31 replies to this topic

[Timicon]

My apologies if this post does not belong here, but this is the only forum that I could find in which I thought it woukd suitable to post in. If it is in the wrong place, then whomever has the power (mods etc) please feel free to either delete this or move it to the appropriate forum, thanks.

Anyway, onto the topic at hand...
Okay, this has now become a big problem, not just for me, but for a lot of other players of the game. I realise that a lot of people like to test fire their weapons, so that they can check the heat generated from those weapons on any given map to see how high or low the heat spike goes in their 'Mechs, especially 'Mechs players have have just bought or have changed the loadout of their weapons configurations, but please - please(!!!!!) if you are going to test fire your weapons, then pease, fire them into the ground, instead of into the air (which can give away what weapons you have to opposing teams) or straight ahead, because you never know when an allied 'Mech might accidentally be in the way and you end up shoot them, however involuntarily.
By test firing your weapons into the ground, you run no risk of friendly fire against your allies and still gives you the information that you need about heat management from those weapons.

So please, everyone, fire your weapons into the ground if you are going to test out your energy weapons, or else you run or ticking off your allies which could lead them to turn around and fire upon you in return or even kill you.

So please, please use your head and better judgement and do not fire anywhere but into the ground when test firing your energy weapons, because it will save a lot of trouble in the future and could well mean the difference between your team winning a match or losing one because of unintinentional friendly fire.

[eminus]

PGI for the love of them should give us 5-10 seconds vulnerability from the start of the game.

[Lynx7725]

I never got the point of doing test firing in an actual game.

Firstly, the weapons don't fail to fire, excepting Ultras. So you're not testing for "mechanical" failure.

Secondly, if you hadn't already tested the heat curve of your mech in testing ground, then the problem is with you.

Thirdly, if you really need to check something in game, then at the very least practice standard range safety by making sure people aren't in your line of fire.

[Drunken Skull]

I think the problem stems from people alt-tabbing out and then clicking back into the game; thus causing an unintentional firing of the weapon group assigned to that mouse button, as well as other related accidents such as an itchy trigger finger, an unintentional flinch of the mouse hand, or a cat jumping on the keyboard(just to name a few that have happened to me personally).

[Kotzi]

Just check on minimap if any friendly is close. Then fire at a wall or the ground. Been hit by testing fire but i actually dont mind that much, just dont understand that people who have to teamkill because of that.

[El Bandito]

Lynx7725, on 10 August 2016 - 11:46 PM, said:

I never got the point of doing test firing in an actual game.

Firstly, the weapons don't fail to fire, excepting Ultras. So you're not testing for "mechanical" failure.

I sometimes fire an AC5 round at a wall at the start of my day just to remember the velocity.

[Lynx7725]

El Bandito, on 11 August 2016 - 01:05 AM, said:

I sometimes fire an AC5 round at a wall at the start of my day just to remember the velocity.

Dude, given how long you've been around these parts, I'm fairly sure by the second real shot you'd have gotten the lead dialed in.

[PyckenZot]

Lynx7725, on 10 August 2016 - 11:46 PM, said:

I never got the point of doing test firing in an actual game.

Reminder of heat generation on specific map, checking/changed weapon groups, alt-tab problem, simple misclicks,... options galore

Lynx7725, on 11 August 2016 - 01:06 AM, said:

Dude, given how long you've been around these parts, I'm fairly sure by the second real shot you'd have gotten the lead dialed in.

Second shot means wasted shot.


And let's be honest, the test fires pose problems in only a minority of the games (at least for me). I have more problems with players aching for a killsteal running into my laser beams and/or volleys!

[chucklesMuch]

Some times I have changed weapons to a new load out and forgotten to head to the testing ground or have changed back and want to make sure that weapons groups are what I expect, or I haven't play whatever build for current map (or not for a while) and are seeing how much heat is generated. (Would love to know which was left and which was right arm without test firing)

[Timicon]

PyckenZot, on 11 August 2016 - 02:04 AM, said:

Reminder of heat generation on specific map, checking/changed weapon groups, alt-tab problem, simple misclicks,... options galore



Second shot means wasted shot.


And let's be honest, the test fires pose problems in only a minority of the games (at least for me). I have more problems with players aching for a killsteal running into my laser beams and/or volleys!

Normally, I would agree with you, but over the last week, I have had allied 'Mechs on my team test htheir weapons into the air and more than half have hit me in the back and taken down valuabke weapons that I really use a lot in matches that have been been destroyed within 1 minute of a match/game start.
It is getting to the point where friendly fire due to allied 'Mechs testing their weapons that have left me with hakf my weapons destroyed, which severely hamper my ability to support the team.

[El Bandito]

Timicon, on 11 August 2016 - 03:03 AM, said:

Normally, I would agree with you, but over the last week, I have had allied 'Mechs on my team test htheir weapons into the air and more than half have hit me in the back and taken down valuabke weapons that I really use a lot in matches that have been been destroyed within 1 minute of a match/game start.
It is getting to the point where friendly fire due to allied 'Mechs testing their weapons that have left me with hakf my weapons destroyed, which severely hamper my ability to support the team.

Just stay behind your lancemates at the start of the game.

[Kotzi]

It rather sounds that people are deliberately damaging your mech. I would report them for griefing.

[UnofficialOperator]

Lol this "problem" has been around since 2012!

[Omaha]

Am I the only guy who uses testing grounds, to setup fire groups, n test heat? xD

[Davers]

The 90 second walk before running into the enemy team is obviously too long. If people aren't firing their weapons they get bored.

[jjm1]

Reasons to shoot weapons at start are numerous:

I dont trust my logitech software. It configures my mouse profile based on what game I'm running, and I've known it to not register what game I'm in from time to time and the fire button simply won't work at all without a quick alt-tab out and in again.

All the different projectile velocities, heat quirks, variable heat on maps and wacky hard point locations. I'm changing my mechs around constantly and it helps to fire shots off to settle back into a mech.

Its fun.

The mech in front of me is an Oxide and my dark passenger takes the wheel.

[Metus regem]

Lynx7725, on 11 August 2016 - 01:06 AM, said:

Dude, given how long you've been around these parts, I'm fairly sure by the second real shot you'd have gotten the lead dialed in.

About the only time I do it, is when I want to get my UAC groups set on a firing set up, that lets one buttion chain fire a half second a head of the next button on chain fire, so that I can get near constant double tap going... Note this is reserved for my Dakka Wolves. Anything other than that, it's a pointless waste of ammo or an unwarranted heat spike.

[vettie]

we have a testing grounds area for , shock, testing! use it to check your heat. Only ultras misfire, so the weapons work.
If you absolutely have to test fire (cant think of a reason to do so) then turn away from team mates and fire into the ground or som mid level object that wont take damage. I feel sorry for the light pilot (on my team) that take leg or torso damage for some dummy that 'needs' to test fire. you dont need to, you want to because it looks cool.

as to the guys jumping in and stealing kills and your weapons smashing their backsie, well I used to trn away as quickly as I could to avoid friendly fire. I dont anymore. if you wish to jump in front of a firing mech and take rear damage, so be it, i will gladly assist, after all, i get charged (cbills) for it..

[s0da72]

To bad PGI doesn't do like some other online games. If you hit someone on your team you take the damage and not the person you hit.



(incoming rage response in 1, 2, 3 ......go!)

Edited by s0da72, 11 August 2016 - 08:18 AM.

[Timicon]

El Bandito, on 11 August 2016 - 03:06 AM, said:

Just stay behind your lancemates at the start of the game.

If it was as simple as that, then I would, but I am not just talkiing about myself here, but for everyone who has ever been shot in the back, arms, the legs, the torso (et cetera) at the start of any game/match) just because people feel the need to test fire their weapons just to see what the see what the waste heat they generate when doing so, especially on the hotter maps, like Tourmaline Desert, Terra Therma and, oddly enough, some of the frigid maps, like Frozen City and Alpine Peaks.

I'm all for people for people to test the weapons, just do it by firing into the ground, not msyraight ahead, where you run the risk of hitting an allied 'Mech on your team.
How hard is it to just point your guns downward and shoot into the ground? It saves a hexk of a lot of headaches and problems for everyone else when you don't have to worry about some yobbo in your team shooting their weapons right into the space where you are walking.