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[InnerSphereNews]

(Someone Else’s) Average Day In Beta

So I decided to change this one up a bit. I hope you all still like it.

It’s two minutes into the match, and I am dead. My Centurion took a wrong turn into an Atlas, Hunchback, and Catapult K2. I de-limbed the Atlas, so I at least did something. In spectator mode, I’m watching the Hunchback 4G equipped with a Gauss rifle and three medium lasers. He/she has a really interesting style – follow a hundred metres behind an Atlas. This works shockingly well – but let’s get to that as we go.

The Atlas being followed is a Founder’s – pretty much stock, except for dual SRM-6’s, a Gauss rifle, and I assume more heat sinks. Plodding forward on Frozen City, its gaze sweeps left and right. It is about 100 metres in front of the pilot I am viewing through. The Hunchback I am ‘ghosting’ is matching the speed of the Atlas in front, though I am not sure why. I understand the idea is to cover the Atlas, but why so far back? The loadout has obvious clues, but I don’t understand at first.

 

Following this is almost always a good idea.

 

The Atlas is between two buildings when it happens – a Commando jumps out. He’s mistimed the ambush though, and the Atlas pilot gets some glancing hits to the Commando’s side torso and legs with his medium lasers, and a couple of SRMs. The Commando quickly strafes behind the Atlas, and the Hunchback pilot’s strategy is clear. The Gauss rifle barks and the shell is there within miliseconds, just as the trio of medium lasers fires. The Commando’s right leg explodes, and the right torso gets damaged as well. About two seconds later the second volley hits, ripping through the right torso, blowing up the XL engine, and destroying the Mech. The Atlas looks, then pivots back to where he started and continues.

Most people assume ballistics are too hard to use against lights, but this pilot has no problems at all. The Atlas, ever forward, clips a Jenner running past it. The Jenner, popping a quick 180, jump jets over the Atlas. Already damaged from combat, the Jenner is suddenly surrounded by smoke as its left leg is removed, mid-flight. The Hunchback pilot has scored again. The Jenner lands roughly, and the second volley removes the other leg. Score two.

The Atlas pilot thanks my avatar with a quick ‘thx’ in chat. Quickly dispatching a damaged Hunchback, the Atlas crests a hill and is suddenly shaking under explosions. A Catapult has a lock on, and those LRMs are removing armour at a very fast rate. The normally calm and deliberate Hunchback pilot springs into action – pivoting left to the top of an outcropping of rock, and spots the enemy Catapult by the arc of the missiles. The familiar bark of a Gauss, followed by the shower of sparks and metal of an impact in the distance, indicates a direct hit. The enemy walks backwards to withdraw, but not before losing the right ‘ear’ of his Mech. Well, there go some incoming LRMs at the very least!

 

This is less intimidating when you’re not on the vanguard.

My pilot’s ‘charge’ powers down to break the lock, then moves to cut off the source of his armor loss. We follow, always staying at 100 metres, towards the enemy. The rest of our team is faring less well – we’ve destroyed three, and damaged one, but our team has lost four (including me.) Two are near our base, trading shots with attempted flankers. One scout is harassing the enemy Awesome. As we close with the Catapult, a Centurion comes out of nowhere, medium lasers and SRMs streaking out of it. This is essentially a clone of my very own Centurion, so I know that the Atlas is in very real danger. The Centurion, though not a lot faster, is just fast enough to stay behind the Atlas – right where the Hunchback pilot is aiming. The Atlas loses its right arm, and the bark of our Gauss rifle answers in kind, followed by the peeewwwwww of medium lasers – sadly removing the Centurions weaponless left arm. Well, at least that exposes the left side. However, the Catapult/Centurion combo is wrecking the Atlas and, with a shudder, it falls forward, but not before the Centurion loses its left shoulder – the one with the SRMs. Clearly it has CASE, as it does not explode, which saddens me. It turns, and its four medium lasers (two centre torso, two right arm) dig a massive chunk out of the centre torso of our Hunchback. We respond, just as the LRMs rain down. This is bad. As we dodge behind a building and tap power off, wait, then power on, I am mentally counting the steps it’ll take the Centurion to reach us. We’ve broken the LRM lock, but where is th- Bang! From the left side, it strikes. All four mediums hit the left arm, destroying it. The Gauss and two medium lasers respond, removing his right arm. The LRMs hit again, and the right torso finally gives. You served us well, you lovely Gauss. The Hunchback fires the two mediums at the Centurion in defiance, and the right chest explodes, followed by the Centurion itself. Oh, I guess the SRMs were in the right torso, without CASE. Nice! We power down, though the last LRM volley has removed virtually all of our forward-facing armor.

LRMs hit again, removing our right arm. How is it still- Oh. We see it, jump jetting above, firing directly down at us. Oh da- And suddenly, the single remaining ear explodes, and the Catapult shudders on its way down. The Jenner! That beautiful Jenner! We’re hit with four medium lasers, but the distance is so extreme it barely does any damage at all. We fire back with our head-mounted medium laser, again in defiance, cheering the Jenner on. We race over to help, and arrive just in time to watch the very damaged left torso explode. The ‘pult struggles to put the Jenner in the crosshairs, as we add our laser to the exposed right side. Quickly 180 spinning overhead, the Jenner fires down, destroyed the right torso, and the next volley cores the Mech. Without a word or glance, the Jenner races off. “Thanks!” we type. “NP” is the reply.

 

 

A well piloted light is an utter nightmare to face in combat.

 

Our defense had broken the flanking attempts by this point and had encircled the defending (and damaged) Awesome and, as we cautiously made our way over, I think about what an amazing bit of choreography team work can be. And as I think that, a Dragon whips around the corner, coring me with a quick Ultra AC-5/medium laser/SRM combo. We all laugh, myself, the Hunchback pilot, and our whole team as we capture the enemy base. Sure, we got destroyed – but through our efforts the team won.

And isn’t that what we’re all here for?

[Redshift2k5]

Good read, keep 'em coming

[Razor Kotovsky]

Since when a stationary light considered well-piloted? :psyduck:

Edited by Razor Kotovsky, 05 September 2012 - 11:25 AM.

[Dracol]

Nice write up. Makes me realize how much more time in the cockpit I need to really master this game.

[Teeze]

Now imagine 8 of those hunchbacks on one team.. and not using gauss rifles to kill commandos.

Pretty scary, huh?

[Varcor]

I'm only guessing here, but my theory is that a light mech, with a pilot who had not only managed to keep his mech intact and reasonably functional to this point, arriving at a crucial moment with well placed shots is just as well piloted as one that leaps and dodges all over the place. The methods of "piloting" may differ but still result in effective use of the mech.

[SeikakuOtosan]

nice.. quite a bit more believable than the last i must say. Yes team work is how you win.

[Garth Erlam]

That hurts, Arwan. Right in the heart.

(They do all happen, though - I use cool matches for these, I don't invent them.)

[ChargerIIC]

Is that a skinned arm I see on that jenner?

[Kamira]

Nicely written, enjoyable write up of a battle.

[Bullet Magnet]

Is it just me or does that second picture of Frozen City look like a different layout?

And also, that's not Founder's camo on the Jenner is it?

[JaxChris]

Last night I was in two matches with my low-budget Swayback and all 16 mech's were HBK's. It was quite disturbing that our entire team was the same type and generally the same speed. I figured we were screwed, until the (finally) showed up and were also all HBK's.

Let's just say the enemy squad immediately didn't like the look of all those lasers coming out of my Swayback and I was their first collective target.

[JaxChris]

ChargerIIC, on 05 September 2012 - 12:26 PM, said:

Is that a skinned arm I see on that jenner?

Nope, just heating up.

[Clairemont]

Great write up.
It's always interesting to see what tactics veterans come up with. You can often tell when there are a new set of beta players in the system because the tactics are not as....refined.

[Strychnin3]

Good read! You may have me rethinking my stance on the Hunchback.

[Burned_Follower]

Great read!

[TheCrazyness]

How much money did you loose from this victory? 1, or 2 million C-bills?

[Norin]

I love watching good players. While I'm an "old school" mech fan, it's taking some time to knock the rust off the piloting skills. Watching another good pilot who can control and vary speed (not just mash and hold the forward key), maintain proper spacing with lance mates, support well, adapt to tactical needs and not cut through the firing field is always a treat. If that pilot is also a dead-eye with the ballistics, well, that's just an added bonus. I know it's something that I still need to work on.

[StoneMason]

Interesting that with the new repair costs, there is little reason to defend your base. If you go for broke to the enemies base, maybe by a flank, you have a good chance of mass-capping. If they get to your base and cap first, you still win. Even though you lost the match your force protection should be keeping the repairs low.

[WatcherSix]

Good read! Amateur Centurion.