18 replies to this topic

[Fluffenthumper]

Hello.
I've just discovered this game. I'm very excited, as I used to play a lot of Mechwarrior 2, Mercs, etc when I was younger.

I've been a fairly avid World of Tanks player, and have been looking for a new game. I'm still downloading the client at this time. I am, obviously, combing through the forums to garner what knowledge I can from here.

I'd like to hear any big pieces of advice for a new player anyone has? A good way to not waste credits when I start up? (or whatever money is called in this game?).

IIRC, a joystick (such as a sidewinder) was a godsend for mechwarrior 2, primarily because of the twisting function for the upper body/turreted section of a mech. Is this still the case? Is keyboard and mouse a viable control scheme, or have most people gone with a joystick like this?

I appreciate any info and advice anyone can give. Thanks!

[zraven7]

Welcome to the game!

Ok, first of all, I can't comment to joystick, never tried it, but mouse/keyboard is entirely viable. They mapped torso movements to mouse movements, instead of to keyboard buttons like they did in previous games. it works quite well, though having a mouse with a couple extra buttons helps a lot for weapon groupings.

Credits are C-Bills. Mainly, just take your time choosing your first mech. You get a bonus of some 8 million cbills stretched out over your first 20 games, so you should be able to afford about half the mechs, assuming you want to re-equip them and such.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend looking into making some friends and team-playing over a VOIP. THere are people who will say otherwise, but I found it improves the games atmosphere DRASTICALLY. There are plenty of Teamspeak servers set up for non-clan non-guild play. One is in my sig, but there are many others. Have a look around in the "New Player" stickes, and in the "Outreach" section.

Don't bother with Machine Guns or Flamers yet, they haven't been balanced properly, and do practically no damage. They are working to fix this in a future patch. All other weapons are "viable", though balance is still a subject of some dispute.

There are 2 schools of thought on ECM on your first mech. One views it as training wheels, so-to-speak, giving you some leeway for error while you learn the game. Others see it as hand-holding, and something that you should only equip after you get down your map-awareness without it. I'll leave it to you to find the many threads discussing this, but whether or not your first mech can equip ECM should be a consideration.

BTW, there is nothing in the Mech -Shop, in game, telling you whether or not a Mech can equip ECM, though it should be added later. There are plenty of threads listing the ECM-able mechs, or you can just ask.

That's my 2 cents. See you in-game soon!

Edited by zraven7, 04 February 2013 - 12:26 PM.

[Darknight99]

Move as a group, And work on targeting body parts like arms with weapons. My first mech was an assault mech and it was very slow and clunky. Untill you learn to get around pilot something thats a bit more a agile.

Stay with your group as much as you can.. And do try and be a hero.

[Redshift2k5]

Mouse and keyboard are the main input. The game does NOT have analog control for joysticks, only digital input, so a mouse is always faster to aim than a stick.

The #1 advice is to stick to your team. If you get caught by yourself you're an easy target for 2-3 other mechs to quickly bring down.

Read the guides, check tutorial videos, and ask a lot of questions.

[Fluffenthumper]

zraven7, on 04 February 2013 - 12:25 PM, said:

Credits are C-Bills. Mainly, just take your time choosing your first mech. You get a bonus of some 8 million cbills stretched out over your first 20 games, so you should be able to afford about half the mechs, assuming you want to re-equip them and such.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend looking into making some friends and team-playing over a VOIP. THere are people who will say otherwise, but I found it improves the games atmosphere DRASTICALLY. There are plenty of Teamspeak servers set up for non-clan non-guild play. One is in my sig, but there are many others. Have a look around in the "New Player" stickes, and in the "Outreach" section.

Don't bother with Machine Guns or Flamers yet, they haven't been balanced properly, and do practically no damage. They are working to fix this in a future patch. All other weapons are "viable", though balance is still a subject of some dispute.

There are 2 schools of thought on ECM on your first mech. One views it as training wheels, so-to-speak, giving you some leeway for error while you learn the game. Others see it as hand-holding, and something that you should only equip after you get down your map-awareness without it. I'll leave it to you to find the many threads discussing this, but whether or not your first mech can equip ECM should be a consideration.

Wow, hey I really appreciate the information! I have a TS3 client which I was using in other games, so I'm fully equipped and preparted from that perspective. I completely agree that being part of a group makes the game a lot more fun. I assume the TS3 login info you mentioned for your clan is listed at the website?

It's quite a throwback to my youth to be reading about LRM's and alpha-striking pulse lasers! ECM seems new, although I'm assuming it's just a target-breaking electronic countermeasure, or something similar?

Thanks again for the advice. I'll try and find that TS3 info on your website, and I'm also still trying to read through tutorials and advice here on the forums and on the wiki.

[Redshift2k5]

Another note: you get a 'Cadet bonus' for the first 25 matches you are in. This starts high and slowly peters down to nothing. You only get it for the fist 25 matches. spend the C-bills wisely.

[Fluffenthumper]

Redshift2k5, on 04 February 2013 - 12:42 PM, said:

Another note: you get a 'Cadet bonus' for the first 25 matches you are in. This starts high and slowly peters down to nothing. You only get it for the fist 25 matches. spend the C-bills wisely.

Excellent advice! I don't know what spending c-bills wisely means yet... but I will attempt to NOT spend them until I have a fair idea of what it is wise to spend them on.

Thanks!

[zraven7]

Brian Frazee, on 04 February 2013 - 12:38 PM, said:

Wow, hey I really appreciate the information! I have a TS3 client which I was using in other games, so I'm fully equipped and preparted from that perspective. I completely agree that being part of a group makes the game a lot more fun. I assume the TS3 login info you mentioned for your clan is listed at the website?

It's quite a throwback to my youth to be reading about LRM's and alpha-striking pulse lasers! ECM seems new, although I'm assuming it's just a target-breaking electronic countermeasure, or something similar?

Thanks again for the advice. I'll try and find that TS3 info on your website, and I'm also still trying to read through tutorials and advice here on the forums and on the wiki.

The Teamspeak info is on the website, but it's not really a clan. It's a support and social group for people running "Lone Wolf" faction. No leaders, no ranks, just jokes and robo-murder. If you're looking for something more Clan-oriented, there are PLENTY of those, too. Just check under "Outreach" in the forums, and peruse to your liking, or just ask people what Clans they think are worth your time, and watch the fireworks. :-)

Redshift2k5, on 04 February 2013 - 12:42 PM, said:

Another note: you get a 'Cadet bonus' for the first 25 matches you are in. This starts high and slowly peters down to nothing. You only get it for the fist 25 matches. spend the C-bills wisely.

Thanks for clarifying. I can never seem to remember if it's 20 or 25 matches.

[Bfvmg]

I recommend using all the trial mechs to get a feel what different speeds and weapons do.
They WILL overheat, a lot. Remember to group your weapons.

Remember that purchasing a mech and customizing it will add LOT to the experience. Mech lab is fun, for me anyway.

Stay with your 8-man. dont run off and be a hero. a solid red trianlge means someone has targeted that enemy, so shoot it if you can. focus fire is much better then single fire. please target mechs "R" key for others to shoot also!

Cant explain how much better the game is using VOIP with a team.

[zraven7]

Bfvmg, on 04 February 2013 - 01:06 PM, said:

I recommend using all the trial mechs to get a feel what different speeds and weapons do.
They WILL overheat, a lot. Remember to group your weapons.

Remember that purchasing a mech and customizing it will add LOT to the experience. Mech lab is fun, for me anyway.

Stay with your 8-man. dont run off and be a hero. a solid red trianlge means someone has targeted that enemy, so shoot it if you can. focus fire is much better then single fire. please target mechs "R" key for others to shoot also!

Cant explain how much better the game is using VOIP with a team.

Dude, I have to admit, staring at a load-out and hunting for that one extra ton has a certain fascination.

[Redshift2k5]

Brian Frazee, on 04 February 2013 - 12:59 PM, said:

Excellent advice! I don't know what spending c-bills wisely means yet... but I will attempt to NOT spend them until I have a fair idea of what it is wise to spend them on.

Thanks!

don't think 'Hey! I make 300k every match, I can buy all the things!' Because normally you will make 75=100k in a match, and you're mainly looking at a big fat bonus.

Research mech hardpoints and try out all the Trial mechs to get a feel for weapon and speeds. Make an educated purchase, not a rash decision.

[focuspark]

zraven7, on 04 February 2013 - 01:13 PM, said:

Dude, I have to admit, staring at a load-out and hunting for that one extra ton has a certain fascination.

Skunkworks can help make playing with loadouts fun while not costing a single c-bill

[Cotterpin]

You're already doing it right: You're on the forums looking and asking for help. I'm not good enough to offer much advice so I'll just give a few pieces of the best advice I've been given.

1. Have fun. The learning curve is steep so try not to get frustrated.

2. Don't die. Dead mechs can't help your team.

3. If you like grouping then do so in whatever fashion fits you. Teamwork is huge in this game and grouping greatly assists training.

If you see people on here giving advice don't be afraid to shoot them a friend request. If they're willing to take the time to help in forums, they're probably willing to go running in matches with you for some live training. There is a really supportive community here, don't let examples to the contrary drive you away. See you out there.

Edited by Cotterpin, 04 February 2013 - 01:58 PM.

[CoffiNail]

1. As Cotterpin said, have fun! This is a game, not something we are making real world dollars with. Link up with some guys to drop with on a TS3. zraven's lonewolf one works. There is a unoffical MWO on named ComStar, run iirc by Helmer (I have not been on the comstar server in a LONG time as my whole unit is on the NGNG server) and, as I just said, the NGNG TS3 Server.

The game is a lot more fun with other people on comms, your tactics are much more viable as well. On the NGNG and Comstar there are a lot of new player channels, and lonewolf player channels. I will shove a unit ad in for myself too As my Cluster is always very accepting of new players and are glad to help new players out, in our unit or not.

2.Stay a tad behind someone who seems to know what he is doing. Shot what he shoots, move when he moves, tactically retreat when he does. It will help you learn the game and keep your survivability up, this is more so if you are not on Comms with a group. Shadowing a skilled player will give you incites on how to play, hit, etc.

3. Do not get distraught. This is a game with a learning curve. Rarely does someone just pick it up and next thing they know they are raking in the kills. Even a vet like myself dies occasionally. Sometimes you get jumped, other times you are last alive on your team. Deaths do happen, but hey. No cbill penalty, no costs for repair and rearm anymore (I hope it comes back, having to pay repair fees made players more cautious and not LEEROY JENKINS it in the game)

4. Have fun... sure this is number 1, but it is a key component!

[CmdrPoopyPants]

My 2c if you want it..

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab is a web based mech fitting system which I find to be incalculably valuable for me. One thing I learned from it is this: When you buy your first mech (presuming you've done the fit at the provided link and know what 'upgrades' you need), do your upgrades first, or as needed, to get things to fit. That is, either save enough to do the entire build at once (you'll know the cost from the fit tool), or make sure you have enough to do the criticial upgrades first (endo steel for weight if needed, for example). I actually ended up creating a second account because I essentially wasted all my money on my first one learning how the upgrades work and how to equip the mech (I was following a guide from the forums but had NO idea how the mech lab worked, and in frustration sold off all the parts and chassis only to be left with no cadet bonus and almost no money..and no desire to grind out a first mech on trial rigs).

The next major help I can offer is, make sure you're pressing R to get a target while you attack it. That helps your team know where targets are, and helps you see where your enemy is the most damaged. I can't tell you how many times knowing that an arm or leg was about to fall off prompted me to attack _that_ first, then have an easier time finishing them off. Or how many times I've seen a core just about gone, so I went extra slow and careful to hit just that to finish them off, instead of running around trying to blast them thinking it would be a longer fight.

As others have said.. stick with the group for the most part. People splitting off and roaming around is the #1 killer of my team that I see in PUGs. The enemy is grouped and comes across 2 of your team at a time and just demolishes them, that's game over pretty quick. And don't chase off after scouts if you're in a big mech.. you're being led back to the pack. Not to mention, the best way to handle a lone harassing scout when it shows up is to.. you guessed it.. be with your group so everyone can beat up on it instead of it circling just you and wasting you.

As far as getting more familiar with the game, I suggest a light mech first. Some might not agree, but my experience is that being in my souped up Raven 3L really helped me get a handle on a lot of things while I still had lots of speed to escape with. Here's what I run http://mwo.smurfy-ne...ba7cc1bec6c632d and it's pretty slick. The only problem I've been seeing lately is, the match picking system seems to drop me in matches with lots of light mechs on the enemy team when I run my lights. Often those are premade groups and all have ECM and boy do they make short work of everything! Still, I get plenty of matches that are thin on lights, and those are great for my 3L. My second build was a hunchback 4sp, but I found I tried to be too much of a brawler in it (with an XL engine.. doh) and I wasn't doing all that well. Sticking with the raven a bit, learning to hold back (because you're pretty squishy in those), waiting for the enemy to be distracted, etc etc.. really helped me do much better in my HBK-4SP later on.

And another tip.. you can only set your weapon groups in a match (but they persist for that mech model/loadout after that). I also found that when you break a group to move weapons to another group, the groups get messed up. My suggestion is, remove all weapons from all groups (again, only the first time you need to set groups), then set up your groups as you want. EVEN if a weapon is in a group you want from the start (say, that medium laser is in group 1 when you first launch), remove all of them and reset them, otherwise your groups will be messed up for that first match (but fine after). You set groups with the arrow keys and use the right control key to toggle on or off where they two yellow bars cross. But you may well know this already since you've already been playing, just thought I'd toss it out there for people reading before their first match..

Hope that helps, and good hunting!

EDIT: Oh! and after you die in a match, feel free to cycle through other mechs in spectator mode. If someone you're on is afk or disconnected, click on the left or right arrow image on the center left of the screen.. surfing mechs during spectator will let you see how other people run their mechs, let you see loadouts to see if you think they might be effective, and surfing lets you get away from someone that's just hiding or can't hit the broad side of a barn (you'll not learn much from them).

Edited by CmdrPoopyPants, 04 February 2013 - 02:19 PM.

[Demoned]

for your first mech i would and do recommend, the hunchback 4SP very user friendly
and, is still a viable build when run as stock, most pimped 4SP's only really have the
endo steal and double heat sinks upgrade. and pos top engine the 260 standard.
most run the 250std engine.

[Fluffenthumper]

zraven7, on 04 February 2013 - 01:05 PM, said:

The Teamspeak info is on the website, but it's not really a clan. It's a support and social group for people running "Lone Wolf" faction. No leaders, no ranks, just jokes and robo-murder. If you're looking for something more Clan-oriented, there are PLENTY of those, too. Just check under "Outreach" in the forums, and peruse to your liking, or just ask people what Clans they think are worth your time, and watch the fireworks. :-)

I registered on the website, but can't seem to find the TS info. Is it on the forums there? I'll check after I am approved.

[zraven7]

Brian Frazee, on 04 February 2013 - 02:57 PM, said:

I registered on the website, but can't seem to find the TS info. Is it on the forums there? I'll check after I am approved.

On the site's homepage, it's dright below the "patch notes" announcement. Cant remember if you have to be approved to see it or not, but it's there. If you still have trouble finding it, just message me on here, I'll give it to you. You'll be approved pretty quick, don't worry. ;-)

[SixstringSamurai]

Don't ever press alt+f4 no matter what I might say it does.