12 replies to this topic

[Phlynn]

When I started this game, I always wanted to know how the game play changed as one progressed in tiers. There never seems to be just a post on a players experience on progression as most are focused on weapons, mechs, or balance issues. So that is what this is, just one players experience.

To qualify, I created this account as an experiment - limited to a single mech and weapon type. I purchased a CPTL - A1 (C) and equipped it with the dreaded lrms. Why? Because the mech can only perform in a support role - I'm sure others out there can tell you all about some ALPHA strike build, but that was not the point. Being a support build, I had to pay attention to what the rest of the team was doing and try to work within the team. So here is what I've learned so far....

Tier 5: I honestly don't remember it. Maybe it was the grind or constantly working for skill points. The mech felt so weak against any opponent. Team work was almost accidental unless there happened to be a good drop caller. Most of my concern was directed at modifying my mech to wring the best performance out of it and spending those skill points.

Tier 4: This is where I finally started to pay attention to the maps and flow of the fights. As the skill points were added, the mech was easier to play and just felt better to play. Learning where not to go on map because you could get cut off from the team and die horribly was a by trial and error. Others players were starting to pick roles in the fight and build their mech accordingly. I learned to both love and hate light mechs... the scouts/spotters quickly became my best friends on the battlefield. I learned to rain missiles on anyone trying to kill them. On the other hand, some lights players focus on getting easy kills - rushing to get behind the slow moving and less agile assaults and heavies to blow out their backs. Great when it worked, bad when they died 2500+ km out and the team had to fight a couple mechs down. Speaking of the BIGS, got to love a player who thinks a good days work is getting punched in the face a few dozen times and asking for more. Despite their firepower and armor, they needed protection and support. I learned to ignore the designation of long range missile, it turned out the best place to provide support fire was from about 200 to 250 km. I can lob missiles over cover or move to a flank and push/pull a target into the open. Take advantaging of some players hate of lrms by exposing my mech and getting charged..... retreat to the BIGS whose fire line would burn them down. Also, when assaults get really hurt - you have to step in front on them and try to soak some damage to keep them in the fight. And I hate watching them nipped to death by a circling light - but had to keep an eye on the reticle so as not to accidentally kill my teammate while chasing off the attacker. In general, there were about 8 maps that I saw on a somewhat regular rotation. As to game modes - it was a lot of skirmish and assault, a dose of conquest or domination, and a much rarer escort or incursion mode.

Tier 3: By now, players seem to have adopted a play style. Light players were getting very good as scouts or assassins. Sadly for me, the majority preferred assassin to scout. Which does make sense due to the scoring system. It was not unusual for the light lance to have 6-8 kills and out damage the other lances easily. Snipers also became a significant play style - able to rack up damage and good scores as they could stay in the fight for a long time by avoiding the heavy fighting. The brawler players are significantly more dangerous - a combination of gained skill and adoption of meta builds and perfecting alpha strikes. I had to change my play style as I could no longer assist the lights. The assassins tend to fight early and well out of my weapons range. They were either dead before the rest of the team got there or had killed off enough that the fight was already in our favor. Occasionally, there would still be dedicated scouts - finding the enemy and then leading them back to our team or a location our team had chosen to fight. Players talk more - more planning and strategy before a fight. If going well or bad - players would also try to adjust the plan or rant (a lot of ranting). Players are encouraged to play their "role" but also adapt to the flow of battle. A lot of "don't just stand there, do something!" The map variety dropped to 6 maps in general. Game modes pretty much looked the same, but had more conquest matches. More players are building for speed - so that does make sense. For me, I spent a lot more time working with the BIGS in a fire support role - or trying to chase snipers into cover so the BIGS could advance. I also learned which maps have a disadvantageous drop and can predict a matches outcome with a 70% success rate from just the drop and game mode. (Experimenting means keeping stats!)

Tier 2: Was unexpected. I thought it would be building on what I learned in Tier 3. Instead, it has been more of a return to Tier 4 - less working as a team, more individual specialization. Where the nascar (running in circles to get behind the enemy) effect had been disappearing in Tier 3, it is now one of the two major strategies. When I watch game play videos, I see a lot of emphasis on alpha striking. In matches, players work to enhance their alpha strike = Running behind the other team as quickly as possible to shoot them in the back, hiding behind cover then letting an opponent walk into your alpha, or sniping from a distance with surgical strikes to disable mech components. If the team is not on a nascar, the team is in a huddle, sniping, or waiting for the enemy to walk into range. I am still working on adjusting my play style, but have found it difficult. The map choice has fallen to basically four maps: Frozen City, Manifold, Crimson Strait, and River City - with others sprinkled in. The game modes have fallen to more conquest and domination, with a fair amount of assault, skirmish, or incursion, and more escort. The increased conquest, domination, and escort seem to have come from a reduction in skirmish. These changes do make sense - players are voting for maps and modes that favor a fast moving alpha strike or sniping alpha. Three of the 4 maps have open areas that a team most cross to engage and manifold is like fighting under an umbrella. With domination and conquest, you know where the enemy is or will be - great if your needing to unload that alpha. Players unwilling or unable to face an alpha strike give away the match on points. So I guess that keeps it challenging?

Tier 1: Not there yet - but see no reason that I won't get there eventually. I don't get many kills, but get a lot of assists. It will be interesting to see if there is a return to playing a role or the emphasis remains on individual efforts. (And then I can buy new mechs!)

So this has been my experience. Hopefully others will share their rank-up stories and new players can get an idea of how much effort it might require.

[El Bandito]

The reason why you see more selfish plays starting from T2 is because people are starting to become conscious of their personal stats, and wish to improve it.

[Xiphias]

T1:
Too many years of dropping with bad players has resulted in serious trust issues. Player feels that team cannot be expected to have any semblance of competence. The player must plan to carry any teams they are placed on. Because of this builds become more selfish and focused on individual stats or carry builds. Play style turns to putting out maximum damage while minimizing return fire and risk. Few players are still willing to lead pushes because when they have they have died and watched as a LRM Atlas fires missiles into a wall from 1000 km away leading to a loss. Decides to use pugs as armor because the player is the only one who can be counted on to be competent and win the match. No longer willing to risk taking damage to save teammate because personal armor is more valuable than potato teammate.

Salt levels continue to increase.

[Khobai]

Quote

The reason why you see more selfish plays starting from T2 is because people are starting to become conscious of their personal stats, and wish to improve it.

there should be no personal stats in a team game

getting rid of personal stats would be one of the best moves PGI could make to improve the state of the game

[Trissila]

The higher you climb in the tiers, the more you run into people that have been playing for a while and simply cannot afford to trust pub potatoes any longer. You can only be disappointed by passive, underperforming teams so many times before you just throw up your arms and say "No more, never again will I rely on any of them for anything". People play ultra-defensively because anything else gets them smashed instantly as PGI's dumpster-fire matchmaking places them on team after team after team of heavies that categorically refuse to push even with huge numerical advantage and assaults that can't even scrape out 200 damage against enemy forces that are aggressive, accurate, and know how the game works.

People internalize that they either play incredibly selfishly, or they don't get to play at all as they get picked off early in the match when their team utterly fails to do anything useful.

Edited by Trissila, 07 November 2017 - 08:46 PM.

[chucklesMuch]

The higher tiers have more experience with:
-Pugmate Trust issues
-Event grind (dumb behaviors - see line above)
-Lack of pugmate mech synergies; ranged mechs are happy trading at range ... brawlers want to close distance... , slow mechs aren't keen on flanking... etc
-in general higher tiers have more accurate players mistakes can be punished much more quickly

Edited by chucklesMuch, 07 November 2017 - 10:19 PM.

[sceii]

Tier-1
-You know that pugs gonna pug, but no pug will refuse help from teammate.
-You become super friendly and pugs love you
-You know that if no one leads the charge it's your turn to lead the charge
-You started to notice that many times stomps are not a result of highly uneven teams, but a result of even teams capitalising on every bit of advantage they had.

[Kanil]

Phlynn, on 07 November 2017 - 03:46 PM, said:

The map choice has fallen to basically four maps: Frozen City, Manifold, Crimson Strait, and River City

You must be playing in a different tier 2 than me. That sounds wonderful...

[Khaze]

Out of curiosity, what server do you play on?

[davoodoo]

Its not even personal stats, but after 100th time your team not pushing with you or leaving you behind to be torn by lights you learn to not count on them doing anything.

Edited by davoodoo, 07 November 2017 - 11:34 PM.

[sceii]

davoodoo, on 07 November 2017 - 11:34 PM, said:

Its not even personal stats, but after 100th time your team not pushing with you or leaving you behind to be torn by lights you learn to not count on them doing anything.

Your calls probably were not too great.
Press W to not be left behind

Edited by sceii, 08 November 2017 - 01:06 AM.

[El Bandito]

Khobai, on 07 November 2017 - 06:15 PM, said:

there should be no personal stats in a team game

getting rid of personal stats would be one of the best moves PGI could make to improve the state of the game

Maybe, but without personal stats, I most likely wouldn't have tried hard enough to get to where I am now, as a valuable member of (MS), and instead most likely goofed around with LRM80 Scorch.

Edited by El Bandito, 08 November 2017 - 01:16 AM.

[davoodoo]

sceii, on 08 November 2017 - 01:02 AM, said:

Your calls probably were not too great.
Press W to not be left behind

I mean sure, it all sounds so obvious mate.

But then ive been both part of pushing and calling it and more often than not it ends with half of the team pushing rest staying back ending in a defeat...

No matter how big engine ill put on assault mech, it wont go faster than mediums...

Edited by davoodoo, 08 November 2017 - 01:19 AM.