12 replies to this topic

[Tier5 Kerensky]

This is a bit strange.

I've tried practicing using narc, first I started with my Archer-5W lrmboat, but I rarely got narcs as it's range is poor and Archer is a bit poor with it's low cockpit and huge missile tube covers (bunny ears) so I take damage everytime I'm trying to narc anyone.
Archer has hand actuators and I had the narc in hand so it shouldn't be so bad except for the poor range and vunerability to expose so much. Obviously I keep the arm lock off. I wasnä't doing that really well.

So I tried to practice it with Mist Lynx, it has ECM, speed, small size and much better narc range. It also has the launcher in hand.

Now I just come from a game where I was really amazed how I kept missing and missing with the narcs. It was escort mode, we had the vip and initial ECM towers/flags. The map was Grim Plexus which I think is really good for narching, as there is so much hard cover in form of hills and such, and specially on escort where I can run around fairly safely and do my stuff.

But I think I didn't manage to get any narcs to hit. I had plenty of shots againts heavies like Timber Wolf from about 400 meters, as well as I tried so shoot lights and mediums. I kept shooting and shooting and there is really no way in hell I could miss all the shots by poor aiming alone.

So I think some kind of lag or similiar is really hurting those shots.
The game was on EU server on which I have about 80-90 ping. On US server I have about 140-160. And I have rather low FPS, about 14-19, but it's rather steady and I don't really notice it being that bad ingame. Enemy mechs move about solidly I think, sometimes I see mechs warping really weird but that's rare and I think it's the player having huge ping.

From my weapons stats:
IS narc has been used in 30 games, fired 271 times, hit 44, with 16% hitrate. That's pretty much with Archer and Stalker I've used it, both configured as LRM boats. Those are the reasons I'm practicing it with Mist Lynx, to have longer locks for myself.

Clan Narc has been used in 96 games, fired 650 times, hit 94, 14%. So I've had it now with Mist Lynx for maybe 10-15 games, so I don't remember where I've previously used it, but it has been quite some time ago. Maybe I've had it with Mad Dog (with all tubes in torso) which I've had as LRM boats before I got the Archer and pretty much swiched my lurming to it. I'm pretty sure I've previously not had dedicated mech with mainly for narching, number of shots per game implies this.

So how would I improve? Obviously I can't do much with my FPS or ping.

I read about this game has some peculiar anti-lag feature, but does it still exists, how does that work, does it work always or only sometimes? I don't remember the name of the system so I didn't find anything about it, but I recall it required some calculations from server side so I'm thinking maybe on high server load it turns off.

I'm thinking I either need to lead much more or maybe much less? In for example in WoT you can have server side reticle on which will show where your aim was on last tick, and thus kinda use that information to shoot properly, as you can roughtly see the speed at which your server aim is behind your client aim.

I know I'm not great with my eye-hand coordination but in the game I just was I missed so many good shots that I alone can't be that bad. There's something else involved too.

Spoiler

[FaT4Li7y]

NARC beacons count as missles and are therefor destroyed by AMS. However IIRC Narcs have 2 HP so they need 2 missles to take them down as opposed to all other missiles that have 1 HP.
Bad hitreg and "ongoing sever issues" might be another reason for your bad experince. Seen a lot of this lately.
Narcs also have a very slow travel speed, you can liteally watch them fly....not easy to lead those shots on target 400m away...

[Roughneck45]

NARCS fly extremely slow and its hard to see the projectile. Try to take shots that won't require you to lead the target, so mechs standing still or moving directly towards or away from you.

[Koniving]

Teer Kerensky, on 31 January 2017 - 12:11 PM, said:

Your problem is with NARC and its interaction with ECM, in the escort mission you described.

NARC cancels ECM on the target you hit (...least for mechs. Need to try it on a tower).

However, ECM cancels NARC when NARC activates in its range, meaning if the ECM user -- whether it is a mech, a tower, a building, generator, turret, wooden post in the ground, street lamp, newspaper vending machine or even Aunt Jemima with an ECM emitting bottle of syrup -- is not what you hit, your NARC is rendered worthless the instant it activates.

FaT4Li7y, on 31 January 2017 - 12:29 PM, said:

NARC beacons count as missles and are therefor destroyed by AMS. However IIRC Narcs have 2 HP so they need 2 missles to take them down as opposed to all other missiles that have 1 HP.
Bad hitreg and "ongoing sever issues" might be another reason for your bad experince. Seen a lot of this lately.
Narcs also have a very slow travel speed, you can liteally watch them fly....not easy to lead those shots on target 400m away...

LRMs have 1 HP, SRMs have 2 HP, NARCs have 3 HP.

[Robinhood78]

Koniving, on 01 February 2017 - 11:06 AM, said:

Your problem is with NARC and its interaction with ECM, in the escort mission you described.

This one confused me as well and I've been playing for years. Normally we don't see this happen because ECM isn't prevelant the way it once was when the range was double what it is now. Those ECM "towers" in escort are very powerful and if the target you hit is within range of one the "wi-fi" won't show even though you may have been close enough to target him.

[justcallme A S H]

It's not a lag/FPS issue. I play with 250ms ping, 40FPS.

I can NARC without a drama. It's just an aim problem. Get into the training grounds, practice shooting while moving at full speed. Obviously it's easier at a stationary target...

Also look for mechs that have NARC quirks or missile velocity. Makes it easier as well.

[Tiantara]

- And yes, Narc module make its speed much faster.
But - Narc missile can:
- go in gap between arm and torso (no hit)
- go to mech part destroyed in same time (no hit, tested in some situation)
- go to mech under ECM cover - no effect.
- go to mech with ECM but under another ECM - same no affect.
- killed by AMS... well... really rare but yes.
- being stopped by another dead mech, bushes or trees...
- target move from optimal range in last second...

[S 0 L E N Y A]

I am not questioning your marksmanship, but you need to keep in mind that NARC beacons have some of the SLOWEST velocity in the game. AC20s fly noticeably faster than NARC beacons.

Bottom line is they are pretty tough to hit with.

[Robinhood78]

Boogie138, on 01 February 2017 - 07:43 PM, said:

I am not questioning your marksmanship, but you need to keep in mind that NARC beacons have some of the SLOWEST velocity in the game. AC20s fly noticeably faster than NARC beacons.

Bottom line is they are pretty tough to hit with.

Yeah, you can seem them drop like a rock. For sure even AC/20 has better trajectory. Gotta aim way high unless you're quite close.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

If you want to have some real fun (read: this is not a good idea per se):

put a narc launcher on a ACH and learn to "pop tart" narcs. It makes for GREAT practice for PPC poptarting

[Old-dirty B]

justcallme A S H, on 01 February 2017 - 05:42 PM, said:

It's not a lag/FPS issue. I play with 250ms ping, 40FPS.

40 fps is low but above the bare minimum to have some form of decent gameplay, that is better then plain television. however, the he OP has 10-15 fps which is way to low... thats more like a slideshow then anything other. Anyway, with a weapon with such slow projectile speed (slightly better then SRM's) the weapon is hard to use at range, especially when you dont have a smooth running game to begin with.

I think the problem is a combination of a few factors: low fps, high latency and a difficult weapon.

[S 0 L E N Y A]

B3R3ND, on 02 February 2017 - 12:39 AM, said:

40 fps is low but above the bare minimum to have some form of decent gameplay, that is better then plain television. however, the he OP has 10-15 fps which is way to low...

ooooh, I missed the 15fps part. That is in my book unplayable, for any weapon system, but ESPECIALLY for any projectile weapon.

[Tier5 Kerensky]

Thanks for replies, so lets go trough few of them.

The escort game I mentioned, was where we had the flags, and we also kept the flags. So they don't effect narced enemies do they not?

I know, if a mech is hidden by ECM of someone else of their team, the narc won't show up. But then you can see ECM affecting the target, with the small sign, if you are able to still target him yourself(due to you probe, I also have advanced sensor range on this Mist Lynx which I think also effects how far I can target ECM mechs, at least probe does)

Yes, the narc projectile is really slow, but I've even missed completely stationary targets. I would not try hitting narc to a running target anyway. Does the projectile fall, one of you said aim high? I've never realised they might, as in most games either bullets fly completely straight or the aiming takes account the distance. But I guess since MWO you can have lasers and projectiles aimed with same aim, it's not really possible, either they fly completely stright or you have you take the falling account yourself.

If they do fall, and the fall is propotional to speed of the projectile and maybe max range, then that could explain some of the missing.

That point about AMS was good one, didn't know that. I wonder if I could even see the AMS being deployed againts narc, I can see it againts missiless, but since narc is just one projectile, maybe it's too fast to notice AMS activating.