54 replies to this topic

[Brain Cancer]

Quote

Social awareness. Use it.

The Internet. Social awareness is a long-lost art. And there lies the problem.

[Bigbacon]

Wil McCullough, on 31 August 2017 - 07:23 AM, said:

Why would someone play a game with 11 other human teammates, where teamwork is the biggest factor in who wins or loses, and actually believe that no one else should feel sour when they insist on doing their own thing?

Do that in a neighborhood basketball game and i guarantee you no one will pass you the ball after the first 10 minutes.

Just like any other community, there are unspoken recommendations when it comes to behavior. Acting like the match is a massive sandbox will eventually result in an unpleasant playing experience for both yourself and your teammates.

Social awareness. Use it.

but this is an online game....not a social interaction. the only thing you can do in this is just TK the person. there is no just not passing him/her the ball or asking them to leave. Again, you can't stop people from doing want they want unless it falls into some realm of breaking rule that are rarely enforced as it is.

In the end its just some numbers in a database that have no real meaning.

If someone wants to do their own thing...let them. if it is breaking a rule, report them but most of the time the complaints are because someone isn't playing the game the way someone else expects them too. How many times do you see the word "potato" thrown around...a lot...and it is because someone didn't play the way or as well as someone else expected them to do.

Edited by Bigbacon, 31 August 2017 - 08:23 AM.

[SmokeGuar]

Thing is this, you go to a location with your team, you expect them to stay there, especially when you are on assault. They see blib on radar and run away, leaving assaults alone. ( Tourmaline is great example of this behavior )
Expectations must be made, and at least most of team must play accordingly, else loss. Its that simple.

[ZippySpeedMonkey]

It's all about conditioning.

I run off 99.9 % of the time, but thanks to my harsh responses to the whiners you've all learned to STFU and not to utter a single word of complaint.

I belive I've trained you all well...

[C4NC3R]

[Redacted]

Edited by draiocht, 31 August 2017 - 12:33 PM.
discriminatory language, unconstructive

[Paigan]

Bigbacon, on 31 August 2017 - 05:01 AM, said:

not really.. its 24 individuals playing with 11 of them they aren't supposed to shoot. You just happen to be on a "Team" but you are free to do whatever you like. Like all "Team" based games, team is a pretty loose team in random play.
[...]

Paigan, on 30 August 2017 - 11:59 PM, said:

I am shocked on a regular basis how many people don't get the concept of a social group.

[James Argent]

In Domination matches, if I see our faster mechs (yes, fine, it's not always the lights) holding the circle at the beginning of the match, I generally thank them for doing so when I reach the circle and tell them that they're no longer needed to stay there...feel free to go and 'do light mech stuff.'

A note on Plexus Domination, though: I have never seen such poor gameplay on any map/mode combination as I CONSISTENTLY see on this one. It's made me impose rules on myself to take actions that I would never think of doing in any other kind of match. I am typically one of the first, if not the actual first, to get to the circle on Plexus (and since I mostly pilot heavies, this is itself pathetic). I will remain in the circle until I see my team stop moving. Whether their position when they stop is inside the circle or not, it doesn't matter. If prompting them to get moving again yields no results, I will then attempt to join my teammates. I won't leave other teammates in the circle by themselves, but if I have to leave the circle to reach them and anyone complains, I will explain that I held the circle until they had a chance to get into the position they chose, they decided to leave one mech holding off the entire enemy team, and that everybody knows that sticking together is the proper way to face an enemy team.

We usually lose, but I'm not throwing the match. We also usually lose when I stay and get ganked alone by the enemy push, because 'you only have to shoot at the mechs in the circle to stop the timer' never works because fire into the circle halts when the closest, most immediately dangerous enemies who just killed me push past the circle to brawling range because 'we' set up so far away from the circle's edge. The outcome is the same either way...I just get a better match score when I join my team.

[AncientRaig]

On the one hand, I agree that players should be able to actually play how they want to. But on the other, if it's domination and you're the fastest, or one of the fastest, mechs on your team, it's your job to get to the circle ASAP and hold it until someone heavier can make it there. Pretty much every game where the lights on my team go around to the flanks instead of going to the circle first results in the enemy taking precious time. And with only 60 seconds on the clock, even 10 can change the flow of the game.

[Alexander of Macedon]

Lykaon, on 30 August 2017 - 10:43 PM, said:

LRMs are a serious potential force multiplyer in modes like domination because if it's done right one team is pushing forcefully into the other to knock them off the objective. The LRMs are pretty much the only team members who maybe should not be in the actual center of the objective because they can fire over their team mates and do no crowd the fire lanes to the enemy by simply not being in the way at all.

They really, really aren't, especially in domination, unless it's only a medium or two running them. Domination forces close-range engagements which usually devolve into brawls much more rapidly than most matches, and that's if neither team has any organizing force. If one or both teams are organized, you're going to see a strong push within the first 5 minutes, usually earlier, which means LRMboats on the other side being overrun. Either they're with their team and brawlers get inside their range, or they're hiding 300-400m back and are last-man-standing after their understrength team crumbles.

LRMs are most effective when used on a small number of fast 'mechs over the course of a lengthy match that covers a large portion of the map. The only way you're getting good use out of LRMs on Domination is if both teams are low-tier taters who sit in place for twelve minutes taking turns poking alone and getting shredded on Polar Highlands.

[AncientRaig]

James Argent, on 31 August 2017 - 12:36 PM, said:

In Domination matches, if I see our faster mechs (yes, fine, it's not always the lights) holding the circle at the beginning of the match, I generally thank them for doing so when I reach the circle and tell them that they're no longer needed to stay there...feel free to go and 'do light mech stuff.'

A note on Plexus Domination, though: I have never seen such poor gameplay on any map/mode combination as I CONSISTENTLY see on this one. It's made me impose rules on myself to take actions that I would never think of doing in any other kind of match. I am typically one of the first, if not the actual first, to get to the circle on Plexus (and since I mostly pilot heavies, this is itself pathetic). I will remain in the circle until I see my team stop moving. Whether their position when they stop is inside the circle or not, it doesn't matter. If prompting them to get moving again yields no results, I will then attempt to join my teammates. I won't leave other teammates in the circle by themselves, but if I have to leave the circle to reach them and anyone complains, I will explain that I held the circle until they had a chance to get into the position they chose, they decided to leave one mech holding off the entire enemy team, and that everybody knows that sticking together is the proper way to face an enemy team.

We usually lose, but I'm not throwing the match. We also usually lose when I stay and get ganked alone by the enemy push, because 'you only have to shoot at the mechs in the circle to stop the timer' never works because fire into the circle halts when the closest, most immediately dangerous enemies who just killed me push past the circle to brawling range because 'we' set up so far away from the circle's edge. The outcome is the same either way...I just get a better match score when I join my team.

Half the issue is the location of the circle. It's practically out in the open, and by the time slower mechs like assaults get close the enemy team probably has a firing line set up. And if one team doesn't take their hill and instead goes to that little complex on the western side of the map where the radar dish is, what little cover you can get is basically gone. It was the same **** on Alpine Peaks for the longest, where one side was completely out in the open if they tried to get into the circle at all.

[Ruccus]

AncientRaig, on 31 August 2017 - 01:31 PM, said:

Half the issue is the location of the circle. It's practically out in the open, and by the time slower mechs like assaults get close the enemy team probably has a firing line set up. And if one team doesn't take their hill and instead goes to that little complex on the western side of the map where the radar dish is, what little cover you can get is basically gone. It was the same **** on Alpine Peaks for the longest, where one side was completely out in the open if they tried to get into the circle at all.

I don't mind the current setup for Grim Plexus domination, but it requires those dropping in the D4 area to get up to speed and rush to F7 as quickly as possible. From the other side it's about their lights anchoring themselves behind the buildings in F7 and holding there until their teammates get to the fight. If several mechs on one side or the other don't get to the circle as quickly as they can, or if the D4 droppers pause behind the hill like in a skirmish match they're almost guaranteed to lose.

The current setup has made for blowouts, but it's also made for some very exciting matches for me - during the last event I've been mauled as my Mist Lynx was overmatched against the enemy's light lance while some of my team took the scenic route, and I've had a very exciting and entertaining match where I held the circle until my team barreled over the hill like heroes and it was nuts - everyone's firing everywhere and I ended up with one of my best scores during the event (lost both arms and only had one HML left, but I held the circle at the start and miraculously was still alive at the end).

If I were to change Grim Plexus Domination I'd only suggest either adding one building or structure in the G6 or F6 area that can be used to halt the timer without being out in the open, or just expand the circle so that rocks on the hill, the buildings in G6, and structures in G5 can be used to halt the timer. The other team could then also use the main buildings in F7 because now they'd be in the circle too.

[Lykaon]

Daggett, on 31 August 2017 - 06:09 AM, said:

Of cause i also agree to not engage in fair duels with a light, i'm a big advocate for this. And a light don't need to, the fact that the enemy knows that there is a light (or probably more) in their back can have a great impact on the outcome, especially if you have large lasers or similar and can poke from a safe distance.

In many recent games I have been using a Myst Lynx LMG boat. What I have noticed is in pug matches this mech ALWAYS draws far more attention than it's 25 tons and it's 300m threat range merit.

I will literally swing wide and allow myself to be seen so the 3-5 enemy mechs will peel off to hunt me (seriously it's never the appropriate 2 light mechs it's like half the front lines)

But here is the problem with this....puggies will not for ANY reason EVER stop poking and hiding to take advantage of ANY FORM of tactical leverage EVER!

It doesn't mater that I have a 75 ton mech a 55 ton mech and an 85 ton mech pulled off to the middle of nowhere trying to chase a 25 ton mech they can't hope to catch.My team WILL NOT MOVE to exploit this advantage. I can literally beg and plead for them to move I will place a UAV so they can literally see I am being chased by half the enemy team and they out number the enemy 2 to 1 and NO THEY WILL NOT MOVE.

So I stopped doing it.

So yes I agree the impact on the enemy deployment is significant but it's impact on the outcome is nill at best when your team won't budge from their hidey holes to take advantage of the edge the light mech has created.

The biggest problem with solo queue is the lack of confidence in team mates is endemic and nobody want to be the one to commit first for fear of being the only one to do so.

Edited by Lykaon, 31 August 2017 - 03:00 PM.

[James Argent]

Unlike the old Alpine Domination, this is about failure to play the mode, not map design. Each side's drop zones on Plexus are pretty much equidistant from the circle. If one team has set up a firing line before the other team (assuming they're both trying to, which is half of the problem), it's because the latter team didn't get their mechs in gear at the start. The available cover within the circle on both sides is roughly equivalent, but aside from the initial fast mechs contesting the circle at the beginning, cover isn't the way to play this map/mode. Open spaces are about pushes and firing lines. Poking from cover at random intervals only allows the enemy firing line to all shoot one of you at the same time without having to worry about fire from more than one or two of you at a time. There's a place for peeking and poking...this is not it.

It takes a team willing to share more armor at the same time than the other side does to win at Plexus Domination. It doesn't take all 12 (which would be glorious), just more of you than of them. With multiple targets to choose from, focus fire is less efficient because the alpha tags don't show up until you start targeting mechs. It can still be done by saying 'shoot the right/leftmost target, then continue left/right as they fall,' or 'focus targets in H-8 then continue to H-9' but there's an annoying tendency for target callers to assume everyone knows where target Bravo is just because they see it on their own HUD.

If you're pushing/in the line as a team, you might draw the short straw and be focused down early, but at the same time your team is also able to focus down someone on the other side instead of peeking out into a face full of team Alphas. The fights are shorter and more brutal this way, but it's the best way for your team to compete.

[Trenchbird]

Yes, please do.

I enjoy killing overconfident LRM-80 Timbers with a Cougar at point-blank range. While taunting them through <all> chat.

[LT. HARDCASE]

Kitty Bacon, on 30 August 2017 - 03:46 PM, said:

"And it looks like John has gone to flirt with the girls on the sidelines once more, leaving the goal wide open! Marko takes the shot.. GOAL!!" the announcer says as he cries into his shoulder and wonders what the coach was thinking.

No lie, when I was playing soccer in school, I played right back. The ball took a weird bounce of of a CB's foot, and slowly rolled toward the goal. "No problem" I thought, "that's an easy stop for Matt." Matt was the goalie. I turn my head, an Matt is talking to a girl behind the goal. Everyone is screaming at him, and he turns around and dives for it, right as it crosses the line.

We lost on that goal.