon Jaguar Saturday in a Pug match and had a Warhawk, a Quickdraw, and a Catapult tied up and occupied all by my lonesome. They just kept wandering around and wondering what fold in the ground I was going to pop out of next.

If you're a sneaky light pilot, this map should be Nirvana for you.

[Tordin]

ShinVector, on 20 January 2016 - 12:36 AM, said:

AMS?

Some rather whine WAAAAAAAH BAD MAP. Innstead of ever trying that out. The other half just want to hate maps that are LRM friendly so there might be enough salty tears that pgi remove the map, if not down voting it works of course. There shouldnt be ANY voting of maps, always random so people MUST play maps they hate. Imagine the sea of tears, oh my!

Bring AMS, ECM, even use the odd thing called cover, because there are on the polar map even if scarse. I hate being bombarded by LRM, but I want to adapt and do truly love to rain death with lrm myself, just to annoy the **** outta possible haters

I kinda feel sad for energy meta heads wanting cold maps like polar to play on too but wont get the chance because all fear that lrm boats might have a slight chance to have fun and make that particular weapons to shine in usage, if ever so slightly..

Edited by Tordin, 01 February 2016 - 02:31 PM.

[DAEDALOS513]

Tordin, on 01 February 2016 - 02:30 PM, said:

Some rather whine WAAAAAAAH BAD MAP. Innstead of ever trying that out. The other half just want to hate maps that are LRM friendly so there might be enough salty tears that pgi remove the map, if not down voting it works of course. There shouldnt be ANY voting of maps, always random so people MUST play maps they hate. Imagine the sea of tears, oh my!

Bring AMS, ECM, even use the odd thing called cover, because there are on the polar map even if scarse. I hate being bombarded by LRM, but I want to adapt and do truly love to rain death with lrm myself, just to annoy the **** outta possible haters

I kinda feel sad for energy meta heads wanting cold maps like polar to play on too but wont get the chance because all fear that lrm boats might have a slight chance to have fun and make that particular weapons to shine in usage, if ever so slightly..

I SO ENJOY trolling this map with my lrm5 oxide.. just scored 800 damage. Would have scored more but I ran out of ammo. Cover is garbage when you have adv target decay. This map is pure lrm map plain and simple. If you don't hate this map, I will make you hate it whenever I take out my lrm oxide.

To heck if you think I'm gonna start equipping ams just cuz this map was created. PGI needs to create more cover on this map and make it less of a football field. We need to start expecting better from PGI.. after all this wait and to receive a simplistic map like this? C'mon..

Edited by DAEDALOS513, 01 February 2016 - 02:36 PM.

[Wildstreak]

I think we are up to LRMageddon 5 now showing in theaters alongside Rambo 12, Rocky 14 and Terminator 17.

[Initium Thoth]

This map is fine. I can understand that for those that are used to the other maps, it's a big change.

I've even mentioned something about this kind of map before it was included back in December: http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4912946

If I have LRMs they are just ancillary. They provide annoyance and a way to control opfor.

What wins on this map are light ACs, ERLL, Gauss & ERPPC/PPC(w mods)... oh and radar deprivation.

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__4962530

I hope that this endless whining can stop soon. If we should whine about anything it's that there are so few maps. Who would have guessed that the 100+ maps available for MW4:Mercs would look so great now.

[D A T A]

naaaaah, need even less cover and longer range, i am sick of those srms smallpulse ac20 no aim noobs friendly maps.


give even less cover so i can burn your ct with erll at 1500 meters and dual gauss you at 2000 meters like the Whole ITx corp does on boreal vault when it ends 48-0

[Setun]

If I and many others can waddle an Atlas through the entire map to get within brawling range and stay above 97% integrity you can too. You need to use the hills / trenches to your advantage. Just running out in the open ain't gonna cut it.

[el piromaniaco]

Well, the OP never answered to one of the post in his thread.
So i asume he was just to lazy to search for the "Daily Whine" thread.
He also makes his "I know best and i need to have it my way, no discussion about it"-worldview clear when he states the "I'll disconnect" and with his signature.

Anyways, i love the map. In my opinion it's nice and a very welcome differrence to other maps we have in MWO.

Greetings

el piro

[Karl Streiger]

IL MECHWARRIOR, on 02 February 2016 - 12:51 AM, said:

give even less cover so i can burn your ct with erll at 1500 meters and dual gauss you at 2000 meters like the Whole ITx corp does on boreal vault when it ends 48-0

oh 2000m for a gauss....come on.... give me a Red Glowing Eye Atlas and i won't move i promise - i bet when you slaughtered those couple e of pugs at range that was much smaller

but at least you are right.... polar highland is a good mech for short range engagements.
Run 100kph with a decent punch and go the long way.... and rip the LRMs Mechs into shreds from behind (work also vs Ubersniperbuddys)

[osakashogun]

Again I have to stress the importance of J6 defense for those lucky enough to drop closer to that area, it eliminates most of the LRM issues and has plenty of cover for all 12 friendlies. DWs and short range mechs can play viciously there. I still get teams that don't seem to really understand this... THAT is when I get pissed off enough to even consider something like disconnecting and it has nothing whatsoever to do with weight classes variants or build types that I might be in at that moment. It comes down to failure to slam across the level to J6 taking the fastest possible route and picking lines like Takumi Fujiwara. Unless you drop facing the wrong way you should jackrabbit start and make whatever course corrections are necessary to get your slow *** DW or whatever to safety and hope to hell the other team didn't beat you to that cover area. Once you're in there its funny to hear all those LRMs pounding the structure you're kissing. It's like music...

Worrying about other tactics should be the burden of the team too far to make it there first! Conquest mode might be a whole different story though.

I'm talking about a general strategy for puggers, high level games between premades can have so many more dimensions that I could maybe see other strategies in that case.

Edited by osakashogun, 03 February 2016 - 03:13 PM.

[0111101]

Signing in was my first mistake. Looking at the forums was my first second. I told myself I'd never do it again since this is where reason comes to die. But then I made a third mistake, I opened this thread. Now that I'm here and I've read some responses to the glorious shiptoast that is this thread, I'll freely make another mistake.

I see people crying about LRMs. If being killed by LRMs on Polar Highlands is your main complaint, you're just bad. That's all there is to it. When there's ECM, AMS, the Radar Deprivation module, plenty of hills to break line of sight, and that thing rattling around inside your skull called a brain, LRMs should be no problem. It may be atrophied and sluggish, but do try dedicating some of those precious few brain cells you have towards changing the way you play on Polar Highlands. the problem exists between the keyboard and chair, not in the design of the map. Polar Highlands is a breath of fresh air in a stale map rotation that has, up to this point, encouraged deathballing and nascar around a single prominent location. Now that people are getting something new and different from the norm, they're crying foul? And worse yet, crying foul over LRMs!?!? They're the least practical weapon system in the game excluding flamers and machine guns!

[DAEDALOS513]

0111101, on 03 February 2016 - 05:01 PM, said:

Signing in was my first mistake. Looking at the forums was my first second. I told myself I'd never do it again since this is where reason comes to die. But then I made a third mistake, I opened this thread. Now that I'm here and I've read some responses to the glorious shiptoast that is this thread, I'll freely make another mistake.

I see people crying about LRMs. If being killed by LRMs on Polar Highlands is your main complaint, you're just bad. That's all there is to it. When there's ECM, AMS, the Radar Deprivation module, plenty of hills to break line of sight, and that thing rattling around inside your skull called a brain, LRMs should be no problem. It may be atrophied and sluggish, but do try dedicating some of those precious few brain cells you have towards changing the way you play on Polar Highlands. the problem exists between the keyboard and chair, not in the design of the map. Polar Highlands is a breath of fresh air in a stale map rotation that has, up to this point, encouraged deathballing and nascar around a single prominent location. Now that people are getting something new and different from the norm, they're crying foul? And worse yet, crying foul over LRMs!?!? They're the least practical weapon system in the game excluding flamers and machine guns!

Two 4xLRM5 OXIDE's.. i've since added more ammo and almost broke 1000. This map has troll-ville written all over it... bring your ER's.. bring your LRM boats.. all the cheese builds are welcome here... cuz there's nowhere to hide. AMS is weak especially when focus firing.. I'm not about to start using it just because this map was created anyway. Radar derp is great but not a cure-all.. having eyes on enemy from multiple angles defeats that module. If you don't hate this map now.. I will make you hate it sooner or later. Worst map ever.

Edited by DAEDALOS513, 03 February 2016 - 05:43 PM.