16 replies to this topic

[Salty Dan]

Howdy all.

I am pretty much still a new player, having been a tabletop player since the late 80's I am glad to see a game like this is still around. I must admit MWO is the same but different than the TT game I I loved for years.

So my question is this, if I am in say my Stalker lobbing LRMs and in my happy place, then suddenly I get the dreaded low signal on my sensors, will it help me at all to launch a UAV at that point? Will it help me target the source of interference?

Light mechs are giving me fits right now, and while annoying I understand, after all I used to be that guy in the light scooty mech doing exactly what they are doing now.

So please if you have a moment......help an old guy out would ya?

Thanks

[HGAK47]

Hello and welcome. You are probably aware but low signal showing up means an enemy ECM mech is within 180 meters of you. This is generally a light mech but could also be others. Launching a UAV should help you spot which direction the light or ecm mech is coming from. Fitting a tag will also help you mark and lock an enemy ecm mech as will sticking a narc on them.

If the ecm mech is running stealth armour then I dont think the UAV will show you their position although while running stealth I do not believe the ecm is active for that mech.

So fit and launch UAVs, also consider running both sisemic sensor nodes in the sensors skill tree. This will show enemy movement on your minimap while they are within 200m (assuming you are standing still) this can also greatly help. Im sure there is more I have missed.

[Lucky Noob]

foremost, Welcome to the game.

Most important Tip, Stay with your Team.

Comrades are the best defense against Lights.

Also your Missles hit faster if youre closer to the Enemy.

ALso an beagle Active Probe is an must have for any Serious Missler. It makes it so that the ECM cant prevent you from shooting your Missles.

Edited by Lucky Noob, 17 January 2022 - 06:58 AM.

[Apteko]

Running active probe will help you in general as an lrm boat and it also counters one enemy ecm in range, so you have easier time spotting this light mech.

But the most useful advice would be to not remain in your happy place. Moving along with the group and being right behind it greatly increases your chances of survival. Yes, teammates can be blind sometimes, but still... (and sometimes zapping back of their legs with one of your weaker weapons do wonders to attract their attention).

Not being isolated not only helps to utilize stuff like tags, but also allows you to mount additional weapons like er green lazors on your missile boat and remain useful and able to fire all you got from the same distance (fitting something you can't use at your preferred range is a bad idea in general). Or blue lazors. So you can fight back - it will rarely win you the fight with light mech, but will prolong it against less experienced ones and give your team time to react.

P.s.: Ah, dammit, took me too long to type this one. Basically, what comment above says.

Edited by Apteko, 17 January 2022 - 07:10 AM.

[Saved By The Bell]

You need srms+small lasers to defend your LRM Stalker. Dont wait any help.

[w0qj]

A warm welcome to MWO!

Like others have said, ECM enemy can disrupt your LRM targeting attempt, and you can counter this by:
https://wiki.mwomerc...rmation_Warfare
https://wiki.mwomerc...title=Main_Page

a) BAP (Beagle Active Probe)
b ) TAG - takes up 1x energy hardpoing. Suggest using BAP instead + multiple secondary energy weapons (eg: ER-Small Laser) as close range defense vs Lights
c) NARC - if you can hit enemy with NARC, you are probably too close to shoot your LRM (inside LRM minimum range). NARC is usually a team effort weapon.
d) Less obvious: stick with your team, stay behind them by around 100 meters, and team focus fire on one enemy at a time!
This way, you may also enjoy team members' AMS + ECM protection too!

Note that BAP is useful against one ECM enemy within range. If two or more ECM foes within range, then your BAP is useless.

Oh, and many players (including myself) prefer other weapon platforms after trying out LRM.
Longer range energy sniping is very popular nowadays.
Ballastic weapons are still the best, once you manage to get into close range brawling.
Missiles like LRM/ATM are somewhat struggling; there are more and more ECM mechs being churned out!

Do have fun choosing both your mech and your weapons!

Edited by w0qj, 17 January 2022 - 04:48 PM.

[Salty Dan]

Thanks for the advice guys, I learned real quick to displace after shooting and to try and stick close tp the group, although sometimes they like to go in 10 different directions at once. I do have sisemic sensors already, and that helps, looks like I need to add a BAP then.

Thanks Guys

[ScrapIron Prime]

Welcome to the show, Salty!

The one thing they didn't mention about the usefulness of a BAP... The time it takes to get a missile lock is directly dependent on the range to target as a percentage of your maximum range. A target 200m inside your max sensor range will lock up faster than a target at the edge of your sensor range.

Since a BAP extends your sensor range... it also makes target locks a bit faster.

And yes, as you've deduced, Seismic sensors are wonderful for noticing you're about to get jumped in a mostly stationary mech, and I tend to carry a UAV rather than an airstrike just so I have a better shot at seeing who's jumping me as well as pointing out to my whole team that there are targets there. Trying not to get isolated at all is of course the best defense, and carrying a large array of small or medium lasers helps. (I prefer to mix LRM's with medium lasers because you can often fire both at the same target if you're right behind the brawl line... where the missile locks are faster!)

[GoodTry]

Here's what to do if an ECM light mech dives your assault mech:

(1) Launch a UAV so your teammates can see the light mech. Even if you can target it without a UAV, if you have the low signal effect your teammates aren't going to know it's there (low signal blocks target sharing). UAVs are gold, always bring two if you can.

(2) Call for help over VOIP. "I have a light on me turn around please" or something to that effect. You should never be far from teammates, and most people will jump on the opportunity to trash a light who is out of position (especially at higher tiers).

(3) Put your back against a wall. Good light pilots are going to go for back or legs, and usually back. If you put your back against a wall, you'll last far longer while you wait for help.

If you can do those three things, you'll survive in pretty good shape most of the time, unless you are too far from the team (which you should never be) or your teammate are totally clueless (which is gonna happen, sorry).

Edited by GoodTry, 17 January 2022 - 12:21 PM.

[Salty Dan]

I did not know about BAP and the lock thing, thanks. I do try and position myself with something behind me or cover I can back into quickly. Sometimes when I group with friends and one of them is in a boat we try and stay a couple hundred meters apart so we can give mutual aid to one another in just such a situation.

I also prefer a mix of med lasers and Streaks for when I am being attacked at close range or when the LRMs are gone.

[Escef]

A UAV may show you exactly where an approaching enemy is, provided the UAV has LOS to them. Another good practice is to take at least 1 node of Seismic Sensors in the sensor skill tree.

As a general rule, you should be lobbing LRMs at targets between 200 and 500 meters. This lessens missile flight time to target and makes you more relevant.

BAP, TAG, and NARC are all nice extras, but... TAG and NARC are more for spotters than for the fire support unit themselves. BAP is really nice, but not a must-have unless you are boating Streaks. LRMs and ATMs can be dead fired (fired w/o lock), Streaks cannot.

I will note that if you are in a more mobile platform, some of these things will become more practical. A Stormcrow, for example, has enough speed and payload to carry NARC, TAG, a pair of Artemis LRM20s, adequate (though somewhat tight) ammo, 8xERmicro for backup, and make it all work. Enough speed to get close, NARC targets, and then dictate range.

Backup energy weapons are a must have unless you are playing in a coordinated group. Few things beat the classic quad Medium Laser setup for secondary weapons.

Another big tip, keep an eye on your ammo. If you are consistently ending the match with large amounts of unexpended ammo, consider cutting back. My most successful LRMboat only brings 9 tons of ammo to the party, and has broken 1k damage more consistently than any of my other mechs. A good rule of thumb is 1 ton per 5 launch tubes, and then adjust up or down as experience dictates is needed.

The last thing I will say is that while the Stalker works just fine as an LRM platform, more mobile battles will see it losing relevancy due to its inability to keep pace.

[Bassault]

Salty Dan, on 17 January 2022 - 06:08 AM, said:

Howdy all.

I am pretty much still a new player, having been a tabletop player since the late 80's I am glad to see a game like this is still around. I must admit MWO is the same but different than the TT game I I loved for years.

So my question is this, if I am in say my Stalker lobbing LRMs and in my happy place, then suddenly I get the dreaded low signal on my sensors, will it help me at all to launch a UAV at that point? Will it help me target the source of interference?

Light mechs are giving me fits right now, and while annoying I understand, after all I used to be that guy in the light scooty mech doing exactly what they are doing now.

So please if you have a moment......help an old guy out would ya?

Thanks

UAV is a good idea. Maybe don't run too far away from teammates. Also, maybe play a direct fire mech instead.

[PocketYoda]

Stick with your team..

Carry weapons that can counter lights.. Small lasers, pulse laser Srms and streaks..

Do not just carry LRMs and sit up the back alone..

The best lrm boats are the ones up the front with backup weapons like large and medium lasers..

[feeWAIVER]

Here's a tip you didn't ask for-
If you're new to the game, look at the options for your mouse sensitivity. Most likely it's way too high by default, (at least it was for me.) When you turn the mouse sensitivity way down, it makes placing shots where you want them way easier.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Salty Dan, on 17 January 2022 - 01:26 PM, said:

I also prefer a mix of med lasers and Streaks for when I am being attacked at close range or when the LRMs are gone.

You may find that switching out regular SRMs for those streaks will defend you better against light mechs. Unlike regular SRMs, Streaks cannot be dumb-fired, you need a missile lock. And locks can be tricky to maintain when a good light pilot keeps circling behind you, or impossible to get at all if they have stealth armor.

[caravann]

MRM and streak follow a similar pattern. srm follow your aim to a degree. Streak is sometimes able to travel further since it is based on your radius distance to the target.

since main guns makes you a bad close ranger and even flamers could be a better option, boats with many missile hardpoints can go all in on Srm, you only need 2 hardpoints for a Lrm boat. flamers is able to disable stealth. speed of Jumpjets are another option and if you really need, it is better to have 1 strong ballistic. with SRM you'll need many hardpoints to make it valid or else you just sandblasting.

[PocketYoda]

Many people carry ECM, streaks get somewhat countered by ECM, Srms do not.