88 replies to this topic

[Father Tork]

For me, my Atlas is the have fun I don't wanna play to seriously mech. I run the SplAtlas, and expect last about 60-90 seconds once I commit, and ideally, get 700-900 damage in that time. I have competitive builds for other assaults I run when I feel like it, but sometimes, you just wanna have fun.

BUILD

[Lugh]

My Atlas leads the charge. Doesn't matter how I've build that Atlas. It's designed to soak fire and lay down some hurt.

The sooner the PUG life team realizes that the ATLAS is charging and supports me, the more success they have.

I often Atlas going all in C3 please follow.

And it often takes a second guy yelling SUPPORT THE FRACKING ATLAS. For people to get moving.

Comp teams don't have that hesitation. Teams that are merely good have a little bit of that, teams that are bad simply let the Atlas/Dire/Exe/Etc. die alone. And continue cowering and dying 1 by 1 do to isolation, and overwhelming focus on single targets done by 2-4 mechs at a time on those single targets.

[Bishop Steiner]

TheTipOfTheSpear, on 07 March 2016 - 08:04 AM, said:

Hey guys relative newbie here. I started this game because of just how amazing the Atlas looked on game ads and for its general all round badassery. Basically, I love my Atlases. However, I mostly solo que with PUG matchs. What this usually means is that my matches end very quickly, with me leading a charge that either fails and ends with me doing little to no damage or epic steam rolls that ends with 600 to 1000 or more damage. Either way, the results were extremely inconsistent. Getting tired of this short of gameplay, starting from two days ago, I started playing alot more passively in the early game and only making calculated pushes into isolated groups of 3 to 4 mechs. I do not be to brag when I say this, but I generally can out brawl any mech ingame in a atlas with my srms and ac20 strikes (which is to be expected). However, contrary to popular belief, leading a charge does not mean brawling. It means torso twisting like crazy with little accuracy and a dead mech or heavy damaged mech depending on whether or not your team follows through with you. When I find that I'm the second one in, I can successfully do massive amount of damage. By switching to this playstyle, my damage has spiked with average of 600 dmg or more in the past 2 days with 3 games over 1000 dmg. One game even managed to hit 1300. However, by implementing this short of wait and see approach, I have been yelled at ingame chat and VoIP for not playing the atlas correctly.
TL;DR do you think that a Atlas has a duty as the mech to always be the first one into the breach, tank as much damage as possible despite how much potential damage it can do when it gets into range? Please give me valid opinions and reasons as why why you think so.
Good hunting!

I do, but with a Caveat...only if the 11 other wusses on your team support you. An Atlas, and most assaults SHOULD be that guy. And more likely than not, will go down in the course of the battle. But your teammates, like me, in my Hunchback, are obligated to be on your flank , focusing firing as many bad guys as possible, whilst you and the other Assaults weather the storm.

Problem is this game seems to be largely populated by gutless wimps who would rather loses slow, peeking for 10 minutes, than to display the aggressiveness mandatory to consistently win, even if it it means dying on occasion. (Guess what? When you lose? You almost always die, anyhow. Man up, ladies!)

[mogs01gt]

TheTipOfTheSpear, on 07 March 2016 - 08:04 AM, said:

TL;DR do you think that a Atlas has a duty as the mech to always be the first one into the breach, tank as much damage as possible despite how much potential damage it can do when it gets into range? Please give me valid opinions and reasons as why why you think so.
Good hunting!

Yes I want my 90+ ton mechs to tank damage. I dont need your DPS, I need you as a meatshield.

Edited by mogs01gt, 08 March 2016 - 06:00 AM.

[MadcatX]

Father Tork, on 08 March 2016 - 05:53 AM, said:

For me, my Atlas is the have fun I don't wanna play to seriously mech. I run the SplAtlas, and expect last about 60-90 seconds once I commit, and ideally, get 700-900 damage in that time. I have competitive builds for other assaults I run when I feel like it, but sometimes, you just wanna have fun.

BUILD

Agree 100%, go in and just go to town. If I'm lucky, the rest of the team will be with me and take advantage of the fact that I've become the focus fire target allowing them to mop up the mechs too distracted on coring me than taking effective defensive maneuvers. On the other end, I could reach the engagement and half my team is dead because they spread themselves out to thin, etc. Either way I end up gloriously in Valhalla instead of playing the 100-ton assault poking game which puts a lot of that armor to waste.

[SkaerKrow]

Bishop Steiner, on 08 March 2016 - 05:59 AM, said:

Problem is this game seems to be largely populated by gutless wimps who would rather loses slow, peeking for 10 minutes, than to display the aggressiveness mandatory to consistently win, even if it it means dying on occasion. (Guess what? When you lose? You almost always die, anyhow. Man up, ladies!)

This is literally why I've cut my playtime by two-thirds lately. When I got to Tier IV (which may have nothing to do with anything, but is just the only marker that I have), it seems like all of my teams turned into nervous nelsons who would rather all bunch up behind one piece of cover (or try lobbing LRMs from just outside the drop zone) than actually assert themselves in battle.

This is also why, at this point, I really don't know what the purpose of most assault mechs actually is (especially the Atlas). All of that "soak damage potential" is nullified when you're the only target that the enemy team has to shoot at. I learned that the hard way on my Maulers and Highlanders. So I end up kitting the things out with Gauss, PPCs, Large Lasers, and LRMs...and still get dropped in a hurry as I try to poke or spot for myself and take return fire from six enemy mechs.

Grr. If you need me, I'll be in my 50 ton Battle Crab.

[Piney II]

Too many players are more than willing to call a push and send the Atlas in while they watch from cover as it's vaporized.

Some of them will push with you.............and hug your back to use you as a meat shield.

[Anakha]

First off GREAT name for an Atlas pilot, mad props for that.

Secondly I think you should find a unit. Assault mechs are best used and the most fun when you are backed up by a unit of friends on coms. I think you will enjoy MWO a lot more once you are in a unit. Solo play with slow moving Assualt mechs is very difficult in the upper tiers I would imagine. Even in Tier 1 they are sometimes left behind because the battlefield changes so fast with lots constant movement. Anyone camping or standing still is dead meat. They don't call it a death ball for nothing.

Generally speaking you seem to be building it out right it sounds like srms/ac20 etc.. NO lurms and NO XL engine.

The Atlas is definitely the tip of the spear but don't let PUGS goad you into suicide charges. If the whole team is going to push you should definately be up front in the thick of things but not solo of course. Pick your fights smart and you'll be fine.

[Malachy Karrde]

SkaerKrow, on 08 March 2016 - 02:27 PM, said:

This is literally why I've cut my playtime by two-thirds lately. When I got to Tier IV (which may have nothing to do with anything, but is just the only marker that I have), it seems like all of my teams turned into nervous nelsons who would rather all bunch up behind one piece of cover (or try lobbing LRMs from just outside the drop zone) than actually assert themselves in battle.

This is also why, at this point, I really don't know what the purpose of most assault mechs actually is (especially the Atlas). All of that "soak damage potential" is nullified when you're the only target that the enemy team has to shoot at. I learned that the hard way on my Maulers and Highlanders. So I end up kitting the things out with Gauss, PPCs, Large Lasers, and LRMs...and still get dropped in a hurry as I try to poke or spot for myself and take return fire from six enemy mechs.

Grr. If you need me, I'll be in my 50 ton Battle Crab.

I think that to be an assault pilot, you need to be a special sort of masochist. It takes a long time to master each mech...and I don't mean the cheesy skills either. Of all the mechs in game, it requires the most seat time. Don't let try hard players on the forums tell you how you should fight one...or even follow the pgi descriptions. You can't lead a charge going half the speed of everyone else
. Don't even bother. Your best bet if you are going to range neuter yourself is to sneak into the fight. Barring that, carry weaponry that can reach out and smack em as you close. And don't fall for the "if lights come for me I'm dead" fallacy either
Twice tonight I fought off lights when left alone and both times I beat the snot out of them. One was in river city...an arctic cheetah and a cicada came for me.. I backed into an ally and killed em both when they came for a second pass. Earlier on polar highlands in fought off 4 of them
Killed 3 and the 4th ran and was killed later. Learn your maps. Travel only where you can control the flow of battle. Keep cover near you and use it. Basically as an assault pilot, you have to know how to dominate in any situation. You can't rely on your team, you are the team. You mount more firepower than any two other mechs. In my opinion, armor is a last resort. The best defense is a good offense. If you are tanking and taking loads of damage, you probably failed
Most of all, you need to be totally in tune with your mech
Drive it until you know exactly all its strengths and limitations and then modify your playstyle to it
.find a load out you like and don't change it unless you absolutely need to. I've been using mine for 4 months now. Assaults are tough to use.. but for those of us who have spent the time in them, nothing else compares.