8 replies to this topic

[Ordate]

This advice is largely for pugs. Hopefully people grouping have better strategies.

Pretty much everyone knows the truth that rushing headlong into the enemy solo is a bad thing to do. If they don't know it yet, they soon will. However, the other extreme is equally as deadly for the entire team. Not advancing and staying "perma-covered."

It makes me groan everytime I hear an atlas, highlander, or other fatty say something along the lines of "I'm a missle boat hold your targets." That means a big old hunk of metal that can take a huge amount of a beating (one of the purposes of having that much tonnage) is not going to soak any damage.

Fire/Missle support is great, however, do not rob your team of your fair share of being targeted. Not to mention if you are built well, you will get a lot of use out of that tag and hopefully some direct fire as well. This goes for snipers that are on the complete opposite side of the map. Sure your weapons can hit at that extreme range and you won't get much return damage back... But your actual damage output is going to be minimal. I've sat on a hill before taunting the enemy team tagging me with weapons at extreme distance while my brawler heavy team flanked them.

The whole point of this wandering rambling is this: Don't be overly zealous nor overly meek. Find the happy middle ground and your whole teams chance of winning goes up.

Edited by Ordate, 10 June 2013 - 01:47 AM.

[l3elthaz0r]

While I agree and I generally get cheesed off when an Atlas attempts to be a LRM boat and leave my Catapult to get decimated, I also realize the general perception of an Atlas being a damage sponge is forcing players who prefer playing as LRM boats to endure abuse from people like me. The Stalker for example is a better LRM boat than my Catapult, but with its armor should it act as an LRM boat? Tricky question for me

[Smokeyjedi]

I never understood the Atlas LRM boat, not my thing, but I love the ability to have gauss past 1000M, LRMS under 1000M, 2LL under 900M for insane suicidal pilots trying to make it all the way across the valley directly in your line of fire, Man I love my Atlas D. I do like that my LRM10 can get me into the fight when my slow hunkering brute is still few hundred Meters behind the ridgeline, they have their place now that they (LRMS) work somewhat as intended.

[pow pow]

if the damage dealers in your team are lrm boats, then the standard tactic is to bodyguard them with meds and heavies while lights or anything faster than 100kph goes to tag/scout.

anything else is sub optimal. Why? Because once your opponent has seen the volleys of lrms, they will most often go after the boats with their lights/harassers. If you defend the boats well, then odds are that you will take out the enemy harass party. So you will end up with a numbers advantage when the main fight breaks out.

Another reason for staying back with the lrms (if you can't move over 100kph) is that the enemy will literally entrech themselves to cover from lrms. That means then that if you try to engage them with an advance party of few mechs, you will be facing an enemy with a numbers disadvantage and in heavy cover. while at the same time leaving your lrms behind and at the mercy of enemy lights/harassers.

Bottom line, as a pug you need to always adapt to what resources you have available. If your atlas says I m gonna stay back with lrms, it ain't really smart to just leave him all alone behind. Yes i know it can be tedious and boring as I don't like long range (especially lrm) exchanges myself, but if I wanted to win a match, I would never ever leave a main source of dps unprotected.

[Shalune]

@pow pow
The use of cover is one of the reasons that LRMs seem so deceptively good, especially on Stalkers, but are really still lacking. Players following this style are going to hit a brick wall as their ELO climbs. At some point you will encounter players that stay glued to visual and physical cover any time they're not firing on a target. It's not nearly as difficult to do with practice as some think.

This hits assault LRMers doubly hard because they cannot reposition to get the shot they need from a flank. In the event they do, they are extremely vulnerable to attack from fast movers.

[Ningyo]

Thats why I like the Highlander as a LRM boat, it has Jump capability so you can get around some of that cover (this can take some practice). Also except against truly top players jumping while turning and twisting will spread a lot of damage making it a lot harder for those lights to kill you (or if you just end up as a damage sponge).

You do lose the backup 4-5 ML many stalkers have or the speed of some cats though. The other key point is just because you are indirect fire it does not mean you can't stay with the pack and fire at things 250-400m away.

Still yes eventually you will hit a wall because against the top 10% or so of players LRMs are just a subpar weapon, and you need a great one to compete with them.

[Gigastrike]

What I find nice about LRMs on Highlanders and Atlases is that they're at a weight where they could do some serious damage at long range, and still be expected to defend themselves in a fight.

So I have no real problems with assaults bringing LRMs at all, but it really sucks when they get into that mentality like they're a Catapult with no medium lasers.

[Cold Cash]

very much agree with everything said here, i must admit i was owning alot with lrm's, switched to my direct fire high's and cents and ground out some good elo and never considered that my tier improvement meant everyone was better prepared for lrm's which probably explains why im failing hard now with my lrm boats. My direct fire mechs are still kicking *** though lol.
Its also sad but my tier also means my awesomes are sub par as well.
Thank you for pointing out sumthing so obvious which i hadnt considered.

[Shiro Matsumoto]

Weird, my favorite LRM-Mech is still my 2x LRM15 (900 Missiles) / 4 ML Trebuchet.