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Winning Escort

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#1 Void Angel

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Posted 16 December 2016 - 06:23 PM

"On Death Ground, Fight."

That's a simplistic explanation, but workable nonetheless. Sun Tzu, in describing the various tactical and strategic situations in which an army might find itself, identified amongst them "death ground" (called desperate in some translations.) "Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is death ground... On death ground, fight."

Of course, the Art of War wasn't written to govern tactical combat; it was a guide for high-level professionals, a secret set of teachings for the use of generals in the field. However, the application to tactical combat in MWO is very appropriate here - because in order to win Escort matches, you must come to grips with the enemy, and do it quickly.

Escort is unlike other game modes, even Domination, in that it puts real time constraints on combat. The attackers have to kill the VIP before he gets to the dropship, and they have to deal with the enemy team to do it. This forces a situation where neither team can afford to be passive; the defenders need to keep between the attackers and the VIP, and the attackers have to kill them efficiently.

This means that the kind of methodical trading mentality that has made Canyon Network so popular in recent months is just not viable in Escort. There simply isn't time to reduce the enemy team this way; more aggression is called for. The VIP's slow pace is deceptive - once combat starts, the time will fly, and he will be stumbling out in front of your team or up to the dropship (depending on your perspective) before you know it.

This doesn't mean that only brawlers and dakka can do well in Escort - any build or style can contribute and do well. But you have to get rid of the mentality of letting the other guy take the damage - whether or not he's on your team. It's vitally important to take every advantage to cripple or drive back the enemy team; and when they're shooting at your teammate, they can't shoot at you.

Again, you can use any type of build - it's the tactics that count. If you're a sniper, get in close anyway: you can trade with people at close range, targeting vital locations on enemy 'mechs. If you're an LRM boat, well: optimal engagement range for LRMs is about 300m. If you're fire support, get up there and use your armor, too: you can pull back once you get critical, but fire you take is fire your buddies don't have to. Lights can distract and harass the enemy like always, and take out capture points too: there's a reason the defense turrets are so easy to kill; Lights need to be able to kill them.

These are only suggestions as to how you might approach the battle. Do what works best in the tactical situation - but remember one thing above all others: this game mode requires you to be aggressive. No matter what. So, Mechwarriors: fight; strive; kill! Engage the enemy more closely; don't @#$% on them, boot em; "get 'em good!" Do you want to live forever?

On Death Ground, Fight!

Edited by Void Angel, 17 December 2016 - 03:28 PM.


#2 NRP

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Posted 17 December 2016 - 08:37 AM

This game mode has definitely been an interesting experience. I've seen all kinds of approaches work and also fail. Anyway, I don't hate Escort as much as I thought I would when I read about it.

#3 Void Angel

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Posted 17 December 2016 - 11:42 AM

I think I'm going to quite enjoy it - but this mode more than any other emphasizes the teamwork aspect of the game. If I don't lend my weight to the engagement because I think "that's not my job, I'm a 1337 S|\|1P3R," my odds of winning go way down.

Edited by Void Angel, 17 December 2016 - 12:40 PM.


#4 Insanity09

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Posted 17 December 2016 - 02:23 PM

Agreed.

I compliment you, Void, on realizing what most folks simply do not seem to grasp; Sun Tzu is more about strategy than tactics, but can, in some cases, be applied to a more battlefield situation.

Edit: After some thought, and several failed attack escorts (out of 4 I got, 1 I was obliterated early, the remainder were losses), I'd like to point out, if you focus fire on the vip at the expense of paying no attention to the people shooting at you, you will die. By all means, if you have nothing to shoot except the vip, do so, but, and speaking from numerous successful defenses (though I got no defends at all on the second day, sigh), I LOVE it when enemies let me shoot them without shooting back. "fish in a barrel" comes to mind.

Edited by Insanity09, 17 December 2016 - 03:55 PM.


#5 Void Angel

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Posted 17 December 2016 - 05:32 PM

That's because the Art of War is a Classic, by the Clemens definition: "A book everybody talks about and nobody reads."

#6 Boltzmann Brain

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Posted 30 December 2016 - 12:46 AM

“The majority of people are timid by nature, and that is why they constantly exaggerate danger. All influences on the military leader, therefore, combine to give him a false impression of his opponent’s strength, and from this arises a new source of indecision.”
– Carl von Clausewitz

Just Claus it's not just about Sun Tzu

And I entirely agree about Escort Mode, obviously

Edited by Disastrophy, 30 December 2016 - 12:49 AM.


#7 Void Angel

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Posted 30 December 2016 - 10:47 AM

"Just Claus?" I need to see a doctor - I think I have word poisoning.

#8 Void Angel

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Posted 16 January 2017 - 11:08 AM

So, update: I do enjoy Escort, and people have started to get the hang of it - but you still see a lot of people trying to camp by the VIP or ignoring the VIP to play SniparWarrior instead of focusing on the objectives. Overall, however, it's a fun game mode.

#9 Leonidas the First

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Posted 18 January 2017 - 10:33 AM

1. Everyone wants to stand back and trade paying no attention to the VIP so the VIP eventually passes the firing line and gets slaughtered.

2. Everyone focuses on brawling the attacking mechs. Again, the VIP eventually gets away from its defenders at which time the attackers can usually step between the VIP and defenders.

3. Defenders are real aggressive and get to far ahead of the VIP and a few attackers slip in behind and take out the VIP before the defenders can adjust.

The defenders must stay close enough to react to a VIP rush while staying far enough ahead to maintain a buffer in case of a push. You have to watch the VIP carefully to see when it reaches critical decision points (turn left or right) so that you can get ahead of it when needed to secure or cut off possible choke points the the attackers can turtle up and destroy the defenders as they are forced to stay in front of the VIP. If you can pin the defenders down you still need to keep a couple good anti-light defenders with the VIP.





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