128 replies to this topic

[BerserX]

So, I have seen some discussion about the difficulties involved in city-scape combat: chiefly, the likelihood of running into buildings. It is apparent that some players do-not-like/are-not-good-at fighting in two-lane highways, with high-rises all around them. To hard core brawlers (like me), this idea may sound totally foreign (our combat style revolves around working up close, and driving the enemies' noses into the dirt).

So, for everyone who likes/is-good-at city-scape brawling; feel free to discuss "The Right Way to Do It," right here...

*NOTE: The purpose of this thread is NOT to put-down-others/make-them-feel-bad, but to allow those that thrive on the city maps to discuss their personal strategies; so that others can be exposed to various opinions and methods.
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My personal style - best depicted in a real scenario - involves a fast heavy 'Mech, with some big AC's: running full-speed through the city (something around 96kph), strafing my enemies as I jig around buildings, and then disappearing into the metropolis. I take a Loki, with an LBXAC10, an LBXAC20, and three or so medium lasers. I can run in, hit my opponent, and disappear, before he can get turned around. My AC's provide a consistent firing rate (AC10, 4 seconds; AC20, 6 seconds), and my medium lasers can usually find the maimed spot necessary for the kill.

As far as "not running into buildings" goes: I can typically avoid collisions just by remembering the approximate area around me. I also heavily utilize my arms and rear camera, to maintain a pretty good 360-degree view of my surroundings (this also helps me throw off enemy shots, when running past them; and allows me to swing my arm around for the shot, instead of exposing my torsos).

This is not my absolute only style; but it is definitely my favorite. People already know that a Loki is fast; but when they see that bad boy doing near 100kph, and feel it hit them with half-again its normal firepower: it kinda' adds a psychological, "where did THAT come from" effect.
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So, anyone else?

[Petroff Northrup]

The Hellbringer tops out at 86.4, are you talking about MW4 stuff? This is looking to be a far cry from MW4.

Edited by Petroff Northrup, 19 March 2012 - 08:45 AM.

[Helmer]

Not a jumpjet kinda guy myself , but for those of you with the skills I'm sure they'll be very useful in urban warfare .

[metro]

I know several hundred people who jump jetted their way around urban settings, some were good others not so much.

as for a yes or no, or right or wrong.

too each their own.

I ran a 4 THOR lance, that tore up anything anyone thought about throwing at us.

So much so, they changed their ways.

NO MORE JUMP JETS !

[Mackie Ozora]

I'm personally looking for a more realistic take on urban warfare. Ambushes and knockdown, drag-out fights. With the roles this makes it so much more fun with the scout feeding telemetry and the commander setting his pieces. I'm seeing alot of parts of TT being implemented I think that will take this much higher than Mech4 ever could have gone.

[Red1769]

Lights and Mediums almost have to have jumpjets just to maintain their mobility advantage. I hear ya in the brawler part. Give me the Atlas or ma Daishi, or if the city streets are big enough for a more mobile mech a Centurian, Hunchback, Thor, Black Knight, or Thanatos, and I'll be set.

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I'm personally looking for a more realistic take on urban warfare. Ambushes and knockdown, drag-out fights. With the roles this makes it so much more fun with the scout feeding telemetry and the commander setting his pieces. I'm seeing alot of parts of TT being implemented I think that will take this much higher than Mech4 ever could have gone.

If the books are anything to go by, I'm hoping for this too. Though I'm not familiar with the TT.

Edit: Looking back at the title, there isn't a right way. Though I would think that we can agree that some weapons are just not good or have limited usefulness in urban combat. Like LRMs.

Edited by Red1769, 19 March 2012 - 09:12 AM.

[Garth Erlam]

Urban combat is one of the few times that MechWarrior games can feel like other FPS', at least in how you're placing yourself. The idea is that, unless you are firing, there should be a building between you and the enemy at all times. The 'best 'Mechs' for city fighting have bursty weapons - AC's, alpha'd lasers, etc - and a fairly quick step. One of the reasons Hunchbacks do well is that they can edge around a corner, fire their AC, and move back behind the building. This can make them annoying to hit. It also makes for some awesome duels between Jenners and Hunchbacks.

[palebear]

I can see the Scout tree skill Null Signature System being very useful in an urban setting. I get stoked just thinking about it.

[DrHat]

Garth Erlam, on 19 March 2012 - 09:26 AM, said:

It also makes for some awesome duels between Jenners and Hunchbacks.

That thing you did there...I see it o_o

[Alicorn]

While management of your individual playstyle is important, the key to winning in an urban environ is teamwork and strategy - the interlinking streets and obscuring buildings make it ideal for flanking tactics using mediums or heavies, but you also need large heavy or assault units to draw attention and pin the target long enough for encirclement.
As far as mechs go, hard-hitting weaponry takes priority, as you will often be ducking in and out of cover, with only a limited amount of time seeing the target. Jumpjets really aren't necessary for a city brawler, but they sometimes can be helpful in increasing movement speed or attacking from unexpected vectors. However, the more developed the sity and the taller the buildings, the advantages of jumpjets can quickly be negated.

LRMs would be an almost worthless weapon in this environment, as the lock-on time would be nearly impossible to achieve in the duck-and-cover fighting.

[Garth Erlam]

I'm pretty sure there aren't any Jenners, nor Hunchbacks, with an Awesome attached

Unless you're thinking of a game mode where you fight over an Awesome dressed like a princess. In which case a Flashman Lightbulb just appeared over my head!

EDIT: Also those worried that Assaults will rule the day have yet to see how goddamn annoying Lights and Mediums can be with a tonne of cover.

[Mechteric]

Its probably also important to note that cities are very dirty, so there's Urbanmech's walking trashcans roving around to ensure proper disposal of citizen's waste products.

[Major Tom]

Skidding.
I'd love to see those heavies slamming into buildings trying to navigate the urban jungle.

[Garth Erlam]

Tokyo Drift Time eh?

[Xinaoen]

It's Clan tech, of course, but I'm a huge fan of the ER Medium Laser. Individually, they provide respectable damage for their weight, critical signature, and heat generation; group a battery of ten of them, and you're dealing as much as 70 damage every time you pull the trigger. The recharge is short, and you can pack on enough Double Heat Sinks to dissipate most of the heat - with enough tonnage left over to crank both armor and engines into the stratosphere.

The disadvantage, of course, is that you spend a lot of time just this side of the redline. You're gonna start taking hits to your crits eventually, and it tends to be a downward spiral once you start losing heat sinks.

[WerewolfX]

I was an Urban master and that carried over to other games that have armored vehicles in an Urban environment. I remember jumping from building to building in a Shadowcat firing my lasers down below as I made a pass at Mechs that couldn't shoot back. Ahhh the missed cries of "JJ hack!" "glitcher!" and my favorite. "He's using an aim bot! He has to be!" Truth is I throttled the JJ button and always played in first person. 3rd person is great for awareness first person for accuracy.

[Dlardrageth]

I kind of fancy the idea of narrow urban passages/streets that eventually allow a light Mech to dash thru while an assault in pursuit cannot short of waltzing down several building blocks first.

[Havoc2]

In MW4, passive radar, a lot of direct fire weapons, and a knowledge of where your teammates are is the only way to do it.


A few matches BDU would run our "street sweepers". Daishis with 3 LBX20s and 2 LBX10s. 1 shoot, enemy is on their a$$. 2 shots they're in their ejection pods.
These things were slow, heavily armored, and even more heavily gunned. They would knock an enemy Daishi on its arse.

My other favorite was a Hellspawn with about 6 erMLas and 4 SSRM4s. Run around active 'cuz no one thought a medium could do much. Run back and through and in and out of buildings/enemy 'Mechs and fire until I ran out of ammo before I got killed more times than not. A lucky leg shot is a quick way to ruin your day though.

[guardian wolf]

I would personally prefer JJs, because one of my most interesting fights I got into, I would have lost, if not for those things. I would either be using a medium, or heavy, and the only time I wouldn't was when my baby, my Warhammer Wolf Fang, would call, for the big fights. I usually ran a group of Gesus, Lokis, and Summoners in the city, custom armaments. That fight was a long story, but at the end, me and my buddy, Blake, had jumped to the top of some buildings, in Passive to ambush the enemy. He was in his Loki, and I was in a Summoner. As soon as we saw them pass, we jumped down, and landed on the street, going in guns blazing. We basically bum rushed em, and needless to say, that LBX-AC 10 was quite effective in close quarters. I actually sprinted along, and jumped over the first two mechs, Alphaing the third, you want to hear the rest, PM me. Good times, good times.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

Interesting that nearly everybody is talking of using Clan mechs and higher than level 1 tech. Depending on how the lasers play the Hunchback 4P could be useful if you don't wan't the ammo limitations of the standard Hunchback. I must admit that it is one of my favourite mechs from this era for urban combat. You do have to remember to stand in side alleys on the left hand side of the main road.so you can have partial cover.