38 replies to this topic

[Dragonscar]

Hello All,
Of course I am a newbie and trying to get my head around everything about this game, ( only played 6 matches so far ) but I do have a couple of questions

There does not seem to be a match making process for newbies ( Tier 5 ) folks??, the thing I noticed was I was using the " Trial Mechs " because I thought that was the process to follow but I was seeing ALOT of Mechs from the sale packages, Steam sales, etc

So is it just a free for all??, my little old Trial mechs did not last long at all...Haha
My record is 1 win / 5 losses so far and the only reason I got the one win is because my PUG team was pretty good

Do I just need to buy some better mechs then??

Thanks all :-)

[PaquIS]

Play 25 games and make sure to complete the tutorial and you will have enough cbills to buy any mech you want. However I would advice to stay away from lights and assaults for now until you learn the game little better.

Now I haven't checked what the current trials are, but usually there is several good ones with good builds. So just keep playing different ones. None of them has any skill points so all of them will be better once fully mastered.

[Kaethir]

To address your first question a little more directly... there is a matchmaker, which, when active, attempts to match tier 5 players primarily against other lower tier players. However, during low population times (which is a lot, lately) the matchmaker is not active (and it is never active if you are queuing in a group).

Also, trial mechs vs. mechs for sale on steam has nothing to do with the tier of a player. while it would generally indicate a new player, the opposite is not true. A brand new player could have spent a lot of money and bought nearly every chassis in the game.

Then, what PaqulS said.

[Rogue Jedi]

here is a simple overview of how matchmaking works.

new players start in tier 5, tier 5 contains some people who have been playing for years.

if you do well in your first 25 games you can get as high as tier 3 (5 is worst 1 is best)

matchmaking works as follows
when someone hits launch, they go into a queue, the queue tryes to put you with people in the same tier as you.
the longer you are in the queue the wider range of tiers will end up in the match, so if there are 2 tier 1 players who have been waiting for 5 minutes and every one else is t5 those 2 t1 players end up on oposite sides with 11 t5 players with each team, it also tries to balence Mech weight accross the 2 teams.

now if you are in group queue instead of individuals tiers it averages the tier for your group, and Mech tonage is used to balence against larger groups, so a 2 player group gets somewhere between 40 and 200 tons total, while a 12 player group gets between 500 and 600 tons total. if a 12 player group ends up against 6 groups each with 2 players the 6 small groups could have double the tonage that the large group has.
it still tries to balance tiers between the 2 teams, but as coordination is more common group queue tends to be A LOT harder than solo queue

faction play has no skill based matchmaking, there is nothing to stop 12 t5 individual new players with trial Mechs going up against an elite 12 player team ot t1 players who have been working together for years with fully mastered Mechs setup for their play styles.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 26 June 2017 - 10:02 AM.

[Dragonscar]

Thanks for the replies all, my main point I was trying to get across is that if I am in a " Trial " mech and everyone else has a " purchased " mech it seems as tho I would have little to no chance?

I mean I would think that they would have better weapons and armor?

[Rogue Jedi]

Dragonscar, on 26 June 2017 - 10:04 AM, said:

Thanks for the replies all, my main point I was trying to get across is that if I am in a " Trial " mech and everyone else has a " purchased " mech it seems as tho I would have little to no chance?

I mean I would think that they would have better weapons and armor?

no, that is not realy the case.

Trial Mechs are all player designed "champion" loadouts, basicly players take the stock varient then design a good loadout, the loadouts go up for vote and the most popular gets implemented as a Chamipon loadout, Champion Mechs are used as trials and the loadout is purchasable for real money
At the time they were designed they were very good loadouts, the main issue is that weapons and Mechs get stats modified over time as overpeformers are identified, so the Mech build may well have been the very best available when it was designed, but no longer so good by the time it is patched into the game.

Trial Mechs may not be top "meta" designs but they are usualy a lot better than a stock loadout for that varient would be.

Edited by Rogue Jedi, 26 June 2017 - 10:54 AM.

[Kaethir]

Dragonscar, on 26 June 2017 - 10:04 AM, said:

Thanks for the replies all, my main point I was trying to get across is that if I am in a " Trial " mech and everyone else has a " purchased " mech it seems as tho I would have little to no chance?

I mean I would think that they would have better weapons and armor?

To really shorten what rogue jedi said - you are going to be at a disadvantage (which is why it's really, really beneficial to finish out your cadet bonuses and buy your first mech!) but it's not insurmountable.

[Rogue Jedi]

Kaethir, on 26 June 2017 - 10:52 AM, said:

To really shorten what rogue jedi said - you are going to be at a disadvantage (which is why it's really, really beneficial to finish out your cadet bonuses and buy your first mech!) but it's not insurmountable.

sorry Kaethir, that is not realy what I was saying. What I was realy saying is he may (not will) be at a silght disadvantage.

Lack of skill/experiance is likely to be a far bigger issue than the loadout, and if you buy a Mech and take it out with the stock loadout you will be at a far greater disadvantage than you would be with a trial, even if you outfit a Mech your first few attempts are likely to be a lot less effective than a trial Mech.

[Dragonscar]

Thanks all, I understand, but if someone buys one of the " Hero " mechs or one of the packages there are for sale...don't those mech come with good loadouts??

Something that would be stronger than a " Trial " mech, I mean I saw the Steam store sale Timberwolf TBR-C (S) in one of my games last night...I am not sure a trail mech can stand up to that??...or am I wrong??

http://store.steampo...nce_Steam_Pack/

[Kaethir]

Dragonscar, on 26 June 2017 - 11:21 AM, said:

Thanks all, I understand, but if someone buys one of the " Hero " mechs or one of the packages there are for sale...don't those mech come with good loadouts??

Something that would be stronger than a " Trial " mech, I mean I saw the Steam store sale Timberwolf TBR-C (S) in one of my games last night...I am not sure a trail mech can stand up to that??...or am I wrong??

http://store.steampo...nce_Steam_Pack/

It's not about what the mech comes with, it's about what mechs are available to you, and customization. when you own a mech you can customize the loadout any way you want within the limitations of the hardpoints, tonnage, etc, which means you can tailor it to your needs. plus, when you own a mech you earn xp that you can spend on the skill tree to make it better. There are strong 'mechs available in the trials, depending on what's available now, it may or may not be as good as, for example, that timber, but then again it also might be. so... mixed bag. there are stronger and weaker mechs in the game, but none of them make you magically a better player.

[Kaethir]

Rogue Jedi, on 26 June 2017 - 11:04 AM, said:

sorry Kaethir, that is not realy what I was saying. What I was realy saying is he may (not will) be at a silght disadvantage.

eh, I think the inability to earn xp/use skill points and inability to customize is a disadvantage, even if its slight in some cases. that being said, i think we are nitpicking over which side of the coin is heads

[PaquIS]

Dragonscar, on 26 June 2017 - 10:04 AM, said:

Thanks for the replies all, my main point I was trying to get across is that if I am in a " Trial " mech and everyone else has a " purchased " mech it seems as tho I would have little to no chance?

I mean I would think that they would have better weapons and armor?

Purchased mechs are the same as the trial mechs. Trial mech selection keeps changing time to time. Reason you see little trials is the fact that once you have played a handfull of games you can already afford to buy your own mech with the cadet bonuses you get from the 25 first games.

With the skill nodes you can get better mobility, armor, heat efficiency, sensors, consumables etc. But that requires you to play the mech in order to get xp to unlock the nodes. So your freshly purchased mech will be exactly the same as the trial one.

[Rogue Jedi]

Dragonscar, on 26 June 2017 - 11:21 AM, said:

Thanks all, I understand, but if someone buys one of the " Hero " mechs or one of the packages there are for sale...don't those mech come with good loadouts??

Something that would be stronger than a " Trial " mech, I mean I saw the Steam store sale Timberwolf TBR-C (S) in one of my games last night...I am not sure a trail mech can stand up to that??...or am I wrong??

http://store.steampo...nce_Steam_Pack/

No a Hero does not generaly come with a great loadout, simetimes they do but that is more luck then judgment when they do, and 2-3 months later that "great" loadout may suddenly be useless after Mech or weapon stats are changed.
PGI makes up the loadout for a Hero before the Mech is released, it may not fit the role the chassis is best suited for, or the weapon combination which could have been great when the Mech was designed may no longer be good by the time the Mech is released..

Hero Mechs have diferant hardpoints to regular cbill Mechs, and get 30% more cbills per match, as well as a unique cammo but are not usualy "better".
Every varient of a chassis has the same max armor and structure hitpoints regardless if it is a trial Mech, if you purchase in a preorder, purchase for MC or for cbills, PGI have been pretty good at ensuring paying real money gives you no gameplay advantage over free players.

There is littie or no "pay to win" in MWO, it is pay to get stuff faster ^{(ether through preorders of cbill/xp earnings boost)} or pay to make it pretty ^{(with cammo, decals, colours)}, but most of the "best" varients are available for cbills ^{(earned ingame curency)}, or will be in a few months of release for real money.

there are no real money only "super" ammo, armor or weapons in this game.

In about 4 weeks a bunch or new weapons and equipment will be released, and made available for everyone ^{(paying players and free players)} on the same day.

Kaethir, on 26 June 2017 - 11:30 AM, said:

eh, I think the inability to earn xp/use skill points and inability to customize is a disadvantage, even if its slight in some cases. that being said, i think we are nitpicking over which side of the coin is heads

aggreed, the ability to customize and add skills makes it bette but just buying the Mech does not, after you put a good loadout on and apply the skills it will be better but that is potentialy an extra 10 million cbills and 30-100 games worth of XP to make it noticably superior.

[MechaBattler]

Biggest disadvantage to Trial mechs is that you can't skill them. But they do earn experience for that specific variant. So if you're using a trial Timberwolf, the TBR-C, to get your 25 first battles. You can buy that specific variant and it will have the accumulated experience.

In a sense another player who pays may have more equipment to play with. But the same could be said about someone who has been playing longer. Everyone has access to the same equipment for the faction the mech belongs to. Trial mechs offer an optimized loadout at no cost to a new player. They are better than stock mechs. So when you do decide to purchase a mech, make sure you have enough c-bills to fully kit out your mech before taking it for a spin.

[Tarl Cabot]

1st, remember you are part of a team of 12, even if it is as a PUG. Stick with your team, try to fire on the same targets as your teammates (Filled in RED dorito over the mech)

As noted, work through the the Academy.

Lower your mouse sensitivity in game, from max 1 (far right) and move it to the left, around 0.15-0.3.

[Rogue Jedi]

MechaBattler, on 26 June 2017 - 01:46 PM, said:

Biggest disadvantage to Trial mechs is that you can't skill them. But they do earn experience for that specific variant.

unfortunately I am pretty sure that is no longer the case.

now XP is only earned for a specific Mech, not a varient so as you cannot purchase the specific trial Mech you are using ^{(you would purchase another Mech of the same model)} that XP should not exist.
I know PGI said something about giving new players some XP or skill points to compensate for that "lost" xp, but I am not sure if that has been implemented as yet.

[Tier5 Kerensky]

Speaking about the trial mechs and their effectiveness, well most of them are pretty okay. A new players disadvantage is not using trial mechs, but lack of skill and experience. You make a small bad move and you're dead. Of course, some trials are more easy and/or more effective.

[Tarl Cabot]

Adding. Understand that there are two different technologies, Clan and IS (Innersphere)

• For Trial Heavies, IS- Warhammer then far second Orion. Clan Heavy just the Hellbringer. The Ebon Jaguar w/gauss rifle is not newbie friendly. Toss up between the Hellbringer and Warhammer - play both.
  
• For Trial Mediums, IS-maybe the Phoenix Hawk, but I would first suggest the Clan Hunchback IIC for use, followed by the Nova (HOT)
  
• Actually, the Trial Light Clan Adder - I run it like a light medium, as it is slower than many lights. The IS Wolfhound would a distance 2nd.

Of the assaults, none. Slow and if you do not have a plan, expectation your team will generally leave you behind, easy pickings for the light packs, and assaults, follow by heavies tend to become primary targets.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 26 June 2017 - 03:25 PM.

[LMP]

It's a good idea to try all the trial mechs, if you find one you like you can buy it latter and know what you are getting. I have bought some mechs that other people recommended and ended up hating them, it's better if you test-drive first if at all possible.

After you buy one you are also going to need to customize the load out and skill tree depending on what you want to do with it. You have a lot of learning ahead of you so take your time before you start spending and also do a lot of reading and ask questions at the forum. Check out smurfy's http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ and mwoSkill https://kitlaan.gitlab.io/mwoskill/ and play around with them to get an idea of what customizing the load out and skill tree involve.

Do you want LRMs, SRMs, guns, lasers or some combo of these? For a beginner I recommend lasers because it's easier to hit stuff with them, they have no travel time like a projectile has. Most beginners also like LRMs so you might want an LRM and laser combo.

Right now you are going to have a tough time no matter what you're driving so it's not really necessary to buy anything until you have a little bit more experience.

[Tarl Cabot]

LRMS can be a cop-out and can be detrimental to the learning curve, allowing bad habits to develop.