113 replies to this topic

[Coolant]

Agree mostly with OP. It's a two-way street...you want ECM cover go stand under the umbrella. I think about my own hide first, but if I'm not in combat or threatened, and we are just getting set up in position, I'll arrange myself where I can provide cover to the most people. Or if we are in a ball of death, I'll position myself to provide the most cover. But, in general, most of the time I am not going out of my way to ensure my teammates stay under cover.

Edited by Coolant, 26 April 2016 - 06:53 AM.

[nehebkau]

hutzlibu, on 26 April 2016 - 02:05 AM, said:

I only pilot ECM-Builds - because I really enjoy flanking and stealth attacks behind the enemy lines ... and I am a little bit annoyed by people, who DEMAND I should stay with the flock and provide cover for them.
Sure, ECM cover for the main group is nice and usefull for the team - but so are constant attacks in the back of the enemy shattering their formation and bringing confusion to them ... and therefore opening opportunities for a crushing rush for the main group (if they pay attention to the map).
So, if you really want ECM Cover: equip your own, or ask friends to bring some, who enjoy staying with the mass. (I sometimes, do, too)
But if you demand it from people like me, with not even a ¨please¨, like you have a right to do so ... you can be sure, no one wil listen to you ... and all you will achieve is flaming.
Thank you, for your attention ...

Play how you like, specially if you are in a light given the propensity for pub players to friendly fire and ram your legs.. Those who complain simply expect someone else to help prop up their bad play-styles and poor mech/loadout choices.

[Mystere]

xXBagheeraXx, on 26 April 2016 - 06:50 AM, said:

Hold up wait, I have a better retort.

If you want an assault mech to tank, Buy your own.

if you want some LRM support? Buy your own lrm mech and bring it.

If you want someone to scrape that light mech off you, Bring your own streaks and your own light mech killer...

See how that works?

Yes, and many people are perfectly fine with that in the solo PUG queue.

[Bud Crue]

xXBagheeraXx, on 26 April 2016 - 06:33 AM, said:

Find the biggest group of slow assaults and leg hump them. Those are the cornerposts of your team, letting your assaults die early, especially to preventable LRM death rarely ends well for you.

I often do exactly this, even though it never works. That "group" never stays together. Never. When two of them go left and the others go right, I make a choice. Then inevitably the two I stick with spread out a bit exposing one of them. Then I play ping bong going back and forth to try and shield one or more from Lrms. Enemy knows we are here, nothing else I can do. If I stick with just one, then the other dies more quickly.

This is not providing ECM cover for the team, it is providing intermittent coverage to a couple (at best) slow moving targets. It is not a significant help to the team. Whereas I assert that a locust (see my hypothetical above to which you responded) PB is better used harassing and perhaps even assassinating an enemy than doing this sort of thing. In the end it is my view that a single PB is not there to "provide ECM coverage" to slow mechs, but to use its speed, and difficulty in being hit, to harass and maybe even kill enemies, to redirect the enemy's attention from ones teammates, to create havoc.

That, or I suppose I could walk along side of a Dire wolf for the match.

[sycocys]

If LRM's kill your assault -
A - Bring AMS
B - Put in a bigger engine

And if lights kill you equip your own gear to take care of them.

It's not someone else's job to hold your hand every match because you don't want to build your mech to tackle more than one situation.

[SteelBruiser]

If the primary purpose of an ECM equipped light was to babysit laser vomit assaults and heavies that couldn't even bring AMS to a match to help cover their own butt, so they could get all the kills and damage credit, then the lights wouldn't have the fastest engines in the game and they would get enough credit for said babysitting duty to offset the fact that most XP is awarded for damage and kills.

I really get tired of the threads that boil down to a small group telling another group their job is to protect the the first group. And to start calling players wimps or worse for using available technolgy to complete tasks and missions intelligently as opposed to just rolling up and face tanking the enemy is totally childish and bordering on bullying. If the whole concept of the game was to just brawl, there would be no lights or mediums, no long range weapons of any kind, very little cover in fairly flat terrain on very tiny maps and a whole lot of BOREDOM!

There is a myriad of mech/weapon/defense combinations available to the individuals so they can experiment and learn what works for THEM in this game. Once they find the mech and build combination that works for them they'll start learning more of the team tactics required to fit in with a team. And with that will come more capable builds and better team support. Belittling a player or their build won't inspire them to be better players, it only displays your @$$ to rest of the game community and possibly chasing off much needed players. Of course there are some who seem to have more sport here in the forum being the ultimate know-it-alls and harrassing noobs with all their wicked word skills. I'm hoping when I grow up out of noobness that I get to see you on the battle field where you can back up your rhetoric with actual battle skills!

Edited by SteelBruiser, 26 April 2016 - 07:28 AM.

[Mystere]

SteelBruiser, on 26 April 2016 - 07:24 AM, said:

I'm hoping when I grow up out of noobness that I get to see you on the battle field where you can back up your rhetoric with actual battle skills!

Actually, I expect them to finally back up their words by having their names prominently displayed at the top of the tournament results.

[Spleenslitta]

I remember one funny match where i was the only one on my team with ECM. It was on Alpine.
The team did something that pleased me....they tried to get some variation by not going for the central mountain.
The other team did the usual and my team got bombarded from above. As for me?

I went lone ranger in my weirdly configured Kit Fox that had one of each ER laser size and 4 MG's + JJ's+ ECM.
My team complained that i was off on my own as they seemingly got their asses handed to them. I ignored their demands to join them and did my usual stuff.
The funny thing is that we actually won despite their complaints. One guy said he was definitivly quiting MWO because of the uncooperative playerbase.

i had 4 wellearned kills were i did a lot of damage. If i'm in a light mech with ECM i want to make use of my speed instead of just standing alongside a slowmoving colossus to provide him with an umbrella.

[Kotzi]

hutzlibu, on 26 April 2016 - 04:07 AM, said:

*Sigh*
I meant
a) flanking from the main group (mostly as heavy)
sniping from behind own brawling lines (as heavy)
c) scouting and sniping behind enemy lines (as light)
d) scouting and hit and run behind enemy lines (as light)

In all those roles I can't provide cover for the main group, but all those playstyles are really valuable for the whole team for several reasons.
Alone scouting ...
Don't you think it is better, if you know where the enemy is, before you stumble into his firing line?

Teamplaying is a lot more than just stick together.

Exactly, like using your equipment for the sake of the team when needed. And you actually know where the enemy will be coming in like 90%. Not like there are a lot of super advanced tactics are used in MWO.

[Ghogiel]

WTF do you need ECM for anyway? hardly anyone brings lurms. And if they do, they have lurms, so just blow their CT out/ don't stand in the open eating the paste lurms

[Kubernetes]

"Well, we could have shot that Streakcrow hounding you, but we wanted to save our ammo for bigger targets. We were probably doing more good for the team by plinking that Dire at long range than by helping you fend off attackers. If you don't wanna die, bring a mech that isn't streak fodder."

Sincerely,

Your Future Teammates

[Pjwned]

Team Chevy86, on 26 April 2016 - 02:37 AM, said:

When you're the only ECM on the team, and the enemy team has LRM support or Narcs... I expect that ECM cover. No ifs ands or buts. Starving the enemy from spawning red doritos is more important than you scratching an enemy at 800m.

Bring your own AMS then you scrublord; better yet try just not relying on ECM crutches because you're too much of a bad to not get rained on by LRMs otherwise.

Edited by Pjwned, 26 April 2016 - 10:23 AM.

[Kubernetes]

Pjwned, on 26 April 2016 - 10:21 AM, said:

Bring your own AMS then you scrublord; better yet try just not relying on ECM crutches because you're too much of a bad to not get rained on by LRMs otherwise.

There's more to it than that. If you're on an open map and the other team has Narcers and LRMs, it's just good gameplay to help your team not get wiped out. If your team has 3-4 other ECM, that's cool, but if you're the only one you really should put away your solo rambo desires.

As others have mentioned, this single-mindedness about doing your own thing can be a real liability to your team. No, you don't have a "responsibility," but if you're going to insist on going your own way, be prepared for criticism.

[Pjwned]

Kubernetes, on 26 April 2016 - 10:16 AM, said:

"Well, we could have shot that Streakcrow hounding you, but we wanted to save our ammo for bigger targets. We were probably doing more good for the team by plinking that Dire at long range than by helping you fend off attackers. If you don't wanna die, bring a mech that isn't streak fodder."

Sincerely,

Your Future Teammates

That would depend on the positioning of the mechs in question there. If you're implying that the streakcrow was right in front of other teammates and it was still ignored then your analogy is terrible because that would never happen and is not comparable to people crying about their ECM crutch not being right under them at all times.

Kubernetes, on 26 April 2016 - 10:33 AM, said:

There's more to it than that. If you're on an open map and the other team has Narcers and LRMs, it's just good gameplay to help your team not get wiped out. If your team has 3-4 other ECM, that's cool, but if you're the only one you really should put away your solo rambo desires.

As others have mentioned, this single-mindedness about doing your own thing can be a real liability to your team. No, you don't have a "responsibility," but if you're going to insist on going your own way, be prepared for criticism.

My response remains the same, git gud and/or bring AMS, it's not other peoples' job to serve as your ECM crutch.

Edited by Pjwned, 26 April 2016 - 10:40 AM.

[Ghogiel]

Kubernetes, on 26 April 2016 - 10:33 AM, said:

There's more to it than that. If you're on an open map and the other team has Narcers and LRMs, it's just good gameplay to help your team not get wiped out.

I'd realise I was in a match filled with T4 scrubs. On both teams.

[Rocket2Uranus]

I really wish they would reward ECM mechs for giving ECM to their teammates.
I've assisted many teammates with running to them on my light mech ECM to help them hide from LRM boats.
This takes me off battle and keeps me behind cover.
While i stand there getting zero points when ECM buff should be rewarding ECM pilots.

[Roadkill]

Kubernetes, on 26 April 2016 - 10:33 AM, said:

There's more to it than that.

Not really.

What this thread is trying to say is that if you're in a Raven with 2 x ERLL, but no ECM, then you're free to do whatever you want. Flank, get behind the enemy, provide overwatch for your teammates... have at it, bro, it's all good!

But equip ECM and now suddenly you only have one job, and that's to protect your bad teammates who can't handle LRMs on their own.

Sorry, but that doesn't compute.

[Ghogiel]

Roadkill, on 26 April 2016 - 10:54 AM, said:

But equip ECM and now suddenly you only have one job, and that's to protect your bad teammates who can't handle LRMs on their own.

And those bad team mates only have one job. Be meat shields.

[SteelBruiser]

Kubernetes, on 26 April 2016 - 10:16 AM, said:

"Well, we could have shot that Streakcrow hounding you, but we wanted to save our ammo for bigger targets. We were probably doing more good for the team by plinking that Dire at long range than by helping you fend off attackers. If you don't wanna die, bring a mech that isn't streak fodder."

Sincerely,

Your Future Teammates

That's fine you didn't shoot the streakcrow when you had the chance while it was focused on the ECM light ...just remember, that streakcrow will still be after you before the end...and because of their agility, they generally tear up heavies and assaults who are end of match loners.

[Cy Mitchell]

I almost always walk with the fatties with my ECM equipped HBRs. I keep them under cover as much as possible as we approach the battlefield. Imagine my chagrin when the first thing they do upon getting there is to fan out, walk up and park themselves on top of a ridge for all the world to see or walk out in the middle of a wide open plain with no cover for either of us. I have even seen them try to solo flank an enemy. Do I go with them to try to cover them from LRMs or Lights thus also putting myself in jeopardy? Or do I watch them go and try to pick off or dissuade the Lights that I see closing in on them from range?

Admittedly, I play with and against Tier 3, 4 and 5 players. I sometimes make some boneheaded decisions too but REALLY? You are going to solo flank with a Dire Wolf or King Crab with 12 enemy Mechs still on the field? UGH!