31 replies to this topic

[Snazzy Dragon]

People are so afraid of damage that no one leads a push until someone gets fed up with it and leads a push anyway, sacrificing their match just so the hiding assaults finally push out and shoot s***. And that's assuming they get the hint; not everyone will take advantage of their teammate torso twisting and taking ~500 damage before they go out. It's like no one has any idea how to set up a moving firing line anymore, and in fact many do the exact opposite and form the NASCAR tango line and funnel in one by one.


I feel like when I first hit tier 2 a few months back the tactics and positioning were on point, but now it just feels like a snorefest and a match of who has the least amount of potatoes, as we so call them, with such things gone out the window. What happened?

[Weaselball]

I'll try and get out in front if I'm in an assault, even if it's not the beefiest mech in the drop. I much prefer to be in the front leading a failed charge than hiding in the back, getting a few potshots while my team dies in front of me.

[Jackal Noble]

Exactly. When you are in an assault, act like it.
I never used to get upset over the assaults all cowering together and huddling behind the rest, and still don't really, but sometimes it makes me do about a 3 second stare to see if that's really what's going on.

[Y E O N N E]

I push in any 'Mech I'm in. I've lead successful charges in Blackjacks, Marauders, Jagermechs, and even Mist Lynxes. Also had those pushes fizzle, too, despite communixating intent.

Gutless wonders gonna gutless.

Edited by Yeonne Greene, 20 December 2016 - 12:39 PM.

[Dogstar]

I've been playing assaults recently and the real problem is that the team just shoots off at speed leaving you behind to get picked off by the opposing teams deathball when they eventually nascar round to you. Seriously, when 64kph in an assault isn't enough to keep up with the team then the game is badly designed.

I would love to be in the thick of the fight, not madly chasing the pack.

Edited by Dogstar, 20 December 2016 - 12:58 PM.

[Catra Lanis]

JackalBeast, on 20 December 2016 - 12:21 PM, said:

Exactly. When you are in an assault, act like it.
I never used to get upset over the assaults all cowering together and huddling behind the rest, and still don't really, but sometimes it makes me do about a 3 second stare to see if that's really what's going on.

I never lead in my assault. I do the support thing. Then again I'm driving a Victor with 3 mpl 1 gauss 2 srm 4. I simply don't have the firepower to go toe to toe with other assaults. Still I've won matches for my team by staying alive and whittle away at the opposition.

[Cat-in-Exile]

Evan2k pretty much nailed the role of an assault in this thread: http://mwomercs.com/...-responsibility

Quote

The assault's job, contrary to popular belief isn't taking damage for the rest of the team. Given the sheer amount of firepower any mech can pack if they're dedicated to doing so, your additional armor will melt just like any other mech if you get focused. Your job is to provide a backbone for the team when pushing forward and a rally point for the team when retreating. You should be the second wave into a push, because unlike heavies/mediums, you lack the mobility to retreat if the push is unsustainable. Once you commit, you're committed to the push. Because of your higher heat cap, you can stay in extended combat longer than a lot of other mechs, making you very effective at area denial. Once your heavies and mediums help you get into position, you're able to singlehandedly lock out large areas of the map/firefight with your firepower.

Also your team will blame you for everything that goes wrong, regardless of whether or not it's your fault.

Edited by Blitzburger, 20 December 2016 - 02:16 PM.

[Mystere]

Snazzy Dragon, on 20 December 2016 - 11:25 AM, said:

People are so afraid of damage that no one leads a push until someone gets fed up with it and leads a push anyway, sacrificing their match just so the hiding assaults finally push out and shoot s***. And that's assuming they get the hint; not everyone will take advantage of their teammate torso twisting and taking ~500 damage before they go out. It's like no one has any idea how to set up a moving firing line anymore, and in fact many do the exact opposite and form the NASCAR tango line and funnel in one by one.

I feel like when I first hit tier 2 a few months back the tactics and positioning were on point, but now it just feels like a snorefest and a match of who has the least amount of potatoes, as we so call them, with such things gone out the window. What happened?

Well, I haven't been playing for a few weeks, so ...

[Snazzy Dragon]

Blitzburger, on 20 December 2016 - 02:16 PM, said:

Evan2k pretty much nailed the role of an assault in this thread: http://mwomercs.com/...-responsibility

I never specified the weight class leading the push, but I did specify the assaults that like to sit on their hands and do nothing or even worse, lob LRMs like they're an effective weapon when sitting still.

Spoiler

If you are using LRMs and don't have direct dire weapons to punch holes in enemy armor while you rain on them from 180-400 meters, while moving with the team and supporting the frontline, and holding your own locks, then you are playing LRMs wrong and should just use ER large lasers because instead if you want to have an actual effective support fire role. PPCs would be even better for this but I doubt most LRM players have sufficient aiming skills for them

Edited by Snazzy Dragon, 20 December 2016 - 02:31 PM.

[Cat-in-Exile]

Snazzy Dragon, on 20 December 2016 - 02:31 PM, said:

I never specified the weight class leading the push, but I did specify the assaults that like to sit on their hands and do nothing or even worse, lob LRMs like they're an effective weapon when sitting still.

You might not have, but that was where the discussion quickly turned.

[The Lost Boy]

What did the OP mean by " no one has any idea how to set up a moving firing line anymore?" Anymore? More like EVER.

[Snazzy Dragon]

Lemming of the BDA, on 20 December 2016 - 02:38 PM, said:

What did the OP mean by " no one has any idea how to set up a moving firing line anymore?" Anymore? More like EVER.

Oh yes, people used to line up and push together side by side in their thunderbolts, black knights, and t wolves, with the battlemasters right behind them supporting instead of shooting them in the back and hugging their a**.

Edited by Snazzy Dragon, 20 December 2016 - 02:54 PM.

[Pilotasso]

Most assaults are good when the targets are softened up. I use my marauders (bot IS and clan) to push as they tank very well, but when using human shaped ones (like Atlas, Highlanders) they become easy pickings for concentrated fire because the are so easy to aim at as soon as they show up. Same is applicable to direwhales and Kodiacs (own none). I rarely see them last to the end unless I'm on the ROFLStoping side.

Edited by Pilotasso, 20 December 2016 - 02:48 PM.

[Navy Sixes]

Weaselball, on 20 December 2016 - 11:41 AM, said:

I'll try and get out in front if I'm in an assault, even if it's not the beefiest mech in the drop. I much prefer to be in the front leading a failed charge than hiding in the back, getting a few potshots while my team dies in front of me.

I used to do this. I used to read all the malarky on these forums about "sharing armor," and I wanted to be a good player to drop with. Then I dropped into a match alongside one of the big "sharing armor" voices I've read around here, and after my Marauder died in the push, I spectated this person in their Kodiak, poopy-poking from behind. What's more, I watched this person hold back on their shots until the target was cherry in the torso, their teammates getting shredded in the meantime.

Great score, multiple kills. By the metrics provided, a "good player."

But we lost, and this guy has probably posted a screenshot of the final tally in the "Carry Harder" thread, along with a rant about LRM boats and how they cost us the match.

I don't really listen to any of this noise anymore.

Edited by Tycho von Gagern, 20 December 2016 - 03:31 PM.

[TLBFestus]

Yeonne Greene, on 20 December 2016 - 12:39 PM, said:

I push in any 'Mech I'm in. I've lead successful charges in Blackjacks, Marauders, Jagermechs, and even Mist Lynxes. Also had those pushes fizzle, too, despite communixating intent.

Gutless wonders gonna gutless.

My story is similar but different;

I push in and have died in any 'Mech I'm in. I've lead fruitless charges in Kodiaks, Marauders, Hellbringers, and even Cicadas. More often than not, these pushes fizzle despite communicating intent as my teammates hide in corners hoping not to take any damage while simultaneously and magically dishing out 1000 damage.

[Angel of Annihilation]

Dogstar, on 20 December 2016 - 12:57 PM, said:

I've been playing assaults recently and the real problem is that the team just shoots off at speed leaving you behind to get picked off by the opposing teams deathball when they eventually nascar round to you. Seriously, when 64kph in an assault isn't enough to keep up with the team then the game is badly designed.

I would love to be in the thick of the fight, not madly chasing the pack.

Yeah it is a tough world for a slow Assault. I recently decided to buy and use King Crabs....took me about 20 matches to decide I wanted none of that and it wasn't because it was a bad mech or anything like that, it was because about 1 in 3 matches I was left behind to die plus even when I did manager to get up to the team, I usually had to focus on trying to keep up and keep from being left behind rather than actually apply my firepower and armor to a push.

[PowerKill Necron]

Last night I played a match where a Kodiak kept hiding behind my Blackjack, using me as a shield. Every time I turned around, there he was. Though I have seen good Assault pilots, most I run across are cowards, who just play assaults to try and farm kills for their E-peens.

[Shiroi Tsuki]

I encouraged people to brawl and push more, but they told me to QQ more instead. I find it heart breaking that 100 tonners are using LRMs and an XL Jager/Centurion has to lead the push because everyone is too afraid to get damaged.

But oh well, I did get the satisfaction of getting free LRM Daishi and Catapult kill (and 2 more while capping their base) since I did a sneaky push to the enemy's side in River City instead of being a citadel sniping sheep

[Bohxim]

No offense to anyone, just from my experiences playing mainly the assault and heavy roles in my unit (comp and casual)
Like how various lights have various roles, (ach sneaky knife fighter, adder fire support, kfx escort ecm ams support) various assaults have various roles too. Cyclops Q and atlas has great spear head capabilities due to the high spike damage nature and body to roll damage around. Kdk and stk have great Hill hump and area denial capabilities just spewing damage into a kill zone (some mauler and dwf are better area denial mechs but lack favourable hardpoints to use terrain to shield themselves). While marauder 2c, certain mauler and kind crabs work great and a moving firing line, taking hits and dishing out hurt in a ball. Some just aren't that good for spear heading a push due to shape and hit boxes. Heck, some if you can successfully sneak into a flank of the enemy have great sustainable dps to rekt an entire Lance or force half the team to turn to deal with you making it easier for the main force to crush the remaining lines.
But one thing's for sure, most assaults carry enough fire power to turn the tides in any single engagement. Severely punishing anything that peeks wrongly or gets caught out. I'm not an advocate of holing up the entire game for full lrm boats or poke fest builds, but assaults shouldn't be left behind in a thirsty nascar or ALWAYS pushing. Use them smartly to set up firing lines when you get more Intel, or rotate them into pushes as a second wave, they'll naturally get focused on once they emerge and you get into cover keeping them fresher for a longer engagement.
Many who've dropped with me before will know I really dislike pushing into unfavourable territory, but will do so if it helps the team win. But will also know, I've done seemingly stupid things that didn't make sense at the start but somehow worked as the match went on (like my mauler alone on the island at crimson creating a 2nd firing line that slowed the movement of mechs under the platform from going up the saddle, or a scorch flanking the opposite direction in frozen or canyon with 1 or 2 others to take down their rear long ranged support). It's all about where to put that firepower where it's needed
Just sharing my 2 cents

[El Bandito]

Depends on the mech. If I'm using Atlas, I lead the charge. If I am using KDK-3, I'd rather go in second.