Forum: Games
Topic: Mechwarrior Online
started by: Stranger

Posted by Stranger on May 10 2013,08:38
< http://mwomercs.com/ >

Oh wow, this could be a fun game.  I downloaded yesterday and played around a little bit.  i love Mech games but rarely are they the slower moving, tactical shooter like this one. So if your a fan of that quick twitch shooters and running around then this might not be for you.  I fell in love with an Xbox game called Chromehounds some years ago, and it is much like this game.

First off, its free to play so it has that going for it (or not).  And right now its in beta and should be live by the end of the summer the developer claims.  Its an 8v8, PvP, FPS and it looks beautiful!  They are going to expand to 12v12 very soon which will make for good full on battles.  The maps are various and they are coming out with many more all the time.  

The Mechs are of all types from smaller quick scout-like pee-shooters to huge lumbering armored powerhouses.  Just like League of Legends there are four free to use Mechs all the time and many others that you can buy or customize to your liking by putting your own weapons and such on.  You earn credits after every battle and can use those to purchase other mechs or parts of your choice.

Obviously becase its free to play there are microtransactions that can be done.  So you can spend real world money to fast track your mech builds but i've read many peoples comments in their forums claiming they haven't spent any money on the game and feel good about their chances.

Now because its still in beta the developers are still trying to work out a good matchmaking system.  They don't have ELO equivillent so a complete noob could be teamed up or go against someone thats been playing for a while now.

So if anyone is interested in playing this lemme know.  It could be a good game to watch for as they keep adding content all the time.

Posted by Leisher on May 10 2013,10:59
Between League of Legends, my Steam list of games, and real life I don't see how I could add another game, free or not.

If you start playing this does that mean you'll be down to one night a week for LoL?  :D

Posted by Stranger on May 10 2013,12:16
i agree, i don't have much time for extra games right now.  But it could be something we might look at in the future.  And the fact that the team sizes are bigger then maybe we could get some other people on here to join in.  Just a thought.
Posted by Cakedaddy on May 10 2013,18:31
Ya, since filling a 5 man team has been so easy, we should definitely expand to 12!
Posted by TPRJones on May 10 2013,21:10
Could be a way to pick up extra random people and vet them for moving to LOL.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 21 2014,11:39
This game isn't on Steam by the way.  So here is the link again for those interested

< http://mwomercs.com/ >

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,00:25
Bought a mech.  WOOT!  I went with a medium.  It's pretty weak though.  Way weaker than the free ones you can use.  But, I read somewhere that you don't get some XP when using free ones.  So, we'll see.

Upgrade options are confusing.

You have hardpoints, slots and weight to worry about.  That I have noticed so far.  Out of the box, my mech is at it's max in weight.  So I can't add anything to it.  The first upgrade that I noticed was upgrading it's armor.  The upgraded armor is lighter, so, I can equip more of it increasing my armor.  Or, I can add more weaons, etc.  I haven't started upgrading him yet.

I went with the medium because I found that it can be just as fast as a light, but bring a little more damage and armor.  But it's acceleration suffers and it doesn't come standard with jump jets.  Might not be able to wear them at all.  But if the assault mech can, I don't see why this one can't.  My plan with it is to keep the speed up there, add more firepower, lower my armor to make room for more weapons.

The game is fun and would be PERFECT for joystick play.  However, you'd be as competitive in this game with a joystick as someone playing Counter Strike with a game controller.  So that sucks.  Would be cool if they could have some 'joy stick only' servers/games.

On their website, they have a Training Grounds tab and in there are some 5 minute tutorial videos.  Watch them.  It will help you decide what mech you want, what weapons, etc.

Lastly, we are making a TON of extra CB as new players.  If you look at the end game totals for rewards, game play equals about 60k, cadet bonus, 325k.  We need to figure out how to extend our cadet status as long as possible.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,00:30
Lastly, no matter what you are driving, keep moving and use cover.  Even the biggest assaults can be taken down by scouts running circles around it.  It can't turn its torso fast enough to target the fast bot.  A couple of them crisscrossing ensures a kill.  Reverse side, don't leave your assaults alone.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 22 2014,05:18
Just curious, what medium did you get? i'm on the fence of buying a heavier medium or a lighter heavy right now.

I'm in the process of tracking down some useful sights for info on the game.  I'll post links as i find them.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 22 2014,06:09
< https://www.dropbox.com/s.....2e.pdf >

This is a good beginners guide that will give you some general knowledge of the game.  It is a little dated so some of the info might be incorrect, but for the most part is still relevant to what you should know.  The link will need to be downloaded.

< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ >

This is a sight that will give detailed info on all the Mechs and a Mechlab where you can experiment with builds.  i don't quite get all the info on here right now, but eventually we will know and it will become more useful i'm sure.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,06:28
I bought the lightest medium (and cheapest).  To keep the speed of a scout, I needed to stay at 30 tons.  They had some upgraded models, but I didn't like the weapons they came with.  So I just bought the most stripped down version.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 22 2014,06:32
so one of the Cicada 40 ton variants i take it?
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,06:35
Ya, that sounds right.  30, 40, whatever it takes.
Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 22 2014,06:56
I played this for a few days when it first came out.  

I was pretty awful.  I remember my kill death ratio over two days of play was close to 2 kills to 200 deaths, IIRC.

I'm pretty sure this was the game where I accidently killed twice as many of my own team as of the enemy.  It's friendly-fire enabled, right?

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,07:14
Yes, FF is on.  Why would you think you were supposed to shoot the green/blue guys, instead of the red ones?!  Especially when you start the game standing right next to the green/blue guys.

"Damn it!!  They spawned me right in the middle of the enemy team again!!"

And for you to score a kill in this game, you have to send some pretty concentrated fire at the target.  So, you wouldn't have just 'winged' an ally and accidentally kill him.  You would have had to lock on to them and relentlessly lay into them!

Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 22 2014,07:18
TPR Shooting algorithm:
* Is it near me?
-> Yes Shoot
-> No, get closer
* Repeat

Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 22 2014,08:15
Close.  It's more like:

* Is it near me?
-> Yes Shoot
-> No, shoot anyway, miss, hit teammate instead
* Repeat

Planetside 2 I'm having a hard time with friend or foe identification, but I didn't have that problem in MWO.  I just am a very very bad shot and kept hitting teammates instead of the enemy on accident.

QUOTE
And for you to score a kill in this game, you have to send some pretty concentrated fire at the target.  So, you wouldn't have just 'winged' an ally and accidentally kill him.  You would have had to lock on to them and relentlessly lay into them!
Yeah, it would be more accurate to say I helped the enemy finish off more teammates than I actually killed of the enemy.



Posted by Troy on Jan. 22 2014,08:17
Ok I played all of these as a kid and would love to play when the Rust wears off.
Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 22 2014,08:22
Well, don't hope for more of the same of what you were used to, Troy.  MWO is okay, but it's very much different from the old games.  At least when I tried it, it was a much simplified game.  More Mech Warrior Lite.

"Senator, I served in Mech Warrior 4. I knew Mech Warrior 4. Mech Warrior 4 was a favorite of mine. Senator, MWO is no Mech Warrior 4."

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 22 2014,13:33
So far i'm seeing that after you buy your Mech the first upgrades are just about always Endosteel structure and Double Heatsinks.  Every build and all mechs will benefit from these upgrades.  

The Ferro-Fibrous armor upgrades are only good on light mechs and some mediums cause they are in need of the extra weight for other things.  Just about all others don't need the FF upgrade because the space they take up is to valuable.



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 22 2014,13:58
Just got my first kill!!

Also got 5 assists and was alive at the end of the game. First time ever!

You get a LOT more GXP for that...

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 22 2014,16:27
I'll look for the endosteel stuff.  I just know that when I go to customize it, everything is red (indicating that I can't install it) until I take armor off, or until I select the FF upgrade.  Then I get all kinds of green.  So, I gotta do something to lighten my current equipment.
Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 22 2014,18:29
Downloaded the 60MB install file.

"Huh, that's tiny."

Then it downloads the 3,777MB "patch" file.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2014,12:01
This game continues to be fun.

I had a 3 kill game last night that did not involve any kill stealing whatsoever.

I'll be on tonight.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2014,12:23
Ya.  I'm not sure why none of my rounds were doing any damage to any one.  I'm going to need to find out how to report bugs.

Bad things about the game:
1. No way to report assholes.  Luckily, there are very few assholes.  However, as soon as I pointed that out last night, I got TKed in spawn at the beginning of the game.
2. No way to reconnect if you get disconnected.  You can't start a new match (with that mech) because it's already in a fight. . . but you can't rejoin the fight.  Posts as far back as 2010 had it "on the list of things to do" but it's still not there.  HUGE oversight.  Kind of makes you wonder where the priority is.

Good things:
1. Good community.  Most games ever, with FF on, where people are killing teammates.
2. No trash talk.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2014,14:03
Thinking of becoming a sniper.  I like hitting and running, but I don't bring any pain to the fight.  I like flanking and spotting.  Just did that this game and got a few spotting assists.  Came up behind about 9 enemy heavy/assaults and would target them for our long range people.  I didn't fire any shots because spotting for missiles meant more damage than my 4 medium lasers.  

So I'm thinking of mounting 2 large lasers, that have longer range and do some damage.  I can fire a few bursts and then run away while under fire.  Would have worked well this last game when I was being chased by 5 enemies (there was one other ally alive doing the same thing).  It's just that I have to get so close for my mediums to do full damage, letting them get their much heavier hitting weapons hit me.  We killed a couple of them before I died.  And then he died.  But when we were both alive, the enemy couldn't keep up with us and couldn't focus either of us.

Anyway, that's my thought right now.  I'm not good enough to circle a heavy and shoot them in the back at close range while they are trying to turn to catch me.  So I think fewer shots, from a distance, that hurt a little more, is better for me.

So, I'm saving up for XL engine (I know I'm more vulnerable, but, I plan on shooting and running and not getting hit!) and mounting a couple large lasers.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2014,15:07
Not in cadet mode any more.  Money comes in slllllloooooowwwwwwww.  Too slow.  About 50k per game.  When I need to save up 5 million just for an engine.  That's slow.  I have to grind in a mech, I don't like, to one day, months down the road, play one that I do.

Pilot points.  You spend them to improve how well you pilot a mech.  There are three levels in upgrades.  You have to max out the first level, on three different chassis of a specific mech to get to level 2.  So, I have to buy two other mechs, of the same type, and grind with them to get to level 2 pilot options.  That's millions more money, on sub par bots, to get to level 2 upgrades.  No idea what it takes to get to level 3.  And that one mech, in one category.  So much for owning multiple mech types any time soon.

You are pretty much married to one mech for a looooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg time.  Sure, you can play the free bots for some variety.  But you don't earn pilot XP in those.  So you aren't upgrading pilot stats with free mech games.  By the time I get this bot to where I want it, I'll be so sick of that bot and the game that I won't even want to play it any more!  Money is way too slow.  Way.



Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2014,15:40

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 23 2014,18:07)
QUOTE
Not in cadet mode any more.  Money comes in slllllloooooowwwwwwww.  Too slow.  About 50k per game.  When I need to save up 5 million just for an engine.  That's slow.  I have to grind in a mech, I don't like, to one day, months down the road, play one that I do.

It's almost like they expect you to throw real cash at the game to hurry things along.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2014,16:15
Cash only buys me a mech.  It doesn't buy me any equipment or pilot upgrades.  You can't pay to win.

Trying to grind out to improve my mech is really making me not like the game.  After 2 hours of playing, I have shit for money still.  I guess the key to having run with this game is not owning your own mech, but just playing with the beefed up free ones and killing shit.  No pride in ownership, or playing how you want.  Just play the free shit for a couple of years, THEN spend your c-bills on stuff you want to play and unlock the pilot upgrades.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2014,18:07
It is not my intention to slam a game everyone enjoys.  It is perfectly fine for a free game.  But, I am forced to defend some comments I made, so here's an actual objective list of shit I dont like about it.

++++++

Cake mentioned I was complaining a lot about the game.  Accurate, yet not.

I was complaining about the shitty coding and unpolished interface.  I mentioned already that I already know how to play Mechwarrior.... I have shitloads of hours on it back in the day, and nothing has really changed in this game except it's much more simplistic for today's idiot gamers in their 20's.

But here is a list, in no particular order, about what I, as a programmer/analyst, see as being shitty about this game:

- When I put it in my Steam list, does not correctly recognize I am in a game due to the unorthodox way the game launches.
- The only way to get through the opening splash screens after the game launches is to hit the space bar, and hitting the space bar to bypass the last splash screen actually puts a "space" for the first character of the password.  It's a little thing, but an example of the lack of polish.
- As Cake likes to point out, press "Not Ready" to show everyone you are ready.  He is right to mock that.
- The game always launches for me in 3rd person.  I should be able to change that.
- When I was first learning how to switch between 3rd person and 1st, I was kicking ass in a match.  Finally learned what key to hit to change perspective.  The transition between perspectives was so slow and stupid that I actually got targeted and killed for the first time before the transition finished.
- Cake mentioned not being able to get back in after glitch/disconnect.
- Also mentioned how hard they made it to advance without committing a lot of time to the game.
- Is there any way to report friendly fire griefers?  "The matches go quick" isn't really a reason to blow that off.  It should be instantly bannable in a FF game, because 9 minutes later, in the next match, he'll just fuck up an entirely different match.
- Why can't I use my second monitor to show the overall map?  SupCom had that ability 5 years ago.  The map is available in-game, so it isn't like they don't want me to see it.  Just shitty design.

There were a couple other points of design shittiness I noticed while playing last night, but I wasn't taking notes at the time like I was their fucking beta tester.

This game is exactly the same as World of Tanks which I tried to get everyone to play a year or two ago when I had a bunch of (WOT-equivalent) RP that I got with the purchase of a video card.  That game is better looking, perfectly polished, free, and is actually < successful because of it. >  I got tired of it because like this game, it was full of the pros and kind of hard to be successful in the midst of them.

Again, not slamming anyone who enjoys it, just defending myself against yet another round of personal attacks.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 23 2014,19:47

(GORDON @ Jan. 23 2014,21:07)
QUOTE
- The game always launches for me in 3rd person.  I should be able to change that.

from main menu:

Menu>Options>under game settings deselect the box that says "start in third person"

Fixed.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2014,20:09
Word.  Never saw that setting.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2014,20:52
I mentioned it when I told you about 3/1 person.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2014,20:58
Yeah right, trying to horn in on Stranger's knowledge.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 24 2014,00:06
Also, most online games have multiple parts.  Even LoL has two executables running while you are playing.  Associate MWOClient with Steam and I bet it shows you logged in while you are playing.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 24 2014,06:10
Yeah I have to do that with every game I launch through Steam.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 24 2014,06:17
I will be on tonight.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 24 2014,09:17

(GORDON @ Jan. 23 2014,21:07)
QUOTE
It is not my intention to slam a game everyone enjoys.  It is perfectly fine for a free game.  But, I am forced to defend some comments I made, so here's an actual objective list of shit I dont like about it.

++++++

Cake mentioned I was complaining a lot about the game.  Accurate, yet not.

I was complaining about the shitty coding and unpolished interface.  I mentioned already that I already know how to play Mechwarrior.... I have shitloads of hours on it back in the day, and nothing has really changed in this game except it's much more simplistic for today's idiot gamers in their 20's.

But here is a list, in no particular order, about what I, as a programmer/analyst, see as being shitty about this game:

- When I put it in my Steam list, does not correctly recognize I am in a game due to the unorthodox way the game launches.
- The only way to get through the opening splash screens after the game launches is to hit the space bar, and hitting the space bar to bypass the last splash screen actually puts a "space" for the first character of the password.  It's a little thing, but an example of the lack of polish.
- As Cake likes to point out, press "Not Ready" to show everyone you are ready.  He is right to mock that.
- The game always launches for me in 3rd person.  I should be able to change that.
- When I was first learning how to switch between 3rd person and 1st, I was kicking ass in a match.  Finally learned what key to hit to change perspective.  The transition between perspectives was so slow and stupid that I actually got targeted and killed for the first time before the transition finished.
- Cake mentioned not being able to get back in after glitch/disconnect.
- Also mentioned how hard they made it to advance without committing a lot of time to the game.
- Is there any way to report friendly fire griefers?  "The matches go quick" isn't really a reason to blow that off.  It should be instantly bannable in a FF game, because 9 minutes later, in the next match, he'll just fuck up an entirely different match.
- Why can't I use my second monitor to show the overall map?  SupCom had that ability 5 years ago.  The map is available in-game, so it isn't like they don't want me to see it.  Just shitty design.

There were a couple other points of design shittiness I noticed while playing last night, but I wasn't taking notes at the time like I was their fucking beta tester.

This game is exactly the same as World of Tanks which I tried to get everyone to play a year or two ago when I had a bunch of (WOT-equivalent) RP that I got with the purchase of a video card.  That game is better looking, perfectly polished, free, and is actually < successful because of it. >  I got tired of it because like this game, it was full of the pros and kind of hard to be successful in the midst of them.

Again, not slamming anyone who enjoys it, just defending myself against yet another round of personal attacks.

Hey Gordo, at least all of your complaints are about everything else about the game but the actual gameplay.  All of that other stuff (to me at least) has no affect on how the game is when im actually playing it.  I feel like the strategy and the play of this mech game plays really well.

I've personally never had any reason to report anybody so far.  And i have never seen another teammate get blown up before a match like Cake did.  He must have been annoying the dude with his little mech or something, who knows. So yeah, you can't report anyone as of yet but that doesn't matter to me. Hell i can report all i want in LOL and who knows what happens to that guy afterward.  The asshole has already gotten under my skin and the damage is done.  At least in this game i haven't really seen or had any problems with it in the first place and thats what really matters. Fact is, i see many more trolls and assholes in LOL than i do in this game.

The one problem that i can agree with is the c-bill issue.  Yeah, after your cadet bonus is up you earn c-bills at a much slower pace.  But when i think about it and compare it to LOL its really not much different.  Lets say in a game of LOL you might average about 70-100 IP per match roughly.  agreed? thats not counting the first win of the day bonus.  But for this argument lets say you average 100 IP per game.  If you wanna buy that new champ that costs 6,300 IP you would have to play 63 games to get enough to buy that champ.  And each match last at least 30 mins but usually are longer.  Thats a pretty good time sync.

Now in Mechwarrior i usually earn 30,000 c-bills for a bad game that i lose and have earned 100,000 for a good winning game with mostly just assists.  So lets say i'm averaging 50,000 c-bills a game.  It would take me 20 games to get 1,000,000 c-bills. So in 60 games i should be able to get 3,000,000 c-bills and these games are much shorter, 15 mins at the most.  3,000,000 c-bills will almost get you any smaller to medium mech.  And put it this way,  as you get better and deal more damage (cause you get c-bills based on how much damage you deal) and get more kills/assists your avg. c-bills per game should improve.  

Of course there are differences in LOL and Mechwarrior.  Some champs in LOL are much cheaper and some Mechs in Mechwarrior are more expensive.  But i don't see it as being that much of a difference than the average LOL IP gains.  And it IS a free game so they obviously are trying to get people to spend money on their game.  There are premium accounts you can get to increase your XP and c-bill gains.  Or you could just outright spend cash on the mech just like in LOL.  

Oh yeah, this game just did come out of beta back in October and i know they are expanding on the game all the time.  New maps were just released and a new user interface (which is badly needed) is coming out on Feb. 4th.  And something called Community Warfare is set to be coming out shorty.  A game mode where you pick one 4 or 5 factions and fight over territory and get diffrent rankings and bonuses for doing so.. I don't know much about it but i do know its on the horizon.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 24 2014,09:38
Yeah... I don't have a lot of problems with the gameplay itself, aside from the fact that I am new and surrounded by pros and I KNOW that I will never play it enough to actually get good equipment that will help make the game more enjoyable.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 24 2014,09:48

(GORDON @ Jan. 24 2014,12:38)
QUOTE
Yeah... I don't have a lot of problems with the gameplay itself, aside from the fact that I am new and surrounded by pros and I KNOW that I will never play it enough to actually get good equipment that will help make the game more enjoyable.

actually after your cadet bonus is up you can pick up and arm the mech of your choice and be pretty competitive.  Hell, Leisher has been using the same heavy mech with limited guns and does very well damage wise on lots of games.  

Getting the XL engines are a big investment but those can be moved around to your next mech after you purchase it.  And the actual weapons that you will be swapping in and out when your customizing them are pretty cheap too.  So once you own each weapon you really only have the big investment of another mech if you wish to do so.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 24 2014,11:07
Yeah, at first I didn't feel like I was doing much in games. I found the laser on my left arm to be underpowered, and the gauss rifle on my right arm to be worthless. Half the time it wouldn't shoot!

After x number of games, I've learned what I was doing wrong with the gauss rifle and had an out loud shout of joy during a match last night as I downed one of those quick, smaller mechs with a single shot from my gauss rifle, while the guy was sprinting full speed from right to left on my screen. I felt like I was targeting womp rats with my T-16.

Obviously, you know the game, but for me the hardest thing was to realize that mechs are not created equal even if I was spending real money to buy them. It's about cover, tactics, targeting, etc. I've killed smaller mechs, bigger mechs, and mechs equal to my size. I've watched small mechs with light armament destroy giant assault mechs that are basically walking weapons.

So yeah, buying your own mech out the gate is not that important to me.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 24 2014,13:41
Speaking of world of tanks.  You posted two posts.  One saying you got some free credits and were going to try it.  Another giving a brief overview of the game.  I don't see an attempt to get people to play it.  I don't even remember you talking about it that much.  In fact, when Scooty started playing it, I told him "I think Gordon played that game and didn't think it was very good".  That was the impression I had about that game for some reason.

The free mechs are outfitted well.  They may not be the config you want.  But they are good mechs.  In fact, the only way you can get the free to play mechs so you can customize them and play that setup when ever you want is to buy them with real money.  Kind of implies they are a competitive set of mechs.



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2014,05:45
i played alot of this game on saturday afternoon.  First i finally got enough c-bills to buy my XL300 engine, i was using the standard 275 so this is a pretty significant upgrade.  I get more speed, acceleration and it even seems to affect how my jumpjets are working even though i dropped one of them for weight reasons.  I then started to think about my Mech and how i wanted to arm it out.  I had been playing kinda like a brawler, going in against mostly heavy and assults and just getting torn to shreds.  I'm a medium and need to be able to hit from range or at least have the mobility to hit and run.  

My Shadowhawk has a 2-1-4 hardpoint setup.  Thats 2 energy, 1 ballistics, and 4 missle.  I decided that i would just go with LRM's (long range missles) for my base of attacks.  So i dropped in three LRM10's and one LRM5 and 900 missles on board.  I  decided to forgo any ballistic weapons for weight reasons.  i kept the 2 medium lazers in the arms for when i do get some enemy mechs in close to me.  I set up the LRM's in chainfire mode so that when i fire them i don't just blow all 35 missles in one shot, but for each time i fire one set fires off.  This keeps the heat buildup under control and i can pretty much keep a steady stream of missles on a target, as when the last round has been fired the first round is now off cooldown.  

This has been a very succesful setup for this mech.  I am mobile enough to get to high ground or flank enemies with ease or i can just sit behind heavies and let the scouts or frontlines spot the enemies as i rain down missles on targets from a safe place.  I don't do tons of damage every game because alot of people are running anti-missle systems (something i've also installed in my mech)  but for those that don't they get rocked.  I'm that guy that when i'm on you your screen is constantly shaking, slowly poking you down and making doing anything a pain in the ass.  Usually when i get on someone a heavy has no problem finishing them off.

I'd say i usually do about 150-200 damage during the average game if i don't get killed right away.  And i've even done as much as 500 in one match where i got 3 kills and 10 assists.  I earned very nearly 200,000 c-bills for that match alone.  So like i said in an earlier post when you find the loadout that works for your gamestyle and your mech and you can start putting down some damage you will earn c-bills at a much faster pace.  I'd say i earned nearly 3-4 million in one day, sure i was spamming games for quite a few hours but the games go fast and are fun when you become more competent.

I hope Cake and Leisher will still play this game and anybody else for that matter, because i'm really liking this game alot right now.  There is a pretty good learning curve but after about 50 games or so you will get the hang of it.  The main thing is finding YOUR mech and building it to YOUR playstyle and thats what makes it so fun.  Because yeah, heavies are the ones doing the massive damage and seem to be all the rage, but i've seen many many lights that are the last ones standing and doing very well in games.



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 27 2014,07:21
I have no plans to abandon it. As stated elsewhere, it's all about Rust and Mechwarrior right now.
Posted by Troy on Jan. 27 2014,07:23
I finally downloaded this and patched it up this weekend. No games yet.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 30 2014,05:50
When you first download the client you get 1 free day of premium time.  This will give you about 30-50% extra c-bills and XP per match.  You do this by clicking on the blue button on the bottom of the screen and it will ask you if you want to use your 1 free day of premium time.   I did this last weekend and it helped gain lots of extra c-bills.  I'm pretty sure if you use this with your cadet bonus you will gain massive amounts of c-bills on your first day.  I wish i would have known this then cause thats prolly how new cadets can earn 14-16 million c-bills during their cadet time (the first 25 games).  I know Cake had mentioned he didn't know how earning this much c-bills was possible, but now i know this is the way.

Well, I just found out that you can get 7 free days of premium time now!!  If you go to the websight and enter HAPPYHOLIDAYS in the redeem tab you will get it.  It still works, i just got it myself.  I'm not sure how much longer it will be good for, but there is a big update on Feb 4th and i'm guessing that it will be taken away by then.  

So any of you that are still interested in this game i suggest you redeem this code.  And if you haven't played yet, this is a good way to get off to a great start and get a good mech going.  Just make sure you do your 25 games in the first week of redeeming this code and you will easily have 15 million c-bills win or lose, it really doesn't matter.

Here is the direct link to redeem your code.  Just log in

< http://mwomercs.com/redeem >



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 31 2014,10:33
I should note that when you redeem this code on the websight that it doesn't immediatley start your 7 days of premium time.  You have to activate it from the game client, and once you do you will have a week to do your work.  Not sure if anyone actually redeemed this code but if you plan on playing you should do so, you can wait to use the 7 days of premium time whenever your ready to.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 31 2014,11:52
I'll be redeeming as soon as I get home.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 07 2014,11:05
< There was an update. >

Long story short: It improved lots of things, but came with some bugs.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Feb. 09 2014,11:23
I have been playing a little more lately to farm credits.  I have my first mech built how I want it.  It's fast, shoots far and hits hard.  Long range mobile sniper.  And that's how I'm playing him.  I do decent damage in games and even score some kills.  I like running through buildings and zapping people as I run through them.

However, the game is getting boring.  There's no sense of. . . . anything.  I just churn through games.  Playing with 21 different people every time.  There's no talking.  No getting to know anyone (not that I'm looking for friends).  And I bring this up because one of the tips is "Add people you enjoy playing with to your friends list".  You are never in a game long enough to know if you'd enjoy playing with them.  And the worst thing is, damn near every game is a blow out by one side or the other.  There is so rarely a close game that comes down to 3 v 3.  Which tells me there is NO team balance algorithm at all.  You are just slopped into the next game of 24 and set off on your journey.

Right now, it's just Team Death Match over and over.  No ladder system.  No record keeping of any kind.  It might be a little more fun with a team of people in there.  But not sure.  It's the same formula with the same non existent team balancing thing.  You just shoot people, round after round, with no apparent goal.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 18 2014,12:51
Still loving this game.

I was discussing it with Cake recently, and I think he brought up a "what's the point?" statement towards it. I know it was him who asked me to talk about it here, but I'm not sure if that comment was his or not... (It was. I just posted this and saw his comment above.)

Anyway, what's the point? Really? I don't get that criticism at all, particularly from veteran multiplayers. A LOT of games have been multied by the folks here, and the vast majority of them had the same end goal: To win. (Catt LOVES that goal.) The vast majority were also variations of the same concept: Team A vs Team B.

Two groups of mechs on opposite teams = fight! What more does there need to be? It's fun! Explain to me what the point of Counterstrike was, or Team Fortress 2, or Total Annihilation, or Supreme Commander, or hell, LoL? That list goes on and on.

The only possible logic I can see behind the statement is there's no option to completely eliminate your opponent from your server, ala UO, and more recently Rust (The obvious front runner for gaming story of 2014.). I get the war of attrition, I do. However, winning it wasn't a popular option when Catt recently did it, so...

Thus, I chalked it up to people being crotchety about change. Although, I will admit a wish I have for this game would be a persistent world/map where the different factions could fight on front lines, constantly pushing forward trying to achieve some overall victory. Maybe set it up so it resets monthly?

Anyway, like LoL, you can customize your builds and the game has ELO.

I know one big complaint was about Cbills (in game cash), and how slowly you earn it. I agree. < Here's a site > that thinks an average player can earn $700,000 an hour without bonuses. I suppose such a total would be possible, but I think they're being a bit too liberal.

Thus, let me take it the other way: 4 games an hour (after all, they all have 15 minute time limits), with no real impact in any game will earn you about $30,000 a game or $120,000/hour.

Add on any assists or kills, and that total goes up dramatically. Especially once you get into your own mech, even more so if you buy a "hero" mech (using real money). Also add on any bonuses like the one you get for your first 25 games that nets you around $8,000,000.

Further, there are some tricks you can use to really maximize your earnings:
-Shoot as many enemy mechs as you can each game because each one that is then killed gets you $6500.
-Kill mechs when you're less than 50% health and you get financial bonuses.
-After you die in game, exit, jump into another mech and launch a new match. You might be able to get more than 7 games in per hour if you  grind Cbills that way.

So this weekend, I bought my first mech, a < Cataphract > (CTF-4X). Stranger basically forced me to so I could earn a bunch of XP towards it. (They had a double XP thing going on.) After buying it, I immediately customized it so I added some more auto cannons and removed the laser.

It was slooooooooow, but I was doing ok in matches with it. Particularly from medium range. Sunday afternoon I earned enough money for a XL 255 engine, which weighs less and allows me to go much faster.

While earning that cash, I earned a bunch of XP so I bought all the basic tiers of skills for the Cataphract mechs. My new goal is to buy two more variants of this mech, and I'll be able to unlock Elite tier bonuses, and then eventually, Master tier bonuses.

These different skills allow your mech to move or stop faster, turn faster, move its arms faster, enjoy a bigger turning radius for the torso, lower cooldown times, etc.

Anyway, I'm really getting more into the different types of mechs and their roles. Watching the super fast ones do the scouting, capturing of points, and in skilled hands, be the deciding factors in matches has inspired me to make that type of mech my next purchase once I'm doing mastering Cataphracts.

I know Cake owns one of the lighter mechs.

Gordo would like the < Catapult >, and honestly, it's a shame we didn't understand the game more earlier to guide him that way. It's a no brainer. Catapults are the snipers. They stay towards the back and rain missiles down on unsuspecting enemies. Other units can even equip "TAG" modules to target enemies across the map so the mechs like the Catapult can hit them.

I also never really noticed until this weekend exactly what assault mechs brought to the table. Even had a Star Wars flashback during a game when our company commander ordered everyone to focus fire on an < Atlas >.

I'll wrap up there, as this is long. Just wanted to throw out my more educated, particularly after this weekend, two cents on this game. Even if you tried it before, give it another look.

I'll be on tonight.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 18 2014,13:17

(Leisher @ Feb. 18 2014,15:51)
QUOTE
Although, I will admit a wish I have for this game would be a persistent world/map where the different factions could fight on front lines, constantly pushing forward trying to achieve some overall victory. Maybe set it up so it resets monthly?

Clan Warfare is on the horizon.  The devs claim it will be out in the next couple of months.  This will really change the landscape of the games as there will be something to really fight over.

As far as the ELO, it does exist. But alot of the community still thinks it needs tweaking.  Infact it was just reset like two months ago so the system is still balancing out.  The big change is when they enforce weight limits to groups.  Right now you will see teams full of 80-100 ton assaults and it makes life a living hell for the other team.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Feb. 18 2014,14:01
You are taking "what's the point" to literally.  With all of the other games you mentioned, I had a sense of accomplishment after playing it.  Counter Strike, I had a running total of kills/deaths against a group of players I was playing with for about 45 minutes.  Then, the map changes, teams change, and we do it again.  With this game, I'm in a battle with 23 random people.  We fight over an objective for 5-8 minutes, then on to the next one with 23 new random people.

I just reread my earlier post.  I'm repeating myself.  The ONLY sense of anything going on in the game is that my c-bills are going up.  Slowly.  There's no sense of competition.  It's just a grind.  A constant never ending grind.  It's not a grind like chopping wood in UO.  This is a fun grind.  But, just a grind.  I play for 4, 8, 27 hours.  Cool.  I can buy another mech and still play the same unrewarding game.

This game feels only slightly less Alpha than Rust does.  There needs to be a goal other than grinding for more mechs.  Because that's all there is right now.  That's what I mean by "What's the point?".  What is the long term goal with this game?  Own all the mechs?  It's fun to play shoot 'em up in the game.  But, it's just a time killer.  No sense of accomplishment.  Add to that the HORRIBLE team building algorithm that makes 9 out of 10 games a slaughter by one side or the other.  Had my first close game in a long time the other night.  That was a fun game.  I felt something at the end of it.  All the other games feels like I'm just participating in a c-bill grab fest.  Churn out games as fast as possible to get that next mech.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2014,09:12
QUOTE
With all of the other games you mentioned, I had a sense of accomplishment after playing it.


Emphasis mine.

Sounds like a you problem. I get that feeling of accomplishment here. Different people, different opinions. No big deal. Can't deny we didn't have a good time Tuesday night though. Lots of fun.

The rest of this stuff we discussed in chat that night, so no point in rehashing.

Although, I think this statement:
QUOTE
This game feels only slightly less Alpha than Rust does.
is absurd.

Also, MWO got back to me on the activation issue. Their first response was to hit that Activation button, but it was never there. I wrote them back this morning and DLed the game to my work PC. Sitting here at lunch, I logged on, but no button so I played a game. When I exited the game, the button was there. I now have 7 days of premium time, which I don't plan to waste!

I'll be on tonight.

Cake, if you're sure you never hit the activation button, you might want to email their support folks and ask them to look into it.

Another note: Can they please fix the "Trial mech" thing? It's been the same four since I started playing in December(?). LoL changes the free champs weekly. You'd think they could get it done at least monthly.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 20 2014,13:26
So you think collecting c-bills takes a long time? try being in the c-billionair club.

This is what one guy wrote on the forums:


Okay, I just cracked a billion C-bills.

Anybody else out there done this?

Have all mechs except the Oxide (I kind of stopped buying mechs due to postgame reload time).

All mechs are at Master (with 75 000XP on top for skill tree updates).

Have I beaten the game?

He then posts a screen shot proving his net worth.

Then a staff member chimes in with this comment:

You are the richest fellow in the entire inner-sphere at this moment, congrats. There are a couple not too far off though. Second place is a bit over 800 million C-Bills, and third place is past the 750 million mark. So the C-Billionaire club is exclusive indeed.

He said he accomplished this feat in 21,642 games!

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2014,15:26

(Stranger @ Feb. 20 2014,16:26)
QUOTE
He said he accomplished this feat in 21,642 games!

Yeah but someday he might accidentally have sex with a girl then it's all over.
Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 21 2014,09:22

(GORDON @ Feb. 20 2014,17:26)
QUOTE

(Stranger @ Feb. 20 2014,16:26)
QUOTE
He said he accomplished this feat in 21,642 games!

Yeah but someday he might accidentally have sex with a girl then it's all over.

Shades of the South Park WoW episode.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 21 2014,10:35
Hey Stranger, where'd you find whatever online tool you were using to work through customizing mechs?
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 21 2014,10:58
< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ >

If you ever hear to anyone refer to Smurfy's, this is what they are talking about.  The devs had said they are going to go to this "paperdoll" layout soon, its much easier to see what you have on your Mech.  Why they didn't do it when they released UI 2.0 is beyond me.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 21 2014,11:10
P.S. Obviously, I want to use my free time as much as possible, so after watching a flick with the kids tonight, I'll be on, then most of the rest of the weekend.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 21 2014,11:18
i'm going out tonight for a bit then i'll be on after that.  so midnightish for me
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 21 2014,11:26
< http://mwomercs.com/news/2014/02/791-5-wins-for-free-mech >

WOW! sweet deal!  Win 5 games and get a free Mech!

BTW, thats a champion mech (bonus XP) and can only be purchased with MC.



Posted by Cakedaddy on Feb. 22 2014,19:17
Earned the Centurion tonight.  Started rapid firing games.  Would enter a game and play like I normally would.  As soon as I died, I would exit that match and start another with the other mech.  Kept doing that over and over and I earned C-Bills MUCH faster.  Spent a bunch on new parts for the centurion and still have more than I started with an hour ago.  We REALLY need to start doing that when multi playing.  No point sitting around waiting for games to end.  Time is C-Bills after all.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 22 2014,19:26
I was wondering if I could do that.

Now that I know, that's what I'll be doing.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 24 2014,06:39

(Cakedaddy @ Feb. 22 2014,22:17)
QUOTE
Earned the Centurion tonight.  Started rapid firing games.  Would enter a game and play like I normally would.  As soon as I died, I would exit that match and start another with the other mech.  Kept doing that over and over and I earned C-Bills MUCH faster.  Spent a bunch on new parts for the centurion and still have more than I started with an hour ago.  We REALLY need to start doing that when multi playing.  No point sitting around waiting for games to end.  Time is C-Bills after all.

i'm pretty sure that you don't earn your assists bonuses (the ones that happen after your dead)and possibly other bonuses that happen thru the game once you leave it.  But i can see this being a good idea especially if you had a horrible game and die immediatley.  But if we're in a group we would have to wait for the last person to die anyways, so in some cases it might be worth waiting for the game to end.

I'm going to try and find some info on this because i know i read something about this before but can't remember the particulars.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 24 2014,07:05

(Stranger @ Feb. 24 2014,09:39)
QUOTE

(Cakedaddy @ Feb. 22 2014,22:17)
QUOTE
Earned the Centurion tonight.  Started rapid firing games.  Would enter a game and play like I normally would.  As soon as I died, I would exit that match and start another with the other mech.  Kept doing that over and over and I earned C-Bills MUCH faster.  Spent a bunch on new parts for the centurion and still have more than I started with an hour ago.  We REALLY need to start doing that when multi playing.  No point sitting around waiting for games to end.  Time is C-Bills after all.

i'm pretty sure that you don't earn your assists bonuses (the ones that happen after your dead)and possibly other bonuses that happen thru the game once you leave it.  But i can see this being a good idea especially if you had a horrible game and die immediatley.  But if we're in a group we would have to wait for the last person to die anyways, so in some cases it might be worth waiting for the game to end.

I'm going to try and find some info on this because i know i read something about this before but can't remember the particulars.

Let me know what you find because I was doing this all day Sunday, and made a couple million.

I earned the Centurion in 6 games, and then broke down Sunday and bought another Cataphract, the CTF-1X.

First, that Centurian is meh. I had some good games with him, and some bad ones. I'm not in love with it because I feel he's too big to be a fast mech (circle strafing the big boys), and too small to be a heavy mech (can't brawl and doesn't bring tons of damage). However, perhaps the build he came with just sucks? In fact, I'm sure it does. I'm thisclose to getting his basic tier abilities purchased, and will sideline him after that while I continue to head to Elite in the Cataphracts, but I'll come back at some point and look for a good build.

Overheating is the word of the day in my new Cataphract 1X. It comes outfitted with 4 Medium Lasers, an AC-10, and a PPC. It's completely maxed on tonnage. I need to drive this one often until I max the basic tiers, and then move onto one last Cataphract. I might try this build with it though:


After the 1X, I don't know if I'll get the 2X (cheaper), the 3D (supposed to be the best?), or the IM (long shot since it costs actual money).

I'm loving my CTF-4X right now. I'm getting pretty good with it, and I've taken down more than one Atlas in a 1v1 brawl. Took down a Boar's Head that way!

Even though I love it, I still don't have the tonnage maxed out. Using that Smurfy site, I realized I could stick AC-10s in instead of AC-5s, but I'd be firing much slower. I could also remove the AC-5s, and stick in dual AC-2s and basically fire cannon shots like a machine gun.

I did learn that Stranger gave me a bit of bad advice in my build though  :D  The XL engine did buy me some additional space, but it also made me more vulnerable when someone target my left or right torso, which are easy to hit on the Cataphracts. So I think I'm going to remove it, and shove a standard 255 in there. Then I'm going to C.A.S.E. all my ammo and see how durable this bad boy becomes.

Still, looking forward to earning elite on the Cataphracts and seeing what kind of advantage that gives me in battle. Elite gives a x2 to all the basic tier stuff!

I've got about 3 days left on my premium time, and I've been looking at the current < bundle packages >. Apparently, MC doesn't go on sale often, so I don't know if it's worth trying to wait for that. In the meantime, those bundles are enticing. Not just because you're getting a champion mech, but they have 30 days of premium time. So you're not just getting that mech, but more than likely just playing for a month will earn you enough for a handful of other mechs.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 24 2014,07:20

(Leisher @ Feb. 24 2014,10:05)
QUOTE
I did learn that Stranger gave me a bit of bad advice in my build though  :D  The XL engine did buy me some additional space, but it also made me more vulnerable when someone target my left or right torso, which are easy to hit on the Cataphracts.

I don't recall ever suggesting you buy an XL engine for your CFT, i might have suggested a bigger engine so you could get extra speed. An XL on larger mechs are user's choice.  The XL will take up extra slots and you will die if either of your torsos get blown up, but the trade off is a much lighter engine.  

So its kind of a hard choice to make, because if you want that extra movespeed the XL will give you, you must put in a much heavier engine thus sacrificing weapons in return.  I still haven't decided what i like best in my bigger mechs, in my Orion i still run the standard 340 that came with it, but sometimes i wish i could move a little faster.

On another note i did buy the 85 ton Battlemaster the other day. i spent all my c-bills and i need to save up some more before i can buy the endo-steel and double heatsincs so its not battle ready as of yet.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 25 2014,05:06
Gordo got his first kill last night!  Gratz buddy!
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 25 2014,06:44
Yep, I killed that little mech.  WITH MY DICK.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2014,06:56
Congrats Gordo!

Soon you'll be having so much fun that Cakedaddy will be here telling you that you're not.

I'll be on tonight. I only have 1 or 2 more days of premium time left.



Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 25 2014,07:45

(GORDON @ Feb. 25 2014,08:44)
QUOTE
Yep, I killed that little mech.  WITH MY DICK.

Death by asphyxiation due to excessive laughter?
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 25 2014,07:49
So i guess MW has been running these "stealth sales" on hero mechs for the last 10 days or so.  They don't advertise it on the web page at all you will have to be in game and click on the "store" tab to see it.  I originally got my Orion at 50% off but this was when they were advertising it, i never knew they just kept it going without letting anyone know.  

The sales start and end at 1pm EST and only last for 24 hours.  As of now the Death Knell is on sale for 50% off.  This is a 25 ton light Commando.  Remember Hero mechs get 30% bonus c-bill in every game they play in and it can be combined with premium time to get an 80% bonus each match.

I'll post a link to the forums where people are tracking the sales and update what is on sale.  Of course you can just see who is on sale once your in game, you just gotta click the store button,  something i haven't been doing.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/151099-psa-stealth-sales/ >

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2014,08:26
If The Boar's Head goes on sale, I might buy it.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 25 2014,08:38

(Leisher @ Feb. 25 2014,11:26)
QUOTE
If The Boar's Head goes on sale, I might buy it.

i guess it was just on sale on sunday... bummer.

I'd think you would like the Ilya Muromets, the Cataphract to round out your set of three.

Personally i'd like the JagerMech Firebrand, the Victor Dragonslayer, or the Highlander Heavy Metal just so i can hear some rock n roll when i get kills!

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2014,08:46
QUOTE
I'd think you would like the Ilya Muromets, the Cataphract to round out your set of three.


Is it on sale?

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 25 2014,08:52
currently no.  The last few days of sales have went like this:

2/24: STK-M "Misery" Stalker- Assault
2/23: AS7-BH "Boar's Head"  Atlas- Assault
2/22: CPLT-J "Jester"  Catapult- Heavy
2/21: AWS-PB "Pretty Baby" Awesome- Assault
2/20: KTO-GB "Golden Boy"  Kintaro- Medium
2/19: DRG-FL "Flame"  Dragon- Heavy

And yesterday was the Commando "Death Knell" a light.  So today at 1pm will be the next sale, we'll see what it is.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 25 2014,10:29
Newest sale is the Highlander Heavy Metal! I must say, this is very tempting.. But i'll prolly pass this time around.


Posted by Stranger on Feb. 27 2014,12:54
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3185728 >

An interesting post from one of the staff about how Mechwarrior is going to address matchmaking.   It talks of ELO, weight limits, and group sizes.  This is going to be called the "Launch Module" and it's the precursor to the much anticipated Clan Wars.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 27 2014,13:59
I'll be around tonight. If you're on, we'll play. If not, I might be on Rust enjoying the possible last week of our server.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Feb. 27 2014,14:18
Our last week should have been a no mod server.  People seem to like the C4, OR, most people avoid the mod list.  I know I did in the beginning.  Thought it meant a custom map, or whacked out game version or something.

Might try removing Oxide, and changing the wipe date to today, but, don't actually wipe.  :-)

Oops.  Wrong thread.  But, you started it.



Posted by TPRJones on Feb. 27 2014,14:55

(Leisher @ Feb. 27 2014,15:59)
QUOTE
If not, I might be on Rust enjoying the possible last week of our server.

No you won't, I just reupped for another month.

I was only considering cancelling because almost no one was playing on it for awhile there.  It's not the busiest server around, but clearly some folks are enjoying it.

Besides, I'm about ready to come back myself.  If Elder Scrolls doesn't keep me busy all weekend I'll see you in Rust.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 27 2014,15:58
There are at least 10 other Rust threads this coulda been talked about!  

Anyways, I will be on tonight.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 03 2014,11:22
I had a pretty good weekend in the games I played. I did skip the Medium challenge thing that was going on.

So the game is good enough, and I've played it enough that I now feel I can give the developers some of my cash to reward their work. (Same thing I did with LoL.)

Anyway, their MC pricing is beyond fucked. They need to get smart like Riot did, and hire someone to deal with that stuff because programmers who don't know shit about it, can't price things to move.

I got on this morning because it's the last hours of a sale on camo. Not just camo, but color schemes for your mechs. For fun, I made my CTF-4X all white. That's three levels of colors. Then I looked at the total cost: 1500 MC. I knew that was high, and checked the MC purchase page. You can get around 1600 MC for $6.95.

Go. Fuck. Yourself.

$7+ to simply color my mech? That's business stupidity right there. Now every time I see a colored mech in game (that isn't a hero class), I'm going to think that person's rich or a fucking moron.

I can see those prices driving folks away. If they want to grow their community, they need to get these prices figured out fast.

Piranha and IGP need to realize that players will actually spend MORE when the prices are lower.

In related news, it looks like they're now doing the shadow sales on Champion mechs, and the dude that runs that site has a really bad opinion of the champion mechs. So, I'm in a holding pattern until they start doing the Hero class mechs again. I'm sure I'm going to buy the CTF-IM, and that Highlander Heavy Metal.

In the meantime, I've got $8 million to spend. I could buy the CTF-2X and earn my master/elite status (I have the 1X and 4X and have basic tier skills in both). However, since I'll be getting the IM, I think that might be a waste.

So I'm wondering about a light mech. Which models are the best? Can any of them have a loadout that does legit damage? Cake, do you enjoy playing the Cicada? (Have you ever upgraded your skills?) It seems to me the light mechs are fun because they're uber fast, and I imagine getting KAs is easy, and Capture/Assault maps are your bread and butter, particularly with a capture mod. Are they fun in skirmishs too?



Posted by Stranger on Mar. 03 2014,11:54
This past weekend there was a sale on some of the camo's and colors.  The camo's can be bought for a one time use or pay more to own it outright and you can use it on any mech you own.  The colors work a little different, once you pay the price for the color you can now use that color on any mech you own.  There are also 6 basic colors you can buy for c-bills, they are kinda bland but they are free as far as real money goes.

As far as light mechs.. The Jenner and Firestarter are handsdown the best lights right now.  Both have jump jets and lots of energy hardpoints.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 03 2014,12:02
I played all 4 free mechs and went with the cicada because:

I don't like walking up to another mech and trading fire until one of us dies.  That's what heavys and assaults are to me.  They are too slow and bulky for hit and run type stuff.  I have VERY little time in these mechs.  This was just my first impression of them.  So, the heavy and Assault were out for me.  The light matched my play style well.  Hit and run.  Squirrely, etc.  But, they do so little damage.  They seem to be more of a distraction than anything else.  The best use of light mechs I've seen is where they run into a large group of enemies and hug a target.  Then, the entire enemy team opens up on the light mech doing a TON of friendly fire damage to the mech being hugged.  Yes, there are the few guys who rock in them and rack up a ton of damage circle strafing and tearing things up.  I'm not that good, so the light mech was out for me.  The cicada gave me my mobility, but allowed me to pack a punch.  I really wish I had jump jets though.  Really hurts me as a sniper.

So, yes, I do like the Cicada due to how I play.  Mobility, sniping, damage.

I explained all that so you knew WHY I liked the Cicada.  You might like going toe to toe and play differently than me.  So, now you know where I'm coming from.  I do not score many kills with him though.  He packs a punch, but I over heat and can't shoot much.

So, Pros: Fast, hits hard, super long range.
Cons: Low armor, overheats.

I have all basic tier skills bought.

As far as capturing.  It's boring.  You don't get many c-bills for capturing.  And when the enemy team responds, you are toast, or at least taken out of the game for a while.  You can stand and fight, but will lose if the enemy responds with force.  Or you run and try to get back to your group.  Either way, you get low c-bills for capture, or low c-bills because you never shot anything and didn't get any assists.  I don't like capturing, but will sometimes.  I do like him in skirmishes because the teams generally group up and duke it out.  This allows me to run around the edges of the fight and snipe damage on anything I see.  Skirmishes are my favorite game mode.  But part of that is also because it maximizes c-bill generation which is more important to me than scoring a drawn out capture map with a stealthy capture plan.  Again, play style choice.

So, hope that helps.  I didn't want to say "YA!  He's fun!  Buy one!".  I wanted you to know why it's fun for me so you could better determine if it would be fun for you.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 03 2014,13:01
QUOTE
This past weekend there was a sale on some of the camo's and colors.  The camo's can be bought for a one time use or pay more to own it outright and you can use it on any mech you own.  The colors work a little different, once you pay the price for the color you can now use that color on any mech you own.  There are also 6 basic colors you can buy for c-bills, they are kinda bland but they are free as far as real money goes.


Yeah, I know. That's why I was looking at them. However, I didn't know about the one time ones, and fuck that. Shit, Riot learned that lesson really fast.

And even if I can share the color among all my mechs, at $7+ it's still a fucking rip off. (I'm cursing a lot because I'm disgusting by their pricing ignorance, and because I just had a UPS fall onto my foot.)

Sorry, but when your mechs are $30, that's bullshit, and your company is dumb. I've heard rumors that they've had trouble with funding, and depend a lot on player purchases. Considering their forums are filled with folks bitching about the cost of MC, they should get a clue.

You make more money selling a LOT of folks new mechs at $5 a pop than selling one guy a mech at $30.

For $50, you should be able to get something equal to what you get in LoL, which is 7200 RP. New champs cost 975 RP in LoL. That's 7 new champs and some money left over for skins.

Let's equate skins with mech parts and color schemes.

If I buy quality skins, I will lose the purchasing power to buy 7 champs, so my total might drop to 5.

Point being, MWO's items are WAY overpriced in terms of MC. I haven't done the math on cBills, but I think they're closer to reality. Especially if you factor in premium time, which LoL doesn't have.

And so we're clear: I LOVE this game, I just hate the MC pricing, and could see where folks take one look at it, and another look at how quickly one earns cBills without premium time, and walk away from the game.

QUOTE
I don't like walking up to another mech and trading fire until one of us dies.  That's what heavys and assaults are to me.  They are too slow and bulky for hit and run type stuff.


Typically, my battles go from long range sniping contest using cover; to close up and damn near melee; to medium range dances (where the CTF-4X excels). I like knowing someone is going to drop fast when I hit them.

However, I played the trial Spider recently to try it out, and loved it. Being lightning fast has its perks. However, it did next to nothing in terms of damage. I have noticed that the smaller mechs are far more likely to focus fire on specific parts of a mech to cripple them.

I equate the various mechs, and even their own variations to be different styles of gameplay, just like the classes in TF2 or the roles in LoL.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 03 2014,13:02
One more thing: I've seen capture points given out when a game is won that way. I think they're on top of victory points...
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 03 2014,13:16
I totally agree with the price of MC, its rediculous.  Considering they are selling "gold" clan mechs for $500 a pop and they aren't even out yet is just an outright rape! I've only bought the $15 dollar package of MC once and bought a hero just for the permenent c-bill bonus.  Other than that, i'm not sure if i'll buy anymore MC, maybe for premium time but i don't know.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 03 2014,13:26
LOL did premium time.  You could buy x number of games, or x number of hours/days where you could get bonus XP or IP (or was it LP?  I don't even remember now.  The in game free currency).  They would give out free premium games when they would screw something up.  But you could buy them too.

I know you get C-bills for capture.  That's why I said you don't get very many of them.  Because you don't.  :-)  You'd get way more if you just fought and got assists.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 04 2014,10:07
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3197576 >

New patch today here are the notes.

-new 95 ton assault mech called the Banshee is out.  Hero available today, standard varients available on the 11th for MC and on the 18th for c-bill.

-Wolverine, medium mech will be available on the 11th and 18th also.

-New champion trial mech now available.  Leisher's favorite chassis, Cataphract 3D!

-DirectX 11 now supported.  (not sure what this does, just graphic stuff i believe, maybe one of you can fill me in on what DX11 does)

-All assault map bases will have turrets at them now.

-Jump Jets have been retuned

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 04 2014,10:57
I should be around tonight.

Want to see how much Mechwarrior has changed in one year? Watch this video I found while research Cataphract builds:


By the way, based on this video, I see why they might have backed down some of the cBills for matches. Who the fuck is the guy who thought, "You know what's fun? Expensive repairs and buying more ammo after every mech battle!"



Posted by Stranger on Mar. 04 2014,12:53
I don't quite understand the new Cataphract.  I know that there is a 3D that already exists, i looked at Smurfy's webpage and it has the same loadout but the only difference is this new one has a standard 280 engine and the other has an XL.  The only other thing i can tell is that its an Champion mech so it gets bonus XP per match.  hmm..

I'll be on tonight also, i've been really enjoying the Shadowhawk alot more lately.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 04 2014,12:59
ok, now i see a slight difference.. they have the same hardpoints in the same spots but come with different weapons and engines.  The Champion mech also comes with endosteel and double heatsincs already onboard.  So slight difference but not much.  I'd rather they just came out with something totally new than use something that basically already exists.
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 07 2014,10:38
< http://mwomercs.com/news/2014/03/796-assault-recon >

The latest sale for this weekend

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 11 2014,13:06
I should be on this week.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2014,12:47
The Cataphract-3D© hits hard, and seems to have more weapons than my mouse has buttons.
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 13 2014,13:35
what kinda setup are you running that would cause you to need 6 weapon buttons?  (i got this from the other thread).
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2014,14:36
I'm not on that one. There's only 4, but I did have a mech with 5 weapons groups, and obviously, there are 6 possible.

Any word on when that big update is hitting?

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 14 2014,05:51

(Leisher @ Mar. 13 2014,17:36)
QUOTE
I'm not on that one. There's only 4, but I did have a mech with 5 weapons groups, and obviously, there are 6 possible.

Any word on when that big update is hitting?

i don't think i could handle a mech that i had to use 6 weapon groups.  I typically set them up to use 2 or 3 at the most.

As far as the mouse, the Anker that i use has 3 thumb buttons that i use for weapon groups 3,4 and 5 and there is another button at the top that could be used as 6 but i've never needed it.

I've read that the "drop module" update that will match drop weights of both teams isn't supposed to be out until the end of April.  But there are patches every 2 weeks on tuesdays.  The next one is coming up on March 18th.



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 14 2014,10:59
I should be around this weekend.

I'm up for MWO or SC2 or PA or if the server actually gets activity, Rust.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 14 2014,20:00
Achievements coming in next patch.

Throw in the looming match making improvements, and the "soon" persistent world, and we might have a nice time killer on our hands.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 14 2014,23:40
This is a video explaining the clan war stuff that's coming (the persistent world stuff). People are pre-ordering their "next wave" mechs now, and according to their site, they're saying you'll receive your mechs by June 17th. Purchase is not mandatory for the persistent world, but the date is an important note because these new mechs are supposedly for the new world stuff...



< Good place for MWO podcasts and content. >

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 18 2014,12:46
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....1pm-pdt >

New patch notes.

-New achievement system is in place.  Notes don't say exactly what they are so ill be interested to see what they are.

-looks like the buff to LRM's could be a pain in the ass, ecm and taking cover will be more important now.  Good thing is they buffed the AMS system so if you are running with one it should help.  I expect alot more people to be using them now.

-Banshee (assault) and Wolverine (medium) are now available for c-bills.

-Highlander and Victor nerfs! good thing, cause i've seen way to many of these mechs out there.

And there are a few other things in there too.  I'll be on tonight to check these changes out.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 18 2014,12:53
I'll try to be on tonight too.

Anywhere from 9-11.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 18 2014,21:53
The achievements are pretty awesome. They award XP, C-Bills, and Titles. Some are easy to get, some pretty damn tough either through impossible tasks or LONG term attrition.

Stranger and I both earned half a million in our second match tonight through achievements, so they do add up.

Also, they added a first win of the day bonus.

If you didn't watch the video, and at 27 minutes you probably didn't, what they're adding is a MASSIVE game changer. Basically, everything Cake wants is going in, and then some:

-Factions: There are 6 or you can lone wolf or merc with a group. Rewards will be given to you based on your faction. You will be able to go back and forth, and keep your progress in each.

-Contracts: There will be rewards for completing and punishments for failing. The contracts will be three different mission types, the most interesting of which is "bounty". These are strictly player dictated, and is exactly what it sounds like: Hire folks to kill a specific player.

-A persistent galaxy: 3000 planets. The best way to describe it is to say it's like Eve Online where factions will fight over territory. EVERY match will now mean something (except private matches - the equivalent of LoL's bot games).

-Bonuses for holding different planets, including what mechs are available in that faction's stores. Don't worry, you can still get the mech you want, but you might be paying black market prices, which are higher.

-Planetary Invasions: You come in, you assault it and if you win, you begin to garrison it. This will occur over several battles.

-Dropships: Load 4 of your mechs into a drop ship, and choose what you want to use based on the map.

-A metric fuckton of new mechs are coming by June 17th. That day is all over the website, and appears to be the day the new persistent galaxy is going live. (Stranger, can you confirm my info there?)

That's all I remember at the moment.

It's also becoming apparent that accounts, again like EVE, are going to be worth real world money. Have a bunch of mechs, achievements, titles, etc. and someone will be willing to pay for it.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 20 2014,05:45

(Leisher @ Mar. 19 2014,00:53)
QUOTE
(Stranger, can you confirm my info there?)

Nobody can confirm when Community Warfare will be ready, not even PGI!  But i would bet on them Clan Mechs being delivered by then.

I've read that Community Warefare will come in 3 phases.  First was UI 2.0, second is the Launch Module at the end of April, and the third.. well im not quite sure what that is as of yet.  But it looks like its getting closer and i'm getting excited for it.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 20 2014,08:21
I think June guess is solid based on their promised delivery of all the new faction mechs.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 20 2014,11:03
I will be on tonight.

I want to get that Trial achievement then perhaps do a few matches in my new Jenner...if I can decide which one I want to buy.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 20 2014,11:56
All the Jenners are pretty close to the same,  some have a missle hardpoint or two in the torso and all the lasers are in the arms.  I did a quick build in Smurfy's with JR7-F and came up with this build.  It involves a little bit of a c-bill investment buying an XL-300 engine and all the other upgrades but you will be a fast little shit and 6 medium lasers are no laughing matter.  As far as the engine, that is a good one to have, you can use it in lots of other mechs.  I use it in my Shadowhawk and sometimes my Orion.

< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab....5309331 >



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 20 2014,13:08
The only thing about the -f is that it doesn't have ECM.

Think that's a huge deal?

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 20 2014,13:20
None of the Jenner's have ECM.  Infact there are only 5 total mechs in the game that can carry ECMs.  1 variant of the Commando, Spider, Raven, Cicada and the Atlas.  It is really nice to have but its not available on about 95% of all the mechs.


Posted by Leisher on Mar. 20 2014,13:54
You're right about the Jenner. I just looked, and I got it confused with a Raven I looked at that night.

Still not sure what I'll get.

How much is that XL300? The reason I'm willing to grab a light right now is:
1. I don't have a light mech.
2. There's achievements to be had.
3. I can get a Jenner for about $3 million. If the XL300 is another $5 million, I just went from spending 30% of my cash to 80%.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 20 2014,15:23
Yeah, the XL-300 is 4.9M. They are expensive but that engine can go in just about every mech. Not sure what u are running in ur Cats but u might like them. But if I'm not mistaken didn't u buy an XL engine sometime back?

So far I've bought the XL-300 and 360, quite the c-bill drop but I like them more despite being able to die from a destroyed torso.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 20 2014,15:47
Actually I do have the XL280 or XL275 sitting in my inventory.
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 20 2014,17:04
perfect! that will work just fine
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 21 2014,01:05
Did you guys join a faction yet for the 3/21-3/23 promo thing?  You have to declare a faction, then join the challenge by 10am PDT on 3/21.  

< http://mwomercs.com/news/2014/03/805-faction-challenge >

I joined the one with the dragon on the shield.  No idea what the difference between factions is.

Based on what I read, you have to declare, then join the challenge.  Once you are in, you can't change factions.  Well, you can, but all of your scoring, etc during the challenge goes to the one you declared and joined with.  That's because, the winning faction gets some prize.  They don't want you changing mid tournament to try to get on the winning team.  So Catt, this isn't for you.  You have to play or win 10 games or something like that to qualify I think.  Top scoring players win some other prizes too.

Games where you play solo are the only games that count towards the tournament too.  So, I guess it doesn't matter if we are in the same faction.  As far as top players, it's based on your best 10 games over the weekend.  So, anyone can win.  It's not a total points over the weekend thing.  The winning faction is based on the top 50 players for each faction.  Making sure you are in the most popular faction will help because there's a larger pool of players to pick the top 50 from.  Well, it helps you ride the coattails trying to get the over all faction prize.  But, it hurts you if you are actually trying to win top score in your faction prizes.



Posted by Stranger on Mar. 21 2014,04:38
Yep! make sure your signed up before 1pm EST.  House of Steiner represent!!! Thats the one with the fist.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 21 2014,09:18
I'll be on both nights.

I have no idea what faction I'm in or if I'm actually in. I opted in at 1:15, and switched factions three times as I was researching and deciding. Plus I wanted to be in one you guys weren't. I think I'm either in the one cake's in or the one that starts with D.



Posted by Stranger on Mar. 21 2014,12:27
as of right now the House Steiner is in the lead!! Followed by Cake's House Rasalhague and Possibly Leisher's House Davion if he chose the "D" clan.

you can check your status here:

< http://mwomercs.com/tournaments >

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 22 2014,10:06
FUCK!

Just had a game where I got 11 assists, did the second highest damage total, and had no kills!

I missed two very tough achievements by thismuch...

1. 12 assists in one match.
2. Do the most damage without any kills.

DOUBLE FUCK!

Two matches later, it happened again!



Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 22 2014,16:38
I'm 319th in my faction, and climbing.  I think I can win this.  Not.

I'm getting better at making money.  Survive till the end, tag every enemy mech.  I don't score many kills, but I'm getting about 100k bills every game.

I'm running with machine guns now.  I can spray everywhere.  Friendly fire isn't an issue because I do so little damage.  But, I hit more enemies giving me the assist bonuses.  Lots of savior bills too.



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 22 2014,18:01
Where do you get your ranking?
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 22 2014,18:07
The link that Stranger posted.  You will show up at the bottom of your faction list.  Well, unless you are actually in the top 10.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 23 2014,08:50
I'm at 1267 points.  Where are you guys?
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 23 2014,10:29
I have no idea. I've played about 20 matches, and I'm not showing up in the rankings. (Yes, I'm logged into the site...)

The site says I'm opted into the tournament.

I emailed their support team.

In different news, I've decided that I need to polish the builds on my mechs, and then work on buying an Assault. That will give me one of each.

Also, I might be buying MC soon as one of my kids likes watching me play and wants me to get the hula girl item.



Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 23 2014,15:10
Make your faction win the tournament and get a free one!!
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 23 2014,18:53
Ha! If the faction tournament was working for me I would! As is, I'm crossing my fingers that they'll give me credit for the tournament when they see my support request on Monday.

Still, I've made a lot of cash this weekend, and had some awesome games.

I went all in on my Jenner too. Dropped $7,000,000 outfitting it to where it needs to be for me to be competitive.

Since then, holy shit does this mech kick ass. Love it!

Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 23 2014,19:43
I'm glad this tournament is over soon.  It was a really good idea to make a tournament where playing with your friends was discouraged.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 23 2014,20:08
I thought the same thing. I mean, I get what they're doing because it helps to avoid abuse, but it's not like the prizes are gigantic.

Still, for only a single weekend, particularly one where something else was going on that probably affected their numbers, I'm ok with it.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 24 2014,06:19
Looks like the House Steiner wins!! But no thanks to me, i did barely get my 10 games in this weekend and ended up with 1200 points in my faction.  I did get my cockpit item for playing the 10 games and i will either get some dogtags or a house banner cockpit item, nothing much really. But hey, i'm a winner right?!

If you haven't checked out the second half of the podcast with Russ Bullock you should check it out, he talkes about when they are trying to get Community Warfare up and running.  He also says something about one of the upcoming weekend events to be a lance based competition.  Sounds fun, but we don't even have a full lance.

**oh yeah, here's the link to the podcast**

< http://www.nogutsnogalaxy.net/podcasts.php >



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 24 2014,06:34
I'll grab the dog tags too, unless the hulu girl is available. That's IF they figure out why I was opted in, but didn't seem to be showing up.

QUOTE
Sounds fun, but we don't even have a full lance.


Yeah, we're one man shy of a lance.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 24 2014,08:35

(Leisher @ Mar. 24 2014,09:34)
QUOTE
I'll grab the dog tags too, unless the hulu girl is available. That's IF they figure out why I was opted in, but didn't seem to be showing up.

QUOTE
Sounds fun, but we don't even have a full lance.


Yeah, we're one man shy of a lance.

Did you get your cockpit item for playing those 10 games?

I'm guessing you didn't know what house you signed up for right now because of the problems you are having.

I'm not buying those dog tags or banner, that will be my reward for being in the winning faction.. also you can buy the hula girl at any time.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 24 2014,08:57
I logged in this morning, and didn't have anything. I assume I have to hope support figures it out.

By the way, on my second run with my Jenner last night, I believe I one hit a Raven. It was early in the match, and he  was behind our lines. I spotted and and got behind him. He had no visible damage, and I did an alpha strike with all 6 MLas right into his back, and down he went. Considering light mechs run with very little rear armor, is it possible I did one hit him, or do you think he was softened up a bit?

And what's with the new heat sink slots in the XL engines?



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 24 2014,17:58
Hey look at your Steam friend list and see what game I am playing then tell me how awesome I am.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 24 2014,18:01

(GORDON @ Mar. 24 2014,19:58)
QUOTE
Hey look at your Steam friend list and see what game I am playing then tell me how awesome I am.

You got Goat Simulator?

EDIT: Wait, I forgot that it's G.  Probably Goatse Simulator.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 24 2014,18:11
you are
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 24 2014,21:33
Gordo had a good night tonight. Not sure if he liked running with the Cataphract or the Stalker more? He got more kills than I did most matches we played!

Until I got my Jenner out  :D

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,04:23

(Leisher @ Mar. 24 2014,11:57)
QUOTE
is it possible I did one hit him, or do you think he was softened up a bit?

And what's with the new heat sink slots in the XL engines?

If when you spotted him and he had no yellow parts on him, then yes, you prolly did one shot him.  Cause if you take even one point of damage to any component it will show that as yellow.  

And the heat sink slots are there to add additional heat sinks while using only the slots in the engine instead of the 3 slots it usually takes up when you put them elsewhere.  If you are gonna add heat sinks to any mech add them here first.

The way they are set up, the larger the engine the more slots will be available.  I believe it starts with the 275 having one additional slot and every 25 more will add one additional slot.

So it would go as follows:

275= 1 additional heat sink slots
300= 2 slots
325= 3 slots
350= 4 slots
375= 5 slots
400= 6 slots

Happy to see Gordo picked up the game again.  Hopefully he sticks with it and we've got a lance!  Next we will have to find out what style he wants to play and what weight class he likes most.  Figure this out before you spend that large cadet bonus, because there are some mechs that are pretty shitty right now.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 25 2014,05:07

(Leisher @ Mar. 25 2014,00:33)
QUOTE
Gordo had a good night tonight. Not sure if he liked running with the Cataphract or the Stalker more? He got more kills than I did most matches we played!

Until I got my Jenner out  :D

So far I am liking the long range stuff, hanging back, trying to watch the big picture, and making it rain on whatever red dots are near my lance.

As of right now if I were building a mech, it would be 75% LRM, something to take out the scouts when they start circle strafing me, and some sort of long range radar package so I can get a better view of the battlefield.  Maybe whatever that thing is that keeps peeps from locking onto you.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,05:43
So you would most likely be a fan of the 65 Ton heavy Catapult or the 85 Ton assault Stalker.  Both of these carry the most missle hardpoints and can do the LRM missle boat better than any other.  The Catapult is a little more mobile and can use jump jets, I'd recommend the CPLT-C4 for a starter here.  It has 4 missle hard points and 2 energy hard points.  You could put plenty or LRM's on it and a couple medium lasers for when anything gets close to you.  

For the Stalker, they have one as the trial mech right now which it sounds like you got to use.  These are notorius slow mechs because they can only fit a 310 engine in it for max size.  And the torso twist is really slow making them lights a huge pain in the ass.  But they can take alot of punishment and all of them have 8-10 hard points so you can load a ton of damage on these things.  There are plenty of stalkers to choose from but none of them except the Hero mech can carry any ballistics.

The Catapult will run you about 5-6 million a piece, while the Stalker will be about 7-8 million a piece.  Then you've gotta put the endo-steel structure, double heat sinks and artemis targeting if you're gonna be playing with LRM's.  Plus all the weapons you want and possibly an XL engine.   So a 5 million c-bill mech will easily cost close to 8 million, if you decide on an XL engine add another 4-5 million.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 25 2014,06:02
I have like 9mil right now.
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,06:09
Not sure how many games of the 25 game cadet bonus you have done but you should have 12-14 million by time you're done.  I'm not sure though, can't remember what i had.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 25 2014,07:00
QUOTE
So far I am liking the long range stuff, hanging back, trying to watch the big picture, and making it rain on whatever red dots are near my lance.


If you go back and read way back in this thread, that's where I predicted you'd enjoy the game the most. It's the most like a sniper. Although, there are long range direct fire guns as well...

QUOTE
So you would most likely be a fan of the 65 Ton heavy Catapult or the 85 Ton assault Stalker.  Both of these carry the most missle hardpoints and can do the LRM missle boat better than any other.  The Catapult is a little more mobile and can use jump jets, I'd recommend the CPLT-C4 for a starter here.  It has 4 missle hard points and 2 energy hard points.  You could put plenty or LRM's on it and a couple medium lasers for when anything gets close to you.  

For the Stalker, they have one as the trial mech right now which it sounds like you got to use.  These are notorius slow mechs because they can only fit a 310 engine in it for max size.  And the torso twist is really slow making them lights a huge pain in the ass.  But they can take alot of punishment and all of them have 8-10 hard points so you can load a ton of damage on these things.  There are plenty of stalkers to choose from but none of them except the Hero mech can carry any ballistics.


For your first mech, if that's the style you want to go with, a Catapault is a decent pick. They were weak a few weeks ago, but with the LRM changes they're everywhere again.

Don't worry about picking "wrong". Eventually, you'll probably want at least one mech in each class, so picking the Cat as your heavy is fine. You can work up cash for the Stalker later.

Or hell, go the Stalker, but understand that you probably won't be able to customize it the way you want out of the gate.

QUOTE
Then you've gotta put the endo-steel structure, double heat sinks and artemis targeting if you're gonna be playing with LRM's.  Plus all the weapons you want and possibly an XL engine.   So a 5 million c-bill mech will easily cost close to 8 million, if you decide on an XL engine add another 4-5 million.


All the different options have pros and cons, so do research before buying. Figure out which mech you want, then which variant matches your game play the best. Then customize it, but be aware of what you're adding or removing.

So for example, you want to add an XL engine because it weighs less, however it also costs a LOT more, and takes up more space.

QUOTE
Not sure how many games of the 25 game cadet bonus you have done but you should have 12-14 million by time you're done.


That estimate is high. I'd say $8-10 million is more reasonable. I believe I was in the high $9 million range when mine ended.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 25 2014,08:42
I believe I have one more cadet bonus.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 25 2014,10:20
You can track your cadet bonuses in the achievement tab.
I'd say the LRMs are more like artillery than sniping.

As far as building a lance.  What would be a good combo for the four of us?

Right now, I can field the Cicada and that free mech we got for playing a few games.  I can do long range energy (the PPC I think) or short range energy with 6 medium pulse.  Or, weak AC ballistics.  I've done 1 AC10 or 2 AC2.  I like the AC2 better so far.  Doesn't do much damage, but it annoys them (I'm assuming) and it gets their attention.  I stay mobile and hit and run.

If Gordon goes long range, I'm guessing we all do so we stay together?  Can any of us take ECM?



Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,11:08
I'd say a good lance build would be 2 direct fire mechs that run AC's and lasers, a support fire LRM mech and a mobile sniper.  At least thats kinda how i see our setup being right now with the mechs we own and like to play.  I'd see me and Leisher running the direct fire with his Cataphract and my Battlemaster, Cake having the Cicada with mobile flanking, spotting and sniping and Gordo with LRM support fire.

The goal would be that we all focus fire with Cake spotting and calling targets while me and Leisher move in to engage and Gordo raining hell down from above and staying behind us direct fire shooters.  That would give us 1 medium, 1 heavy and 1 assault and depending on what mech Gordo decides to go with possibly another heavy or assault.  That would be a good combo once the launch module starts.  

But i've seen Lances with all lights running around just being an annoyance to every assault on the map.  That won't be possible once launch module starts, but we could do 3 lights and a medium.  I just suggested this combo going on what we all own as of now.  But its nice to change things up and do other rolls too.

There is one Cicada that can use ECM, the CDA-3M.  So Cake might wanna look into buying that one eventually.  There aren't many mechs that can use ECM and that is always a bonus to any team.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 25 2014,11:18
I was just thinking:

Gordon heavy long range and fends for himself at close range because the other three of us are assaulting at close range.  Problem with me spotting is that I can either spot, or shoot.  If I shoot, they fire on me and I have to take cover losing my lock.  Plus, if you guys are close range, having a third in there with you increases odds.  If Gordon is LRMing our target, our focused fire should take them out pretty quickly.

But really, it will all depend on how the enemy team plays.  If they stay clustered, a direct assault by three of us would be suicide.  If they spread out, we can attack smaller groups.  So really, no matter what, we have to wait for them to split up.  Stay with our team, stay in cover, until we see some weak targets by themselves and then we swarm them.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,11:27
Agreed, this is all good in theory but once the fight starts anything goes.  The big thing is staying somewhat close to each other and calling out targets so we can focus fire anyone that we can.  

And leaving an LRM mech to fend for themselves is dangerous because if someone gets close to them they usually don't have much to fend for themselves with.  LRM's don't even work against anything closer than 180 meters.  So it would be up to us to try and pick and choose our targets and then double back to anything that would get behind us and try and pick apart an LRM mech.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,12:06
Also since i've decided i'm going to master my Battlemaster before my other mechs, i will at some point be using the BLR-1S which is set up with alot of missle hard points so i will be setting that one up for LRM use.  So there will be times when we will be running with 2 LRM boats and maybe Leisher decides to use his Jenner and Cake goes with whatever else he might like to use.

So i guess it doesn't really matter exactly how our lance is set up, just as long as we all call our targets and focus whatever one it might be.

Posted by GORDON on Mar. 25 2014,12:12
Is there a way for a "spotter" to target somebody, and we all automatically target that same guy?
Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 25 2014,12:18
Well, he could hand out with the rest of the team.  He doesn't have to isolate himself.

And agreed.  Focused fire is key.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 25 2014,12:19

(GORDON @ Mar. 25 2014,15:12)
QUOTE
Is there a way for a "spotter" to target somebody, and we all automatically target that same guy?

No idea.  But, each enemy is assigned a letter.  So you can find and lock that 'letter' to know you are hitting the same target.

And I also believe, that once you lock a target, you will stay on that target.  Meaning, if you lose your lock, don't hit your R key again.  The next time that target is lockable, you will auto lock back on.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 25 2014,12:25
Last night I was seeing...

LOCK...

Fire LRM...

Lose lock so missiles wont target...

Oh there's LOCK again.

Was that just unlucky timing, was it some sort of break-LOCK-device, or were peeps powering down at the right times?  I heard powering-down was a thing.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 25 2014,12:32
No, there is no way to target a mech for anyone else, but when that mech is targeted by anyone on your team and they keep that lock then your lock will stay locked.  If noone is targeting a mech and you see one, target it and shoot then you lose your line of sight, your lock is lost.

Thats why sometimes when playing solo its hard to LRM, people don't target anyone or they are switching their target.  So for the LRM to work well they need someone to have line of sight and be able to hold it for the LRM.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 25 2014,13:44
Gordon, like Stranger said.  They are either hiding, and whoever saw them lost their line of site.  Or, the person that was spotting them for you changed their target.  Spotters need to lock a target and keep it locked for your missiles to hit.  That's why it's hard to be a spotter.  You can't shoot AND be a spotter.  I think the best spotter would be a really fast mech with NO weapons so they can be beefed up on armor.  Just run around in the enemy cluster.  You'll be able to keep your target locks, the enemy will be shooting this shit out of each other with friendly fire and your armor will keep you alive.  Mean while, your allies can come over the hill and do a shit ton of damage while the entire enemy team is trying to kill you.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 27 2014,11:49
So I'm thinking of buying two other Jenner variants, stripping my F and running each one with borrowed equipment until I get the basic skills then moving back to my F for elite and master skills.

I'll be on tonight.

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 27 2014,12:41
ill be doing the same thing when i can finally afford my next Battlemaster.  No way am i gonna buy an XL for 3 different variants!  

I'll also be on tonight

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 27 2014,16:10
I do not recommend running around in a non-configured mech. It's difficult. My new Jenner overheats really fast and if I do, the dissipation can take 10 seconds! I'm only two skills away from getting the basic skills on this mech done though, so one more and we're back to the fully customized F.
Posted by Stranger on Mar. 28 2014,06:32
The latest podcast is out,  its a good episode check it out.  

< http://www.nogutsnogalaxy.net/ >

And i found this little piece of information thats interesting.  It was written back in December so its a little dated but they give some dates on when they want certain things to happen and so far they are pretty much right on.  

< http://mwomercs.com/forums....-sphere >

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 28 2014,11:34
< http://mwomercs.com/news/2014/03/813-win-5-games-get-free-mech-bay >

Another nice and easy giveaway this weekend.  win 5 games and get a free mech bay! thats free money!

Also there are some sales.  All of the trial mechs are 35% off and a few hero mechs.. The Orion Protector that i already have and the Ilya Muromets the Cataphract hero that Leisher might want.

And i read that there is a sale on the 3 day premium time package.  Just saw this on the forums and can't confirm this.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 28 2014,15:33
If you're playing MW:O (and you should be), a free mech bay is a big deal. For 5 wins over a weekend, they're basically giving it away.

And yes, I might buy that IM so I can start Mastering the Cataphracts. I'm 11.5k experience away from starting the master levels on the Jenner too.

Posted by GORDON on Mar. 28 2014,17:55
I am probably out tonight, at least until later.  Setting up final shelves.

I will do the 5 wins over the weekends, even though I don't know why another mech bay is good.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 28 2014,22:37
For every mech you buy, you need a mech bay. If you look, you'll see a large number behind your mech on the home screen. That's your bay number. Mech bays cost real money, and 5 wins is really easy. So they're basically giving you a free mech bay.

I have had an odd night. LOTS of lights online tonight. I had to grind out XP in my JR7-D, and have finally achieved Elite status in the Jenners. Most games did not go well. I had a streak of defeats going. It was so bad that I never even noticed that I somehow got my 5 wins.

Then things turned around towards the end of the grind. In fact the game that got me my final skill had me and a Spider as the sole survivors for our team, and I got the final two kills to win the game. We had to take down a Firebrand and a blackjack to win.

I was able to buy the most expensive elite skill for my JR7-F, which is 10% more speed.  

Now for the Cataphracts...

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 31 2014,13:39
i just looked at my stats and found that since the stat reset at the last patch i am 23-10 in my Orion but only average 252 points of damage per match.  With my Battlemaster on the other hand i'm 22-29 but average 380 points of damage per match.  Makes me wonder if i'm choosing the right mech to master first.  Oh well, i've bought my second Battlemaster and will continue with that until i've got them at least elited.  I'll prolly do the same with the Orion afterwards so i'll have a heavy and assault class for when launch module comes online.  Or maybe i could go with a firestarter so i can have a light, i'm just a bigger fan of the larger mechs right now.


Posted by Cakedaddy on Mar. 31 2014,14:05
where do you see your stats?
Posted by Stranger on Apr. 01 2014,07:24

(Cakedaddy @ Mar. 31 2014,17:05)
QUOTE
where do you see your stats?

go to the websight and login.  Click on the profile button and then you can see stats.  Its the same as changing your faction.

Although you won't be able to do that until 1pm today, servers are down to put in current patch.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 01 2014,13:57
Playing uncustomized mechs just for the Elite bonuses really cut into my stats.

However, with my JR7-F and CTF-4X, I am a badass. That is all.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 02 2014,11:52
Tuesday's Patch Notes:

Content

New Hero Mech

"Huginn" RVN-H

   - Tonnage:  35
   - Engine:  280 XL
       - Top Speed:  129.6 kph
       - Max Engine Rating:  300
   - Torso Movement:
       - 120 degrees to each side.
       - 20 degrees up and down.
   - Arm Movement:
       - 0 degrees to each side.
       - 30 degrees up and down.
   - Armor:  232 (Ferro-Firbrous)
   - Internal Structure:  Endo-Steel
   - Weapons & Equipment:
       - Left Arm:  Machine Gun x2
       - Left Torso:  Streak SRM 2
       - Right Torso:  SRM 6
       - Right Arm:  Machine Gun x2
   - Hardpoints:
       - Left Arm:  2 Ballistic
       - Left Torso:  1 Missile, 1 AMS
       - Right Torso:  1 Missile
       - Right Arm:  2 Ballistic
   - Heat Sinks:  10 Double
   - Jump Jets:  2 (2 Max)
   - ECM Capable?:  No
   - Module Slots:  2
   - Movement Archetype: Small
   - 30% C-Bill Bonus


New Trial Champion Mech

Victor VTR-9S©

   - Tonnage:  80
       - Engine:  350 XL
       - Top Speed:  70.9 kph
   - Max Engine Rating:  385
   - Torso Movement:
       - 90 degrees to each side.
       - 20 degrees up and down.
   - Arm Movement:
       - 10 degrees to each side.
       - 30 degrees up and down.
   - Armor:  480 (Standard)
   - Internal Structure:  Endo-Steel
   - Weapons & Equipment:
       - Left Arm:  Medium Pulse Laser x2
       - Left Torso:  SRM 4 x2, SRM 2
       - Right Arm:  Ultra AC/5 x2
   - Hardpoints:
       - Left Arm:  2 Energy
       - Left Torso:  3 Missile
       - Right Torso:  1 AMS
       - Right Arm:  2 Ballistic
   - Heat Sinks:  14 Double
   - Jump Jets:  1 (4 Max)
   - ECM Capable?:  No
   - Module Slots:  2
   - Movement Archetype: Huge
   - Quirks:
       - Identical to standard VTR-9S.
       - Torso movement speed: 20% below default.
       - Turning speed: 20% below default.
       - Arm movement speed: 10% below default.

Front End

   - Multi-mode selection support for matchmaking

Gameplay

   - LRM speed reduced by 15 m/s for a net change of 120 -> 160 (down from 175).
   - LRM impulse (screen shake) reduced by 0.05 to 0.35 (down from 0.4).
   - Turret Health reduced from 150 to 100 health.

Bug Fixes

   - Winning by earning the maximum resource in Conquest mode no longer treats the resource reward as a loss
   - Fixed a crash that occurred when returning to Mechlab post match.

General

   - Partial visual weapon customization for the Raven variants.  Their appearance will better reflect the weapons that have been equipped  on them.
       - The Huginn Hero Mech has full visual customization for all its weapons.
       - The standard variants have full visual customization for their left arm ballistic and right torso missile weapons; the other hardpoints remain as they were.                                  
           - The RVN-3L's right torso missiles will never use more than 10 tubes, so as to not block the energy hardpoint above them.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 04 2014,12:50
i've got 1 day of premium time i'm going to activate tonight.  And i'm gonna be able to be on early and plan to stay up late.  

I'm on a quest to make 10 million c-bills in one night, not sure if it can be done or not.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 04 2014,14:25
I'll be on around 10 or so.
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 04 2014,23:06
Computer froze again and this time even had a scary whining sound from the case somewhere.  Didn't bother reconnecting.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Apr. 05 2014,01:03
Sounds like your PC hates playing that game as much as you do!!
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 05 2014,07:43
I hope it is the game breaking my shit.  If it is just generally dieing I am screwed.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 05 2014,08:17
Check your event logs. Let me know if you need me to check my inventory for parts.

Btw, rolling in a lance is fun. Adds another layer to the game.

Also, I LOVE my new 4x build.

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 05 2014,09:06
I started a new thread in tech with event logs.  Tell me what you need to see, I am a mainframe guy.
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 05 2014,17:49
No lockups all day, have played some LOL.  Have not yet launched MW today.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 06 2014,11:29
That might be a hint towards your issue.

MW:O is graphics intensive. LoL isn't...

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 06 2014,12:31
Yeah,  I already had to turn graphics down once.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 08 2014,09:22
So I was listening the NGNG podcast (ep 106), and they happened to discuss folks having some video issues since Direct X 11, which hit recently.

It's more likely to cause you issues if you have a Nvidea card or are using Crossfire or SLI.

I will be on tonight.

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 08 2014,12:18
Using Nvidea, and set to use DX11.

Also could not upgrade to my latest video card drivers that came out in October because they crash my system  Tried it twice and had to revert Windows twice.  So.



Posted by Leisher on Apr. 08 2014,12:35
Time for a new video card or two.

What model are you running? I might have something newer in stock.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Apr. 08 2014,17:18
Don't run DX11 yet.  You can set which DX you are using someplace.  Probably in video settings.  Stranger warned me a while ago that a lot of people have issues with it.
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 08 2014,17:21

(Cakedaddy @ Apr. 08 2014,20:18)
QUOTE
Don't run DX11 yet.  You can set which DX you are using someplace.  Probably in video settings.  Stranger warned me a while ago that a lot of people have issues with it.

Maybe that was my problem.  I haven't had any lockups since that night... and I have only played one match since that night.  And I know I set it for DX11.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 11 2014,10:01
Second time in a week that I've completed a match getting the last kill only to discover that had I not gotten that kill, I would have earned the achievement for doing the most damage in a match without getting a kill.

I made some adjustments to my IM. Not sure if I like them or not. Added armor, double heat sinks, dropped the AC10 in favor of another AC5 and MLs...

I did just do 800+ damage in my first game during lunch, and got over 100 on my match score, but it doesn't seem to have the "Go fuck yourself and die" factor my CTF-4X brings.

I will be on tonight and tomorrow night.

By the way, this is hitting soon and is such a big deal even I've heard of the name, and I don't really know shit about Mechwarrior...

The Mad Cat



Posted by Stranger on Apr. 11 2014,10:58
i had a couple of odd games myself last night.  First off in however many hundred games i've played i've never had a game end in a tie.  I had two last night, both ending in 10 deaths on each side.  

Then in one game, i got one shotted in the head.  The battle had just begun, it was on HPG Manifold map.  I walked into the center of the map that is underground, to go capture theta.  I hadn't taken a lick of damage yet, not even seen anyone at this point.  I walked into the room right past a Jager carrying dual AC 20's and he put both rounds right into my cockpit.  Next thing in know i just see my lifeless mech falling to the ground in the 3rd person camera.  Considering that i have yet to get one headshot kill at all i gave the dude his props.  

And that Mad Cat looks like cannonfodder to my BLR-1D! Ill blow them Mickey Mouse looking ears right off its torso just before i unload the rest of my cannons on that big ass target of a cockpit!



Posted by GORDON on Apr. 11 2014,11:23
Are your guys's graphics that good?
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 11 2014,11:39
Not quite that good, but my graphics at home are pretty fantastic.

There's a noticeable difference between the graphics here at the office, and my home PC.

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 11 2014,12:37
I had settings cranked and before it would lock up I would look nothing like that.  Will have to take some screenshots when I think about it so we can compare.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 11 2014,12:39
I'll crank everything way up tonight and take some screenshots too.

Keep in mind that their photo is under ideal settings. It's like the morons who watch TV commercials and think their console game is going to look that good. It doesn't occur to them that those commercials are made on PCs with top of the line equipment.



Posted by GORDON on Apr. 11 2014,13:00
Well that looks like a nearly photorealistic, rendered cutscene, to me.  My gameplay is nothing even close to that.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Apr. 11 2014,17:02
That is heavily shopped.  The blurry back ground, perfect shadowing, etc.  Not real game play.  Mine isn't close to that either, and I have everything maxed out.
Posted by Stranger on Apr. 11 2014,21:22
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3287338 >

latest news

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 12 2014,22:02
< The current hero sale. >

They're all 50% off.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 14 2014,06:10
Thats a good sale, i might consider getting the Misery but i don't really need another assault right now.  Missed out on the Boar's Head and Heavy Metal but again, both assaults.  I'd like to have seen the Ember on sale because when i get into the lights i'm going with the Firestarter's.

Gordo might consider the Jester, 6 energy hardpoints makes it good for sniper rolls.  Just run ER Large Lasers and ER PPC and you've got a nice long range direct fire mech.  And the high "arms" on the Jester make it nice for hill humping, you don't have to expose much to fire your shots.  Add that to the K2 you could buy with C-bills and you've got your 3 variants to master and all of them would play different than one another.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 14 2014,06:35
QUOTE
Missed out on the Boar's Head and Heavy Metal but again, both assaults.


Those are the only two in this sale I was considering. Although, I've heard the Heavy Metal is meh despite the music.

QUOTE
Gordo might consider the Jester, 6 energy hardpoints makes it good for sniper rolls.  Just run ER Large Lasers and ER PPC and you've got a nice long range direct fire mech.  And the high "arms" on the Jester make it nice for hill humping, you don't have to expose much to fire your shots.  Add that to the K2 you could buy with C-bills and you've got your 3 variants to master and all of them would play different than one another.


Seconded.

What's the bonus that comes with hero mechs?

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 14 2014,06:43
I'm not at the point yet where I will be spending real money in this game.
Posted by Stranger on Apr. 14 2014,06:47

(Leisher @ Apr. 14 2014,09:35)
QUOTE
What's the bonus that comes with hero mechs?

you get a permenant 30% c-bill and XP bonus whenever you play them.  Also just about all of them if not all come with endo-steel and double heat syncs already installed, some even have an XL engine in them.  So you save c-bills there.

I know for sure that the Jester has endo-steel and doubles already.  And unlike the other Catapults, it can hold a max engine size of 355 instead of 315 like all the others.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 14 2014,18:41

(GORDON @ Apr. 14 2014,09:43)
QUOTE
I'm not at the point yet where I will be spending real money in this game.

That made me chuckle.

Not at you, but because it reminded me of us at the start of LoL. And again me starting out with Mechwarrior.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 15 2014,14:06
< Patch Notes >

There's a new Battlemaster.

They might have fixed Gordo's hanging issues.

They nerfed smaller caliber ballistics and gave SRMs a boost.

They added the benefit of standing in water to your heat.

Etc.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 17 2014,05:05
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3300106 >

Looks like another free mech and mechbay giveaway this weekend.  Nice!

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 17 2014,11:39
We were discussing the build of Gordo's Catapult last night, and he was asking about builds. I went searching and found < this site >, which has builds for all mechs.

I'm about 13,500 XP (three Elite skills) shy of completing Elite status on the required three Cataphracts. So it'll be more CTF-1X for me this weekend.

I might be on tonight, I haven't decided yet. I'll definitely be on Friday and Saturday night.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 18 2014,19:35
Got my Thunderbolt. I see people calling it shitty, but while I haven't piloted it yet, this thing is loaded with stuff. ERPPC, 2 Flamers, 3 MLs, SRM6, 2 machine guns, AMS, and already has double heat sinks.

Remember, if you don't want it, you can sell it...

I also mastered Cataphracts so I now get the x2 basic tier skills.

Anyway, free mech weekend brings out the dregs.

I'm seeing lots of noob cameras, sloopy play, and a lot more friendly fire than normal. To be fair, I'm also seeing a lot of different tactics.

Had one game with two griefers. VanzetaoZAO was shooting teammates almost immediately, and got killed by myself and two other teammates. Then later an asshole named Deathblo had powered down somewhere unknown and was the last alive. He sat there laughing about it until the end.

I saw Deathblo in the next match on my team again, and this time he played normal, so I don't know what that was about.

I also saw VanzetaoZAO two matches later, and he was in my lance. He immediately just ran off and got killed in a 1v1 versus an enemy Jenner. So maybe he just sucked?

I actually think it's more likely he's just spamming matches to get the mech. What do I mean? He launches a game with his Hunchback, the enemy is a long way away, so he shoots the legs of some allies. He then proceeds to get killed. He DCs, and heads to another game with his Jenner rushing to get murdered by bad guys who are closer in this one. Basically, he's just launching games, and then hoping his team wins after he's gone so he can get to 5 wins fast.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 21 2014,12:52
i didn't get to play this weekend until late last night.  I wasn't really in the mood to play anything after my grandmother's death, but i forced myself to play until i got my five wins and got them.

It's possible i'll be on tonight.

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 21 2014,13:16
Lots of peeps this weekend were just launching games and disconnecting, hoping their team would win.

I got my 5.  Not that way, though.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 24 2014,07:03
< They're testing the launch module today. >

It's too late to sign up.

This is scheduled for next week according to Stranger. This is the patch that will even out the teams by weight class. So instead of dropping with 7 assaults or seeing 7 assaults against your team of 7 lights, each team will have 3 of each weight class or as close to it as they can get without making you sit for 20 minutes waiting for a perfectly balanced game.

Also, < screenshots of the Adder. > I don't like the look of it. They should have named it: The Uncircumcised.



Posted by Leisher on Apr. 25 2014,11:44
Piranha is saying < only 50 of the gold Timber Wolves remain. > (They're $500...for a skin!)

Interesting tidbit: They won't tell people how many there were for sale originally.

That's not suspicious at all...



Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 25 2014,11:50
$500 goddamned dollars?  Do they UPS hookers and blow to your house the first time you use it?
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 25 2014,12:03
The best part of that skin is the fact that the MW:O forums are full of people talking about how the gold plated mechs will be KOS for both friend and foe.

Even the pro MW:O players have stated they're not wasting that kind of money on a skin.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 25 2014,12:10

(Leisher @ Apr. 25 2014,14:03)
QUOTE
The best part of that skin is the fact that the MW:O forums are full of people talking about how the gold plated mechs will be KOS for both friend and foe.

Even the pro MW:O players have stated they're not wasting that kind of money on a skin.

That makes the EVE monocle thing look insignificant.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 25 2014,12:11
< Forbes weighed in on it. >
Posted by TheCatt on Apr. 25 2014,12:14
Maybe it's just a way for people to say "Thanks for building such a fun game, have some money," but clearly based on their reaction, MWO players are just dicks.
Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 25 2014,12:21
It's like charging $500 for a "Kick Me" sign, then having someone actually fucking buy one and use it.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 25 2014,12:24

(TheCatt @ Apr. 25 2014,15:14)
QUOTE
Maybe it's just a way for people to say "Thanks for building such a fun game, have some money," but clearly based on their reaction, MWO players are just dicks.

Actually, most folks on their forums have a "If people are willing to pay that price, then more power to them" attitude.

Although, that is combined with the "these things will be kos", so I'd call it a wash.

And to date, the MW:O community is about 20 years ahead of the maturity level of the LoL community.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 25 2014,12:51

(Leisher @ Apr. 25 2014,14:24)
QUOTE
And to date, the MW:O community is about 20 years ahead of the maturity level of the LoL community.

Which means they all act like they're around 20?
Posted by GORDON on Apr. 25 2014,13:09

(Malcolm @ Apr. 25 2014,15:51)
QUOTE

(Leisher @ Apr. 25 2014,14:24)
QUOTE
And to date, the MW:O community is about 20 years ahead of the maturity level of the LoL community.

Which means they all act like they're around 20?

I had a dude in a LOL game the other night who was such a tard that I muted him.  Of course you have to announce when you are muting these kinds of people... it drives them nuts.  I told the rest of the team to let me know if he has anything game-related to say.  Now and then they would tell me that he said I made a really good play, that he really admires my tactics, he is really sorry for being a jerk earlier, etc.  I bet the tard LOVED that, hehe.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 25 2014,13:31
I might be around for a bit tonight. Not sure yet. Definitely tomorrow.


Posted by Leisher on Apr. 28 2014,06:43
So last weekend seemed to be mostly about losing as lots of noobs were on, and peeps taking short cuts to get their free mech. I was busy most of this weekend, but got on last night and won the vast majority of the games I played.  Just a completely different experience from the week prior.

I only played in my Jenners as I'm trying to work them up to master level, and had a 4 game run where I went 3-1, and led my team in scoring and damage. In fact, for  three of those games (the three wins), I led both teams in scoring and damage, including a 7 kill, 5 assist game. This was in a Jenner!

Typically, I was thisclose to getting hard to earn achievements in those three games. In two of them, I finished with one kill negating the achievement for doing the most damage on either team, yet getting no kills. In the 7 kill, 5 assist match, I was 1 kill shy of the 8 kills in one game achievement.

Overall, it was a very successful night where I was earning around 1k XP per match, and around $150k c-bills per match. A much needed infusion of cash to offset the $8 million I dropped to correctly outfit my JRF-D. I've got one more Jenner to outfit and Elite.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 28 2014,08:30
i finally got to elite status on 2 of my 3 battlemasters this weekend! the third one just needs a few thousand more xp then my BLR-1S will be fully elited and the rest can all be mastered.  I must say, going through the process of mastering an assault class mech is time consuming and expensive, and i don't look forward to doing it again.  

I'm undecided on what direction i wanna go next.  I'm either gonna invest into mastering my Orions or Shadowhawks, both of which i have enjoyed playing lately and have got winning records with both of them.  Or i might invest into the Firestarters to get a light into my rotation.  I just have a really deep seeded hatred for lights because being a heavy or assault mech,  they annoy the living shit outta me.  Even my Shadowhawk which is a medium is called the Light Hunter, i've built it just for chasing down them lights and giving me retribution for all the hell they give me when i'm in my assaults.

Either way, tomarrow is a big day for MW:O.  Launch module is coming online so 3,3,3,3 and private matches will be live.  Hopefully this will make way for the Clan mechs to get into the game and then the much awaited community warfare.  From what i've been reading and hearing from on podcasts, it looks like this fall is the due date for this.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 28 2014,08:50
Also, i found that if you pay the $500 for the gold mech, you are actually getting the whole Masakari collection of clan mechs that are coming out.  So you are paying $240 for 24 clan mechs that comes with badges, titles, premium time and some other bullshit and only $260 for your shiny new gold mech.  Much better deal, i guess...
Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 28 2014,09:19
Is being half a tool really much better than being a full tool?
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 28 2014,09:44
QUOTE
Is being half a tool really much better than being a full tool?


QUOTE
Maybe it's just a way for people to say "Thanks for building such a fun game, have some money,"


That's a fair point.

If you're poor and you drop your welfare check on this mech/package, then yes, you're an asshole.

If you're independently wealthy, you simply don't give a fuck.

If this is your hobby and you want to support the development team, why is this worse than other hobbies people waste money on?

And again, I think the price is ridiculous, and plan to target these bastards in game, but I totally understand folks buying them.

If it's out there, and exclusive, people will spend the money.

You might think this is insane, but I'll find you folks who think all the money spent on eating out, sports (amateur played sports like golf, poker, bowling, softball, etc.), other video games, consoles, cars, etc. is insane.

Back to MW:O and Stranger, go for the Firestarter. We're solid at Heavy with both Gordo and I running them. Meanwhile, you're the only Assault, I'm the only Light, and Cake is the only Medium.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 29 2014,10:32
Looks like the patch is being uploaded right now.  I'll be on tonight to test out the new matchmaking, hope to see some of the rest of you too.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 29 2014,11:52
I will be on.
Posted by Stranger on Apr. 29 2014,11:53
i found this little bit of information about changing the cockpit glass and film grain that so many people have been bitching about for so long.  Not sure why they wouldn't just put this in as an option in your settings, to me its just lazy...  Oh yeah, and this is from the patch notes so its cool to do.

General

The following configuration variables have been exposed for tuning in your user.cfg file. To add these to your user.cfg file navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online (or your custom installation location) and if it doesn't exist, create a file user.cfg containing these settings as desired. Don't forget to set the value desired.

•gp_option_ShowCockpitGlass=0/1 (off/on)
•r_DepthOfField=0/1 (off/on)
•r_HDRGrainAmount=0.0-1.0 (film grain amount)

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 30 2014,05:57
Sorry to anyone expecting to see me on last night, but i crashed out at 9:30 for some reason.  

But it looks like Launch Module had a few hiccups at launch.  Supposedly they took 3,3,3,3 down just 40 minutes after launch because some people weren't able to load into games and others that were able to had games that were 4v3 or 3v2.  Unbelievable! they just ran a test server a few days ago and didn't have any problems.  I guess the private matches are working as they should but one person needs premium time to launch those.

There is a hotfix coming today, but i don't think it has anything to do with 3,3,3,3.  More information will be coming on what the devs are gonna do about this travesty of their Launch Module.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 30 2014,06:57
No worries. I got on around 10:30 and got wins in every mech I own for the x2 bonus then went back to grinding cbills and XP in my JR7-D. I'm really close to finishing Elite on that one, but I'm going to be just shy in the cbill department when it comes to building my JR7-K for the Elite run.

On that note, I've heard that folks do sell off their unused mechs once they hit that Master status. So, for example, I have the JR7-F, -D, and -K for the purpose of getting Master status on the Jenners. However, once I Elite all three, I can then sell one or two of them and it won't remove the Master status of the remaining ones. So, I'll for sure sell the -K (It's shitty), and maybe the -D (slower and a little less damage than the -F).

However, what's the difference between my JR7-F and the JR7-F©? Obviously, one is a champion mech, and gets a cbill bonus for each match, but is that it? They did the same thing with the CTF-3D. Is it just the same chasis and equipment, only you pay real money for it, and get the cbill bonus in return?

For the patch, I guess it was putting "ghost mechs" into matches, thus the 4v3 type of matches because the game thought the match was full. Currently, they don't seem to know why this didn't happen in testing. They're working on it.

The hotfix, which is going in today, just turns the "game type" option back on. It was turned off by yesterday's patch. It's the one that lets you select Conquest, Skirmish, or Assault. (In a related tidbit, I had the NGNG guys talking about upcoming game types like Defend.)

Not everything went bad for them though. The private matches were working well, and are apparently a huge success. I guess some clans/factions are already running training and tournaments through them.

Speaking of clans, the latest podcast talked about the clan mechs that are coming, and how different their weapons systems are from intersphere mechs. Their lasers hit harder, but they have to hold them on their target for the duration. Their autocannons can burst fire, and switch between slugs and cluster, but...I missed the negative on this one, but there is one. Their missles work similar to intersphere mechs, but they don't launch in clusters, they launch individually. The dev talking about it said the visual is awesome, but it makes them easier for AMS systems to kill them. So they hit harder, but they're easier to avoid/kill.

I don't get how the intersphere/clan dynamic works. I need a "Mechwarrior for Dummies" so I can catch up on the lore.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 30 2014,07:33

(Leisher @ Apr. 30 2014,09:57)
QUOTE
However, what's the difference between my JR7-F and the JR7-F©? Obviously, one is a champion mech, and gets a cbill bonus for each match, but is that it? They did the same thing with the CTF-3D. Is it just the same chasis and equipment, only you pay real money for it, and get the cbill bonus in return?

Champion mechs only get you an XP bonus, Hero mechs give you the C-bill bonus.  So Champion mechs are worthless in my mind.  If you wanna spend real money get a Hero mech, they have different hardpoints and custom paint jobs and give you the C-bills.

Champion mechs will have the same hardpoints as their same varient counterparts, but some may have an XL engine loaded on them and maybe some different weapons.  But in my mind this is not worth the real money to buy them, XP comes pretty quickly and easy enough in my mind.

As far as selling them off.. Yeah, i've read many people do that to conserve the mechbay slots.  I'll prolly keep 2 of my Battlemasters as they play and build totally different.

Posted by Leisher on May 01 2014,06:52
Have you noticed a big change since they added ghost heat?

I've died two times in matches over the past two weeks by overheating and blowing up my already critical engine.

Heat sinks are far more important now, as is chain firing.

Apparently, this was a way to balance alpha strikes.

Posted by Stranger on May 01 2014,07:28
Ghost heat has been in the game since last summer, so there should be no difference to what it has been.

Here is an article talking about Ghost Heat from August of last year.  The chart is pretty nice to see if you are actually getting into ghost heat territory.  

< http://mwo-builds.net/heat-pe....001 >

Also you can see the hard numbers for ghost heat on Smurfy's if you scroll down to the bottom of the page and look at the section called Heat Penalties per Weapon.

< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/#weapon_heatscale >



Posted by Leisher on May 01 2014,08:03
I think they just changed something with the heat, and I thought it was ghost heat.

The most recent podcast even addressed the issue.

I've never had overheating problems like I do now, and I've certainly never died to an overheat previously.

I've noticed something else lately too. Either I'm fat fingering the keyboard and hitting something at the beginning of matches without knowing or there's a bug that's causing my weapons group loadout to reset so that everything is firing off the #1 or the left mouse button. Earlier this week I had to reconfiguring the  weapons group for every mech I own.

Not sure what that's about.

Posted by Stranger on May 01 2014,08:41
There has been no changes to the heat scale at all.  I just checked the last few patch notes and there is nothing on there about heat changes.  The only thing that has changed is AC2 and AC5 have had their cooldowns lengthened which in turn actually will help with heat buildup because there is more time between shots.  And only if you're boating alot of the same weapons you really shouldn't be affected by ghost heat, which i don't think you do.   I have heard the podcasts and know they were talking about this.  And if they made any changes to heat they would be in the patch notes.

But this does make me think of your 4X you have 4 ballistics on that. I'm not sure how you have that set up but if you are firing say two AC5's an AC2 and an AC10 all within .5 seconds of each other you will be suffering from a massive ghost heat penalty. Are you having problems in one certain mech or all of them? i have never died from overheating and i haven't notice any difference in anything.  

And that weapons group thing is prolly just another bug.  God knows i've had my share of problems with the mechlab and whatnot.  I have had the same problem happen to me on one occasion.

Posted by Leisher on May 01 2014,09:22
My Jenners are the biggest problem because of the lasers. My CTF-4X isn't an issue except on Mordor.

I have three suicides now in total. Two from overheating which caused damage to my already critical engine, and once when I tried to override an overheat and blew up my engine.

I've never had overheating like I have lately.

I also think they should boost the water cooldown a bit more. Just a touch. Currently, I don't see much difference standing on shore or water. I mean, I see the numbers drop slightly faster, but not a ton faster.

Posted by Leisher on May 01 2014,21:40
So, when I'm done leveling this turd, the JR7-K, I plan to sell it. Now, I'll have achieved "Elite" status in three Jenners. If I were to buy the JR7-0, which is the hero mech, would it automatically be leveled to Elite even though I sold the JR7-K?

I think I might sell the JR7-D, too.

Going to keep all my Cataphracts though.

Posted by Stranger on May 02 2014,04:50

(Leisher @ May 02 2014,00:40)
QUOTE
If I were to buy the JR7-0, which is the hero mech, would it automatically be leveled to Elite even though I sold the JR7-K?

No, you will still need to go through the normal process of leveling it up.  But if you do sell your mech and decide to rebuy it for some reason, the XP you earned will still be there.  You don't lose XP you earn when you sell them.



Posted by Leisher on May 02 2014,06:28
Ok, your response threw me off a bit, so let me change the way I worded my question.

I know I read somewhere that once you get your 3 chassis up to Elite or Master any additional chassis you buy will instantly either be leveled to that level OR will have those levels automatically unlocked (NOT purchased, but unlocked).

Follow me? Now what you said makes sense because they'd want you to earn the skills, but my question is about the higher tiers.

Let's say tonight I get done leveling all 3 Jenner chassis so that they have purchased all the Elite tier skills and are "Master eligible". I then sell the -K and -D chassis leaving me with only the -F. If I then buy the -0, which is the hero, are the Elite and Master levels unlocked for it automatically (again, not purcahsed)? Basically meaning that I wouldn't have to buy a third chassis and level it up again just to level up my new Jenner hero mech.

And thinking about it, maybe that's what you said, but I want to confirm before I sell the -K, which I should easily have leveled before the weekend is over. I only have the 6k, 4k, and 3k skills to unlock. I'll then simply need to get my -F to Master level, and I'll have the Cataphracts and Jenners at Master.

Posted by Stranger on May 02 2014,06:47
ok, i see what you're asking..

I know what you mean, but just to be clear,  Chassis is the mech (Jenner, Cataphract, Atlas, etc...)
and Variants are the subsets (-K,-D,-O)

So, yes.  You can sell your -K and -D varients and then if you buy the -O the Elite and Master levels will be unlocked.  This means that you will still need to earn the XP to get to those levels though.

If you purchase a new chassis of the same weight class as a chassis for which you have three variants with all of their elite skills you will have less work to do in order to reach master level. You will still need to buy three variants of that chassis and earn all of the basic skills. Once you have done that, however, you only need to earn the elite efficiencies for the ones that you intend to take to master level (because you already have three variants within that weight class with their elite skills).

Hope that clears things up a little bit because it's confusing.

Posted by Leisher on May 02 2014,06:56
I figured it out towards the end of my last post. Once I realized you had said that you keep the XP even if you sell the variant, it occurred to me that you'd also be keeping the skills that you unlocked.

Thus, if you level 3 variants of a single chassis to Master, and then sell them all, you still have mastered that chassis.

Thus, if you buy a new one, the Elite and Master tiers will already be unlocked, you'll just need to earn the XP to buy the skills.

I'll be on tonight...I think. If I am it won't be too late as I have to get up early. I'll be on a lot Saturday though. There's a sleepover, which means it's my wife's problem, and I get to sleep in Sunday.

Posted by Stranger on May 02 2014,17:42

(Stranger @ Apr. 29 2014,14:53)
QUOTE
i found this little bit of information about changing the cockpit glass and film grain that so many people have been bitching about for so long.  Not sure why they wouldn't just put this in as an option in your settings, to me its just lazy...  Oh yeah, and this is from the patch notes so its cool to do.

General

The following configuration variables have been exposed for tuning in your user.cfg file. To add these to your user.cfg file navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Piranha Games\MechWarrior Online (or your custom installation location) and if it doesn't exist, create a file user.cfg containing these settings as desired. Don't forget to set the value desired.

•gp_option_ShowCockpitGlass=0/1 (off/on)
•r_DepthOfField=0/1 (off/on)
•r_HDRGrainAmount=0.0-1.0 (film grain amount)

so im trying to do this but I have no user.cfg file like it says.  how do I create one of these?
Posted by Leisher on May 02 2014,17:52
What do those settings do?

< Creating your file >

Posted by Stranger on May 02 2014,17:58
it takes off the cockpit glass, filmgrain and depth of field blur.. I guess it makes the game look a lot better turning off those filters
Posted by Leisher on May 05 2014,15:38
Someone was posting launch module screenshots on Twitter today. I'm guessing tomorrow will be attempt #2?




Posted by Leisher on May 06 2014,12:25
No 3/3/3/3 today, but some bug fixes towards its re-release and a new hero mech (a Quickdraw that actually sounds pretty solid).

Their patch notes do talk a bit about Community run events though, which are gaining tons of steam thanks to the private game feature.

So I had a peek, and there are indeed lots of community run events popping up. There's the typical clan vs clan and house vs house stuff, but also events for lances and lone wolves. (12v12, 8v8, 4v4, 2v2, and even 1v1)

I found one, < the Martial Olympiad >, that's interesting. The prize is nothing special, a poster featuring your mech, but the types of matchups are interesting: 1v1, 2v2, and 4v4. They say your first round opponents will be known by the 16th of this month, but signups seem to still be going on. I'll probably jump in the 1v1s with my Jenner and the Heavy group with my Cataphracts. Anyone want to 2v2? I know asking about the 4s is pointless.

Posted by Stranger on May 06 2014,13:12
i have also been checking out some of these community run events/leagues/tournaments there are all sorts of them starting up right now.  I might be interested in some of these, this is one that i saw that looks like its ran pretty well.

< http://www.mwoladder.enjin.com/ >

Also there are alot of random nights where people will have open lobbies on Teamspeak and they invite anyone to join and get some good 12v12 games going.  This might be fun to try a few times just to do something different and get a better team play experiance.  

I have found this subreddit for MW:O that is great for new info, and people post open lobbies they are running on here all the time.  Also the Devs routinley comment on here so its a great source for news.

< http://www.reddit.com/r/OutreachHPG/ >

I'll be on tonight to play

Posted by Stranger on May 06 2014,13:50

(Leisher @ May 06 2014,15:25)
QUOTE
I found one, < the Martial Olympiad >, that's interesting.

Yeah, i just looked at teams that signed up for the 2v2.  So far there is only four teams, but thats no big deal.  I noticed the last team to sign up is called Team Nigel Hunters.. Well that guy Jager XII is like the best dude in the game. Leisher you might even notice him because he's always on the NoGuts NoGalaxy podcasts. I've even watched a few of his streams, guy doesn't miss a shot.. Yeah, that would be fun.  We should do it just for the laughs!

EDIT.. i just noticed that one of the other teams. ROFL-Osis..  Well ROFLwaffle hosts the youtube podcasts, i'm pretty sure most if not all of these guys are already on premade 12 teams that are pretty much the best players in the game.



Posted by Leisher on May 06 2014,14:54
I'll be on around 10. Gotta do tball, dinner, bedtime, then bedtime again when the actress gets home.

And yes, we should do the 2v2 and absolutely rock those noobs.

Posted by Cakedaddy on May 06 2014,23:39
I'd be interested in this type of thing.  Finally a point to playing.  For me, so far, it's just been farming c-bills to buy another mech.  That's why I haven't been playing much.  Just feels like farming.  But, if we start talking strategy and how to win, it would become more interesting to me.  Till now, all of our talk has been 'how to gain the most c-bills per hour'.  So, farming.

So, ya, lets start doing some 4v4 and work on strategy.  Just like we did in LoL.  :-)

Posted by GORDON on May 07 2014,05:07
My team won a 4v5 in ARAM last night, our Morgana never joined the game.
Posted by Leisher on May 07 2014,08:35
QUOTE
Finally a point to playing.  For me, so far, it's just been farming c-bills to buy another mech.  That's why I haven't been playing much.  Just feels like farming.


Well, if I'm being completely honest, I don't think you're giving it a real shot OR you don't dig the concept.

I think really trying to apply the "no point to playing" argument to this game is ridiculously unfair.

Let me explain.

From level 0 to level 30 and then until ladders went in, LoL was the exact same thing. Death matches and grinding. There was no point to the game except wins and losses.

The ladder ranking they developed was awesome, and gave us some goals, but if you really think about it, it still had nothing to do with the other team. It was just a measure of your win/loss record and the quality of your opponents. There was no war of attrition. No actual damage done to your opponents' resources and/or ability to wage war. No claiming their land.

Not much point to it. Less if you're avoiding the game modes they track (SR and TT).

Example:
QUOTE
My team won a 4v5 in ARAM last night, our Morgana never joined the game.


:p

Rust captured our attention for a hot minute, and seemed to have the elements of battles that meant something, but did they? Ignoring the rampant cheating, did you really hurt anyone in that game? Resources were so plentiful that folks would be back to full strength in a day. Once the game was out a few months people were creating multiple bases so even if they got hit, the damage was limited. And even if they did have one base and got nailed solidly, they didn't exactly lose their crafting knowledge. In fact, the most damaging weapon in the game was the server wipe.

And how stupid was the whole die/resurrect element in that game? Go on YouTube and watch some of the base assaults. It becomes so dumb watching attackers running out of resources while winning a battle just because the defenders built 1,000 sleeping bags in their house, and can instantly respawn over and over and over.

Was Rust really a "survival" game? No, it was just a death match with crafting, and the crafting/researching was a grind.

I say that as someone who has more hours in it than anyone else, and who looks forward to playing it again, but they're years away from where we want them to be.

Guns of Icarus. Death matches in a hot air balloon. A slow moving hot air balloon. A slow moving hot air balloon that for some reason you take to battle in damaging sand storms and smoke.  'Nuff said.

Dungeon Defenders was really fun for short bursts, but it wasn't even death match. It was simply grinding away against the same enemies on the same levels so you can eventually buy better equipment. And you want to talk about insane pricing? I think this game was the king.

I also want to bring up World of Tanks because Gordo tried to get us to give it a try a while back. In Gordo's words WoT is MW:O only with tanks. I think that's fair because the MW:O team makes similar statements, and apparently they compare their pricing to WoT's to ensure they're comparable (so we'd have been complaining there too).

Now I would be willing to give WoT a look. I mean, it's free, so why not? Their biggest perk is that they're slightly ahead of MW:O in development as they have their community warfare up and running, but I think they're weaker in concept. Tanks vs Mechs? Give me the mechs with the various types, the differing weapons, the deeper lore, the jump jets, etc.

That's what I mean by "not digging the concept". Essentially the same game, but given the choice I'd rather be piloting a mech than a tank.

Anyway, I get that MW:O can have a farming feel to it at times or "no point", but implying it was the only game like that is incorrect.

When we first started playing MW:O I thought the rate you earned C-Bills and XP was ridiculous. If it wasn't for the concept (giant mechs fighting) and the solid game play, I would have left. However, as I got more experience I realized the rate is actually pretty decent, and as I learned the game more I enjoyed it more.

I like the fact that there are four separate classes of mechs. I like that there are different variants of each. I like that everyone can spec out their mechs in their own ways. I like that there are modules that add yet another wrinkle and uniqueness to your mech. The game just feels very deep, and like LoL it isn't just handed to you from the get go. They want you to earn your way there. I've got two chassis mastered, own three variants of each, I haven't even touched modules yet, and I know that there are different options available for me in terms of builds.

(BTW, this whole conversation makes me more curious about WoT. Do they have classes? How customized can you make your tank? Do they have different barrels or something?)

Point being, I like the concept, the game play, and I enjoy building/mastering the mechs, so I'm more hooked than someone who doesn't dig the concept of the mechs.

That all being said, I'd still end up walking away from it IF Community Warfare wasn't on the horizon. Multiple enemies? Check. Mercenary Forces? Check. Bonuses based on your house? Check. Every battle means something? Check. Actually capturing planets to block or gain resources? Check.

It's everything we want. I just hope they can pull it off.

But don't play MW:O if you feel like you "have to" or something. Stranger and I love it, but if you don't, you don't. There's nothing wrong with that. I'll still game with you, just find us something we all enjoy. The problem is that right now, there doesn't seem to be anything else out there worth a damn. Rust is developing. Ditto for games like it. I said I'd give WoT a try, but again, it's the same as MW:O, but with tanks. I'd be happy to do some more SC2 or whatever, but those are just death matches too.

I'm writing this all up because I enjoy playing with you guys, however, I don't want you to play MW:O if you don't want to. I can't make you like a game. Stranger and I have discussed joining a clan or whatever they're called, and honestly I'd rather play with guys who also love the game than some friends who feel forced to be there and aren't having a good time. Yes, I would rather play with you guys, but I don't want you there against your will.

The only thing I ask is give it a fair shake and be honest about it. Gordo didn't mince words about GoI, and in the end, he was right (call Guiness!). But please don't complain about MW:O having "no point", while playing ARAM in LoL or other games that are just as "pointless".

If this isn't the game we all play, so be it. We'll find something else, and I'll gladly play it with you. Just know that I'm all in with MW:O. I'm riding this out until Community Warfare hits at which point I'll either be rewarded with a galaxy at war where every battle counts or I'll be so disappointed I'll walk away. Either way, I'm enjoying the road there so far.

Moving on...
QUOTE
But, if we start talking strategy and how to win, it would become more interesting to me. So, ya, lets start doing some 4v4 and work on strategy.  Just like we did in LoL.  :-)


There's a bit of a catch 22 here. We play in public matches, which is a collection of random folks. That's why we don't see higher levels of strategy more often. The most important thing in those matches is to stick with the team. It's hard to give or receive orders when the primary method of communication is typing. However, when someone does step up and take command, I generally try to follow them.

Recently, a bug caused 12 man pre-mades to get matched up with 12 man pub teams. A well coordinated practiced team in constant communication against a bunch of random people thrown together. The results were exactly what you'd expect.

To their credit, the 12 man teams were active on the forums complaining about it. They didn't think it was fair to the pub players, and were worried about driving those players from the game. the 12 man teams actually stopped queuing together to avoid this issue. Tease all you want, but it is a better community than another game  :D

Anyway, I'm getting off track. The point is there is higher level game play out there, but we're not in it yet. We're playing pubs. If we want to face better opponents where the strategy gets deeper, we need to start getting active in the community. If we want to get serious, and potentially develop that TKV reputation so that we're a known commodity when Community Warfare hits, then we need to work on strategy as you suggest.

I would LOVE to get a conversation started about our lance. Is everyone happy in their mechs? Would they rather switch up, and go with something else? (For example: I prefer the Cataphracts over the Jenners because I'm an "in your face" brawler type.) What mechs compliment each other, and make up a good lance? (ECM is a must.) What would our general game plan be for each map? Each victory condition? Does that change in private matches over the pub matches? Etc. And I'd certainly love to get into lance tournaments, which are out there.

Before we do any of that though, we need to fill out our lance because I currently don't know if we have the required four people. Once we have four, we need to actually play together. Not nightly, but definitely more than twice a month.

Posted by Cakedaddy on May 07 2014,11:10
When I play MW, the only thing I check after the game is how many C-Bills I've earned.  I might glance at other specs out of curiosity, but C-Bills are all that matter.  I never feel disappointed when I lose, or excited when I win.  I have as much fun playing MW as I did Counter Strike.  It's pretty much the same core game.  Kill the other team, or accomplish a goal.  Which is fun in itself, but, much like CS, it gets old and I want to move on.  As far as comparing it to LoL.  I honestly don't remember LoL without ladders.  Probably because even once they were there, I ignored them for so long while 'practicing' so that I could 'place gold or higher'.  We just kept practicing so when we went 'live', we had a respectable record.  So, from a very early point, there was a goal.  Place high in the ladder.  And maybe it was the length of the game that made each win/loss have feeling.  With MW, win or lose, oh well, another 10 games will be played.  With league, we had 3 shots a night and could easily have a completely losing night followed by all wins the next.  But in both games, we are about 50/50 win/loss.  I think some of us had slightly better than 50/50, but that's pretty much where we were.  And from what I've gathered, that's where we are in MW.  So, it's not like we are more competitive or anything.  We are just as average here as we were in lol.  So, yes, there are a ton of similarities between the game.  The big one that's missing, is a goal.  Other than buying more mechs.  I really believe that if we weren't ranked in lol, lol would have been left behind a long time ago.  There was a carrot that we all wanted to get and it drove us on.  I don't see one in mech yet.  The games can be fun.  But in so many, your team is a complete failure or you die early and you are just waiting for the match to end.  Just like CS.  This is a game where I would log on to rack up some kills for a while and then move on.  Revisit later to repeat.  Just like CS.  Once all the stuff they are talking about goes in, that might change.  However, I see having to play with 8+ strangers (I don't mean Stranger.  The other ones) being a huge downer.  We hated having one in lol.  Now 8?!  But, we'll see.

Biggest thing between lol and mw to me is. . . .  We, as a team, determined the outcome of our game.  Win or lose, it was all up to us.  We don't have that in MW.  I don't feel like I'm on a team.  I'm just part of a group that hopefully kind of works out, or something.  But if it doesn't, no big deal.  Another starts soon.  I just hope I don't die early so I'm not sitting for 5 minutes.

When I'm playing MW, I normally have netflix on or something to watch once I'm dead.  I don't bother watching the match because:
1. I don't care how it ends.
2. I'm not learning anything watching other people play.  I'm not going to pick up some tactic that will make me play better.

I will sometimes watch you guys though so we can talk about what's going on.



Rust:  The game has a HUGE learning curve.  Once you've gone through it, the game changes.  In the beginning, we wanted low pop servers so we had a chance to function.  We couldn't fight.  All we could do is try to build a better base.  If we tried to fight, we all died.  I refer you to the night we had about 7 people in game.  We all armed up and were going to hunt people.  We ran down the mountain, ran into some NPC zombies and lost half our party.  We sucked at killing things.  Then I started running with Troy more and forcing the PvP stuff.  I lost a lot at first.  Learning how to shoot the weapons was hard.  But, I learned.  I became accurate with them.  The hardest part of Rust PVP, by far, to me, was spacial awareness.  Always knowing where Troy was.  While chasing an enemy, I might take a different route from Troy to cut off an enemy.  Then I lose them.  "Where did you go?"  "Over here on the other side of this rock!"  "........"  Now you have the fun of making sure you don't shoot the wrong person because we all look the same!  So, we got better at PvP.  Then we started hitting the heavy populated servers.  COMPLETE game changer.  EVERYthing you did was dangerous.  There were people everywhere.  You couldn't easily get resources.  They were either gone, or actively being harvested by someone else.  You had to fight for everything.  And if you lost stuff, even though you could craft a new one, you didn't always have the resources.  Add on to the house, or build back up weapons?  You didn't have 6 chests full of spare resources on our later servers.  Every stone counted.  AND these were servers where C4 was craftable.  It was uncommon for a house to be fully raided because C4 was expensive and hard to craft.  Very difficult to get all you needed.

Yes, Rust is Alpha.  We shouldn't all look the same.  The weapons should be different.  Etc.  However, the meaningless encounters you find on low pop servers goes away on high pop.  EVERY encounter matters and every stone counts.  I wish you guys had come with us on those servers.  I'm not saying we would all still be playing right now and it would be the new LoL.  But you would have had much more fun with the game while we played.  Or, you would have gotten frustrated and quite sooner!  You keep calling it death match.  I don't see it as any more of a death match than UO was.  Yes, lots of combat.  But you felt it when you won/lost.  Rust got my heart beating and adrenaline pumping just like UO used to.  No other game has done that.



Back to MW.  I thought you guys were implying we could do 4v4 matches.  As in, 8 total mechs.  So, we as a team of 4 would play against another team of 4.  If we can do that, lets just start doing that.  Now we can work on tactics.  We can each have a role to play.  Etc.  Build a team instead of just being part of a random group and hoping our randomness beats their randomness.  Because all of the stuff that might give MW meaning, isn't here yet.  So right now, the only goal is buying more mechs, which feels like farming to me.  I'll get on and play with you guys just like I would CS.  I'm not being forced.  It's fun enough to run around with friends in it.  But, it just doesn't hold any meaning to me.  Right now, I would play more, but I don't feel like it.  I'd rather get more done in Oblivion.  Your odds of winning aren't increased/decreased by my playing or not.  I'm just another person in teamspeak being part of the random group.  Therefor, I don't feel like you would miss me if I wasn't there.  The game isn't changed for you guys if I'm there or not.  However, we build a team of 4/3/whatever, now, there's something to fight for.

Posted by Leisher on May 07 2014,12:33
QUOTE
When I play MW, the only thing I check after the game is how many C-Bills I've earned.  I might glance at other specs out of curiosity, but C-Bills are all that matter.  I never feel disappointed when I lose, or excited when I win.  I have as much fun playing MW as I did Counter Strike.  It's pretty much the same core game.  Kill the other team, or accomplish a goal.  Which is fun in itself, but, much like CS, it gets old and I want to move on.  As far as comparing it to LoL.  I honestly don't remember LoL without ladders.  Probably because even once they were there, I ignored them for so long while 'practicing' so that I could 'place gold or higher'.  We just kept practicing so when we went 'live', we had a respectable record.  So, from a very early point, there was a goal.  Place high in the ladder.  And maybe it was the length of the game that made each win/loss have feeling.  With MW, win or lose, oh well, another 10 games will be played.  With league, we had 3 shots a night and could easily have a completely losing night followed by all wins the next.  But in both games, we are about 50/50 win/loss.  I think some of us had slightly better than 50/50, but that's pretty much where we were.  And from what I've gathered, that's where we are in MW.  So, it's not like we are more competitive or anything.  We are just as average here as we were in lol.  So, yes, there are a ton of similarities between the game.  The big one that's missing, is a goal.  Other than buying more mechs.  I really believe that if we weren't ranked in lol, lol would have been left behind a long time ago.  There was a carrot that we all wanted to get and it drove us on.  I don't see one in mech yet.  The games can be fun.  But in so many, your team is a complete failure or you die early and you are just waiting for the match to end.  Just like CS.  This is a game where I would log on to rack up some kills for a while and then move on.  Revisit later to repeat.  Just like CS.  Once all the stuff they are talking about goes in, that might change.  However, I see having to play with 8+ strangers (I don't mean Stranger.  The other ones) being a huge downer.  We hated having one in lol.  Now 8?!  But, we'll see.

Biggest thing between lol and mw to me is. . . .  We, as a team, determined the outcome of our game.  Win or lose, it was all up to us.  We don't have that in MW.  I don't feel like I'm on a team.  I'm just part of a group that hopefully kind of works out, or something.  But if it doesn't, no big deal.  Another starts soon.  I just hope I don't die early so I'm not sitting for 5 minutes.

When I'm playing MW, I normally have netflix on or something to watch once I'm dead.  I don't bother watching the match because:
1. I don't care how it ends.
2. I'm not learning anything watching other people play.  I'm not going to pick up some tactic that will make me play better.

I will sometimes watch you guys though so we can talk about what's going on.


Translation: "I'm not even remotely giving it a fair chance."

Sorry, but that's my take away. Go play something else! It's fine! I'd love for you to enjoy the game, but if you're not going to, I'd rather you not play!

Seriously, take that whole statement and compare it to the one you wrote about Rust. You honestly can't see the difference in your attitude going into the games? Not the one you came out with, but the one you had going in...

QUOTE
It's pretty much the same core game.


They're ALL the same core game.

QUOTE
And maybe it was the length of the game that made each win/loss have feeling.  With MW, win or lose, oh well, another 10 games will be played.  With league, we had 3 shots a night and could easily have a completely losing night followed by all wins the next.


I don't see being able to play more games a night as a negative.

You'll have to explain to me how playing 3-4 different matches versus getting routed and fighting with each other over a 45 minute single match is less fun or inferior.

QUOTE
But in both games, we are about 50/50 win/loss.  I think some of us had slightly better than 50/50, but that's pretty much where we were.


I was over 20 above .500 in LoL, and well over .500 in MW:O. I should mention that I don't think your record matters in pubs in MW:O. Nor is it reflective of your skill level since, as you point out, you're so dependent on the rest of the team.

QUOTE
So, it's not like we are more competitive or anything.  We are just as average here as we were in lol.


Speak for yourself. I don't think we were average in LoL. I think we were below average. Truth. I think there were times we were above average. I think we had our moments. However, overall, I honestly think we were a below average team. We SHOULD have been better, but for whatever reason we couldn't figure things out.

Currently, I feel very competitive in MW:O. Stranger and I will get our asses handed to us if we do that two man tourney featuring two of the best players in MW:O, but who cares? It'll be fun, and I honestly feel like we could pull off an upset given the right circumstances. That's something I never felt in LoL.

I just know I'm on the positive side of the kill/death ratio, and that's with a LOT of games under my belt using pre-built (ala "shitty") mechs. And as Stranger can attest, a lot of games where I was intentionally trying not to get kills because I was going for certain achievements.

Not saying I'm top tier, but I feel better about my skills here than I ever did in LoL.

QUOTE
The big one that's missing, is a goal.


That's on us and them.

I stated earlier that if the Community Warfare thing doesn't bring the persistent world we desire, I'll be out. It's really as simple as that.

But finding a goal to play the game is also on us. If you can't find anything fun about it currently, DON'T PLAY!!!!!! I can't stress that enough. Personally, I'm enjoying the shit out of it. I love the concept. I love the game play. I'm enjoying learning the game, and building mechs. Figuring out the different weapons and tactics. I like the random events they have. My goals right now are to get better and learn the community. When Community Warfare does hit, I don't want to spend a ton of time learning the game. I want to hit the ground running at that point.

If you'll remember, ladders didn't come out until we were well into our LoL career. Imagine how bad we would have been if they had hit when we were first playing. We wouldn't have sniffed Silver.

QUOTE
There was a carrot that we all wanted to get and it drove us on.


Where was the carrot the first two years? We played just because we enjoyed it. Again, go play something else if you don't find the game fun!

QUOTE
However, I see having to play with 8+ strangers (I don't mean Stranger.  The other ones) being a huge downer.  We hated having one in lol.  Now 8?!


I was nervous about that too, but it's REALLY rare to run into a "Hitler" (trademark Gordo) in MW:O. Meanwhile, over in LoL Gordo played one game of SR since we left, and had Hitlers...

I'll take my chances here  :)

Yeah, you get disconnects, and there is the occasional Hitler, but mostly the bad players are just bad players or folks who don't understand the tactics of a battlefield. Those games can be frustrating, but you get people like that in all games.

QUOTE
Biggest thing between lol and mw to me is. . . .  We, as a team, determined the outcome of our game.  Win or lose, it was all up to us.  We don't have that in MW.  I don't feel like I'm on a team.  I'm just part of a group that hopefully kind of works out, or something.


I get that. See my last point and it directly applies. I play a lot more than you though, and I see the awesome moments. I see people taking control and leading. I see teams pulling over solid maneuvers. I also see disorganized messes that are inevitable losses.

I REALLY enjoy it when we have a full lance on. It's fun as hell to call out targets and work together as a lance. I don't get more into it with you guys because outside of Stranger I don't get the feeling the other two of you want to be there.

Gordo is easier to read than you, and I can tell when he's not feeling it, and when he is. I don't have as much fun playing with him when he's down on the game (same as LoL). However, the last time we played together, he was ridiculously positive (he must have gotten laid) and was very obviously having fun. He was also doing very well, but still positive in matches when he wasn't. Stranger can confirm this, and after he got off I was talking about how Gordo's attitude really made my enjoyment level of the game go way up that night. (Again, same as LoL, UO, whatever.)

The same goes for you and him and anyone in our group. Gordo's example is just the most recent and applies to this game. I want you guys to love this game like Stranger and I, but if you don't, I understand. It's far more fun to compete with my friends, but if you're going to be negative the whole time, it'd be more fun to play with strangers.

I just want you to give it a fair chance, and not go into it with a negative attitude, which you did. So did Gordo. You both know you did. Gordo did it because of the WoT suggestion being ignored, and because he doesn't like change.  :D  I don't know how you can give GoI a chance or DD a chance, but sit here and tell me this game doesn't blow your skirt up. It boggles my mind.

And yes Gordo, I was serious about giving WoT a legit shot if tanks are more your thing. I'm not leaving MW:O, but I'll play WoT if folks want to.

QUOTE
1. I don't care how it ends.


Do I need to say it?

QUOTE
2. I'm not learning anything watching other people play.  I'm not going to pick up some tactic that will make me play better.


I thought watching LoL games was mind numbingly boring. Then I accidentally picked some things up here and there. I learned what to look for, and if nothing else, I scout the other mechs to see their builds.

And all that being said, if I get frustrated by a match or I am grinding something out, I'll exit the match after I die, jump into another mech, and launch a new game.

QUOTE
Rust:  The game has a HUGE learning curve.  Once you've gone through it, the game changes.  In the beginning, we wanted low pop servers so we had a chance to function.  We couldn't fight.  All we could do is try to build a better base.  If we tried to fight, we all died.  I refer you to the night we had about 7 people in game.  We all armed up and were going to hunt people.  We ran down the mountain, ran into some NPC zombies and lost half our party.  We sucked at killing things.  Then I started running with Troy more and forcing the PvP stuff.  I lost a lot at first.  Learning how to shoot the weapons was hard.  But, I learned.  I became accurate with them.  The hardest part of Rust PVP, by far, to me, was spacial awareness.  Always knowing where Troy was.  While chasing an enemy, I might take a different route from Troy to cut off an enemy.  Then I lose them.  "Where did you go?"  "Over here on the other side of this rock!"  "........"  Now you have the fun of making sure you don't shoot the wrong person because we all look the same!  So, we got better at PvP.  Then we started hitting the heavy populated servers.  COMPLETE game changer.  EVERYthing you did was dangerous.  There were people everywhere.  You couldn't easily get resources.  They were either gone, or actively being harvested by someone else.  You had to fight for everything.  And if you lost stuff, even though you could craft a new one, you didn't always have the resources.  Add on to the house, or build back up weapons?  You didn't have 6 chests full of spare resources on our later servers.  Every stone counted.  AND these were servers where C4 was craftable.  It was uncommon for a house to be fully raided because C4 was expensive and hard to craft.  Very difficult to get all you needed.


Oh look, a game that sucked and was boring at first, but you gave it a fair chance until it became fun. Weird.

I got excited by the fights when I first started. After a short time, they became pointless. First, because the combat system was AWFUL. (Don't bother arguing, it's a point even Gary stands by...). Second, I learned how to quickly rebuild. Third, it just became standard.

One of the best Rust players out there, that Viking guy whose server I was living on by accident for a bit, said "Rust became very easy, and ultimately very boring once I realized I just had to play like I had nothing." True words.

Play it with that attitude and lets see if your heart beats like crazy. Mine didn't.

And yes, I stand by the "death match with crafting" description.

By the way, adding so many players that the resources become scare and immediately fought over didn't make the game fun. That 100 player server was the opposite of fun. It'd be like dropping 100 mechs onto one map. Fun and unique for a second and then you realize how stupid it is...

I played Rust more than anyone (look at the stats), and did everything in the game (craft, farm, PvP, raid houses, get raided, etc.), but I realized the only part that kept me compelled to play was building my base and skills up after each wipe.

QUOTE
You keep calling it death match.  I don't see it as any more of a death match than UO was.  Yes, lots of combat.  But you felt it when you won/lost.


Don't insult UO by comparing it to Rust.

UO didn't reset every month. UO was a persistent world. UO had wars of attrition that actually mattered where items and skills couldn't be replaced in a single day.

Rust is a death match with crafting.

QUOTE
I thought you guys were implying we could do 4v4 matches.


We can, but it'd be in tournament formats. There's no 4v4 queue.

QUOTE
Your odds of winning aren't increased/decreased by my playing or not.


Debatable...both ways.  :D

My final point for the night as I'm heading to golf is this:
Unlike in LoL, MW:O currently requires us to get more involved in community run events if we want to do something other than pubs. Want 4v4? Community run events. Want to be a part of a 12 man group? Community events. Want to join tournaments with real prizes? Community events. And so on.

Actually, all LoL (Riot) did for us was give us different modes (Dominion, TT, SR, ARAM, and other limited time gimmicks), however they also had a community that we never got involved in, that ran private events.

Your enjoyment of MW:O might currently reside in the community run events rather than just the main game.

So if you do like the game, fine, I'll keep putting effort into you. If not, let me know what other game I need to download so we can play, but know I'll still be playing MW:O.

In the meantime, if you're getting curious about these community run things, check their forums or we can discuss it in TS over the weekend or something.

Posted by Cakedaddy on May 07 2014,14:58
You keep saying I'm not giving it a fair shake.  What more can I do besides play it?  When I know you guys are on, I try to log in and get in a few games.  I don't bitch (unless Mordor) and I give 100%.  I'm competitive, so, I try.  But in the end, the loss doesn't hurt and the win just means a few more C-Bills.  And when you guys are done, so am I.  I'll play something else.  I may not LOVE the game, but I have fun playing it.  I don't think I need to see what you see to be able to enjoy playing the game.

Sucks that we can't do at will 4v4 games.  I think that would be way more fun than the current format.  I guess Skirmish mode anyway.  Capture maps as is would be too big for 4v4.  Many games would have no fighting as we were running for capture points and stuff.  But still.  An actual team instead of randoms would add a lot.  That being said, I'd be up for a clan as well (assuming the requirements aren't high).  12 'strangers' in TS vs 12 not is better.

In summary, I don't know what more I can do for the game to like it.  I play it.  I play to win every match.  There's just no emotion.





As far as Rust.  You just don't know.  You were never on a hard server.  So, you are talking about something you don't know about.  :-)  You were never on a server where you couldn't rebuild easily.  For you to say you could rebuild easily, on a full server, is incorrect.  If you are really good at the game, or cheating, yes, it's easier.  But we were neither of those, so it was hard and a challenge.  Alpha game mechanics aside, Rust on a full server when you know how to play is WAY different from an empty one.  And being on a full server when you don't know what you are doing doesn't count because you are just lost.  Like we were when we were all on one.  Once you learn how to play, it's completely different.  I'm not arguing that the game is done and perfect.  I'm saying that you didn't experience the same Rust me and Troy did.  And Troy even more than me.  There were a ton of times we were out hunting with home made revolvers instead of shot guns because that's all we could do at the time.  I'm not comparing the alpha version of Rust to the complete (debatable) version of UO.  I'm saying combat, encounters, etc are comparable.  I see someone, and my heart start beating in anticipation to how the encounter is going to play out.  Friend or foe?  Can I take him?  Does he have something I need?  Does he want my stuff?  Does he have backup?  etc.  Every encounter mattered because someone was going home with someone else's stuff.  Sure, the mechanics of that playing out were alpha.  But, I still wanted to win the encounter, or at least leave with my own stuff.  There are few things more satisfying that taking someone's virtual goods.

Posted by Leisher on May 08 2014,08:35
QUOTE
You keep saying I'm not giving it a fair shake.  What more can I do besides play it?  When I know you guys are on, I try to log in and get in a few games.  I don't bitch (unless Mordor) and I give 100%.  I'm competitive, so, I try.  But in the end, the loss doesn't hurt and the win just means a few more C-Bills.  And when you guys are done, so am I.  I'll play something else.  I may not LOVE the game, but I have fun playing it.  I don't think I need to see what you see to be able to enjoy playing the game.

Sucks that we can't do at will 4v4 games.  I think that would be way more fun than the current format.  I guess Skirmish mode anyway.  Capture maps as is would be too big for 4v4.  Many games would have no fighting as we were running for capture points and stuff.  But still.  An actual team instead of randoms would add a lot.  That being said, I'd be up for a clan as well (assuming the requirements aren't high).  12 'strangers' in TS vs 12 not is better.

In summary, I don't know what more I can do for the game to like it.  I play it.  I play to win every match.  There's just no emotion.


To put this simply: It's your attitude.

I'm not trying to make you love the game, but for fuck's sake, stop telling me how unexciting it is for you, and then expect me to be thrilled that you'll play it anyway.

All that does is make me not want you to play because now when you're in game I have to think about how you'd rather be playing Dungeon Defenders or Guns of Icarus (shitty games you didn't bitch about) or I will naturally feel like I have to be overly positive and babysit you. All of which making my experience less enjoyable. On top of that, it brings other people down and gives them negative expectations of the game. (A complaint you've made about others in different games...)

The game itself is currently death matches, as I've stated, but to me they're lots of fun. Community Warfare is coming this fall, which will give every match meaning, and set everything in a persistent universe. Basically everything this group wants in a game. Meanwhile, there are community run events that anyone can join if they want to add to their experience.

Play if you want or don't, but drop the attitude.

I've moved the rest of your post elsewhere as it doesn't belong here.

Posted by Leisher on May 08 2014,09:14
There are now official tournaments being held. < This is the first one. >

It will apparently come with 3/3/3/3.

This one is for 15 man teams, but Ross previously mentioned upcoming Lance tournaments.

Posted by Cakedaddy on May 08 2014,11:03
But my attitude is all outside of the game.  You shouldn't let what I say here influence game play.  I don't complain during the games.  I play hard.  I try to take lead sometimes by calling out targets. I'd argue that I do that more than others when we play.   I call out retreat orders and let people know I'm coming for backup.  Etc.  How am I not fun to play with?!?!  If I never voiced my opinion here, where we talk about games, you would never know I had a problem with the game.  I don't expect you to make the game fun for me with a 'positive attitude' and I certainly don't need you to babysit me!  I think that's all on you.  You want me to love/like/orwhatever the game, so you are trying to create an awesome atmosphere.  Don't do that!

Keep this in mind:  I don't love the game the way you do, but I don't hate it either.  I'm not trying to change your mind about the game by explaining how I feel about it.  I'm simply explaining how I feel about it because that's what we do in the game forum.  We discuss games.

Answer this question:  If I never voiced my opinion about the game here, would you have known I had a problem with it based on when we play?

In fact, I'm not going to talk about how I feel about the game any more!  It's not worth the stress it's causing you!  I want you to enjoy playing games with me and I don't need you stressing about it!





As far as DD and GoI, stop bring those up.  They were both worth trying.  They were both fun for a while.  We've moved on.  You can't site every bad game ever as a reason another game is awesome or deserves a chance.  DD was fun to mess around in.  TONS of characters and was a fun team experience.  Replayability was limited as it got repetitive.  GoI was a team based game that was $10 for a 4 pack.  It was funish for a while.  For $10, was worth a try.  It MIGHT have gotten better as we got into bigger ships and more weapons, but not sure.  The journey to find out wasn't appealing.  Too many other games to try.  Not sure why these games are being brought up.

Posted by Leisher on May 09 2014,06:42
QUOTE
If I never voiced my opinion about the game here, would you have known I had a problem with it based on when we play?


Honestly, yes. I had made comments to Stranger long before we ever discussed anything.

QUOTE
As far as DD and GoI, stop bring those up.  They were both worth trying.  They were both fun for a while.  We've moved on.  You can't site every bad game ever as a reason another game is awesome or deserves a chance.  DD was fun to mess around in.  TONS of characters and was a fun team experience.  Replayability was limited as it got repetitive.  GoI was a team based game that was $10 for a 4 pack.  It was funish for a while.  For $10, was worth a try.  It MIGHT have gotten better as we got into bigger ships and more weapons, but not sure.  The journey to find out wasn't appealing.  Too many other games to try.  Not sure why these games are being brought up.


You're skimming.

They were brought up because they're terrible games we did give a fair shake, but you didn't dedicate walls of text to shitting on them.

My whole argument is that you're applying criticism to MW:O that could have, and should have been applied to several other games, including LoL, yet for some reason it's only important to you when applied to MW:O. Thus, my stance of "If you don't like it, go play something else, but don't sit in this thread and try to ruin my experience."

Posted by Leisher on May 09 2014,10:17
Double XP this weekend.

No idea if I'll be on tonight. I'll be around tomorrow though.

Posted by Leisher on May 12 2014,21:12
Had an interesting match tonight. On my team were 7 lights, and I was one of them. The other team was almost all heavies and assaults.

Total mismatch.

However, we were on Crimson Strait, which has a lot of buildings and the map isn't open. The seven of us left our big companions behind and went sprinting over the saddle. The enemy all decided to head towards the tunnel or work their way around the mountain. Not even a single scout checked on the saddle. We were able to sneak up and drop a Jaeger, then a Catapault, then a firestarter, without their team realizing what was happening. We were soon thick into a massive battle involving the rest of our team. They absorbed the damage, while we worked on hitting everything we could. After all was said and done, all our big guys and one light was dead, but so was the entire enemy team.

I then grabbed my DTF-4X and got over 5K XP in a single match. I love that mech.

Posted by Stranger on May 14 2014,12:24
< http://www.reddit.com/r....dnesday >

I've been seeing these guys post about Wobbly Wednesdays for a while now.  Basically a bunch of beer drinking MW:O players that just wanna have some fun.  So i might jump on their TS server after golf since i'll have already had a few cold ones myself.

They might be a good group of people to play with since i've got something in common with them... BEER!!  We'll see if they are a bunch of drunken frat boys or just some gamers that like to crack some cold ones and have a good time.

Also they actually got a spot as one of the 32 teams in the official MW:O tournament, so it might be a good place to meet some decent players and an actual team.

the Tournament bracket:

< http://mwomercs.com/tournament/2014_may_01/?fullscreen >

Posted by Stranger on May 20 2014,05:17
The last two days were the first round of the official MW:O tournament and i got to watch maybe half of the games on stream.  A few things that i observed

-jump sniping is the meta.  just about every mech had JJ's with AC5's and PPC's

-most popular mechs:  Victors (always Dragon Slayer)  Cataphracts (90% 3D because of the JJ's) and Jenners.  And to a lesser extent Shadowhawks, Jaegers, Firestarters and Stalkers.  But i did see just about every mech being used at some point, not all, but about 80-90% of them.

-No LRM's! only 2 teams of the 32 entered even used LRM's. But one that did had an Awesome with 4 LRM15's and it got massive damage and 4 kills.  The other team didn't have any AMS so it crushed them.

-everybody has Airstrikes or Artillery.  everybody...

-Some of the games were painfully boring to watch..  There were a couple games where both teams found out what each other was running, one would be a sniper team the other a brawler team.  The sniper team didn't want to give up thier snipe spot and the brawlers didn't wanna get out in the open and bunkered down in a safe place.  So the whole 20 mins was both teams just standing there and not doing a damn thing!  the game ended 0-0 and no damage done by either team! They would then play another game.  

This was common for the beggining of most games, as they feel each other out and both team would be really cautious to engage.  But there were also other game that ended in less than 3 minutes and one team would just roll the other hard.  Kinda like solo que... hmm

Heres a link to some of the first round matches on youtube, the poster says the rest of the games will be uploaded soon.  Some of them are interesting to watch, others no so much.  PGI needs to implement a better way to watch these matches from the 3rd person view, its hard to tell whats really going on sometimes.  

< http://www.reddit.com/r....rnament >

Posted by Leisher on May 20 2014,06:13
I watched a match during lunch yesterday. It was a pretty good one and ended 12-8.

I think they're going to eventually nerf jump jets to make jump sniping less viable. The guys on the NGNG podcast (who always have one of the development team on each episode) constantly talk about either adding heat to them or making it so your mech's ability to jump is affected by the number of JJ it has, so bigger mechs would have to give up other stuff to snipe.

Personally, I think it should be a mix of both.

I've got over $20 million now, and I haven't decided which Medium or Assault I want to start training. I'm actually thinking about grabbing the CTF-3D. It is the most popular one.

Posted by Stranger on May 20 2014,06:42

(Leisher @ May 20 2014,09:13)
QUOTE
I've got over $20 million now, and I haven't decided which Medium or Assault I want to start training. I'm actually thinking about grabbing the CTF-3D. It is the most popular one.

the 3D is only the most popular among the high ELO because of JJ's.  That and because both ballistics are on the right side, so you can put two AC5 on the right and two PPC's on the right.. So you can run the meta and jump and only expose your right side.  Very safe mech in that manner.

But your 4X can carry all those ballistics, and in solo que that makes a bigger difference.

Personally i think you need to go assault.. You seem like an Atlas pilot to me.  :cool:

Posted by Stranger on May 20 2014,07:53
Top ten chassis used:

< http://i.imgur.com/ElvIalz.png >

Posted by Leisher on May 20 2014,08:26
Atlas? I was thinking Victors.

What about the Highlanders and Banshees?

What is the best Assault these days?

Posted by Stranger on May 20 2014,09:36
While the Victor (mainly the DS) is one of the most used and deadly mechs in the game, for high ELO.  i think its hard to use in solo que.  At 80 tons it makes it the lightest of the assaults and its pretty squishy from what i hear.  Its not a brawler because of its broad chest and tall stature.  So unless your looking for a one trick pony (jump sniper) then go for it.  But know that the best one is the hero mech and the rest of them aren't even used by the high ELOs.

Atlas is the spearhead to any assault, soak up damage and escort the rest of your team in.  You know this, you've seen it many times.  Slow and plodding, doesn't really "boat" any one weapon group so you need to use ballistics, missles and energy to fully utilize these mechs.  The D-DC is the only mech over 40 tons with ECM.. very expensive.  

The Highlander is very much like the Victor in its hardpoint setups and the JJ's.  Better hitboxes than the Victor give it more survivability.  I imagine it plays very similar to a Victor but does a little better with missle weapons because of the number of missle tubes.  But even though its similar to the Victor the "pros" dont use these as much, not sure why.

The Banshee has one badass mech, the 3E, 4 ballistics all in one torso.  and i know how much you like ballistics!  But the rest are all energy based.  8 energy hardpoint make you run lasers and PPC's, runs very hot.  Believe me i know, one of my Battlemasters has 8 energy hardpoints, so lots of double HS are mandatory.  Don't know much about these, but i know the 3E can do lots of damage.

So i don't know what i'd consider the best assault right now.  The VTR-DS is prolly considered the best in game right now.  The Stalker is also a very good mech and can build LRM and sniper builds both and is really tanky.  I know i see more Atlas' at our level and they can take a shit-ton of damage and dole it out at the same time.  It just comes down to personal prefrence i guess.

Posted by Leisher on May 20 2014,10:12
Lots to think about.

You've got me leaning Atlas and Highlander.

Posted by Stranger on May 20 2014,10:59
we should both have an Atlas.. how badass would we be?
Posted by Leisher on May 20 2014,11:35
I am going to look into the Atlas and the Highlander and will make a purchase. I do like the Boar's Head...
Posted by Stranger on May 23 2014,06:59
< http://mwomercs.com/news....tin-now >

Looks like another faction challenge this weekend, but it doesn't start until saturday.  Free hula girl cockpit item this time.

Also, Russ Bullock, president of PGI held an AMA on Reddit last night and he answers lots of questions, and leaves many still unanswered.  Pretty good read.  Warning its long and there's lots to read.


< http://www.reddit.com/r....piranha >

Posted by Leisher on May 23 2014,07:24
The free hula girl is just for playing ten games. This is perfect for me because one of my daughters, Lola, likes watching me play and always asks me to take out my Jenner because it has the hula girl in it. Now I can get another one and put it in my CTF-4X.

Now I've got to decide on a faction. Do I go with Steiner who won last time and get the dog tags or pick a faction like Liao and try for a top ten score and get MC...

Posted by Stranger on May 23 2014,07:34
Being a Steiner myself i won the banner last time, not sure how are why i got that instead of the dogtags.  The prizes were the same last time so maybe its just a random prize for the winning house.  

Also, i don't read anywhere that states you gotta play these games solo.  Last time you had to drop in solo que to be able to qualify, but i'm not so sure this time.

Posted by Leisher on May 23 2014,08:51
Dog tags would be cool, but I have no need for a banner. Mainly I want another hula girl.

I'll should be around most of the weekend.

Posted by Leisher on May 23 2014,18:02
Have you played since Tuesday? < You get 1 day of premium time. >
Posted by Leisher on May 24 2014,10:20
If you are eligible for the free 24 hours of premium, it starts as soon as you log in, so be aware of that.

For the briefest of moments, I was #12 on the Leaderboard. I've actually been in the top 30 all day. UPDATE: 5th place.

REALLY bad players on today. No teamwork. I've been on the losing end of 80% of my matches, yet my score is going up because I'm getting kills, assists, and doing heavy damage. It's just teams that are completely unfocused. I'm guessing a lot of new folks as they don't seem to know what they're doing.



Posted by Leisher on May 24 2014,22:16
Left for a few hours and dropped to 48th place. After a few hours, I'm back in the top 10.
Posted by Leisher on May 26 2014,14:53
I left for the lake Sunday and returned to find that I finished in 74th place in Steiner.

I'm pretty happy with that. I was in the top ten a few different times, and logged Saturday night (Sunday morning) in 13th place, and only 7 points out of 10th.

I only had two 100+ point games during the tournament too. A few more would have really moved me up the rankings.

Posted by Stranger on May 27 2014,09:42
DAYUMMM!!!! sounds like that 4X was doing some work!

I didn't have so much luck, i was constantly getting utterly destroyed!  And i don't think i can attribute it a bunch of newbs on my team (even though i'd like to think that).  It was like i was going against people with ELO 1000 points higher than me.  It wasn't uncommon for me to end matches with less than 100 damage, just piss poor games.  It pissed me off so much that i logged off and played League of Legends (i bought Braum, the new OP support).

I just looked and see that i finished in 874th place in House Stiener.  LOL... glad to see that you joined the Stieners, but we didn't win this one.

Posted by Leisher on May 27 2014,10:47
I'm glad Steiner didn't win. It implies the persistent world will be competitive.
Posted by Stranger on May 29 2014,08:22
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3414368 >

All AC's getting range nerfs.. Personally i'm happy with this.  Auto-cannons shouldn't be doing that much damage from sniper ranges.

< http://i.imgur.com/QQ8z1kS.png >

Also i found this graph on damage vs. range.  Its good to see what each weapon does beyond its max range.  The Gauss rifle is finally the premier sniper weapon for snipers in ballistics.



Posted by Leisher on May 29 2014,10:46
I'm not thrilled with this new wave of AC nerfs. Meanwhile, lasers continue to get buffed?

How are you going to try and make brawling a thing when you haven't yet eliminated pop tarting?

I do like that they're nerfing air strikes and artillery. That's long overdue.



Posted by Stranger on May 29 2014,11:12
Of course you don't like them AC nerfs, it what your 4X lives by!

But i think its good, because now you can get in a little closer to those AC users without worrying about getting plunked constantly from 1000 meters.  I think this promotes brawling a little more.

Also i follow Russ on Twitter and he said last night that JJ nerfs are coming.  They are adding heat to them, making bigger mechs take more damage when they fall etc.. This is much needed.  

Nobody uses small lasers and the MPL buff is slight at best, i think lasers need help.  The heat build up and the fact you gotta hold your shot on target for the duration make them harder to use.  The pinpoint damage that the AC delivers with much less heat make it the superior weapon right now.

Posted by Leisher on May 29 2014,11:20
QUOTE
But i think its good, because now you can get in a little closer to those AC users without worrying about getting plunked constantly from 1000 meters.  I think this promotes brawling a little more.


Great, the guy with the AC 20 can't shoot you while moving in to brawl, but you can shoot him with your lasers and LRMs...

QUOTE
They are adding heat to them, making bigger mechs take more damage when they fall etc.. This is much needed.  


I personally think in terms of combat, JJ changes are the most needed item in the game.

QUOTE
The heat build up and the fact you gotta hold your shot on target for the duration make them harder to use.


You have to hold your shot with which lasers? I thought the "hold your shot for the duration" was specific to the Clan mechs. It was their downside for more range, less heat or whatever.

Posted by Stranger on May 29 2014,11:56

(Leisher @ May 29 2014,14:20)
QUOTE
You have to hold your shot with which lasers? I thought the "hold your shot for the duration" was specific to the Clan mechs. It was their downside for more range, less heat or whatever.

Heres what i mean by that.

medium and large lasers have a 1 second duration.  To deliver the full damage of 5 points from a medium laser you have to hold that laser in the same spot for the full duration.  It may not seem like much but you can easily spread that damage between the arm, left torso and center torso doing maybe 1-2 points of damage to each section.  And you also open yourself up to being exposed to counter fire while you hold that shot.  

Now the AC5 will deliver its full damage to one component all the time, everytime. And you don't have to expose yourself for as long because you fire and forget it.  Plus the heat buildup on AC's are far superior to that of lasers.

Now the Clan mechs have said that they will have even longer durations maybe 1.5 seconds.  They will do more damage but you will have to hold that shot for that much longer to deliver that full damage.

Posted by Leisher on May 29 2014,13:24
I think I'm going to suggest to them a way to "Pause" Premium Time. I get why they do what they do (they want something of a grind like any game), but I think it's a little unforgiving for folks who might have spent real money on it.

Let's say you get 30 days, why not allow someone to activate it a day at a time or a week at a time. Or even allow for half of the days you buy (in whatever amount) be activated day by day, and the other half is activated upon purchase?

It maintains the grind, but adds some allure to buy premium time, and in greater quantities.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 03 2014,05:27
I have tried just about every single combonation of engines and loadouts with my Orion-P and for the life of me i just can't seem to get it to work for me.  Even though i have a winning record with it, my damage output is pretty week and it just seems to get blown up so fast with that big ass center torso.

So instead of putting anymore effort and time into the Orions i decided i needed a new heavy class mech to focus on. Ill bet Leisher can figure out what i went with...

I went with the Jager and i already love it!!  I had enough c-bills saved up to purchase the mech and put in the double hs and endo-steel right off the bat.  I had an XL300 engine laying around and dropped that in there.  I loaded it up with 2 UAC5's and 4 medium pulse lasers.  With the 300 engine it will run at about 75kph and thats before speed tweak, thats pretty fast for a 65 tonner.  The best part of this mech though is its super high mounted ballistics.  I can just expose the top of the mech and shoot over ridges like a champ, no more shooting the ground infront of me from the low slung arm mounted ballistics.  

Even though it has an XL engine it feels like its tankier than the Orion with a standard, and its so much more agile and able to get outta sticky situations much easier.  I'll definetly be mastering this class next as there are a few other Jagers' that have different hardpoints and even the Firebrand Hero mech.

Posted by Leisher on Jun. 03 2014,06:19
If I hadn't gone with the Cataphract, I'd be in a Jager.

I'm actually considering the Blackjack for a medium, although most folks seem to rock the Hunchback.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 03 2014,06:47

(Leisher @ Jun. 03 2014,09:19)
QUOTE
If I hadn't gone with the Cataphract, I'd be in a Jager.

I'm actually considering the Blackjack for a medium, although most folks seem to rock the Hunchback.

those were the first two that i suggested to you when you were deciding and go figure, they are the best in class for heavies.

As for mediums.. i'm liking the Blackjacks latley, been seeing more and more of them.  They are just like mini Jagers, high ballistic harpoints with JJ's.  They even look like a Jager.

I'd stay clear of the Hunchies right now, all of their weapons are loaded in that hunch and its just a big target to shoot at.  I know its the first thing i shoot at when i see one, you take that out and they are useless.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 03 2014,09:51
Stealth sale!  

This one is for the Atlas-D, its half off for MC AND C-bills!

Never seen this before, you can get an Atlas for 4.8M c-bills! not sure how long this will last either.  Its not the D-DC which is the ECM capable Atlas, but its half off.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/151099-psa-stealth-sales/ >

...Also, new patch today.  Some weapons balancing, new Blackjack Hero mech, 12 trial mechs instead of 4, and a few other things.

Patch notes:

< http://www.reddit.com/r/OutreachHPG/comments/277r7o/63_patch_notes/ >



Posted by Stranger on Jun. 03 2014,11:06
< http://imgur.com/a/ZHyzk >

new Clan Faction icons to choose from.. i might have to leave Stiener and become a Clanner.

I just wish that PGI would get CW running so that having an allegience actually meant something.

Posted by Leisher on Jun. 03 2014,11:19
I might be around after 10 or so. I'm pretty tired though as I didn't sleep much last night.
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 12 2014,12:59
Something happened in the MW:O world today, but I'm having trouble nailing down what exactly happened.

My best guess is that the Clans went live on the Public Test server.

I will try to be on this evening around 9-9:30, if anyone is interested, as I already know I won't be on at all this weekend.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 12 2014,13:38

(Leisher @ Jun. 12 2014,15:59)
QUOTE
Something happened in the MW:O world today, but I'm having trouble nailing down what exactly happened.

My best guess is that the Clans went live on the Public Test server.

I will try to be on this evening around 9-9:30, if anyone is interested, as I already know I won't be on at all this weekend.

correct, Clans are out on PTS for today only.  The first few that come out will be live on Tuesday.

I'll try and be on tonight also.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 17 2014,06:59
Clan mechs drop today for all those that preordered them.  I'd think we will be seeing plenty of them online tonight eventhough they were pretty expensive.  Maybe we'll even see one of those suckers who paid $500 for a gold one!  

Oh, and Smurfy's has them up in the mechlab so you can look at loadouts there.
< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/ >

Still no info on how many C-Bills they will cost.  And it will be a while till we can purchase them that way anyways.  Heres a schedule of when the rest of us commoners can purchase these Clanners for C-bills and MC.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/158453-clan-mech-release-schedule/ >

I'll be on tonight to see how OP these things are, prolly around 10..

Posted by Leisher on Jun. 17 2014,07:08
Alright, I'll see you then.
Posted by Stranger on Jun. 17 2014,07:29
We will test how much these Clanners can take when your 4X and my Jager focuses 4-AC5's 2-UAC5's and 4-MPL's on them CT's!
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 17 2014,07:34
Well, we know they're going to be OP initially (like every new champ in LoL).

The thing they have to be careful about is making them so OP that folks stop playing Innersphere mechs. I realize it's canon to say they're much better, but that doesn't translate to game play very well.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 17 2014,07:50
From what i'm reading people seem to think that its pretty balanced from the public testing.  IS has better pinpoint high alpha damage and Clans have better DOT.  So yeah, when you see one of those Clanners with an AC10, those are putting down burst fire.  So basically its shooting 5 AC2's with one pull of the trigger, the same goes for LRM's as those are shot in a streaming manner, not one big blob like IS.  

I do expect the Clan to seem a bit OP though, just because the of the intidimation of constant fire they can put out.  But SRM's have also been fixed and are a viable brawler weapon now.  That fix is also in this patch and should be put on mechs that can utilize them.

Posted by Leisher on Jun. 17 2014,13:53
I'm seeing on Twitter that they're getting blasted right now. Apparently, Clans hitting has brought in a lot of new/old players.

The login to the site is down and staying down because they're trying to minimize traffic.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 17 2014,19:51
I have been able to play one match so far..  Matchmaker is taking forever, or it just says match cannot be found right away. Apparently lots of traffic is causing some serious problems on their end. They are working on hotfixes
Posted by Stranger on Jun. 18 2014,13:14
< http://mwomercs.com/forums....ech-bay >

Free mechbay and one day of premium time to those who logged in since 4pm yesterday.  This is to make up for all the server issues yesterday.

Posted by Stranger on Jun. 19 2014,05:10
The free mechbay and premium time are still available to anyone that logs in before friday.  So Gordo and Cake... You guys should at least log on to get these.  The mechbays are only available for MC so its worth it.  They will start giving these free gifts out friday night after 7pm.

Also, the first bit of real info has been released about CW.  This has to do creating units and factions, assigning ranks, and contributing to unit coffers.  No known information on what units can do with these c-bill coffers but that sounds interesting.


< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3481510 >

Posted by Stranger on Jul. 02 2014,10:47
< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/163651-patch-notes-13302-02-jul-2014/ >

Patch notes, some nice new features being added:

-3,3,3,3 finally implemented
-mechlab improvements
-fall damage to jump snipers, YAY!
-clan weapon tuning
-targeting computers and command consoles now available

Posted by Leisher on Jul. 02 2014,12:13
You knew the clan weapon tuning had to happen.

Who uses a targeting computer? If Luke Skywalker doesn't need one, neither do I!

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 11 2014,07:30
< Piranha Games aquires full control of MW:O. >

I had no idea that there were two separate companies involved and that there were internal struggles. That explains a lot.

Let's see what Piranha can get done without a second company being involved.

Posted by Stranger on Sep. 11 2014,08:26
Oh yeah, i forgot.  I made the Knights of Vindication clan about a week ago, So if you guys ever log in there should be an invite waiting for you.  As of now you can't do much more than just assign titles, add c-bills to the coffers and look at the star map.  

Also, just yesterday the devs posted the details of phase 2 of community warefare.  I haven't read this yet but here is what was said.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/170743-community-warfare-phase-2/ >

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 15 2014,11:18
< Pirahna says Infinite held up Community Warfare because they didn't see the value. >
Posted by Leisher on Sep. 16 2014,09:56
< 1 Year Customer Appreciation Celebration >

Holy shit they're giving away a lot of stuff.

Stranger, I'm pretty sure you and I qualify for most of the stuff they're giving away. You'll have to take a break from ArcheAge to log in and collect.

Posted by Stranger on Sep. 16 2014,10:38
Thats pretty sweet! i do occasionally jump into game and play now and then, just waiting for CW to get rolling.  

Have you been on since i made our Clan?

Posted by Leisher on Sep. 16 2014,10:41
No, but I'll be on tonight while waiting for my ArcheAge to patch and log me in.
Posted by Leisher on Sep. 16 2014,18:56
Warning: As soon as you log in, it starts a 24 hour premium time reward.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 01 2014,08:39
Logged into this game over the weekend just to check in with it.  I've been following the updates so I wanted to see what its all about.  

First there are two new maps, a jungle map and an urban city map.  I only got to play each one once so I don't know much about them, but they both seemed fun and brought some variety, much needed.

Tons of new mechs! I believe all the Clan mechs can be bought with c-bills now so you don't have to spend real money to play them.  Also there are more on the way, should be in game shortly.

All Innershpere mechs now have quirks associated with them.  This was to bring them closer in power to the OP Clan mechs when they were released.  What this means is that for a particular mech it may have +20% range on AC5 ballistics, -15% laser heat generation or +20% SRM cooldown reduction.  This is really cool because each mech has different quirks, even the different varients within each class.  This makes each one specialized a little more and you don't just see a bunch of Victor Dragon Slayers because they are the best and that's it.  great addition!

Community Warfare is supposedly gonna be ready by December 16!  everyone is saying the split from PGI has been a great move and they are hitting deadlines just about exactly when they say so.  They have already done a lot with making your units more manageable and even the star map is there but not sure exactly all the details on this much anticipated event.

So I suggest that you guys check it out again if you were ever interested in the first place.  Looks like what we've wanted out of this game is developing nicely.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 01 2014,11:58
Also, the reward system has been tweaked for the better.  Different things like flanking, solo kill, most dmg done on kill, lance bonus, ect. will show up on the screen when you get them.  There are many more that I can't think of right now, but just going for an assist and moving on isn't the most profitable way to play anymore.  Overall you get more c-bills on average.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 01 2014,12:24
Very nice. I played two or three weekends ago, but didn't notice all the new stuff. Looks like I'll have to start getting familiar with it all.

If AA dies for me or just dies in general, this will be my MMO of choice going forward IF they get Community Warfare running the way we want.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 01 2014,13:06
< http://snafets.de/mwo/quirks.htm >

the list of quirks on each mech.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 01 2014,13:46
< http://mwomercs.com/news....on-sale >

This might be a sale that will get me playing the game a lot more.  They are giving you a bonus 20% on your MC purchase and selling premium time for 50% off.  you can get 6 months of premium time for less than $30 and still have over 1000 MC to play with.  

Sale lasts till Dec 2nd, 1pm.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 04 2014,07:02
Sweet!!

QUOTE
We are only a few weeks away from Community Warfare being in your hands and playable. That being said, not a lot is going to change between now and December 16th. We need to stabilize the build and continue testing as much as we can to make sure the feature is ready to go on to the live servers.

This is the last major update before that time. I will however keep trickling information out as it becomes available with more and more finalized implementation and testing.

Community Warfare - Phase 2 is now in a state of fruition with numerous possibilities for growth and expansion as we head into the new year. It's an exciting time for us here at PGI and the entire development staff is eager to get it in your hands and watch a new era of BattleTech InnerSphere history unfold as you, the community, drive the direction the invasion and Faction conflicts go.


latest update on Community Warfare:

< http://mwomercs.com/forums....3961746 >

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 04 2014,07:41
I patched two nights ago, so I'm up to date with the software.

If they could add farming we'd probably get Cake to quit AA.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 04 2014,08:33
So it looks like with the drop ship you bring 4 mechs to each match, but they have to be within the 140-240 ton range which is an avg of 60 per mech max.  So if you wanna roll with assaults you're gonna need some lights and mediums in the mix.  Not a big fan of that because I don't currently own any lights because I like the heavies and assault classes.  

Also, I'm guessing if you pick an Innersphere faction you can only use Innersphere mechs, and the same would go for Clans.  Don't currently own any clan mechs either.  

Looks like its time to start expanding my mech roster, lights and mediums for IS and all types of Clan mechs.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 04 2014,09:12
I have 2-3 lights, 2 mediums, 3 assaults, and I think 1 heavy...? I should be good to go.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 04 2014,09:52
I know you have more than 1 heavy, your main is the Cataphract, a 70 ton heavy.  I was sure you have 3 of those at least.  Also what Assaults do you have?

Looks like i'll be picking up the Firestarter for my light.  Firestarter is 35T, Shadowhawk 55T, Jaegermech 65T, and Battlemaster 85T I'm right at the 240 ton max drop weight and that lets me bring 1 of each class.

Also Leisher, might wanna pick up some Clan mechs.  They are awesome, I wanna get a few myself.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 04 2014,10:11
I got assaults and heavies backwards.

I don't know about clan mechs just yet. I want to look into whether or not we're on one side or the other, what we can drop in, etc.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 05 2014,07:17
I found a new love for lights last night.  I bought the Firestarter and with the perks that the -A get (-15% SPL heat generation and +15% SPL range) I decided to put 8 small pulse lasers on it.  HOLY SHIT! this little shit can do some damage! I would need to get within 150 meters to do any damage but with the XL295 engine in there I was flanking around and shooting assaults and heavies in the back all day long.  And on the more open maps where I couldn't get into range easily I was able to get into a position to be a spotter for our LRM's.  

Most lights haven't felt good to me and I'd usually get blown up in an instant but the Firestarter has great hitboxes and I seemed a hell of a lot tankier than most lights because my CT wasn't getting taken out, all the damage was getting evenly distributed among all the other components.  I was just running around being a general nuisance to any large slow mech I could find, I could even 1v1 with other lights with ease.  The only problem seemed to be those mediums that were carrying streak SRM's.  

Only got to play 11 games last night but went 9-2, can't help but think I was a major contributor in every game either spotting or doing damage. I had games with well over 600 dmg in at least 4 or 5 games.  I used to hate running lights and hated even more to see them because I usually play the larger lumbering mechs, but I have a whole new feeling about them now.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 11 2014,11:50
Faction rewards for Community Warfare which releases on the 16th, these are not permanent and may/will change in time,  Still not much info on what rewards you get for staying with a faction long term other than more LP, c-bills, MC, titles ect..

< https://static.mwomercs.com/downloads/paul/Faction_Ranks_Rewards2.pdf >

Going to need to decide what faction to go with.  Looks like IS so far because we all own just IS mechs, but which one?

I saw that Cake logged in and accepted the invite to our Merc group.  You got a nice promotion to Lieutenant General (or something). But your still below Leisher, who is just below me :)



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 11 2014,13:44
HOLY SHIT!! PGI surprised everyone today and CW is here!! today!!

< http://mwomercs.com/news....details >

< https://mwomercs.com/cw >

a new game mode, attack/defend and two more maps! cool shit



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 11 2014,20:31
< Community Warfare went public beta today. >


Posted by Stranger on Dec. 12 2014,05:35
Logged in this morning to see what CW is all about.  I was given an option on what faction/clan to join and for how long.  This decision was for the whole unit (currently only Me, Leisher, and Cake) I didn't know what one to take so I went with Steiner because I had won one of the weekend challenges with them before and I have a Steiner cockpit banner so I just went with them, only did a 7 day contract so we can change that when its up.  We can change it before then but it costs c-bills and currently it would cost us 600,000 c-bills for the change.  The longer the contract you take gives you a higher LP (loyalty point) bonus at the end of the match, contract offers are for 7,14,28 days and permanent I believe.

The star map is pretty cool, 4 of the 6 Inner Sphere factions currently own pretty big chunks of the map,  Steiner and Davion being the largest.  The four Clan factions have really tiny sections of the map all on the very outer rim but they are supposed to be OP so its cool, they will prolly grow, but they will be fighting each other along the way.

Currently when you look at the map you can see planets that are either being attacked or ones that you can attack along the boarders.  There will be little pop ups that say "such and such a planet is in need of defenders click to defend planet" so you can probably jump into any attack/defend situation you want pretty quickly.  Or you can chose a planet you want to attack or defend and wait for people to join in your cause, this might take a little longer for the game to que up. You are then given your drop deck to set up.  You pick 4 mechs weighing between 140-240 tonnes total and you can pick free to play mechs also if you don't have exactly what you need for the drop, there are quite a few free ones to play including Clan mechs.  

I didn't get to play a game myself but from there you get into game and are either the attacker or defender.  The attackers have to take out some generator of sorts that open the gates to the defenders base, from there the attackers try and take out the defenders cannon or home base not quite sure what it is.  You have 30 minutes to accomplish this and if you die you drop in with your next mech in your drop ship.  These come along every 30 seconds and don't get too close to one because they will kick your ass cause they are armed to the gills and drop your mech in no time.  If the attack forces takes out the base within the time allotted then they win that battle.  The defenders have to hold out for 30 mins or kill all the attacking force to win.  When one faction gets 12 more victories on a planet then that planet becomes part of their territory.  You will see where it sits before the match starts.

After the match you are awarded LP and c-bills, bonus LP for units with longer contracts with that faction.  Currently you get higher ranks with the more LP you gain and each level gives you different bonuses like c-bills, mechbays, MC, cockpit items, PGI says this will change overtime and specialty faction bonuses will eventually be in there.  I believe when your contract is up and if you choose another faction you keep your LP with that faction but if you fight against that faction in your newly chosen faction then you lose those LPs that you had previously gained.  So its prolly good to chose a faction and stick with it for the bigger bonuses you get for it and it would be pretty hard to not fight against that faction again, but it could be done.  

So glad that PGI is finally getting this part of the game implemented, its still in its infancy and should grow over time, but at least there is something more to play for at this point.  Also im not sure if all games are attack/defend or if there are games with capture points and such, just have to play and find out.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2014,05:47
I hadn't reinstalled this since my last system reload.... I just want to say this 5GB download is really cool and it makes physical install disks seem soooo stupid and archaic.

4 hours to go.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 12 2014,05:51

(GORDON @ Dec. 12 2014,08:47)
QUOTE
I hadn't reinstalled this since my last system reload.... I just want to say this 5GB download is really cool and it makes physical install disks seem soooo stupid and archaic.

4 hours to go.

I'll agree, the patching system PGI uses takes longer than most games.  I had to reinstall the game once about 6 months ago, it did take a while but not 4 hours.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 12 2014,06:25
< Weekend challenge > for the launch of CW, good chance of getting up to 4 million c-bills and some GXP
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 13 2014,11:21
que times are quite lengthy today.. but when you do get a game going its pretty fun, I really like the attack/defend game mode.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 13 2014,12:53
Played 3 matches so far.  one as a defender 2 as an attacker.  Seems much easier to play as a defender but I was on a team that won with 20 seconds left in the match.  We only had 5 mechs left and the enemy had prolly 10, we wiped them out and took out the base.  All three games have been pretty close so far.

Big problem is getting into a game, you'd think that wouldn't be too hard but with all the planets people are jumping around and not staying in que long enough to get a full team.  The problem is the que doesn't show when other people are waiting in the lobby to play so it looks empty.  It only shows when the whole lobby is full.  PGI is going to need to address the que situation, some waits are almost 20 mins others are fairly quick.



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 15 2014,09:26
I fully intended on getting on to play last night but my 1 year old son got really sick.  So I got to clean up vomit and all the fun stuff that comes along with that last night, including not sleeping..

Not sure if anyone got into any games after I logged on Saturday, if you did how'd it go?  Did Scooty ever get the client to download and install?

Also, looks like there is a patch coming on Wednesday and PGI is going to address the que issues with CW, a much needed fix.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 15 2014,11:14
I have a vomiting kid at home too. Fun stuff!

I didn't get on because I didn't have time. I was busy with family stuff late into the evening. By the time I could play I figured the queue times would kill my enthusiasm, so I ran errands in AA instead.

Knowing that the patch is coming Wednesday to fix the queue times, I'll probably wait until then to play. The CW game we got to play Saturday night was one of those lifelong gaming memories, but the rest of the night sucked sitting in queues.

"EAT A DICK ANDY DALTON!!!"

For those of you who didn't hear, Stranger and I were on some MW:O pro's live stream. It was fantastic. He criticized a move we made mid-game and he did so incorrectly. He and his moronic cohorts had no clue what they were talking about, and their tactics were fucking terrible.

For example: On this new map there are two gates to defend: A and B. Andy Dalton and his cohorts think good defense is moving the entire team to one gate or the other to defend. It all depends on where the majority of the enemy is trying to push.

Now call me crazy, but if there are two ways into an area I'm defending I might want to have eyes on both at all times...

Anyway, Stranger and I really enjoyed mocking them in match, and then in post game chat Stranger sent out that "eat a dick" message in all caps that appeared on his screen, in his feed, and for all of his viewers to see. Hilarious.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 15 2014,13:28
The "EAT A DICK ANDY DALTON" comment was one of the funniest gaming moments I've ever been a part of.  It literally brought me to tears.  

Being that his stream was on a 15 second delay, I told Leisher to watch.. He was blathering on about how fucking awesome he was, then he just stopped talking and paused for a moment when the comment came up HUGE on his screen, he then closed the window.  LOL!!!  Maybe you had to be there for it to be as funny as it was for us, but it was comedy gold.

Posted by Malcolm on Dec. 15 2014,14:22
Does this really involve the ginger QB or is it some mech jargon I'm missing out on?
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 15 2014,15:34
No, not really Andy Dalton but the guy looked just like him. His stream name was under the name Ginger something or another. Like I said, prolly only funny for those that were there
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 17 2014,11:16
We got Scooty to play last night with me and Cake.  We tried helping him with all the details of the game but that is pretty daunting because there are a lot of things you just have to learn along the way.  First off, I'd still suggest that he waits on buying his first mech until after he does his first 25 matches, then make a decision on what one to buy.  This will give you a chance to see what ones you like and dislike, and what weapons you like or not.  Also you will have a big chunk of cash to buy everything you need in the mech to make it competitive right off the bat.

He said he wants to play lights and that's fine they are fun to play, but he may find some heavier class mechs he likes too once he gets used to the controls and gets more comfortable with the game.  Remember that the trial mechs are all pieces of shit, weapon systems are fucked, overheat all the time, and the engines are sometimes shitty.  Also you mentioned you didn't like using lasers, that's going to be a problem if you're going to pilot a light mech.  Since lights have such low tonnage allowance mounting an auto cannon is usually outta the question since they are so heavy and require lots of heavy ammo.  You can mount machine guns on some chassis but they are a niche weapon and have a very short range.  And just about every light has mostly nothing but energy hard points so you're going to be limited to lasers anyways.  Not many lights have ballistics hardpoints.

It sounds like to me Scooty will like the Auto cannons when he tries them out.  I know Leisher is a big fan of them on his Cataphracts and he does tons of damage with them.  But to really get into playing with AC's you need to play with a medium at the very least.  Blackjacks, Centurions, and Shadowhawks are the best mediums to use AC's with.  

I tried getting into the whole Innersphere (IS) and Clan differences last night as far as Community warfare (CW) goes but I don't think I came across really clear.  Basically when we form a unit to play in CW we have to chose a faction to play as. You chose that faction and sign a contract with them for 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, or forever.  Being I was the unit creator and was pretty much the only one playing at the time I chose a one week contract with the House of Steiner.  Steiner is an IS faction, there are 5 others I believe any one of those would have been fine.  But choosing one of the Clan factions wasn't really an option because all the mechs that Leisher, Cake and I own are all IS.  When you play CW and you're aligned with an IS faction you can only play IS mechs.  It takes a while to fill your mechlab with functional, competitive mechs so I just stuck with what we all owned.

That's why I suggested last night Scooty stick with IS mechs to begin.  If you want to be part of our unit it's prolly better to go that route as that's all we own.  Not because we are forcing it on you, but because your Clan mechs wouldn't be able to play in the same games as us (at least in CW games).  Now in public matches like we were playing last night, Clanners and IS mechs can play on the same team, but not so in CW.  

So this is why I suggest Scooty be patient in buying a mech. I'd hate for you to make a purchase you might regret.  Its expensive to spec out a fully loaded mech, so you wanna be sure you're spending you're c-bills the right way, especially after your first 25 games.  This game is very unforgiving to the beginner and the game don't hold your hand going through it.

Here's a few links that I commonly use for information on the game and have found lots of good stuff here.  

< MW:O forums >

< MW:O Reddit >

< Smurfy's >  This one is awesome, practice you're builds here.

< Mechspecs.com >  Good for finding out what builds people are running on specific mechs.

< Metamechs.com >

< Podcasts >

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 17 2014,11:31
QUOTE
We tried helping him with all the details of the game but that is pretty daunting because there are a lot of things you just have to learn along the way.  First off, I'd still suggest that he waits on buying his first mech until after he does his first 25 matches, then make a decision on what one to buy.


Could not agree more.

Scooty, take a deep breath and slow down. Figure out what mechs you like and the style you like before you go nuts.

DON'T ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

I still feel like we kind of fucked Gordo a bit with his first mech purchase. I think we were all a bit too ignorant about the game yet. If we had a do over, he'd probably be rocking an Atlas or something.

To contrast, I was very hesitant about my Cataphract as I thought I wanted an Atlas first, but ended up loving it. Also thought I'd hate the lights as I'm more of a brawler, but love my light mechs too.

Take your time, get your feet under you, research builds, and then after you're past that 25 game mark if the money is burning a hole in your pocket, get your light.

Is the new patch supposed to hit today? I'll be on later tonight either way.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 17 2014,11:46
QUOTE
Is the new patch supposed to hit today?


No, I think it got moved back to Friday.

QUOTE
Finished meeting - making as many fixes as we can this week - patched moved from Wed to likely Thur or Fri - details when we have them


Also, Russ Bullock president of PGI is giving a town hall meeting on Twitch tonight, supposedly some good CW info is coming along.

< http://mwomercs.com/news....ec-17th >

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 17 2014,12:10
QUOTE
I still feel like we kind of fucked Gordo a bit with his first mech purchase. I think we were all a bit too ignorant about the game yet. If we had a do over, he'd probably be rocking an Atlas or something.


Well, yes and no.. Gordo said he wanted to play in the back lines and the Catapult is great for that.  There aren't many mechs that can mount dual LRM 20's on it and fire 40 rockets per salvo.  Its a very good LRM boat and even has jump jets.  The problem with the Catapults are the very large missile bays that are easy targets and they get blown off rather quickly.  That makes this mech hard to play, you have to be in a good position at all times or you're gonna get you're shit blown off.  

I think he just needs to play it more and he will like it.  I'd probably put a larger XL engine in it so he could move around faster and position better.  Plus, the recent quirks were very nice to the Catapult,  25% cooldown on LRM 20's and -25% LRM20 heat generation and buffs to the internal structure of the Catapult make it a real LRM nightmare and even a bit tankier.  Gordo should give it a run again, that's a significant buff.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 17 2014,12:16
The major problem I had with the catapult was the peeps who could do the jamming well.  Some games I was shut down because they never stayed visible long enough to target, fire, and hit.

If the bad guys are close enough that they are selectively shooting pieces off me, I either screwed up and let myself get flanked or our team is getting overrun.



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 17 2014,12:20
Most mechs don't have jammers. You need good spotters though. Something Scooty might excel at if he does end up loving the lights.

Just sayin'...

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 17 2014,12:21
Yeah, the ECM..  That's why its good to have a light in your lance with ECM so they can jam that shit.  Cake has one or two on his Cicada's.  Also, as an LRM gunner you should purchase the Target Decay module.  They basically let you keep lock on a mech for a bit even after you (or your spotter) loses vision on them.  I plan on putting one on my LRM Battlemaster soon.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 17 2014,12:22
That ECM add-on.  I forget what it is called.  Makes shit invis on radar.  The worst is when you see a guy pop up on radar, target, fire, and before the missiles land he is ECMd again and the 40-missile-salvo doesn't hit.  Over and over.

edit - Stranger said "ECM" when I was writing my post.



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 17 2014,12:24
ECM works two ways. I didn't know that for a while.

Yes, it hides you and your allies. However, the other mode reveals peeps despite their ECM.

It's a team game and there are counters for things.

This isn't LoL where there aren't direct counters for other people's abilities...oh wait...  :D



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 17 2014,13:16
Also Gordo.  to help with targeting you can get a TAG (target acquisition gear) it goes in one of your energy hardpoints and counters ECM.

QUOTE
TAG is a very effective way to nullify the sensor scrambling abilities of ECM. When a 'Mech with ECM is lased with TAG, they are immediately revealed on all friendly units radar. The spotting 'Mech must remain outside the range of the enemies ECM for it to be able to relay the sensor and targeting information to friendly 'Mechs.

TAG will also provide XP and C-Bill rewards. This reward is given to pilots that are TAGing a hostile and that hostile takes damage from other friendlies. Given once per hostile 'Mech per match.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 17 2014,14:23
Yeah, I don't think I have ever looked into using those add-ons.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 17 2014,16:42
Scooty is used to Counter Strike.  Aim, shoot, kill, repeat.  He's going to have a hard time coming to terms with the light damage of lights.  They do kill, but they have to pick their targets well, and you have to be pretty good.  Circle strafing, keeping your cross hairs on the target, not over heating, not getting blown up is hard.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 17 2014,18:14
Tell him to focus component damage and hitting the backs of other lights. Remember that time I got a one shot kill on a light? I hit him square in the back with a 6 medium laser burst and down he went.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 18 2014,05:06
Looks like patch is dropping today, these are some good update.

< Patch notes >

Awesome 2 week event where you can win up to 25 gifts per game mode, if my math is right that is up to 100 free gifts!  Lots of good stuff here, looks like the best event they have ever ran

< 2 week event >

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 18 2014,08:17
I believe that today is the last day of our unit's contract with Steiner.  Does anyone have a preference on what faction we go with?  I kind of like playing for Steiner (blue fist) because we border with a few Clan factions and those are fun to fight against.  They are OP and are slowly making their way into Steiner territory, but I like the option to play against them when we want too.  Plus a lot of the pros and streamers are playing as Clan factions and Leisher and I like to troll those guys.  So if anyone has any exception to me extending our contract with Steiner i'll be doing that, maybe for a 2-4 week period this time so that we can get larger loyalty point bonuses.

Here's a time lapse map of the change of territories over the past week.  The Clan factions are the 4 small ones at the top of the map (Clans Jade Falcon, Wolf, Ghost Bear, Smoke Jaguar).  You can see that Clan Jade Falcon (green bird) and Clan Wolf (red wolf) have made progress into Steiner territory.  Clan Ghost Bear looks to be tearing an new asshole into the other Clan territories right now, they might be a force to be reckoned with once they have access to IS planets.


Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 18 2014,10:28
My only issue with anything is "KOV".  It should be "TKV"!.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 18 2014,10:52

(Cakedaddy @ Dec. 18 2014,13:28)
QUOTE
My only issue with anything is "KOV".  It should be "TKV"!.

Yeah, when I made the unit I wasn't even thinking about the letters.  Infact it was before we were really playing Archeage and had our guild together, and I didn't particularly remember TKV was our LOL letters until after I made it.  

I think the only way to change that is to disband the unit and make a completely new one.  We can do that, really got nothing to lose except the 100,000 c-bills I put in the coffers a long time ago.  But Scooty made a decent point, we don't have to always be TKV.  I was only a part of TKV in LOL, it goes way back before me and I really have no particular deep seeded feelings for it.  But I don't mind it either way.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 18 2014,10:54
TKV runs deep.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 18 2014,10:55
Like my johnson.

Also, I'll be taking advantage of my vacation time over the next week to try and win prizes. So I'll be on often.



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 18 2014,13:47
I'm going to assume the Premium time, Mechbay, and MC are going to be rare compared to the rest of the prizes.  But even getting extra weapons will be nice, shit some of them cost as much as 600,000 c-bills for one of them!  I'll be interested to see just how good these prizes are, especially since you can get up to 100 of them.

Good opportunity for the new players to get lots of valuable items.



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 18 2014,19:01
I just got booted. Looks like the patch is hitting.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 19 2014,18:40
anyone interested in playing tonight? I've already got about 10 of my 100 rewards. one was even a day of premium time.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 19 2014,19:34
TKV 4 LYF

It's going to bug me to no end that we are using the wrong letters.  I will hate it.  I will hate it very much.  And eventually, I will complain about it.  Alot.  Constantly.  Like, alot alot.

But, do what you think is best.

Do the right thing.  Or don't.  Up to you.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 19 2014,22:01
Our old enemies won't know who we are under different letters.

You know they're still out there, stewing.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 19 2014,22:06
They were, like, seven years later when we ran across them on a player run server.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 19 2014,22:17
"Hey, are you guys TKV from great Lakes?"

"Yeah."

"Man, you guys were lame and we owned you."

"Actually, we slaughtered you.  Here's the pics."  *TKV website*

*silence*



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 20 2014,12:50

(Stranger @ Dec. 19 2014,21:40)
QUOTE
anyone interested in playing tonight? I've already got about 10 of my 100 rewards. one was even a day of premium time.

How? I've played multiple games and I don't see anything about the rewards?

I'll be on tonight unless my flu says otherwise.

Oh, and Stranger, get on ArcheAge ASAP and give Cake your stuff. I already gave him all my stuff.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 20 2014,13:52
WOW! we both had vomiting kids this week and both end up with the flu ourselves.. go figure.

You've gotta sign on at the MW:O websight.. go to < this page > then at the bottom you should see where you claim your rewards. Its not done in game like you think it would be.. lame. but the rewards are pretty good.

Cake, ill give you my shit sometime tonight. got some family stuff to do then I should be on.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 20 2014,14:11
Can I log in and get rewards, or do I have to have done something?
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 20 2014,14:19
yeah, you have to play
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 20 2014,14:58
Oh well fuck that.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 20 2014,15:52
I'll be on later this evening, but may be buzzing
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 21 2014,19:44
Logged on and was notified that some planet needed attackers, so I signed up. Turns out, we were defenders.

From the second I clicked the notification, I was dropping within 5 minutes. I think those little windows that pop up might be the key to finding factions matches quickly.

Anyway, Andy Dalton can eat another fat dick because I was rolling. I got 5 kills (most in my IM, first drop), 19 assists, and did 1900 damage (1st). I scored 500k cbills and over 6k XP.

When the victory screen popped up, I was dropping in my last mech (literally hit the ground when victory was achieved). They had every gate open, all the power things for the cannon down, and the cannon was at half health. Of course they also only had 3 guys with mechs remaining and we only had one guy who went through all of his mechs.

Scooty - I was over here typing this up. Soon as I went back I saw your message.



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 22 2014,19:07
< 7 FREE DAYS OF PREMIUM TIME! >

enter code: holiday2014

the time will start when you enter it



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 24 2014,08:16
I decided I needed a 100 ton assault in my mechlab so I bought the King Crab last night, it cost me some MC because they aren't available for c-bills yet but I had some extra around and decided to splurge.  First I loaded it with dual AC20's and a PPC, holy shit talk about one shotting mother fuckers!! That's a 50 damage pinpoint shot to anything within 300 meters.  I had a few occasions where some sorry sucker wondered past a corner just to get one shotted and dropped.  i had some good and bad games though as the AC20's have a slow projectile speed and short range so it can be tough to line that shot up on a regular basis, but when you do... say goodnight!!

Decided to change things up a bit and went for a quad UAC5 build with 10 tons of ammo in it, cause i knew that I was going to be chewing through it.  Well first game... 1000+ damage!!!! This bad boy lays down the lead like no other, its much like Leisher's Cataphracts but with the UAC5s you can double tap the trigger to get an extra shot in while the gun is on cooldown with the chance of the gun jamming.  With four of these suckers on there i was going face to face with Direwolves and they were backing down because of the metal storm assaulting their center torsos.  VERY FUN TO PLAY!

I did find that when you are one of the big dogs on the field that every idiot with half a mind will attack you first.  Just like when we see an Atlas you can't help but shoot at that big fucker, well it sucks because you're slow and if you get out of position you're fucked.  You can tank a ton of damage but when every LRM and laser on the other team is focused on you you're going down pretty quickly.

Also, did a quick math check on the items I've gotten for the stocking stuffer event going on right now and after 51 qualifying matches here are my results thus far:

C-bills:  1.575 million
Gxp:  2,400
premium days: 4
MC:  205
cockpit items:  3
consumables:  8
naughty:  1 medium laser so far, i guess I've been good so far this year.
Mechbays:  0-  damn, wouldn't mind getting one or two of these before the event ends.

Not bad considering its all free and I'm only half way through it.  I suggest getting those games done, its sort of a grind because not all your games will qualify but its worth the free shit you get.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 24 2014,11:07
The other night I logged out of the game and then did my xmas present draws, and got 1 day of premium time, among other things.  Leisher didn't know if that started immediately, or what.

Well I just logged in for the first time since then and the day started now.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 24 2014,11:43
I just saw that you were in game talking to yourself. I was afk wrapping presents. Going offline until later due to XMas family stuff.

Take that day of premium and just grind. Keep in mind that right now you're getting 50% more cbills and XP. Plus, any match score over 30 is getting you stock stuffer items.

So it's like a grind on steroids.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 24 2014,11:47

(Leisher @ Dec. 24 2014,14:43)
QUOTE
you're getting 50% more cbills and XP.

I thought you said it was DOUBLE!  ;-)
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 24 2014,14:25
I guess my last complaint about this game is how often it locks up.  If I set everything to DX11 and "high," I lock up almost immediately in-game.  If I set it to medium, I only lock up now and then.  

At least they added a "Rejoin Game" button.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 24 2014,18:36
I've only ever experienced a lock like that once in this game. When's the last time you updated your drivers?
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 24 2014,18:40

(Leisher @ Dec. 24 2014,21:36)
QUOTE
I've only ever experienced a lock like that once in this game. When's the last time you updated your drivers?

Got a msg for an updated one just today, in fact.

I hit their forums, there's actually a thread with the devs asking questions of people with NVidia cards having lockups.  Known issue.

My card software says I should be running the game with everything maxed.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 24 2014,20:07
Weird. I have Nvidia as well and run with everything maxed. Have done so for a long time. Also, I'm running the latest drivers.

Cake was having a problem with the latest drivers, but across the board, not just in MW:O.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 24 2014,20:33
I'm trying to creep on on the problem now.  Doing one setting at a time, then running a game.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 24 2014,20:45
I figured out my problem.  At some point, my power settings got set to "power saving" instead of "Max Performance".  In fact, max performance wasn't even an option listed.  Had to create a 'custom setup' and select 'max performance'.  Then set it to my custom setting.  Everything runs as fast as it used to.  100+ frames at all low settings (hold over from trying to get it to run at all).  I set everything to 'high' in the game and was still getting 40+ fps.  So, some update at some point decided that I didn't need to go fast any more and wanted to save energy.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 25 2014,17:45
My kid is starting to play, add "Turd Blossom 42" to your friend lists.  He is picking up the piano really fast so he will probably be a prodigy at this, too.

I will get him in TS soon.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 25 2014,17:46
Has anyone ever had a problem with multiple systems on your LAN playing at once?  We are getting a lot of "Server Disconnects" while both playing.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 25 2014,19:00
No.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 25 2014,19:03
Hoping it was just because we were taxing DL bandwidth installing STEAM stuff.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 25 2014,21:06
Aaaaand fixing my overheating problems, then boosting my power levels back up to "Performance," and I just ran a game with video maxed, and no lockups.

So ok then.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 26 2014,19:07
< http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab....9cd4cbe >
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 26 2014,19:15
That link is for a CN9-AH build.

Some of you might own it as it was a mech you could win for free over some weekend in the past. If so, you might want to use that build instead of the one it comes with.

It cost just over 6 million c-bills to get it to that build.

Just FYI, it comes with an AC20 on the right arm and an LRM in the left torso, but that build doesn't make a lot of sense. One's a close range weapon, and the other is long range. The build we linked drops the LRMs for SRMs. Stranger looked up the quirks on the Centurion and he gets a bunch of bonuses for the AC20, so don't dump it.



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 26 2014,22:24
Had my best game ever in a Jenner earlier today and still battling the flu.

I used my JR7-F.

131 match score, 5 kills, 7 assists, and 819 damage.

I beat everyone on both teams in those categories except assists (1 guy had 8).

Knocked out a 100 point match with my CTF-1X right after that too.

Posted by Trooper on Dec. 26 2014,23:54
So I picked up a JM6-S (JagerMech Ballistic version). It's really cool so far I think, it's classified as a heavy and is setup with 4 Ballistics slots, and 2 Energy slots. It came stock, with 2 Medium lasers on the center torso, and then an AC-2 and an AC-5 on each arm (4 Auto cannon's total). I almost immediately fell in love with this Mech, because the auto cannons are freaking amazingly awesomely sexily tastily fucking KINKY. Goodness, I really really like the ballistics weapon options, hate the energy weapons with a burning passion (They're quite difficult to aim, and you can't turn the damn things off. Very very bad weapons choice in my honest opinion when compared to your other options), and I haven't tried the missile weapons yet, but I feel like those would be fun to use with ballistics.

So anyway, fell in love instantly. I've played at least a good 20 games with the JM6 now and have really gotten a feel for it, so I decided to start really customizing her. First, I saved up bills and replaced all 4 auto cannons (2 AC-2's/2 AC-5's) with 2 AC-20's. Now let me break this build down for you, in terms you can better understand. . . . . I get within 300 meters of my target, fire a salvo or two, and proceed to FUCK SHIT UP. That's really it. AC-20's demolish shit. That's really all there is to this strategy. . . . =D

So now that I've got a setup for my new JagerMech that gets me at least 1 kill every game, I decided to kinda start experimenting to a degree with new builds/ideas. Next I'm going to try gauss rifles, I was thinking maybe 1 gauss and keep the other arm an AC-20. I also need to save up for an engine, and I forsure need a dual heatsink, those AC-20's + the 2 stupid Medium Lasers overheat really quick in the heat of a 1v1 battle.

Got all but 2 of my basic skills researched for my JM6-S JagerMech, so a few more games and he'll be my first elite mech aswell! Pretty cool. Now you guys just need to start playing more then just a game during lunch heheh. . . . . This game is boring as shit to play alone!

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 27 2014,09:31
The Jager is an awesome mech and one thing you probably haven't realized is the advantage you gain having your ACs mounted up high as opposed to low on my Cataphract. You can peek over things and take shots I can't take.

Did you happen to look at the quirks for that Jager? Looks like it gets additional cooldown for the AC2s and velocity on AC5s. Might want to rethink your build to take advantage of that. (In the Mechlab hover your mouse over the mech and on the right a window will appear with the quirks listed.)

QUOTE
This game is boring as shit to play alone!


How do you play alone? Every match I'm in has 23 other players...

I find it fun no matter what, but clearly the most fun is when you have a group.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 27 2014,10:18
When are we going to stop being KoV?
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 27 2014,10:25
Didn't he say he has to wait 2 weeks or something?

Hey Stranger, I'm working on Centurions. I already own the CN9-A© and CN9-AH(listed as a C, but not...?).

Think I should buy the CN9-D with a build that does a 50 point alpha or or the CN9-YLW as it's on sale?



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 27 2014,11:56
I also own the JM6-S. Very powerful mech. I have 2 AC2s and 2 AC5s with an XL300 in it. It can do lots of damage and the high ballistics hard points are fantastic. But I've found it to get its side torsos get blown off real quick and I have trouble staying alive. But the Jagers are some of the best ballistic carriers in the game. The dual AC20s is the definition of a glass cannon on that mech.

We can change to TKV when our current contract is up, that should be by next week I believe. We'll have to create a new unit, no problem there.

Leisher, I know the YLW is a really popular hero mech and u get the bonus 30% c-bills when using them on top of the premium bonus.  Not sure of the builds for them right off hand because I'm on my phone right now, but I know if ur gonna pick a hero mech u can't go wrong with that one.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 29 2014,02:27
I seem to have come up over a hump.  Just played 5 games, wrecked in all 5.  I'm maxing out the xp on my third Cicada.  Way back when I bought him, I wanted to try out ballistics, so I bought the version with 4 ballistic hard points.  Never knew what to put on him though.  AC2s seemed dumb because they only do 2 points of damage.  So I tried to force an AC5 on him.  I never had any ammo though.  Scrapped that and went back to AC2.  Wasn't doing well, but the grind was moving forward none the less.  Gotta get it done.  Also, saving up for a Cataphract so I can be as cool as Leisher is.  Then the other night I figured out why my PC has been running like shit.  I'm embarrassed to say how long I was living with shitty performance because of that power saving mode I was running in.  Frame rates always went to shit and the game sucked to play because of it.  I just figured it was a shitty game and sloshed through the matches anyway.  But, with my new found frame rates, I can actually hit my targets WAY better than I used to.  Then, tonight I discovered something awesome.  Was watching a guy with 4 large lasers.  All were assigned to button '1'.  But, he fired nonstop.  Had a constant pulse laser scarring his targets.  Hmmm.  I looked, and each gun was firing after the first one stopped.  By the time the fourth laser was done shooting, the first one had cooled down and shot again.  That's cool!  That must be that 'chain fire' thing the game is CONSTANTLY telling you about.  So, I go to change my key bindings so chain fire was set to my left mouse.  That's when I discovered that back space toggled it on and off.  OOOhhhhh.  Ok.  Toggled it on, set both my AC2s to button 1 and off I went into battle.  Now I'm landing even MORE shots!!  And they are paced so it's BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.  A constant rumble in the enemy cockpit.  Instead of B-BOOM, B-BOOM when I'm just mashing my mouse buttons.  Being able to just hold the mouse button down also helps with aiming.  So, landing even more shots.  I ended all 5 of those games with 250+ damage.  Was always alive at the end of the game, or, was one of the last 3 to fall.  Had 37-65 (37, 42, 45 62, 67) match points per game, which I think is pretty good for a couple AC2s on a light mech.  I can pinpoint my shots so I can take out legs or arms.  I don't go for torsos because they'll be so heavily armored.  I only scored about 5 kills total, but I was happy to even get those doing 2 points of damage per shot.  Lots of assists and spotting assists.  C-Bills and XP are coming in much faster too.  Had no games below 30 match points.

So, ya.  What a difference troubleshooting your PC so you have adequate frame rates makes.  I never bothered because all my other games ran fine.  Just Mech Warriors sucked.

One game, I got targeted by this little fucker with machine guns.  I thought he had lasers too, but he didn't use them much.  Anyway, he singled me out and we started fighting.  We were circling around and I wasn't landing many shots cause it's hard.  I decided to just run straight back and kite him in a straight line so I could hit him easier.  My guy was so fast that I could run backwards as fast as he could run forward!  I had all my armor still, so his machine guns weren't hurting.  I just aimed for his legs and kept my mouse button down.  Finally, I leg him.  I keep backing up a bit to get further out of his machine gun range and just stop running.  Kept firing at his legs and BOOM, got the kill.  Worst I had was some yellow colored torso armor.



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 29 2014,07:19
What's this PC power saving mode you guys are talking about? I'm pretty sure its not anything within the game itself, must be a Window setting of some sort? how do I see what my PC is set at?  I personally haven't had any problems with frame rates but I'd like to see what my PC is set for.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 29 2014,08:36
There is a windows setting that affects when your hard drives spin down but on my motherboard there are power settings.  I can set it from "power saver" to pretty much "overclock" with only the software.  I had mine set at power saver because of the CPU overheating issues I mentioned.  And like Cake, MW was the only game that was fucking up.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 29 2014,12:18
Weird that MW:O was being affected by those power issues (You can find them in the Control Panel Stranger).

You guys should note that in their support forums.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 29 2014,13:52
Cake, glad to hear you're finding your grove with those Cicadas.  But have you looked at the quirks that you get for each of the variants? I'm not sure what ones you own but it helps to see what bonuses you're getting for a particular weapon, particularly ones with reduced heat generation or cooldown reduction.  You can check it out by hovering your mouse over the mechs in the mechlab or check them out < here >.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 29 2014,14:47
The power saving stuff is in Control Panel under "Power Options".  When googling it, LOTS of people complaining about frame rates in MW:O.  People find relief by turning off the HUD.  They lose all info, but gain frame rates.  People says it's just a shitty platform to run the game on.  It was in one of those threads that someone mentioned power saving options.  I thought "That's dumb.  But I'll check anyway."  But tons of people out there with frame rate issues.  None of my other games had frame rate issues.  However, my load times for games were really slow.  Another symptom that's gone away.  But frame rates were not affected because I think most games rely on the GPU for that stuff.  There's some major CPU overhead going on with MW:O.  And that's what people complain about.  But anyway, I'm sure the devs know about it.

I will definitely be checking out the quirks.  Especially on my 'sniper' build.  I had that build because it was shitty frame rate friendly.  I can sit way back, find stationary targets and shoot them.  So that will probably be the first one I reconfigure.  My ECM build is probably fine the way it is, but I'll be checking it as well.

Fixing the frame rate issue makes the game more fun because I'm actually competitive now.  I had been playing with such a huge handicap before.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 29 2014,18:40
Extended my 30+ match point streak by two more games.  With a new mouse even.  Got a Razor Naga Hex.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 29 2014,18:44
Are Champion mechs any good?  You get the 30% bonus, but is the mech any good?
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 29 2014,19:24
QUOTE

A hero mech has

   a lifelong 30% cbill bonus.
   unique paintjob.
   is a unique variant with its own traits and hardpoints.
   isn't cheap.

A champion mech has

   a lifelong 10% XP bonus.
   Is an already existing variant, but counts as a separate one to allow you to the benefit of stacking two identical variants toward your Elite unlock.
   Does not have any unique patterns.
   cheaper than hero mechs, but more than benefit-less version.


I have always been told that you should NEVER buy a Champion mech.

Champion mechs are community built. They're the preferred build of a popular mech, which you can build for free...just without the 30% XP bonus you won't need after playing with it a bit anyway.

Get a Hero.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 29 2014,20:32
I saw that they bumped the life long XP bonus to 30% on Champs and thought I'd ask.  I think I've gotten about 70 MC from the Christmas event thing so far.  Is that enough to buy a mech?!
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 29 2014,21:02
Is 70 of anything in LoL enough to buy a champion?


Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 30 2014,00:55
Still awesome.  I DID have a <30 point match out of 6 or 7 games.  But, our entire team got stomped.  Only kill 3 enemies.  Ended with 27 points, last one standing.  I scored one of the kills.  Rest of the games, I'm consistently over 200 in damage.  Highest that I have noticed was 357 points of damage.  I'm learning how to circle strafe the big guys better and tearing into their backs.  I'm rethinking the cataphract because I like my speed.  What's the fastest mech that can carry 2 AC5s?  Probably the cataphract. . .
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 30 2014,04:55
QUOTE
What's the fastest mech that can carry 2 AC5s?


That's an interesting question.  I'll see what builds I can come up with and update this post as I do.

Here is a 45 ton Blackjack that will go 81kph (89kph w/speed tweak).  Not the fastest small medium because you can't put very large engines in them, but they can pack a punch.  Very high ballistics hardpoints make it like a mini Jager.  You can change a few things to accommodate extra ammo, but I liked the balance of JJ's, medium lasers, armor and ammo.  Pretty cool little mech here.

<

A 50 ton Centurion that will go 97kph (107kph w/tweak).  This one cost 8 million c-bills but comes with an XL300 engine, one of the most versatile engines in the game, just about every mech can put one of these in it.  Even though it can fit up to a 390 engine which is insane! I went with the 300 for this build because that's what comes in it.  Faster than the Blackjack with the same weapon loadout, no JJ's.  I believe Leisher's YLW can also go with this build, something different than the AC20 builds you see on so many Centurions.

CN9-D >



Posted by Stranger on Dec. 30 2014,05:58
50 ton Hunchback 89kph (98kph w/tweak) Put in the the max engine this chassis can take, an XL275.  Same loadout as the other two thus far but has a higher armor rating.  AC's are located in the torso which is better for durability but not as good for the free movement of the arms.

< HBK-4G >

50 ton Trebuchet 97kbh (107 w/tweek) as you will notice a lot of these builds will have the two AC5's and two medium lasers, 5 tons of ammo and then the max XL engine that will carry that load then adjust the armor accordingly.

< TBT-7K >

How about a 60 ton Dragon, a heavy going 97kph (107kph w/tweak)! same loadout as the rest.

< DRG-5N >

And that's pretty much it, anything heavier won't get you any faster.  I made these builds based on the fact you wanted speed.  You could probably squeeze out a few extra kph on some of these builds by dropping armor, lasers, JJ's or some ammo, and putting in a larger engine but I don't think the trade off is worth the minor speed boost you would get.  Funny that almost all of these builds have almost the same exact max speed.

...can you tell I like to build and tinker with mechs?



Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 30 2014,08:58
Thanks for the tips.  I'll try out some trial versions, or other mechs that run about 100kph.  My Cicada does 145ish.  I like being able to get into a fight fast, and leave it just as fast.  Run around a building and fire on the same guy a few seconds later.  I don't think I want to be a brawler right now.  But, it would be nice to be able to pack a bigger punch.  Will probably play with lasers on the cicadas more.

I took a look at the quirks as well.  My ballistic Cicada has quirks for the ER PPC.  It has 1 energy HP and 4 ballistic.  But it gives an ER PPC bonus?

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 30 2014,09:57
Yeah, when u start putting heavy ballistics and ammo on a mech u start using up tonnage real quick reducing the max engine u can put in. I tried to see if any lights could carry dual AC 5's but it just ain't happening. U can but your armor and ammo is really low and even then their max speed was around 90kph or so. Not worth it. Looks like around 100kph is the max any mech can go with dual AC5s.

I noticed that quirk. But in all honesty it's not that bad. It's made to be ur mobile sniper. Fast cool downs and heat reduction are nice. And like I said ballistics just don't perform well on light mechs even tho the cicada is a medium, it's the lightest one.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Dec. 30 2014,13:39
I've been rockin' with my Ballistic Cicada.  Don't know what you're talking about.
Posted by Stranger on Dec. 31 2014,10:56
< 1 day sale >

mech bays are 50% off, so if you got 300MC from the stocking stuffer event you can buy two of them.  You're gonna eventually need them, so buy them.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 01 2015,15:03

(Stranger @ Dec. 31 2014,13:56)
QUOTE
< 1 day sale >

mech bays are 50% off, so if you got 300MC from the stocking stuffer event you can buy two of them.  You're gonna eventually need them, so buy them.

Played about 20 games today trying to get the last 20MC I needed for the mech bays.  Took about 15 stocking pulls to get it.  On the bright side, I got 4 or 5 single heat sinks, and single flamers.

On the down side, apparently I missed the end of the sale by a few minutes and only got 1 mech bay for the cost.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 01 2015,17:36
How do you chain weapons?  I know I have seen it before but can't remember where.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 02 2015,07:26
QUOTE
How do you chain weapons?


You have to do it when in game.  Use the arrow keys to select the weapon group you want and hit the backspace button.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 03 2015,08:32
I disbanded the KoV unit to create TKV because, reasons... Well it won't let me create another unit. it doesn't say the name or tag has been taken it just says an error has occurred.  not sure if this is because there is some 24 hour period that I cannot make another unit or what. But if one of you TKV homers could try it out then do it, because its not letting me.  Or else we may have to use a whole new name.. What would we do then?!?!?!!
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 03 2015,09:59
I'm attempting it now.

Same error.

Maybe we need to contact PGI?



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 03 2015,10:02
I have sent them an email.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 03 2015,18:42
These goddam XL engines cost almost as much as a whole mech but it isn't like they make the mech twice as good.  What the hell.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 03 2015,22:33
FYI: I feel like I finally got ahead of the learning curve of this game.  Re-speced my most hated mech, and now I kick ass with it.  Went ahead and bought another month of premium time.... I need lots of c-bills to do my plans.  All of a sudden a game in which I do less than 200 points of damage is unusual.

Probably just in time for everyone to move on to a different game, right?

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 04 2015,03:51
I don't mind not being TKV.  But if we ARE TKV, the we should BE TKV.  Not some mashed up wannabe thing that's LIKE TKV.  You, like KOV.  We can stay KOV.  But just change the guild name to Klompers of Virgins or something.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 05 2015,08:19
Still couldn't make a new unit as of this morning, I have a feeling it has something to do with a 48 hour window between making new units and/or using the same name.  Although I tried different variations of the TKV name with upper and lower case, spaces no spaces, and using "THE" before the name, so I really have no clue what the deal is.  I'll try again when I get home, if not, we might have to be Klompers of Virgins.. I actually kinda like it.

QUOTE
These goddam XL engines cost almost as much as a whole mech but it isn't like they make the mech twice as good.  What the hell.


The only advantage of the XL's are the weight.  So you can either use that weight to put in a larger XL for the speed or use the extra available tonnage for added firepower.  The downside is that getting a side torso blown off destroys you.  Not all mechs need or do better with XLs, but its nice to have some spare XL's sitting around because you never know what mechs you might want one in eventually.  Good ones to own are the XL, 250, 275, 290, 300, 325, 350 these will fit in most mechs.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 05 2015,09:07
Again, I have an open ticket with PGI about the unit name issue. I'll let you know when I hear back on the issue. I've only received the automated "we got your email" response so far.

As for the XLs, yeah you need to research builds and really determine if you need it or not. Some mechs benefit from it, others not so much. I would suggest checking out popular builds for whatever chassis you're going with and either follow them or use them as a guide.

Even if you want to reinvent the wheel, use Smurfy's rather than doing it in game.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 05 2015,12:40
I need to an an XL to my Catapult so I can fit a 3rd AC/5 on it.   Mmmmmm.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 05 2015,12:53

(GORDON @ Jan. 05 2015,15:40)
QUOTE
I need to an an XL to my Catapult so I can fit a 3rd AC/5 on it.   Mmmmmm.

That's not possible. Your K2 only has 2 ballistic hardpoints and no other Catapult has any ballistics.  Personally I'd prolly build my K2 like this.

< CPLT-K2 >

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 05 2015,12:57
youre not possible
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 05 2015,13:03
...but your mom is possible


Posted by GORDON on Jan. 05 2015,13:06
I was mixing up my mechs.  It is a 3rd ER PPC I want to add to my Thunderbolt... to the Cat-K2 I need to add more AC5 ammo.  I run out but I am at max weight.  I was also able to dump almost all of my heat sinks when I got rid of all the lasers.  I never, ever overheat that mech, now.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 06 2015,06:17
PGI replied and said, "It's probably because someone else is using that tag 'TKV'".

My response back was, "Are you telling me that's the issue or are you guessing?"

For someone whose PC is working, try creating a new group with a tag that we know exists and see if you get the same error.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 06 2015,06:44
Hmm.. I don't know, I tried putting KoV back in and it wouldn't let me use that either.  I doubt someone picked up that tag as fast as I dropped it.  I don't get it, looks like we've gotta create a whole new unit name and tag if you ask me.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 06 2015,06:52
I'll mention that on the ticket.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 06 2015,09:40
Ok, I got the answers.

According to PGI, "TKV" is taken. Is there a Knights of Valor or Virginity?

Also, names and tags get released with patches. So when you disbanded KOV you effectively made it unavailable to anyone until the next patch.

So we can either create something all new or we can wait until the next patch and see if TKV comes free, which seems doubtful, and/or go back to KOV which will come free.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,16:28
Can't you do 4 letter names?  How about TKoV?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,16:30
Or we can just have fun with it.

BOOB.

And I just watched Team America so "FAG."  Film Actor's Guild

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,16:35
TWSS would be good
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,16:40
I just got a unit invite.  Does that mean the matter is closed?
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 06 2015,16:48
yeah, TKoV worked so I went with that.  I figure that would keep Cake happy, somewhat..
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,16:53
I was hoping for BOOB.

But, I always hope for BOOB.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 06 2015,17:02
Holy geez.  It's like I never posted. . . .

TKoV is no better.  Should have gone with something completely different.  How is TKoV, which is not TKV better than KOV, which is ALSO not TKV?!

It's like someone buying you a Clevelan Brouns jersey and calling it close enough.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 06 2015,17:05
ok.. it will be something else then! BOOB it is!
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 06 2015,17:27
If GFY isn't taken go with that. Seriously
Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 06 2015,17:44
Games For Yaks?
Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 06 2015,17:44
Grandpas Fondling Yoda?
Posted by TPRJones on Jan. 06 2015,17:44
Oh, no, of course

Gay For Yani

Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 06 2015,17:46

(TPRJones @ Jan. 06 2015,20:44)
QUOTE
Oh, no, of course

Gay For Yani

With that team, it's probably just Gay For You.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,17:48
OLD would be funny
Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 06 2015,19:15
80085
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 06 2015,19:20
7734
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 07 2015,12:01
So why is it when my left is to the enemy, and I take hits, it is the right arm, leg, and torso that take damage?  Even the voice says so.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 07 2015,12:16
That's an interesting question. Is that for real? Which mech?

I know for a fact the correct side takes hits and is announced when I'm piloting my Centurions because that mech uses it's left arm as a shield. So I do a lot of "fire, turn to the right to absorb damage, repeat".

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 07 2015,12:20
Happened just now, and as far as I know it happens in every mech I use.  My left was to the enemy, I was hunkered down, and they dismantled my right side one bit at a time.  Happens all the time.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 07 2015,12:22
And it does suck because on my Thunderbolt both my PPCs are on the right side, so I instinctively try to keep the left to the enemy, but that's, like, backwards in the game.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 07 2015,12:35
Could have been from LRMs.  If someone doesn't have artemis equipped and are shooting an LRM 20 the spread is ridiculous and pretty much hits all points of the mech.  

Either that or you didn't see that Jagermech with dual Guass cannons plunking you from 800 meters.  Prolly this, cause ive never had that problem either

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 07 2015,12:38
Yeah, I have seen similar "you just don't know what you are seeing" responses on the forums.... but some people are calling it the "opposite damage cheat," and recommend reporting people for using it.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/164833-damage-cheat/ >

< http://mwomercs.com/forums....-bugged >



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 07 2015,13:11

(GORDON @ Jan. 07 2015,15:38)
QUOTE
Yeah, I have seen similar "you just don't know what you are seeing" responses on the forums.... but some people are calling it the "opposite damage cheat," and recommend reporting people for using it.

< http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/164833-damage-cheat/ >

I think you're making a conclusion about some random guy making a conclusion.  :D

Not saying cheats don't exist, but I have learned that a lot of things in game that immediately piss someone off can usually be explained.

Instead of the list at the end telling me all the things that delivered damage, I think it'd be more helpful to show where the killing blow was delivered and what caused it. Was it an alpha strike to your back? Did they hit an area that was without armor?

Work definitely needs to be done to that summary screen.

Keep an eye on the damage/side thing though. I'm really curious about that. I will say that Stranger is right about the missiles. I can remember times getting hit by LRMs and seeing damage on my back and thinking "WTF?"

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 07 2015,13:16
Is it possible to do a private match and have you guys shoot me in the arm over and over?  It isn't like this just happened to me once, it happens all the time.  Nearly every game.  I just haven't mentioned it until now.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 07 2015,15:08
Yep. Maybe tonight.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 08 2015,10:02
Listening to the NGNG podcast that covered the recent town hall meeting with the head of PGI. Here are some highlights:

(I'll update as I get further into it.)

- MW:O might come to Steam this year.
- Expect minor and major fixes/adjustments for the Invasion maps.
- Feb 3rd is the target date for a third Invasion map (Based on Canyon Network.)
- There is a fourth in the works. (Based on Tourmalin.)
- Defender drop ships have 6-7 medium lasers on them and will only fire upon people in their range (200 something) and they can hit for maximum damage. They will hit multiple targets, which would spread the damage out.
- Attacker drop ships now have all ER large lasers and have the same rules as the defender medium lasers except with more range and damage. The point is back off and don't camp the spawn.
- He has a wishlist "landing" mode that would launch invasions. Basically, it'd be a skirmish 12 on 12. The mode would start with the defenders seeking cover as a dropship would fly in and all 12 attackers would drop at once. (They need to seek cover because the dropships do shoot.) If the skirmish is successful, they've established a beachhead and the invasion can progress.
-The goal is for CW to come out of beta this summer.
- He is 50/50 on a reset once beta ends. NOT a reset of everything, just progress made in CW. In other words, planets reverting back to their original owners. He wants to hear from the community about it.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 08 2015,10:24
Did they mention I have Elite Catapults, now?
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 08 2015,10:37
Good job!

What are you going for next? For your play style I'd recommend an assault. You can either be a long range assault with missiles and large lasers or you can try and tank/brawl, which is desperately needed during those invasion maps.

Lights and Mediums will be more about hitting and moving, but you'll need to have them for the ideal drop ship loadout.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 08 2015,11:00
Yeah, I was thinking about an assault.

I need to build up my lone Jenner so I can drop with a heavy-heavy-heavy-light, but yeah, I was thinking an assault mech would suit my current play style.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 08 2015,11:17
If you go with an assault I'd recommend either the 85 ton Stalker, the 4N or Misery (hero) are the best or the 95 ton Banshee 3E.  Both tank like a boss and are very solid all around mechs.  The only problem with the assaults are that they limit you in your CW dropship weights.  But everyone needs one.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 08 2015,13:20
This guy does some really good guides on different mech chassis, while he doesn't have them all written up yet he does have a few and Gordo might find these useful for deciding on his next mech.

< Stalker >

< Banshee >

< Thunderbolt >

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 08 2015,13:40
The Stalker seems natural for Gordo because it looks like the Catapault's dad.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 08 2015,19:06
Just played a CW game that was the biggest blowout I've ever seen, and I was on the losing side... Went against a team with 9 premade on it, we were the attacking team.  They jumped the gates and before we could even get there and absolutely destroyed us! We didn't even do one point of damage to the generators that open the gate!!! They were the defenders yet they literally brought the fight to our side, by far the best team I've ever went against.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 09 2015,07:28
Wasn't I in a game with you or was it Cake where something similar happened?

Apparently, for some of the organized teams the hot tactic is to start their defense using light mechs. Why? Because they can jump the wall and they know the enemy typically starts with assault mechs. They use their speed to cause mass confusion and as much damage as they can.

It was really effective against our team. We didn't get rolled as badly as you did, but our team never recovered. I think we got two gates down and one of the reactors or whatever.

It also shuts up Andy Dalton again since they were highly critical of leaving the base as a defender.

I'm not 100% sold on the assaults for invasions. Yeah, they make sense for penetrating a fortified position, but what if a 12 man team dropped as all lights? They could still easily drop the gates, they'd eliminate that tactic of the defenders attacking first, and they'd be able to swarm past defenders and do constant hit and runs on the primary targets.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 09 2015,11:40
Well if you're a clanner you don't need a light to jump the gates.  All you have to do is bring your OP 75 ton Timberwolf with JJ's and do it that way, and that's what they did,  all 12 of them were Timberwolves.  

The more I play the game the happier I am being a part of the Inner Sphere, I want to shoot every single Stormcrow, Timberwolf, and Direwolf I see, even if they are on my team.  Kill the OP clanners!!!

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 09 2015,12:09
MW dreams two nights in a row means too much MW is being played.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 10 2015,10:29
Leisher, here are a few of the more popular builds I have found with the various Atlas variants.

This takes advantage of the AC10 and medium pulse laser quirks for the < BOAR'S HEAD >, I have a similar build on one of my Battlemaster's and I like it quite a bit.

The < AS7-D > has quirks for the AC20 and SRM6's, I'd try something like this.

The < AS7-D-DC > only has a minor quirk for the AC20 and this build is a lot like the -D, but it has the all important ECM.

And the -K I believe was the other one you had? I'm not a big fan of that one the quirks are all over the place and I believe the other 3 I just listed are better in every way.  But you could do different variations of these builds on it if you have to play it.

ohh yeah, never an XL engine on an Atlas, its what makes them so damn tough.



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 10 2015,10:38
There is a huge sale on a ton of mechs right now, < 30% off c-bills and MC >.  Good way to stock up, I'm thinking of buying 3 Hunchbacks and it will only cost about 7 million c-bills.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 10 2015,10:47
Thanks, I'll give those a look.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 10 2015,12:14
Modules: Consumed on use.... one use only?  Ever?
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 10 2015,13:20
Modules? No.

Consumables? Yes. That's why consumables are so cheap. They actually have a "automatic restock" option.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 10 2015,13:30
Went Master on my Cats and now I am trying to figure out how to use modules.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 10 2015,13:40
Stranger will probably yell at me, but I haven't messed around with the modules too much. They do add a whole new level of specialization to a mech, but I'm not yet certain what I want to put on each class of mech.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 10 2015,13:55
That extra zoom would be useful on a couple of my mechs, but it costs 2 million.

There's also a targeting disrupt that kills everybody's lock on you when you step out of line of sight.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 10 2015,19:28
I bought one of the Hunchbacks since they were on sale and I needed a medium.  Spent another 1.5mil getting it combat ready.

There's never enough c-bills.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 10 2015,22:23
Stranger, find some Jager builds.  :D

Specifically, the -DD and -S.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 12 2015,12:12
What are the Resistance mechs? What makes them special?
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 12 2015,12:35
< They are the next wave of IS mechs to be released >, the Panther, Grasshopper, Enforcer, and Zues, one of each weight class.  The first one will be released on Feb 17th, not sure which one yet.  By preordering you get them on the date they release.  

The release dates are stupid though.  its like Feb 17th then the middle of March for the next, April for the next and May for the last.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 12 2015,12:40
The "drop off their radar as soon as they lose line of sight" module is expensive.  15k experience to get the pilot skill, then six fucking million to get the actual module.

There's never enough c-bills.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 12 2015,12:56
yep, I'm the same as Leisher on this point.  I haven't been to concerned about putting modules on my mechs yet.  Sure some of them are nice but I'd rather put my c-bills towards expanding my garage right now.  The good thing about them is that you can move them around freely among your mechs, so once you own one you can always put that on your favorite mech.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 12 2015,13:02
I bought the advanced zoom, have tried it on a couple different mechs.  It is nice.... you can see the color of the pilot's eyes in a mech 1500m away.  Problem is, weapons don't go that far.  Nice things is, pinpoint legs at 800m with the ER-PPCs.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 12 2015,13:25
I was wrong on them release dates.

•The King Crab will be delivered starting December 16, 2014.

•The Panther will be delivered starting February 15, 2015

•The Enforcer will be delivered starting February 15, 2015

•The Grasshopper will be delivered starting March 17, 2015

•The Zeus will be delivered starting March 17, 2015

and the following dates for c-bills and MC release.

•The Panther will be available for MC on March 3rd, 2015 and for c-bill on April 7th, 2015

•The Enforcer will be available for MC on March 17th, 2015 and for c-bill on April 21st, 2015

•The Grasshopper will be available for MC on April 7th, 2015 and for c-bill on May 5th, 2015

•The Zeus will be available for MC on April 21st, 2015 and for c-bill on May 19th, 2015

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 12 2015,13:52
QUOTE
Stranger, find some Jager builds.  :D

Specifically, the -DD and -S.


I didn't forget about this post.  I own the -S and did a build similar to this, < JM6-S >.  But I don't have an XL255 so I was using an XL300, I had to sacrifice some ammo and armor to accommodate.  This is set up to take advantage of the quirks, but the AC2's are in a real weak place right now and < this article > explains why.  It does pretty good, but just the other day I changed it over to a dual gauss with a tiny ass 215 standard in it.  Is super slow but you wanna stay way back and snipe with it.  If I had an XL255 I'd drop that in there.

As for the -DD I think this looks pretty good, < JM6-DD >.  You either love or hate the UAC5's and I tend to not like them.  I've seen peeps do some complicated long maths on these and say the dps is still better than the regular AC5's.  When they don't jam they definitely put out some serious damage, but I always get them jamming after a shot or two, so frustrating.  The key to using the UAC's is to have a firing discipline when using them, something I don't have.  You shouldn't always try and double tap them, use it only when you really need that little burst.  Problem is, I seem to always want that little burst!! The 6 ballistics hard points look sweet but you'll have a hard time using them all without putting a bunch of machine guns on it (don't do it, I tried!)

It seems like if you don't put an XL in a Jagermech you are seriously gimping your firepower unless you don't mind moving along at 50kph.  And those tiny little arms don't block shit so you will be getting your torso's blown off constantly, and people know this weakness.  So I've had a little trouble with the Jager, some games i'll get some good damage in and other I get wrecked in no time.  I have a hard time not trying to brawl in every mech I pilot and the Jager is NOT built to brawl.  But the high hard points are fucking awesome for hill humping and not exposing much of the mech.



Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 12 2015,16:46
I'm not that happy with the JM6 yet.  It's just so slow.  I should have stuck with my 'fastest mech that can run AC5s'.  I stuck with him though, trying to find a groove.  But it's just so slow.  You get to the fight, and that's pretty much where you live for the rest of the match.  Sure, you can try to relocate and whatnot.  But then you are leaving the fight for so long.  I stripped the medium lasers to add more armor.  Stuck with the standard engine as well.  He moves at about 65.  My Cicada runs close to 150.  With the added armor, I last a lot longer in matches.  But still don't do that much damage.  You are so vulnerable when you can't move!

Ended up switching back to my Cicadas for a few matches last night.  Dusted off my sniper.  Dual ER-PPCs.  Much more to my liking.  In coming missiles?  Who cares?  Just back peddle.  Pop up over the hill, take a few shots, back up.  Move to another spot real quick.  Repeat.  Run way around and flank them.  Take a handful of shots because it takes them a bit to figure out where you are and turn.  Then sprint to a completely different spot.  I like being mobile.

Will keep trying with the JM6 though.  Leisher does well with his Cataphract, which is similar to mine.  Just have to figure out the best way to fight with him.  I feel like I need to be selfish and just sit behind cover and take out enemies running into us and not exposing myself to the enemies.  Let everyone else go out and do a bunch of damage, take all the damage.  Then I'll find the stragglers and finish them off.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 13 2015,13:40
The 30% off sale is still going until tomorrow and I'm still trying to decide what I want to buy.  Its a waste to lets these c-bill sales go by without picking something up.  Was thinking about buying some Hunchbacks to fill out my medium roster, you can save about 1.2million c-bills per mech.  But a part of me wants to buy either a Stalker or Banshee, you save almost 2.5 - 3 million c-bills if you buy them right now.  But I've already got 3 Battlemasters and a King Crab and i'll need to get two more of those when they get released for c-bills next week.  So assaults prolly aren't a good buy for me right now... But they're such a good deal!!

The Hunchbacks are the smart buy, but they only come with STD200 engines they need something bigger than that, prolly an XL255 is what I'd like to put in them and that means buying one of those too. Like Gordo has been saying, "There's never enough C-bills"

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 13 2015,14:04
I'll be around most nights this week.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 13 2015,14:23
I will too.  The last few days when no one else is on I just play 2 or 3 games, then move on.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 13 2015,20:43
Reporting people:

< http://support@mwomercs.com >

names
map
time (including time zone)
what they did

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 13 2015,20:44
ScarlettDawn
ChainsawMAD

Mining Colony
11:35ish PM
Eastern
Guild: TAG1

Team killers.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 15 2015,10:13
< House Davion faction sale > now through Sunday.  Lots of the same mechs that were in the last sale, but it looks like they will be doing a sale for each faction.  So save up them c-bills cause there's never enough.

Also, Russ Bullock is holding another < Town Hall meeting > tonight at 9pm.  I listened to the last one and there's lots of good stuff he addresses.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 15 2015,12:51
I'll download the podcast tomorrow and listen to it while driving to and from work the next couple of work days. I'd rather use my gaming time for gaming!  :D

Other topics:
-I'm being serious when I say, should we dump TKV? TKoV serves the purpose, but it does bug me. Granted, we can try for TKV again after the next patch and it might be there, but if not, do we move on?
-Should we have unit colors? All mechs are green to start, so do we go with something different? Do we want flashy like Bright red (which I honestly believe draws fire) or do we want to blend into our environments? I've got two all black mechs now and I think they're damn near invisible on night maps. Maybe darker primary colors and flashier trim colors? Do we make a certain pattern a team thing?
-Stranger, find me an Atlas -K build. He looks like less of a brawler and more of a long range guy. That'd be a new play style for me. Or do you think I should just sell him back (how do you do that?) and buy the Atlas with the ECM and make it my third Atlas?
-I should be on tonight, 9ish.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 15 2015,12:55
If we can't get TKV, we need to go the comedy option, after a long discussion.

HDNW - Hitler Did Nothing Wrong

Colors - I am not sure I will be spending any money.  I currently have 4 or 500 or the.... RP... whatever the real money is called in the game.... but don't you need to skin every mech?  I think don't worry about it.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 15 2015,13:23
I'm pretty sure TKV will not be available, and probably a lot of the ideas we come up with will not be available.  Like I said before, I have no particular long term ties to TKV and have no problem what so ever dropping it.  So any new ideas are fine on my part, but we should have some alternates because the chances our first choice is available are slim.

Color.. I'm all for it, but I can understand not wanting to pay real money.  Some colors are on sale right now and more will be in the future, I guess its something we can keep an eye on.  I currently own 5 colors right now, white, orange, brown, red, grey.

Let me do some research on the -K, I know its not as popular as the others and that the DDC is almost a must have as an Atlas owner.  But you might like something that works for you and that's all that matters.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 15 2015,13:52
I'd prefer an option that doesn't make us look like white supremacists.   :D

QUOTE
Colors - I am not sure I will be spending any money.  I currently have 4 or 500 or the.... RP... whatever the real money is called in the game.... but don't you need to skin every mech?  I think don't worry about it.


Colors and patterns are a one time purchase. Out fit the same pattern/color on as many mechs as you like. At least, I know that's true for colors. They're also the cheapest things in game and I would recommend we don't get them unless they're on sale. It's basically just buying ultra cheap skins.

I currently own Hot Rod Red and Black for colors. I think I own a pattern, but I have no idea what at the moment.

I wouldn't ever force anyone in spending real money if they want to, but if we ever get serious about CW, I think it'd be cool. Plus, it's got to make finding each other in game easier than switching lances pre-drop for whatever reason.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 15 2015,16:51
Keep the color costs below 180 and I'm in.  That's how much I got from stockings.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 15 2015,18:20
I think some colors are cheaper than that.

< Earn a Cataphract 3D© mech this weekend. >

(And the mech bay, and 3 days premium time.)

After this weekend I'll own all the CTFs.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 15 2015,18:21
I guess we're going to be some MW playing mother fuckers this weekend.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 16 2015,07:24
So I think this weekend challenge is a little harder than it seems.  Looks like you need at least 1 kill, and at least 1 assist and win the match to get a point.

QUOTE
In order to score 1 point you must meet all three of the following criteria in a match:
•Get 1 or more Kill, get 1 or more Assist, and Win the match via either the Primary or Secondary objectives.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 16 2015,08:01
Although when I think about it, its probably smart to just play balls to the wall tag a few mechs as you play and go for a kill.  If you die don't stick around and see if you won, just jump into the next match and do it again.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,08:13
I would love to get 12 kills in a match this weekend (Death Star achievement) or 12 assists (I forget what that achievement is called) and NOT get a point towards the CTF-3D. I wouldn't even be mad.  :D

To key to this is the kill AND the win. Assists, as we know, are easy.

I'll bet this is a way to make folks be more interactive. During previous challenges folks have simply gotten into a game and then gone afk. All they needed was a win or to play x number of games. I think PGI has learned from those challenges.

Make a note of your bank account once you get the 3 points and the premium time goes active. Then ignore it all weekend and look at it again after you play the 30+ (I'm betting 60-100) matches to get the CTF-3D. It should grow substantially.

QUOTE
Although when I think about it, its probably smart to just play balls to the wall tag a few mechs as you play and go for a kill.  If you die don't stick around and see if you won, just jump into the next match and do it again.


Agreed. If nobody is on, play till you're dead, then quit the match, move to a new mech, and do it again.

If we're all on playing, wait until the last guy falls, then move to the next game if it looks like the end isn't close.

And NO Invasions this weekend. That's 30+ minutes for a single win, IF you win.



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 16 2015,08:32
QUOTE
I would love to get 12 kills in a match this weekend (Death Star achievement) or 12 assists (I forget what that achievement is called) and NOT get a point towards the CTF-3D. I wouldn't even be mad.  :D



HAH! I guess if you got all 12 kills, you would win the match because you would be the last man standing... but since you were such a kill stealer you wouldn't have any assists so you wouldn't get the point towards your Cataphract.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,09:13
I wish they would release stats on the achievements. I want to know if anyone has actually earned that one.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 16 2015,09:24
QUOTE
Make a note of your bank account once you get the 3 points and the premium time goes active. Then ignore it all weekend and look at it again after you play the 30+ (I'm betting 60-100) matches to get the CTF-3D. It should grow substantially.


Just tack them 3 premium days onto the end of my 150+ days I have left.  I'm good until about the middle of June right now :p

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,09:34
If you would stop spending money like a 16 year old girl at the mall with her first credit card, you'd have tens of millions of cbills too.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 16 2015,09:41
I've done alright with my c-bills, I own 16 mechs and a few XL engines.  Whats the point in having the c-bills if you're not going to spend them?  Having 40million in the bank does nothing for me, I see what I want and I go get it.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,10:05
You do more impulse purchasing than I do. Seems like when I do it in game, I'm not happy with the results. For example, I don't love my Atlas mechs yet. (Too slow + brawler builds = shitfest)

Meanwhile, I've been loving my Centurions.

I've found a pattern I like of going full bore with a specific mech, then moving on to the next group of mechs I'll build and level.

Once I'm done with the Atlas, I think I might move onto a Resistance mech.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 16 2015,10:55
How many 'points' do you need to get the Cataphract?

And when does it start?



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,11:04

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 16 2015,13:55)
QUOTE
How many 'points' do you need to get the Cataphract?

And when does it start?

< From page 25 of this thread >...lazy ass.

You need 3 to get 3 days of premium time. Then you have 3 days to get 30 total points for the free mech and mech bay.

I'll be on around 10-11 tonight. Got a dinner to go to and then have to train the old man on Windows 8...ugh.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,11:26
Just played 10 quick games.  I did not have a single qualifying game where I got 1 kill/1 assist, AND won the game.

I think it is going to take a lot more than 100 games.

Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 16 2015,11:47
How many people play at once?  No way to work with a group and rig the kill/assist/win stuff?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,11:53
Seems like a run of bad luck, but it took me 15 games to get a qualifying match.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,11:54

(TheCatt @ Jan. 16 2015,14:47)
QUOTE
How many people play at once?  No way to work with a group and rig the kill/assist/win stuff?

If we had more people in our clan, probably.  As it is we are on a 12-man team, and we only have voice with 2 or 3 of them.  No one gives a shit about anyone else, typically.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,12:04
Yeah, run of bad luck.  2 qualifying matches in a row just now.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,12:05
As far as I know.  Webpage isn't updating with my progress.

edit - there it is



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 16 2015,12:11

(TheCatt @ Jan. 16 2015,14:47)
QUOTE
How many people play at once?  No way to work with a group and rig the kill/assist/win stuff?

You can play private matches, but they turn off most of the achievements and tournament stuff so they don't apply there.

None of the TF2 tactic of making your own private server and working with the enemy to get the hardest achievements.

Everything is earned in MW:O.

QUOTE
If we had more people in our clan, probably.


If you had a 12 man team, you could easily holler to everyone that you've gotten 10 of the kills, and folks could leg enemy mechs and save them for you, but realistically, even in that situation it'd be very, very difficult to pull off.

Granted, two teams working together in a sanctioned match, IF they happened to get matched up, could pull such things off. However, match ups are so random that the odds of that are very slim and it'd take them forever to get everyone their achievements. (I don't think achievements are turned on in Invasion matches either where teams knowing each other is more likely.)

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 16 2015,12:42
I knew it was posted somewhere, but, I also knew you knew the answer already.

So it started already?

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 16 2015,12:51
Yep.  Took me about 20 games to get 3 qualifying matches.  Hopefully that improves when I am not in solo queue.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,09:05
Just got killed in a conquest map with 1 kill 5 assists.  We were winning huge ob points.  All of a sudden we had 1 guy alive and they had 2.  We only needed 40 points to win, they wre 300 points behind.  I told him to run/hide.  he had to attack.  We lost the game with 743 points when he died.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,09:43
This challenge is making me better at playing like an asshole.

With my LRM boat I am learning to let everyone else beat a guy down to 60%, then open up with the 40 missile salvos when he is too busy to get under cover.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 17 2015,10:54
QUOTE
Just got killed in a conquest map with 1 kill 5 assists.  We were winning huge ob points.  All of a sudden we had 1 guy alive and they had 2.  We only needed 40 points to win, they wre 300 points behind.  I told him to run/hide.  he had to attack.  We lost the game with 743 points when he died.


Dumb move. I admire his fight, but sometimes you hide to win for your team.

Once Stranger and Cake logged off last night, we won. Coincidence?  :D

Just had a good streak of luck. 5 qualifying games in a row and the "Seriously?!" achievement in the non-qualifier right before that.

I've been running the Atlas-K this afternoon and it's a plodding piece of shit. I also don't think sniping is for me.



Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,13:43
I got like 4 points in a couple hours.  Early afternoon solo queue is easier.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,14:01
Proving Stranger wrong yet again

I paused my game in order to take this screenshot of a guy and his mech's nickname.



Was it a billion dollars you said you'd bet?

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 17 2015,14:39
The Pretty Baby is the name of a hero mech! Like I have the Orion Protector. So you can just pay Cake the $200 I owe him and I'll take whatever is leftover of that billion. Thanks bruh!
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,16:01
I'll find another then.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,16:52
Is there a Sparky?  I have that screenshot.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,17:04
Just had an enemy mech go right through me.  I was blocking a narrow corridor with my body to block his escape, and he hit me, and suddenly he was on the other side of me.

Stranger: "No he didn't, that didn't happen."

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,17:42
I love it when your teammates have a game won and deliberately fuck it up.  Just had a game where I had 2 kills, and we were winning 10v6.  Half the team splits off to go get the other guy instead of hitting the guy in front of them.  We lost 10v12.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 17 2015,18:20
QUOTE
Just had an enemy mech go right through me.  I was blocking a narrow corridor with my body to block his escape, and he hit me, and suddenly he was on the other side of me.


I had that happen today too, and that might be what they are referring to with collisions. I have bumped into enemy mechs before and they've hit me and stopped, so I'm not sure what has to be going on for them to be able to go through me, and vice versa.

Sparky is the Griffin hero mech.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,18:45
Well it isn't my fault so many mechs look like they were named by 13 year old boys and they look like nicknames.

Invalid bet.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,20:55
Saw Golden Boy and Boar Head

Currently 21/30 in the challenge.  Still going for a bit tonight.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 17 2015,21:23
MUCH easier to get wins and qualified when you're not facing pre-mades with your 5 man team.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 17 2015,22:02
They REALLY need to stick with the minimum match points for prizes format.  The current format, like others in the past, force you to NOT play with your friends for best results.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,22:15
Leisher and I actually ended up in the same game earlier, both in solo queue.  Fortunately we were on the same team.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,23:16
I had 3 kills.  We were ahead 9v5.

At the end when we lost I had 4 kills, was the last one alive, and there were 2 of them left.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 17 2015,23:43
Quitting tonight at 24/30.  Too many good games with a losing team.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 17 2015,23:49
QUOTE
I had 3 kills.  We were ahead 9v5.

At the end when we lost I had 4 kills, was the last one alive, and there were 2 of them left.


Remember that last game Friday night? We were down 9-6 or something like that and I pulled off one of my "Beast Modes" in my CTF-4X and got 3 or 4 kills to finish 5-6.

So, that sort of loss goes both ways. I had one tonight where we were up 10-7 and lost thanks to the last two of them being perfectly healthy Atlases and our team being banged up mediums and lights and 1 disconnect.

On a different note, I started today needing 20 more. I started off 1 out of 7, then went on a 5 game streak, slowed down to 8 qualifiers with 7 losses, and then only got 3 in the next 22 games (Although, to be fair a LOT of these were played in a brand new, unskilled Atlas.). Finally got the last 3 in my final 4 games of the night.

Tough challenge.

QUOTE
They REALLY need to stick with the minimum match points for prizes format.  The current format, like others in the past, force you to NOT play with your friends for best results.


I don't disagree with this thought.



Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,12:55
30 BITCHES
Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 18 2015,12:56

(GORDON @ Jan. 18 2015,15:55)
QUOTE
30 BITCHES

Did you die and go to Mechwarrior heaven?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,12:59
i tell you what
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 18 2015,13:53
Congrats Gordo, that's two of us. Unknown Person and The Father of Pastries are in marathon sessions. We should wager on who will be the next one to thirty.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,14:24
That prize mech seems pretty nice.  It's even a clan mech.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 18 2015,14:27
Not a clan mech. It's a Cataphract like the 3 (now 4) I own.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,14:44
What's the little "C" in the bottom left corner of the icon?
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 18 2015,14:45
It won't be me (unknown person) hah! I'm only at something like 18 and I'm pretty sure I'm done for the day. Not being able to play yesterday hurt my cause. But I still earned quite a few cbill this weekend.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 18 2015,15:01

(GORDON @ Jan. 18 2015,17:44)
QUOTE
What's the little "C" in the bottom left corner of the icon?

"Champion"

Champion mechs earn extra XP.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,15:16
Ahhh.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 18 2015,15:31
I didn't want to play yesterday.  Then today, I got close enough that I feel like I need to finish.

It's been fun putting all these hours into this game not playing with you guys.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 18 2015,15:47
QUOTE
I didn't want to play yesterday.  Then today, I got close enough that I feel like I need to finish.

It's been fun putting all these hours into this game not playing with you guys.


That's all on you. You didn't need to complete the challenge. We could have paired off into groups of two. Etc. But then you wouldn't have been able to bitch!

Seriously though, write the devs and tell them. Sometimes things that force solo play are ok, but if they want to encourage the social aspect, which they SHOULD in the majority of challenges, they need to stick to the match points route.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,16:17
The funnest games were the ones we were in solo queue but ended up in the same game anyway.  I had one with Leisher and two with Cake.  Luckily on the same team.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 18 2015,16:20
I wanted to make the best use of the premium time, so I wanted to play.  Everyone else wanted to complete the challenge.  We started grouped up, but then everyone split off for better challenge results.

So, it's NOT on me.  I wanted to play with other people.  Then they would leave to play by themselves.  I could either not play and waste the premium time, or play by myself.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 18 2015,16:29

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 18 2015,19:20)
QUOTE
I wanted to make the best use of the premium time, so I wanted to play.  Everyone else wanted to complete the challenge.  We started grouped up, but then everyone split off for better challenge results.

So, it's NOT on me.  I wanted to play with other people.  Then they would leave to play by themselves.  I could either not play and waste the premium time, or play by myself.

That's odd, because I posted here that I completed the challenge last night. I've been on all day playing, but you haven't sent me any message about wanting to play.

So again, on YOU.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 18 2015,17:17
Hey.  Look at that.  As soon as you join TS (which I have been in all day) and say you want to play, we start playing as a group.  And I get 2 points in two games in a row.  And you guys said it was easier to get the points solo.  We could have been playing as a group all weekend.  Back not on me.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 18 2015,18:24

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 18 2015,20:17)
QUOTE
Hey.  Look at that.  As soon as you join TS (which I have been in all day) and say you want to play, we start playing as a group.  And I get 2 points in two games in a row.  And you guys said it was easier to get the points solo.  We could have been playing as a group all weekend.  Back not on me.

I was on all day yesterday.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 19 2015,06:24

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 18 2015,20:17)
QUOTE
Hey.  Look at that.  As soon as you join TS (which I have been in all day) and say you want to play, we start playing as a group.  And I get 2 points in two games in a row.  And you guys said it was easier to get the points solo.  We could have been playing as a group all weekend.  Back not on me.

Let's ignore the fact that I had to call you out on DTM to get you to multi!

Back on you! :D

So, did you end up getting your 30th? How many more games did it take?

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 20 2015,09:40
Of the 15 MW:O maps, I have a winning record on all but 4.

The 4:
Forest Colony Snow 21 - 24
Tourmaline Desert   41 - 51
HPG Manifold           43 - 44
Canyon Network      35 - 54

Forest Colony Snow can just be attributed to bad luck or whatever as I have a winning record on Forest Colony.

HPG manifold is basically a wash, which is interesting because I'd say that it's 50/50 when you launch on that map whether you'll be brawling or dealing with long range attacks.

Tourmaline and Canyon, however, show that my brawler builds simply suck when I hit wide open maps.

Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 20 2015,10:37
You are right.  No one wanted to multi until they met their challenge, except for me, but it's on me.  I was the one that would get invited to play with the group, then leave because it was easier alone.  It's all on me.

I did get to 30.

Posted by Trooper on Jan. 20 2015,11:02
What really sucks, is Scooty finally found his groove. In every clan mech ever built =[. The Stormcrow, The Adder, the TimberWolf, the Nova. . . . I'm searching high and low on message boards trying to find an inner-sphere mech that I can buy, that is directly comparable to any of these!

Clans get better stuff, in my opinion the trade-offs still give clan weapons/mech's a slight advantage. Hence their popularity. Sure they heat quicker, but the range and damage buffs are awesome. I can hit you harder, outside of your range of fire. With the way this game is designed, the general tactic is to pop out, shoot your guns, and pop back behind cover. . . . Making the excessive heat when firing, not all that big a deal. Clan mech's also seem to be able to take more hits than an inner-sphere mech, they're armored differently making them last longer in a dog-fight. Clan mechs always win the dog fights, for a reason! The inner-sphere mechs are very cheap Cbills wise, but you pay for it in tonnage/Armor/Weapons. . . etc

Wish you guys could consider investing in a few Clan mechs after you're satisfied with your IS collection, so that I'm not forced into using IS mechs when the clear choice for me so far is a Clan mech.

Like I said though, please, if you are aware of any IS mechs that compare to the Adder, Stormcrow, Nova, Timberwolf. . . . Please do list them! I'm really trying here guys heheh.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 20 2015,12:02
QUOTE
Wish you guys could consider investing in a few Clan mechs after you're satisfied with your IS collection


While I'm not against buying Clan mechs at some point, right now I'm just trying to get together a good collection of IS mechs in all weight classes right now and get them elited.  I want to have options at every weight class and different rolls amongst those mechs in them weight classes.  From what I've been hearing is that Community Warfare is going to have other game modes (like 4v4) with different dropship weights from planet to planet.  So this is going to require having brawlers and long rage mechs at all weight classes and I'm going to want options at each one.

So while yes, it would be cool to get an OP Timberwolf right now it wouldn't behoove me to drop 12 million c-bills on a mech that I'm only going to be using for solo que.  Plus the quirks have helped bring some of the IS mechs in line with the Clanners and PGI is going to go over those quirks again shortly as some of the IS only have generic quirks and will get buffed when they do this.

Personally I'd like to have 2 chassis at each weight class fully mastered with some modules to put in them before I'd consider buying a Clan mech, except maybe lights, I'm prolly good with my Firestarters.  I'm happy with my Shadowhawks and Hunchbacks for mediums.  Still undecided with my heavies, I have a Thunderbolt, Jagermech and an Orion and am not particularly sold on any of those so far.  Assaults, i'll probably go with the Battlemaster and King Crabs, but I'm strongly considering either Stalkers or Banshees as a replacement for one of those.

As far as IS mechs, I haven't even seen you play anything but a light.  The only other mech I've heard you play was the dual AC20 Jager, the mother of all glass cannons! The IS have some pretty good mediums that can pack a punch.  Centurions, Hunchbacks, Griffins, Shadowhawks and Wolverines are all pretty good.  As far as Heavies, the Thunderbolt-9S and -5S are considered to be OP right now because of the quirks, I'm not as big of a fan of these but they make Clanners bitch on the forums.  Other than that, the Cataphract is prolly the biggest brute of them all (just ask Leisher).  And the Jager is a VERY strong mech, but you gotta play safe with them.  

Obviously the stock ones are complete shit, but put some time and money into them and you will do just fine. Don't just jump to the OP clanners for the easy way out Scooty! :p

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 20 2015,12:22

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 20 2015,13:37)
QUOTE
You are right.  No one wanted to multi until they met their challenge, except for me, but it's on me.  I was the one that would get invited to play with the group, then leave because it was easier alone.  It's all on me.

The problem with your statement is that you're aiming it at me. See, I did multi the entire time you were available while I was doing my challenge. Not my fault you weren't on all day and night Saturday.

On Sunday, everyone was on before I got on and you were all already soloing. You never invited me to join you and then took to the forums to complain that nobody was mutliing.

So if you're trying to subtly call out other folks, fine, but don't point your barbs at me.

QUOTE
What really sucks, is Scooty finally found his groove. In every clan mech ever built =[. The Stormcrow, The Adder, the TimberWolf, the Nova. . . . I'm searching high and low on message boards trying to find an inner-sphere mech that I can buy, that is directly comparable to any of these!

Clans get better stuff, in my opinion the trade-offs still give clan weapons/mech's a slight advantage. Hence their popularity. Sure they heat quicker, but the range and damage buffs are awesome. I can hit you harder, outside of your range of fire. With the way this game is designed, the general tactic is to pop out, shoot your guns, and pop back behind cover. . . . Making the excessive heat when firing, not all that big a deal. Clan mech's also seem to be able to take more hits than an inner-sphere mech, they're armored differently making them last longer in a dog-fight. Clan mechs always win the dog fights, for a reason! The inner-sphere mechs are very cheap Cbills wise, but you pay for it in tonnage/Armor/Weapons. . . etc

Wish you guys could consider investing in a few Clan mechs after you're satisfied with your IS collection, so that I'm not forced into using IS mechs when the clear choice for me so far is a Clan mech.

Like I said though, please, if you are aware of any IS mechs that compare to the Adder, Stormcrow, Nova, Timberwolf. . . . Please do list them! I'm really trying here guys heheh.


So what you're saying is that you are really good with the mechs that are OP?  :D

Seriously though, they are OP and even more so in the Battletech lore where clan mechs fight IS mechs 1 vs 10. They are actually morons who think PGI should have made the clan mechs as powerful as they are in the lore. Yeah, because that'd be awesome for business.

Although, despite their OPness (and it's not really by a ton except for the Stormcrow), you'll notice that IS clans have held their own against the clan mechs.

Now I realize that you cannot possibly be serious asking 4 people to throw away all hours and money they've invested in the game just so you can play clan mechs because, well, that'd be a really special kind of selfish. However, I also know that you mentioning them is a way of saying you want to play, but you're attracted to that side more than this side.

Putting aside the fact that I believe if we played clan mechs, you'd want to play IS mechs, you playing clan mechs has absolutely no affect on us whatsoever in regular public matches. It'd only be an issue in Community Warfare, which you've played with us a single time.

So short term solution: Play whatever the hell you want and IF you happen to play CW with us, use trials or whatever IS mechs you do own.

Long term perhaps we'll go clan mech or maybe the IS quirks/buffs will change your mind. Two things I know for certain:
-Even if all 4 of us did drop IS mechs, it'd take forever for us to earn the money and XP to get to where we are now.
-Driving a mech without anything mastered or properly finding the correct build is like driving a new car with 4 flat tires and 10 anvils int he trunk. Yes, sometimes you just know, but most times you're doing it and yourself a great disservice. It takes time to learn a mech and how to use it. Throw in all the different weapons, the 4 different types of mechs, all the variants, etc. and there's so many variables. In your case, and it's something Stranger keeps bringing up, you were driving the literal "Glass Cannon" and refusing to compromise firepower for armor.

I will point this out: You've watched me playing my "inferior" IS mechs and you've been very vocal about the asskicking that my mechs can dole out. So why not follow my path? At the very least, why not listen to my advice or that of the guy who helps guide me through the mechs, Stranger? Just saying!

< Today's patch notes. >

Stranger, is this Urbanmech thing for real?

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 20 2015,12:31
I take full and solo responsibility for us not multiing on Sunday in the morning and afternoon.  I played 10 or so games teamed up with Alex and Scooty, and was getting my ass kicked by the premades.  I was lucky to get even an assist.  So I pulled out and played solo.  All on me.

Saturday wasn't my fault, though.  I was on 10 or 12 hours, and I don't remember seeing anyone on.  Granted, I wasn't constantly checking the friend list, but the few times I did I don't remember seeing anyone.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 20 2015,12:44
QUOTE
Stranger, is this Urbanmech thing for real?


< Yes! it's for real! >.  Even Russ says in the podcast how he can't believe that people want this mech in the game so bad, so they are doing it.  I find it hard to believe a 30 ton light that only goes 32kph viable at all.  I'm guessing its heavily armored though and can carry big ballistics and the fact that it has 360 degree cockpit rotation makes it quite unique.  It will be interesting to see when it does arrive in April.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 20 2015,12:52
It can still only fire in one direction at the same time, though.  Seems like a slowly walking version of a base turret.  Would need to be HEAVILY armored to be worth anything.  Game opens, scouts get behind their lines fast and take out the 1 or 2 of these things that have barely left the base because they are so slow.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 20 2015,13:11
It was an April Fool's Day joke!
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 20 2015,13:14
Oh.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 20 2015,13:19
QUOTE
It was an April Fool's Day joke!


Last year it was, I don't think it is this year.

QUOTE
Zeece, i think you're mixing up two forum threads, one from last year that was an April Fools joke and the legit one posted today. The urbie curbie and rear AC20s part is from the april fools thread of 2014. Someone bumped it this morning.

As a trusted source of info, you're going to confuse a lot of people.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 20 2015,13:20
No. It < WAS an April Fool's Day joke >, now it's a legit mech in game.

Apparently, public response was so strong that they actually created the damn thing.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 20 2015,13:27
..... so instead of launching operation "Team HIDE" they can troll by getting these mechs.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 20 2015,13:29
I've gotta believe its just a trashcan with guns.  But I guess it can have a place in the game if you just wanna defend the base or turret cannon.  You just sit there with a big gun and you're only using 30 tons of you're drop deck.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 20 2015,13:33

(GORDON @ Jan. 20 2015,16:27)
QUOTE
..... so instead of launching operation "Team HIDE" they can troll by getting these mechs.

I can't imagine they'll let them become an issue in game.

Russ tweeted that they're going to be testing it and will keep the community posted.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 21 2015,08:04
Listening more to the podcast of the last town hall and the Urbanmech being for sale is just a test. They simply don't know if people are fucking with them or not.

They've done the artwork, but nothing in game.

IF it sells well enough, they will build it. If not, they'll return everyone's money.

And just as an FYI, 30 days of premium time is $12. If you get the standard package for the Urban mech, you get 30 days of premium time in it. So you're really only paying $8 for everything else it comes with, which is obviously very reduced.

In related news, I'm seriously toying with the idea of getting a Resistance pack.



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 21 2015,13:53
Update on the Urbanmech:

After 24 hours, it's at 50% of the goal they set before they'd make it.

The specs will NOT be what was suggested in the April Fool's Day joke as Russ is openly tweeting about it's top speed matching that of the Panther (which will be the slowest IS light mech!?) or be slightly slower than that.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 22 2015,18:20
heres your Wolverine build Scooty.

< WVR-6K >

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 22 2015,18:51
Ugh, call me crazy, but that build sucks. Another glass cannon.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2015,04:52
His legs and left arm are a little weak, but I see a lot of armor on him.  He may not be a tank, but he's not glass either.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 23 2015,05:14
I did a little searching around this morning on your Wolverines Scooty.  I've never piloted one so I can only go off of what I read and what most people like to build on them, but you've never been one to do what everyone else does so take it as you will.

First off your 6K gets 25% cooldown on LPL's, -25% LPL heat generation, and 50% LPL range.  Those quirks are f-n awesome and they need to be in any build that you go for.  As I look at that build that I posted before, I can agree that it is all firepower and you might be sacrificing some defense with that build.  But I can say, I wouldn't worry about heat problems with that build, those quirks will keep that under control. I'd assign 2 of those lasers to one mouse button and the other two to the other mouse button.  That way you can control the heat build by going back and forth between the two buttons, or you can alpha strike by hitting both buttons at the same time when you need it.  

Here's a similar build that drops one of the LPL's in favor of a medium laser and it has max armor on it.  
< WVR-6K >
This might be a better build when I look at it now,  you will run cooler and run even faster because of the XL300 vs. the XL255.  You can drop the Ferro-fibrous armor upgrade but then you will lose 2 heat sincs, not a big difference but that's up to you.  Also the XL300 is the most versatile engine in the game, I'd say 90% of the mechs can use it and even if you don't like it for this Wolverine you can always use it in another, everyone should own at least one of these.  So if you prefer to not go with an XL then you can drop that for a 245 standard.  The speed difference is going to be pretty significant, the XL will go 88kph (97kph with speed tweak) and the 245 will go 72kph (80kph with tweak).  

I have a hard time finding builds that don't use XL's in them but after doing the research, it can be done and it is viable.  It just comes down to personal preference, more speed or more survivability.  But like I mentioned last night, take note of your death recap screen.  If your center torso is getting taken out before your side torsos most of the time then why wouldn't you put an XL in there?  Some mechs just have better hitboxes and geometries that lend themselves to being able to hold XLs very good.  I've got XL's and standards in my Shadowhawks (also a 55ton medium) and I find that my CT is always the first to go and very rarely do I die to a side torso getting blown up.  So just experiment with and without them, having an XL300 is expensive but its always good to have one laying around and you can always go back to a standard for cheap anytime.

I found < this > thread about Wolverines on the forums and its a good read.  Also I go to < Mechspecs > for a lot of build ideas, check it out.  

I think you found a good mech in the Wolverine, all three of them have really good quirks and they all build and play in a different way.   By the way, I just noticed this, the -6R is on c-bill sale right now for 2.9 million until sunday, PICK IT UP!  and the -7K comes with an XL275 already in it, so that's why that one costs 7.5 million.  Buy all three and elite them, then you will become the Wolverine master!

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,12:01
< Like a Champion continues this weekend. >

If you didn't make it, you have more time, and if you did you can grab a statue and a camo pattern.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 23 2015,12:14
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I don't want to play that event again! I started developing bad habits going for kills and I feel like I was just starting to get over it the past couple days.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,12:21

(Leisher @ Jan. 23 2015,15:01)
QUOTE
< Like a Champion continues this weekend. >

If you didn't make it, you have more time, and if you did you can grab a statue and a camo pattern.

I'm kind of irritated that I put in the time to do it in the time allotted.  Felt like I'd achieved something.  Now they are just tacking on more time.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2015,12:23
I'm irritated that I wasted a whole day doing it and played WAY beyond the point where it was fun.  But now I learn I could have paced myself and still gotten it.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,12:24
Kinda bullshit.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2015,12:54
"Whaaa.  I had to work.  My kid was sick.  I should be able to get free stuff too.  Whaaaa."

Ok, here's another chance.  And to all of you that worked hard and did it right, here's some stupid bullshit to keep you from getting pissed even though it's lame and meaningless.  And FYI, next weekend all you have to do is play a few games and you'll get it because there will still be people bitching about not getting one and how it wasn't fair.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,12:57
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

They really should run their free events where they give away free stuff better, like LoL and all the other games we played. Oh wait...

I don't like it either, but I figure they got a lot of complaints about the last one. I haven't seen a lot of CTF-3Ds on the battlefield.

I was going to play already this weekend and I was only a win away from the statue. If you see me in game, I'll multi, just drop me a message.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 23 2015,12:57
...some people even bitch when they are given free shit, I don't get it.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,12:58

(Cakedaddy @ Jan. 23 2015,15:54)
QUOTE
"Whaaa.  I had to work.  My kid was sick.  I should be able to get free stuff too.  Whaaaa."

Ok, here's another chance.  And to all of you that worked hard and did it right, here's some stupid bullshit to keep you from getting pissed even though it's lame and meaningless.  And FYI, next weekend all you have to do is play a few games and you'll get it because there will still be people bitching about not getting one and how it wasn't fair.

No, but seriously, let's plant our whiner flag in the ground here.

Meanwhile, you're still playing a piece of shit where they had rampant cheating, didn't punish anyone for it, had an outage that lasted days with no explanation, you've given them real world money, but hey, they gave you fucking virtual candy!!!

Get a fucking grip.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,13:12
Yeah, some people, bitching about everything.  What a bunch of assholes.
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2015,13:25
At least I don't defend Archeage.  Why are you taking it personally?

It may have been 'free', but I had to work for it.  And now I find out, I didn't have to work as hard as I did.  Would have been nice to know.

I'll stop saying anything bad about MW:O because other games I play do bad things.  The only way you can say something bad about a game is if everything else you play is perfect, I guess.

Or

What WM:O is doing is ok because Archeage sucks.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 23 2015,13:33
LOL, I'm reading the MWO forums and see this little comment by Gordo!
QUOTE
Wow, it felt like I had actually achieved something doing it in the time alotted. Now they add more time for the scrubs. Nice.



I just see it as some more free stuff for everybody. The thing I don't like is the gameplay that it promotes.



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,13:39
QUOTE
Why are you taking it personally?


I'm not taking it personally, I'm annoyed by your constant bashing on the game.

You're being overly negative about them giving away free premium time, a free mech, a free mech bay, a free statue, and a free camo pattern AND extending the time on it so more people can get the free stuff.

What bastards!

And you do defend AA, you're deluding yourself if you think you don't. Sure, you will point out their errors, but you're generally positive about that game and far more forgiving.

QUOTE
It may have been 'free', but I had to work for it.  And now I find out, I didn't have to work as hard as I did.  Would have been nice to know.


Working hard for things in a game isn't an issue as you pointed out in the MMOs thread.

QUOTE
I'll stop saying anything bad about MW:O because other games I play do bad things.  The only way you can say something bad about a game is if everything else you play is perfect, I guess.

Or

What WM:O is doing is ok because Archeage sucks.


That'd be more impressive if you ever said anything positive about the game or if you even liked it.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,13:39
I also don't like the gameplay.  I also don't like that it was a hard challenge, and you really had to kick ass and put in the effort to get the reward, but now, not really.

I was the angriest I have ever been in that game during the challenge, and it felt pretty good to actually win it.  Then they watered it down.  I have a right to have an opinion about that.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,14:07
Nah, I'm not going to fight.  I'm logged off.  Right now I am pretty disgusted by the game and the people who want to jump in my shit because I don't like this decision.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 23 2015,14:12
I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of movies in this weekend.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,15:09

(GORDON @ Jan. 23 2015,16:39)
QUOTE
I also don't like the gameplay.  I also don't like that it was a hard challenge, and you really had to kick ass and put in the effort to get the reward, but now, not really.

I was the angriest I have ever been in that game during the challenge, and it felt pretty good to actually win it.  Then they watered it down.  I have a right to have an opinion about that.

So I went to the forums, and apparently they weren't going to have an event this weekend. So instead of nothing, they decided to extend the event from the previous weekend and add on some rewards for folks who already got their free mech.

I don't care for the point system here either, but I think holding their feet to the fire over giving away free stuff is kind of dumb. Yeah, it takes the satisfaction out of last weekend a bit, but only because we let it. I mean, if you completed it, you still did the challenge.

And I'm not saying you shouldn't have an opinion about it. Nor am I saying your opinion is wrong. I'd say it's a bit off kilter, but is it wrong? No.

However, I would point out that I'm allowed to have an opinion too. As is Stranger, Cake (who my posts have been directed at), Scooty,  and all those folks on the MW:O forums.

Also, I'm happy that you went and posted about it. You're not just bitching, you're expressing disappointment to the developer so they don't do something like it in the future.

QUOTE
Nah, I'm not going to fight.  I'm logged off.  Right now I am pretty disgusted by the game and the people who want to jump in my shit because I don't like this decision.


This right here, this I don't get at all.

I don't know who you're fighting, who's jumping in your shit (except for me over this one paragraph), why they can't have an opinion too, or how you can be "disgusted" by a free giveaway. Pissed? Absolutely. Disgusted? Not seeing it.



Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 23 2015,15:20
MW: 90210
Posted by Cakedaddy on Jan. 23 2015,15:35
I don't give a shit that they are giving away free stuff.  I'm pissed that they made me work so hard for it, when I didn't really have to.  Stop twisting things around.  Never said I was pissed about free stuff, nor am I holding their feet over the fire because of it.  But, since you have to work hard in other MMOs, it's ok, or something.  Whatever.  All hail MW:O.  They can do no wrong.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 23 2015,15:49
QUOTE
Stop twisting things around.


You need to pick a thread and stick in it. You're the one twisting things up and trying to confuse the issue.

QUOTE
I don't give a shit that they are giving away free stuff.  I'm pissed that they made me work so hard for it, when I didn't really have to.


You mean like if you could have just bought it? Which you can, and which you're defending elsewhere?

QUOTE
Never said I was pissed about free stuff, nor am I holding their feet over the fire because of it.


I don't give a shit. I'm tired of your attitude. We get it, you don't like it. Go to the AA thread and blow smoke up Trion's ass, but stop being negative here just because you want us to play something else.

QUOTE
But, since you have to work hard in other MMOs, it's ok, or something.  Whatever.  All hail MW:O.  They can do no wrong.


Yeah, that's what I'm saying. This really lends tons of credibility to your argument.



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 24 2015,22:52
< STK-4N >
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 25 2015,21:34
I went from 45-50 in 10 games.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 26 2015,07:56
I went back and checked and found that 7 of my last 9 games we were playing on Friday night were all qualifying matches.  Teamwork= OP.

also found this little bit of info on targeting, ECM, BAP ect.. its not much but maybe it will clarify a little bit of confusion we are having.

QUOTE
Target Detection Range is 800m, 1000m, 1200m if you have a Line of Sight to the target - no Line of Sight = no Target!
800m standard
1000m with BAP or Sensor Range Module
1200m with BAP + Sensor Range Module
You also get all Targets that your Team has a Line of Sight to and targeted - be it direct or per little stationary drone that temporarily gives some airborne scouting data.

ECM will break most of these rules and it goes to far why - if you cant target an Enemy you or your Teams does see it has probably ECM cover.
BAP will counter 1 ECM in a range of 240m around it (if there are 2 ECM you need 2 BAP etc).
ECM will counter 1 ECM if it is in ECCM mode - but it will no longer offer ECM to friendly Units that way.
TAG (Target Aquisition Gear - a Laserbeam that is on the Target) may enable you to target 1 Enemy in ECM cover up to 750m away.
NARC is a Missile that has 450m range and sends a signal that makes a Mech targetable for while when an enemy Mech was hit by it - the Signal itself has a big range


< ECM wiki >



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 26 2015,10:55
Who knew that NARC was such a great item for a missile boat team? Also, I might look into throwing a Beagle into a few of my mechs. They're only 1 1/2 tons.

An odd tidbit I learned this weekend about WoT...

Did you know to drop in WoT CW, you need a full team of 12? Not 1-5 of us and 7-11 strangers matched up prior to the match, but a premade team of 12. I thought that was a bizarre design choice by the WoT people.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,12:23
So far I am not really digging this Stalker.  I sort of imagined it would be more tanky... the 5 or so games I have played, I have been shot down first and fast.  

Also, I think I am a ballistics guy.  This thing has 6 LR lasers, but I just don't feel it.  Doesn't seem like I do any damage with them.  Maybe if I can stay alive longer than 90 seconds that will change.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 26 2015,12:39
Assaults are tough to get used, especially in the beginning before you can get any skills leveled up.  I find it hard to believe that you can't do damage with 6LLs but if your positioning is bad in an assault your fucked.  That build is definitely going to be one that you stay in the back with.

I think you also bought the -5M if I remember correctly, well that one has the SRM6 quirks and maybe you could try something like this build < STK-5M >.  Its more in your face and with 73 firepower and 8dps you should have no problem dealing some damage.



Posted by Leisher on Jan. 26 2015,13:42
QUOTE
So far I am not really digging this Stalker.


Replace Stalker with Atlas and I said the same thing.

QUOTE
Assaults are tough to get used, especially in the beginning before you can get any skills leveled up.


He's not lying. You would think that Assaults would be simple to play with the tons of armor and weapons, but they're the hardest. They're fucking SLOW and everybody sees you so you're a massive, slow moving target.

For the Atlas, all of my builds are basically brawlers, so I get to move to the front lines. The biggest mistake I was making early on was how tanky it was and how hard I could hit. I'd overheat and die pretty quickly. Now I've got them all mastered, and even put some XP/money into cooldowns on my Boar's Head. It works much better. I also found that I had my armor all fucked up. The Atlas is supposed to be the wall at the front, so armor in the back can be really low. Moving armor around helped me last longer in fights.

For you, most of the Stalkers I see are missile boats or long range snipers. You rarely ever see them at the front lines. However, Stranger posted that brawler build, so WTF do I know about Stalkers. I think I'd research more variants and find the missile boats though since that seems to be your wheelhouse.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 26 2015,13:53
QUOTE

For you, most of the Stalkers I see are missile boats or long range snipers. You rarely ever see them at the front lines. However, Stranger posted that brawler build, so WTF do I know about Stalkers. I think I'd research more variants and find the missile boats though since that seems to be your wheelhouse.


I just posted those builds that take advantage of the quirks that those particular mechs are receiving.  I'll agree that you don't usually see many Stalkers up front brawling, but that -5M would have no problem doing that.  Of course these are only suggestions, builds that I think will work for me get changed all the time.  If Gordo likes ballistics then the Stalker isn't the chassis for that, only the hero Misery has one of those hardpoints.   I'm sure he can find something that works, and I know for a fact that Stalkers are tanky, I have ran into many many of those fuckers and unloaded so much damage onto them only to lose that standoff.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,16:35

(Stranger @ Jan. 26 2015,15:39)
QUOTE
Assaults are tough to get used, especially in the beginning before you can get any skills leveled up.  I find it hard to believe that you can't do damage with 6LLs but if your positioning is bad in an assault your fucked.  That build is definitely going to be one that you stay in the back with.

Ok, with all of the long range weapons that would seem obvious, but I guess my brain was frazzled from doing that challenge all weekend and it didn't occur to me to not be on the front lines.  I just played a match where I stayed back and sniped and did well.  So ok.

Also, when I fire all 6 lasers at one my heat spikes to 80%.  Yowza.

++++

How do you look up what achievements you have gotten, and the description of each?

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,16:35

(GORDON @ Jan. 26 2015,19:35)
QUOTE
How do you look up what achievements you have gotten, and the description of each?

Never mind, there it is.  I thought it would be on my webpage profile for some reason.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,16:38
Ha, I wanted to know what the "Seriously?!" achievement was that I got recently...

Get top damage in a game and zero kills.  I got it during this weekend's Challenge o' th' Kill Stealers, of course.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,16:41
Did you see the reward achievement for getting like 1,000,000 loyalty points to a Faction House is 50,000,000 c-bills?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,17:22
Well now.  This is an entirely different game when you just stay at the fringes and long-range snipe people.  I should have figured this out before I had a 12:1 win rate during that challenge.
Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 26 2015,17:37
So now that Gordon is playing, are we ready to quit it?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,17:38
I didn't even realize you played.
Posted by TheCatt on Jan. 26 2015,17:57

(GORDON @ Jan. 26 2015,20:38)
QUOTE
I didn't even realize you played.

Well, I don't.  But I did install it way back when, and I have an account.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 26 2015,18:18
But yes, this is about the time for everyone to quit.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 26 2015,18:33

(GORDON @ Jan. 26 2015,19:38)
QUOTE
Ha, I wanted to know what the "Seriously?!" achievement was that I got recently...

Get top damage in a game and zero kills.  I got it during this weekend's Challenge o' th' Kill Stealers, of course.

That's when I got it.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2015,09:20
Interesting Tweets by Russ about a midweek event starting today with some sort of MC awards.

QUOTE
Going to announce a cool event that will start today to give people a mid week event for the first time and will go until the end of Jan

QUOTE
This one is going to be all about MC - I am scared to death but were going to try it out. Details coming by noon Pacific.

QUOTE
Your not going to want to miss this event. Also a great time for any of your friends to start playing

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2015,12:36
An event that actually promotes teamwork.  Hmm.. Go figure.

QUOTE
Okay MechWarriors, it's time to cash in. For the rest of January every match in MWO is a chance to earn reward MC.

Players will earn 20 MC per match when they score 130 points or above under the formula below. The maximum a player can earn during this event is 2000 MC.

Match Points = (Kills × 10) + (Kill Assist × 20) + ((Damage Done - Team Damage) ÷ 15)

The reward MC will be injected into your account after the event ends.


So if my math is correct then:

if you get 7 assists you gets 140 pts and thus qualify
or
1 kill + 6 assists will get you 130points
or
1 kill + 5 assists + 300 damage would also get you 130 points

Team damage= friendly fire, so it punishes those that shoot carelessly.

< Official tournament page >



Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,12:50
That's...................

interesting.

I think it may be *slightly* easier than the last challenge.  I don't do a lot of FF as far as I know.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2015,12:56
At least you don't have to worry about getting the kills.  Kills actually get you less points than an assist, but someone needs to get the kills for the better of the team.  Which shouldn't be to hard, people still wanna get that kill shot in.  

So this promotes getting a tag on everyone and doing lots of damage and killing the other team while not shooting your own. Plus, you can still qualify even if you still do lose.  I like it a lot, but I can smell a lot of incoming LRMs for the next few days.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,13:01
So basically.... a team full of lights that just run around sweeping everyone with their lasers, then kind of hanging back not wanting to get the last hit.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2015,13:16
Possibly, but that doesn't help anyone out if no one gets any kills.  It seems to me that during the course of a normal winning match that getting 5-7 assists and 1-2 kills is just about the norm and that would be good enough to qualify.  I don't think people are going to go to the extreme of not getting kills to the point that no kills will happen.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 27 2015,14:27

(GORDON @ Jan. 27 2015,16:01)
QUOTE
So basically.... a team full of lights that just run around sweeping everyone with their lasers, then kind of hanging back not wanting to get the last hit.

Speaking of that, I got the philanthropist achievement last night.

Gordo is my witness.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,14:30
"Gord as my witness" should become a phrase.
Posted by Trooper on Jan. 27 2015,16:35
Is there such thing as, too in love with yourself?
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,16:50
So say you buy 3 Hunchbacks and master them up.... can you sell 2 of them and still be mastered with the 1 you still have?
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 27 2015,17:09

(GORDON @ Jan. 27 2015,19:50)
QUOTE
So say you buy 3 Hunchbacks and master them up.... can you sell 2 of them and still be mastered with the 1 you still have?

Yep, and even if you decide to buy one back someday you will still be mastered in it.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,17:37
On this current challenge:

I just played my first game.  Took out one of my Stalkers.

75% of the team were in lights, the rest were mediums.  We rolled them, and the lights were moving so fast I never got within 1200m of a target.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,18:29

(GORDON @ Jan. 27 2015,20:37)
QUOTE
On this current challenge:

I just played my first game.  Took out one of my Stalkers.

75% of the team were in lights, the rest were mediums.  We rolled them, and the lights were moving so fast I never got within 1200m of a target.

Looks like this was a fluke, or is just that map.  Jut played Manifold and got 8 assists pretty easily.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 27 2015,20:39
I got on right after work and qualified in 2 of 3 games, then got called back to work because the cabling guys fucked up.

Too late for me to play again tonight, but I'll be on most nights between 9-9:30.

You need 100 qualifying games before the end of the month to really take maximum advantage of this challenge, but it is MUCH easier than the previous 1 kill, 1 assist, and the win requirements.

Gordo, at the very least, this can buy you those colors you were talking about.

Back to the cabling, it wound up being a canary in the server room. Threw me off at first because typically things fail out in the plant due to the corrosion and what not. Plus, I couldn't remember if there was a canary in the control room and where it would have been located. Then I remembered the ones in the server room.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,21:03
So NOT the cabling, just failed hardware your cable guys didn't supply.  Cool.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 27 2015,21:13
So far I am getting the 20MC in 1 out of every 5 games.  Probably could do better if I tried harder.

Better than the 1 in 12 of the last challenge.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 27 2015,21:36

(GORDON @ Jan. 28 2015,00:03)
QUOTE
So NOT the cabling, just failed hardware your cable guys didn't supply.  Cool.

Nope, I never thought it was the cabling, I only called you and Cake because I didn't know where, if it existed, the canary was located in the control room.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 28 2015,04:43
I was able to get 11 games in yesterday after work and qualified in 8 of them.  Infact, I probably had my best run of 10 games in my life, all games I used my Hunchback-4P with its 9 medium lasers on it.  I figured this was the best mech to run with since its mobile and I could tag just about anybody I see within 500 meters for an assist.  I didn't notice any funny tactics like all lights or LRM's on everyone, if anything it seemed like both teams were more willing to get into the mix and brawl just so they could all tag each other.

Check out my stats from those games:

Kill   Asst     Dmg   FF    Score
0     4         432     2     109  
0     8         561    15    196
0     9         535     3     215  
3     6         474     3     181  
0     6         730     2     169  
3     6         839     3     206
0     5         367     2     124
0     1         391     2       46  
4     7         832     7     235
2     9         649     6     243  
3     7         513     4     204  

...And I did this without hardly any friendly fire.

Unfortunately this week isn't the best week for me to game so I don't know how much i'll get in over the next couple of days.  Hopefully Friday night



Posted by GORDON on Jan. 28 2015,04:51
Ha, funny, I just sold my 4P.  Needed room for my 3rd Stalker.  I have more fun with my other 2 Hunchbacks with the AC20/2ML  and AC10/4ML.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 28 2015,05:01
I had a hard time in the beginning using the Hunchies, but I've really gotten to love the 4G and 4P especially after I got them elited.  For the 4P I put the 9 lasers in 3 groups of 3 and usually just fire 3 and then the next 3 and saving my last set of 3 for the alpha strikes when I have enough heat to spare. Those 45 point alphas are great kill shots (or stealers, however you wanna look at it).  At the very least someone is losing a limb.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 28 2015,05:10
I had fun last night with my Cat-K2.... once I moved my UAC-5s to chain fire.  On the Mordor map we were doing a Conquest, and I happened to be the first one in the middle.  An enemy lance hit the circle from one of the entrances behind a stack of crates.  As soon as one would start moving around the crates to shoot at me, my chained UAC-5s would start shaking his cockpit, and he'd move back.  Then the next would try immediately, and same thing, and over and over.  I held 4 of them back for a good 2 or 3 minutes until an Atlas made a death rush at me.  I was rocking him the whole time, but his lancemates followed, lighting me up.  I killed the Atlas right as the other team killed me.  I was the first one dead but did 750 points of damage, and I tied up an enemy lance while the rest of my team.... won, or sucked, whatever.  Don't remember.  I just remember being awesome.

Point is, the K2 on chain fire is a lot more fun, and it could be my imagination, but they seemed to jam less.  They jam every 3rd or 4th shot when they alpha fire together.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 28 2015,10:09
I'll be on tonight after the kids are in bed. 9-10 range.

I need some direction at the moment.

I've mastered Jenners, Centurions, Cataphracts, and the Atlas. I have at least one of each that I would use in any game without hesitation.

What should I do now?

Here's where Trooper pops in and says, "Get a clan mech!" He might not be wrong.

Should I go with a clan mech next and build up a drop ship for that side of things? It'd be fun to use them, but the downsides are that we don't fight for them, so I'd only use them in pubs, and I'd feel dirty about using them since they're OP.

So if I stick with IS mechs, what's next? This reminds me of LoL and trying to figure out what champs to roll with and what builds to go for on them. Do I want more brawlers? Maybe a sniper? Missile boat?

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 28 2015,11:32
I'm kind of in the same predicament right now.  I've got the Firestarter, Hunchback, Shadowhawk, Battlemaster all elited, and next will be the King Crab.  After that I don't know what direction I want to go.  I don't have an IS heavy that I have elited yet because I haven't fallen in love with any of them yet, but I should have one chassis elited.  I've kind of been holding off for the next pass of quirks before I commit to one, PGI has said wave 2 of quirks are coming soon but I haven't heard an exact date yet.  This will change a lot of the IS mechs that got really generic or bad quirks from the first pass.

I know you like playing them brawlers Leisher, I do too, I feel much more at home brawling.  I'd just suggest that you can cover drop decks of varying weights as PGI has said they will have different drop weights for different planets.  Also, you'll want to be able to have short and long range mechs in each weight class, because if at some point we know what planets we are dropping and we need long range then you don't want to bring a deck full of brawlers.  My initial goal was to have 2 chassis for each weight class mastered before I moved on to Clans.  With each weight class having some brawlers, snipers and LRM's just so I would have all my bases covered.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 28 2015,12:54
I might look into the Ravens. They're fast as hell and that ECM one interests me. I think loading one up as a spotter could be fun now that we've got a missile boat guy playing a lot.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 28 2015,21:29
Right now I am 1:2.8 in getting qualifying games.
Posted by GORDON on Jan. 29 2015,18:29
Started working my 3rd Stalker.  This thing can put 60 LRMs in the air at once.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 29 2015,19:03
That's hot.

Now I'm really toying with the idea of getting that Raven with the ECM. He comes with a Beagle probe, TAG, and NARC too...



Posted by Stranger on Jan. 30 2015,05:42
I've got a Battlemaster that can pump out 50LRM's in one shot.  That could be fun to combo those 3 mechs together and buttsex the unsuspecting.  I'll be on tonight
Posted by Trooper on Jan. 30 2015,06:49
And hey, its not rape if you yell surprise. . .
So you've got that going for you, which is nice.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 30 2015,06:59

(Stranger @ Jan. 30 2015,08:42)
QUOTE
I've got a Battlemaster that can pump out 50LRM's in one shot.  That could be fun to combo those 3 mechs together and buttsex the unsuspecting.  I'll be on tonight

It is pretty cool.  If I get a good lock I watch the guy lose 15-20% of his health in one shot.

You guys were talking about needing a new goal, I will give you one:

Look into modules, weapons modules, and pilot skills.  The advance zoom and radar deprivation are no-brainers, but at first I thought the weapons modules were worthless, only giving 2% bonuses.  Then I looked closer.... there are 5 levels to the weapons modules, each giving you another 2%.  So if you max out your missile range module, 500XP each level, you end up with 10% greater range.  That's pretty much worth it.  1100m on your LRMs instead of 1k.  You just boost whatever that particular mech's primary weapon is.  When I have enough c-bills I will be doing that with my LRM and LR laser boats.  I believe the modules themselves are 3mil each, not a big deal.

So do that.  

I should be on this weekend.  This has become my primary game, for now.

Posted by Stranger on Jan. 30 2015,07:01

(Trooper @ Jan. 30 2015,09:49)
QUOTE
And hey, its not rape if you yell surprise. . .
So you've got that going for you, which is nice.

OK.. Surprise! Buttsex!!

Scooty, Metamechs just posted a < Wolverine master guide. >  Pretty good, check it out.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 30 2015,07:04
I should correct myself and say it is the pilot SKILL for the weapon module that has 5 levels, not the module itself.
Posted by Stranger on Jan. 30 2015,07:16
Gordo, I think that getting a cooldown module for your LRM's will better serve you than getting range.  Very rarely do I try and shoot from max range because most people can get under cover by the time the LRMs get there.  Personally I like to keep my LRM fire at 700m and under, unless I know there is someone sitting in the wide open at 1000m.  I just don't see the need for an extra 100 meters, it just gives the enemy that much more time to hide.

I do agree that getting the modules are valuable. Target decay is almost a must have for LRMs and Radar depravation could go on any mech.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 30 2015,07:51
QUOTE
Look into modules, weapons modules, and pilot skills.


QUOTE
Gordo, I think that getting a cooldown module for your LRM's will better serve you than getting range.  Very rarely do I try and shoot from max range because most people can get under cover by the time the LRMs get there.  Personally I like to keep my LRM fire at 700m and under, unless I know there is someone sitting in the wide open at 1000m.  I just don't see the need for an extra 100 meters, it just gives the enemy that much more time to hide.


Yes and more yes.

I maxed out cooldown and heat management on lasers for my Boar's Head and it made a world of difference.

Also, Stranger is right about max range missiles. It gives folks too much time to hide behind tall objects or get out of sight so you lose lock. You'd be much better off decreasing cooldown time, heat, or increasing damage if that's an option.

QUOTE
Now I'm really toying with the idea of getting that Raven with the ECM. He comes with a Beagle probe, TAG, and NARC too...


The Steiner sale is going on right now and Ravens are not included because they're pussies. I don't know what to do here. I could grab the Thunderbolts and work on them as they're on sale or go with weak ass Ravens with the specific goal of really only using this one Raven and only at times when I'd be spotting for your missile boats...

I don't know if I even want to mess with the Thunderbolts because, and this is very Trooper of me, but everyone is using them. As for the Ravens, their speed and low profile is cool, but I could pull the same goal off with the Cicada that has ECM. Too bad we don't know anyone who has already mastered the Cicadas and could use that Cicada for that specific purpose.

Although, there is another Raven that's kind of a sniper. So...

I'll be on this weekend.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 30 2015,07:58
Yeah, cooldown on LRM's but range on my LR and MR lasers.  I am always taking lazing potshots at out of range people, doing reduced damage... an extra 10% would be swell.

I am not in game right now but I seem to recall most mechs have 2 weapons slots, and you get another when you elite them?  Some have 2 general modules, too.

Posted by GORDON on Jan. 30 2015,08:16
Keep an eye on your non-weapon pilot skills, too.  Some of them have multiple layers as well... "Target Retention" has 2, for example.  Level 1 is 2.75 seconds after losing line of sight, and level 2 is 3.5 seconds.
Posted by Leisher on Jan. 30 2015,08:32
I'm pretty sure the number of possible modules varies by mech.
Posted by Trooper on Jan. 30 2015,14:03
I'll check out the guide Stranger, thanks for posting it I appreciate it.

Quick question for you, the few times a week I do play I was considering using Cakes super intense joystick/throttle combo that was recently dug out of storage. What do you think? Obviously at the start of each match, they imply that a joystick is what they use for control inside the cockpit. My thought is, this game is hard enough, how the fuck will you hit ANYTHING using a joystick!!! heheh. Might be cool to use on a light though? For a super intense fun experience? Lights don't really have to "hit" anything, they just run around and piss you off from my experiences. . .

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 30 2015,14:24
For additional controllers, the rumor is the oculus rift and this game go together like peanut butter and chocolate.
Posted by Malcolm on Jan. 30 2015,14:27
I still remember the < migraine-inducing Nintendo foray into 3D gaming >.  Going to be a long time before I trust any company with my eyes like that again.
Posted by Trooper on Jan. 30 2015,17:53
A Virtual Boy link, in the Mech Warrior thread. So relevant!!! Do you play Mech Warrior Online? If so, why not join our group and play with us? More the merrier.
Posted by Trooper on Jan. 30 2015,17:58
Also wanted to put this out there.

Would be awesome if we could get a few more guys (Randoms) to form a 12 man party, and start doing our own 12 man parties for CW and Public games too. Start delving into the tactics/strategy portion of the game, I think that would be a whole other boat load of fun.

Unlike ArcheAge, you'd only need to recruit what 7-10 other guys? Not 300 heheh. I'd be more than willing to help-out if even necessary really, and get a few guys recruited, but I'm just going to say this right now. If we all decided this would be cool, and did it. . . I'm not going to recruit players all by myself, and do all the work like in ArcheAge! You guys gotta help too! I figure if we all recruit 2 guys , that's at least 8-10 guys. Done.

What'cha think?

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 30 2015,21:14
QUOTE
Would be awesome if we could get a few more guys (Randoms) to form a 12 man party, and start doing our own 12 man parties for CW and Public games too. Start delving into the tactics/strategy portion of the game, I think that would be a whole other boat load of fun.


I think it would be interesting to find other casual players and create a large enough group that we could try 12 man CW on the weekends.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 02 2015,14:55
Hey Supreme Commander.. What if Bucket of Shit or Piss Boy want to play some Community Warfare?  Pick a faction (Steiner) so I can get my kill on!
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 02 2015,17:05
I will if you tell me how to change my clan title.

Edit - NM, figured it out.  Now you have to do something else for me.



Posted by GORDON on Feb. 02 2015,17:15
Why does Stiener's symbol look like anal fisting?




Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 02 2015,17:34

(GORDON @ Feb. 02 2015,20:15)
QUOTE
Why does Stiener's symbol look like anal fisting?

Cuz... eye of the beholder.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 02 2015,17:46
Yeah, your browneye.  Easy to see how your mind works.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 03 2015,11:25
< Patch notes >

New map, titles, better CW que info, counterstrike, loyalty point rewards.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 03 2015,12:57
Cool! I knew this existed somewhere.

< IS mech hitboxes >

< Clan mech hitboxes >

Now I can see why I still have never had one single headshot kill ever!

Also, look at them Stalkers torsos.  When you look head on at them its almost impossible to hit the CT.  Just a little movement and they can roll the incoming damage quite easily.  No wonder they're so hard to kill.  I'm just shooting for the legs on them anymore.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 04 2015,06:51
Leisher, looks like you're going to be eligible for these anniversary mechs because you purchased the collectors edition of the Urbanmech.

< Anniversary rewards >

I think you own two of them already but you'll get a King Crab. Looks like you should be getting them soon, Feb 4th?

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 04 2015,08:12
Nice. I hope to return to playing tonight, but I'm still a bit under the weather. Plus, I haven't slept a lot the past few days. If I'm not on tonight, it'll be tomorrow for certain.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 04 2015,13:33
So I've been reading that now that LP rewards are fixed with this patch that people are going from faction to faction getting to level 6 to get the rewards bonus.  At level 6 you will have earned 2 mechbays and 2 cockpit items, so this looks like an easy way to earn like 8-10 free mechbays.  

You do lose like 15 LP per kill for a faction you were once associated with but you win like 50,000 or more per win so that's negligible.

Here's the < LP rewards table >

Too bad our Supreme leader signed us up for a month long commitment to Steiner...



Posted by Leisher on Feb. 04 2015,13:50
Our leader has no funs to give.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 04 2015,13:52
Faction bouncing to game the system sounds lame.
Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 04 2015,14:34

(GORDON @ Feb. 04 2015,16:52)
QUOTE
Faction bouncing to game the system sounds lame.

It's the game within the game!
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 04 2015,15:54

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 04 2015,18:26
Funny but needs more boobs.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 05 2015,11:14
QUOTE
Leisher, looks like you're going to be eligible for these anniversary mechs because you purchased the collectors edition of the Urbanmech.

Anniversary rewards

I think you own two of them already but you'll get a King Crab. Looks like you should be getting them soon, Feb 4th?


So for $40, I received:
-60 days of premium time (retails at $24 per current pricing)
-6 mech bays
-a king crab
-an atlas variant I did not have
-another Centurion AH (I now have 2)
-2 Urbanmech variants
-a special urbanmech variant
-all of those mechs except the 2 regular Urbanmech variants get a 30% cbill bonus in matches
-custom skins on those same mechs
-2 titles
-2 badges
-3 each of Urbanmech warhorns, hanging items, and standing items

I think that worked out well!

I still have some stomach distress, but I'll hopefully be able to stick around for a game tonight Gordo and definitely this weekend.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 05 2015,12:08
Good deal! also, those mechs have a custom paint job and 30% c-bill bonus on them.  So even though you own the Centurion, this one will be better!

I'll be on tonight too.  I logged on yesterday for a quick second to see what level I was at in Steiner, Im at 4.  Already got my LP rewards for levels 1-4, so I wouldn't mind playing some CW to play the new map and get some more LP.

E: just saw you mentioned the 30% bonus.. so you already knew  :D



Posted by Leisher on Feb. 05 2015,12:29
My interest in CW tonight will be determined by my stomach pain. If I feel I can sit there fore 30 minutes, cool.

If not, either play without me or we'll have to stick to regular drops.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 05 2015,13:02
Normal drops are fine with me too.. really close to getting enough c-bills to buy my last King Crab.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 05 2015,13:57
I suddenly got a mech bay last night, and don't know why.  I had 11 and they were full now I have 12 and 1 is free.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 05 2015,15:36

(GORDON @ Feb. 05 2015,16:57)
QUOTE
I suddenly got a mech bay last night, and don't know why.  I had 11 and they were full now I have 12 and 1 is free.

You probably are at least level 2 in Steiner then.  The LP awards were given out with the latest patch.  Get to level 6 and you will get another one.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 05 2015,16:31
< This weekends event promotes simply playing however you want. >

No individual rewards. Instead, rewards are earned as a community and it knocks down the price of expensive modules.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 06 2015,08:23
< Some colors, patterns, and cockpit items are on sale this weekend. >

I should be on both nights. Probably 10ish or so.

BTW, if we do want to do the CW thing, we should probably think about joining up with an established unit or ally with one. Although, one VoIP is in game, dropping with other randoms won't be as big an issue since we'll be able to communicate as effectively as 12 man premades.



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 06 2015,08:34
QUOTE
Skye Rangers of Terra (SRoT) will be hosting a CW Event tonight that will include a good number of the Permanently Contracted Units and we want to make sure that everyone knew that the event is open to anyone who currently has a Steiner Contract. Solo, Small Unit, Big Unit? It doesn't matter.... we want to have some fun and meet some new pilots.

.

We hope to help put a big dent into this weekend Challenge as a result... Cheap Weapon Mods for everyone!!!!

.

When: Tonight Friday Feb 6th Starting 5:30PM Eastern

Teamspeak Server: voice.gameservers.com:9194 The password is cavalry
The 'Open Dropship' rooms at the top of our server are welcome to all... jump into a Dropship and join us for the fun!

.

Hope to see you there

Zeece!



This is pretty cool, I've seen SRoT quite a bit, prolly one of the biggest Steiner units around.  It might not be a bad idea to drop with fellow Steiners sometime, I'm sure we'd have much better success in CW.  

I'm going to a friends house tonight and I won't be home till late, so not sure if or when i'll be on.  But I thought I'd post this for future reference.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 06 2015,11:40
Yeah, I think we're at that point or close enough where we need to start considering this stuff.

I don't want to hit a situation where we feel forced to play CW every time we get on, but if we do want to play CW, I'd like to start playing come competitive games and we need premades for that.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 12 2015,09:56
My schedule has freed back up, so I'll be around tonight and this weekend.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 12 2015,16:28
Weapons modules are on sale at the moment.  Maybe more, I didn't look closely.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 12 2015,16:29
My Cat-K2 has the zoom module, the U-AC5 cooldown module, and the U-AC5 Range module.  He's tricked out.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 12 2015,18:18
That's kind of what I'm earning money towards now. Gearing each mech out to take full advantage of their build and quirks.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 13 2015,09:52
< Pretty easy weekend challenge. >

24 assists gets you a day of premium time.
24 kills gets you a mech bay.
Doing both gets you a free hanging item.

Clearly the assist one should be completed within an hour, and the premium time will be nice to have while you're working on the 24 kills.

Interestingly, this only applies to Conquest, Assault, and Skirmish. CW does not count.

On a different note, I was listening to the NGNG podcast and they were discussing the differences between IS and clan mechs. Here's what it breaks down to:
-Clan mechs are "cookie cutter". Meaning there's little variety in builds, and everything comes down to "laser vomit". One of the panel said they were actually boring to play since they all play the same, while the IS mechs each have their own personality, quirks, weapon levels, etc. so they were more fun to play. Nobody disagreed.
-Clan ACs need a buff, but said buff would make Dire Wolves monsters (and only Dire Wolves), so they'd need a negative quirk to offset the buff.
-It's apparently an accepted estimate that clan mechs are 20% more effective than IS mechs. That's why they're tweaking things here and there to bring them into balance. (So yes, they're OP...duh.)
-When fighting Stormcrows, shoot off their arms. Sotrmcrows have all their weapons in their arms.

Onto CW...
-All the "pros" argued there's a lot of work to do still.
-While CW is fun, the argument was made that the current objectives  don't encourage actual combat (I totally agree).
-"Organized premades that are communicating will win every time" and "dropping against random pub teams is barely better than dropping into an empty map against turrets". Can't say I disagree with either sentiment. CW can be and has been fun at times, but any time we go against a 12 man premade, it has sucked. I personally believe that if they dropped the objectives and made a CW mode that was more like a public match of Skirmish it'd be more fun and would take away some of the advantage of 12 man premades.
-Apparently there's a trick that many know about that will tell you what map you're going to drop on in CW. This is being used by people to pick the best drop desk possible for said map.
-One guy said the map Borrea (the snow one) would be much improved by simply adding a tunnel in the middle of the defenders' area. Currently, there's no reason for attackers to go up the middle, which is why the sides get rushed. Having a tunnel with cover from attackers on the hills would provide incentive to rush the middle increasing options on the map.
-The group seems split that the maps are either too large or too small.

Not sure if we mentioned this elsewhere, but they are definitely looking at CW objectives that involve smaller teams. They're looking at this both as another game option, and an in game option where you dropped with a 12 man group, but maybe your lance is tasked with something specific.

Point being, we need to find another player to round out our lance and/or we should discuss joining up with a larger group so we can drop in 12 man premades.

Oh, one other topic that I found interesting was roles. Peeps were arguing that right now roles are undefined, which is why so few people play lights. The idea was floated that more needs to be done to reward folks who do things like pilot a Raven-3L which can't do shit offensively, but can support a team's missile boats.

Keeping on that topic, one thing being discussed in the skill tree being out of date, and the idea was floated of using skill points on skills directly related to that specific mech. Thus, your light or medium would be capable of things your heavies or assaults couldn't do and vice versa.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 13 2015,10:16
So a list of some of the second pass of quirks are out, these aren't all of them and supposedly will be out in the next patch on Tuesday.

< Quirks phase 2 >

< Good article on the winners and losers of phase 2 quirks >

Lots of people are really butt hurt over the Thunderbolt -9S changes.  I can agree that the -9S was just everywhere (especially in CW) but the problem is now the IS loses out on a mech that could compete with the Clans, so this makes the Clans even more OP!

a quote from that article
QUOTE
With the loss of the 9S I'm eager to see what IS will field to counter the range and tank advantage of the hordes of Clan Stormcrows, Timber Wolves and Hellbringers. There's pretty much nothing other than a few Assaults but the tonnage jump from 65 to 80+ tons will hurt the drop decks a lot. In my opinion the nerf is too harsh.


But we'll see, I'm sure some other mechs will come out of the woodwork and become the next flavor of the month.  Personally I'm really happy to see the Orion get some love, maybe I can finally fully commit to a chassis in the heavy class!

I haven't played hardly at all the last week because I just wanted a little break, but i'll be back on tonight.



Posted by Leisher on Feb. 13 2015,11:43
That was the other thing brought up in that podcast. When how OP clan mechs were was brought up, the pros (even those that play clan mechs) mocked the typical clan player response of "Yeah, but the 9S!!!'

Because 1 fucking mech variant being OP equals ALL of your mechs being OP...

My opinion of clan players is now even lower.

As for those quirks, I'll have to examine the Atlas and Cataphract ones this weekend.



Posted by GORDON on Feb. 13 2015,12:12
Clan mechs should all have a forced skin that says, "I AM A HUGE FAGGOT" when they play their clan mechs, in case someone is new and doesn't know how lame the Stormcrows are.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 14 2015,09:54
Was playing Mordor.  Had my Cat with the LRMs.  I jumped into the middle lava pit to get a better angle on bad guys.  A King Crab jumped in after me.  He starts overheating over and over shutting down.  I blocked him from getting up on the rocky shelf and just waited for him to burn.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 15 2015,19:20
Amusing how I finally get into this game and everybody except Leisher disappears.  Like in every other game.
Posted by TheCatt on Feb. 16 2015,05:38

(TheCatt @ Jan. 26 2015,20:37)
QUOTE
So now that Gordon is playing, are we ready to quit it?

Called it.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 16 2015,05:49
Leisher and I played Saturday night, where were u?  Don't take it personally that I take some time off playing games.  I don't have all the free time to play like u do and sometimes I just want a break from it.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 16 2015,07:32

(GORDON @ Feb. 15 2015,22:20)
QUOTE
Amusing how I finally get into this game and everybody except Leisher disappears.  Like in every other game.

Ronnie was just out most of the week. As he stated, he was back online Saturday. He doesn't play most every night like you and I though.

Cake has disappeared completely since he and I got into that argument about the dumb CTF-3D challenge. So blame me for that. I assume he's playing ArcheAge with his wife or Borderlands 2 with family. (That's the games he was playing last I knew.)

Trooper disappeared at the same time, but has been here surfing posts and has posted in the Music forum.

Stranger and I are locked into MW:O for the foreseeable future. I'll have some games on the side (like Far Cry 4 and Homeworld), but when it comes to multi this is my game. As I've suggested, we could always start hitting the CW scene harder by joining with a larger casual group.

I'll be on later tonight (10ish). Going to a dinner. Rest of the week should be normal (9-10)

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 16 2015,07:34

(Stranger @ Feb. 16 2015,08:49)
QUOTE
Leisher and I played Saturday night, where were u?  Don't take it personally that I take some time off playing games.  I don't have all the free time to play like u do and sometimes I just want a break from it.

I named you well, Bucket of Shit.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 16 2015,08:06
MW:O is the ONLY game I play right now.  When we were playing LOL it was the only game I was playing too.  Back when I was playing Archeage I would log in to play LOL only because I knew you still played it and I still enjoyed playing it.

But the days of gaming 5-6 nights a week are no longer a thing for me.  When we played LOL I was on as much as possible because we had a regular group and I enjoyed the shit out of it.  I don't see MW:O ever being the same but I will continue to play it.  You forget that I was the first person to play the game, been playing it for two years now, I'm not going anywhere.  Hell, I'd still play LOL if we had a group that wanted to, but that's not going to happen.  So, i'll be on when I feel like it and when its convenient to me, its just the way it is.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 16 2015,09:31
So's your mom.
Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 16 2015,09:35

(Malcolm @ Jan. 23 2015,17:20)
QUOTE
MW: 90210

Bump.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 16 2015,13:01

(Malcolm @ Feb. 16 2015,12:35)
QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 23 2015,17:20)
QUOTE
MW: 90210

Bump.

You can say that about every game we've ever played.
Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 16 2015,16:40

(Leisher @ Feb. 16 2015,15:01)
QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Feb. 16 2015,12:35)
QUOTE

(Malcolm @ Jan. 23 2015,17:20)
QUOTE
MW: 90210

Bump.

You can say that about every game we've ever played.

Yeah, but not all of them end in "-O."
Posted by TPRJones on Feb. 16 2015,20:09
Mech Wario?
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 18 2015,05:34
I think I'm getting the hang of my Atlas DC.

My final match in it Monday night I went 4-5 with 1201 damage and a 140 or 150 something match score.

This morning I woke up early and after answering some emails had time to fit a match in and played in it. I went 4-5 with 1239 damage and a 160 match score.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 18 2015,17:11
I finally have the energy to get into a game for the first time in 3 days and it says the servers are down because Stranger was surfing gay porn on them and they got malware.  What the hell, Stranger.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 19 2015,08:41
I checked an hour after you posted that message and < there was a quick patch > and the servers were up. You weren't on and I was/am sick under the weather so I went to bed.

50% chance I'll be on tonight and 100% I'm back this weekend.

Also, there's another < Town Hall tonight >.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 19 2015,09:09
yeah, I jumped on somewhere between 9:30 and 10 and it was online.  Also, this was the patch with VOIP enabled.  I played about 10 or so games and for the most part people weren't using it so much, there were a few games where nobody said a word the whole match.  Those games that it was used it was an occasional guy calling a target or spotting an enemy somewhere.  In all its pretty cool but only in one game did someone that knew what they were doing step up and make shot calls, we wrecked face that game too!  The power of communication and a good drop commander will win 9 times out of 10, I'm sure of it.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 19 2015,10:16
WVR-6K is supposedly the new Thunderbolt-9S.

Mining Collective map is currently turned off due to the latest patch.

This weekend's challenge might have something to do with a Raven Champ.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,11:53

(Stranger @ Feb. 19 2015,12:09)
QUOTE
yeah, I jumped on somewhere between 9:30 and 10 and it was online.  Also, this was the patch with VOIP enabled.  I played about 10 or so games and for the most part people weren't using it so much, there were a few games where nobody said a word the whole match.  Those games that it was used it was an occasional guy calling a target or spotting an enemy somewhere.  In all its pretty cool but only in one game did someone that knew what they were doing step up and make shot calls, we wrecked face that game too!  The power of communication and a good drop commander will win 9 times out of 10, I'm sure of it.

Peeps are going to be playing Green Day and shit over the audio channel.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 19 2015,12:04
That will probably happen, just like in every other game ever with comms. That's why there's a mute feature.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 19 2015,12:04
good thing about that is you can mute anybody at anytime.  Just press the tab key and click on the symbol next to their name.  And we can still be in our personal TS channel and still use the VOIP.  Its push to talk using the Caps Lock button
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 19 2015,13:43
QUOTE
This weekend's challenge might have something to do with a Raven Champ.


< Yep, same as the Cataphract challenge. >

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,13:48

(Stranger @ Feb. 19 2015,16:43)
QUOTE
QUOTE
This weekend's challenge might have something to do with a Raven Champ.


< Yep, same as the Cataphract challenge. >

First thought, "Och," second thought.... easier now that I have a couple Mastered Stalkers.  It's a rare game I don't get a kill and assist.

Well, rarer than it used to be.

I'm in.  See you this weekend.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 19 2015,13:51
It will be interesting to see if they extend this into next weekend seeing that getting to 50 is just insane.  I see they also lowered the prize point on the mech from 30 to 25 qualifying games, that's really all I care about, the cockpit item and camo are pointless.  Never the less, its an easy 3 days premium.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,13:55
Wife is leaving for Orlando for a week, Friday or Saturday, depending on the weather.

I will be gaming naked and covered in Cheetos dust, fyi.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,17:17
I said I would be gaming NAKED AND COVERED IN CHEETOS DUST.

Is this thing on?

Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 19 2015,17:54
QUOTE
Is this thing on?

Did you pull it off?

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,18:07
That's next week when The Jerkatorium is in effect.
Posted by Malcolm on Feb. 19 2015,19:22

(GORDON @ Feb. 19 2015,20:07)
QUOTE
That's next week when The Jerkatorium is in effect.

The Jerk store?  They said they were out of you.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 19 2015,20:28

(Malcolm @ Feb. 19 2015,22:22)
QUOTE

(GORDON @ Feb. 19 2015,20:07)
QUOTE
That's next week when The Jerkatorium is in effect.

The Jerk store?  They said they were out of you.

Who cares? You're their all-time best seller.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 20 2015,05:24

(GORDON @ Feb. 19 2015,20:17)
QUOTE
I said I would be gaming NAKED AND COVERED IN CHEETOS DUST.

Is this thing on?

Your mom is naked and covered in Cheetos dust...
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,05:51
Don't change the subject.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,06:05
He just doesn't want to admit that he's already masturbated 6 times thinking about you covered in Cheetos dust.

I currently sound like Barry White, so tonight's gaming might be very sexual.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,06:11
Contest starts today at 1 eastern, right?
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,06:19
< Yes >

Speaking of Twitch (you were discussing it in another thread), Stranger and I were legit discussing it this week. I have the PC and bandwidth for it, and before anyone scoffs and says, "You're not good enough", understand that we're playing at other Twitch streamers' elo. Stranger and I went back to back games in other people's Twitch streams that ngiht. In the first one, I got 4 kills, including the last kill which was the streamer. In the second, the streamer died first on our team and he was in a Dire Wolf. He was dead in the first 1-2 minutes, which takes serious skill... It was "Andy Dalton" and we've played with or against him several times now. He's considered to be a good player, and here we are, at his elo.

On a different note, clan war horns are on sale this weekend. Hooray! Now we get to hear it more often when some dipshit driving an OP mech kills someone and thinks he achieved something.  :p



Posted by Stranger on Feb. 20 2015,06:53
Yeah, I would say that our ELO has risen quite a bit in the recent months.  I happen to read the < Reddit > page just about everyday and I have noticed a lot of those people's names in our games.  Now this doesn't mean that they are good just because they post a lot on a Reddit page, but they've gotta be good if they are posting a lot and have a good knowledge of the game. They are playing the game all of the time so they are better than the average joe.  

Russ happened to mention this in lastnight's town hall.
QUOTE
38 is Average ELO Difference IN Solo QUEUE Group Queue 188
.  So yeah, we are playing with people really close to us in terms of ELO.  I commonly see players from Lords, CGBI, -MS-, SJR, SRoT, and they are considered really good units.  

I've yet to see SeanLang, Bombadil, Edmeister or JagerXII in a game though so we aren't at the top ELO, but I'd say were in the top 30-40%, just a guess.  Could be higher, but I don't know.

Leisher is good enough to stream for sure.  The key is having something that keep people coming back.  Usually people with really good knowledge of the game and give tips while they play keep people coming back.  Or just someone that's funny and interacts with the people are good enough to keep peoples interest, you don't necessarily need to be good but it helps.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,10:11
< Hot fix will delay challenge slightly. >
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,11:43
Yeah, servers are completely down atm.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,12:45
Damn, only 70 hours on the challenge timer for all 50 points.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,12:57
Woohoo, first game a win with 4 kills, 6 assists.  It was close the entire game so I couldn't pull punches, plus firing 60 missiles at a time means I couldn't if I wanted to.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,13:18
Woohoo, 2 qualifying matches out of 3 games.  I love Stalkers.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,13:31
QUOTE
I love Stalkers.


Told you.

I was thinking of running my Atlases this weekend, but if we're grouping up I might run with Centurions to help our queue times. I love my Cataphracts, but I've kind of given up on heavies a bit because it's always the largest percentage of what people are running.

P.S. trying to get access to a Twitch account I setup a long time ago. We'll try streaming some night soon.

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 20 2015,15:37
Hey fellas, I left work today cause I wasn't feeling so hot. Not sure I'll be able to go or not. We'll see as the night goes on
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,16:35
Why am I always on the team that ignores capture points?  I win every match except those, because we lose on points and the last enemy light alive hauls ass.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,18:16
I do think they've learned from the last challenge like this one. The 3 days of premium are simple to get, then the Raven is next, then the cockpit item, then the camo pattern.

So far I seem to be doing really well in my Centurions and Atlas-DC. Several games tonight I've been the high score.

One thing I noticed in the last game. I ended with a match score of 70 with 3 kills and 5 assists with 429 damage (or something). I was in a Centurion (a medium).

Another guy in my Lance in a light finished with 3 kills, 3 assists and 409 damage, but 71 for match score...?

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,18:16
Right now 14 games, 8 of them qualified.  Probably 5 that I lost were conquest maps that my team didn't bother capturing points.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 20 2015,18:31
These Stalkers are ridonk.  17 games, 10 quals.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 20 2015,21:53
How do elos work when we team up?

Gordo and I both had success solo, then we teamed up and our success rate went way down. (I was 6 of 8 and he was 10 of 17.)

I saw competent teamwork and good strategy when I was solo.

Once we teamed up it was nothing but morons shooting teammates in the back to try and steal kills, two people who powered down until late (again trying to steal late kills), and you could tell by the play it was amateur hour. No grouping or when they did it was too tight. Smoke canisters dropped in terrible places. Etc.

Posted by Trooper on Feb. 21 2015,21:09
Heheheheheh. Leisher and Stranger Twitch.TV streaming?!? Never would have thought I'd see the day. Whose going to watch you guys though? Where you getting your fan base from? I've always streamed, for a good 2 years now I've done it weeks at a time for MUCH more popular/higher interest games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike Global Offensive. So, I do wish you luck guys as always, but the sad truth that I'm breaking to you now is??????
You'll really just be streaming to watch yourself later on. . . Near impossible to get even just one viewer, for anymore than 2 minutes.



Posted by GORDON on Feb. 21 2015,21:16
Is there a definitive MW wiki or something?  I got the "Advance Target Decay" module for 6mil and it doesn't seem to work very well.  Supposed to keep your target lock for 3 seconds after you would otherwise lose it, but I still get 1-second locks.
Posted by Trooper on Feb. 21 2015,21:27
< First link is what you're looking for. >
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 21 2015,21:35
Being kind of a dick.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 21 2015,21:49

(Trooper @ Feb. 22 2015,00:09)
QUOTE
Heheheheheh. Leisher and Stranger Twitch.TV streaming?!? Never would have thought I'd see the day. Whose going to watch you guys though? Where you getting your fan base from? I've always streamed, for a good 2 years now I've done it weeks at a time for MUCH more popular/higher interest games such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike Global Offensive. So, I do wish you luck guys as always, but the sad truth that I'm breaking to you now is??????
You'll really just be streaming to watch yourself later on. . . Near impossible to get even just one viewer, for anymore than 2 minutes.

Probably tough to get an audience when you switch games every five minutes.  :D

And don't be a Negative Nancy Trooper. Sometimes it's not about the games, but about the people playing them. Besides, as Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

QUOTE
Is there a definitive MW wiki or something?  I got the "Advance Target Decay" module for 6mil and it doesn't seem to work very well.  Supposed to keep your target lock for 3 seconds after you would otherwise lose it, but I still get 1-second locks.


< MWO Wiki >

Although, I think either the official forums or the < NGNG forums > would be a better resource. In fact, I'd recommend just asking the question in one of those forums specifically to save yourself some googling time.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 21 2015,21:51

(Leisher @ Feb. 22 2015,00:49)
QUOTE
< MWO Wiki >

Yeah, I didn't feel that had much info, especially regarding the question I asked.  That page says what it is, but not how it works or how best to deploy it.  I will look at the other link you provided.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 21 2015,21:54
I am quitting tonight at 20 quals.  Will probably stop trying hard at 25... Stranger was right, don't really care about the little statue and camo.  And definitely have better success in solo queue.  5 wins should be easy tomorrow.
Posted by Trooper on Feb. 22 2015,17:19
I only streamed CS:GO and League though, so I really didn't do much switching like you're thinking. And Negative Nancy? No. I was just letting you know how difficult it is, being that there are millions of millions of channels out there, hundreds of thousands that are streaming the same thing you are, hundreds who are pros containing 90% of the viewers. The only viewers you'll ever get, are people you tell by word of mouth basically, so friends and family. Nobody will ever randomly stumble upon your channel, ever. The odds are stacked HIGHLY against that happening.

Good luck though, its cool to hear other people are getting into the steaming business. Despite how much you all laughed when you heard I was streaming way back when!!! I seem to recall a lot of "Scooty is streaming?. . . . Why? Whats the point?" heheheheheh. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :p

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 22 2015,19:47
QUOTE
I only streamed CS:GO and League though, so I really didn't do much switching like you're thinking.


I was teasing you about how often you switch games that you play, not ones you streamed.

QUOTE
And Negative Nancy? No. I was just letting you know how difficult it is, being that there are millions of millions of channels out there, hundreds of thousands that are streaming the same thing you are, hundreds who are pros containing 90% of the viewers. The only viewers you'll ever get, are people you tell by word of mouth basically, so friends and family. Nobody will ever randomly stumble upon your channel, ever. The odds are stacked HIGHLY against that happening.


IF we do it, it'll be because we just feel like it, and it's not some attempt to find fame or fortune. We're just goofing around.
I do want to again point out that we're the same elo as other folks streaming now. It's not like we're bronze players in LoL trying to stream.

QUOTE
Good luck though, its cool to hear other people are getting into the steaming business. Despite how much you all laughed when you heard I was streaming way back when!!! I seem to recall a lot of "Scooty is streaming?. . . . Why? Whats the point?" heheheheheh. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :p


Again, it was more about your commitment to whatever games were being played. Plus, the standard teasing.  :D

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 23 2015,07:36
Was a bad weekend for me, was in bed by 9-10 o'clock both Friday and Saturday so needless to say I didn't get many games in.  I did play some sunday afternoon, but I probably won't get my 25 games in, oh well..

And as far a streaming.  I'm sorry Trooper, but you were a small fish in a very big pond when you were streaming LOL and CS.  Those games have well established big name streamers that get 90% of the viewers and the other 10% is spread out among literally 100s of other people at the same time.  MWO has a much smaller viewing audience and streaming community by comparison.  If you go to the MWO page on Twitch there are maybe 100 people watching total and maybe 3-8 people streaming at any given moment.  Obviously this goes up and down, but compared to huge games like LOL and CS, MWO would be much easier to get viewed by people looking to watch MWO.  Leisher would be a small fish in a small pond.  

And if he happens to want to stream, now is the best time to start. MWO will be on Steam within a few months and the huge influx of players would give the game a big boost.  Along with a head start on many other would be streamers who will start playing the game at that time.  Personally I have no interest in streaming because I don't play enough, and I just wouldn't want to.

I say if Leisher wants to he should go for it, regardless of what Trooper thinks.  His experience in doing it will most likely be different than Leisher's.. Plus all the techno music and choppy framerate that Trooper was streaming prolly turned most people off.  :p

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,07:38
When a person streams on twitch, can you hear that person's buddies in voice chat with him?
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 23 2015,07:41
yep
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,07:47

(Stranger @ Feb. 23 2015,10:41)
QUOTE
yep

1.  Might have a hard time watching my language.

2.  I would need to be caffeinated to be "on."

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 23 2015,07:55
1.  You don't need to watch your language

2.  Gordon could become a star!!

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,08:12
Well, that's my point.... I would only caffeine up like on Friday nights when I can sleep in.  Caffeine at 10pm has me bouncing off the walls until 4am.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 23 2015,09:10
Have you watched Andy Dalton's stream? (Not his real name...Stranger, what is it?)

Anyway, he's mostly silent throughout and he has a bunch of viewers. The guy has zero personality. I think people watch because of his team more than him. They're very chatty during games.

IF we did this, it wouldn't be every time, and I'd let you know so you could be on your best behavior. Although, lets be honest, cranky, self depreciating, and ripping each other/folks in game would probably be far more entertaining.

When I watched Andy Dalton's stream the first time we were on it, he and his teammates were bitching about people on their team (us) because of a maneuver they disagreed with. (A move that is now VERY common in CW matches I might add.) They did nothing in game to lead the team, they just whined. Meanwhile, Stranger, some random, and I were the only folks guarding the B gate while those morons were telling everyone to shift to A. Guess who stopped an invasion force from having free run of our base? Guess who played peek a boo with the distraction force? Andy Dalton finished with the most kills, but I was #2 in kills, damage, match score, etc. and Andy Dalton drives clan mechs. Fuck Andy Dalton.

Anyway, the point is that of what I saw he and his group were just douchebags and I didn't hear them giving any tips. IF we did this I don't have any delusion that folks would watch us because we're awesome at the game. However, we do have good tips and whatnot. Stranger can talk builds. You can preach locking targets. I can discuss positioning. Etc.

We'll see. I'm not 100% sold on this, and haven't really done anything towards it yet.

Back to the actual game, Gordo and I got the Raven over the weekend. Stranger you should try and power your way through it tonight. I think it runs through Tuesday morning? If so, do it solo, it's much easier.

I probably won't be on tonight. I should be on most other nights this week though (9-10 depending on my children's stall tactics).

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 23 2015,12:00
On a different note, < the bug has been reported Gordo. >

If we're both on Tuesday, let's try a Unit Group instead and see if the issue disappears.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,12:04
Do those warhorns work in any mech?  I heard someone say something about only clan mechs.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,12:08
And which is the one that sounds like a massive trumpet blast?
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 23 2015,12:54
I'm pretty sure you can put any warhorn in any mech.  

Here's a sample of all the < warhorn sounds. >

The innersphere comstar sounds like the horn of Gondor, pretty cool!



Posted by Leisher on Feb. 23 2015,13:19
I have no idea on the war horns. I wish you could personalize them.  :D

Just posted this to the MWO forums about the Raven challenge:
QUOTE
It is awesome that PGI throws events at us most weekends along with free premium time, mechs, mech bays, etc.

However, I agree wholeheartedly that this is the worst of the "challenges". It creates really selfish play and discourages teamwork in a game based on teamwork.

Something about the 1 kill, 1 assist, and win just brings out the worst in people. Everyone is shooting every enemy they can, and if you're in their way, oh well. I'd like to see stats on friendly damage because I'll bet it skyrockets during this event. Also, it seems like they all forget that "win" stipulation as nobody plays with that in mind. A team game becomes a free for all as individuals are out for themselves.

I just don't think this type of challenge matches the type of game MWO represents.

It also encourages teams to not play together because instead of playing other organized teams and reducing your odds of winning, you'll play another team of randoms and increase your odds of winning. Any challenge that encourages you to NOT play with your friends is a failure.

I'd rather see challenges where points are given based on kills/assists without a win qualifier or a challenge based on just being a part of winning teams. How about a challenge that tallies your match scores over a period of time?

There are so many other ways to do this type of challenge without discouraging teamwork.


Sums up everything I said before, and what most of you said about the previous challenge. Seems like it's a common theme in that chain, so here's hoping they don't run this particular type of challenge again.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,14:20

(Stranger @ Feb. 23 2015,15:54)
QUOTE
I'm pretty sure you can put any warhorn in any mech.  

Here's a sample of all the < warhorn sounds. >

The innersphere comstar sounds like the horn of Gondor, pretty cool!

Yeah, the Innersphere Comstar... that's the one I want.

And it doesn't seem to be for sale, or I don't know where to find it.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,14:22

(GORDON @ Feb. 23 2015,17:20)
QUOTE

(Stranger @ Feb. 23 2015,15:54)
QUOTE
I'm pretty sure you can put any warhorn in any mech.  

Here's a sample of all the < warhorn sounds. >

The innersphere comstar sounds like the horn of Gondor, pretty cool!

Yeah, the Innersphere Comstar... that's the one I want.

And it doesn't seem to be for sale, or I don't know where to find it.

Unless in game it is called a Cameron Star Warhorn?

Also 2 mech bays for 300.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,14:41
Ha, I love the bombastic warhorns.  It's like a massive, audible FUCK YOU every time you kill someone.  Makes me smile.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 23 2015,19:14
You've got me investigating warhorns now.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 23 2015,19:33
I have literally chuckled every time so far my FUCK YOU horn has blared.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 24 2015,10:05
Just got my 35th qual 2 minutes after the contest ended.

Which means I didn't get my 35th qual.

Highlight: my LRM stalker vs. enemy LRM stalker.  I was out of LRMs, he wasn't.  I closed 450m of open water to get close enough for my medium lasers, taking LRM hits the entire time, and killed him, then my War Horn sent him off to hell with a mighty FUCK YOU.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 24 2015,10:52
Even during losses, if I heard my war horn, things weren't so bad...
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 24 2015,12:29
I am still chuckling at the warhorn.  I want to stop and ask everyone DID YOU HEAR THAT?
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2015,08:37
Last night was such a contrast from the weekend's challenge. So much more fun with teams dedicated to teamwork, and funny how easy it was to win at that point.

We grabbed wins in almost every match and got teamed up with two of the bigger clans (-MS- and BEER). I really wish there was a way to figure out your elo.

I blew through most of my mechs last night to get the x2 bonuses. Several of them I only played a single match to get that win for the bonus.

I was about to say that I'd be playing tonight, but I'm not sure. I have a business dinner at 6, and I have no idea how that's going to go (we might be there for 2 hours, maybe all night).

Plus, we might have lost Gordo for the moment...

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 25 2015,08:48
What?
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2015,10:17
Something dropped 14 minutes ago on Steam...

I figure we'd at least lose you for tonight.



Posted by GORDON on Feb. 25 2015,10:29
Ah yes. I was going to wait and see if there would be a collectors box set.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 25 2015,10:36
I bought it pre-release. We'll have to multi sometime in the future.
Posted by Stranger on Feb. 26 2015,13:09
< Win a Clan mech for this weekends event! >

Pretty much the same as the last few events, but there is no win condition.  Should be pretty easy to earn most of the rewards if you play enough games.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 26 2015,13:25
That will be interesting, although I predict even worse team play.

Now you don't need to win, just steal a kill and hope someone else kills one of the other mechs you hit.

Maybe we'll get lucky and folks will relax a bit and play more casually knowing points will come much easier...

Thing is, I don't give a fuck about getting a clan mech. I will definitely play during my three days of premium time though. Nice that they've added a free color and consumables to this challenge.

The consumables are brilliant since they're a resource that people will continue to purchase. Seems like they should offer those up in every challenge.

By the way, guess what title I saw in game this weekend..."Death Star".

Can titles be earned in private matches because I immediately assumed that's how he got it. (That's how many folks got the harder achievements in TF2.)

Posted by Stranger on Feb. 26 2015,13:32
QUOTE
By the way, guess what title I saw in game this weekend..."Death Star".


There was a bug a few days ago where the game was having trouble getting people into matches and when they did it would immediately disconnect them.  If they then rejoined the game they would be the only person in the match and all the other mechs were just standing there for the easy kills.  Someone posted a video of this on Reddit and a bunch of people exploited this bug, it only lasted a few hours but it was enough that the "Death Star" achievement is no longer a real achievement.

Posted by Leisher on Feb. 27 2015,06:16
Got on for a quick match last night, and was looking at my Raven 3L's skills. I noticed I was really close to finishing basic, so I did and bought the 2X and 4X so I can master the chassis.

Found a quick build for the 2X on mechspecs.com and holy shit it's awesome. 3 LL with -30% duration and -12.5% heat.

In 6 matches, I went 4-2 with 10 kills and 2 deaths. In those 6 matches I had a 3 game streak of 100+ points.

I'll be on this weekend for the challenge.

QUOTE
There was a bug a few days ago where the game was having trouble getting people into matches and when they did it would immediately disconnect them.  If they then rejoined the game they would be the only person in the match and all the other mechs were just standing there for the easy kills.  Someone posted a video of this on Reddit and a bunch of people exploited this bug, it only lasted a few hours but it was enough that the "Death Star" achievement is no longer a real achievement.


I hope they identify and remove those.

I've noticed a bunch of "Philanthropists" and "Ace of Spades" too.



Posted by GORDON on Feb. 27 2015,07:18
I have gotten 11 assists more times than I can remember.  3 in the last week alone.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 27 2015,08:35
QUOTE
I hope they identify and remove those.


They did!

QUOTE
It has been announced by Russ on twitter that all deathstar achievements, that were earned by shooting disconnects yesterday will be removed next week by a direct entry into the database.


This one is claimed to be legit:


It might be, but look at his teammate's damage amounts. Only 4 people on his team in triple digit damage besides him? Several of those low damage folks survived the match? Seems fishy.

Posted by GORDON on Feb. 27 2015,15:21
I have been noticing that the more someone takes charge in voice in order to organize the team to great victory, the worse we get beaten.
Posted by Leisher on Feb. 28 2015,18:57
Just played a game where the very first person to get killed was Payola. I'm happy to report that I was his killer.
Posted by GORDON on Feb. 28 2015,19:00
"Gordonopolis sends his regards."
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 02 2015,11:07


That made me laugh thinking about our war horns.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 02 2015,18:50
My duplicate Centurion is being removed in the patch tomorrow, and they're leaving me the mech bay. Cool.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 02 2015,19:03
I think I got a little burnt out by the 2 challenge weekends in a row.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 02 2015,20:36
Also I am not a fan of VOIP.  Is is useful about 1 time in 10 that someone says something, and is annoying or irritating the other 9 times.  I can see myself looking for an off switch for it in the future.
Posted by Leisher on Mar. 02 2015,21:51
QUOTE
I think I got a little burnt out by the 2 challenge weekends in a row.


That was a lot of Mechwarrioring. This last weekend's was a hell of a grind despite it being MUCH easier to get qualifying matches.

I took tonight off. I'm trying to complete Far Cry 4. I'm very close to the end. My goal is to knock it out this week so I can take it off my system and install Homeworld.

Lots of changes coming to MW:O, specifically CW, over the next couple of months. I don't want to get burnt out either. Maybe we can sneak Homeworld in a few nights here or there for a change of pace.

As for the VoIP, I've only hit one match out of hundreds so far where I actually used the mute. Dr. Octavius was drunk and rambling non-stop.



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 03 2015,05:09
I keep encountering a guy who thinks he is an announcer and ends his long spiel with "Let's get ready to ruuummbbllee..."

I keep wanting to turn him in since that phrase is copyrighted.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 03 2015,11:49
< Today's patch notes. >

Mostly optimization and bug fixes today. Some key ones:
-Mining Collective is back. (fingers crossed on the fix)
-Talking people will be indicated on the scoreboard.
-One click muting.
-A few different crash fixes.
-They fixed the centering bug
-IS now gets to drop with 10 more tons against Clans.

Oh yeah, and Gordo will love this one...War Horn volume has been increased!

No more "Fuck you", now it's "FUCK YOU!"



Posted by GORDON on Mar. 03 2015,16:35
Oh shit yeah.
Posted by GORDON on Mar. 04 2015,17:21
I had to turn off VOIP.  First assholes were yelling at each other about stepping in front of their shots... and that went on for a while... then one guy was mocking the other for his southern accent, which rolled over into how stupid americans are.  These guys all sounded like americans.

VOIP disabled.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 05 2015,18:27
< Double XP this weekend. > So if you're planning on mastering a chassis, this would be the ideal weekend to do it.

No pressure to win or even do well this weekend.



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 09 2015,06:44
I didn't play a ton this weekend, but I did get my Ravens mastered. None of them are elited though.

So I'll be working on that. My next mech group will be a heavy or medium.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 11 2015,11:32


I feel those eyes when playing MW:O, but I remember the same feeling in LoL late game.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2015,05:44
Should I dump the XL engine in my Cataphract for a standard? I crush people in it, but I seem to die too easily.

If I do, I have two options:
1. Drop my engine size to 200 or so to keep the 4xAC5s.
2. Move to an AC10 in each arm instead and have a STD255 engine.

Thoughts?

Posted by Stranger on Mar. 13 2015,06:25
Personally I think if you're going to keep 4 AC5s in there you almost have to have an XL.  If you drop down to a 200 STD you will be painfully slow and will probably die just as fast because if you get out of position or left behind, you're fucked.  

You can try AC10s but I don't think you will like that either.  Even though you will have the same 20 point alpha strike they will not perform the same.  AC5s have better range, cooldown and projectile speed and having 4 of those will be much better DPS than 2 AC10s.  Plus assuming you're talking about the 4X, the quirks are in favor of the AC5's.

So I'd say stick with what ya got.  You have a ton of firepower in a 70 ton mech and there is going to be some tradeoffs to survivability.  Its just too bad Cataphract wasn't built like this.

GANGSTA STYLE!!


Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2015,06:56
I hate having an XL in there. The side torsos have less armor, and that's usually what people target.

I wish instead of two Centurion AHs, I had gotten another CTF-4X. I'd load it with the AC10s and see if it's worth it. It'd be more of a brawler build, which is what I do anyway...

Also, if you have any suggestions for my next mech to master throw them out. I've got three Ravens completely done.

Mastering multiple mechs in each group is critical in future game modes and tournaments. One of the stipulations for some tourneys is banning of certain chassis. If they ban the only one you mastered, you're fucked.



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2015,19:17
< Another laid back event. >

First match in my Yen Lo Wang: 6 kills. I actually ran out of AC20 ammo and still got another kill with medium lasers.



Posted by Leisher on Mar. 13 2015,21:32
Crazy easy challenge and it's just for extra cash. So far I've qualified for every game I've played (9 of 9).

Essentially, play in a hero mech and get 30 points (1 assist and 200 or so points) and you get a bonus $150,000.

Play in a non-hero mech and do the same and get $100,000 bonus.

You can do that for 20 qualifying games per chassis size ($3,000,000 per chassis size in hero mechs), and then again in CW if you so choose, but the bonus there ends at $2,000,000.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 17 2015,05:47
< A week long event begins today. >

You can win 25 gifts per game mode.

Basically, get 30 points in Skirmish, Assault, or Conquer and that's a reach into the goodie bag. Or 80 points in a CW game.

QUOTE
Potential Prizes are:
1 day Premium Time
1 'Mech Bay
MC (various values)
C-bills (various values)
GXP (various values)
MC Consumables (Cool Shot, Artillery, UAV, and Air Strike)
Cockpit Items (Standing MWO Beer Stein, Hanging 4 Leaf Clover, Mounted Green Lights, Standing Lumin Glass)
and 'Unlucky' Items, such as IS weaponry and Single Heat Sinks


I like how IS weaponry are unlucky items. Fuck the clans.

This might be their easiest event ever.

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 17 2015,18:32
So I'm patching and checking out their site so I can track my progress in the new event, and the old event is still going on. So you're doing two events at once earning items and cbills on top of it.

Also, there was a huge patch today. < Patch Notes >

Important to Stranger and Gordo is:
-New quirks for Highlanders and Catapaults.
-New warhorns!

Posted by Leisher on Mar. 17 2015,21:45
Ok, Pot O Gold is over. Just the Lucky Charms event.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 07 2015,13:06
My Urbanmechs arrived today.

Probably will test drive them tonight before my availability becomes limited for the next two weeks.

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 07 2015,13:14
I'll probably fire it up tonight then.  I'll make sure the TS server is up.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 07 2015,13:22
Don't be surprised if there are problems. < It's patch day. >

Seems like every online game seems to usually have issues on patch day.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 07 2015,13:39
I'm outta town till Sunday or else I'd check it out too. Let me know what u think.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 08 2015,09:15
I did not test drive my urbanmach yet. Waiting for better builds to show up. However, the queues were all fucked up, and I think it's because there were sooooo many in game that it threw the light numbers off.

Gordon had a solid night winning our first game as our sole surviving member and doing well most of the night. That first game he got the brilliant idea of maneuvering right slightly to force a far away opponent farther out from cover to give his missiles time to reach him. Look at the big brain on Gordo!

I started off terrible in my Jenner and then my Centurion twice. Died first in each of those games. Got fed up with coward teammates and pulled out my Cataphract 4X. I made many fools pity themselves.

Had a nice 4-6 kill game on Caustic Valley where I was the heaviest mech on the team (no assaults) and it was pointed out in chat. Lights and mediums backed me up and as a unit we were dropping the baddies who seemed less organized, but they had two missile boats. Eventually, they somehow targeted me after I had already dropped 2-3 fools and it was raining missiles from just over the next hill, but I couldn't see, was taking heavy damage, and had someone else machine gunning me. I was done for...but all my little friends stuck around to support. They ganged up on the guy MGing me and they must have legged him because I was able to pull away during my charge to the hill. Meanwhile, the missiles stopped raining in and it was apparently due to some fire from above forcing them to move, and from their left flank (one light). So when I hit the top of the hill, I had all three cores exposed and damaged (two in red) and an arm and a leg exposed, yet I was able to immediately direct my quad AC5s at one Catapault and then the other bringing them a swift death. It was glorious!

Posted by GORDON on Apr. 08 2015,09:22
The new phrase for being the first one on your team to get killed is now called, "Getting Leishered."

That match he spoke of where I did a slight maneuver... for the last 5 minutes of the game it was just him and me, and him mostly hiding.  I was a missile assault so I didn't really want to close on him and be too close for missiles, so I was kind of trying to figure out where he was without getting too close to him.  In the last 30 seconds of the game he started taking potshots at me from far away with his large laser.  He was ducking behind cover so my LRMs weren't hitting.  I moved right a little, forcing him to come out farther to see me, and my LRM's killed him and we won WITH FOUR SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME.  That was the excitingest part.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 17 2015,22:11
They've really calmed down the events lately and there's no event this weekend.

Instead, they are already advertising < "The Battle of Tukayyid" > next weekend.

Clan vs. Inner Sphere on 1 planet.

Requires units so if you want to participate, let me know.

Posted by Stranger on Apr. 24 2015,05:37
< Full event details for this weekends CW battle >

I'll be on to play something tonight.  If anyone wants to play this, Rust, LoL, Borderlands, Archeage, Dungeon Defenders...  Whatever, i'll be up for anything.  Haven't really been gaming much at all lately and wouldn't mind doing something different.

Posted by Leisher on Apr. 24 2015,08:17
DD and AA have been removed from my PC.

I'm up for the MWO event this weekend in the late evenings.

Payday, Rust, PA, Homeworld are also options.

Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 24 2015,08:20
Oooh, Payday.  Forgot about that one.
Posted by TPRJones on Apr. 24 2015,08:23
Personally I'm going to be all GTA5 for at least the next month.
Posted by Leisher on Apr. 24 2015,08:28

(TPRJones @ Apr. 24 2015,11:23)
QUOTE
Personally I'm going to be all GTA5 for at least the next month.

Tell them to lower the price and I'm in. I just can't pay the same price that console folks paid. I'm not getting a box, manual, disk, etc. they're not paying large licensing fees to make the game for the PC either. Plus, there's no shipping costs.
Posted by TPRJones on Apr. 24 2015,08:35
That just means more of your money is going directly to the developer, which is who deserves it the most anyway.

That's not a bug, it's a feature.



Posted by Stranger on Apr. 24 2015,08:48
I've also removed many of the past games we once played but I can always reinstall them.  Not sure if uninstalling loses game progress or saved games, I didn't really think about that when I uninstalled.

Personally I didn't care much for Payday but maybe Payday2 would be better.  

Is PA Planetary Annihilation? I think you gifted that to me Leisher, am I right?  

I don't own Homeworld, and for $35, prolly won't own it for a while.

But if there is another multiplayer game out there that's cheap, I might be willing to buy it and play.

Posted by Troy on Apr. 24 2015,09:03
Be happy to play PA, Rust, whatever tonight if dudes are multi-ing...

e: I did hear GTA5 online is super fun, but I've bought enough games recently



Posted by Leisher on Jun. 02 2015,08:13
< The new mech lab has arrived. >
Posted by GORDON on Jun. 02 2015,08:17
I'll probably patch up and check it out this week.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 01 2015,14:22
Is anyone still playing?  I reloaded my system and have been contemplating whether or not to install this.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 06 2015,10:18
I still do, and I believe Stranger still does. Not as often as we did.

I know they're still planning a Steam release along with a single player mode, and some more multi modes.

I continue to hold out hope that they find more stuff to drive home the "persistent" part.

Posted by Leisher on Nov. 18 2015,05:32
< Finally coming to Steam next month. >
Posted by GORDON on Nov. 19 2015,13:39

(Leisher @ Nov. 18 2015,08:32)
QUOTE
< Finally coming to Steam next month. >

I'm continually tempted to reload this.  I guess I will do it on Steam.
Posted by Leisher on Nov. 19 2015,15:04
I haven't played in months, but this will have me back in game.

I don't blow smoke up your ass...ever, but I will say I was pretty impressed with how quickly you took to this game last time we were playing. You rapidly went from "I can't kill anyone, I suck, this game blows" to "let me rain hellfire on these bitches".

Posted by GORDON on Nov. 19 2015,17:04
I did rather enjoy making it rain 60-LRMs at a time.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 10 2015,08:03
According to Steam this goes live in 2 hours.

I'm off the two weeks for Christmas, and hopefully, just took my last SC trip for a while, so I'll should be available for multi soon whether it's this or anything else.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 10 2015,08:08
I will look into it tonight.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 10 2015,18:52
Crap forgot to do this earlier... DLing now.  Prolly wont get on til later tomorrow night.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 10 2015,19:27
Damn I logged in with my account just to make sure it was working and I instantly got a shitload of Steam achievements and free stuff.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 10 2015,20:55
I'm DLing it tonight as well.

I uninstalled it earlier tonight as I hadn't patched it in a while and figure I want the Steam linked copy.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 11 2015,04:50
I currently have 15 of the 25 achievements.  I rock.

Or 25/35.  I forget.

They also gave me a couple free mech bays and 2 million cbills.  That doesn't suck.

The interface is different... I haven't played in about a year so it is going to take some remembering how to navigate the game.  Controls, too.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 11 2015,05:40
I'll be curious to see how many I get when I log in tonight.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 11 2015,12:19
If you do the Quick Match, make sure you click the little arrow next to it and turn off the non-north america servers.  I got connected to European servers twice before I figured that out.

Also you vote on maps, now.

Posted by Leisher on Dec. 11 2015,15:01
I was immediately handed 19 of the 25 and I'm pretty close on most of the others.

I'm also ranked as Tier 4? I assume that's their Bronze?

I'll definitely be on later after dinner and whatnot.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 11 2015,15:35
Later tonight for me. Have a cub scout thing tonight.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2015,08:41
I plan on being on tonight, all hopped up on carbs and caffeine.

If anyone needs to be added to my GFY clan, let me know.

Also I will post the current IP for my TS server.  New modem and new IP.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2015,11:15
Absolutely cannot remember how to get into clan management.  I've been all over the interface.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 12 2015,17:34
My kids guilted me into a movie last night and I got on super late.

Jumped on a bit ago to see if you were on, but you aren't. Thus, I ran the tutorial for the achievement. As it turns out, you can earn two or three (or two in game and one Steam one) plus $5 million c-bills by getting the achievements and finishing the tutorial. Takes only about 10 minutes.

Oh, and go to the academy afterwards and shoot the captain for an easy achievement.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2015,18:28
Tutorial has crashed my client twice so far.  Working on it.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2015,19:30
Goddam "Rapid Fire" challenge is fucking frustrating.  Tried it 20 times in 3 different mechs and can't finish the "18 points" level.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 12 2015,20:55
Do you get money or other rewards for the other challenges?

I did the one with the waves of mechs that come at you and beat it the first time, but didn't notice being given anything for my efforts.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 12 2015,21:23
I got 5 mil for the basic tutorial... I didn't see anything else for the academy.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 13 2015,17:17
This Steam launch has really brought a lot of new people into the game.  I'm taking tons of friendly fire at the spawn point about 25% of the time, and I actually had to kill a guy today to make him stop.
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 13 2015,17:43
Refresh my memory... is 750 for a war horn full price, or half price?
Posted by GORDON on Dec. 13 2015,19:47
Someday I will learn that if I want people to play an online game with me, I can't act too enthusiastically about playing it.
Posted by Leisher on Dec. 14 2015,06:25
QUOTE
This Steam launch has really brought a lot of new people into the game.  I'm taking tons of friendly fire at the spawn point about 25% of the time, and I actually had to kill a guy today to make him stop.


I noticed that. Tons of newbs, which if you know what you're doing can help boost your stats big time.

QUOTE
Refresh my memory... is 750 for a war horn full price, or half price?


I don't know. I believe the prices of the horns might vary? A quick google search wasn't specific enough to give me an answer.

QUOTE
Someday I will learn that if I want people to play an online game with me, I can't act too enthusiastically about playing it.


I was on late Friday, during the day Saturday, and again late Saturday night. I have a very hard time getting online prior to the kids going to bed and they're going older, which means later bedtimes (8:30 - 9 on weekdays and 10-11 on weekends). Damn them for wanting to spend time with me!

We'll have more time in the next few weeks. I probably won't be on tonight or Wednesday, but I think Friday is an annual cookie party my wife and kids go to and are there until 1-2 a.m. So when you get back from SW, I'll be available.

Posted by Stranger on Dec. 14 2015,07:39
I did download the Steam version of the game on Friday night but never got around to playing it.   I wouldn't mind playing it again for some fun times, but I have to admit, Cake and I have been having lots of fun playing ranked LOL lately.  

If you guys get something going some night let me know.  And as always, if I'm at my computer ill be logged into Steam.

Posted by GORDON on Dec. 21 2015,16:29
"Stocking Stuffer" event starts tomorrow, through January 4th.  FYI.

Get a Match Score of at least 150 in Quick Play (Skirmish, Assault, or Conquest game modes) to earn 1 event point.

1 event point equals 1 opportunity to reach into the Stocking Stuffer loot bag.

You can earn up to 75 prizes total in Quick Play and 50 prizes total in Faction Play, for a grand combined total of 125 prizes across all game modes.



Posted by Leisher on Dec. 21 2015,22:25
I'll be getting on late this week due to family stuff every night in the early evening, but I'm definitely playing the stocking stuffer event.


Posted by Stranger on Dec. 22 2015,10:09
Sweet, the Stocking stuffer event! Looks like there are no mechbays to be won this time around, but I think I already have 6-7 spares.  Also, the Centurian for the grand prize is a bit underwhelming, but you can sell it and its a free mechbay.  Extra C-bills are always welcome in this game.

Gordon, did you figure out the faction thing yet? if not, set it up. Any faction is fine with me, just make sure its Inner Sphere.   We were House Steiner last time if you were wondering.  

By the way I was placed in Tier 3 when I logged in the other day.  Tier 1 is top and that's all I know about that system, I've been away from the game for quite a while now.  Looks like lots of new mechs, updated maps and UI.  I'll be interested to see how community warfare has changed when I get a chance to do that.   I'll be on to play, but being the holidays I'm not really sure when as of now.



Posted by GORDON on Dec. 22 2015,11:35
I'm Tier 4, like... 80% of the bar is filled, left to right?  I'm not even sure how to read that, or what it is.

How does your tier bar move?

I haven't bothered with factions.... 20 games in the last week, and I am still seeing the new modifies maps, so I haven't bothered with factions since last time I played it was all broken with like 48 Stormcrows on the field.  But I'll do whatever you guys want to do with it if we are all on to play.  I don't even care.

Posted by Leisher on Jan. 04 2016,12:02
Some of the new maps are tough.

QUOTE
How does your tier bar move?


You get an up or down arrow in the middle box of the first post game summary screen. I've typically seen up arrows on wins and down arrows on losses. I remember being a bit shocked by down arrows on some of the games I had, so I don't know what the cut off is to get an up arrow, but I believe winning is a big factor.

I know I'm Tier 3 now and climbing.

I've been killing it with my Jenner and Centurion mechs. Seriously, I've had some MONSTER games with my Cents. Meanwhile, my CTF-4X has been a complete bust. I think the current build I have for it is outdated based on changes they've made.

I'm running with about $80 million cbils right now. So out of touch with what mechs are hot that I'm not sure what to master next. I do find the mechs I see to be interesting based on all the new ones I've seen released over the past year. Not too many of them out there...



Posted by Leisher on Apr. 05 2016,12:31
< World Championships >
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