Mechwarrior Online

[5150]

Yeah, I said that a couple of posts back :  The ECM, when used properly, is an utter game changer.

There's nothing like a whole group of cloaked Atlases suddenly looming out at you.  Scary shit.

And the 'Atlas Online' is only going to get more common once knock down goes back in and lights become alot more vulnerable

At which point they'll have to put repair and rearm back in which was the only thing that stopped 'Atlas Online' during closed beta

Personally, at this point, I welcome the return of both


In other news:
Any stats on the hero commando and can anyone personally comfirm that you only need 3 mechs in the same weight class (no chassis) at Elite to unlock Master?

[Arthur_Parker]

Hero commando looks like it has 4 energy slots.  

Edit, to add.   If you want master module on a Cataphract 3D, you need to buy the 3D plus 2 different Cataphracts and spend mech exp for the 3 mechs to get Basic 8/8 and eilte to 4/4, then you can learn Master for the 3D.

Or you could unlock a single master slot for a different "Heavy" mech as in screenshot and just do 3 Cataphracts to basic 8/8 and your chosen mech to elite 4/4, in below I've unlocked master on 3D but not bothered to fully elite the other two Cataphracts.


 

[Merusk]

They really ARE clueless about ECM aren't they?  The problem is "all of the above."

It weighs little, takes few slots, weighs too little and does too much in a single module.  One ECM unit on a team that sticks together vs. a team without ECM will do well.  Two units letting the ranged stay back and the brawlers engage will wipe the floor.

Public games boil-down to "who has the most ECM."  I haven't been on a team that's won without it yet, and if the other team has 3 units you may as well punch out and queue in a different mech.  The one game I stayed in where the other team had 4 ECM lights was an 8-1 loss.   That's broken game design.

[Arthur_Parker]

Well 4 ECM lights is probably a 4 man group having fun, I've been on pug teams that won without it but the cloak is a major advantage.

[Slayerik]

I'm pretty much a pugger and ECM really doesn't bug me either way. Most teams have at least one a side. I've had a few matches where I notice our lack of ECM, and I really try to instill a plan upon the team. Does it work? Rarely. My standard talk at the start is "Target ECM then hunchies" "Stay together" and "stay in ECM range"

Overall, ECM needs a nerf. Make two ECMS on the same team counter themselves somehow, like lowering the range when two modules on the same team are in disrupt mode. IDK

[Lantyssa]

They need to let Beagle cut through it to an extent.  Maybe not relay coordinates, but keep a lock for the 'mech using it.  Maybe with increased missile lock still.  ECM needs a counter that isn't another and more ECM, especially since lights tend to be zippy and hard enough to focus on.

[5150]

Per the canon, ECM should only be countering Beagle, Artemis (not Streak), Narc & C3 http://www.sarna.net/wiki/ECM_Suite

The main problem is that the mechs all act as if they equipped with C3 and they are going to have a problem when they get around to adding C3 (unless they invent new a new ability which will probably cause more issues)

-fake edit-

Actually taking out the shared targeting info (unless you have a C3 network) might actually reduce the problem since ECM would then 'work as intended', the flip side is all the players that have grown used to shared targeting info. Beagle and C3 then become a powerful pair on a scout.

As an aside, Beagle needs to be made more useful [if ECM stays as is] because I personally don't find the slightly extended sensor range compelling in the current ECM climate but Beagle countering ECM is against canon (yeah I know)

[Lantyssa]

It is against cannon, but some of ECM is in spirit, if not function.  Beagle should be more than worthless.  They need to find a balance, and helping counteract ECM while not providing teammates a benefit would be a good start for a compromise.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, I said that a couple of posts back :  The ECM, when used properly, is an utter game changer.

There's nothing like a whole group of cloaked Atlases suddenly looming out at you.  Scary shit.

I can safely say: FUCK ECM RIGHT IN ITS EARHOLE.

I fucking hate ECM. Since it's only on certain mechs, in PUG games you can expect 3-5 ECM enabled mechs to be out there. And the fucking mech purchase screen doesn't even tell you in most cases whether or not a chassis can support or has ECM. It also is WAY too fucking powerful. It essentially makes long-distance fights obsolete. It forces you to close. From optimum range for my Catapult with 3 LRG Lasers (about 270M) I can see the target, but since I can't target it, I can't tell what parts have been damaged to see where I should be focusing my shots. He gets out of my visual range and he's GONE. I fucking hate their implementation of ECM.

[Falconeer]

Double XP Weekend.

Join Us This Weekend For Double XP!!
US: This weekend we’re offering DOUBLE XP for all matches! Join the mayhem and maximise your XP from Jan 18th 10am PST until Jan 21st 10am PST.
 
YOU: Really?
 
US: That’s right, every match you play will reward you with TWICE what you’d normally earn – and that’s on top of any Premium Time bonus you already get. Use a Hero Mech to stack your XP even higher, plus Founder’s get ANOTHER boost on top! Here’s a handy-dandy graphic to highlight how to maximise your XP, starting Jan 18th 10am.

YOU: What does all that mean, though? XP for what?
 
US: I’m glad you asked!
XP is earned each game you complete for performing different actions in your Mech. These can be everything from spotting an enemy Mech for your team, to shooting off an enemy’s arm, to winning a match. These experience points are added to the Mech you used that game. In your Pilot Lab, you can spend these XP points to get upgrades like quicker turning, better acceleration or faster cooling! Once you’ve unlocked the eight Basic skills for three different variants of the same Mech, you can unlock Master skills which offer bonuses like quicker power up and down time and even faster max speed!

Also more info on the Hero Commando.

A New Hero Mech Approaches...
Next Tuesday we welcome our newest Hero Mech entry, The Death’s Knell! A new addition to the MechWarrior universe, this Commando clocks in at 113 KM/H and packs 176 points of armour, 30% C-Bill bonus and four medium lasers – two in each arm! This tiny Mech has a surprisingly big punch and with its speed and maneuverability will truly BE the Death’s knell to your opponents! So now that we know all that, let’s learn a little more about its original pilot, and where exactly this Mech started out:
 
Captain Bono Duganmare
Commander of a company of the 22nd Skye Rangers, Duganmare has the unenviable task of training inexperienced warriors. Quiet yet demanding in his silver Commando, The Death's Knell, the captain moves about the training field, cajoling his men to work harder. If that approach does not produce results, he resorts to a trainee 'Mech's backside instead.
 
Though concerned about his men's welfare in battle, Duganmare knows enough to let them do their jobs with great tactical expertise. Not a flashy hero with many kills to his name, he nevertheless has earned the respect of both his men and of his superiors, who treat him like a valuable resource. Some recent rumors suggest that he will head up the first Commonwealth Military Academy on Tharkad.

[Merusk]

I continue to be nonplussed that you can't spend XP without owning the damn chassis.  (Or at least my interface won't let me.)  I don't WANT another Atlas, but I'd like something to spend its XP on.  Converting it to general Xp is nearly pointless as I'm almost maxed on all the mechs I own.

[Segoris]

Double XP Weekend.

Use a Hero Mech to stack your XP even higher, plus Founder’s get ANOTHER boost on top! Here’s a handy-dandy graphic to highlight how to maximise your XP, starting Jan 18th 10am.

 


What a crappy commando though. Sad, actually, as I really do like the look of it. There's no point in getting it though as there is nothing it can do better than a raven with it's 4x energy hardpoints and lower tonnage.

[apocrypha]

So, now had 10+ games in a row that have been 8-0, 8-1, 8-2 losses. Newbie cash bonus has run out and I'm getting under 100k per game.

I try to stick with other people but the teams just scatter every single time and get taken apart one at a time by the enemy team, who always stay in a group. I don't understand, how is it possible to get put against organised teams every single time?

Not finding it fun unfortunately, I just don't stay alive long enough to actually do any damage to anyone, and at this rate it's going to take me weeks to get a different mech. Back to World of Tanks I think.

[Arthur_Parker]

Interesting, your expectations of cbill reward seem to have been raised due to the cadet bonus.  I'm so used to immediately clicking exit that I don't pay enough attention to the match result screen, but from a recent screenshot I seem to make about 180k from a fairly decent win, with 2-3 kills, but 60k of that is premium bonus.

As for the games themselves, well, trial mechs are terrible, the pug player base is worse.  10 losses at ~100k a match is about a third the price of a non-trial mech that can be customised and upgraded to double heat sinks, endo steel etc.  Which would normally make it so much better than trial mechs, but if you aren't having fun at all, then there's no point.

[5150]

So, now had 10+ games in a row that have been 8-0, 8-1, 8-2 losses. Newbie cash bonus has run out and I'm getting under 100k per game.

I try to stick with other people but the teams just scatter every single time and get taken apart one at a time by the enemy team, who always stay in a group. I don't understand, how is it possible to get put against organised teams every single time?

Not finding it fun unfortunately, I just don't stay alive long enough to actually do any damage to anyone, and at this rate it's going to take me weeks to get a different mech. Back to World of Tanks I think.

Unfortunately this I believe is intended to drive sales of premium time and hero mechs......

[ezrast]

If you're interested in playing with people, friend the people on the list from a couple pages back and let someone experienced boss you around. If you're not, I don't think there's any way the slog to a decent mech is worth it solo unless you're incredibly lucky and find something you like before running out of starter cash.

[Arthur_Parker]

From the cadet bonus update.

We’ve added a new scaling reward bonus for the first 25 matches played. This new C-Bill reward system helps ease players into the game, allowing them to quickly buy their first BattleMech within 4-5 matches, regardless of match outcomes.

Light 4-5 matches
Medium 6-10 matches
Heavy 11-15 matches
Assault 16-25 matches

An average match takes 6 minutes.

By match 25 players can earn a minimum of 8.6 Million CB.

You can have more than one account and each separate account gets the cadet bonus, so if you didn't like what you spent your cbills on....

In my opinion with your starter cash you should consider :-

A hunchback 4P, 9 small lasers.
A hunchback 4SP, medlium lasers and srm's.

~3.6 million each + 1.5 million for double heat sink upgrade.

Or you could save your cash and go for one of the below

A Raven 3L 5.9 million
An Atlas D-DC 10.5 million

The desired engine for the Raven is an xl295 which costs 4.8 million (you can sell the standard engine at this point for about .5 million), so with double heat sink cost, plus Endo Steel  & Ferro Fibrious amour it's about 11 million for a fully kitted out Raven 3L, currently the best light mech in the game.

The Atlas D-DC is about 12 million, with double heat sinks, (probably not going to use Endo Steel upgrade and certainly won't use Ferro Fibrious), the current best Assault mech.

[Arthur_Parker]

MECHROMANCER: YET ANOTHER MECHLAB TOOL

So there are already a few MechLab tools floating around with various capabilities and features; however, I figured that since I put the work into mine I might as well share it with the community at large and see get a broader feedback base. So I give you...

The Mechromancer: http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/

The interface should be pretty straightforward, but please let me know if you have any problems or suggestions, or find any bugs that I can fix in future revisions.

Thanks, and good hunting!

If you haven't seen this, it's pretty good for planning builds and saving them as links http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/

[Falconeer]

It's by far better than anything PGI has come up with so far. Meh.

[apocrypha]

Well I just snuck a couple of games in at lunchtime and it was much better, actually won a couple of matches and got a kill or two. I'm guessing groups dominate in the evenings, when everyone's home from school/work.

I've got about 8 mil now, and was saving for an Atlas from your list of good 1st mechs from the previous page Arthur :)  Now that the cash flow is lower cos I've exhausted the cadet bonus maybe I'll scale down my aims and go for one of the smaller/cheaper ones.

Ezrast, yeah, I'm definitely interested in grouping, I've added everyone from that list to my friends list, I'll shout if I see anyone online at the same time as me :)

[Arthur_Parker]

If you went for the Hunchback 4P

+ Mech 3.6 million
+ DHS 1.5 million
+ Best engine, standard 260 1.6 million
-600k sell standard engine 200 that comes with it.

Total 6.1 million Cbills

You'd have a decent mech but you'd only have 2 million cbills left, leaving you to play ~ 85 matchs in it to then buy the Atlas D-DC

Or you could play another ~25 games in trials and buy the Atlas D-DC first, it's playable with the default loadout, ac20, 2 mediums, LRM20, SRM6 on single heat sinks as the ranges are different, though you'll appreciate the DHS upgrade when you can afford it.  It comes with a command console in the head that doesn't do anything at the moment which can be sold for 500k to buy the ECM module.

I guess it depends how sick of trial mechs you are.

[Slayerik]

What type of mech do you like best? Big beastly damage dealing and soaking assaults/larges?  Fast annoyingly deadly lights/mediums? All around solid mech, evenly offensive and defensive? Sniper?
 
Beastly has got to be Stalker or Atlas. I only have an Awesome 8Q, so I don't have much experience driving assaults but I have fought enough to know what kills. Recommendations here for stalkers and Atlases seem on the money.

For fast, I can't tell you how impressed I've been with the ECM Cicada, it's costly, though. I haven't played a lot of the lights lately, and the commando with the 3 Streak SRMs can really hold its own out there against other lights (damn streaks). It's cheap for an ECM boat.

For all-around, Centurions are pretty damn solid. I love them because there are times when I take an insane amount of damage, and all arms and side torsos blown away, and I'm still running around with a couple medium lasers fighting things. I really like hunchies too, but they are more offensive and get smoked pretty easily. You need to know when to show up to a fight.

As a long time favorite, for sniping...Gaussapult is still great. Hits hard, and hits far. Up close you are still very dangerous, and it taught me torso twisting to absorb damage (between firing cycles). 4 LL stalker is kind of a sniper...deadly at any range but really far.

For a lot of button spamming fun, 4 ballistic Cataphract is great.

[apocrypha]

Well, I know from WoT that I have very poor restraint. I find it really, really hard to stay back from fights, I'm not a natural camper or sniper, so I reckon I should utilise a bit of self-knowledge and go for something built like a brick shit-house because I'm gonna get in there and try smacking things in the face regardless of what I play 

So, I'm leaning towards Stalker or Atlas. I think I'd prefer fewer different weapon types/groups to give my brain less to  about. I'm just uploading todays work so when that's finished I'll log on and have a browse of the mechlab.

Cheers for all the advice guys, it's much appreciated. 

[Ragnoros]

Random thoughts.

Love my Atlas D-DC. ECM is brokenly useful. However the lack of hardpoints hurts (I want more lasers damnit). But having upgraded to DHS I can now lob LRMs with impunity while cloaking my team, and then unload with Large Lasers and my AC-20 once anyone is dumb enough to pop out of cover. Lately I'm usually in the top 2-3 for damage with 400-600+. If you buy one ask about tactics for success. Playing Rambo is not a valid recommended option.

Don't have a stalker, but having played the trial one a bunch a 3F is probably the next mech on my list. As Falc (or someone) said, 3F is the mandatory frame for the extra torso rotation. The 6 Lasers and 4 Missile slots give you a punch like no other mech in the game.

Bought a Hunchie 4P for the fabled 9 lasers. Frankly, unimpressed. The alpha is nice, but once you press the button twice you are out of the fight with infinity heat. More problematically, you are not tanky at all and usually focused, so I rarely get many PEW's before all my lasers are blown off. I have not upgraded to the big engine, but I am not expecting the difference between 65 and 80km/h to turn my into a lag shielded brawler.

Commando 2D turns out to be great. Thought it sucked til I found the R key   and now I light stuff up with streaks for 200-300dmg a match. Want a bigger engine, but not sure how to fit one, so stuck at 100km/h atm. At 1.7 mil, plus ~600k for ECM and some streaks you get a lot of fun for the money. VS 7mil + for all the other ECM boats.

Now if only this game didn't run like absolute ass I might even throw the devs some money.

[Arthur_Parker]

The larger 260 engine and switching to small lasers with DHS helps a lot with the 4P but it's a different playstyle.  I found I had to hang back a bit, wait till someone is engaged then slip behind them, 9x3 for 27 damage to completely strips all back armour on anything, you don't really want to be facing them.

I must admit I'm not a great fan of mediums in general but thought the 4P was one of the best.  As Slayerik said Centurions last longer due to the thin torso, I often leg them at that point, but I think their arms come off too easy and something about them doesn't click for me.

[Segoris]

MECHROMANCER: YET ANOTHER MECHLAB TOOL

So there are already a few MechLab tools floating around with various capabilities and features; however, I figured that since I put the work into mine I might as well share it with the community at large and see get a broader feedback base. So I give you...

The Mechromancer: http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/

The interface should be pretty straightforward, but please let me know if you have any problems or suggestions, or find any bugs that I can fix in future revisions.

Thanks, and good hunting!

If you haven't seen this, it's pretty good for planning builds and saving them as links http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/

That thing is slick

For Apoc - look up people on the f13 list, ask Slayerik for Mumble, and look up the TS3 channel I've linked numerous times - it's worth it and speeds up your cbill income by quite a bit while making the game more fun

[Segoris]

Double XP weekend is good (not even my best match, but fuck that xp is nice on a fresh stalker)

[apocrypha]

Grouped briefly up with Lantyssa and someone else last night, fun was had, mechs were exploded. I actually did over 400 damage in one match, in my trial Stalker! Think that was the best I've ever done :)

Don't know if anyone else has posted this but here's another online mechlab tool - http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab - not as good as the lowtax one but it does give a Cbill cost for mechs.

Segoris, cheers, I've just found those TS3 details, and Slayerik has promised me the mumble details when he gets back from work :)


Edit: Got my first mech! I went for a Stalker 3F and did the Samprimary 4 LLas thing. Didn't think I'd have enough cash to fit it out but selling the things it came with that I didn't want gave me enough. Soooo much nicer than the trial Stalker!

[Samprimary]

I don't care



(I didn't care)

http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/?mech=STK-5M&name=unnamed&build=CBA,2,12,7EC,0,0,0,0,0,38,407,3E9,3E9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,3A,E,407,407,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,57,15,3E9,0,0,0,0,0,3A,E,407,BB9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,38,407,3E9,3E9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,38,7EC,7EC,3A,7EC,7EC,0,0,1,0

This is my new BFF and I <3 it but it is so much higher skill cap than the 4LLAS, both in terms of positioning as well as heat management as well as SRM target leading. You will always be direly tempted to get yourself in over your head and you will constantly overheat yourself until you really learn fire control but, well.

In a few games I was being backed up by apocrypha in the 4LLAS!

[apocrypha]

In a few games I was being backed up by apocrypha in the 4LLAS!

By "backed up" he means "was 500m away from, as he tried to catch up and land a few hits before everything died" 

Srsly though, loving the 4LLAS, and grouping up makes this a completely different game.

[Arthur_Parker]

http://mechromancer.wordoflowtax.com/?mech=STK-5M&name=unnamed&build=CBA,2,12,7EC,0,0,0,0,0,38,407,3E9,3E9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,3A,E,407,407,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,57,15,3E9,0,0,0,0,0,3A,E,407,BB9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,38,407,3E9,3E9,BB9,BB9,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,38,7EC,7EC,3A,7EC,7EC,0,0,1,0

This is my new BFF and I <3 it but it is so much higher skill cap than the 4LLAS, both in terms of positioning as well as heat management as well as SRM target leading. You will always be direly tempted to get yourself in over your head and you will constantly overheat yourself until you really learn fire control but, well.

In a few games I was being backed up by apocrypha in the 4LLAS!

You tried it with Artemis?  This is the 5M I run.

[Falconeer]

And what's the flamer for on that one?

[Lantyssa]

You fire it after demolishing shit, much like smoking a cigarette after sex.

[Arthur_Parker]

And what's the flamer for on that one?

   There's no flamer mounted on either so I don't understand.

[Der Helm]

Srsly though, loving the 4LLAS, and grouping up makes this a completely different game.

The game became REALLY fun once I started using the Comstar relay. (Free to use TS3 lobby)

Linky.

People on there are surprisingly friendly and sometimes surprisingly capable.

I'd love to see something like this for LoL. The raging would be hilarious.