20 replies to this topic

[Toomah]

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

[BTGbullseye]

Just play your way, and ignore the idiots that try to tell you that support mechs and tactics are worthless.

Heck, I've had people seriously tell me that I was supposed to be grabbing caps when I was in an Urbie going 32.4kph. (that's the 35t Assault mech, in case you're wondering)

[MechaBattler]

It depends on the situation. If your team is losing caps. Then maybe you should go get caps. It's ultimately up to you to make the decision. Play how you feel is most beneficial.

[Eisenhorne]

Anyone telling a medium their role is to "get out there and cap" is dumb. The role of the medium is generally to support the heavies and assaults.

Honestly, capping in general is relatively pointless. The light mechs need to ensure you get a 3 cap in conquest to begin with, then you need to simply kill the enemy team. Odds are they will ball up and stay together, so you do the same, then you just run into them and the better team wins the brawl, then finishes capping the map. EZ. The exception to this is possibly Polar Highlands, where lights and fast mediums (110KPH +) should probably always be capping.

edit - even if you're losing on caps, don't worry about it if you're fighting. Like, if your team has 2 caps, the enemy has 3, and they're like 20-30 pts up, as long as you're actively fighting the enemy you're doing fine. If you're down 200-300 points then, and the enemy isn't dead yet, then it's time to break off and focus on caps. But that's a pretty rare situation, usually one team will be dead by then unless you're both camping really hard.

Edited by Eisenhorne, 15 May 2018 - 10:29 AM.

[Tier5 Kerensky]

Dealing damage is kinda the main role of all mechs. Faster mechs can do a little bit more and don't have to concentrate on enemy team all the time, but still should most of the time.

Edited by Teer Kerensky, 15 May 2018 - 10:31 AM.

[mistlynx4life]

Welcome to MWO. We still can't agree on an answer to your question but the main idea is to be able to adapt - don't lock yourself into one role and then be unable or unwilling to help with other things. Just play as you like and if they tell you to get to cappin' then you turn right around and tell them to get to killin'.

[Blind Baku]

BTGbullseye, on 15 May 2018 - 10:20 AM, said:

Just play your way, and ignore the idiots that try to tell you that support mechs and tactics are worthless.

Heck, I've had people seriously tell me that I was supposed to be grabbing caps when I was in an Urbie going 32.4kph. (that's the 35t Assault mech, in case you're wondering)

I liked the first half of this, but 35kph is too slow for a light o_O, even an Urbie (which is basically an assault).

"Get out there an cap" is a pretty subjective call. Were you at 250 v 450 and 10/5 on conquest? Then yeah, leave fight, go cap I'm sure your heavies and assaults can clean up the last 2. Were you at 50 v 100 0/0? Then no. Put mechs in the dirt first. Ignore a lot of the crap you hear from teammates (includes me when I get super salty) and just play the game.

[BTGbullseye]

Blind Baku, on 15 May 2018 - 03:23 PM, said:

I liked the first half of this, but 35kph is too slow for a light o_O, even an Urbie (which is basically an assault).

"Get out there an cap" is a pretty subjective call. Were you at 250 v 450 and 10/5 on conquest? Then yeah, leave fight, go cap I'm sure your heavies and assaults can clean up the last 2. Were you at 50 v 100 0/0? Then no. Put mechs in the dirt first. Ignore a lot of the crap you hear from teammates (includes me when I get super salty) and just play the game.

32kph is what you get when you have a Standard 60 engine in an urbie... Makes for some pretty heavy weapons toting. (like a RAC5 with ERPPCs.

And no, we weren't behind, we were 3/8 with 600 points and 4 caps. Also, we still had 2 other fast lights out there grabbing the caps.

[Erronius]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

It's a judgement call 100%. You just need to develop a feel for your mech and playstyle in a match, and get a hang for when to bail on a fight on Conquest to go cap.

Yes, people want to mindlessly pewpew. And tier doesn't mean much at all, honestly. It's less a measure of how good a player you are and more a measure of how much or how long you've played. And there are a lot of people that you will still want to ignore at T1, believe me.

Making bad calls is the best way to learn how to make good calls. You'll probably have some games where you'll think to yourself "Man, I left to go cap too early" or "If I had gone to cap sooner, we would have won". You should get a feel for it eventually, but it's never an exact science and in a lot of games it wont matter whether you stayed with the group or went to cap. Either your team stomps and caps wont matter, your team gets stomped and caps wont matter. What you need to be careful of is when your team is rolling good that you don't tunnel vision to the point that you finish crushing the enemy team and then notice you're about to lose by about 400 cap points, LOL.

[mistlynx4life]

All that, and you still get amazing matches like this:

[Blind Baku]

BTGbullseye, on 15 May 2018 - 04:25 PM, said:

32kph is what you get when you have a Standard 60 engine in an urbie... Makes for some pretty heavy weapons toting. (like a RAC5 with ERPPCs.

And no, we weren't behind, we were 3/8 with 600 points and 4 caps. Also, we still had 2 other fast lights out there grabbing the caps.

Situationally, your team needed to shut up.

mechwise that sounds like a lot of damage output but "I gotta go 'fast'"

[Leone]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is?

Are you playing quickplay? If so, it's kill all the things and make sure you don't lose on objectives whilst doing it. Otherwise folk'll actually try teaming up an working together sometimes. Then it tends to be group up share armour an focus fire.

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way?

For the rest of us. Yes it sucks for the team to toggle off ams an watch the lrms smash into your team mates when you could be helping, but in quickplay it can be hilarious. Of course, in Group queue an CW you generally wanna help the team even despite their best efforts to lose, just cuz there are others on your team who no doubt deserve the help.

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

Nope! Tiers has nothing to do with it. There are folk out there though, who'll group queue up or drop CW looking to work together and watch the awesome happen. I'm afraid you'll hafta hop on teamspeak, go looking for group, or just solo drop in CW and ask around in order to find such folk however.

Don't worry, we're out there, we just often treat Quickplay like the kiddie pool it is, for messing around in.

~Leone

[Pain G0D]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS

You answered your own question . You are a much needed and welcome anti Missile support . If your mech is slow and tanky combat is your secondary role . If your mech has a speed of over 100 km , you are a scout .

Of course this is your preference , do you want to pawn noobs or scout or whatever you want to do ?

Edited by Pain G0D, 16 May 2018 - 01:27 PM.

[Ruccus]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

For the most part when you get up to tiers 3, 2, and 1 there's a limited amount of objective work needed to be done. Aside from getting into the domination circle until your team arrives and making sure in conquest your team has at least two caps, the rest is mainly Skirmish mode then complete objectives.

I don't think there's a Tier 1 assault mech pilot playing that will refuse a medium mech wingman.

[SilentScreamer]

Is a medium mech loaded with AMS grouped with the team more effective than a fast capping mech or an ECM sniper?

Is an Atlas loaded with an AC20 and SRMs who charges the enemy line more valuable than a Cyclops loaded with LRMs hiding 500m away from the action and waiting for others to give him locks?

The situation is highly dependent on things out of a single player's control:
a) what map is picked
B) gamemode
c) what loadouts your teammates/opponents bring
d) which team plans and coordinates better

Most players will tell you a specialist loadout will beat a rounded/generalist. What they rarely admit is how often they flop in a match with their specialist because of the map/gametype choosen was the "wrong" one.

Dropping in a regular team with specific loadouts and roles for pilots? Great, work it out with your team

PUG in the solo Quickplay drop? Play what you enjoy your way, but try to make sure your way supports the team somehow. Mute/Block teammates that try to tell you different. If you stick with your team and deal damage nobody SHOULD complain, but one or two WILL complain anyway.

Edited by SilentScreamer, 17 May 2018 - 10:47 AM.

[The Basilisk]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

Sadly MWO is full of things that look good in theorie but ultimately the prime maxime is "a dead enemy can not hurt you".

There are two ways to achieve this.
-- Flood the enemys defenses with a continuous influx of dmg so twisting and turning gets pointless and youst increses your personal gains by convoluting largely useless dmg.
-- Concentrated high alpha strikes that quickly cripple or kill enemys by penetrating single mech components.
Killing single mech components like sidetorsoes not only yield the dmg you inflicted directly on the target but also for the connected severed limb.

An mainly utility mech is lost dmg and therefore dmg capacity that is lacking within your team.

Reson for this is the lacking size and willingness of pgi and the pew pew twitch shooter crowd to depart from the pinpoint shooter model of MWOs weapon mechanics.

[Old dirty B]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

Most people you will encounter in quickplay are simpletons and arent doning much ingame anyway. They dont know what to do themselves and much rather point at the rest of the team. On the otherhand some people take this game way to serious. I wouldnt listen to both... and surely dont count on them. In the end its solo quickplay for a reason...

My suggestion would be to find out what kind of gameplay appeals to you, by watching others ingame or on youtube and work out ypur own way from there. First focus on your own engagements and fights and improve on that. When you know how to win your own battles then worry about the team and rest of the match. Untill then, dont be bothered by others.

Good luck!
ODB

[Koniving]

Toomah, on 15 May 2018 - 09:00 AM, said:

I bought a new mech yesterday before the sale ends for the sole purpose of defending my team from LRM spam (I'm tier 4, just started playing last monday) The mech has 3 AMS and some laser vomit. I figured I can stay with the heavy's and assaults and let my AMS do the work while supporting them with some laser fire. The problem is I've had people say "You're on a medium, get out there and cap objectives and such." So I guess my question is, how do I know what my role in the team is? If I build a mech to support the big guys and they don't want my support, what's the point in building a mech that way? It seems to me that people just want to mindlessly pew pew without thinking much tactics, does it get better with tier? I'm feeling a little confused.

In the end it is situational. Are the lrms heavy right now? Does the team have other needs? How many enemies are left? What is the status on the objective and is help needed to turn it in your team's favor?

I am guessing your mech is a Nova. As a medium you are expected to be a jack of trades. To dynamically shift with the flow of battle. You have the speed to cap or intercept. The firepower to deal with threats. Enough armor to take a modest beating. The defensive equipment to protect others.

Welcome to your role.

It is whatever you want to be...or whatever is needed of you at the time....this is regardless of your weight.

[Phoenix 72]

Don't worry about it. Just remember, this is the internet. The guy dying with 5 damage to his name, completely out of position and miles away from any objective will still tell the 1200 damage player on the objective how much he / his build sucks. ;-)

This is the place where everybody is a Mechwarrior god. ;-) Except for me, I am slowly working my way up to become mediocre. ;-)

All I can tell you is to stay flexible, do not get too locked into doing one thing and make your own judgment calls.

[Elizander]

If there aren't too many LRMs in the match, you can usually go cap (if there are no light mechs or faster mechs on the team), but generally your role is to keep your assault mechs alive by shooting down AMS and scaring off light mechs that want to chew their back armor.

I do the same thing on my Kitfox and my Nova, both of which have 3x AMS. It's kind of rough if the assaults split up, but just do your best.