478 replies to this topic

[Void Angel]

Communication is absolutely important; the reason I left it out was that I wanted to provide a tactical baseline for what, in general, to do if there is no communication - which is often the case with PuGs. My experience with this and other games has always been that there are always players who will A) ignore communication, and/or B) troll people who are trying to get things done. So I sat down (after some frustrating matches) and tried to figure out a good basic framework for how to run a match even if no one is really talking. =)

Edited by Void Angel, 04 April 2013 - 12:05 PM.

[1BigFool]

Wish more people would follow these guidelines. Had some glorious matches when people did (communication included) and some super horrendous ones (charge! oh, we're dead).

[Phoenix Gray]

Void Angel, on 26 January 2013 - 11:53 AM, said:

That is so not my fault. Tell them to fan out.

Start a conga line. Wiggle them around a bit. Play snap the whip with the Commando on the end.

[Phoenix Gray]

Shar Wolf, on 21 February 2013 - 10:09 PM, said:

Well of course, but a dead scout is no use to your team either, and only one of my Commandos has much of any soloing potential, so for the most part I stay fairly close to the rest of the team.

I.E. guarding the flanks type scouting rather than running ahead first contact scouting.

If your scout disappears in a VISIBLE ball of fire, he's doing his job.

[Alaskan Nobody]

Lol, but my Commandos is so little, we just make a little ball of fire!

[Void Angel]

My scout is a Spider, which is the best scout 'mech in the game! Aaaaaand the weakest combat 'mech. I have to be careful to balance information gathering with the odds of getting plastered by a Streak-whoring ba skilled Raven pilot. It can be frustrating, particularly in Caustic Valley.

Spoiler

which I firmly believe was made entirely to punish people for playing any lights other than Raven 3Ls and Commando 2D. We get it all right!? We picked the wrong BattleMech and now you're punishing us. We understand, so can you just pull the map out of rotation while we sell our bad 'mechs off for Ravens?

[Training Instructor]

Bumping, because I've been playing my Atlas again lately and in far too many of the matches no one supports or follows me. I'm in a DDC, and guys are running all over the place. I'm not a great player, but I'm not a mouth breather either.

Follow the fracking Atlas!

[M0rpHeu5]

Especialy the DDC with EMC

[Abivard]

Targeting, always target lock,
If you see a bunch of targets with hollow triangles, cycle through them, not to fast, so your team knows where the enemy is.
This saves typing and eliminates the need for a common language among the pug. Keep targets locked even if you don't have to, this not only **** LRM's (which are just feather dusters right now) but helps your whole team get an idea of where the enemy is and can aid in focusing fire.

Remember that atlas can not stop and back well at all, lousy transmissions on them, so don't ride his back, when The Push comes those assaults once committed CAN NOT disengage, if you suddenly get spooked and try to "do a wide flank" or "back off to think it over again" they will die and you will be next, game over.

Remember, always hit them with your fist and not your spread fingers.

[Abivard]

A I D s is a censored word what is up with that? ****

Edited by Abivard, 27 March 2013 - 06:22 AM.

[Void Angel]

Eh, lots of odd words are filtered by the site; some of them are obvious, and some aren't. In essence, I think the system tries to combat trolling in addition to bad words, hence the filtering of certain words which can be used to refer to politically or socially sensitive topics. Personally, I find this to be a bit restrictive, but it's not enough of an issue for me to campaign against. It's hard enough to get people to Follow the Fracking Atlas - but it can be done!

Edited by Void Angel, 27 March 2013 - 09:36 PM.

[Ser Barristan]

In my experience as a HBK driver my highest scores tend to come from being able to brawl without being the center attention. Sticking with the Atlas or timing my flanking maneuver with our Atlas making contact typically allows me to attack fairly unmolested and dish out the hurt. It's really in your best interest to not let that AS7 go it alone.

[Void Angel]

That's exactly the experience that prompted me to write this thread; my first 'mech was a hunchback, and my second was an Atlas.

[oldradagast]

Just to bump an old topic (and as an Atlas pilot who's had great games with teams that worked with me and horrible ones where I was left behind as the whole team rushed out to die), I've found this tactic works well with anything, but is particularly good if you're in a Jagermech since following the assault mech will minimize your weaknesses (not too sturdy, inability to rotate arms left and right) since when combat begins, nobody will be focusing on you - they'll be focusing on the asssault mech next to you. Combine that with the Jager's ability to deliver a lot of pinpoint damage - which helps when shooting into the brawl between your assault mech and the enemy one - and you have a solid plan, IMHO.

[Void Angel]

=)

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

oldradagast, on 04 April 2013 - 08:28 AM, said:

Just to bump an old topic (and as an Atlas pilot who's had great games with teams that worked with me and horrible ones where I was left behind as the whole team rushed out to die), I've found this tactic works well with anything, but is particularly good if you're in a Jagermech since following the assault mech will minimize your weaknesses (not too sturdy, inability to rotate arms left and right) since when combat begins, nobody will be focusing on you - they'll be focusing on the asssault mech next to you. Combine that with the Jager's ability to deliver a lot of pinpoint damage - which helps when shooting into the brawl between your assault mech and the enemy one - and you have a solid plan, IMHO.

I mostly agree, although when I see 2xAC20 Jagers I target them first unless the atlas is a pure brawler with AC20. Those AC20 Jagers hurt bad, but go down quick after a few salvos from my brawling atlases.

[Cabezone]

The problems is most assault pilots seem to be boated for long range weaponry. They park on ridges and spend the entire map trying to hit people at max range. I played 10 matches this morning and every single assault mech in them stayed back and tried to fight from long range.

If you are in an assault mech and are the last one left on your team, then end up with less than 400 damage, you are a waste of tonnage.

Edited by Cabezone, 06 April 2013 - 08:02 AM.

[1453 R]

If your assault 'Mech is incapable of dictating the range of engagement (spoilers: it is), then really, you have no business being a range-pure boat of any sort, long or short. The old 270-meter D-DCs were really, really bad, it was simply that the maps which were supposed to punish such lopsided configurations didn't exist yet. Now that they do, a mix of engagement ranges on one's fatties is once again a requirement to being a successful assault pilot.

That said...assault 'Mechs can't force a long range engagement any more than they can a short-range one. You're absolutely right - an assault 'Mech too scared to get mixed up in the brawl and do its giant, armor-plated job is quite possibly the single biggest waste of space in the entire game. But then, I suppose there's already another thread on that subject, so I won't expound much upon it here.

[Void Angel]

Cabezone, on 06 April 2013 - 08:00 AM, said:

The problems is most assault pilots seem to be boated for long range weaponry. They park on ridges and spend the entire map trying to hit people at max range. I played 10 matches this morning and every single assault mech in them stayed back and tried to fight from long range.

If you are in an assault mech and are the last one left on your team, then end up with less than 400 damage, you are a waste of tonnage.

Actually, my Atlas is currently sporting to LRM20 + Artemis, an ER PPC, and a Large Laser. Fighting from long range isn't bad if you have an effective setup (2 medium lasers + missiles is NOT effective) and use good tactics. The LRMS with this build give me excellent midrange to longrange firepower, and the beam weapons let me deal not-inconsiderable damage to small 'mechs who come to hunt down the "LRM boat." I've had numerous 'mechs charge me, only to find that I have teeth inside 180m too. :] I think my favorite such moment was the Catapult who charged me toward the end of a fight - I took a hit, turned to look, cored him with my large laser, and went right back to dismembering his team.

If the Assaults on your team are boating, well, that just makes it more important to follow them and support whatever they're doing. If they're going to play rocket tag with the enemy, try to stay under cover until the enemy closes to deal with the LRM boats - if they're charging the first enemy they see and dying in a pyre of fusion-lit shame, follow them and at least let their suicidal foolishn noble sacrifice help the team by soaking damage for you. But regardless, you'll see best results by following around the Assault 'mechs and supporting them. That's why, no matter what 'mech I'M piloting, I often start my matches by typing, "Stay together, focus fire, and Follow the Fracking Atlas." "(t.m.)"

Edited by Void Angel, 08 April 2013 - 12:07 AM.

[barnmaddo]

Void Angel, on 20 December 2012 - 12:33 AM, said:

killing him to death

Indeed