10 replies to this topic

[martian]

My impressions from today's and yesterday's Tier 1 games:

• It seems to me that the first thing that both teams do after the game starts is that they form their own murderballs as quickly as possible.
  
• After both teams meet, there is a short, about 1-2 minute long period of trading fire between both teams.
  
• In the moment when one team manages to kill 1-2 enemy 'Mechs, the balance flips and the game turns into push. The score is 0:2 or so. In my experience in this moment the game is usually decided.
  
• Additional 1-2 quick kills follow up in a quick succession, so the score is 0:4 or 1:4 now. Against a random enemy team you would still have a fighting chance, if not turning the game around then at least making the enemy team pay for their win, but against Tier 1 players the game is over in this moment since Tier 1 players are too experienced to lose the victory.
  
• The rat race ensues, since no member of the winning team wants to be left with the red arrow caused either by the lack of damage dealt or the lack of kill(s). So people are running in front of your 'Mech and jumping over your 'Mech in front of you just to get kills on those few remaining enemy 'Mechs.
  
• The annihilation of the remaining half of the enemy team is usually quick and brutal.

And of course, pre-made groups are very important factor (if present). As is the number of Assault 'Mechs on each side.


Interesting note: No or almost no flanking and backstabbing (or at least much less than in usual games).
I guess that there are multiple reasons for that:
a) Flanking means that you are not in the contact with the enemy, thus you are not dealing damage and getting kills, and thus you are in danger of being left with the red arrow.
b ) Backstabbing means even more time without being in the contact with the enemy team and there is a real possibility that the enemy team will be wiped out without you. And you will be left with a negligible score, no kills and the red arrow.
c) Leaving your team - even to do some useful flanking or backstabbing - means that if the enemy team decides to push while you are away, your team will have one 'Mech less in that critical moment. And losing means almost inevitably being left with that ugly red arrow.
I have noticed that players with Firestarters, Arctic Cheetahs or even Fleas are staying with their team much more than it used to be common. Perhaps they are playing it safe?

Light 'Mechs are relatively rare.

Almost not LRMs, some ATMs seen from time to time.

Games shorter than it used to be common.



What is your experience with Tier 1 games? Similar or different?

[Too Much Love]

You pretty much nailed it. I have the same impression.

In sum - it became much worse. The stomps + 10 minutes waiting time between the matches.

[Willard Phule]

Haven't made it to T1 again, yet, but at T2 I'm still seeing the exact same mix of players that I did at T3. Everything from T1 to T3. Zero separation.

[MrMadguy]

Yeah. For me real difference between T3 and T1 - is how aggressive players are. That's mostly because attack/defense isn't balanced in this game, so attackers can win via just pushing hard enough. That's why I wanted real MM. You do it? You do it only against players, who also do it. And leave slow tactical games for T3/T4.

[Marquis De Lafayette]

What I have seen:

As you say the matches tend to end quickly and brutally. If the match gets to 7-4, it’s going to end in less than 2 minutes and be 12-5-ish. Once a clear advantage is established it is pressed and rarely squandered.

It’s the first few minutes of the tier 1 matches that have been pretty amazing for me. Lots of hard fighting, but also a bit more patience in terms of now wanting to make a mistake by getting overextended (the other team will for sure make you pay if you do). Early deaths are the people who got too aggressive, flanked too early in a light or just took the wrong pathing in a slow mech, etc. Much more focus fire going on (it’s not called it just happens). I am seeing a lot more early 4-4 games , where it’s just a tug of war as each side eliminates those on the other side that have made mistakes first. Once 1/3 of the mechs are off the field who gets 1 or 2 up just presses the advantage and usually it is a quick snowball effect. The first minutes of the match have been often the most tense...as both side have experienced players trying to get an edge....it’s been generally some tough fighting early. It’s also much harder to get your strikes in (during the whole match) as everyone is quick and looking to do the same.

I have seen far more lights in the past 2 days (after the matchmaker change). But maybe that just my experience

Edited by Marquis De Lafayette, 17 July 2020 - 04:57 AM.

[Ignatius Audene]

That is good! Rarely had better games than yesterday. Far less rotation. Red and team blue shooting and finally some aim etc. Ofcourse if u get early kill lead, it is only smart to make an aggressive move for the victory (no need 2 run 5 more laps for nothing). But a lot of 12vs 11 etc. results in my games as well. I loved EU prime yesterday!

Forget the word flanking for your first 15' matches. What u are looking for are overlapping fields of fire /overwatch positions. Flanking is mostly mixed up with rotato potato.

[Jman5]

martian, on 16 July 2020 - 11:22 PM, said:

I have noticed that players with Firestarters, Arctic Cheetahs or even Fleas are staying with their team much more than it used to be common. Perhaps they are playing it safe?

Playing it correctly I would say. It's generally a better and more consistent approach to stay near your team when playing lights. Even moreso when your opponents are good.

When you run around by yourself you're basically gambling that there are going to be some players who are poorly positioned, isolated, and unable to handle a 1v1 (either because of skill or build). The odds of that happening goes down as the player skill goes up.

A lot of casual light players let their speed get them into trouble, either by being over aggressive, or by spending the whole match running around but not actually doing much. Better to stick with your team and then use your speed for quick surgical strikes.

[martian]

Jman5, on 17 July 2020 - 09:04 AM, said:

Playing it correctly I would say. It's generally a better and more consistent approach to stay near your team when playing lights. Even moreso when your opponents are good.

When you run around by yourself you're basically gambling that there are going to be some players who are poorly positioned, isolated, and unable to handle a 1v1 (either because of skill or build). The odds of that happening goes down as the player skill goes up.

A lot of casual light players let their speed get them into trouble, either by being over aggressive, or by spending the whole match running around but not actually doing much. Better to stick with your team and then use your speed for quick surgical strikes.

Yeah, maybe.

I have just noticed that there are suddenly many light 'Mechs hindering my movement left and right, hiding behind me so that I can not move back, etc. Perhaps it gets better in the coming days.

[pattonesque]

Jman5, on 17 July 2020 - 09:04 AM, said:

Playing it correctly I would say. It's generally a better and more consistent approach to stay near your team when playing lights. Even moreso when your opponents are good.

When you run around by yourself you're basically gambling that there are going to be some players who are poorly positioned, isolated, and unable to handle a 1v1 (either because of skill or build). The odds of that happening goes down as the player skill goes up.

A lot of casual light players let their speed get them into trouble, either by being over aggressive, or by spending the whole match running around but not actually doing much. Better to stick with your team and then use your speed for quick surgical strikes.

yeah in general what I've seen from lights in the "true" T1 games is way more wolfpacking or short flanks and way less Immediately Dying after five minutes out in the boonies

[Marquis De Lafayette]

pattonesque, on 17 July 2020 - 12:04 PM, said:

yeah in general what I've seen from lights in the "true" T1 games is way more wolfpacking or short flanks and way less Immediately Dying after five minutes out in the boonies

The last couple of days when I see an enemy light immediately try to run close up to or even through my team (to drop a UAV or strike... and they just get nuked) I have been saying to myself “he/she must have just hit tier 2”.

You can get away with that kind of play in lower tiers where people don’t/can’t punish overly aggressive lights.....but the matches from the last couple of days in tier 1-2 matches are not the place to bring that kind of weak sauce.

[pattonesque]

Marquis De Lafayette, on 17 July 2020 - 12:35 PM, said:

The last couple of days when I see an enemy light immediately try to run close up to or even through my team (to drop a UAV or strike... and they just get nuked) I have been saying to myself “he/she must have just hit tier 2”.

You can get away with that kind of play in lower tiers where people don’t/can’t punish overly aggressive lights.....but the matches from the last couple of days in tier 1-2 matches are not the place to bring that kind of weak sauce.

It's really showing who's got the goods and who doesn't

My experience so far is that most of the matches have been pretty good! Either legitimately close or one of those 12-5 matches that is way closer than it seems 'cause the seven surviving mechs are all wide-open

the bad matches, though, when you've got a lot of borderline players on one side and a lot of legit T1s on the other, have been horrible. You can actually see your borderline players lose the match in slow-motion on the minimap -- suddenly half the team gets scared of taking fire, abandons their positions to go on a useless flank, and it's GG