78 replies to this topic

[Roughneck45]

l33tworks, on 09 December 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

Holy crap. Ok taking all this on board.

I have no ussual mech. I suck equally with them all.

If you really think you suck, don't bring the Atlas.

Bring your hunchback. If you have the c-bills to do so, you should put endo and DHS on it, swap the small laser for another medium laser, and get 4 tons of ammo and heatsinks.

It is a good training mech, and you will not be weight matching an assault.

[Taizan]

Flash Yoghurt, on 09 December 2012 - 10:09 AM, said:

Try to monitor your ping, with the high base ping you get from australia ECM will totally ruin it, making leading targest nearly impossible. We have the same problems from europe. Every ECM effecting you will increase your ping by ~50%.

ECM only in general or in a certain mode? Haven't noticed ping being much influenced by that, but then my ping is around 150 anyway. Its almost like back in the time when I played QW on US servers.

OT:
Although lasers are hitscan, if you have 150+ ping, you'll have to start leading targets, basically it should look to you as if the enemy is walking into your beams, you'll register more damage that way. For pin point damage while moving you have to be lucky or the enemy almost standing still.
The thing is the server position of the enemies is not correctly displayed for clients so actually whenever you shoot, the enemy most often is already somewhere ahead of that position.

Netcode + regional servers is being looked into.

[On1m]

Your best bet for learning is to get on TS3 and find a group to practice with. No Guts No Galaxy is a great place to start. Just tell your group you are looking to learn and most will be more than happy to help out and give feedback.

[Wraith05]

Kills aside what is your damage around at the end of a match?

[l33tworks]

I'll try changing over to lasers since they are easier to use and homing things like streak missiles. Any word yet on AU severs yet btw?

Tp whoever said don't use LRMS couldn't be further from what I have found. LRMS get the bulk of my damage. If I go in with no LRMS I do like 30 damage with an atlas as opposed to 130 or so

[Flash Yoghurt]

The ECM-ping-thing seems to have something to do with how the game is checking if you are under the influence of ECM, somebody explained it in detail a while back but it got burried really quickly. For most americans (who are still the majority here) it is no issue, only for the guy with a high "base" ping. I think its mostly the disrupt mode, not the counter mode.

[Shalune]

l33tworks, on 09 December 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

Holy crap. Ok taking all this on board.

I have no ussual mech. I suck equally with them all.

Didn't get to read the whole thread, but one thing jumps out right away. You mentioned not having a regular mech, and at least once using an Atlas.

There's a natural inclination to think bigger is stronger and thus better. Ignore that. Assaults are actually one of the tougher weight classes to learn the game with. I'd recommend picking up a heavy or medium that fits your style and sticking to it as a learning experience. My recommendations below: (these are considering price point too, so more expensive mechs like the CN-9D and cataphracts are excluded)

- Close range medium - hunchback 4SP

- Fast, mid/long range skirmisher - any dragon

- Missile boat - catapult C1

- Long range shooter - catapult K2

[l33tworks]

Roughneck45, on 09 December 2012 - 10:19 AM, said:

If you really think you suck, don't bring the Atlas.

Bring your hunchback. If you have the c-bills to do so, you should put endo and DHS on it, swap the small laser for another medium laser, and get 4 tons of ammo and heatsinks.

It is a good training mech, and you will not be weight matching an assault.

Ok I will save up for exactly that. I put endo on my Atlas it didn't change my survivability much.

Taizan thanks for the lead info. So for something running around 100kph sideways to you a lead of 2-3 mechs is normal?

and for something moving not too fast like 30 sideways im guessing you do not need to lead much?

Following this advice I just got a 300 damage match but I think I was lucky to not be shot at for a long time.

Edited by l33tworks, 09 December 2012 - 10:33 AM.

[Shalune]

l33tworks, on 09 December 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

Following this advice I just got a 300 damage match but I think I was lucky to not be shot at for a long time.

That's not necessarily uncommon. People will usually go for everything else as a kill target before mediums unless you're really out of position or there's a light without ECM.

As for learning how much to lead a target I've seen some people say that equipping TAG just for the constant hit indicator is a great learning tool.

[Weirdjedi]

A lot in this thread has been helpful, even to an experienced player like myself. I thought for sure you had to keep lasers pinpointed on a target for the full duration, but I've seen many opponents swipe lasers across my entire body. It is probably because of the ping.

The lag experienced under ECM doesn't just effect ping. Like the problems keeping up with shading, textures, cockpit shakiness, and objects in the game, your fps may drop when multiple targets are under ECM.

And as already mentioned, the netcode and latency issues are currently being worked on. I usually watch http://mwomercs.com/...ormance-update/ the Command Chair threads for such updates. I may not have issues with latency or netcode, but I certainly have issues with connectivity and a decent framerate.

One thing I think the majority of good players can agree on: Find your playstyle. Have fun experimenting with different weapon loadouts and mech types. I favor heavies with jump jets but horrible using a gauss rifle. I've seen some nasty Jenners; I never got used to the speed.

[Corvus Antaka]

Find a group. MWO thrives on teamplay and focusing your fire. Visit the TS servers.

[SpiralRazor]

l33tworks, on 09 December 2012 - 09:32 AM, said:

I'm not really sure what you mean. The lasers are lined up to hit the enemy mech and require no leading. IF I lead the ballistic shots any more they will miss. The same as if I lead them less. Are you saying seeing the shots hit on your screen doesn't mean you are hitting them?

Yeah, heh...thats exactly what dudes say... This phenom is called "lag shooting", you would do well to look it up because it does apply to MWO currently, especially since youre in Australia.

[Roughneck45]

l33tworks, on 09 December 2012 - 10:33 AM, said:

Ok I will save up for exactly that. I put endo on my Atlas it didn't change my survivability much.

It wont increase your survivability, it will increase your mech's potential effeciency.

By getting endo, you free up the space for more ammo on the AC20 (the stock 2 tons just doesn't cut it), and you can also swap the small laser for a medium, for a little more punch and a stronger zombie when you lose your sides. The DHS handle the increased heat quite well.

The reason it is a good training mech is because lasers are easy to use, help your tracking, and there is 1 in each arm and head, allowing you to get a feel for firing from different locations on your mech. The AC20 as your main weapon forces you to aim carefully, making each shot count.

Edited by Roughneck45, 09 December 2012 - 11:23 AM.

[BoomDog]

Hang in there bro. It took me about 400 to 500 matches before I started getting pretty good.

It sounds like you're better at lasers. I'd drop the 4medium lasers and go with 4 large lasers (not ER or Pulse or you'll overheat bad). Maybe chainfire to manage heat.

Atlases are very hard to play. You're a slow, easy to hit target. You're also priority target number one. Play a medium mech, like the hunchback or centurion. Stick the biggest engine you can in it. I've soloed Atlases in my centurion several times.

The turning point for me was when I learned to fire SRMs accurately. Lasers just don't have the punch that SRMs or ACs do. The shotgun effect of SRMs and LB-10x might help you too, considering your ping. You may not core an enemy as fast, but at least you're doing damage.

My rule of thumb is to always aim for the center torso. You're always going to get a kill if you take that out.

PS: If you try SRMs, don't forget that some mechs have missile bay doors. If they're closed, there will be a noticeable delay in firing. Just hit the "/" key to open your doors at the beginning of a match.

[PANZERBUNNY]

Also, if you are first into a scrum, you will have to fight for a kill. If you play more conservative and last more than half way through a match that isn't a snow ball, you'll start mopping up already damaged mechs.

Always a balance between fighting ethically and not being a hold back leech swooping in on other peoples work heh.

This game rewards repeat play if you are even half decent at learning from your mistakes.

It doesn't take long for someone to become an ace if they have a head on their shoulders.

I would say concentrate on a certain weapon and mech combo, master it, move on to something else you want to try.

Diversity is key, but only after you are more than comfortable in a piloted rig.

Edited by PANZERBUNNY, 09 December 2012 - 11:20 AM.

[Kivin]

A few thoughts in no particular order:

The 'Mechs are incredibly tough if you don't kill them the "right" way:

This isn't a first person shooter where you can get one and two shot kills with some careful precision. In order to defeat a Mech, you must either Blow out his engine orDestroy both of his legs. Each of these outcomes requires roughly the same number of hit points of damage to accomplish, so take your pick. Spreading damage over the entire Mech body requires more than ten times the damage of coring a center torso directly!

Focused fire is superior fire! Your opponents will not be shy to concentrate the damage of three or four Mechs on you. As an Atlas, in particular, you're a very tall and easy to spot victim. With respect to the paragraph above, you need to make it very difficult for them to keep hitting the same plate. Keep moving. Turn your legs (A / D), make your speed variable (W / S), and turn your torso away from their shots (look in another direction) so they're wasting ordinances on your side torsos, arms, legs, head, anything that isn't your precious reactor! Don't forget to also stay near friendlies. More targets for the "bad guys" means you might not get picked off first. If there's other heavys and assaults, don't be afraid to strafe behind them if you're taking too many hits.

Some weapons are more beginner friendly (and latency friendly, to boot!): Lasers are the every-man's weapon. They hit with pinpoint accuracy, have no travel time, and burn for about one second, giving you time to correct a poorly aimed shot. With practice, you can lead these on a laggy connection far more easily than AutoCannons. ACs are a much more difficult weapon to use. Their bullets travel fairly slow, are susceptible to gravity (will drag down over time), and have a firing delay which compounds lag.
Your reliance on the AC/20 to get kills for you might be your downfall. My gut feeling is that your tonnage would be better spent on lasers. The AC/20 requires careful precision due to its low ammo capacity, range and slow projectile speed.

I cooked up a recommended Atlas build for you. We need to get your confidence back, so I'm recommending a "training wheels" fit. It's competent at short and long range but wont win any gold medals. Here's a link: http://postimage.org/image/a8tcrf8w5/. Please note, I used Artemis IV on the SRM6s.

Use the last empty ton for another ton of SRM ammo. Turn off "Auto Rearm" in the garage- artemis will suck your wallet dry. Use the free 75% ammo each match. Your goal each match is to completely deplete your missile stores without wasting any shots. There's over 560 damage in the missiles alone.

[Cerlin]

I am with you OP! I came back this week from a long break after playing in beta and wow. I lost so much. All the upgrades and new mechs, people knew what they were doing much more than me. I suffered a while but I finally snuck over a 1:1 KDR and win ratio by joining teams and getting better. Before that however I found the mechs that suit me best.

Currently the Cataphrach is perfect for my play style. It has balanced weapons hardpoints, good speed and armor, and generally a solid experience. I have also gone back to my centurions and I found when I can get them moving at 70kph + I can really enjoy them and do well in matches. ITs not about what is best but what YOU do best.

[l33tworks]

Kivin. I'll certainly save up and try your build. I'm after a simple weapon grouping, easy aim, up close brawling Atlas build. Preferably the Founders version. But one thing That I have to raise you mentioned. I can barely register a hit on a entire moving mech properly. All the carnage, high ping, warping, low fps, etc that is going on makes hard to land a shot on an atlas let alone pick out a spot on a fast moving mech!

The game certainly is fun though. It doesn't require you to have a KDR above 1 to be so which is a good thing.

I use at atlas for a few reasons. Contrary to what is being said here it seems to be easier to handle for me. If i get in a light mech I have all the above issues in addition to having it all move much much faster in addition to getting killed almost instantly. I do move at full speed non stop and try stay behind big enemies. I still will get plastered from somewhere real quick.

The tips are helping though. I think I killed one more mech haha. Its tough saving up money though. Still tuck under 1 mill. I had a over a mil before but I started experimenting switching back forwarth between the standard and ferro fibrous Armour and I didn't realize it takes money AGAIN to downgrade. I though I was just switching between the two lol.

Will try the TAG thing.


So far aside from case I have only had weapons and heatsinks on my Atlas. I will try AMS too. I seem to get torn apart by missles a fair bit. But I fear adding too much extras will take away from my punch up close which is already low enough.

[Cybopob]

my ping is 320-380, had no problems getting kills.
running com-2D with full ssrm rack and can get up 1-2 light kills and 3-4 assists in a single battle. Record was 4 kills in one battle, never seen my ping go below 300.
I found that picking only one or two kinds of weapons (depending on you mech i guess) helps me concentrating on those weapons tactics only. What I mean is, don't pick one of each weapon, but rather pick two similar range weapons and stick to them, after a few battles you'll figure how to use that range to your advantage and will start blowing the hell out of those enemies.

Now I'm thinking about Cataph with 7 medium lasers.

[Timelordwho]

demoyn, on 09 December 2012 - 09:34 AM, said:

Found the problem. Stop wasting tonnage on LRMs. Fix the mech to fit your style. Also, if you have a ping over about 200 you're probably completely useless to your team.

Are you joking?

LRMs are great support weapons to engage with if you are otherwise out of range. Assuming limited ECM.