30 replies to this topic

[K0M3D14N]

I'm somewhat new to the Mechwarrior universe also, so I figured I'd swing by these oh so cheerfully friendly forums and see if I could perhaps get some advice from the many, many vets around here.

As much hate as Commandos get on these forums, I have to admit I love the little thing. I'm still struggling to find my true role on the battlefield and I was wondering what exactly my role as a Commando should be. It's a bit bulkier than the other Lights out there, and is therefore an easier target to hit. What I usually try to keep my role to is as a sort of screen for the bigger, heavier, and slower 'Mechs on my team and deal with the pesky Ravens that swarm around here and there.

Is that what I need to be doing, or should I perhaps try a different role?

PS

As a Light pilot, I feel obligated to say the following:

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[Dukarriope]

r u a comedian.

[Caboose30]

K0M3D14N, on 24 January 2013 - 08:39 AM, said:

I'm somewhat new to the Mechwarrior universe also, so I figured I'd swing by these oh so cheerfully friendly forums and see if I could perhaps get some advice from the many, many vets around here.

As much hate as Commandos get on these forums, I have to admit I love the little thing. I'm still struggling to find my true role on the battlefield and I was wondering what exactly my role as a Commando should be. It's a bit bulkier than the other Lights out there, and is therefore an easier target to hit. What I usually try to keep my role to is as a sort of screen for the bigger, heavier, and slower 'Mechs on my team and deal with the pesky Ravens that swarm around here and there.

Is that what I need to be doing, or should I perhaps try a different role?

PS

As a Light pilot, I feel obligated to say the following:

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The Commando was meant to be advanced recon. Way in front of everyone else, with enough of a solid punch to make people not want to chase after it. Certain variants heavy on energy weapons (and with ECM) are meant to be away from supply lines for extended periods. The way MWO is right now, the Commando would be best suited to get ECM, hide somewhere, and spot targets for the LRM boats out there.

[Cerlin]

Commando is one of the smallest models in the game. You are small bro.

[Ophidian]

You came in a bad time to be a light pilot since lag shielding was just eliminated (mostly anyway) yesterday.

Most light mechs are scouts that find the enemy. What most scouts fail to realize is that they're not useful if they die within the first few minutes by charging off to fight an enemy alone.

Other lights are counter-light mechs, they protect larger mechs from the speedy little buggers while the main battle is going on. Which is important because some lights pack a punch and can cause real problems if ignored for too long.

Related to them are ECM lights, which use ECM suite to cover and protect a battle group before and during a big brawl by preventing long range targetting and jamming enemy mechs up close.

I've also seen light mechs operate in wolf packs, hunting down stragglers or LRM boats that are too far away from their team. At least 1 ECM is recommended.

Realistically, with the right model, a Commando can be any of these.

Edited by Ophidian, 24 January 2013 - 08:48 AM.

[XR17]

I tried a lot of COM before last patch, and maybe thing changed since the removal of lagshield.

The role depends on your weapons. If you have a lot of SSRM and ECM go and chase ravens to death. If you have SRM 4 or 6, I have seen some annoying commandos that go behind med mechs in the chaos of the fight and core them. I suck with energy weapons but I'm trying and been able to disable side torsos easily.

If you are new, the COM with ECM is a great way to go since is easy to pick targets and hit with SSRM, been able to target Raven with ECM (light hunters) and you will be annoying to the other team.

Just remember when you fight than in extended fights your lifespan will be short without lagshield

Edited by Kracuste, 24 January 2013 - 08:53 AM.

[Thirdstar]

Pre ECM I used to take 2D Trollmando out and go Jenner hunting. Worked about 50% of the time.

You're really better off working as hit and run/harasser. Weave between and alongside the mediums, act as a force multiplier because 3 SSRMs (or 2ML/2SSRMs) still hurt. Even with the lagshield reduced, a low profile goes a long way towards keeping you alive and there ain't a lower profile than the Mando.

[K0M3D14N]

One thing I try to do is TAG heavier mechs and generally just get an idea for my team about where the enemy is. If Lights are harassing our heavies, I try to sweep in and deal with them. Otherwise, I'm looking for avenues to get behind the other team's heavier mechs, mess with them for a little bit, then bail out and bait chasing Mediums back to our team. I've learned really quickly I don't generally want to mess with Hunchbacks or other medium class or heavy class 'Mechs.

Learning the maps will be a big help to me as a Commando so I can have an idea ahead of time as to where the effective flanking and escape routes are. I don't really die that much unless I get hung out to dry by my team or just get really unlucky. There's also the rare occasion where I go to find out which avenue the other team is coming from and run around the corner straight into the crotch of two Atlases and a Hunchback, all of whom just Alpha me into oblivion. Those times are hilariously awful.

Cerlin, on 24 January 2013 - 08:45 AM, said:

Commando is one of the smallest models in the game. You are small bro.

I recognize that, as a Light, I am much smaller than most other mechs- but I also provide a much larger profile than the Jenner or the Spyder or the Raven 3L and am therefore easier to hit than they are.

[Ophidian]

Ironbar Sinister, on 24 January 2013 - 08:55 AM, said:

I disagree. This is the perfect time for new light pilots.
The crutch has been removed, time to fly with your OWN wings!

Well, yes, that's another way to look at it.

I'm just commenting that light mech pilots need actual skill now to survive. And yeah, you had better damn well be good because killing you just got a whole lot easier! I feel like veterans now belong in lights and noobs in assaults.

[Novakaine]

Whats that under my foot actuator, another dang light!
Can someone cleanup the battlefield plz.

[Heeden]

K0M3D14N, on 24 January 2013 - 09:05 AM, said:

One thing I try to do is TAG heavier mechs and generally just get an idea for my team about where the enemy is. If Lights are harassing our heavies, I try to sweep in and deal with them. Otherwise, I'm looking for avenues to get behind the other team's heavier mechs, mess with them for a little bit, then bail out and bait chasing Mediums back to our team. I've learned really quickly I don't generally want to mess with Hunchbacks or other medium class or heavy class 'Mechs.

Learning the maps will be a big help to me as a Commando so I can have an idea ahead of time as to where the effective flanking and escape routes are. I don't really die that much unless I get hung out to dry by my team or just get really unlucky. There's also the rare occasion where I go to find out which avenue the other team is coming from and run around the corner straight into the crotch of two Atlases and a Hunchback, all of whom just Alpha me into oblivion. Those times are hilariously awful.

This is pretty much the life of a light-pilot. Early scout then transition in to the role that is most appropriate for the situation and/or your load-out. I've been neglecting my scouting duties recently due to the number of Streak-armed light-packs I've been finding out there so I generally like to be able to get back to some support in a few seconds. I spend most of my time skirting around the fur-ball looking for weakened foes to finish off or lights to chase away (don't chase too far).

If the main brawl is too messy I try to find a long-range mech to harass, occasionally you get one who doesn't notice your presence until their internals are red - happy days

Quote

I recognize that, as a Light, I am much smaller than most other mechs- but I also provide a much larger profile than the Jenner or the Spyder or the Raven 3L and am therefore easier to hit than they are.

You really don't, Commandos are an absolute pain to shoot and at 25 tons they are the smallest mechs in-game.

[Adridos]

Commando is either a harrasser with 3xSRM6 barrages to the back of enemy lines, or a 3xSSRM2 light repellant which has ECM in counter mode and disintegrates lights.

[Mike Silva]

I chose the Commando 2D for a couple of reasons. First reason is I wanted something fast so I could learn the maps as fast as possible. Second reason was survivability.... I can't learn maps if I'm dead.

These two lessons alone will help me when I move up to bigger 'mechs. But other benefits I've found is that the SSRMs allow me to still contribute to the fight while learning marksmanship skills with the mounted TAG laser. I figure if I can keep a target painted with TAG while circle strafing and doing figure eights at 120+ km/h it shouldn't be too difficult to do the same with a laser that directly damages armor.

The key to using the Commando in any flavor is maintaining an awareness of available cover. If you turn a corner and there's a lance of heavy 'mechs staring you in the face how are you going to escape? If you're harassing a lone assault 'mech, how do you minimize your vulnerability while distracting him from shooting at your team's assault 'mechs?

The thing that gets me killed most frequently is getting greedy at the start of a match and running full speed around a corner into an open area populated by the bulk of the enemy team. At that point it's game over.

The fun of piloting a light 'mech in general is that you have to be able to switch between scouting, capping, harassing, and scout hunting and you have to know when it's time to switch to be effective, and you have to be able to do it all independently, without support.

[Syncline]

IMO, the Commando is too fragile to work as advance recon. Leave that to a really fast Cicada or Raven. The Commando is an excellent "bouncer." That is to say that whenever the enemy light mechs come to harass the assaults, the Commando is well-suited to defend them. If you want to do recon, you need to be able to take more hits than can a Commando.

[CDLord HHGD]

Novakaine, on 24 January 2013 - 09:12 AM, said:

Whats that under my foot actuator, another dang light!
Can someone cleanup the battlefield plz.

It's just your friendly lights keeping the enemy ankle biters off of your fatlas

[Mike Silva]

Syncline, on 24 January 2013 - 09:35 AM, said:

IMO, the Commando is too fragile to work as advance recon. Leave that to a really fast Cicada or Raven. The Commando is an excellent "bouncer." That is to say that whenever the enemy light mechs come to harass the assaults, the Commando is well-suited to defend them. If you want to do recon, you need to be able to take more hits than can a Commando.

If you're doing recon why are you getting shot?

Sure, it happens, you run into another scout or something and you take a few hits, but I almost never die in these encounters unless I run into at least two 'mechs that are as fast as I am. When you're scouting in a Commando you're not running right through the middle of the map where you're easily detected on thermal, you're skirting the edge of the map to get around behind them to get eyes on target; then you're trying to direct LRM fire; then you're trying to harass enemy LRM boats.

I know the Cicada and Raven are both fine for this as well, but Commandos can run circles around Cicadas and a decent Commando pilot can at least fight a Raven to a standstill.

[Alexandrix]

As a light pilot you have to stay fluid and learn to read the situation on the field to figure out where you can best serve a purpose.

-start of the match? Probably best to scout ahead a little to try and get a read on enemy movements.(not too far though,always stay within running distance of some friendlies...just in case.)

-Are you the only ECM on the team? Stay with your team and provide cover/light mech screen.

-are enemy light mechs harrassing your heavy/assaults or LRM support? Kill the enemy lights.

-Is your team already covered in ECM and no enemy lights in sight? Find an enemy LRM/fire support to harass in the back field that doesn't have back up near by.

-You can sometimes try touching the enemy base (in assault) to see if you can pull a defender or two off the front lines.Be careful tho because you might just get a couple enemy lights on you.

-If all else fails,and no opportunities present themselves,stay near your team mates and poke at whatever they are shooting,but definitely try to avoid crossing over friendly lines of fire.That's a good way to get your back cored out by accidental friendly fire.

Edited by Alexandrix, 24 January 2013 - 10:00 AM.

[K0M3D14N]

I just finished out my Basic trees for the three Commando variants, so I should be able to go back to my Light Mech hunting Commando 2D model- now with Speed Tweak! I figure I should be a lot more effective as a quick reaction threat now that I can move at 140 kph and be able to go from scouting to supporting the Fatlases and other heavy mechs a bit more rapidly.

I'm not the only pilot that gets personally offended when I see other people piloting the same class on the other team, am I? I make it a point to try and kill them if I can just to say "what now, son?"

[Ophidian]

Not at all. I'm primarily a Dragon pilot and when I see another dragon, I often ignore everything else to try to kill him. It's almost a sign of respect. Sort of a "I see you're driving something that takes skill. Let's see if you are WORTHY OF IT YAAARRGHH!!!"

Don't get the same feeling in my Cataphract or Cicada though.

[Dukarriope]

When I drive a Dragon I also have that habit of like
"Oooh, DRAGON! Minemineminemine