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Warning Signs Of An Impending Loss


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#1 Insanity09

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 12:46 AM

Sadly, I've begun noticing a number of signs that are major indicators of a loss in the making.
In no particular order...

1. AFK's. Different from dc's which are bad enough, afk's, even if they show up part way in, cause the lines to be strung out more than is good.
2. No communication. No intel reports, no shared info, no tactics, no coordination, nothing.
2b. A subcategory here is when somebody (sometimes me) is trying to communicate, and the team seems to pay zero attention to it (e.g., you tell folks that a major thrust of enemies, say 4+ mechs, is happening close by, and not a single friendly responds, in some cases allowing themselves to be back shot.)
3. No scouting. I realize that sometimes there are no real quick mechs out there, but when you do have them and they don't even bother to range away from the group at all that means the entire team is flying blind. Some maps this matters a lot more than others.
4. *** Timid nitwits. When the entire team just bottles themselves up and mills around doing nothing or occasionally trading (usually badly), then that means the enemy is able to attack on their terms.
5. Scattering. On some maps it can work out well when the team as a whole breaks into a couple groups if the whole team is coordinating. But when the team scatters all over the place, especially charlie lance... bad omen.

Notice that all of these things are quickly apparent, often even before the enemy is significantly engaged.
I've noticed a huge correlation between seeing these things happen and losses.

Possibly the worst part for me is that I've noticed my, shall we say, interest in doing my best is sharply curtailed when I see these signs. I'm fighting that tendency, but...

Any big early warning signs I missed?

#2 The Basilisk

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 01:35 AM

What you described is all well and good but most of the signs you mentioned are mere symptoms to the Problem.

1.) Well, sh...happens its the PuG queue and it can be bad or not sometimes bad pilots leroying around are worse than afk pilots

2.) When everyone has decent builds and knows the map and the steps of the dance there is no com needed in PuGlandia.
2b) Thats a pitty but sadly unpreventable since there are lots of mechwarriors out there not speaking enough english to communicate effectively and quickly --> chating is too much efford and coms are no option cause nobody would understand you anyway.
What is realy bad are guys belitteling the one that trys to communicate or making fun of him.

3.) Problem of the matchmaker. Sometimes you got no scouts on the team. Even the lights you got are skirmishers and not scouts.

4.) Again problem of the matchmaker. You can't push with certain builds you need to stay behind the first line to be any good.
When then some impatient, jumpy, triggerhappy little CoD Player screems push push push in your ears without realizing that the only thing you actually CAN DO is building a Killbox and NOT MOVING AT ALL to avoid seismic detection .... well it mostly leads to a quick loss out of lost nerves and ppl just runnig in to get over with it.

5.) Scattering can have three reasons:
Misscomunication/ overcommunication, oscitancy, matchmaker like 4.)

I. Misscommunication: often caused by two or more players beeing very vocal rips the group appart
II. oscitancy: ppl get overfocused and didn't realize the group moved along other lines than their little sub group
III. Ironicaly mostly caused by seasoned players who know the tunes and just walk the ways they always do while the fresh ones and the inexperienced either follow just blindly or got their own thought about how this should be happaning.
The worst case for your group are straight comps ignoring or shunning non comp or nonmeta builds causing the group to tear up because they move to fast or along lines the others can not follow.

So it realy boils down to "always expecting there are no realy teams"....and can't be..."in single player PuGlandia".
The rare occassions where communication, loadout synergy and skill level play together are pure and utter luck.

IT IS YOU AND YOU ALONE WHO "HAS TO BE GUD" FOR YOUR OWN MATCH.

The rest is pure luck.
If everyone is good your team wins.

Edited by The Basilisk, 01 April 2017 - 02:58 AM.


#3 Daggett

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 02:35 AM

In my experience the most deciding factor is activity. If my team is passively 'defending' a position then that's a very bad sign for be because as Insanity09 wrote the enemy can attack you on their terms. And most often they will initiate a main push while their faster mechs flank you and attack from multiple angles.

The problem is that it's much easier to coordinate a push than it is to coordinate a proper defense. If the defending team is able to set up a solid fireline to instantly kill the first pushing enemy assault then defending can be valid. But most pugs are unable to do this even in Tier1.

A solid push however is self-organizing in most cases. You see your assaults moving, and simply follow them. Or you try to get to a flanking position if you are fast. That's it, it's that easy. Of cause there is the occasional fail push where 1 or more assaults initiate a push and no one follows, but that's quite rare compared to the many failed defensive firelines.

So for me when playing pug matches the rule of thumb is: No push, no win. Posted Image

Edited by Daggett, 01 April 2017 - 02:37 AM.


#4 The Basilisk

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 02:59 AM

View PostDaggett, on 01 April 2017 - 02:35 AM, said:

In my experience the most deciding factor is activity. If my team is passively 'defending' a position then that's a very bad sign for be because as Insanity09 wrote the enemy can attack you on their terms. And most often they will initiate a main push while their faster mechs flank you and attack from multiple angles.

The problem is that it's much easier to coordinate a push than it is to coordinate a proper defense. If the defending team is able to set up a solid fireline to instantly kill the first pushing enemy assault then defending can be valid. But most pugs are unable to do this even in Tier1.

A solid push however is self-organizing in most cases. You see your assaults moving, and simply follow them. Or you try to get to a flanking position if you are fast. That's it, it's that easy. Of cause there is the occasional fail push where 1 or more assaults initiate a push and no one follows, but that's quite rare compared to the many failed defensive firelines.

So for me when playing pug matches the rule of thumb is: No push, no win. Posted Image


Again a complete and utter misconception.
In times of Atlas being the strongest assault it was correct to assume assaults would lead the push....because its still the "sturdiest" and most important the slowest Mech arround.

Nowadays this is mostly nonsense.
Especialy in singleplayer PuGlandia where success means movement and dynamics in most cases.
Without wanting to be respectless or bitter or insulting you are showing a very good example for beeing the rootproblem of case 4.) and 5.) point III.
You are assuming standart conceptions, categorys for certain things instead of observing and adapting to the actual situations.
Remember that large parts of meta game or commonly used patterns in game are just there because "everyone does this and it works", yea well it works because everyone thinks it would bePosted Image.

Edited by The Basilisk, 01 April 2017 - 03:20 AM.


#5 B L O O D W I T C H

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 03:30 AM

View PostW E N D I G O, on 01 April 2017 - 02:36 AM, said:

Someone stating "LRM 60 here" in chat.


Only 60? Do you even lrm, bruh?

Posted Image

#6 Daggett

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 04:29 AM

View PostThe Basilisk, on 01 April 2017 - 02:59 AM, said:


Again a complete and utter misconception.
In times of Atlas being the strongest assault it was correct to assume assaults would lead the push....because its still the "sturdiest" and most important the slowest Mech arround.

Nowadays this is mostly nonsense.
Especialy in singleplayer PuGlandia where success means movement and dynamics in most cases.
Without wanting to be respectless or bitter or insulting you are showing a very good example for beeing the rootproblem of case 4.) and 5.) point III.

Sure, movement and dynamics are important, thats what i described with the word 'activity'.
But in many matches being the more active team will lead to a good push opportunity and if your team then commits to the push you will often have a much easier time compared to trading shots.

View PostThe Basilisk, on 01 April 2017 - 02:59 AM, said:

You are assuming standart conceptions, categorys for certain things instead of observing and adapting to the actual situations.

Remember that large parts of meta game or commonly used patterns in game are just there because "everyone does this and it works", yea well it works because everyone thinks it would be.

Maybe i came to the conclusion that pushing wins more matches in pug games than defending because i observed and analyzed my matches? And don't confuse using standard conceptions with failing to adapt. You can easily execute a proven standard pattern while still adapting to the flow of the match. Posted Image

In my opinion commonly used patterns in the game are not because the players 'think' it works, but rather because they know they are good enough to work without much communication. Of cause there are lots of great tactics that are WAY better than deathballing, pushing or nascaring. But they require communication! If your team communicates a lot and accepts you as their leader then go for it and do all the advanced stuff you can imagine. You will probably do well.

But don't expect your typical pug team to be that way. If you see that they can't setup a proper fireline or your kind of surprise killbox, then it's time for you to adapt and follow the standard procedure or whatever stupid thing your team is about to do. A bad plan executed well is better than no plan or one that's brilliant but can't be executed.

View PostThe Basilisk, on 01 April 2017 - 01:35 AM, said:

4.) Again problem of the matchmaker. You can't push with certain builds you need to stay behind the first line to be any good.
When then some impatient, jumpy, triggerhappy little CoD Player screems push push push in your ears without realizing that the only thing you actually CAN DO is building a Killbox and NOT MOVING AT ALL to avoid seismic detection .... well it mostly leads to a quick loss out of lost nerves and ppl just runnig in to get over with it.

As i said, its hard to set up a defensive fireline or killbox with pugs. Ask yourself: How often have you been successful in getting your whole team to completely stop moving and how often has this surprised and defeated the enemy? Sure a surprise killbox sounds great if you can pull it off. But it's worthless if you must assume that the majority of pug teams can't set it up and that the enemy will have lights in your back who can warn them of your killbox by simply targeting your mechs.

You need something more reliable to overwhelm the enemy, and pushing is maybe the most simple and reliable thing we got.

True, there are assault/heavy builds more suitable for the second line and i admit that i like playing those. But as an assault you still have the armor needed to make a push successful. You may not be the one who initiates it, but even most long-range builds can fire very efficiently when following a single pushing brawler.

My question is: If the builds of your team's assaults and heavies are good enough to pull their weight in a surprise CQC killbox then why shouldn't they be able to push instead?

I have seen successful pushes lead by assaults who had used all their ammo before and got only a pair of medium lasers left. If they can pull it off simply by distracting the enemy and providing armor, then which assault build is unable to do the same?

Edited by Daggett, 01 April 2017 - 05:10 AM.


#7 Bud Crue

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 05:47 AM

Someone saying over VOIP "just stay with the Atlas" on an escort match.
Someone saying over VOIP "looks like we have 2 lights, lets base rush" on an assault match.

Someone saying over VOIP "get me locks and I'll bring the rain" and then noticing that the speaker is in an LRM Atlas DDC.

When after the match starts there is ANY mech still standing at the drop zone after the rest of you are half way across the map. Even better is if you call them out and they actually respond with something coy like "I'll be along shortly".

When the sole fast mech on your team sprints out into the enemy and drops a UAV when the rest of the team is still well over a 1000m away.

#8 Koniving

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 05:49 AM

AFK situations.
Spoiler

An afk in and of itself isn't a terrible thing, provided they do join the battle at opportune moments. It is when they fail to join the battle at all, or worse join the battle at just the right time but had their limbs destroyed by an ally that wasn't happy with them... that will really mess the team up.

Edited by Koniving, 01 April 2017 - 06:05 AM.


#9 Tier5ForLife

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 07:09 AM

IMO, one good sign you are going to lose is when two members of your team that have no patience go over and get themselves killed.

You are now down two and most of those matches end up being lost.

It is very hard to push together in a PUG match. Playing defense and having patience works out better. You wait till two of the enemy make a mistake and get killed and then you go on offense.

I am a follower of General James Longstreet. He would try to start in defensive position and then counter attack.

Edited by LikeUntoBuddha, 01 April 2017 - 07:09 AM.


#10 Daggett

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 08:07 AM

Seems like everyone has different experiences. Posted Image
When my team decides to go defensive and no one coordinates that properly, the two enemy mechs that attack us first are some fast large laser flankers.

Then our beehive panics because they don't want to get shot in the back (and more often than not 3+ non-light mechs leave the main force to hunt the much faster skirmishers).

Finally the enemy main push stomps over the remaining defenders...

So because this or similar (short-ranged lights like locusts or cheetahs can cause enough panic too) happens quite regularly i prefer to be the one who flanks the enemy instead of getting surrounded...

Edited by Daggett, 01 April 2017 - 09:58 AM.


#11 Insanity09

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 10:42 AM

I have my bad games, and I get focused down at times, but most of the time I pull my weight.

So, the underlying point to all this is that there are, imo, clearly some behaviors to be avoided.

Don't be afk.
Work together. Acting like a lone ranger is only likely to get you killed.
Provide intel when you can, pay attention to intel you get. Even if you die to a vicious firing line, letting the team know that it is there might save the next guy.
Turtling, unless coordinated as part of a concerted effort (e.g. kill box or firing line), is not likely to garner a win.
Don't wander off by yourself (scouting excepted). A flanking maneuver, when done against an entrenched (mostly sticking to one defined area) enemy is NOT wandering off.
Be there to support your team, don't automatically expect them to support your specialness. (they might anyhow, but demanding it, and having a build that requires it = not a team player).



@Basilisk, it would seem you have a distaste for the matchmaker. I suggest you stick only to the group queue.
As far as language goes, even making use of the wheel can be useful (which should speak in the native language of the player, what with internationalization and all). (I do admit that the 'help' option is overused and inappropriately used, but still...)
Every mech has weapons, you can, and should, shoot rather than hide as a default behavior. It is up to the player to do it well. If your success, and by extension that of your team, requires pulling off a difficult to organize tactic, I would suggest you've got a niche build best suited to the group queue, your build and your playstyle need to be more adaptable.
oscitancy = yawning? Did you mean obstinacy?
Every person on the team can be good, and the team can still fail because the other side actually worked together. Soldier vs warrior.

Oh, and as far as the group queue vs the qp (solo) goes, I've seen all the behaviors I described in group as well, so even that isn't a perfect fix.

Edited by Insanity09, 01 April 2017 - 10:44 AM.


#12 InspectorG

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 11:01 AM

1. DC/AFK. They happen but can also be distractions for enemy teams as one or 2 reds run off to pad their KDR instead of their W/L.

2. Very much this. Good players communicate and organize.

3. You dont really NEED scouting in Puglandia. And besides, im pretty sure most Solos dont even look at their RADAR either.

4. MWO favors aggression. Now, there is a CULTURAL difference between the American and Euro players. But initiative and hitting first is favorable more often in a game with no respawns.

5. Again, coordinated focused fire drops enemies faster/more efficiently that rabbits running to the 4 winds.

#13 Gibson Ibanez

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Posted 01 April 2017 - 03:18 PM

If you are down 3 - 4 mechs in a match with 0 kills for your team then 9 times out of 10 the match is lost. It depends on how badly your teammates damaged their killers before going down.

I have been on teams that pulled it out but that is rare and almost never happens if the opposing team pushes their advantage. If they stay back and trade and hide then you may still pull it out with a coordinated flank maneuver.

No comms usually means no flank coordination. No comeback.

#14 Insanity09

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Posted 02 April 2017 - 07:49 PM

Aside from an early scout loss, where a player in a quick mech failed to grasp the idea of spot and report (yes, do), instead of the usually fatal spot and engage (do not), I'd say the warning signs I'm looking for occur even before any significant engagement and mech losses.

I've got another one.
In a conquest match, your team seems to be intentionally avoiding the capture points, including ones they are standing right next to at the beginning (I've actually seen this on Canyon and Viridian. They are only 20m away from one of the lance spawns, folks. It doesn't need the whole lance, maybe just one? Though if they all went the cap would be quick enough that the delay would be inconsequential, but anyhow...).
I understand the idea behind "assaults and heavies should never cap", but in reality that should read "assaults and heavies should not go out of their way to cap" (and really, that should just be any slow mech).

Related would be domination matches where the team does not bother getting to the circle, often leaving them a mech or two down when the lights that did make the effort get overrun.

Perhaps both of those are simply players not paying the slightest attention to what scenario they are playing? Which would actually be its own problem.

#15 The Schwartz

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Posted 17 April 2017 - 04:09 AM

Matchmaker in QP tends to be the main issue. Tier 1 and Tier 2 players tend to have a huge impact. and well I still play games to have fun and my T2 is going to bring an urby time to time. Would a different mech be more team oriented? Yes, and the success rate would be higher but, it gets entirely boring to bring my best gear every game and squish everything. I prefer a challenge for i bring bad mechs quite often and it drops my dmg from 800-1000 down to 300-500. So in those terms, some of use who still play for fun drop the team as a whole (i'm not going to deny that) but, i also figure if i bring the best all the time and kill all the new guys quickly, they wont learn and will probably just give up MWO altogether. I like playing with a challenge and bringing bad mechs is a good way to keep my skills sharp (as i don't need to hold back) without rolling the enemy.

#16 Insanity09

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Posted 17 April 2017 - 01:19 PM

I can see that the MM seeding a few high tier players into a bunch of low tiers would really have an impact on the match, but I'm not quite understanding how you can tell right away, before engaging, that this has occurred.

#17 xSleeZyx

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Posted 17 April 2017 - 03:02 PM

View PostInsanity09, on 17 April 2017 - 01:19 PM, said:

I can see that the MM seeding a few high tier players into a bunch of low tiers would really have an impact on the match, but I'm not quite understanding how you can tell right away, before engaging, that this has occurred.


Usualy like this, pay attention to the amount of unit players vs my own team.
Aswell as the mech setup.
It's not always the case but more often than not these kind of games usualy means quick loss.
Posted Image

#18 KodiakGW

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Posted 17 April 2017 - 04:49 PM

View PostInsanity09, on 01 April 2017 - 12:46 AM, said:

Any big early warning signs I missed?


Yes. Me on your team in solo PUG queue when I am not running a KDK-3, EBJ, TBR, HBR, and to a lesser extent a CDA. So at the loading screen you immediately know the five items you mentioned are most likely to all happen. Just in those mechs I'm more likely to overcome those players behaving that way.

If it is Group Play, it usually means that more than one top competitive team group is on the other team. So get ready to be possibly rolled.


#19 Mister Glitchdragon

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 03:11 AM

In solo QM, if someone says "hello" in the lobby and no one replies, there's a real chance you're on a team of introverts/mic-less paupers/don't-wake-the-baby-folks that would rather die in quiet desperation than communicate and win. That's not some kind of personal attack; I've been all three of the above players at one point or another. It is what it is. No way around the fact that teams that communicate win more often than not.

Also, when I see lots of people shooting their guns like crazy right after the drop, I think its a bad sign. I'm not talking about "heat tests" or one-shot trigger slips, either. I'm talking about "I'm bored 12 seconds into the match so I'm going to start melting snow and spraying the sky! Woot!" It's not that I worry about friendly fire (although that sucks, too) more it's a sign that these players may not have any patience, discipline, or impulse control. Leeroy levels at critical...

#20 Saint Atlas and the Commando Elf

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Posted 18 April 2017 - 03:57 AM

View PostMister Glitchdragon, on 18 April 2017 - 03:11 AM, said:

In solo QM, if someone says "hello" in the lobby and no one replies, there's a real chance you're on a team of introverts/mic-less paupers/don't-wake-the-baby-folks that would rather die in quiet desperation than communicate and win. That's not some kind of personal attack; I've been all three of the above players at one point or another. It is what it is. No way around the fact that teams that communicate win more often than not.


OP also made that point, however it is partly true at best.

In lower Tiers with people that rarely play the game or just started playing, a bit of guiding and communication can be beneficial.

However, if you have a Pug drop with Veteran players there is really not much need for communication (aside from maybe scouting) as everybody has roughly the same understanding of what to do and what not to. Pug matches as a whole don't differ that much at all. Unfortunately these types of matches don't happen very often. Because matchmaker.





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