8 replies to this topic

[Artfunkel]

Hi there. My attacks deal pathetic amounts of damage. At the end of a match I've normally dealt 60-80 yet other players have generally done several hundred. I'm spending a decent amount of time in combat and landing plenty of hits, often on the same component...so what's going wrong? Are the trail mechs just useless? Do I need more XP?

To give some specific examles:

• In a recent game I tailed a guy for half of the match on the snow map, hitting him repeatedly. I only did 170 damage in the entire game (my best ever result, at least).
  
• In my last game I spotted a light mech coming across a large lake from the opposite side, targetted him, and repeatedly let rip with LRMs and two medium lasers as he crossed. This had no apparent effect and he was soon running around between me and my team-mates. At the end of the match I had 75 damage, but almost everyone on the other team had between 200 and 600.

Can anyone suggest causes?

Edited by Artfunkel, 02 November 2012 - 02:37 PM.

[Vlad Ward]

Are you trying to shoot at lights or other fast Mechs?

If so, you're probably not actually hitting them despite what it looks like on your screen. This is caused by a netcode issue which has faster mechs lagging behind where they really are on players screens. The best way to counter this in practice, for now, is to lead your targets and aim at where they're going to be in half a second rather than where they appear to be.

[Artfunkel]

Thanks, I'll try that. When the reticule flashes red, is that a confirmation from the server that you did damage?

Had another thought since making this thread: perhaps damage from lasers decreases with range? I've noticed that they seem to have a maximum range beyond which I don't get a red reticule flash.

[Lugh]

Artfunkel, on 02 November 2012 - 03:31 PM, said:

Thanks, I'll try that. When the reticule flashes red, is that a confirmation from the server that you did damage?

Had another thought since making this thread: perhaps damage from lasers decreases with range? I've noticed that they seem to have a maximum range beyond which I don't get a red reticule flash.

ML is 270 optimal 540 max.

SL 90 opt 180 max

Max = 1pt

[Artfunkel]

That explains a lot too. Good old sci-fi lasers, they never behave right!

[Endarius]

Also bear in mind that lasers operate on a pulse principle. Hitting isn't enough, you need to maintain contact between the beam and the target for the duration of the pulse to get max damage. Also, in the case of LRMS if you are targeting fast mechs the whole salvo will rarely hit, and if they have AMS that will also reduce the damage. Anything less than 20 LRMS per salvo is unlikely to generate more than a moderate amount of damage.

Edited by Endarius, 02 November 2012 - 04:40 PM.

[Krivvan]

Artfunkel, on 02 November 2012 - 03:31 PM, said:

Thanks, I'll try that. When the reticule flashes red, is that a confirmation from the server that you did damage?

Had another thought since making this thread: perhaps damage from lasers decreases with range? I've noticed that they seem to have a maximum range beyond which I don't get a red reticule flash.

I'm not sure if the red reticule flash is server or client, but the damage indicator after you select an enemy mech with R is definitely server. So if you see damage done on the R display, then you can be sure you did damage.

[Jooky SeaCpt]

As Lugh mentioned all weapons have a max range. It is very important to pay attention to target range and the effective range of the weapons you are trying to hit your target with. Equally important is that some weapons have a MINIMUM range under which they do no damage. LRMs, for instance, do no damage under 180 meters, so don't waste your ammo trying to shoot someone with them point blank. PPCs have a minimum distance of 90 meters. ER PPCs do NOT have a minimum distance.

If your main armament is LRMs you need to be aware that terrain/ buildings, target speed, and AMS can all ruin your shot. You also need to acquire and maintain a target lock when firing them (the normally yellow circles around your reticle will turn red when you have a lock). It is often more effective to get closer to your target, 300-500 meters, and then shoot than it is to try to lob missiles at max range (1,000m) because of the decreased flight time and change in trajectory (Closer = flatter arc).

[Lefty Lucy]

As others have mentioned, with lasers you have to try to keep the beam on the target for the entire duration to do more than minor amounts of damage. If you are a new player and still getting used to how the weapons behave, I would suggest not going after light mechs primarily, but focus on bigger, slower moving mechs. Since the trial mechs are highly heat-inefficient as well, I make sure you line your shots up carefully, since you can't effectively fire at max RoF anyways.