25 replies to this topic

[Jonathan8883]

I belong in Tier 3. Thanks to "time passing in game" I am now stuck in Tier 2. I find that I am surviving to Victory less than 10% of the time, and at least 25% of my games end with me doing less 150 points of damage. I get isolated and chopped apart by people with much faster reflexes. In an assault mech it's even worse... either my team carries and I help and rack up 600-800 damage, or I die before doing 100 damage because I can't snap-shoot fast enough at pop-tarts and lights, and get left behind by my team. My lights die too quickly too, even when I'm doing everything right, unless my team is already carrying.

I don't like being a consistent potato, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong compared to how I was playing in September or October.

Any suggestions? Being consistently outmatched is not fun.

[Koniving]

"Stat tanking".

Technically against CoC if done 'purposefully'.

But if you were to say... try to have actual fun by not going meta and by using new, unusual and interesting builds that rely on DPS over quick kills... and try to ambush opponents while not relying on your allies...

That would do it.
Just be careful if you get decent at it, because then you'll have to try something else.
Rifleman with only the 3 or 4 nodes needed to get advanced zoom.


As you can imagine.... I have to look for new ways to drop as I recently got back to tier 2 again.

[Koniving]

Now if you're looking for advice to deal with actually staying in tier 2...

Front the armor. Never expose your back even when retreating do so on angles with the torso twisted.
Whenever possible, MAKE USE OF THE ARMS... huge game changers those things. On the Night Star the difference between the arms of most models and the one without lower arm actuators is drastic.

Aim for the groin! Want to kill something by CT just to get it done? Don't shoot the torso like a chump, aim for the groin and they can't protect themselves. Unless they have low hanging arms... which nobody in tier 2 is 'that' silly...

....are they? I mean it'd be the ultimate heresy, right?
Surely my arms aren't hanging low. Oh wait.

Anyway, there's an art to dealing with multiple enemies at once. And there's two crosshairs which is more than just art.

Many encounters simply boil down to whether or not it is a good idea to do X. Is it a good idea to come up behind the enemy and fire at just the right moment? Yes. Is it a good idea to come up behind an enemy and fire from 700 meters because you saw it for just a split second, missed in the process, and gave away the guy that was almost in a spot for an instant kill now causing a really long dragged out fight? No.

[Koniving]

Oh...

"Seismic Sensor" is worth having with any mech that you have which is prone to stopping for any length of time. Whether behind buildings, pop-and-shoot, or to assess situations. Never know when someone is trying to come up behind you -- unless you have a Seismic Sensor.

That said... there's a way to not be seen by a seismic sensor -- but that's better kept secret.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

I belong in Tier 3. Thanks to "time passing in game" I am now stuck in Tier 2. I find that I am surviving to Victory less than 10% of the time, and at least 25% of my games end with me doing less 150 points of damage. I get isolated and chopped apart by people with much faster reflexes. In an assault mech it's even worse... either my team carries and I help and rack up 600-800 damage, or I die before doing 100 damage because I can't snap-shoot fast enough at pop-tarts and lights, and get left behind by my team. My lights die too quickly too, even when I'm doing everything right, unless my team is already carrying.

I don't like being a consistent potato, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong compared to how I was playing in September or October.

Any suggestions? Being consistently outmatched is not fun.

In general a peeking and poking style of play is the superior option for solo queue, poptarting works out well too. Other tactics require a lot more power positioning, knowing what places on the map offer great cover and visibility over a target zone; or good teamwork such as pushing and brawling. Due to this the whole using-whatever-cover-is-nearby-with-a-decently-quick-mech-with-a-high-alpha strat tends to be more consistent for the player, as it removes a lot of reliance on the team.

What kind of builds and mechs are you running and what do your tactics throughout the match consist of?

A good build can be a great force multiplier for good tactics, so its best to improve both as much as possible. I'd love to help if you'd give a couple of your builds in smurfy [ http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ ] and a general run down of what your general tactics are for the match.

[Iain Sumner]

I usually suggest to get a unit that offers training sessions. We do this on a more or less regular basis....the change T4->T3 is quite a rough one and getting to T2 and T1 won't get any better while your personal skills don't improve the same way.

[Jonathan8883]

Much of my play happens during the workday in slow periods or around lunch. I doubt a unit would work.
Too many mechs to list out... most of them are meta or semi-meta builds:
Arctic cheetah with MGs, spulse, 2 HML
PB with 1 flamer, 3 slas, MGs, stealth armor
Stormcrow with 24 ATMs
Hellbringer with 2 HLL, 3-4 ERMed
Dragon 5N w/ UAC10/LRM10/2 light PPC (successful if I don't get isolated)
Shadow Cat with ECM, 3 Mpulse, 2 SSRM4 (my favorite mech, usually stays alive for a long time)
Highlander with a slow engine, MRM60, RAC10 (secondary weapon only), 3 medium lasers
Supernova Boiler with ATM24, 2xLBX10, 2 ERMed
And some others that I don't play as often.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 09:47 AM, said:

Much of my play happens during the workday in slow periods or around lunch. I doubt a unit would work.
Too many mechs to list out... most of them are meta or semi-meta builds:
Arctic cheetah with MGs, spulse, 2 HML
PB with 1 flamer, 3 slas, MGs, stealth armor
Stormcrow with 24 ATMs
Hellbringer with 2 HLL, 3-4 ERMed
Dragon 5N w/ UAC10/LRM10/2 light PPC (successful if I don't get isolated)
Shadow Cat with ECM, 3 Mpulse, 2 SSRM4 (my favorite mech, usually stays alive for a long time)
Highlander with a slow engine, MRM60, RAC10 (secondary weapon only), 3 medium lasers
Supernova Boiler with ATM24, 2xLBX10, 2 ERMed
And some others that I don't play as often.

Only one of those mechs is semi meta (the Hellbringer, the meta build of it uses 2 HLL+6ERML) none of the others really get too close to the meta.

Still the more important question is what do you do with these mechs ingame? What roles have you defined for each of your builds for you to attempt during the match? What are your goals? I don't just mean damage numbers, but tactics. Do you take your ATM Stormcrow right behind the front lines to get maximum damage out of the missiles, or are you sitting back 1000m spewing rockets that are unlikely to hit? That sort of thing.

[Darrious Quinn]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

I belong in Tier 3. Thanks to "time passing in game" I am now stuck in Tier 2. I find that I am surviving to Victory less than 10% of the time, and at least 25% of my games end with me doing less 150 points of damage. I get isolated and chopped apart by people with much faster reflexes. In an assault mech it's even worse... either my team carries and I help and rack up 600-800 damage, or I die before doing 100 damage because I can't snap-shoot fast enough at pop-tarts and lights, and get left behind by my team. My lights die too quickly too, even when I'm doing everything right, unless my team is already carrying.

I don't like being a consistent potato, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong compared to how I was playing in September or October.

Any suggestions? Being consistently outmatched is not fun.

OK, what I'm about to state is as a fellow T2 to a T2.
Suck it up an push on! You won't get any better by playing with the 1st graders.
I don't say that to be an *** or to be mean, but the Tier system is bias in such a way that you reaching T2 was inevitable.

Now I would like to address and offer some peer advice on a few things that I feel you're admitting to doing wrong.

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

I get isolated and chopped apart by people with much faster reflexes. In an assault mech it's even worse... because I can't snap-shoot fast enough at pop-tarts and lights, and get left behind by my team.

So first point is this;
you already know what you are doing wrong. You're being left behind and allow yourself to get isolated. ANY MECH, assault or otherwise, has a fairly short lifespan if its caught alone. You should be paying twice as much attention to your own team movements then you should the enemy. Assaults being slow is not an excuse! you see the assaults and heavies move out, you sure as hell better be with them.

Second critical point;
Stop wasting shots, time and attention on things you know you cant hit. If you're in an assault, why are you chasing the squirrel? Leave the lights to other lights and anti-light mediums. If you have a clean shot on a legged light or one foolish enough to shut down in your forward arch, then by all means punish him... otherwise, focus on that other BIG mech on the opposite side currently ripping you apart because you are too busy wasting time chasing somethin you cant catch. Even if the light in Danger Close and eating you alive... put your back to a wall, call for help and do your best to stay on primary targets. If you can scare the bugger of, fine, but most assaults cant look far enough down to hit that Locust chewing on your ankle.
Pop-Tarts are irregular targets. Same as I said above, If you KNOW you cant hit them due to vision or reflex, why are you wasting the attention and time on them? Focus on the Annihilator who has taken a liking to your face.

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

My lights die too quickly too, even when I'm doing everything right, unless my team is already carrying.

Lights take a different mindset to play. I play lights quite often and enjoy them over the other heavier classes. Just remember one simple credo, "Fly it like you are invincible". You need to be smart about it still... I mean, you can't face rush a Kodiak and expect to do anything besides explode into a misty red cloud of goo and shrapnel.

3 Basic Rules of Light Piloting
1. Move Fast, Stay Alive
2. Never attack from the front
3. Never stop moving

If you find yourself breaking ay of those 3 basic fundamentals, then yes.... you're doing it wrong.

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

I don't like being a consistent potato, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong compared to how I was playing in September or October.

Tier level has nothing to with Potato status. There are Plenty of "highly skilled", L33t, e-peen waving T1 Spuds. The problem you are experiencing, as with all T2s is that the skill jump from T3 to T2 feels significant because you will see more T1 and other T2 players. T3 matches you see other t3s, T4s and the occasional t2. If PGI loosened the match maker filters for the holidays, that will muck with things, but as T3 you are "usually" insolated from the T1s.


Alas... this is a known, a constant. Something that we have no control over, therefore, the only thing you can do is adapt. Play to your own strengths and don't take loses personally. When you started as a T5 you probably weren't surviving most matches either right?

Things to remember about T2.

1. It sucks for everyone. I'm 3/4 through it and yes, I loathe it at times.
2. Reduce your reliance on LRMs if you like to boat them. They just aren't as effective in T2/T1 play.
3. Meta doesn't make you a better player. You need to understand the meta for the meta to work. Also choose Meta's that fit your playstyle. No point loading a gauss build if you suck with gauss rifles.
4. Pay attention to what your TEAM is doing. The enemy will always be there and they will show themselves. If you aren't where your team is, then you did something wrong.(Scouts and Light Snipers are no exception... how many times have we seen a "scout" run off and die within the first 60 seconds of a match?)

Edited by Darrious Quinn, 13 December 2017 - 01:50 PM.

[Ruccus]

I noticed your comment of "In an assault mech it's even worse... either my team carries and I help and rack up 600-800 damage, or I die before doing 100 damage..." and to help you see from the other perspective I have a suggestion.

What I'd suggest is to take your Stormcrow out (doesn't matter much what build, though it can't be only ATMs/LRMs as you need close range damage too - a simple 5 MPL build would do nicely) and your only objective for the match is to find an assault mech teammate and be his wingman. Stick by his side, fire at what he fires at, and attack any enemy light mechs that come to harass him. Your job is to keep one of your team's assault mechs alive for as long as possible, and if he falls then find the closest heavy or assault mech and do the same thing.

Don't worry about kills, assists, damage, or even getting killed, just worry about keeping that assault mech alive for as long as possible. Your job is to get your assault mech teammate that 600 to 800 damage. Sometimes you'll find yourself wingman for a really good assault mech pilot and other times a not very good assault mech pilot. Watch what they do right and wrong, and how they survive encounters and how they get killed in encounters. When you go back to your assault mechs you should have a better idea of what you're doing right and wrong, and when you see that medium mech shadowing you you'll know you can be bolder and more aggressive because he's there to help you.

Edited by Ruccus, 13 December 2017 - 03:52 PM.

[mailin]

If you are struggling with assaults, DO NOT DRIVE THEM. A fair number of players think that they will take an assault to start with because they have the biggest guns. The thing many forget is that they are also the biggest targets. At T2 and T1 more players know how to prioritize mechs. If a light is harrassing you leave him alone, or fire on him while calling to your team and moving toward them. NEVER move away from the team when you get harrassed by a light. That is what they want you to do. ALWAYS prioritize your targets. Focus on the guys with the biggest guns first. Also, if you aren't on comms, I strongly suggest you get on comms. At higher Tiers more players are talking and coordinating. Even if there's only one guy talking everyone else is at least listening.

I really like what Ruccus said about driving a medium or heavy and being the wingman to an assault. Assaults love that. Knowing that they can just keep moving forward and that there is someone there to keep the lights off their back.

[LEE H4RVEY]

Your mini map in your cockpit is your friend. You mentioned in your initial post that you get isolated in Tier 2... If you really pay close attention to that little map - watching for your and the enemy teams rotations, for one example - you will see the clouds forming and will know when to haul butt and seek shelter from the storm. By shelter I mean regrouping with your team and focus firing on whatever target they are hitting.

Hope things improve for you.

[mailin]

One other thing that I always try to do is use the wheel to call out target spotted. Especially initially because you can follow the blip on your minimap even after the target goes away to determine where that enemy is going.

[Jonathan8883]

Wow, lots of posts. Thanks!

I do prefer being about mid-level skillwise (vs curbstomping one way or the other), so being in T2 has made things less fun. I do this for fun and stress relief.

I just had my two "best" games in my Nova following the assaults around. 6 MPL, 2 AMS, 2 flamers. It still ran hot (on Forest Colony), but that's to be expected. I might switch out one medium pulse arm for small pulses and an extra heat sink or two. I survived with one arm intact each time, 230 damage, 1 kmdd, 9 assists; 123, 0, 11 assists. Not too happy with it yet.

Good points on not wasting shots. I haven't done much developing a "this is what I'm doing with my mech" each game beyond the obvious (light = backstab/scout, stormcrow = ATM sweet spot for major damage). I think that will help me make better decisions.

[Champion of Khorne Lord of Blood]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:36 PM, said:

I haven't done much developing a "this is what I'm doing with my mech" each game beyond the obvious (light = backstab/scout, stormcrow = ATM sweet spot for major damage). I think that will help me make better decisions.

It really helps with setting up builds too. I'll come up with something I want to be able to do then custom fit my mech for doing that thing then play a match trying to do it. It usually works out pretty great.

[InspectorG]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

... I find that I am surviving to Victory less than 10% of the time, ...
I get isolated and chopped apart by people with much faster reflexes. I...
get left behind by my team. My lights die too quickly too, even when I'm doing everything right, unless my team is already carrying.

I don't like being a consistent potato, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong compared to how I was playing in September or October.

Any suggestions? Being consistently outmatched is not fun.

Ok, i interpret this as you lack Situational Awareness and you likely arent reading your MinMap very well.

If your basic control of your mech and Aim are good, the next step is how to leverage your mech, in Solo, vs random opponents and random team coordination.

You are getting hit too much and making far too risky trades. There is a juggling act between exposing yourself to hit the enemy, exposing yourself to get in a better position, doing damage, and punishing the enemy for their over-exposure/ill-times poke.

In general, you want to attack the enemy from oblique angles, not front-on. If from front-on, during their cooldown or when you have numbers. When you attack WITH an ally- this gives the enemy more targets to choose from and most Pugs arent good at target selection/or they tunnel vision.

You must learn the maps and basic Pug behavior in those maps. There are general trends and there are always mitigating factors. PAY ATTENTION.

You have to sight-read the MinMap and guestimate where your team is going, and guess where the enemy will be. After that look for flanks(yours or enemy) so you can re-position to either meet them(if the enemy looks weak) or evade them.

Push with teammates when its good to do so, but also, anticipate the opponent's reaction and try to get an angle on a worthwhile opponent.

Generally, its best to stay in the 'middle' of your team. If you are getting 'left behind' that is your fault. And i say this as someone WHO ENJOYS using a Dire Whale in Solo. You have to anticipate where your team is going and keep up. An Assault on the 'edge' of their team is open to lights to pick apart.

Light Piloting is harder, due to lights having more disadvantages and requires a bolder, more 'cowardly' style of play.
In short: If you pilot a light and are fighting the enemy on fair terms(1v1, they see you, you lt them time your attack) then you messed up. Be Ghetto in a Light, team up on enemies who are out of position. Time their cooldown and hit them then hide.

A good tactic for lights is not to think about doing damage but distract enemy Heavies/Assaults into turning to face you and taking their guns off of your team's Heavies/Assaults. They turn to face you, a teammate should hit them and you should be behind cover. If they re-position to hit you, even better, you are subtracting their firepower from the fight. Late match when the opponents are few and damaged is when Lights get a general advantage.

In short: Work on making better trades and better position relative to whats happening in the match. Should improve your game.
If your basic control of your mech and Aim are good, the next step is how to leverage your mech, in Solo, vs random opponents and random team coordination.

[mailin]

Jonathan8883, on 13 December 2017 - 08:36 PM, said:

Wow, lots of posts. Thanks!

I do prefer being about mid-level skillwise (vs curbstomping one way or the other), so being in T2 has made things less fun. I do this for fun and stress relief.

I just had my two "best" games in my Nova following the assaults around. 6 MPL, 2 AMS, 2 flamers. It still ran hot (on Forest Colony), but that's to be expected. I might switch out one medium pulse arm for small pulses and an extra heat sink or two. I survived with one arm intact each time, 230 damage, 1 kmdd, 9 assists; 123, 0, 11 assists. Not too happy with it yet.

Here's what I run on my Novas. 6 small pulse and 4 regular MGs. No AMS, but it does have jump jets. On this build stay with the assaults and note your range to target. Cycle through your targets checking the range. When you get within about 400-600m of one that has started to take damage close with him and tear him up.

There are some that run PPCs on Novas and use them as pop tarts, but that's not who I am. I like to get up close and personal with the guy I'm gonna kill.

One more note, in case you haven't yet done so, front load all of your armor. I typically run 3 or 4 on my rear and all the rest on my front. No matter what I'm running.

Edited by mailin, 14 December 2017 - 03:41 PM.

[Roving Gun]

I'm finding that NASCAR has sort of taken over the game these days. Stick close to your team and don't get left behind. I try to make sure i'm watching the rest of the team as opposed to the enemies. If you are in an assault never stop...they won't come back for you if you stay there poking.

[Hunter Tseng]

Being in T2 can be somewhat demoralising as you will often be tiered up against T1s or even worse the top tiered T1 more often.
Reading from what you have written down, it seems you have to work on your situational awareness.
I recommend to avoid assault and light class as those 2 in my opinion are the 2 most difficult class to play and master.
Stick to mediums and heavies as they are not as punishing.
The mediums has the mobility for you to plan and be aware of the flow of the battle. It has the mobility to be quite forgiving if you have mispositioned yourself. Always move around the flank and try to wrestle flank control against weak enemy lines to set the tone of the battle.
Heavies generally you will need to learn the various terrain on the map to set your self for a solid firing line. Keep in mind of the terrain and your weapon hardpoints. If you are getting bad trades from that firing position, reposition and get a new angle of fire. Generally heavies has to keep close to the team and support the teams main effort.

And an advice for your Nova, try to avoid using spl... Different people with different playstyle may differ, but currently spl are very weak and not worth the extra tonnage penalty it incurs, you're better off with equipping ersmall instead. Since you want to try to pair it with med pulse, the er small synergize better with the med pulse in terms of range, duration and cooldown
When building a mech, try to keep in mind the synergy of the weapons load out and whether you can handle such load out. Whether it is meta or not is irrelevant because at the end it is whether you are comfortable using it or not

[mailin]

https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

Huh. Spls are underpowered?

Edited by mailin, 16 December 2017 - 12:40 PM.