8 replies to this topic

[Lord Lysander]

So as it is always said if PUGs like myself complain about CW/FP "grouping up" solves all problems.
The question is how? If you dont have the time to participate in a Unit there are only two options: LFG or Faction Hubs.
In my experience LFG rarley if ever leads to functioning groups and the Hubs i've been on (Steiner and FRR) were either emty or all dropships were filled.
So how should PUGs group up so that they can participate in CW/FP-Events without getting suicidal over all the Stomps by 12-Mans?

[Ssamout]

Well, usually if you want to get a spot in a 12-man in some public hub/unit ts channel and the group is already full, you inform them that you are interested in joining and then wait for an opening. When a spot opens it usually is given to who ever asked for it first. This has been the case and standard practice in all 10+ ts channels I have used. You can ask for how long the match is going to take so you know if you want to wait or is there a time to drop in a quickplay.

In the case of FRR during prime times, especially while events are running, there are usually multiple groups running.

[vandalhooch]

Lord Lysander, on 03 July 2016 - 10:42 AM, said:

So as it is always said if PUGs like myself complain about CW/FP "grouping up" solves all problems.
The question is how? If you dont have the time to participate in a Unit

Every time I see this fallacy I want to punch baby jesus in the head.

If you have enough time to play MWO, you have enough time to be in a unit.

Quote

there are only two options: LFG or Faction Hubs.
In my experience LFG rarley if ever leads to functioning groups and the Hubs i've been on (Steiner and FRR) were either emty or all dropships were filled.
So how should PUGs group up so that they can participate in CW/FP-Events without getting suicidal over all the Stomps by 12-Mans?

Edited by vandalhooch, 03 July 2016 - 09:25 PM.

[Daidachi]

Lord Lysander, on 03 July 2016 - 10:42 AM, said:

So as it is always said if PUGs like myself complain about CW/FP "grouping up" solves all problems.
The question is how? If you dont have the time to participate in a Unit there are only two options: LFG or Faction Hubs.
In my experience LFG rarley if ever leads to functioning groups and the Hubs i've been on (Steiner and FRR) were either emty or all dropships were filled.
So how should PUGs group up so that they can participate in CW/FP-Events without getting suicidal over all the Stomps by 12-Mans?

Heya Lysander - the advice the poster above me gives is excellent. The teamspeak details for the FRR hub should be listed on the forums under the FRR sub forum (I'd grab them myself, but at work right now).

Grouping up doesn't necessarily mean just sitting back on ts in hopes of finding a group though - no doubt you have players on your friends list from your time playing the game - start a FP group with them if you don't feel like going on teamspeak, chat in the in game chat channel about what mechs you'll be bringing. IE are you going for a brawling team, or a fast harrassing team? What are your groups' strengths and what weaknesses can you see being an issue?

When you know what map you'll be on, use the in game VOIP to confirm where you're going to, and whether you'll have just one person focusing on gathering or not. Focus damage on one target at a time - 4 on 1 means the 1 dies. 4 mechs firing at 4 mechs means you will die.

None of these take a huge amount of time - being in a unit makes it easier, but it's still possible to coordinate well with others as a group outside of one. You just have to put a little bit of thought into the exercise in order to get more enjoyment from the game mode.

Also - you will lose at some point. That's a near certainty. What matters is how you deal with it. Did the enemy blindside you with a tactic you hadn'ts een before? Were their builds more effective on a given map? Post mortems are great, so long as you keep it productive, and don't target other players with constructive criticism before you've targeted yourself.

Edited by Daidachi, 03 July 2016 - 09:37 PM.

[Anachronda]

All valid points. As far as faction hubs go, too, in addition to the option of telling people in 12 man groups that you want to join when there is a spot, there are often "lfg" channels on faction ts servers. Those are for people waiting for a spot. Don't assume when you see 12 players in a dropship they are all in a group, either. Sometimes people drop out but don't move or log off. In any case, there is usually attrition and you'll probably get a spot after that group finishes their drop. Multiple groups being on that server increase the chances of this.

[LordNothing]

i think the problem is that in order to find a group, you usually have to *gasp* exit the game and go into teamspeak, hit up the server for your faction, and look for games there, sometimes even requiring you to talk to other humans. sounds disgusting doesnt it? but it does work. dont get me wrong, im totally a pug, but when something like this event comes around, it can really save a lot of time.

now the problem with that is this functionality should be part of the game, and not some obscure bs you have to figure out on your own. ingame voip is nice, but it is very feature limited. it really needs to be available in the team chat so you can plan ahead before the match, vs only available in game where its really too late for planing. there should also be a unit browser with info about each unit, including links to external sites and teamspeak servers and recruitment info. that way people who want to join a unit or at least participate in ts dont have to go out of the game and hunt down all that info. players will sometimes put the teamspeak server urls into chat and sometimes i wish i could just click on those and launch a ts session on that server.

[justcallme A S H]

One does not exclusively "HAVE" to join a unit, but it is better in the long run IMO. You get a bit of synergy in your load-ups, tactics for maps and so on. That will generally lead to more wins or at least better overall games

If no one else in my unit is on I'll TS hop a bit. Works out good enough being a Merc, I know quite a few players/units no matter where we land.

It can be disadvantageous to team up with people who will not play your style eg. bringing 2-3 LRM boats out of 4 mechs or sit in sniping positions and just aim for KMDD for the leaderboard without aiding the team/sharing armour at all (seen that a bit lately from certain top 50 players).

That said over time you will learn the players who play your style and if they are a team player etc. So just check if those such people are online in a TS (or add in-game). See if you can jump in with them, I've rarely had someone say no unless they are already in a 12-man or have someone from their unit come along and then you've gotta jump out (and do that freely IMO, shows good sportsmanship).

[ice trey]

I actually love being able to use the Faction hub, and I was a regular there during CW1.

However, as time wore on, there was increasing friction between the units in the DC faction hub, and more and more units started using their private TS channels for everything.

Eventually the faction channels came in two flavors: Full and not accepting, or completely barren. I far prefer FW to quick play, but if there were any reason that I don't play FW, the decreasing usefulness of hubs meant less ability to do so.

So it was back to the quick play button for grinding Marauders and stuff. Still not done those, yet.

[AssaultPig]

the good news is you're FRR, OP, and the FRR hub is actually fairly lively still

get on the FRR TS (I'm sure the info is around here somewhere), sit yourself in the 'lfg for invasion drops' channel. Then list yourself in ingame FP lfg. Somebody will probably pick you up before long, and lots of FRR hub groups just list themselves publicly ingame. If you're not getting any bites you can also pop down into custom channels and see if they have room.

vandalhooch, on 03 July 2016 - 09:24 PM, said:

Every time I see this fallacy I want to punch baby jesus in the head.

If you have enough time to play MWO, you have enough time to be in a unit.

this is true, but comes with a lot of attendant questions. It takes a decent amount of :effort: to find a unit you like on your faction, then hop on their TS (if they even have their own voip) or whatever and hope that somebody's inviting

the game does a laughably bad job of matching players with groups, which is why we have this issue.