Jump to content

Sniper, No Sniping...

Gameplay Metagame

161 replies to this topic

#61 JudauAshta

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Big Brother
  • Big Brother
  • 264 posts

Posted 03 April 2022 - 01:36 PM

View Postpbiggz, on 03 April 2022 - 09:48 AM, said:


Do you define OP as being good?


more than good which lurms can be in groups especially with your premade friend has a narc.

they are meh to mediocre in solo q/pubz

#62 pbiggz

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 4,698 posts
  • LocationOutreach

Posted 03 April 2022 - 03:24 PM

View PostJudauAshta, on 03 April 2022 - 01:36 PM, said:


more than good which lurms can be in groups especially with your premade friend has a narc.

they are meh to mediocre in solo q/pubz


If you run ECM/Stealth armor does it stop PPC shots? Is there anti-gauss rifle modules that can be equipped to intercept incoming gauss rounds?

LRMs (and all other lock on missile weapons for that matter) have very clear counterplays. For them to be fully effective, you need either a team built around them, as you suggest, or you need the enemy team to make a series of very specific mistakes, ideally, both.

If, as you say, LRMs are better in group settings, it means the group is mounting gear like active probes, NARC, and TAG, to overcome enemy missile and sensor defenses. You cant run these and have a full offensive compliment, so they're giving up direct fire alpha, or armor, to make a specific missile boat more effective. In other words, you just de-buffed 2-3 other mechs just to make one more effective, and if that LRM boat dies (as they often do), then those other mechs that were meant to support it are left underarmored, undergunned, or both.

Additionally, the enemy team has to be lacking ECM and AMS and has to make positioning errors for LRMs to be successful.

And, don't forget the single best piece of LRM countering equipment you can make use of.

Posted Image

If you feel like LRMs are overpowered, its because you're refusing to take them into account when considering your own tactics. If you get caught out in the open, NARCed, and LRMed to death, you deserved to die.

These weapons aren't overpowered. Even in competitive circles they're considered lacklustre. If you think they're OP, that's all you.

Edited by pbiggz, 03 April 2022 - 03:24 PM.


#63 Bamboozle Gold

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • Philanthropist
  • 82 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 12:01 AM

View Postpbiggz, on 03 April 2022 - 03:24 PM, said:

And, don't forget the single best piece of LRM countering equipment you can make use of.

(big image of rock here)

In general I think you're right. But because of the arc of IDF LRMs only rocks with nice vertical walls like that work as hard cover. I especially notice this on Emerald Vale. The little hillocks don't block LRM fire, only the vertical building walls in the middle.

If I were designing MWO I would reduce the effectiveness of ECM and AMS but I would also give IDF LRMs the same arc as ATMs (and I'd give ATMs a purely flat line, make them perform similar to MRMs). This would reduce the frustration of being rained on but should also hopefully make LRMs more fun to play with (especially the ECM reduction), promote a more active playstyle with LOS firing being primary mode.

#64 cazeral

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • Bad Company
  • Bad Company
  • 93 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 02:23 AM

Effective use of LRM only takes two good pilots with narc/tag or just good positioning with a visual tag.

I know in FW, we took 3 LRM boats and a spotter out each and totally decimated the opposition with near vertical missile drop arcs and overpowering even multiple 3 or 4 AMS protection mechs with the sheer volume of missiles - just think of The Spartans or 300 when the sky turns black with arrows . . .

Only downside was watch fps drop through the floor trying to keep up with the mass of missiles in flights and gods forbid you try and run with full visual effects . . .

ECM is good, AMS is good, positioning is good, but all can be overcome with the right set ups and a savvy team. Not saying this is fun, its not, for either side, but it can be done.

#65 Neutron IX

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 1,018 posts
  • Location"Soylent Green. It's what's for dinner."

Posted 04 April 2022 - 06:55 AM

I think though, that the real meat of what some of you are saying isn't so much that LRMs are OP, as that strategy and teamwork are. If a duo or lance was built with the specific strategy of countering set-ups like you're mentioning, you could find yourselves quickly swarmed and overwhelmed at close range, especially running IS LRM boats.

I also think for something to be thought of as genuinely "OP" it would need to be something that could dominate without either of those things, and this is why I would argue that "Sniping" as it currently exists, is a better fit for this descriptor. All things being equal, in a 12 v 12 of solo/random players with no coordination or teamwork, I believe a sniper is better equipped to dominate a game individually than an LRM boat is.

That being said, I don't actually believe snipers are "OP" per se, and that wasn't what I was actually getting at with starting this post. I was more observing that in my time away from the game the overall QP "Meta" seemed to me to have shifted to a more sniper oriented thing (which, as I stated before, I can't really "do" myself), and I'm just trying to learn and adjust. Point of fact, just as a quick, well-coordinated "LRM boat Hunter/Killer" group can find and kill those LRM lances you describe if that's what they set out to do, I'm finding (thanks in part to people in this thread) that the same team works well against snipers.

I think in the end while things may constantly shift in this game, there is still an overall "balance" to things that lays in learning the best counters to whatever the "meta-of-the-day" is, and adjusting. This has been going on since the earliest days of Gauss-Tarting (before JJ shake and Gauss trigger mechanics were changed), and will continue for as long as the servers are running. There will always be a rock/paper/scissors element to mech and build choice, which is what makes this game so damn interesting.

#66 DaZur

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Elite Founder
  • Elite Founder
  • 7,511 posts
  • LocationWisconsin

Posted 04 April 2022 - 08:00 AM

View PostNeutron IX, on 04 April 2022 - 06:55 AM, said:


In a nutshell, "Anything that kills me =/= OP" - MWO logic tree.

Folks don't like change, they don't like things that challenge them mentally, they don't like situations that that expose their weaknesses.

- Maps that cater to a play mechanics contrary to their desired play mechanic =/= OP.
- Play mechanics that favor one discipline over another =/= OP.
- Players who consistently dominate =/= OP.
- Coordination =/= OP.
- Teamwork =/= OP.
- Groups =/= OP.
- etc.
- etc.
- etc....

To be fair, this is not new to any online gaming... It just manifests in MWO in very specific and poignant ways and vocal minority waste no opportunity to share their displeasure.

Everything had a soft or hard counter. It just sometimes takes effort to recognize and apply them. It's so much easier to go to the forum and spew bile, foam at the mouth, stamp ones feet and point fingers at boogiemen.

#67 Neutron IX

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 1,018 posts
  • Location"Soylent Green. It's what's for dinner."

Posted 04 April 2022 - 09:42 AM

View PostDaZur, on 04 April 2022 - 08:00 AM, said:

In a nutshell, "Anything that kills me =/= OP" - MWO logic tree.

Folks don't like change, they don't like things that challenge them mentally, they don't like situations that that expose their weaknesses.

- Maps that cater to a play mechanics contrary to their desired play mechanic =/= OP.
- Play mechanics that favor one discipline over another =/= OP.
- Players who consistently dominate =/= OP.
- Coordination =/= OP.
- Teamwork =/= OP.
- Groups =/= OP.
- etc.
- etc.
- etc....

To be fair, this is not new to any online gaming... It just manifests in MWO in very specific and poignant ways and vocal minority waste no opportunity to share their displeasure.

Everything had a soft or hard counter. It just sometimes takes effort to recognize and apply them. It's so much easier to go to the forum and spew bile, foam at the mouth, stamp ones feet and point fingers at boogiemen.


Exactly my point for sure. The other day when I started this, I was feeling frustrated, yes, but it was still meant to be more about that learning and adjusting while I voiced some of that growing pain in the process. The end point though, was "hey, help me figure this junk out".

I'm sure some of y'all can imagine the way popping into the game after several months away to find Emerald Vale and the Ring of Snipers confronting me every other match, with no real warning, required some...adjustment. Haha! That first night was just, well..OOF!

Since then I've learned the map a bit better, and have gotten better at predicting where the snipers are actually likely to be, as well as joined in on a few sniper hunting teams, and it's gotten better for sure, which is what I was really hoping to get from this thread.

Still doesn't fix the other pain I was experiencing, which was encountering all that while trying to farm the event requirements for the Platinum Mechs...in Jenners. Posted Image

But hey, I'm almost done with that too. Hah!

Cheers all!

P.S. I also think that if we're describing something as OP, and then detailing a scenario where 2-4+ people are required to plan and coordinate builds and strategy into a well-oiled attack machine, it isn't the OP thing that we think it is. But what do I know? Posted Image Posted Image

Edited by Neutron IX, 04 April 2022 - 09:50 AM.


#68 pbiggz

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 4,698 posts
  • LocationOutreach

Posted 04 April 2022 - 09:57 AM

I've had some thoughts on this particular phenomenon, because while it exists in almost every game, it has a very particular flavour in MWO. For lack of a better word, I call it mechdad culture, and yes, apologies to those mechdads who don't fall into this bucket. Don't take this as a generalization. Im a younger guy, but plenty of older guys are far better at this game than I will ever be.

Mechdad culture is a gaming counter-culture. Mechdad culture embraces a very specific nostalgia for a long gone and at least partially mythologized era of gaming when younger gamers had yet to pick up a keyboard or controller, and the games and technologies of the time were "pure". Nobody had to "practice to get good" and there was no such thing as being competitive. Therefore, mechdad culture views attempts to improve one's own skills in a game as "tryhard" and thus the trademark behaviour of "hard core gamers" who are viewed almost exclusively as being young, and a degenerative influence on gaming as a whole. In other words they are bad on purpose, and practicing to get good is a direct personal attack on people who are bad on purpose. The game must change to suit their needs, as mechdads should be the sole demographic this game appeals to. Any change seen as not suiting their needs is viewed again as an attack.

Mechdad culture is possessive and exclusionary. Those who play the game in a way they don't approve of are again ruled out as being "gamers". Their behaviour is maligned as cheating, their strategies decried as OP. Its these qualities that lead people to openly decry groups as a degenerative conspiracy, to decry any sizeable change to the meta as being a direct personal assault, to decry competitive players as lofty egomaniacs who are destroying the game. Efforts to fix pain points are viewed as attempts to "dumb the game down", and efforts to bring in new players are viewed as appealing to "gamers" over the mechdad group. This theory explains why the new maps are the subject of so much hate. It also explains why light mechs in particular, being the class with the highest skill floor, are viewed as literally cheating by some people. mechdad culture does not accommodate for gaining the skills necessary to make that class function, so using them effectively is by definition, outside their acceptable use.

These are some thoughts. Feel free to poke holes in them because I expect at least part of this is wrong.

Edited by pbiggz, 04 April 2022 - 10:00 AM.


#69 Neutron IX

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 1,018 posts
  • Location"Soylent Green. It's what's for dinner."

Posted 04 April 2022 - 10:20 AM

View Postpbiggz, on 04 April 2022 - 09:57 AM, said:

I've had some thoughts on this particular phenomenon, because while it exists in almost every game, it has a very particular flavour in MWO. For lack of a better word, I call it mechdad culture, and yes, apologies to those mechdads who don't fall into this bucket. Don't take this as a generalization. Im a younger guy, but plenty of older guys are far better at this game than I will ever be.

Mechdad culture is a gaming counter-culture. Mechdad culture embraces a very specific nostalgia for a long gone and at least partially mythologized era of gaming when younger gamers had yet to pick up a keyboard or controller, and the games and technologies of the time were "pure". Nobody had to "practice to get good" and there was no such thing as being competitive. Therefore, mechdad culture views attempts to improve one's own skills in a game as "tryhard" and thus the trademark behaviour of "hard core gamers" who are viewed almost exclusively as being young, and a degenerative influence on gaming as a whole. In other words they are bad on purpose, and practicing to get good is a direct personal attack on people who are bad on purpose. The game must change to suit their needs, as mechdads should be the sole demographic this game appeals to. Any change seen as not suiting their needs is viewed again as an attack.

Mechdad culture is possessive and exclusionary. Those who play the game in a way they don't approve of are again ruled out as being "gamers". Their behaviour is maligned as cheating, their strategies decried as OP. Its these qualities that lead people to openly decry groups as a degenerative conspiracy, to decry any sizeable change to the meta as being a direct personal assault, to decry competitive players as lofty egomaniacs who are destroying the game. Efforts to fix pain points are viewed as attempts to "dumb the game down", and efforts to bring in new players are viewed as appealing to "gamers" over the mechdad group.

These are some thoughts. Feel free to poke holes in them because I expect at least part of this is wrong.


I mean, you're not ENTIRELY wrong. And I'm a 45 year old gamer/BattleTech fan who often calls himself a "Mech-Dad" in his unit Discord (even though our server uses the term to jokingly describe all the older gamer folks who are welcoming, and act as "unit-dads" to our younger members). Posted Image Posted Image

But that anti-change mentality certainly exists, because nostalgia is a powerful damn thing, but also my generation of non-power gamers cut our teeth on multiplayer Goldeneye 64, so it might not be exactly for the reasons you're thinking. Or all of the reasons anyway.

I do think there's a perception among the generational divide that younger gamers are all about power-gaming, min-maxing, and "getting 1337" (that isn't really accurate either), and that having fun in a game is for newbs, or that the only fun is "pwning or trolling". This might feel unnecessarily punishing to I think a lot of gamers my age or older, who work and have kids and mortgages and are otherwise just wiped out by their day to day, and want to play a game to unwind after all of that. But I also think maybe NONE of this is entirely accurate.

My unit [8DG] is composed of a very broad spectrum of gamers of all ages and skill levels, and I find that most of us find any sort of elitism or gatekeeping distasteful. It may just be that the loudest voices get the most attention, and create our perception of opinions, and generally speaking the loudest voices are those with something to complain about, justifiably so or not. The truth is, there are probably a lot more like myself and those in my unit. Willing to be chill, and learn, and play together to be good, or have fun, or even both.

As humans we tend to lean heavily into confirmation bias and anecdote, and none of this gives us informed perspective. At the end of the day, maybe what fuels this is, people just want to feel successful and good about themselves, and when something undermines or threatens that ability, it bums us out. Some people get salty (fair enough, we've all been there), but maybe more people don't, we just don't know that because they aren't bothering to come to the forums to tell us how #NOTUPSET they are. Posted Image

But hey, who knows? lol

#70 Zeddicuus

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Warrior - Point 1
  • 106 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 11:06 AM

#NOTUPSET

I get my mechdad arse handed to me on the regular, it's all good. Haven't played Mechwarrior since MW3 was new back in...2000-20?? so it's been a while. It's all good, as I will readily admit I tend to die from my own stupid mistakes, not because someone is playing cheesy or cheating.

But you gotta admit, those that tend to favour the light mechs are pretty good to zip around the way they do. Just makes it more satisfying when my heavy butt turns one into slag.

Edited by Zeddicuus, 04 April 2022 - 11:08 AM.


#71 pbiggz

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 4,698 posts
  • LocationOutreach

Posted 04 April 2022 - 11:23 AM

View PostZeddicuus, on 04 April 2022 - 11:06 AM, said:

#NOTUPSET

I get my mechdad arse handed to me on the regular, it's all good. Haven't played Mechwarrior since MW3 was new back in...2000-20?? so it's been a while. It's all good, as I will readily admit I tend to die from my own stupid mistakes, not because someone is playing cheesy or cheating.

But you gotta admit, those that tend to favour the light mechs are pretty good to zip around the way they do. Just makes it more satisfying when my heavy butt turns one into slag.


The "Mechdad counterculture" is a very specific thing, referring to a very small, insular, angry group of people. I don't want people to think im maligning all people over the age of 35. In terms of guys just playing when they want, the way they want, with whatever is fun and cool, I definitely personally have more common ground with them than I do with competitive players who are trying to power-game. I just don't enjoy playing with that intensity. There's nothing wrong with that at all.

#72 DaZur

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Elite Founder
  • Elite Founder
  • 7,511 posts
  • LocationWisconsin

Posted 04 April 2022 - 11:45 AM

#MECHDAD2022! Posted Image

At near 55 I embrace the MECHDad moniker... And I recognize some of this gaming segments weaknesses, to include: Getting mired in hazy nostalgia, reduced twitch reflexes, low tolerance for bravado and arrogance and general disdain for change. Particularly when it deviates from the aforementioned hazy nostalgia.

It's taken me roughly 9 years to recognize my weaknesses, adapt my playstyle and resign/understand this and actually becoming a stronger individual and team player... Some old dogs are not necessarily avert of new tricks.

That said... GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

#73 Zeddicuus

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Warrior - Point 1
  • 106 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 01:40 PM

haha no worries, pbiggz I knew what you meant by it. I'm more using it as "Dude that's been playing Mechwarrior PC games since Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries in 1996" mechdad,

If someone wants to go up against my Timberwolf, I'm game. Try-hard, old school player, new player, casual, competitive...let's brawl and have fun!


#74 Akamia Terizen

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • The Ravenous
  • The Ravenous
  • 168 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 08:19 PM

The broader BattleTech fandom seems to prefer "grognard", though I suppose that seems to refer specifically to Succession Wars purists, or people who otherwise prefer that era over the others. Never heard of "mechdads" before coming to this forum. Posted Image

My taste in ’Mechs and builds is primarily driven by nostalgia and a desire to be at least somewhat lore-accurate, but I think as a late 20s player, I'm an outlier. Still, I'm happy to throw down with anyone. I'm not gonna cry about getting cored; it's more than likely my own fault somehow, anyway, and I own that. lol

Edited by Akamia Terizen, 04 April 2022 - 08:19 PM.


#75 R Valentine

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Heavy Lifter
  • Heavy Lifter
  • 1,744 posts

Posted 04 April 2022 - 08:45 PM

Certain "sniper" weapons are over tuned. I think most people agree on that. Whether or not it's more prevalent than it was before, I'm not convinced it is. You still see brawl/midrange death balls far more often than you see 4 enemy trade mechs. There's a reason for that. Because death balling in mid range or short range takes less effort than trading does. Trading with enemies over a distance, especially 1v1, exposes your flaws much more blatantly than running at an enemy 5v1. Or even 5v5. There's an element of fine control you have to have to trade well as a "sniper" that you can almost throw out the window at close range. If sniping really was that good and if it really was that easy, more people would do it. But they don't. Most people still choose to run in death balls.

#76 feeWAIVER

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 1,724 posts

Posted 05 April 2022 - 05:50 AM

View PostKiran Yagami, on 04 April 2022 - 08:45 PM, said:

Certain "sniper" weapons are over tuned. I think most people agree on that. Whether or not it's more prevalent than it was before, I'm not convinced it is. You still see brawl/midrange death balls far more often than you see 4 enemy trade mechs. There's a reason for that. Because death balling in mid range or short range takes less effort than trading does. Trading with enemies over a distance, especially 1v1, exposes your flaws much more blatantly than running at an enemy 5v1. Or even 5v5. There's an element of fine control you have to have to trade well as a "sniper" that you can almost throw out the window at close range. If sniping really was that good and if it really was that easy, more people would do it. But they don't. Most people still choose to run in death balls.


I see the opposite all day.
And frankly, the closer range takes more skill. More situational awareness because you have to actively defend your armor - get this - with your own armor!!
The closer range requires more armor management and dmg twisting, especially with an XL engine.
You are exposed longer, you are a physically closer and larger target, and play at a higher risk. Period.
You aren't just holding space bar and taking pot shots from 500m behind your team.

Everyone likes to think they are exhibitting greater skill, but the fact is a lot more people are playing range than before, and it's because they've made it more rewarding. Less risk, more reward.

There's a reason why every single game ends with the final players standing on the losing team using LLs, Ppcs, or Gauss.
Because they were playing slower paced, the lower risk game, while their team took the attention from them. Let's not conflate being the last person standing on your team with being the most skilled.

Edited by feeWAIVER, 05 April 2022 - 08:10 AM.


#77 Neutron IX

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 1,018 posts
  • Location"Soylent Green. It's what's for dinner."

Posted 05 April 2022 - 08:39 AM

View PostfeeWAIVER, on 05 April 2022 - 05:50 AM, said:

I see the opposite all day.
And frankly, the closer range takes more skill. More situational awareness because you have to actively defend your armor - get this - with your own armor!!
The closer range requires more armor management and dmg twisting, especially with an XL engine.
You are exposed longer, you are a physically closer and larger target, and play at a higher risk. Period.
You aren't just holding space bar and taking pot shots from 500m behind your team.

Everyone likes to think they are exhibitting greater skill, but the fact is a lot more people are playing range than before, and it's because they've made it more rewarding. Less risk, more reward.

There's a reason why every single game ends with the final players standing on the losing team using LLs, Ppcs, or Gauss.
Because they were playing slower paced, the lower risk game, while their team took the attention from them. Let's not conflate being the last person standing on your team with being the most skilled.


I had a match last night on Grim Plexus where the 4 Lights (myself included) were the de facto "front line", and the only ones actively engaging, because ALL the Assaults were camped on the hill across from the city in "Sniper" builds, and nobody else was doing anything without them. Posted Image

So from an anecdotal angle, yes, I too feel like I'm seeing more "Sniper Assaults" than ever (but admittedly, no hard numbers to back this up).

That being said, since originally posting this, I really have learned to love the new map, and have had some great matches, including some excellent brawls on it. I'm definitely starting to get the hang of the shift, maybe.

And yeah, goober Sniper Assaults hoarding their armor from 1200 meters behind everyone isn't my favorite thing to see either, especially when it's most or all of the Assaults on your team. But thankfully, while it does seem to happen more often, it still isn't the only thing I see, and it's probably somewhat in line with what I remember it feeling like when LRM Assaults first became super popular. Was always frustrating at the end of a match to see totally fresh Assaults lobbing potatoes from 1000 meters while everyone in the middle was dying. And this is coming from a guy who regularly plays LRM Assaults as LRM-ishers.

#78 Neutron IX

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Overlord
  • Overlord
  • 1,018 posts
  • Location"Soylent Green. It's what's for dinner."

Posted 05 April 2022 - 08:44 AM

View PostAkamia Terizen, on 04 April 2022 - 08:19 PM, said:

The broader BattleTech fandom seems to prefer "grognard", though I suppose that seems to refer specifically to Succession Wars purists, or people who otherwise prefer that era over the others. Never heard of "mechdads" before coming to this forum. Posted Image

My taste in ’Mechs and builds is primarily driven by nostalgia and a desire to be at least somewhat lore-accurate, but I think as a late 20s player, I'm an outlier. Still, I'm happy to throw down with anyone. I'm not gonna cry about getting cored; it's more than likely my own fault somehow, anyway, and I own that. lol


Totally. I love getting as "lore accurate" as I can in mech choices, though I'm a bit more flexible on builds. Super Stock builds can be pretty fun though.

Grognards are hilarious. Like, my favorite eras are Succession Wars though Civil War, but I ain't gonna cry about the Jihad, Republic of the Sphere, or Dark Age eras. Hell, I might even play them from time to time. There's room for everything.

#79 YueFei

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,184 posts

Posted 05 April 2022 - 09:05 AM

View PostNeutron IX, on 05 April 2022 - 08:39 AM, said:


I had a match last night on Grim Plexus where the 4 Lights (myself included) were the de facto "front line", and the only ones actively engaging, because ALL the Assaults were camped on the hill across from the city in "Sniper" builds, and nobody else was doing anything without them. Posted Image

So from an anecdotal angle, yes, I too feel like I'm seeing more "Sniper Assaults" than ever (but admittedly, no hard numbers to back this up).

That being said, since originally posting this, I really have learned to love the new map, and have had some great matches, including some excellent brawls on it. I'm definitely starting to get the hang of the shift, maybe.

And yeah, goober Sniper Assaults hoarding their armor from 1200 meters behind everyone isn't my favorite thing to see either, especially when it's most or all of the Assaults on your team. But thankfully, while it does seem to happen more often, it still isn't the only thing I see, and it's probably somewhat in line with what I remember it feeling like when LRM Assaults first became super popular. Was always frustrating at the end of a match to see totally fresh Assaults lobbing potatoes from 1000 meters while everyone in the middle was dying. And this is coming from a guy who regularly plays LRM Assaults as LRM-ishers.


Not all Assaults are meant to share armor. For some Assaults, their role is to be a massive gunboat and suppress enemies and control the map. That is, the value of their tonnage comes from their guns, not from their armor.

As long as they are contributing and not hiding, an Assault pilot doesn't have to be up front taking hits. Watch your minimap, try to understand what sectors of the map they are helping to control, and use their cover fire to advance or retreat or flank the enemy.

Keep in mind that although it is tempting from our perspective as brawlers to think of the snipers as being too far back... the corollary to that is that maybe you and I are too far forward. Or maybe it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Either way, communicate it, and either we gotta move back, or we gotta ask the snipers to re-position to better cover us, or a bit of both.

#80 DaZur

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Elite Founder
  • Elite Founder
  • 7,511 posts
  • LocationWisconsin

Posted 05 April 2022 - 09:15 AM

View PostYueFei, on 05 April 2022 - 09:05 AM, said:

Keep in mind that although it is tempting from our perspective as brawlers to think of the snipers as being too far back... the corollary to that is that maybe you and I are too far forward. Or maybe it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Either way, communicate it, and either we gotta move back, or we gotta ask the snipers to re-position to better cover us, or a bit of both.

Actual truism that few folks can wrap their heads around... Posted Image

I cannot numerate the times I find myself in a kill box getting wrecked, die shake my fist at the screen and damn my teammates for not helping me... to then realize I over extended and was outside the potential coverage umbrella.

Self assessment and recognition can be a real MF'r... Posted Image





5 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 5 guests, 0 anonymous users