192 replies to this topic

[The Unstoppable Puggernaut]

I dont believe, finally got escort defending... Everyones been disconnected from the match.

ARRRRRRGH !!!!

*EDIT: Just reconnected in time to do a bit of damage and get 90 match score.


Wonder how many disconnects are going to take place tonight, that was crazy. The Atlas kept going even though everyones kicked off.

Edited by The Unstoppable Puggernaut, 15 December 2016 - 09:13 AM.

[Murphy7]

I have only been able to play Escort mode three times, won once as a defender, lost both as defender and attacker. Alas, the defender defense was before the 2nd day of Christmas event, but I have a few hours left to try.

As an attacker, what is the benefit of taking over intel nodes?

[jper4]

played pretty even from what I saw- 4 matches- each side won twice, granted in one of the attacker wins 9 mechs or so of our side went nascaring while the VIP went left- crossing open terrain...

[KoalaBrownie]

I like the mode but haven't won as the attacker yet. Won 2/3 defender battles.
Basically I find it just encourages team battles in different parts of the map. Yesterday fought in the city on the far side of the mountain on River City, have never done more than skirmish there before.

One thing I will say is the one time I lost I didn't find the game's feedback told me why, it said the VIP missed the dropship but the battle had only been going a few minutes and from the armor indicators the VIP seemed intact. Didnt' really get it. That was frozen city

[WarHippy]

Jerry Beard, on 15 December 2016 - 07:26 AM, said:

Hate to say this but the mode is bad because of players. have played this at least 15 times pretty much split. All it turns into is a skirmish with neither side fully understanding (YET AGAIN) the mission requirements. You can't blame PGI for the lowest denominator that play this game it seems. QP matches no matter what they do devolve into death matches 98% time and who is to blame for that??? US! It is what it is because of the player base plain and simple. If PGI had to make sure that every chuckle head did exactly what they should then there would be very little freedom to do anything and the game would be as scripted as heck. While I am no fan of PGI it seems that this is surely just another blame everyone else for the crap play but myself thing that I see so much of in the forums. Sure there are guys that try to play well but most could give to cents about anyone or anything but themselves. Hard to have a team based type of game when no one seems to even understand what the team concept is about and that is not PGI's fault nor responsibility to teach. Just my 2 cents which in the scope of things means squat I know but still needs to be pointed out.

What do you expect the players to do?(attackers in particular) The objective is to kill the VIP, but just going for the VIP gets you killed considering its massive amount of HP. The best strategy and easiest one to pull off in a pug is to take out the enemy team and then focus on the VIP. Defenders best bet is to delay or wipe out the enemy team. That is the way the game mode is designed yet you accuse the players of not playing the objectives and treating it like death match?

[Gojira54]

Maybe it will improve over time.

Edited by Gojira54, 26 December 2016 - 10:34 AM.

[Tom Sawyer]

I can understand people not liking the game mode. But when you just suicide or rush to die then you only hurt your fellow team.

[MemeCreamSupreme]

I was in my Dual Gauss 3x LL King Crab, poured about 20 gauss round into the VIP Atlas, aiming for the head in hopes of hitting the cockpit. It was facing me most of the time and I was certain I was hitting the CT. When the Defenders finally chased me down I suicide charged it, it's entire upper body had yellow armor, with a severed right arm. I got 1115 Damage.

Did about 5 escort games, only got attacker, lost all. Screw that.

[Osric Lancaster]

Apocalypticoreo, on 15 December 2016 - 01:18 PM, said:

I was in my Dual Gauss 3x LL King Crab, poured about 20 gauss round into the VIP Atlas, aiming for the head in hopes of hitting the cockpit. It was facing me most of the time and I was certain I was hitting the CT. When the Defenders finally chased me down I suicide charged it, it's entire upper body had yellow armor, with a severed right arm. I got 1115 Damage.

Did about 5 escort games, only got attacker, lost all. Screw that.

More or less my experience right here. I don't mind the VIP being tough, but the attacker is given so little time to kill the son of a ***** that you can't form a unified offensive. Ammo weights which were already prohibitive are now laughable. After emptying SIX TONS of AC/2 ammo into the VIP one match without slowing it down, I've pretty much decided that this is the death of my ammo dependent builds. Sure, I pack backup weapons but they didn't have the dps to drop the VIP. So long live laser vomit. . .
I can't even imagine how many tons of LRMs you'd need to drop the VIP.

[Alex Morgaine]

Khobai, on 13 December 2016 - 09:27 PM, said:

why cant the atlas shoot back thats stupid

it cant even defend itself from a locust

it doesnt have to have the full loadout of an atlas but it should at least have like 2 lasers or something

that way itd at least turn to face the enemy to shoot them instead of getting shot in the back

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b#i=990&l=stock
...

Dear mother of god.

So.... Like 100 tons of armor xD
And lots of back armor

Edited by Alex Morgaine, 15 December 2016 - 06:23 PM.

[Deathlike]

Alex Morgaine, on 15 December 2016 - 06:22 PM, said:

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b#i=990&l=stock
...

Dear mother of god.

So.... Like 75 tons of armor xD

It has 5 times the armor it could possibly have. Nice.

Ammo explosions are hilarious, and ironically will still take down the mech since it ignores armor...

Internal structure tends to not survive any sort of ammo explosions.

I'm sure that's "working as intended".

[A HeadlessChicken]

The only thing I want to add is that I love the escort idea, but it's poorly implemented.

I designed my Jester to have 2 AMS with 800 and sometimes 1K ammo with upgraded modules for them. I stick by the Atlas the whole way. I rarely get much XP even though I defended the hell out of the Atlas and my player ranking stays equal or goes down because I'm a purely defensive build. I mean yeah, I have a couple LL for keeping others (especially snipers) away from it.

I'd really like to have Protection Proximity bonuses for doing so. I shouldn't be penalized just because I am trying to play smart.

[Osric Lancaster]

Deathlike, on 15 December 2016 - 06:25 PM, said:

It has 5 times the armor it could possibly have. Nice.

So to answer my own question, it would take somewhere between 10 and 35 tons or LRM ammo to kill that thing depending on your launcher spread, angle and so on. Or a bare *** minimum of 3 tons of AC/20 ammo.

[Alex Morgaine]

300 head armor.
15 structure xD

[FuhNuGi]

Game mode needs to be improved...

I call the game mode "Walking with Stupid"

Pathing is poor as the VIP walks along exposed ridges and other gaffes that a targeted individual would try to avoid. Bad enough the VIP is in a BRIGHT ORANGE SLOW AS SAP DRIPPING IN WINTER ATLAS. The path of the VIP should be marked on the minimap, allies should know at least the next waypoint to be able to prep defenses.



I think the base idea is sound, but in execution with the masses of mixed players, baby seals, potatos, whales and ubergoobers, there are refinements needed.
For one thing, if you can make Angry Clan Man shout when the VIP is getting worked over, it should not take much more programming effort to make Stupid torso twist to make that focused fire spread just a little... just another thing the player base seems to want.

How about it PGI... I applaud your efforts in bringing this game mode up, let's try a little harder and polish this up and make a couple adjustments the player base is asking for.

[Rinkata Prime]

I found Escort mode very exciting.
New tactics and more aggressive environment.
MWO is awekenening. And there is more place for fun now.

Edited by Rinkata Kimiku, 16 December 2016 - 09:59 PM.

[J0anna]

I'm on the side that likes it, even though I have lost more than I've won at this point. For those that complain about NASCAR - well this fixes that. For those who complain about sniper wars - that won't work here. It's a new mode and it requires new tactics that we're still coming up with. Also it seems the Atlas takes different routes, which is refreshing, otherwise we'd all take up the same location and duke it out. Sure it could use some tweaks (like telling the defenders where the pickup will be), but it's new content and I'm glad for that.

[MadcatX]

WarHippy, on 15 December 2016 - 11:27 AM, said:

What do you expect the players to do?(attackers in particular) The objective is to kill the VIP, but just going for the VIP gets you killed considering its massive amount of HP. The best strategy and easiest one to pull off in a pug is to take out the enemy team and then focus on the VIP. Defenders best bet is to delay or wipe out the enemy team. That is the way the game mode is designed yet you accuse the players of not playing the objectives and treating it like death match?

Skirmish pretty much. They can throw all the objectives and come up with all the game modes they want, history has proven that as long as "Killing entire enemy team" continues to be a victory condition as well as the one that provides the most rewards for any QP mode, this will not change.

[Gattsus]

Btvt, on 13 December 2016 - 12:57 PM, said:

Hi, how to get into this Escort mode?

find an agency, send pictures, visit THE coach, wait until you hear back from them

[Wildstreak]

After several matches, these are all the Escorts I have been in:

Alpine - Only time seen here as Attackers, VIP went to J7 then turned up to G7. My team on attack got too focused on fighting around J7 to maneuver and VIP escaped while Mechs were alive on both teams. We were too far out to pursue. I am guessing the Hill will be taken by Attacking teams from now on until they figure out which way VIP goes and adjust. Hill is once again important in this mode at least for Attackers to spot the path.

Crimson - Only time seen here on Defense, VIP went through tunnel and got killed under the deck.

Forest - Twice on Defense, both times VIP goes G8/G9 pass after some from both teams engage at H8. Defense can afford to split this way so long as decent fighters are at H8 or stall then Defense pushes though G8/G9 pass in force. After going through pass, VIP goes H7.Attackers have a hard time figuring out where the VIP goes if he has other routes besides the G Pass unless a really good scout Light can get in the Defenders rear and spot the VIP calling his path out so Attackers can adjust.

Frozen - Once on Attack, VIP went up 5 row to D5 then turned D6.

Grim - Defense? He just went from 10 row and stormed up out in the open to F7/G7.

Polar - Been on both sides. So random here, scouts badly needed on both sides. Attackers should have 3 Mechs go to nearest 3 ECM towers and flip them, at this time one scout should spot Defenders. Defenders actually need a good scout or two to go ahead and find the enemy team then have one scout in the enemy's rear spotting, gives a VERY good chance of winning.

Tourmaline - Seen 2 routes so far on Defense, both take the VIP through F5/F6 line on the side of the ring. This results in the Defending team having to force the Attacking team back before VIP shows up at the ring, else the Defenders are forced to push or lose the VIP.