28 replies to this topic

[Bill Lumbar]

Hey guys,

Just came out of a match with a Raven pilot that played these type of snipe builds the way they should be played. I only wish I would of hit the F9 sooner, as I only got the last two mechs he killed and game play recorded. I missed so much of the leg work that had to go into him winning this match for us and killing the last 4 mechs, including a 67% urbie mech chasing him down, and a Timberwolf that had 2 erppc's left that was almost cored. This guy didn't get greedy and ended up spreading out their mechs across Crimson Straight two times. He legged the Timber and then moved on leaving him there and left the lower city and went back over the saddle drawing chase from a shadow cat and another enemy mech.

After peaking the saddle and firing twice and not in the same spot, he hauled all the way back around the tunnel side and took out the timber after 4 shots to his center torso as the Timber was trying to take out his cherry red legs. This game had so much suspense in it, and as he ran off the peak of the saddle, he dropped down in one of the holes and almost popped his cherry red legs off. This is how a light sniper pilot should be playing in these builds.... all to often I see these light pilots just poking and getting their kill assist, and that is if their team mates don't get rolled first. Well played, and a nice chance to see a match like this one go down!


https://youtu.be/OiqZ0aR7VeU

[InspectorG]

Vulturing is a skill light pilots should know.

Speed is life.

Positioning is art.

Dont fight fair.

[BaconTWOfourACTUAL]

I greatly appreciate you recording any of it.
We were on the same page after I started to spread them out when it was 1 v 4. You would give the commands verbally and I was thinking the exact same thing in my head... (except falling)

Edited by BaconTWOfourACTUAL, 02 September 2016 - 09:21 AM.

[Bill Lumbar]

InspectorG, on 02 September 2016 - 09:09 AM, said:

Vulturing is a skill light pilots should know.

Speed is life.

Positioning is art.

Dont fight fair.

I agree 100%.... most of the time when I get in a match and see the lone light pilot with ER lasers and ecm.... i can tell within the first 60 seconds if the pilot is gonna do anything productive with his mech. 98% of the time, they don't and die within the first 60 seconds due to bad positioning, getting greedy and not spreading out the remaining enemy mechs, or simply try to brawl their way out of another light chasing them down. And then one comes across a match like this one... and it's a very nice change to see.

BaconTWOfourACTUAL, on 02 September 2016 - 09:17 AM, said:

I greatly appreciate you recording any of it.
We were on the same page after I started to spread the out when it was 1 v 4. You would give the commands verbally and I was thinking the exact same thing in my head... (except falling)

I didn't mean to bark "commands" and I could tell you already knew what was up. Well played! I only wish I would of got the last 4 minutes of it vs. only 2 minutes. Matches like that one, keep me playing this game, which I really don't do to much anymore due to lack of depth in this game and the extreme grind. Add me as a friend if you like, I will drop with you when I have time Bacon.

Edited by Bill Lumbar, 02 September 2016 - 09:26 AM.

[Dee Eight]

That's a sniper rule many don't understand... shoot twice...then displace to a new shooting spot.

[Bill Lumbar]

Dee Eight, on 02 September 2016 - 09:22 AM, said:

That's a sniper rule many don't understand... shoot twice...then displace to a new shooting spot.

The best part about this is that 4 of us stayed on and gave support or ideas on how to spread them out and Bacon chatted back with us... we called out targets as we seen them to try and help him.... This is how team work should be in this game. Team work, situational awareness, and what little tactic's PGI has given us in this game can be extremely OP. Matches like these keep you at the edge of your seat, and if PGI could just see this, and add some depth to this game, some meaning, I think this game could be in a way better place then it is. Players and how they play this game, is the only thing that makes it fun given lack of depth and design failures.

[Spleenslitta]

I've been using similar tactics to the ones you describe that Raven pilot using for years. It's risky business but when it's done right that's the result i'm capable of getting.
I'm not perfect however. If i ever claim to be perfect i will have finally gone insane in one of the worst ways possible.
Even worse would be to actually become perfect....That means i would be bored even more and i would become even more deranged.

Difference between me and that Raven pilot is that i use builds that mix ranges and weapon types.
I'll take a mix of just about anything that i'm in the mood to use and change them at the drop of a hat.
Kit Fox - ER PPC, 1 ERSL, 4x MG's and 1x ERML + JJ's and ECM.
Idea with that build is being able to take full advantage of all opportunities that are handed to me and thus make up for lack of focused firepower.

An opportunity not taken due to having the wrong weapons would be very frustrating to me.

[Mystere]

InspectorG, on 02 September 2016 - 09:09 AM, said:

Dont fight fair.

Words to live by.

[Spleenslitta]

Dee Eight, on 02 September 2016 - 09:22 AM, said:

That's a sniper rule many don't understand... shoot twice...then displace to a new shooting spot.

I tend to take only one shot before i relocate. Or at least i did before i nearly stopped playing. I got a bunch of bad habits from using that KFX too much.
ECM spoiled me too much so i don't relocate so often. Must get my old style back.

Here is a link as to how i did things if it's of any interrest for anyone.
MWO: Forums - Non Meta Light Mech Tactics Guide.

That's how i did it before these bad habits mind you.

Back when i was actually kinda good and i was more addicted to adrenaline.

[SQW]

Spleenslitta, on 02 September 2016 - 01:15 PM, said:

I tend to take only one shot before i relocate. Or at least i did before i nearly stopped playing. I got a bunch of bad habits from using that KFX too much.
ECM spoiled me too much so i don't relocate so often. Must get my old style back.

The 2nd shot or even a 3rd is okay if your target is already engaged or if no one is quick enough to turn to face you. Shoot and scoot is for situations where your position can be exposed after a shot. If they ever put Hollander into this game, it'll be sniper galore.

[El Bandito]

One could think that if that guy didn't choose a sniper Light, his teammates might not have all died near the end. Refusing to share armor is a negligence of duty in most cases.

[SQW]

El Bandito, on 02 September 2016 - 06:42 PM, said:

One could think that if that guy didn't choose a sniper Light, his teammates might not have all died near the end. Refusing to share armor is a negligence of duty in most cases.

You don't just wheel out "share armor" as if that's an auto win condition, doubly so with light mechs. A half decent team will focus fire anyway.

[El Bandito]

SQW, on 02 September 2016 - 07:15 PM, said:

You don't just wheel out "share armor" as if that's an auto win condition, doubly so with light mechs. A half decent team will focus fire anyway.

From experience, I have seen more teams win when their Lights actively goads the enemy to focus their attention to them.

[Bohxim]

Agreed on El's opinion. Good light play is pulling attention of 2-3 mechs, or even 4-5 if the reds are horribads. Aka chasing the squirrel. Of course their primary goal is to scout for Intel on enemy forces as well as hitting from the flanks. But sometimes cutting the team forces into 2 groups is a match changer and a great feeling (albeit a little unrewarding at times) the raven 3l has the added function of narcing for spotting while still pulling attention
Fast mediums work just as well. Ie. Vipers and cicadas

[SQW]

Bohxim, on 02 September 2016 - 08:34 PM, said:

Agreed on El's opinion. Good light play is pulling attention of 2-3 mechs, or even 4-5 if the reds are horribads. Aka chasing the squirrel. Of course their primary goal is to scout for Intel on enemy forces as well as hitting from the flanks. But sometimes cutting the team forces into 2 groups is a match changer and a great feeling (albeit a little unrewarding at times) the raven 3l has the added function of narcing for spotting while still pulling attention
Fast mediums work just as well. Ie. Vipers and cicadas

If a light mech is squirrelling half of the other team, then you are playing against t5s. Any half decent team would cream a light that ran in on its own and no decent pilot heavy or above is going to try to shoot a raven when an Atlas is bearing down on him/her.

You can't count on one tactic to work against everyone.

[BaconTWOfourACTUAL]

They were in the lower city to start. They took a defensive position and weren't moving. We engaged them at the tunnel. No one was giving chase until the very end when they thought they could take the lone mech.

[Spleenslitta]

El Bandito, on 02 September 2016 - 06:42 PM, said:

One could think that if that guy didn't choose a sniper Light, his teammates might not have all died near the end. Refusing to share armor is a negligence of duty in most cases.

El Bandito, on 02 September 2016 - 08:12 PM, said:

From experience, I have seen more teams win when their Lights actively goads the enemy to focus their attention to them.

Getting attention of enemy team while damaging them is good stuff.
But why should a light mech stand still and take damage to share it's armor with teammates?
A light mech is far better of making the enemy miss it's shots.
Words to live by in any lightly armored mech - Shoot the enemy but whenever possible try not to get shot yourself in return.

[El Bandito]

Spleenslitta, on 03 September 2016 - 06:47 AM, said:

Getting attention of enemy team while damaging them is good stuff.
But why should a light mech stand still and take damage to share it's armor with teammates?
A light mech is far better of making the enemy miss it's shots.
Words to live by in any lightly armored mech - Shoot the enemy but whenever possible try not to get shot yourself in return.

A Light does not have to stand still to share armor with his mates.

[Maker L106]

While I'm bad on both ends of the weight spectrum I play a Shadow Cat running two LPL's and NARC most recently. I wouldn't know about playing a LW well, but I have facerolled incoming fire for team assaults or heavies unable to move or were legged due to their current fight. It has its place for the fast mechs to get in and disrupt things like that or sometimes block with a shield if you have one and aren't really at too big of a risk of imploding.

Sniper styles won't suffer from this as much as the others as long as they move with their team and not completely leave it. Orbiting the team at about 100m is usually sufficient for proper firing lines and cover or around there. Just don't linger too long. Again though, Shadow Cat... so I may very well be one of those potatoes from time to time.

[Knife Wounds]

Thanks for all this talk about tiers, I just figured out what they are. I've only been playing for a few months and am really enjoying this game. No game is perfect and the teamwork on this game are pretty good compared to what ive experienced console gaming. I've been playing a shadowcat sniper pretty much non stop for months. Shooting and Moving is what I have been adding to the game. I laugh my butt off when I get four+ enemy mechs turning their backs to the main assault to stare at the spot I just shot from and wont be shooting from again.