478 replies to this topic

[Void Angel]

Even if the Atlas pilot is a complete scrub newbie who has trouble simply pointing the mech in the right direction, you still want to back him up - in fact, you want to be more aggressive in that case, because you only have that small window that everyone's shooting at him instead of you before he immolates himself in a cloud of shame and fire. Once he's gone, that's one less (and maybe your only) assault mech to actually go toe to toe with their hitters; if all you have left is fire support and medium brawlers, your group will have to scatter before their assault mechs or die - and that makes focusing your fires a lot more difficult. In short, playing 73h $|\|1P@R, camping by yourself at long range, and just hitting whatever happens to expose itself all game is wrong; cowardice is not a tactic, and while sniping is useful, you need to be willing and positioned to get stuck in with the Atlas when the time comes.

[Typhon27]

I often drive an Atlas, and I too "follow the fracking Atlas".

Maybe we can put that on a t-shirt?

[Void Angel]

Heheh. I would buy a "Follow the Fracking Atlas" T-shirt.

[KerenskyClone]

Someone mentioned something about not wandering into a brawlers line of fire...

I cant stress enough how important this is, as an Atlas pilot I have seen this happen to me hundreds of times. A team will start to follow me (which is good) but then once we engage with the enemy they will simply run straight for the closest mech straight ahead (which is bad), usually blocking my line of fire (which is worse) instead of keeping to my sides and or trying to flank the enemy while I draw their fire...

Follow your atlas doesnt mean, 'blindly' follow your atlas, use your eyes and use your brain....

Edited by KerenskyClone, 28 December 2012 - 01:00 AM.

[Void Angel]

I feel that as Gauss round to the rear plating encourages my teammate toward right thinking - since now it's riskier to run away.

[J0anna]

Typhon27, on 27 December 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

I often drive an Atlas, and I too "follow the fracking Atlas".

Maybe we can put that on a t-shirt?

I would so love that shirt, with a picture of the atlas from behind....

[Gaeb]

FrostCollar, on 19 December 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

I fail to see how Atlases or any other assault mechs are involved in natural gas extraction.

Who are you, Brad Pitt?

[SmoothCriminal]

So glad that "Follow the Fracking Atlas" is a thing, it has got to be the main tactic for any pug. DDC is an extra bonus. May I also add that unless there's a target with immediate danger to the group, then fire upon what ever the Atlas fires upon. If he has a shot, chances are you will be able to too. Plus, He'll soak up any return fire with his sexy 600 armour.

[Void Angel]

Exactly my point with this microguide. Firepower is more effective when it is massed. This is true with infantry; it's true with artillery; and it's true with fantasy walking tanks. The more you use, the less you lose. Since you're not going to have time to hash out a specific plan of action, the best default course is to follow the biggest mech around and kill what he kills.

[Wintersdark]

This has been my Super Secret Ultra Awesome strat since day one. Mind you, my thought process was self serving:

Oh no! I have no idea where to go! Well, that Mech over there is freaking enormous, and thus probably expensive, and as such should have a marginally more experienced pilot. Thus, he probably knows where to go.
- Generally speaking, he did.
OMGOMGOMG PEOPLE ARE SHOOTING ME! Well, this mech looks a hell of a lot more frightening than my cheesy little Trial mech, I'll hang out with him and be largely ignored.
- This worked. Nobody bothers the trial mech when there's a tooled up Atlas hammering on them.
I suck, and fail at killing anything! Well, that enormous mech is blowing the crap out of stuff, maybe if I shoot at that I'll get a kill! Wait; no. What I really thought was: Well, that enormous mech is blowing the crap out of stuff, if I shoot at it too, it'll die faster and better serve my team.

Seriously, OP is absolutely right. This works as a really great default PUG rule of thumb when no other tactics are described. If nothing else, it helps keep the team reasonably together rather than getting pegged off one by one.

Also, when you're new, and in a light/medium mech, it's a really awesome feeling when you know you saved that Atlas' ***(literally) when he was molested by another light/medium mech. It's one of the most attainable early goals, and it really increases ones fun when playing to know that one is actually being useful and productive.

Interestingly, that particular role can be filled even if you can't shoot worth crap, because just having a second mech to watch for can complicate the harasser's attack pattern on the Atlas. If he makes a mistake maneuvering, and the Atlas can line up a shot... And, if all that fails, you can just walk up to the Atlas's back, turn around, and provide some abalative armor and rear-mounted firepower. As a scrub newbie, it's much better for you to die than the (hopefully) vet in an Atlas.

[Void Angel]

Yup-yup-yup! It works because of psychological factors and the logistics of who's a bigger threat; it also works because it masses firepower. Massed firepower is important in MWO, for exactly the same reason it's important in real life. The more firepower you bring to bear on a target, the faster you can reduce it to slag and go hunt down the escape pod.

[Taizan]

As a medium pilot, I never follow the Atlas or Stalker, maybe with an Awesome because they employ similar battlefield tactics and speed. I will sometimes hang around slow assault mechs to aid them against other harassing units or to benefit from AMS/ECM cover, but binding myself to such a slow mech really makes me vulnerable, this is something for heavies or other slow mechs.

[KEMikos]

Taizan, on 03 January 2013 - 04:30 AM, said:

As a medium pilot, I never follow the Atlas or Stalker, maybe with an Awesome because they employ similar battlefield tactics and speed. I will sometimes hang around slow assault mechs to aid them against other harassing units or to benefit from AMS/ECM cover, but binding myself to such a slow mech really makes me vulnerable, this is something for heavies or other slow mechs.

Well, of course, as you gain experience and start figuring out how you like to play the game, you begin to decide what tactics/loadouts/blinky cockpit decorations/etc. work best for you, and you start to come up with your own playstyle.

"Follow the Fracking Atlas" is still the best tactical advice you can give to a brand new player starting out though, because it'll be the right move for a newbie almost every time.

[MagicHamsta]

KerenskyClone, on 28 December 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

Someone mentioned something about not wandering into a brawlers line of fire...

I cant stress enough how important this is, as an Atlas pilot I have seen this happen to me hundreds of times. A team will start to follow me (which is good) but then once we engage with the enemy they will simply run straight for the closest mech straight ahead (which is bad), usually blocking my line of fire (which is worse) instead of keeping to my sides and or trying to flank the enemy while I draw their fire...

Follow your atlas doesnt mean, 'blindly' follow your atlas, use your eyes and use your brain....

Aye, tis even better when they park in front of you, blocking your hardpoints but aren't quite tall enough to stop the enemy from taking free shots at the top part of your Atlas.
(>.<)'

Taizan, on 03 January 2013 - 04:30 AM, said:

As a medium pilot, I never follow the Atlas or Stalker, maybe with an Awesome because they employ similar battlefield tactics and speed. I will sometimes hang around slow assault mechs to aid them against other harassing units or to benefit from AMS/ECM cover, but binding myself to such a slow mech really makes me vulnerable, this is something for heavies or other slow mechs.

Med piloting, you be doing it wrong or you be the very good ace pilot.
When you "follow' an atlas, you merely stay nearby. (generally to take advantage of the slow moving, constant ECM)
Not the literally up it's rear.
Seriously, we don't want you literally binding your mechs to us. You start to get in our way, block our shots, & present an easy big target for the enemy. *The only exception be the tunnel in frozen city where staggering our mechs will allow us to put out the most firepower.

Once the fight starts (or shortly before), med mechs and faster brawlers (dragons, etc) will disengage from the atlas and convert from the travel to the battle mode.
This way, you can:
1) Take free shots at the enemy rear while they be busy focused on the Atlas.
2) Even if they turn to face you, they leave themselves exposed to an Atlas.
3) Save yourself from being the first to get shot as the Assault mech will likely take the opening salvo. (Then leaving yourself open during the cooldown of most weapons to get in and do some damage.)

Tis why me could actually kill custom mechs as a trial centurion with the overheating issues.

[Void Angel]

Taizan, on 03 January 2013 - 04:30 AM, said:

As a medium pilot, I never follow the Atlas or Stalker, maybe with an Awesome because they employ similar battlefield tactics and speed. I will sometimes hang around slow assault mechs to aid them against other harassing units or to benefit from AMS/ECM cover, but binding myself to such a slow mech really makes me vulnerable, this is something for heavies or other slow mechs.

Like the Space Hamster says, you're not literally expected to stand next to the Atlas; Standing right next to the Atlas is a great way to get killed to death, for a variety of reasons. But you do need to stay with the group and focus fire, which is what this guide is about.

One of the more annoyingly wrong things I keep seeing happen in matches (and thus one of the reasons for this microguide) is people deciding that they are going to be a "sniper" role - and scatter out behind the battle line. Now, long-range harassment has its place, don't get me wrong. But what I'm seeing in these matches is a bunch of guys taking PPCs, Gauss Rifles, and the like, and then standing just out of cover and only engaging targets of opportunity. They don't move, unless they are directly attacked. They don't adjust their position to the flow of battle, and they certainly don't focus their fire on one target - because they can't see who to focus fire. They're essentially just taking a swing at whoever happens to show themselves.

There's a time and place for long-range dueling - heck, my Atlas has a Gauss Rifle on it right now. But when people decide that long-range duels is all they're going to do, many times the enemy wins. What happens is this: Say six of their team is engaged in the main fight, after the long-range engagements; but only four of our team is in direct contact because we have half the team still trying to snipe from long range (or guarding them, or trying to cap the enemy base, whatever.) Even if our snipers did well in the long-range duel phase of the combat, the enemy team will still probably win the close-in fight - because they outnumber us by 50% and the damage we did at long range is likely scattered out all over their team. Once they roll us up in that fight, they're gonna start hunting snipers with their superior numbers - and since the snipers are all scattered around their favorite Awesome (couldn't resist the pun) Snipar Spotz, it's going to go... not well for the home team.

This isn't a fore-ordained conclusion to the match, of course. Sometimes you can win these matches because the enemy team doesn't cooperate either, or they don't close fast enough (prolonging the sniper range) or their Atlas pops his head over the rise and buys a paired set of commemorative Gauss Rifle slugs in the face. But it's not an optimal situation, because we're scattering our weight of fire. What you want to do (with a sniper or a close-range hunchback) is to keep re-positioning yourself so that when the close-in brawl starts, you can still get to the edge of the melee and do your damage to the right target once the assault 'mechs are engaged.

[Ravennus]

Void Angel, on 03 January 2013 - 11:18 AM, said:

One of the more annoyingly wrong things I keep seeing happen in matches (and thus one of the reasons for this microguide) is people deciding that they are going to be a "sniper" role - and scatter out behind the battle line.

THIS! So much this!


Honestly, after playing many hours in the last couple days, I'm not sure how reliable this strategy is anymore when solo PUGing.

I've been playing my HBK-4SP a lot lately, because apparently I'm a cheater and eploiter when I use my Raven 3L (and have been team killed twice now for it), and had read this guide.
Determined to follow this sound advice, and quickly realizing that a Hunchback with full armor is still fairly squishy, away I went.


Well, all I can relate is frustration....

I've been playing the game less than a month, and joined after the new cadet bonus.
Before that initial fusion of cash, I'm sure that most people in fully outfitted Atlas' were experienced and dedicated players.

Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be the case. Many new players are saving for an Atlas right away and have no idea what to do with it, how to build it or even how to pilot it.

The most common seems to be the "sniper" builds, as Void mentioned.
I try to back them up, but they are absolutely afraid of joining the front lines and often fire their weapons way outside of effective range trying to snipe. They also boat LRMs, but don't wait for a solid lock or try to LOS for themselves.


I've had a few good games with experienced Atlas brawlers, and in my Hunchback they are my favourite and most succesful.
Those games work just how you describe... but after the last couple days, they seem the exception.



Man, it's SO frustrating when I see an Atlas "sniper"... especially if they are scared of taking any damage.

I'm sorry, but you picked the biggest and most heavily armored mech in the game and you are afraid to take some damage?!
Very frustrating.


Now that I have some experience under my belt, I'd love to outfit an Atlas DDC for upfront brawling... but the grind is so brutal now. I plan to get one eventually, but I only just outfited my HBK-4SP how I like.

[Void Angel]

The grind isn't bad if you just focus on the matches. I had ground up to my third hunchback just before the new economy hit, so I went almost immediately to buy a D-DC Atlas. Now I'm saving up for my second Atlas chassis, and sure, it does take a while. But I find that if I focus on improving my tactics and skills, or just play with a friend over Skype, the money goes by a lot faster.

[Wintersdark]

Void Angel, on 05 January 2013 - 10:44 AM, said:

The grind isn't bad if you just focus on the matches. I had ground up to my third hunchback just before the new economy hit, so I went almost immediately to buy a D-DC Atlas. Now I'm saving up for my second Atlas chassis, and sure, it does take a while. But I find that if I focus on improving my tactics and skills, or just play with a friend over Skype, the money goes by a lot faster.

Absolutely. I'm working my way through my Dragon's right now, and I'm having a fair bit of fun with it. I'm decidedly not happy with the 1C I'm currently piloting, but the differences have made me appreciate my Flame more. Yeah, it takes time... And for Atlas's, lots of time. But honestly, the matches are the point. They're the game. Enjoy them

That said, I'm actually pretty happy with the amount of time required, and I can't play often (no 5-hour marathon sessions for me, typically an hour in a day is a lot of gaming for me). It makes it feel like a real achievement each step of the way. Got Elite? Awesome! And Atlas's in particular are the Big Daddies. It *should* take a long time - and a lot of money - to Master one.

...Of course, I do feel for the Founders' who have been through a couple resets and whatnot. I can certainly understand despairing at doing the "grind" again.

[KEMikos]

Ravennus, on 04 January 2013 - 02:43 PM, said:

I've been playing the game less than a month, and joined after the new cadet bonus.
Before that initial fusion of cash, I'm sure that most people in fully outfitted Atlas' were experienced and dedicated players.

Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be the case. Many new players are saving for an Atlas right away and have no idea what to do with it, how to build it or even how to pilot it.

What I'm noticing a lot lately (and it's not limited to Atlai, but I see it there most often) is someone who's put together a decent medium-to-long-range fire support or sniper 'Mech, and then tries to snipe while fighting with the joystick controls. I mean, I get it, they want "realism" and "accuracy" and "Mechs are controlled with joysticks, it says so in the novels", but come on.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some HOTAS action in the right games, but MW games have always played better with a mouse (except for MW3, where the mouse controls were nerfed to sell Sidewinders). Add on a loadout that requires pinpoint accuracy, and you have a bunch of players who are agonizing to spectate. I'm talking "missing with a large laser 5 shots in a row at under 200m" painful. Or "trying to line up a 900m Gauss shot but each bump of the controls moves the reticle twice the apparent height of the target 'Mech at this range" bad.

Anyway, back on topic, I suppose the corollary to "Follow the Fracking Atlas" could be, "If you're the Fracking Atlas, get the Frack into the Fracking battle".

[Void Angel]

Some of what you're seeing while spectating is related to the netcode. I had some troll (who died within a minute of contact) once rage at me for my laser Hunchback because I was missing a cicada - because lag shields. See, what he saw while spectating was me firing off into the sunset, or jerking my mouse around as though afflicted with epilepsy, but that's not an accurate representation of what was actually going on in my cockpit.

I told him to shut up, called him a scrub, advised him to google lag shields, and went on to personally kill three of their team - inclucing the Cicada. He got quiet.

Edited by Void Angel, 05 January 2013 - 10:16 PM.