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1. LOS-Cover. This is one of the most decisive variables. On many maps it looks as if your team is very close to you on the radar. Take Grim Plexus for instance. And you and your team are on the plateau e.g. on domniation. But the the plateau, the buildings, the ridges and the respective positioning of the players will often mean, that your team could be on the moon for all it matters. Always, and I mean always, think at least twice before relocating or choosing a position to engange from. Look at the position and your team.
How many of your mates can cover you via LOS?
Just 1 ? Not so good but better than none.
6 of your guys and girls have great los on you or potential los (eg all more or less in front of you and can easily turn around or to the sides) is good. 11 have los on you? Perfect.
That wont be possible in most instances. But you get the picture. I emphasize this because this is a thing which kills ppl all the time in basically every match.
One famous example are the two F7 buildings hugging the plateau on Grim Plexus.
If you approach from the Plateau side with your team when playing domination or assault and you venture down to F7, you will have virtuall zero LOS-cover in many many scenarios. Your team is very close but they cannot see you down there and in most scenarios ppl try to snipe and peekaboo from up top around the buildings at team red. They dont venture up to the ridge to cover you because they themselves have zero cover there. Theyre right in the open facing all of team red. That is a bad spot unless the frontlines have already mixed and team red was pushing and your team pushed down too or similar scenarios.
In the initial phase I would not go down there. You will be completly cut off from LOS-cover and all of team red will prolly know exactly where you are. Youll get hammered by many many BFGs and prolly strikes.
I see ppl melting to that in very match. On my or the other team.
Completly avoid that. If you have to take the circle, take it from the left side. With left I mean: your standing on plateau, facing the hill where team red comes from, then you look to the left and see the lower plateau and the bildings. That little path between the 2 plateaus. Above that path, closer to your side, theres a rock formation which you can easily hold if you are a light or medium. Dont know the exact location but you will find it. Its at the border of the circle e.g. on domination. That place is much, much safer and team red will be focused on the plateau where your team will be positioning itself.
2. Scouting.
I see many many ppl scouting their respective left side e.g. on mining or generally on rather small maps. Mining, hpg, even canyon and other maps as well.
Take mining as an example.
Your left side is team reds main approach vector in 9 out of 10 matches.
Thats death valley. There is no reason to scout that area because your entire team (except very new ppl) will know or should know that team red will very probably approach the center platform or in general the middle of the map from their respective right side.
Even in a light mech you will be hard pressed to disengage if suddently their fast mechs have spotted you. Youll be miles away from any form of LOS-cover and you will melt in nano seconds. See that basically in every match. No scouting is necessary on that map. Team reds movement can not only be anticipated quite effective (either by observing where team red is not via some scouts that simply approach the center or some high ground close to the center or even on your right and much safer side or simply by observing where team red is via LOS).
Instead either cover your very slow assault mechs in the back, scout the middle or start flanking via your respective right side and engage their asssaults in the back.
You will be much, much more valuable to your team and your teams overall chances to win. Not dying in the very early phase is of great benefit to your team. A team's win or loss can be decided right then and there. Based on your decision as a scout. Cause if you dont die right there doing zero dmg,getting blasted by the entirety of team red cause you venture right into their main nascar lane, then you can defend your big boys, can protect the flanks, can flank yourself or cap or do any number of much more valuable jobs.
Its not always the case. But playing lights or fast skirmishers, be very very carefuly in the inital phase and if you are not that experienced or dont get that good stats and die often, then I would advise to completly ignore your left side when match started. Dont approach the left side. That alone will increase your chances to survive dramatically. Because teams in QP tend to always move right.
You can easily check and confirm (always mark targest, or type a quick info or use voice chat) that team red indeed chooses their right side to start moving forward. Ppl love and worship their right side. thats where they will be very often. Almost always. And if not you can observe it from a safe distance.
If you know the maps very well and know your mech and know how to get close but not too close, even then it is dangerous to approach the left side unless your entire team is pushing with you in a condensed ball. And I mean your entire team.
Need an example why its so dangerous?
On the guys that dominates div 5 and also others I think went to his respective left side on vidian bog. Went up to our little circular moutain with the stairs and peekabooed around the corner with his kitfox in the very early phase.
Hes pretty good.
Ive seen him before and hes good.
good aim. Good positioning.
But even good players sometimes get just a little too enthusiastic or cocky.
He was the first to die right when he looked around the corner. Instadying doing zero dmg.
As I said. Your left side, team reds right side, is a dangerous place in the early phase of the game and also in a matured match if both teams are kinda static.
Be very very and then extra weary approaching your left side.
3. Enemy movement
What kills your team in most instances is a condensed enemy death ball. Suddently theres a blobb of team red coming right at you.
Any team that is running (having their backs to team reds push) that is not playing and positioning according to point 1 and has little or zero LOS-cover from team and in turn providing no direct LOS-cover vor team.....will melt in nanoseconds. MOre often than not, those are the matches where its 12:1 or 12:2.
Always, and I mean always, check radar all the time or try to give your team as much intel as possible if you are playing scouts or skirmishers or fast mechs in general or sniping and having a good position from which you can observe team reds movement.
Look for their nascar/deathball move. That is basically the greatest danger in most scenarios. That push.....will end you.
The only way to counter that is to have team members (sometims especially in QP there is not so much communication but teams that are smart and know about those above mentioned points react immediately nontheless and have a good chance to win) that have good positioning, meaning they are close to or in cover but still have a lot LOS-cover that they receive from team and provide for as many team members as possible. So again, choose positions where you can actuall cover team and position yourself in a way so that you can cover your team.
If theres buidlings between you and your team, you are completly alone for as long as it takes you to reestablish LOS. Sometimes its impossible to find perfect positions. Never neglect this though. Itll safe your life and dramatically increased your teams chances to win.
4. Silhouetting, ridging, engaging targets.
If you think theres a high chances that there is a number of mechs around the corner or across the ridge or you even see many targets, then check what your team is doing first. If you are the only one engaging, peeking and youre also in a slow, big mech, chances are great that you will intadie. Because you are facing many many mechs. Never, ever face many many mechs unless you have also many man mechs right by your side.
If thats not the case, never face many mechs alone. Ppl do that all the time though. Peeking in slow mechs is no peeking. Its allowing all of team red, or huge numbers of them to freely open fire on a big, huge target. Instakilling or crippling you.
Dont do that.
Instead, wait for some of your team mates to also engage. A good team, a very good team on coms, will do the following:
They will engage together. Present multiple targest at the same time. They wont present single, exposed targets if theres any way to avoid that. Cause thats how you die doing zero dmg or maybe landing one alpha.
If theres a ridge and you see many red triangles, then either wait for the other team to do just that devastating mistake - silhouetting - or wait for other team members to also engage. If you see one big mech peeking, he will provide a distraction and you have a much better chance to not instadie by focus fire. And you will also provide a distraction and armor for those ppl that try to engage.
Youll get a feel for that.
If theres three enemies and you have two guys with you and you see one of them peeking, then the rest of you should immediatley join in. Help him, share armor. Never silhouette alone in slow *** mechs facing many targets.
This is a little harder to learn but if you pay attention to that and really try to avoid silhoutting, that alone will greatly improve your stats and survival chances. Try to engage with your team. Silhoutte with your team. Not alone. Avoid any and all scenarios where you could face many mechs that are looking right at your location or the area. Engage when theres already ppl firing at each other. Those are much safer windows of opportunity. And if you realize right then and there theres not much team blue with you and you cannot peek or ridge without facing a lot of mechs....relocate. Safe your armor.
Alright.
Maybe other ppl have some tips as well. Id like teams to not melt so quickly and after solaris I see that more than ever it seems. Teams melting.
Edited by LowSubmarino, 10 May 2018 - 03:06 AM.
