20 replies to this topic

[Skull Drake]

Hi all, new to MWO but not new to the MW world. I've been playing MW4 ever since it came out way back when and trying to get used to the newer controls for MWO. I do have questions about Academy play and regular play.

Is there a solo queue in Quick Play? If so how do I select it? I saw that there was something like that mentioned in the forums but i can't seem to find that mode in the UI. I'm not much of a PVP player and happy to shoot at AIs all night long. I'm also not much of a 'social' gamer so I stay away from guilding or whatever the equivalent is here.

Do the Academy training challenges give out C-Bills? Is it worthwhile trying to finish all the challenges if they net you a small amount of C notes compared to learning on the solo quickplay mode battlefield?

Has the most recent update changed the way you level up mechs? I am seeing that for the first time that mechs can not only be fitted with variable equipment like in MW4 but you can 'level' them. interesting...

Thanks!

[Tarl Cabot]

You are looking for the Academy, HOME, left side.

Solo queue is the queue for players who are NOT dropping as a GROUP/TEAM/UNIT, so 12 random players vs 12 random players, centered around their PSR rating.

MW5, single player campaign in Unreal engine, sometime in 2018.

You do earn C-bills in Academy. I would actually suggest through it several times. For actual drops, you also have Cadet bonus running for your first 25 matches, so the more time you spend in the Academy sharpening your skills and aim the better.

Suggest lowering in-game mouse sensitivity to 0.1-0.2.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 25 February 2017 - 05:54 PM.

[Void Angel]

Quick play is solo queue unless you're in a group. If you don't have teammates when you drop, you're in solo. However, this is entirely a PvP game. There are currently no AI opponents, though MechWarrior 5 is in the works.

There are achievements for the Academy that give you a large chunk of c-bills. Check the achievements list to see which ones; they're nonrepeatable, but very much worth it.

The skill system is still in the works, so you're not seeing any changes at this time - the announcement was about the public test system changes.

[Xaat Xuun]

what you're wanting (looking for) is MW5. (in the process of being built)

MWO is a PVP, except as others said in the Academy, though you could go into the training grounds and shoot mechs that don't shoot back

Edited by Xaat Xuun, 25 February 2017 - 05:50 PM.

[Skull Drake]

Thanks so much for the tips , especially about the mouse sensitivity.I find if I load up on Mountain Dew along with some sugary treats my aim seems to be everywhere...

My thing about PVP is that since I never team with anyone I don't know anything about people's strategies so if I get loud people yelling at me why I am not doing something or am doing something I'm not supposed to do in a 'team' framework then I get irate and begin shooting at the people yelling at me even if we're in the same side. You can tell why I am not very 'social'

One last question - When I am inside the Academy, how do I select the Academy window on the right side of the screen? I'd like to scroll down the contents of the challenges but i can't seem to even select that window.

obrigado-

[Koniving]

Skull Drake, on 25 February 2017 - 06:30 PM, said:

Thanks so much for the tips , especially about the mouse sensitivity.I find if I load up on Mountain Dew along with some sugary treats my aim seems to be everywhere...

My thing about PVP is that since I never team with anyone I don't know anything about people's strategies so if I get loud people yelling at me why I am not doing something or am doing something I'm not supposed to do in a 'team' framework then I get irate and begin shooting at the people yelling at me even if we're in the same side. You can tell why I am not very 'social'

One last question - When I am inside the Academy, how do I select the Academy window on the right side of the screen? I'd like to scroll down the contents of the challenges but i can't seem to even select that window.

obrigado-

Well, for now and it seems like it will continue to be this way, MWO is a PVP game.

This said, PGI is working on a single player experience using much of the assets here, though they are putting it in a different game engine. They are calling it "Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries."

It will be a couple of years before it is ready to be bought, however.

This is Russ playing it at Mech Con 2016.

[Koniving]

You can use... Tab I think it is? Tab lets you use the mouse.

Most people just find the location associated with them and activate the different things there.

[Tier5 Kerensky]

Skull Drake, on 25 February 2017 - 06:30 PM, said:

One last question - When I am inside the Academy, how do I select the Academy window on the right side of the screen? I'd like to scroll down the contents of the challenges but i can't seem to even select that window. obrigado-

I think you need to do about first 3 practices before you can freely select any of the rest.

[Rogue Jedi]

with regards to working with the team, initialy just try sticking with the main group, and shoot at what they shoot at, if someone says you are doing something wrong ask how to do it better, or come back here and explain what was happening, we can explain.


The MWO comunity is much more helpfull and tollerant than many other games ^{(probably due to the higher average age, we have plenty of players in their 40s and 50s)} we do have a few id10ts, and you will ocaisionaly find them on your team.

the major things people get upset about are;

dying early with no damage ^{(almost always their own fault but they blame the team because they are unable to accept that they made a mistake)}

someone playing a weapon or combination thereof which the complainer does not like ^{(and they usualy turn out to have had far lower score then the player they were moaning about)}

people refusing to cooperate with a plan ^{(often suicidal, althouth following a plan is usualy better than not, however if someone swears at me and orders me to do something I am likely to ignore them and do something diferant after reporting them, while if someone asks I am usualy happy to cooperate).}

people staying 500m behind the group lobbing LRMs and complainng that people are not holding locks for them, especialy when piloting an assualt Mech, this is the only legitimate complaint I frequently see. LRMs are fine provided the user sticks with the team and is prepaired to get his/her own locks, but expecting others to get in harms way so you do not have to, especialy if you are bigger and more heavily armored than the persion you expect to take risks for you is not fair in a team game

[Skull Drake]

Thanks all!

Yeah I played the other day and there was someone yelling over the com about someone not doing something right and when the person that did it died , the guy offering the advice was tsk/tsk mocking the dead guy for not listening - that is just trash. Thankfully it was one match in eight that I played where someone was mocking another but the others were fairly silent or the communications going over the com were supportive and fun. I am glad there are 40-50 year olds on here. That is my demographic for sure.

MW5 sounds something that could be up my alley but I will make the best of MWO until then. It's not a bad experience for a free game and I have fun when people aren't losing their bannanas over the com.

I need to understand Omnipods/omnitech better and what it's used for...
Thanks again-

[762 NATO]

The mute button works really well. Also, yeah stick to the biggest group of blues and shoot the reds as best you can. Always try to hit the center torso and press R (target lock) as soon as you see a bad guy (who may be one of us). Pressing R gives you info, but more importantly let's your team know someone is there.

Cheers! And welcome!

[Skull Drake]

Awesome thanks again,
I have been following the advice on here, especially about sticking to the group, had my first win and my first kill. after 10 matches LOL.

Also had my first instance of friendly fire in a packed group , a friendly assault walked into my barrage of LRMs from my blind spot and he took a couple of my missiles meant for team red. oops. since he was an assault and I am a light the angle was too low for him to not get hit. I guess that stuff will happen in tight groups of mechs. I guess that's what E->'Sorry' is for... lol

[SnagaDance]

Well, if you were in an Inner Sphere mech your missiles would not have damaged him as they do zero damage within 180m. If a Clan mech, meh, with the way LRM damage drops with range within 180m for them you'd have hardly scratched him.

[Rogue Jedi]

Skull Drake, on 26 February 2017 - 09:50 PM, said:

I need to understand Omnipods/omnitech better and what it's used for...

Battlemechs allow you to change engine size, structure, armor and heatsink type and have no fixed equipment.

Omnipods are found on Omnimechs,
Omnimechs have engine, heatsink armor and structure type fixed and sometimes have other equipment tied to its Omnipod, including heatsinks, jumpjets, active probes.

That is all to counter their major advantage, you can fit omnipods from any other varient of that chassis, the omnipod contains all weapon hardpoints and fixed equipment for that componant, in this context componant meens arm, leg, torso, head

so for example if you buy the Kit Fox Prime, and want to add ECM you can buy the Right Arm Omnipod from the KFX-C to give you an ECM hardpoint ^{(as well as 3 AMS hardpoints and 1 energy hardpoint)},
lets say you also want that same Kit Fox to jump, then you can fit ether side torso (1 jet) or leg (2 jets) from the KFX-S which all have jumpjets, so as I would want 4 JJs I would take both leg pods from the S,
I also want a balistic hardpoint on the arm so I take the KFX-C left arm with 2E and 2B hardpoints.

the only part you cannot swap is the CT, so it is possible you could end up with just the 1 origional pod, and if the chassis does not have any CT hardpoints you can set up any varient with an identical loadout.

spoilered below is a list of current omnimechs, accurate Feburary 2017, all others are battlemechs

Spoiler

Myst Lynx
Arctic Cheetah
Kit Fox
Adder
Viper
Ice Ferret
Shadow Cat
Nova
Huntsman
Stormcrow
Mad Dog
Linebacker
Ebon Jaguar
Helbringer
Summoner
Night Gyr
Timber Wolf
Gargoyle
Warhawk
Executioner
Dire Wolf

[Skrapha]

Remember that only one out of ten matches in solo que will you find anyone actually working as a team or communicating with their team mates...If you enjoy working as a team, and sometimes winning, join a unit, if you enjoy playing solo and (most often) being killed alone, play solo. By the luck of the draw you will occasionally get a great 12 man solo team that is coordinated and efficient, but most often you get a silent, every man for themselves group.

Im not trying to sound salty, just preparing you for the worst, so you don't think the whole game has the hit or miss game teamwork of solo que (since it is...well, solo que)The matchmaker is not the best, and even when you find yourself in the higher tiers you can still get teams that stay silent (or so im told). Best thing o do is try and help the best you can, not by being a desktop general shouting orders and getting mad when no one follows them, but encouraging and leading by example.

In the end, you cant win every game, and it wouldn't be fun if you did!

I hope, however, that my experience is simply due to fact that ive only been playing MWO for about 6 months (400 hours) and haven't attained the super skill level that allows me entry into the fabled upper tiers, gazing upon the wondrous sights of teamwork and golden mechs, basking in the red light of my targeted enemies, and laughing at the wondrous sight of a clear sky, free from the dark clouds of LRM fire....

One day, one day.....until then I persevere in the hopes of reaching my journeys end, riding victorious, shiny and chrome...

Edited by Skrapha, 27 February 2017 - 12:28 PM.

[Skull Drake]

Thanks for the insights all!

A-ha! i did not know that IS LRM's do nothing at 180m or less, looks like the big galut didn't get hurt after all.

Also, thanks for explaining the omnimech concept to me, that was confusing!

It does seem that the folks who run in solo that are talking in a cooperative way do win, the ones who are saying to 'watch out for mobs in G6' and stuff is helpful, even though I don't have a setup to actually talk in game I do use the chatter and base strategies off them. Even if I bit the dust, the winning team definitely pulls in some nice rewards...

[MOBAjobg]

Watch MWO videos of pilots over at twitch or youtube and learn from them.

In addition, "spectate" a competent team mate for the rest of the match once you're killed to observe its actions.

[SnagaDance]

In that regard I can recommend the youTube videos from MoltenMetal (MWO pilot name 'baradul'), he's not only a good player but also continually narrates why he's doing what he's doing, as well as pointing out mistakes from friends and opponents (and his own when they happen).

There are other great ones of course, but when it comes to help learning all kinds of aspects of the game I cannot but point to MoltenMetal.

[Jables McBarty]

Skull Drake, on 25 February 2017 - 06:30 PM, said:

My thing about PVP is that since I never team with anyone I don't know anything about people's strategies so if I get loud people yelling at me why I am not doing something or am doing something I'm not supposed to do in a 'team' framework then I get irate and begin shooting at the people yelling at me even if we're in the same side. You can tell why I am not very 'social'

Want to add (because I've not seen it mentioned): you definitely want to resist the temptation. Too much team damage or team killing will add penalty wait times to your queue, and could get you banned.

Quote

One last question - When I am inside the Academy, how do I select the Academy window on the right side of the screen? I'd like to scroll down the contents of the challenges but i can't seem to even select that window.

obrigado-

I think you can also Pause (ESC by default) and select from there.

Skull Drake, on 26 February 2017 - 10:55 PM, said:

Awesome thanks again,
I have been following the advice on here, especially about sticking to the group, had my first win and my first kill. after 10 matches LOL.

That's the spirit!

My first game I did 2 damage total.

I was like "Oh, i guess that means I destroyed two components."

Nope.

We all have to start somewhere

[Skull Drake]

Thanks for the great anecdotes all - I am enjoying myself better in game, I think after 10 games the other night there was just 1 jack--- shouting at the team, I couldn't shoot him because i lost my arms after luring a couple stray lights into the meat grinder of 2 assault teammates waiting for them. I still wanted to shoot him by 'accident' though

I did not know that shooting my 'teammates' could get me banned or longer wait times... Guess i'll have to channel my temper elsewhere. I play lights a lot but I wish the Assaults would stop stepping on me. My legs are my best asset and getting them dinged by getting stepped on by friendlies is frustrating ...

Thanks for the educational MWO movie watching suggestions too!