Mechwarrior Online

[Shannow]

Played for the first time in a cpl of months last night.

Um....meh?

Performance was fairly godawful. The friends screen seems to have gone missing? And I still own in a stock Atlas.

Just not enthused anymore.

[Arthur_Parker]

Friends list has never been wiped so not sure what's up with that, not sure what the limit is but it's not enough, I have to keep deleting people off mine to add more.

[Ironwood]

Social still sucks balls.

Also, I'm finding that whatever graphical changes they put through really, really makes it hard to see.  Motion blur is mental and fucking forget fighting in the snow.  You'd be as well using the SRM on your dick.

[Falconeer]

Under the Camo Spec tab you can now rotate your 'mech in 3D. This is a feature they didn't even mention in the patch notes, while one of the things I was missing the most from Eve/World of Tanks. Yay.

Also, painting your 'mech is quite cool and the patterns, well, some of them are cool.

[angry.bob]

I didn't think the game's performance on my PC could get any worse than having to close out and restart every two matches, but I was wrong. Something that went in now makes me restart every match or I just go to a solid black game screen if I try to join a second match. Sometimes it happens on the first match. The game is pretty, but honestly I'd prefer they just used whatever WoT used. The maps are much bigger and even on the highest settings the performance is great.

I'm also rediscovering what a shitty game system for any sort of competitive play Battletech is.

This game is nowhere near ready to even pretend that I should have to use my actual premium game time.

[Falconeer]

Whoa. Lots of ECM info.

Hi folks!

The upcoming patch on December 4th will see the addition of the Guardian ECM Suite to the game. Because it's a somewhat complicated system, I've put together this post to let you know what to expect.

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: All values given are subject to future tuning and revision.

The Guardian ECM (electronic countermeasure) suite is a piece of equipment that weighs 1.5 tons and occupies 2 critical slots. When it is equipped to your Mech, an entry for it shows up in the weapon groups HUD element that displays the ECM’s range as well as the mode it is currently in.



The ability to equip an ECM suite to a Mech will be limited to specific variants. At first, only the following variants will be ECM capable:
Commando COM-2D
Raven RVN-3L
Jenner JR7-D
Cicada CDA-3M
Atlas AS7-D-DC
As we add new Mechs into the game, some of them will be ECM capable, and we may even go back and reconsider existing Mechs deserving of the capability.




By default, the ECM is in “disrupt” mode. While it is in this mode, it creates a bubble of sorts that scrambles enemy communications and sensor systems. Mechs carrying an ECM in disrupt mode are marked with an ECM icon.




All friendly Mechs (including the one with the ECM) within the range of an ECM in disrupt mode (180 m) are ‘cloaked’ from enemy sensors. Mechs that are hidden in this manner are marked with a symbol that looks like an eye.

When a Mech is hidden by a friendly ECM:
Enemy Mechs will have to come within 1/4 the normal distance (200 m instead of 800 m, by default) for hidden Mechs to show up on their battlegrid and HUD.
The Beagle Active Probe is of no use in extending this range.
It takes twice as long to achieve a missile lock against a hidden Mech.
Narc beacons will stick to hidden Mechs, but they won’t provide their normal bonuses until the Mech leaves the ECM’s range.
Artemis IV does not provide any bonuses against hidden Mechs.





When you enter the range of an enemy ECM in disrupt mode, your Mech will be cut off from communications with your teammates and some of your targeting equipment will cease to function. Mechs that are within the field of a hostile ECM are marked with a symbol that looks like low signal bars.

When your Mech is disrupted by an enemy ECM:
You will not know where your teammates are, and they won’t know where you are, unless you have direct line of sight to each other.
You cannot share any targeting data with the rest of your team, and vice versa.
Your Beagle Active Probe ceases to function.
You cannot achieve any missile locks.
Your TAG laser can still fire but provides no bonuses.
Your battlegrid and targeting information will flicker.





Between the ECM’s 180 m range, and the 200 m range for detecting Mechs hidden by ECM, there’s a 20 m radius band where you can detect a hidden Mech, target it, and get a missile lock and/or share the targeting with your teammates.

If you are not being disrupted by an enemy ECM, any hidden Mech on the other team that you hit with a TAG laser will be revealed as if it wasn’t being hidden. This allows you and your teammates to target and lock on it for as long as you can keep the TAG beam trained on it.

If you press the button to toggle the mode of your ECM (‘J’ by default), you can switch from “disrupt” mode to “counter” mode and back again.



Counter mode provides none of the benefits of disrupt mode. What it does do is counter enemy ECMs that are in disrupt mode.

Your ECM in counter mode will:
Cancel the effect of one enemy ECM on Mechs (friendly or enemy) within range of your ECM (180 m)
However, two enemy ECMs affecting the Mech would require two counter ECMs, three would require three, etc.
Completely cancel all effects of an ECM in disrupt mode equipped on an enemy Mech that is within range (180 m)
Mechs countered in such a way have their ECM symbol replaced with a crossed out version.
You can only counter one enemy ECM in this manner.
I.e. If there are two enemy Mechs with disrupt mode ECMs in range, one will be countered while the other will function normally. But two counter ECMs will counter two disrupt ECMs, etc.





Coming into the game at the same time as ECM is your Mech’s status bar. This is a series of icons on the right hand side of your HUD that denote various effects your Mech is experiencing. Currently you’ll see if your Mech is being hidden by a friendly ECM (including your own), if your communications are disrupted by an enemy ECM, and if your ECM is being countered by an enemy. In the future, more status indicators will be added to this area.

[Arthur_Parker]

As if the Jenner D wasn't the best Jenner/Light already.  Atlas D & RS are going to be a lot less common, K was fairly bad anyway.

[Ironwood]

Holy Balls, that's a lot of information.

[satael]

Too bad the founder atlas has only 1 slot open in the head and so you can't equip emc there 

[Arthur_Parker]

Every mech has only one open slot in the head, the DC just comes with a command console which doesn't do anything yet.  You need one of the listed mechs to use ECM, it can fit anywhere with 2 slots free I think.

[satael]

Every mech has only one open slot in the head, the DC just comes with a command console which doesn't do anything yet.  You need one of the listed mechs to use ECM, it can fit anywhere with 2 slots free I think.

My mistake, thought it was for head slot since it's the only place where it showed as an option for my founder atlas.

[Merusk]

It probably works like the other upgrades in that it'll jump to whatever empty slots you have if you want to slot something there.   I certainly hope it doesn't slot like a weapon.. urg.

[Arthur_Parker]

Every mech has only one open slot in the head, the DC just comes with a command console which doesn't do anything yet.  You need one of the listed mechs to use ECM, it can fit anywhere with 2 slots free I think.

My mistake, thought it was for head slot since it's the only place where it showed as an option for my founder atlas.

Oh right that makes sense, they just add stuff to the lab before it's ready sometimes to check it equips, I'd expect the finished version to be as they detailed.

[Lantyssa]

I wish this was on more Commando models.  They don't have anything else going for them, and it'll handily replace the AMS I always stick on them.

[Kitsune]

It's pretty flatly stupid that it's not on every Raven, given that the mech was designed specifically for ECM purposes.

[Arthur_Parker]

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/78080-guardian-ecm-suite/

After some discussion within the dev team, we have decided to remove the ECM capability from the Jenner JR7-D. The first post will be edited to reflect this.

We would also like to remind people that the ECM is not all powerful. The rock to its scissors is the TAG laser. If you use it to hit anyone cloaked by an ECM, you and your team will be able to target them. Like any new addition to the game, this just requires a shift in thinking how to equip your Mech and/or team.

Well didn't take them long to figure it out this time.

[Falconeer]

I don't get it. Since I can't target a ECMed 'mech from more than 200m and I can't signal its position from less than 180 because I'm being disrupted, isn't the rock that the TAG laser is supposed to be kind of ridiculous considering that it would only work in that "more than 180 but less than 200m" range?

I am sure I am missing something. But seems to me that the only rock to its scissors is another ECM.

[calapine]

Good they re-thought ECM on Jenners. It's not like that model needs a buff.

[Segoris]

I don't get it. Since I can't target a ECMed 'mech from more than 200m and I can't signal its position from less than 180 because I'm being disrupted, isn't the rock that the TAG laser is supposed to be kind of ridiculous considering that it would only work in that "more than 180 but less than 200m" range?

I am sure I am missing something. But seems to me that the only rock to its scissors is another ECM.

I didn't think that TAG requires a lock. However, SSRM does require a lock and has to be within those 20m. It does require Missile Boats to be on teams with ECM members as a counter (considering boats already need some sort of support, this is a bit much imo), shuts down BAP, C3, and NARC systems

This system truly is too powerful. Don't let ECM effect Artemis and increase that 20m buffer to 50m or 75m and I might start thinking it's a good idea.

Edit: added more of the things ECM fucks with

[Lantyssa]

ECM is powerful.  If it's restricted to a few light 'mechs, I think that's a good thing though.  It gives those models a function.

[Ironwood]

haha, wait, does this mean an ECM attached mech will totally own those fucking stupid SSRM boats ?

That's awesome.

[Falconeer]

If I got it right, yes unless the stupid Streak boat has an ECM set on "Counter" itself. In that case, it's like no one has ECM, so back to square one.

[Merusk]

That's how I read it too, yes.

Thankfully the streak boats can't run ECM so it would need to be a duo lance at least, which means you'd be fucked in a PUG anyway.

[Arthur_Parker]

When/If the game is in a better state you should get organised with teampspeak/whatever, I'd guess there would be enough interest to form a merc company just from f13.

[Merusk]

The issue with F13 teams has *always* been timezones and play schedules.

For example, in WOT I see Abo and Way on my friends list only rarely and even then it's usually only on the weekends because I'm 3 hours ahead of them.  If I'm on at 9pm they're getting home from the office at 6 (ha who gets off that early?) and I'm headed to bed at 11 as they're getting online at 8. 

[calapine]

I can recommend these TS servers.

Even if alone, just sign up and sit in "Looking for Group". Pretty soon someone will come and ask "Need one more in Dropship XY". Good way to meet players & a lot better than pugg-ing it all solo.

Comstar Relay North America (Comstar NA)

Available Slots: 512 Man TS3 server
Address: na1.mech-connect.net
Password: WordofBlake


Comstar Relay Europe (Comstar EU)

Available Slots: 512 Man TS3 server
Address: eu1.mech-connect.net
Password: hG5!4Dg*

[Ironwood]

The issue with F13 teams has *always* been timezones and play schedules.

This.

[eldaec]

The issue with F13 teams has *always* been timezones and play schedules.

For example, in WOT I see Abo and Way on my friends list only rarely and even then it's usually only on the weekends because I'm 3 hours ahead of them.  If I'm on at 9pm they're getting home from the office at 6 (ha who gets off that early?) and I'm headed to bed at 11 as they're getting online at 8. 

Heh, and this is someone bitching about differences within the US.

Come play blood bowl and watch us try to work out a league schedule covering locations including but not limited to North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

[Strazos]

Come play blood bowl and watch us try to work out a league schedule covering locations including but not limited to North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

FIFY 

[Arthur_Parker]

Well that's a pity, it's a lot more fun in a large group.

[Lantyssa]

Please tell me that was a shop.

[Sheepherder]

$10 says Goons.

[Ironwood]

Very giggly.

[Strazos]

So, what's the secret to this thing? I jump in with the freebie mechs, appear to shoot things, and...nothing. I then die very quickly.

Do the newb mechs do lessened damage to something? And have shitty heat sinks? With crap armor? Last match I was in I lit a guy up at close range with some large lasers and even PPCs...and then at the end of the match (they quickly capped our base) I did less than 40 damage...

[Arthur_Parker]

So, what's the secret to this thing? I jump in with the freebie mechs, appear to shoot things, and...nothing. I then die very quickly.

Do the newb mechs do lessened damage to something? And have shitty heat sinks? With crap armor? Last match I was in I lit a guy up at close range with some large lasers and even PPCs...and then at the end of the match (they quickly capped our base) I did less than 40 damage...

We played trial mechs for a good couple of hours the other night.

I had a very low opinion of them before doing it but was actually surprised by just how unfun and terrible they are, they all run far far too hot, too many weapons not anywhere near enough heat sinks for combat.

Also ppcs have a minimum range and only do about 1 point of damage at less than 90m.

Please tell me that was a shop.

Video of the terrible trial mechs.