192 replies to this topic

[Mainhunter]

My first escort match I was wondering, why that Atlas doesn't turn around....put 3 Alphas into his back and then got shot by all of the other sides team members...in to tiny little pieces. When i blow up, I recognized, that this couldn't be a normal Atlas...

Anyway, I don't want to get forced to play this mod....

[RedDragon]

So ... looks like they made the VIP Atlas that tough that it's basically better to just kill the enemy team before taking out the Atlas, effectively making it a team deathmatch?

[Ike Diamonds]

Finally, something worse than Conquest.

[Ted Wayz]

NRP, on 13 December 2016 - 12:25 PM, said:

LOL, someone needs to tell PGI that the absolute worst missions in video games are the "escort" or "protect" missions. I have absolutely zero interest in playing this.

In what respect? In some games it is a great way to get a crap ton of xp.

Edited by Ted Wayz, 13 December 2016 - 06:09 PM.

[Barantor]

Ike Diamonds, on 13 December 2016 - 05:19 PM, said:

Finally, something worse than Conquest.

That was called Domination.

[s0da72]

Played for a bit today, but only got the mode once as a defender. The attackers seemed confused as to what to do. They were all spread out and was picked off in small groups verses our larger group. So we ended up winning the match with very little effort.


I also didn't notice any clear path the VIP was to follow.

Edited by s0da72, 13 December 2016 - 06:59 PM.

[Cy Mitchell]

Got another Escort as Defender. Lost on time with the kills at 6-6. They managed block the VIP advance until they legged it. I am playing terrible so I cannot blame anyone else. 5 game losing streak so I think I will call it a night.

[SFC174]

Worst game mode so far. I thought Conquest was bad, but Escort is silly. I can see why several player are disconnecting upon selection of this mode. I'm tempted to myself. Did 400 pts dmg solely to CT and one ST of the VIP last match and did not even strip armor (all gauss rounds).

[MW222]

Needs work guys, my grandmother could drive that Atlas better the the AI.

[Ike Diamonds]

I've played five times and the team that is escorting has won easily every single time. Frustratingly lopsided. I've never played any video game that had escort missions that were anything more than an annoyance.

[nehebkau]

ESCORT GAME MODE: What horrible experience.

Lesson 1 forgot: Turrets sucked in assault mode so we removed them they didn't add to the game and took away varied play-styles and hindered players' enjoyment.
Escort mode; Lets add turrets!
Lesson 2 forgot: Adding in AI that shoots at players and never misses unbalances a game that we have balanced for 12 vs. 12.
Escort mode: Lets add an AI drop ship that fires on players.
Lesson 3 forgot: Having AI that overrides requiring players to get their own locks was bad.
Escort mode: Lets add ECM override stuff and let AI feed targeting info to players.

End result: Balance goes out the bloody window in that game mode.

WTH PGI -- I just don't understand how you can make the same damn mistakes OVER AND OVER AND OVER! At some point you HAVE to start learning from your mistakes!

Edited by nehebkau, 13 December 2016 - 09:20 PM.

[Khobai]

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

Edited by Khobai, 13 December 2016 - 09:30 PM.

[meteorol]

Only half of the damage dealt towards the atlas should count to matchscore imo.

People are farming crazy damage numbers from shooting an AI target that can't even fire back, which totally screws average matchscore as a metric and makes the leaderboards even more useless.

[Malgron]

This mode is pretty damn frustrating as a light/Cicada pilot. All-seeing towers, turrets, and a dynamic battlefield means everyone knows where you are, and they all want a piece of you. The few battles I've been in have been utter chaos, which is a bad thing when you can be killed in one alpha. So my choices appear to be cower in safety on the periphery, or wade into the hornet's nest and die.

Maybe I'll find a niche as I get used to it, but right now it feels like this is a mode for the heavy hitters and mechs that can afford to take a few hits. I'll be voting against it every chance I get.

[XanRebirth_Huntermark]

I do not like this game mode at all on either side. I would prefer it in factiin play.


I just have not found it any fun at all.

[Snowbluff]

Jay Leon Hart, on 13 December 2016 - 04:32 PM, said:

10 (or was it 9?) Escort matches, all Defender wins. 2 were close with a damaged VIP, but no Attacker wins for me so far. Maybe tomorrow!

Same here. 4 defender wins.

I lost to Sean Lang, after taunting him, because of this game mode. I was on a winning streak versus him. >:0

[Cuddle Party]

On large maps by the time you figure out where the escort is they are 25-50% done with their route. In the beginner tiers there isn't much teamwork so defenders have a huge advantage. In one match about 7 of us unloaded into the Atlas CT and only took out 25% of it. It just strolled to the drop ship and we lost. You have to make your way across the map and wipe out the other team in less than five minutes so you have enough time left to kill the over healthed Atlas.

Wanna use LRMs? Good luck with that. Even my TAG couldn't counter the ECM on players and locks take so long which would be fine except the fire line is constantly moving and as an attacker you are moving backwards. I tried to actually escort the guy. Got little money and experience because I didn't do any damage.

The game mode is so not fun that I want to not play for a few days. Everyone can give it a shot and realize it's not fun and stop voting for it.

[WrathOfDeadguy]

I'm annoyed by how bad this mode can feel even when you're winning it. Usually, you can get a pretty good sense of which way a match is going after the first minute or two, but escort is utterly baffling. I want to say that RNG plays too bit a role in the outcome, and that's down to ammo crits.

I had one round defending on Polar, where I could swear the enemies were about to LRM the thing to death- it was down to around a quarter total HP in most locations... but then all of a sudden they just crumpled and the game was over right when I figured we were about to lose. I also had a round attacking on Crimson where I kept dumping shot after shot into the target's CT, and friendlies were popping left and right trying to break through to it, it was almost to the saddle and then *pop* somebody got a lucky ammo crit and it dropped like a sack of hammers even though it still had full CT structure. In the first case, my team rallied and pulled a surprise win out at the last moment... in the second case, we played like potatoes and got handed a win because a virtual dice roll decided the VIP should 'splode now.

RNG has no place in deciding whether or not an objective gets accomplished. None. The stupid Atlas doesn't even use its weapons, so what is the point of it carrying ammo for them? It's not like they can pretend it's a stock 'Mech with all that extra armor (and the fact that it only does about 30kph instead of 48), so why not modify the loadout? Either drop all the ammo, or take a ton from somewhere and CASE the bloody thing. The behavior of the VIP, both in its movement and in the way it takes damage, needs to be predictable.

*edit* And it still bothers me that attack and defense don't alternate. Whether you get one or the other is down to, you guessed it, RNG, which means you could play half a dozen rounds of defense before getting to attack, or vice versa. That is the wrong way to handle an asymmetrical game mode in a matchmaker formed PUG queue. Both sides should get their shot. Figure out a way to make each half of the match take only about seven minutes (which shouldn't be hard, since it's usually over in 8 or so and the Atlas isn't even running at top speed), then run two games back to back. At the end of the first round, the roles flip. Match rewards for running both would necessarily be higher, since you'd be squeezing two drops' worth of gameplay into the same 15-minute timespan, but I doubt anyone would complain about that. The potential for two wins and two payouts in the same drop might just be enough to make this mode enjoyable. Might.

Edited by WrathOfDeadguy, 14 December 2016 - 12:22 AM.

[Gaden Phoenix]

Let me be the lone voice here that say, I like it.

It is a new game mode that people need to first learn how to play. It is a change from the norm, and it is very human to dislike changes.

But it brings and forces (or die) to learn how to have:
1. moving firing lines
2. capture stuff / info wars
3. stick together as a group
4. constantly repositioning
5. situational awareness of a fluidic battlefield

I do not think it is a bad mode, but it is sure very different play style compared to before and thus new skills are required.

Also as this is early days, of cause balancing will be required. I think it will become a refreshing break from the other modes. And hopefully the first of more different play modes.

So lets give it a chance as we adapt to it and and PGI balances it out.

Edited by Gaden Phoenix, 14 December 2016 - 12:32 AM.

[Weeny Machine]

Davegt27, on 13 December 2016 - 02:29 PM, said:

well last escort game I played

I took off in my medium to check the saddle
when I came back one of out Atlas's is blocking the VIP Mech

I am "what the hell are you doing"

I then went ahead to run blocker and got killed now I am spectating this jerk
he is shooting and blocking the VIP Mech

we won but only because the VIP Mech was so such a tank

I tried to body block the Atlas with my light mech in one of the games (I was with the attackers). However, the Atlas pushed my mech simply and moved on. It seems body blocking isn't possible.