16 replies to this topic

[Pirate Cat]

Another question from someone who was gone a long time.

I pilot lights but dont know what i should be doing anymore.

Used to be that I ciuls jump in my Jenner and leg everything, but aside from being obviously rusty, i have a feeling I shouldnt really be shouting YAAAAAAAAARRRRR and charging anymore.

Generally i will either.

Pick another light to follow and support them. Then i die behind enemy lines, both kf us looking foolish

Stay behind the lines, waiting to counter a flank or support a push. Then i feel useless as all im diing is zipping around not shooting.

Sod it, pick a flank and go nuts attempting to disrupt and distract enemy mechs. Then i end up dead or severely damaged, and im not sure it helps my team too much.

Edited by Pirate Cat, 12 March 2017 - 03:42 AM.

[Rogue Jedi]

there are 2 main ways to pilot fast light Mechs these days (there are also some lights incapable of breaking 110kph, this does not apply to them)

stick with the big guys and cover them

go out and flank, hit and run style

just bear in mind last year most of the Mechs were rescaled, to make them have the appropiate volume for their weight, thie made many Light Mechs bigger (and the Locust significantly smaller) Mechs which ended up being significantly enlarged included the Jenner, Firestarter and Spider.

your Jenner will now be a much larger target making it easier to hit than it used to be, also in the last 3 years hit registration and lag compensation have significantly improved, which all add up to make Light Mechs on average much easier to hit, I am certainly not discoraging playing Lights but they are not nearly as forgiving as they were 3 years ago.

I usualy go to scout early ^{(a big risk for me, but it offers big rewards for the team)} and if I find an isolated heavy or assualt I will kill it.

avoid fair fights
do not try to brawl, hit and run
to do well bear in mind that you need to be able to break off when engaged, you still cannot take a hit very well, but are much easier to hit than you used to be, so know where the cover is and how to get there

avoid moving in the open.

if you want good damage, the only way to do it is to keep fignting most of the match, a Timber Wolf can get 400 damage from 1 minute fighting, a Jenner needs 3-4 minutes to do that same damage, so if you die early you do not get much damage, so surviving is your top prioroty, always have something targeted, try to pick targets you have an advantage against, this is assualt and slow heavy Mechs which cannot turn fast enough to hit you, if the Mech is destracted that is even better.

get behind the target and kill it, most people put 10 or less armor on the back, that means that you can kill a heavy or assualt Mech in 10 seconds in most Light Mechs.

always try to get target info before attacking, that Mech you just saw retreat from the front line would most likely be retreating because it has taken some damage, so target it, see where it is week and try to remove that componant.

if the enemy know where you are relocate, you do not want the enemy to find and kill you.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 12 March 2017 - 04:34 AM.

[Old-dirty B]

Look for oppurtunities to inflict damage on the enemy WITHOUT taking much damage in return.

Probe the flanks, sometimes even behind the enemy main group and try to find over extended or fallen behind enemies. Look for oppurtunities to hit the enemy in their sides or rear - at least from an angle where they arent focussing. Try to attract attention and pull away mechs or distrupt a defense / push. Just finding the enemy is already quite worthfull.

[Pirate Cat]

Thanks for the good advice, seems like I have the right idea then, just need to work on getting better at tbe game and associated map / mech knowledge.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good current light mech videos that i can use to steal techniques?

[Koniving]

A list of "Fast" light tasks... Note this isn't for all lights, just fast ones.

1) Scout. Seek and locate the main enemy force as well as any secondary force that may exist. If possible, scan them (by selecting them as a target and waiting until the target info has been gathered) so that the team will know their health, weapon info, etc. Also mark them (especially the largest threat of the bunch) using the command wheel or a TAG or NARC.

2) Procure objectives. In modes such as Conquest, Escort and Domination, it is up to the lights to obtain the first foothold into the field by capturing resource points (Conquest), Sensor and ECM Jammer towers (Escort) and 'The Hill' in Domination. (Note you don't 'hold' the Hill, you just get there to prevent them from scoring until your main force can get there).

3) Stop stalemates. In any given battle, the heavies and assaults will "stalemate" into a cover-based exchange of fire which most likely neither side will win any time soon. This is similar to the stalemate often found in shootouts in cover-based games. It is up to fast lights (and mediums) to end this stalemate by carefully isolating enemies (via drawing them out of position or scaring them away from their team) and picking them off. Alternatively by swarming said enemies.

4) Harassment. It is hard for an enemy to focus on your larger, slower allies if you are constantly coming out of the woodwork to bother them. (Also known as hit and run).

5) Anti-light support. Basically the opposite of harassment, this is the defense against harassment of your team's larger mechs.

That's the basic duties in 5 easy tasks,

Edited by Koniving, 12 March 2017 - 09:13 AM.

[mailin]

Koniving's list is a really good one. Typically which role you're going to fill depends on a couple of variables.

1) Are you in an ECM mech?
2) How fast are you?
3) Which game mode

and

4) How many fast lights are on your side?

Scouting is much, much easier if you have ECM. It is still possible without it, but you need to be even more careful and mindful of the enemy movement and distance to the target. Remember that it is easier to see something moving than something stationary, so sometimes I will maneuver behind the enemy and stop and lock targets for lrms and call out their movements.

Procuring objectives is something that players disagree about. Some believe that conquest should be played no different that skirmish and in that regard cap points should only be worried about once all the enemies are dead. I hold that fast lights should immediately try to get 3 cap points and then engage the enemy while keeping an eye on the caps as well as deaths on each side. If it looks like my side will lose I will disengage and continue going for the cap points. One thing I forgot to mention. In Conquest I always go for the enemy legs. It's hard to get those last cap points if you only go 40 kph at best.

Stopping stalemates and harassing both work really well when several lights or fast mediums work together. Also, if you see any mechs that have streaks I love teaming up with another ecm mech to completely negate that firepower.

The anti-light role works really well on small maps or when you are the only light and don't have ECM. Your big buddies will thank you for the support.

Edited by mailin, 12 March 2017 - 06:56 AM.

[Leone]

Pirate Cat, on 12 March 2017 - 04:42 AM, said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good current light mech videos that i can use to steal techniques?

I'd suggest starting here...

http://mwomercs.com/...g-like-a-light/

You'll wanna pay attention to the movement progression in those three videos. It's based more on helping the team, but contains some good positioning and movement advice. Every time the pilot moves in a predictable pattern, they suffer for it. Short version is always disengage before the combat goes too long, and use vertical movement to throw off their aim. Also, avoid dual gauss builds.

https://vimeo.com/198970754

Successful completion of the Locust challenge, in which mistakes were made, but the enemy didn't manage to capitalize on em that run. Focus on long range poking tactics due to the nature of running a light with less than two tonnes of armour.

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for....

https://vimeo.com/149093008

A showcase for the Tanking Like a Light series, sadly utilizing the now defunct old school flamers, before the nerf. Imagine small pulse instead of flamers, and the damage increase from using real weaponry. Means more incoming fire an prolly a shorter mechspan, but the core concept's sound. Get as close as you can without getting spotted, make an unholy nuisance of yourself, an bug out before they can get a bead on your movement profile and start doing some real damage. Run through laser fire, be unpredictable, an make short, quick jumps. Nothing long enough to be predicatable.

On all of those videos pay special attention to all of the mistakes. Every time a light runs into a wall, or fails to pass through an opening an stops, or shuts down form overheating. They usually get punished for it, an when they don't, that's merely the enemy too busy or panicked to take advantage of it.

If you've any further questions, just friend me in game, and if we're ever on at the same time, we can drop together for some light-packing. Or just ask on here, an we'll answer.

~Leone.

Edited by Leone, 12 March 2017 - 06:42 PM.

[Pirate Cat]

Thanks so much for all the really good advice, it made a noticable difference last night.

[Burning2nd]

as a light pilot i play the stealth ninja assassin

get around them.. kill the ones in the rear,

Being a ecm with radar derp... they (unless they use Voip) can not transmit me...

so 9 times out of 10, i get in there kill one or 2 and get out..

[Kmieciu]

Nowadays all you can do in a light is to poke enemies at range and hope you can step back into cover before you get hit by 2GaussERPPC.

That's why you need ECM to get free trades (6ERML Kitfox) or use lasers with short duration (IS LPLs or LLs).
There are no good PPC/ERPPC lights nowadays, they simply do not have the heat efficiency to carry a match.

That being said, Arctic Cheetah with 6xSPL is still the best mech to use against LRM potatos.

Edited by Kmieciu, 13 March 2017 - 01:17 AM.

[Koniving]

Pirate Cat, on 12 March 2017 - 04:42 AM, said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good current light mech videos that i can use to steal techniques?

I don't have any current videos, sadly. I'll make sure to make some this week.
Not much has changed though.

Here's a way to single out large enemies though.


Or rather what to do when you have singled them out.
Some of these think that they're being attacked from the front or side and start looking around without ever realizing it is coming from behind.
Some are too distracted by much bigger threats or don't know how to engage multiple targets at once (a skill lost on or never learned by most if they weren't around in 2012 to 2013).

How to counter the above

Fun battle at 6 minutes (Banshee versus Atlas and Cataphract; my build despite being a joke build was enough to cause caution and make an Atlas try to back out. I take a lot of pride in that.) and Light ambush at slightly after 8 minutes.

Edited by Koniving, 13 March 2017 - 05:39 AM.

[Erronius]

Since I'm relatively new myself (and definitely new to piloting lights) I'll ask some questions in here too, instead of starting a new thread:

• I frequently find myself getting asked to go help some assault mech that's fallen behind and is getting harassed while I'm elsewhere trying to scout and get locks, and vice versa...if I hang back to try protecting the flanks and rear, there's always someone whining that no one is out scouting and getting locks. In each case, the more cynical responses come to mind (that people should be getting their own damned locks, pushing forward towards the enemy so that locks are possible instead of hiding out of LOS and expecting everyone else to lock for them, and... why are the assault mechs getting left behind? Is it through no fault of their own, or did they stop pushing W for an extended period of time to lurm, and now need to get bailed out?) Is my more cynical side correct, or is this just the price one has to pay to play a light mech 99% of the time? Am I expecting too much when playing in QP?
  
• I've had a lot of people ask for (or beg, or even demand) ECM coverage. Often I'll be in a PB, and the only ECM mech on my team. Is it really worth me hanging back to cover someone who, 9 times out of 10, is an assault mech trying to snipe or lurm at 600m+? It doesn't seem like a bad deal when your entire team is actually grouped up, but the current ECM range seems really short and at times I can't get more than a few people in my bubble. This happened last night on Polar, with my entire team strung out in a line nearly 400m long, and multiple people arguing over who should get ECM. It almost felt like I was in prison, getting traded for cigarettes...
  
• I've tried running BAP + Advanced Sensor Range for that sweet, sweet 1200m sensor range, but is it even worth it? It seems like much of the time, my team doesn't really benefit (too far for lurms) and people can snipe at silhouettes + 4x zoom without locks anyways. And often, in order to hold an early lock at that range I have to stay in an elevated position, and then I end up having to run off when the enemy team starts winging lazors and ppcs at me. Is it simply better to run with the stock 800m, and to try dropping UAVs once my team gets close? I don't want to use consumables, but meh...
  
• At times I find myself running into another light mech (or mechs) of similar speed and my options seem to boil down to 1) commit to circling each other in a dance of death and splashing laser damage across each other until someone breaks and runs, or 2) trying to run from the outset and praying that they don't core me out from behind as I run away like a coward. Is that nothing more than an instant auto-fail on my part for getting caught while trying to scout? Is the best answer to just "get good" at dueling other fast lights, nausea be damned?
  
• Should I even ask about Information Warfare?
  
• Trying to get (and hold) locks for my team seems several orders of magnitude more difficult w/o ECM. So much so that unless I am completely to the enemies rear, I have to repeatedly duck out of LOS (losing the lock) or even having to run off LRMs coming at me. And even if I am in a non-ECM mech to their rear, it often doesn't seem to take very long before I see people turning around wondering how they're getting targeted and then I guess I just have to play squirrel. Is that normal, or am I somehow managing to potato this? Should I even be trying for dedicated locks in a non-ECM mech?
  
• If Target Decay negates Radar Derp, is it only really useful if it is the LRM mech itself trying to use it? If I use it as a scout, will the added time still not be enough for allied lrms to target, lock, fire and then hit at range? It doesn't sound like it's worth it, but I'd consider using the module (or future skill in the skill tree?) if it was.

[Jingseng]

Personally, when I pilot lights, I'm not terribly fond of being followed by another light. It gets in the way where maneuvering is concerned, is more likely to draw attention (whether by simply being more mechs, more exposed times, or pilot stupidity... some jackass ALWAYS decides to walk right into the cap point and announce our presence... after a successfully unnoticed flanking). If the match has progressed to middle game and there is more brawling, swarming, then light-company is more appreciated.

But early on, there's no extra scouting going on with two lights in the same spot compared to one. There's no saving or back up happening either - a single light caught dead is merely doubled with an extra participant. If it's a flee situation, you don't flee any faster with someone else there.

My 2 cbills =p

[Jingseng]

Your role as a light is defined by your speed. If you are a fast light (generally, over 100 kph) or a fast mech period without regard to tonnages, you need to (not in any particular order):

1) locate the enemy so your team knows where to push to/doesn't get ambushed/flanked

2) Deal with enemy fast lights harassing your team (so you don't get 11 people chasing one damn locust, etc.)

3) respond to alerts - because no one else is getting there in time to make a difference

Locks for people trying to fire LRMs without ever seeing the enemy themselves is not your problem.

"Stick together" does not apply to you (except insofaras #2).

If you are a slow light (generally, under 100 kph) then your duties are more like a medium mech (also not in any particular order):

1) stick with similar speed mechs, towards the edge of the line, not the center

2) direct your fire at damaged mechs/damaged components

3) deal with harassing lights and mediums trying to flank

4) flank the enemy if possible

Locks for people trying to fire LRMs without ever seeing the enemy themselves is not your problem.

"Stick together" does apply to you, except where you have a good opportunity to flank because no one is pushing/battle lines are stalemated.

Exceptions are made for the amount of firepower, ams, ecm, and team make up. Which group you belong to is also going to be affected by playstyle, map, and experience... as will knowing whether a heavy/assualt your are supporting is worthwhile or worthless.

[Leone]

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

Am I expecting too much when playing in QP?

Quick play is your playground. It's the one mode where your not exactly expected to carry the team. if you don't, you don't. That said, if you want to work with the team and aim for more team wins over personal scores, then sure, by all means bail folk out. In group queue or Community Warfare, then yeah it expected your gonna carry the team more.

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

I've had a lot of people ask for (or beg, or even demand) ECM coverage.

Well now, if some demands, I'd say ignore em, but if they're asking, take a look at what the team gains/loses. One less scout, and a bit of lrm protection for a select few mechs. Are they pushing towards the front, tanking for the team and gaining ground against the enemy? If so, then yeah, the added protection could help the team by keeping the spearhead from being blunted that much sooner. If they're sitting back sniping an lobbing thier own missiles with cover near by? Then they don't really need the coverage do they?

You used polar highlands as an example, and as much as I love sneaking around as a light on that map, there is something to be said for covering the brawlers whilst they maneuver into range. Remember, if they're fighting from afar, they can just break line of sight to protect themselves, but brawlers gotta get up close an personal. They don't have that luxury. Again though, this is Quick Play. If they really wanted ECM coverage, they coulda taken an ECM mech.

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

I've tried running BAP + Advanced Sensor Range for that sweet, sweet 1200m sensor range, but is it even worth it?

Not in a light, no. Save that for heavy builds and long ranged mechs.

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

Is the best answer to just "get good" at dueling other fast lights, nausea be damned?

A light fight'll often go to the mech who has the close range weaponry, due to heat constraints and aiming issues. If the two are similar, it'll go to the one who aims legs first. If you've a ranged mech, run back to your team or just harass the lights from afar. Oh, and always torso twist whilst running. Don't give em the rear armour.

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

Should I even ask about Information Warfare?

Yes!

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

Should I even be trying for dedicated locks in a non-ECM mech?

It depends. How far away are the missile mechs? Does the enemy have time to take cover/hunt for you whilst the incoming rounds travel? If so, maybe not. Then again, is the mech alone? Could you ambush it yourself? Cuz if not, no reason not to help your team soften em up before making a mad dash to try for a leg or something.

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

If Target Decay negates Radar Derp, is it only really useful if it is the LRM mech itself trying to use it?

Target Decay extends your lock on time, whether they've Radar Deprivation or not. It's a good way to keep track of the enemy when your running about in the back field. That said, I find seismic more useful for checking behind corners without having to expose my mech, but then, I've been playing for a while an have developed a fairly substantial battlefield awareness. I could definitely see it helping.

~Leone.

[The Basilisk]

Also an advise on getting more money out of your light mech to afford upgrades and some little brothers for your favorit toy

-- When playing a light supporter backing up larger mechs (heavys and assaults) be sure to stay within a certain radius (150m methinks) to get as many protected light points as possible. Even when not doing THAT much dmg this will increase your overall earnings considderably.

-- If you support by playing the scout and spotting ferret be sure to tag and/or narc ECM mechs and CALLTHEM OUT, realy do some good and talk about it thats the only way to get something in return. Also shoot them yourself a bit when other ppls started shooting at them. This way you will get counter ECM damage and TAGed damage counters.

-- Even when you plan to be a light sniper or fire supporter getting your main money out of damaging and hit and run and flanking damage each first sighting of an enemy mech is worth 3000 c-bills so 12 x 3000=36000 just for pressing 'R'.
If you have problems getting used to a variant or maybe because the variant IS utter scrap simply slapping radar range and a beagle on it and getting those sweet sweet free c-bills is an option to bolster your income from match to match.

If you use a bit from every of those possibilitys even an averange to bad light figher pilot may make some good money. As soon as you get into doing some dmg and kills you can do your 200 to 250k from match to match.

Edited by The Basilisk, 14 March 2017 - 03:04 AM.

[Old-dirty B]

Erronius, on 13 March 2017 - 07:51 PM, said:

snip.

Disclaimer: my advice is not always mainstream, some of it might be generally less appropriate for beginners - i believe the "hard way" is the perfect learning school.

With that out of the way, Quick Play aka solo play is for the good, the bad and the ugly. You will meet mr potatoe, mr leroy jenkins, mr brave, mr coward, mr wiseguy and so on. If people pilot LRM boating assaults, stock mechs, jack of all trades and what not, you can pilot what and how the *** you want

Anyway, here comes my suggestion, you hear lock this, cap that, protect the base, assist the assaults and so on.. but in the end, we are all here primarily to shoot up other mechs, right? Why not spend your time (mostly) to practice your hunting and killing skills as a light pilot. Flank and get behind enemy lines, working on your stealth approaches and situational awareness and ultimately taking out those that you can single out and 1v1 - starting with the lagging behind and slow lrm assaults and working your way up untill you are confident to take on other lights and have a fair chance to walk away from the fight...

Thats what i would do