23 replies to this topic

[TheAlphaMonster]

Hello!

I am Jacob, otherwise known as AlphaStyle / TheLargeOne / JcobTheKid in several other games, and am currently pending for a beta key.


Of course, this isn't a usual "GIMME BETA KEY PL0x" post, but rather a question to the community.
I come from a background of Exteel (R.I.P.), Modern Warfare 2, League of Legends, Torchlight 2, and Starcraft Broodwar, Starcraft II, Silkroad Online, Flyff etc. I am somewhat versed in MMORPG, RTS, MMOFPS and all the other subcategories of games, both offline and online.

That being said, I truly enjoy all types of games and would like to ask the community (who has played Mech Warrior currently) what this game brings to the table. What makes this game more enjoyable than your usual FPS / TPS style of gaming. The workshop / customization for Mechs? The strategic fighting? The team aspect?

and I would also like to ask what should I be prepared for, aside from the usual trolls. Almost impossibly complex mech customization, intense / hardcore community, high skill-cap in learning how to maneuver the mechs etc.


This is all to contain my curiosity of the game (not hired by the devs :3). I am really excited to play it (Closed Beta or Opened. Either is fine!), and I would really like to know what the community thinks of this anticipated title!

[Connor Pratima]

So, here's the 5 minute explanation to help you get started...


This is more like a walking tank simulation than a FPS game. You will do best if you try to coordinate with other players. It's a very rare player that can knock out most of the other team on their own consistently. Combined arms is name of the game. You can ruin someone's day if you work with your team. You will most likely get taken apart (literally) if you try to fight on your own.


Basic tips
The best thing to do is read up on Battletech rules and weapons. It will give a good idea of how the game is designed. And the relative strength and weaknesses of weapons (range/heat/damage/slots), give you and idea of how engine ratings determine the speed, and give a preview of some of the more advanced armors and components that are coming.

Mech design is about balancing strengths and weaknesses of your mech. You have a limited amount of weight (gross tonnage), armor, and slots. Slots are how volume is measured in Battletech. Another limitation is hardpoints. In MWO the type of weapons you can mount is also limited by the hardpoints.

One thing to keep in mind all the time is that heat kills. If your mech gets too hot (usually from weapon fire), it will shut down, and if you waaay too hot for too long things inside your mech start cooking. Watch your heat scale, when it gets close to 100% (at least for now that's where the negative effects start taking hold), stop firing and give your self time to cool down. If you aren't cooling down fast enough, try wading into some water if there is any close by. Every mech has heat sinks, the more you have to cooler you'll run (at the cost of weight and slots occupied).

0. Read the beta forums, there is a ton of good information there including some spreadsheets that contain basic information about mechs, engines, and weapons.
1. Set your weapon groups, try to group them by range, function, heat, and location (arm or torso).
2. Know what reticule your weapons are tied to: 'o' is your arm, '+' is your torso.
3. LRMs have to locked on a target to work best (red ring), but they have a dead fire mode.
4. Streak SRMS have to be locked to fire.
5. Know you weapons' min range, most have a 0 m min range, but some do not. Inside min range damage = 0.
6. Try to join a group. Voice comms is huge advantage in this game.
7. Have fun, experiment.

[Redshift2k5]

The mechlab is amazing, it's fun to explore new or less popular builds- Once we have Endo, FF, DHS, there will be more 'finesse' to a good config- Endo & FF gives you lots of extra tonnsge to work with but make it harder to effectively use then tonnage due to taking up so many crits!

The absolute best part of MWO is the slower, more tactical pace of the game. Tactics! Traps! Having your carefully-planned defense being shattered by an equally carefully planned spearhead, or flanked by mechs that snuck through your blind spot. There is room for everyone- commanders, snipers, grunts, brawlers, LRM platforms, troll Jenners with six flamethrowers, and working TACTICALLY as a TEAM is fantasic.

Get a closed beta key and try it yourself! http://www.tentonham...rior-online-cbt

[Bogus]

A few things that come to mind:

1. Play Mechwarrior 4. It's old, but the Mektek version is freely available and will get you started while you wait for a beta key. Awesome game.
2. Don't be a silly goose. Mechwarrior is a lot slower than conventional FPS in that the mechs can't turn on a dime and weapon aiming takes time. Also, mechs take a lot of hits before they go down. So charging into a bunch of enemies hoping to circle-strafe to glory will end in epic failure. TF2 is probably the closest non-MW game I can think of in terms of playstyle.
3. Customize. Stock loadouts are really generalized and don't do all that well in an all-out battle, once you're able to own a mech you'll want to adjust its loadout to suit your playstyle...up-close bruiser, long range fire support, whatever. Most people spend a lot of time in the mechlab pimping their ride.
4. Stick together. Kind of an extension of #2, the current game rules are no respawning and focused fire wins the day. MWO is absolutely a team game, at least for the foreseeable future.
5. Start with a light mech. Lights are hard to hit, nobody will be ******** at you to just fight harder dammit, and simply being near the enemy mechs and not dying helps the team greatly as the fire support guys will be able to rain down LRM ownage from afar. Learn to dodge, use torso twist to mitigate incoming fire, and so on.

[Hex Pallett]

I was like you a few weeks ago. I've never touched MW, knows nothing about BattleTech universe and rammed my head blindly into the world of MWO. Oh lord the pain.

BUT, now I've climbed through the baptism of learning curve, and I'd gladly share a few tips.

First, this game is entirely different from any FPS out there. Through your CoD or Battlefield experience out of the water. Ever played Counter-Strike? MWO is exactly the OPPOSITE of CS. This game is from another era, the era of simulation games which involves mostly doing the right thing at the right time, instead of a competition of who shoots first.

Keep that in mind and then you would feel less uneasy when first entering the world of MechWarrior. You'll learn to assign different weapons into groups instead of firing them all at once and overheat your mech in 10 seconds. You'll learn the maximum/minimum range for each and every weapons, and figure out a loadout that could maintain a stable damage output over the desired range of battle. You'll learn the wolfpack tactic and always stay with teammates (unless you're an LRM boat or a speedy scout). And you'll eventually learn the logic behind the game and have a ton of fun than no other game could provide.

[Bogus]

As far as gameplay goes, imagine a cross between Team Fortress and a flight simulator. That's Mechwarrior.

[TheAlphaMonster]

Wow! The responses!

Thank you so much!


Yes. I got to see a team vs team match on youtube for Mech Warrior Online, so I understand the pacing of the game. That's actually what compelled me to apply for the beta! I was always a huge fan of the huge tactical moments from Code Geass, so anything that can replicate such moments sounded fun!

From what I'm hearing, it's like a mix of playing League of Legends (for team communication and coordination) and flight simulation (slower, but more well-thought out maneuvers). Less instant micro and more of planning out what you are going to do.


However, I like playing fast-paced, so if you guys see me (if I get the beta key or if it launches), you're probably going to see me running around in a light mech with the lightest tech and weaponry possible! Wanna get up close and personal! Maybe even scout the entire enemy team to set up the ambushes!

That being said, see you fellow pilots on the battlefield!

[Thomas Covenant]

Q. What makes MWO enjoyable.

A. Sucking less and improving as you learn. Finding the guns you like and discovered your best set up.
Seeing how what works best for you may be very different than another, then finding people whom you work well with despite them playing so differently then you.

[TheAlphaMonster]

Redshift2k5, on 14 October 2012 - 06:07 PM, said:

The mechlab is amazing, it's fun to explore new or less popular builds- Once we have Endo, FF, DHS, there will be more 'finesse' to a good config- Endo & FF gives you lots of extra tonnsge to work with but make it harder to effectively use then tonnage due to taking up so many crits!

The absolute best part of MWO is the slower, more tactical pace of the game. Tactics! Traps! Having your carefully-planned defense being shattered by an equally carefully planned spearhead, or flanked by mechs that snuck through your blind spot. There is room for everyone- commanders, snipers, grunts, brawlers, LRM platforms, troll Jenners with six flamethrowers, and working TACTICALLY as a TEAM is fantasic.

Get a closed beta key and try it yourself! http://www.tentonham...rior-online-cbt

Didn't even realize that I could get the code!

Thank you so much! ^__^

[Cato Phoenix]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to focus fire. MWO is a lot slower paced than most FPS games, so you have the time and opportunity to pick your targets rather than just shooting whatever is closest. Concentrating fire on an enemy mech will knock out the capabilities of the other team faster than spreading fire between the entire enemy team.

Another thing is leaving mechs disabled, not going immediately for the kill. if you take out the big, dangerous weapon on a mech, and your team is in a battle, you can then switch targets to someone who is a bigger threat.

[Hex Pallett]

Yes! ALWAYS focus fire as long as you could keep up with your teammates. Pick the apparent LEEROY from the other team and burn the **** out of him, then one after another. Note that getting an assist grants you the same amount of CBill, so there's no need to rush for a kill. Hell, if you manages to damage enough mechs before you gets wrecked, you're very likely to get more CBill after your death.

Also, if you're using a light mech, remember to save up some CBill and stuff the most powerful XL engine into your mech cuz you gotta ALWAYS KEEP YER *** RUNNIN!!


(oh and if you reeeeeeeeeeeally love faster paced mech game there's always HAWKEN to turn to.)

Edited by Helmstif, 15 October 2012 - 12:09 AM.

[Tremendous Upside]

Some good tips on here... As a pickup group-only player, there are a few things I'd like to pass along from what I've seen that might help. First off, don't ever think that "defending" in this game is a winning strategy. It isn't. Without voicecomm, it's nearly impossible to cover all approach angles into and out of your base even with a full 8-man team. You really have to move out into the center of the map and fight as a group to be successful. When you start a game and johnnyfatlas243 says "I'll stay and defend", that's not what he really means. What he really means to say is "You guys charge out into the middle, and I'll stay here lobbing LRMs into buildings and hills until the jenners and commandos come and carve me apart"... LRMs can be devastating, but they're best when you can actually hit what you're aiming at - and that means moving with the rest of the team. Premades can pull it off for obvious reasons, but in PuGs it almost never works.

Second tip is in regards to the caves. On 2 of the 4 maps, there are caves between the two bases. These caves are shortcuts - in more ways than one. They give you fast access behind enemy lines, and they also create situations where the teams that use them will invariably get themselves killed if the majority of the team doesn't move through en masse undetected. When you start the game and the whole team moves right, and then 1 or 2 guys decide to get smart and flank through the caves, don't follow them. Let johnnyfatlas243 go on his own. If you follow, then you'll get to watch johnny walk face-first into 4 bad guys, at which point he'll throw the fatlas into reverse (usually pinning you against a wall) and then you'll both suffer a swift and horrific death. ONLY use the caves if your entire group buys into it and you can get 5+ with all of your heavies committed to it. The only time I've ever used a cave successfully was to avoid certain death in a game we were getting mopped 7-1. I had the entire other team chasing me, and I powered down behind a rock in one -- like Han and Chewie dodging the empire. Of course, I got greedy when only one catapult followed me in and thought I could alpha him to death. I died anyways -- but I probably could've waited for the cap... but why delay the inevitable?

Third tip is to take the time to learn the limitations of your mech and all of the different weapon types in the game. There are three basic weapon types in the game. Don't trust the firepower or heat efficiency meters in the mechlab. They're too generalized and don't account for different weapon ranges. Missiles are for stripping armor. They're not pinpoint accurate but do massive damage to entire mechs, not just one armor section. Ballistic weapons do less damage, but it all generally goes to one place -- they're used to "core" mechs out quickly. Energy weapons are a mix of the two. They're pinpoint accurate with a duration, so you need to keep them on the target area for more than just a split second to be effective. Use this when you're designing your builds to create what best suits your playstyle.

[Roaxis Stalomainis]

Banky, on 15 October 2012 - 06:42 AM, said:

Some good tips on here... As a pickup group-only player, there are a few things I'd like to pass along from what I've seen that might help. First off, don't ever think that "defending" in this game is a winning strategy. It isn't. Without voicecomm, it's nearly impossible to cover all approach angles into and out of your base even with a full 8-man team. You really have to move out into the center of the map and fight as a group to be successful. When you start a game and johnnyfatlas243 says "I'll stay and defend", that's not what he really means. What he really means to say is "You guys charge out into the middle, and I'll stay here lobbing LRMs into buildings and hills until the jenners and commandos come and carve me apart"... LRMs can be devastating, but they're best when you can actually hit what you're aiming at - and that means moving with the rest of the team. Premades can pull it off for obvious reasons, but in PuGs it almost never works.

Second tip is in regards to the caves. On 2 of the 4 maps, there are caves between the two bases. These caves are shortcuts - in more ways than one. They give you fast access behind enemy lines, and they also create situations where the teams that use them will invariably get themselves killed if the majority of the team doesn't move through en masse undetected. When you start the game and the whole team moves right, and then 1 or 2 guys decide to get smart and flank through the caves, don't follow them. Let johnnyfatlas243 go on his own. If you follow, then you'll get to watch johnny walk face-first into 4 bad guys, at which point he'll throw the fatlas into reverse (usually pinning you against a wall) and then you'll both suffer a swift and horrific death. ONLY use the caves if your entire group buys into it and you can get 5+ with all of your heavies committed to it. The only time I've ever used a cave successfully was to avoid certain death in a game we were getting mopped 7-1. I had the entire other team chasing me, and I powered down behind a rock in one -- like Han and Chewie dodging the empire. Of course, I got greedy when only one catapult followed me in and thought I could alpha him to death. I died anyways -- but I probably could've waited for the cap... but why delay the inevitable?

Third tip is to take the time to learn the limitations of your mech and all of the different weapon types in the game. There are three basic weapon types in the game. Don't trust the firepower or heat efficiency meters in the mechlab. They're too generalized and don't account for different weapon ranges. Missiles are for stripping armor. They're not pinpoint accurate but do massive damage to entire mechs, not just one armor section. Ballistic weapons do less damage, but it all generally goes to one place -- they're used to "core" mechs out quickly. Energy weapons are a mix of the two. They're pinpoint accurate with a duration, so you need to keep them on the target area for more than just a split second to be effective. Use this when you're designing your builds to create what best suits your playstyle.

Good advice right there, following what he said will definately help you out. However, with energy weapons there is the min distance you need to worry about with PPC's, which is about 80 meters, and the differences between regular and pulse lasers. The concept behind the two are pretty streightforward, aim and shoot, but if you can manage to sacrafice the extra tonnage for the pulse lasers you will find yourself dealing out more damage in less time for slightly more heat.

[Aym]

TheAlphaMonster, on 14 October 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

Wow! The responses!

Thank you so much!


Yes. I got to see a team vs team match on youtube for Mech Warrior Online, so I understand the pacing of the game. That's actually what compelled me to apply for the beta! I was always a huge fan of the huge tactical moments from Code Geass, so anything that can replicate such moments sounded fun!

From what I'm hearing, it's like a mix of playing League of Legends (for team communication and coordination) and flight simulation (slower, but more well-thought out maneuvers). Less instant micro and more of planning out what you are going to do.


However, I like playing fast-paced, so if you guys see me (if I get the beta key or if it launches), you're probably going to see me running around in a light mech with the lightest tech and weaponry possible! Wanna get up close and personal! Maybe even scout the entire enemy team to set up the ambushes!

That being said, see you fellow pilots on the battlefield!

I think you'll really like MWO once you get the hang of mech-sim-controls and some idea of the different tech/weapons from battletech, which will help you determine your enemies strengths/weaknesses as well as your own in the mechlab.
That said you can totally go fast and still hit hard with an more twitchy-feel in a fast striking mech like the Jenner or Cicada. Looking forward to seeing you on the field, more people from Pacific time zone the better for me!

[Tremendous Upside]

Roaxis Stalomainis, on 15 October 2012 - 07:38 AM, said:

Good advice right there, following what he said will definately help you out. However, with energy weapons there is the min distance you need to worry about with PPC's, which is about 80 meters, and the differences between regular and pulse lasers. The concept behind the two are pretty streightforward, aim and shoot, but if you can manage to sacrafice the extra tonnage for the pulse lasers you will find yourself dealing out more damage in less time for slightly more heat.

Oh absolutely agree on the PPC. All three weapon types have an exception to the rule that operate outside the normal limitations. Missiles have SSRM2's that require a lock on your target at close range -- but always hit the target's center torso, and ballistics have the LBX-10 which acts more like a shotgun and spreads the damage instead of concentrating it.

My best advice to figuring all of that out and what works best is to experiment with it for yourself. The simpler and more generic the loadout, the easier it is to learn on. I cut my teeth in the game for 2 weeks straight with a stock HBK-4P. It's just a whole bunch of torso mounted lasers and nothing else to worry about. No arms to line up, firing delays, ammunition or range concerns, etc... Just follow behind johnnyfatlas, close to 270m and go nuts till the heat gauge screams at you (preferrably from behind your target). Learn how to cut inside your opponents' turns when circling (by tapping 'x' (full stop) for a split second, then cranking the throttle), and learn to duck and weave between buildings and hills and you'll be rocking in no time.

[Landsharkk]

I just want to bring up two very important points in regards to the below quotes.

TheAlphaMonster, on 14 October 2012 - 10:36 PM, said:

Wow! The responses!

Thank you so much!


Yes. I got to see a team vs team match on youtube for Mech Warrior Online, so I understand the pacing of the game. That's actually what compelled me to apply for the beta! I was always a huge fan of the huge tactical moments from Code Geass, so anything that can replicate such moments sounded fun!

From what I'm hearing, it's like a mix of playing League of Legends (for team communication and coordination) and flight simulation (slower, but more well-thought out maneuvers). Less instant micro and more of planning out what you are going to do.


However, I like playing fast-paced, so if you guys see me (if I get the beta key or if it launches), you're probably going to see me running around in a light mech with the lightest tech and weaponry possible! Wanna get up close and personal! Maybe even scout the entire enemy team to set up the ambushes!

That being said, see you fellow pilots on the battlefield!

1) Don't limit yourself to just 1 mech/class without trying the rest out too.

I was like you, before playing MWO I was dead-set on playing light-mechs only and wanted to avoid the heavier mechs, because I figured that's what everyone else would be playing. However, after getting into beta I realized I didn't like the light mechs at all! In fact, I found I liked the medium mechs a lot more (Centurion to be specific) at first, and later realized I really really enjoy the Assault mechs (Atlas to be specific) even more- the very mech and class that I wanted to avoid!

Best advice here is to try out as many mechs as possible for at least 5 matches a piece. After a while you'll start narrowing it down to your favorite mech class and eventually you'll discover your favorite mech(s). Once you've got that narrowed down, I strongly urge you to stick with that mech and really learn its capabilities, etc. You will reach a level of personal skill that you didn't realize was there in the first place. You'll soon understand exactly where your weapon mounts are, how they 'feel' in-game (example: you'll realize that if you fire now your right arm is too close to a wall to be effective, or your chest weapons are too low to shoot over the hill that you can see over ahead of you, etc).

Cato Phoenix, on 14 October 2012 - 11:51 PM, said:

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to focus fire. MWO is a lot slower paced than most FPS games, so you have the time and opportunity to pick your targets rather than just shooting whatever is closest. Concentrating fire on an enemy mech will knock out the capabilities of the other team faster than spreading fire between the entire enemy team.

Another thing is leaving mechs disabled, not going immediately for the kill. if you take out the big, dangerous weapon on a mech, and your team is in a battle, you can then switch targets to someone who is a bigger threat.

2) Avoid tunnel vision and the lust for the kill.

When I saw the first MWO gameplay videos I noticed that the person playing would sometimes shoot at one person, then suddenly turn away and fire at someone else. This baffled me! It took me a while to understand why you'd just walk away when there's an enemy right in front of you. Why not keep shooting them until they are dead? Aren't they afraid of being shot in the back?

That was, until I got a chance to actually play MWO myself. Now I realize that this game is not about the kill, it's about the tactics leading up to the kill. Also, not all mechs are equal, so a medium going toe-to-toe with an assault is pretty much a very bad idea. In MWO you need to pick and choose your targets, as well as pick and choose where and when to engage your targets.

Mechwarrior games have always included much slower paced combat than your typical FPS. Your mech can take some damage, so there is often times a trade-off during a match. Do I step out from cover to cripple that passing enemy mech, knowing that I'll take a barrage of enemy LRM? Maybe it's worth it, maybe it's not. And that's why MWO and pretty much all Mechwarrior games are awesome.

[Redshift2k5]

TheAlphaMonster, on 14 October 2012 - 10:51 PM, said:

Didn't even realize that I could get the code!

Thank you so much! ^__^

There are still lots of codes out there, tell your friends!

See you on the battlefield.

[Oxynium]

Message to evryone who started playing MWO instead of World of Tanks: Are you guys feeling like in home in this game?

[Adridos]

Oxynium, on 15 October 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

Message to evryone who started playing MWO instead of World of Tanks: Are you guys feeling like in home in this game?

Then we should apparently sue WG over copying licensed game mechanics.
Mechwarrior games played like this (crazy builds, teams, overheats, etc.) even 17 years ago.

J/k.

[Grendel408]

Oxynium, on 15 October 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

Message to evryone who started playing MWO instead of World of Tanks: Are you guys feeling like in home in this game?

I've felt at home in MW since MW2 in '95... MWO just feels like a nice mansion of goodness compared to MW2... what's this World of Tanks you speak of?

Edited by Grendel408, 15 October 2012 - 11:35 AM.