[MechWarrior Online] Everyone off the servers, we're migrating this thread.

Nips · June 2014

Reactor...online. Sensors...online. Weapons...online. All systems nominal.

Greetings potential pilot, and welcome to the Mark 4.1 Mechwarrior Online OP, now with 200% more WubWub and 5000% more hyphens and commas!
It has been reorganized, and in some spots rewritten, to provide more relevant and concise information for our growing roster of pilots.
If you have anything you would like to see added to the OP, or notice any errors, please contact @Nips and I'll do my best to update the post.

Remember pilots, this is Battletech. Around these parts, common sense is Lostech.

http://youtu.be/ea3spOtjLmI

UPCOMING EVENTS
Oosik Bash 5 is tentatively set for September 27th.
Want to help form a practice squad for future official tournaments? Fill out your availability on this sheet, and @Nips will try to coordinate some scrimmages!

UP TO THE MOMENT NEWS
Next Expected Patch: September , 2014
The late-August patch dropped more Vindicators for MC, Unit Creation for CW, some bugfixes, and downside-free Weapon Modules
The Path to Victory challenge is on! Grind out solo matches for loot!
The Patch on August 19th dropped the Hero Vindicator, plus a slugs-worth of bugfixes.
Oosik Bash 4 was scheduled for August 9th, but was cancelled due to lack of attendance.
A Hot Fix on August 8th made changes to PPCs and Clan ER Large Lasers.
The August 5th Patch is here, with a new Hero Battlemaster, and Bitchin' Betty finds some more vocabulary.
The July 29th Patch, with fall damage tweaks, a revamped Module system, IS mech quirks, and more.
Oosik Bash 3, "War Games", happened. Many Stompy Bots were destroyed.
The July 15th patch, with LRM updates, more Jump Jet fixes, the ability to rejoin matches, and a host of bugfixes.
DEV VLOG #6, with tidbits on module revamps, jump jets, CW, and new maps
The July 2nd Patch, with the hotly anticipated Arbitrary Group Size 4x3 Weight Balancing Matchmaker! Plus fall damage, targeting computers, and bugfixes.

NEWS ARCHIVE

The Dev Vlog 5
The June Technical Update, hitting all the hot-button issues, Jun-23
A big update on the Matchmaker rewrite, larger group sizes, and why Jump Jets are OP for the foreseeable future, Jun-23
PGI put up a Feature Request poll, to see what 'low-hanging fruit' they can develop that the community wants. Go take the poll! Jun-19
In-Game Units (Guilds) are now in the works! Details here! Jun-19
Due to the shaky server situation on Tuesday, PGI is giving everyone that logs in before Jun-20 a free Mech Bay and day of active Premium Time!
The Clan Invasion patch hits the servers like a brick, Jun-17
Jun-09: More news than you can handle: Targeting Computer/Command Console Clan Weapons Matchmaker Fixes Falling Damage Revamp Jump Jet Heat Revamp More SRM Fixes
Patch Notes for June 3rd! The new Blackjack Hero "Arrow", a Champion Shadow Hawk, Autocannon and A.Strike nerfs, SRM buffs.
Upcoming weapon balance changes, according to Paul Inouye: AC, SRM, laser, and Air/Artillery Strike tweaks abound. May-28
The PGI Ask The Devs VLOG #4 has been posted, with talk of Clantech, and how programming is hard. May-28
The May 20th Patch, with a Hero Trebuchet, a Champion Firestarter, an ass-ton of cockpit items, some bug fixes, and a semi-functional matchmaker.
The full timetable for the Clan Mech releases has been posted! May-16
Oosik Bash 2 is done! Check out the results here!
PGI held a tournament. The Oosiks went in strong, but sadly were eliminated in the first round. You can watch the Oosiks tournament match here!
The Clan Kit Fox preview! May-16
The Clan Summoner get its hot, hot, hot reveal!
The May 6th Patch Notes, with the new Quickdraw Hero, a new Trial Orion, and bugfixes.
Hot Mech-on-Mech footage of the first Oosik Bash, now linked from the Bash site! May-06

What is Mechwarrior Online?
Mechwarrior Online is a free-to-play, PC-based, online shooter produced by Piranha Games Interactive. MWO places you in the command seat of a heavily armed and armored walking battle machine that you pilot in team-based matches against other Mechwarriors. Your mech is very customizable and able to field a huge assortment of energy, ballistic, and missile weapons along with an array of modules and other utility items. At the end of each match you earn C-Bills, the in-game currency used to buy more items and mechs, and experience that is used to enhance the piloting abilities of your war machines. Between matches, you can customize your mech with a variety of engines, weapons, subsystem modules, and chassis enhancements until you have your chosen chassis tailored to your liking.

There are currently three game modes: Skirmish, Assault, and Conquest.

In Skirmish, your team is pitted directly against the enemy team in a battle to the death! The team with the last mech standing wins.
In Assault, you and your team attempt to capture the enemy team's base without losing your own, or eliminate the enemy team. But watch out for turrets that guard the bases on some maps!
Conquest is a traditional domination mode where you and your team are attempting to control resource nodes that generate victory points. The first team to reach 750 victory points, or that eliminates the opposing force, wins.

In the future, Community Warfare will be introduced that will pit player-based Mercenary Corps and PGI operated Houses against each other for control of entire planets and territory throughout the Inner Sphere.

Sounds good, where do I start?
1.) Download the client at http://www.mwomercs.com and install it.
2.) Before launching the game, Visit the Training Grounds online. Watch those videos to get at least an initial grasp of what to expect. This game has a bit of a learning curve to it and while it's not super-steep, it's definitely not just a jump-in-and-click-things-until-you-win sort of game. Be sure to watch the Weapon Grouping video as it'll do the most to help keep you alive. Chain fire is your friend, learn to use it.
2a.) Penny Arcade also did some Pilot Safety Posters and while they're humorous, they do have some good information in them.
3.) When you start the game you will have access to four trial mechs that rotate out for new mechs every month or so. These are non-customizable mechs, designed by PGI and the community for ease-of-entry into learning the game (except for the Stalker; that thing's a newbie death trap). Select a mech, and use the in-game Tutorial and Training Grounds to get a feel for how the game controls. Move around. Shoot your guns. Try overheating, then remember that overheating is bad.
4.) Jump into real matches! After each match you will earn some C-Bills, Mech XP, and General XP. C-Bills are the in-game currency used to buy everything except cosmetic items. At the end of each of your first twenty-five matches, you'll earn a Cadet C-bill bonus that you can save up to purchase your first mech. You'll also earn Mech XP, which is specific to the mech you earned it on and is used to buy piloting enhancements like faster torso rotation or better heat mitigation. You'll also also earn General XP that can be used on any mech, and can also be used to unlock modules and module improvements.
5.) Mech Credits (MC) are the in-game currency that you purchase with real money in order to shortcut your way to a new mechs and equipment. MC is also used to purchase premium account status and cosmetic items for your mech like new paint jobs, and items to put in your cockpit like bobblehead dolls.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheOosiks
Our anthem.

We play on the Penny Arcade Ventrilo server; it's dangerous to go alone, so be sure to take this!
http://www.ventrilo.com/download.php
Host: vent20.gameservers.com
Port: 4384
Password: Ask one of the thread regulars!

The Origins of the Oosik Irregulars

CycloneRanger wrote:

The Oosik Irregulars formed when the 2nd Oosik Regulars, while deploying to protect a critical steelworks on Twycross, "mis-calculated" a set of jump coordinates and arrived instead in orbit of Talisker IV. Apparently not realizing the mistake, the Oosiks took up defensive positions--which would later prove fortunate, as the planet was subject to a surprise attack by a combined-arms force of 'mechs and infantry in an attempt to take control of its HPG uplink. In the ensuing battle, the HPG uplink was swiftly destroyed (allegedly due to friendly fire), but the Oosiks--now out of contact with their command structure--elected to remain on Talisker IV. They dug in around the capital city--incidentally home of the sector's only Class 3 brewery--and prepared to fight an extended siege. In the following weeks, the Oosiks earned a reputation as one of the most obdurate and immovable companies in the Inner Sphere. According to contemporary accounts, they could be dislodged neither by any quantity of enemy fire nor by the direct, angrily-shouted orders of their superiors.
In the aftermath of the conflict, the Oosik Irregulars became a mercenary unit, claiming Talisker IV as their base of operations henceforth.

Who are the Oosik Irregulars?
We are a very loosely organized (and by loosely I mean not at all) mercenary corp that is open to anyone who wants to join. The Penny Arcade community frequently makes loose groups for new games just to make it easier to find people to play with, and while this started out as just another one of those it has grown into so much more. We formed under the banner of The Oosik Irregulars as a way to honor the great forumer @A Flock Of Walrus who brought us closed beta footage at the expense of his access to the game, and have since become a tightly-knit group of very active players.

We don't care about player skill levels or general MWO experience. Our primary goal is to have fun and help each other out, including brand new players. If this is your first time launching the game we'll happily drop alongside you. We have a lot of experienced community members more than willing to help you out and I can't think of a single person that would refuse to let you roll in a lance with them. If you're an experienced pilot already then you'll also find players looking to push themselves as hard as possible in this game, and who are constantly working to improve their game. There is something for everyone in the Oosiks Irregulars!

How do I join the Oosik Irregulars?
The good news is you already have! There is no application, no interview, no skill level check, or anything else involved. Just show up, start playing, and don't be shy in the thread. We mostly don't bite.

Do you guys stream matches at all?
We do at http://www.twitch.tv/theoosiks and while there is no set schedule for streaming, we will announce when we're going live via Twitter or in the thread.

Where can I get a sig from!?
PM @TOGSolid, @Kashaar, or @Nips

What's this I hear about Oosik swag? I'm an Oosik now, and I'm woefully swag-free.
Check out @Nips sig! He likes giving away freebies to underserved, swag-less Oosiks. Be sure to send him a PM, or he might not see your request!

The OBN Homepage: http://www.outreachnews.net
The OBN Mechlab: http://outreachnews.net/mechlab
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Outreach_News

Outreach Broadcast News is an offshoot of the Oosik Irregulars. Run by a dedicated group of Oosiks, it is pushing to become one of the premier fansites for Mechwarrior Online. Complete with its own Mechlab with features no other website has, articles about the game, and much more! We also have some very big things in store for when Community Warfare goes live that will be sure to excite everyone. One of the best parts about OBN is that it's open to the community to work on! If you have an idea for an article or wish to contribute you are absolutely welcome to! Just contact @Mvrck or @Kusmeroglu

The OBN Mechlab has several unique, powerful tools available to evaluate your potential mech builds. If you'd like to know how the heat scaling works, we have graphs for that! Want to see how your build will perform heat-wise with constant firing? We have a simulator for that! Want to know the cooldown rate for a Large Pulse Laser? We have charts and stats for that! Want to know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Then you're a smartass! (though we're sure Petra will end up graphing that as well)

The OBN staff is very open to new ideas for the site and constructive criticism. This is a site for the fans, by the fans, and we want it to be the best it can be so don't be shy to speak up.

1.) Flanking is god.
If there is a primary battle line and you're not in a mech that needs to be holding that line then circle around and pounce the stragglers/high value targets like LRM boats. Jumping the LRM boats is an especially game-changing thing to do because once those LRMs stop flying PUG players get really emboldened and ballsy. Even if you die you will still be the big god-damn hero. Learning the maps is a huge part of this; use the terrain to your advantage to successfully jump and annihilate packs of targets.

2.) Learn your range bands and proper positioning.
If you are a brawler then that doesn't necessarily mean you need to get in ASAP. Allow the fight to evolve a bit and wait for targets of opportunity. Go off to the sides and see if you have open lines to approach on to catch your enemies unaware. Conversely, if you are sniper and can still freely shoot things then why move in if you don't have to? Obviously, if you need to reposition to take advantage of the changing battle lines then do so but moving in just to move in? Nah, don't do this. This also kinda applies to brawlers since this is how you end up with a giant clusterfuck of people all at 10 meters trying to get hits in.

3.) Learn your mech.
Trying to get into a hill humping contest with a Stalker while you're in an Atlas? Bad idea. Your guns are low slung and you have to expose yourself a lot to use them. Doing it in a Jager? Brilliant. That mech's hardpoints are tailor-made for this sort of thing. This also means using these hardpoints to your advantage and putting appropriate weaponry in them. For instance, don't put your big guns in the lowest slung points on your mech. Keep em high and you'll be able to take advantage of any hills. Of course, this depends on your mech but this goes back to playing your chosen variant correctly. Don't use the Cataphract CTF-4X as a hill-humper because all the big guns are super low slung. DO use it to keep people suppressed when you can and as a heavy fire support mech. Similarly, don't try to use a Victor as a frontline mech. You hit hard but don't have Atlas grade armor to absorb hits with. DO use an Atlas for that because it's a purpose-built party crasher.

4.) Play medium mechs a lot, even though the meta would make you think they're bad.
Yes, really. The better armor and firepower of a heavy or assault Mech is no replacement for good situational awareness and positioning. Pick a mech with a specific role to flesh out your skills in that area, i.e. if you want to be a better brawler then run a HBK-4G. You will die a lot, you will get your ass kicked, and it will make you a better pilot.

5.) Patience can help a lot.
There are just as many times when hanging back and waiting for the right moment is just as advantageous as crashing the gates and going nuts. This is especially true in the current meta where a lot of stuff out there that can vaporize you if you get too ballsy.
That said, there is a time and a place for coordinated, balls-out gate crashing. Going in with your buddies all at once can do amazing things to break the enemy's lines but it has to be done carefully and at the right time, which goes back to that whole fickle patience thing.

6.) Let the pubbies go first.
They tend to follow anyone that looks even remotely competent. Seeing as how we tend to love flanking maneuvers and speed we end up with a tendency to have the pubbies follow us when we're counting on them to blob to their usual locations. Wait a little bit at the start of the match before you strike out to do horrible things to the enemy's butts.

7.) Want some great fundamentals training? Don't be shy about taking your mech onto the training grounds and just cruising around checking out the maps to learn it.
While you're doing that keep moving at high speeds as you shoot up the dummy mechs to learn to move and shoot fluidly. Circle around them while keeping your crosshair on the target via torso twisting until you don't have to think about it. Practice popping up behind a hill, acquiring your target, firing, and hiding as fast as possible until it becomes second nature. The more skills you commit to muscle memory, the better a pilot you'll be. Remember, you fight like you train so train like you fight.

8.) Want some great aim training?
Pick up a copy of Unreal Tournament 2004 and setup a bot deathmatch with lightning guns only and the game speed mutator set to 150% speed. From here, practice getting headshots on the move in the training grounds. It's a hard target to hit in most mechs and it will help you fine tune your aim with MWO's weapons.

9.) Call your targets to aid in focus firing and for Kerensky's sake, press R to lock on to your targets!
With 12 vs 12 and the recent UI upgrades, we have more phonetic alphabet letters to learn to aid in target calling! For your reference here's the full list:

1.) A lot of times when emailing support they will have you run the official MWO repair tool located here: http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/115147-mwo-repair-tool-public-release/ Try this before going any more in depth with trying to fix things!
2.) A reinstall can do wonders if you're having problems with the bootstrap launcher (the patcher thing that pops up before you get the login window). Sometimes the uninstall goes wrong (because of course), so go here if it won't reinstall.
3.) Try manually deleting the shader cache (MWO should do this automatically, but sometimes fails and it gets corrupted). The post in the link also gives steps to set up a batch script to force the deletion each time MWO loads.
4.) This is a weird fix, but some people found that moving the install directory to another physical drive solves crashes. Literally cut/paste the directory and update shortcuts manually. Not sure if moving to another partition on the same drive helps.
5.) Force your video card to stop power-save throttling and disable ambient occlusion.
6.) Force multi-threading, in case the game isn't using all available cores.
Tips from @Cabezone!
7.) I recommend people run the repair tool even with a new installation. I've had crashing after a fresh install fixed by the tool.
8.) Setting my PC to high performance also fixed an issue I was having where Mechwarrior was set to some low powered mode and the video card wasn't able to run full out.

GOOD HUNTING, MECHWARRIORS.

A big thanks to @TOGSolid‌ for the last OP, upon which this one is heavily based. Thanks Tog!

Xantomas · June 2014

dakka dakka dakka perforating new post

Stabbity Style · June 2014

Information on Unit Creation and Management Tools:

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/161774-incoming-transmission-pt-2/page__p__3481510#entry3481510

Well SOMEONE *glares around the office* took my information post and put it here: http://mwomercs.com/...vasion-is-here/

Since I said I'd put something here and to steal the announcement back...

Unit Creation and Management Tools

To create a Unit, players will need to click the Faction tab in the main UI. On the Faction tab is a button labeled “Create Unit”. This is only available if the player is not part of a Unit.
If the player is not part of a Unit, they will be prompted to name their Unit.

After naming the Unit, the Unit Leader can set a Unit Tag.

The Unit creator can now invite people to their Unit through their Friend List.

Units can collect a communal C-Bill coffer through donations from its members.

Units can create ranks and assign Unit management permissions to each rank.

Units have their own Unit and Officer chat channels.

Unit Leader Privileges:
Invite members.

Kick members.

Assign Ranks.

Assign a member as the new Leader

Create/Name ranks.

Edit/Delete ranks.

Order/Reorder ranks.

View Unit coffer balance.

View Unit coffer transaction log.

View Officer Chat channel.

Disband the Unit.

Disbanding a Unit can only be done when there is only one player left in the Unit.

Set MotD (Message of the Day)

NOTE: Unit Leader Privileges are locked and cannot be taken away.

Unit Leaders can assign the following Privileges to sub-ranks as they see fit:

Member Assignable Privileges (by the Unit Leader via Rank Privileges):
Invite members.

Kick members (Unit Leader is the only exception).

Assign ranks.

View Unit coffer balance.

View Unit coffer transaction log.

View Officer Chat channel.

Set MotD (Message of the Day)

By default, the Unit will be populated with basic US military ranks.

Please note that “coffer” actions are for future feature support.

This is the initial feature set planned for Unit Creation and Management and is step 1 on the path to Community Warfare.

A Clarification:

On a side note, I've seen the rumblings of people thinking that mixed teams of Clan and IS 'Mechs will be the norm from here on out. This is not the case. Faction (IS/Clan) combat is a big part of Community Warfare as are the skirmishes between the Houses themselves and the Clans themselves. This requires additional work to the database, player data and match making systems and will come out at a later time.

HydroSqueegee · June 2014

So my take away from that means we'll have the Oosik Irregulars and Clan Oosik for community warfare?

If so, can we be members of more than one unit at a time?

And whos gonna set up this shindig?

Nips · June 2014

Why two units, Hydro? I imagine we'll just be the Oosik Irregulars, a largely-factionless (leaderless, organization-less) merc unit with holdings and equipment in both Clan and Inner Sphere.

Heroth · June 2014

Nips wrote: »

Why two units, Hydro? I imagine we'll just be the Oosik Irregulars, a largely-factionless (leaderless, organization-less) merc unit with holdings and equipment in both Clan and Inner Sphere.

We might not be able too, depending on how they set CW up.

DaMoonRulz · June 2014

Clan Thrusting Walrus. We're known for aggressively pushing our way in between the flanks and we may be slow but we're powerful hence the namesake walrus

Docshifty · June 2014

Ninja Snarl P wrote: »

Docshifty wrote: »

Ninja Snarl P wrote: »

Considering that PGI still has yet to deliver on their promises of weight-based matchmaking (late by close to two years), halfway-decent game balance (late by well over a year), UI 2.0 being something useful (because it's a nightmarish piece of garbage), dropships (promised some 8-9 months ago), getting the mech models redone so the sizes and hitboxes aren't total ass on many of them (a couple of years overdue here), and took two years to actually get all the basic weapons simply working (though still not balanced to within a reasonable margin), them meeting a single major deadline is hardly something to be impressed by. They're still so far behind the curve on delivering content that they have to be careful about running themselves over back in 1985. And all of this has been in direct opposition to the constant, unending stream of suggestions from players with fixes ten times better than the garbage PGI has come up with and backs as "fixes".

PGI still hasn't managed to reach "acceptable" in terms of delivery, much less "nice work".

That's bullshit negativity. You're ignoring every single step forward they've made. You can argue they aren't steps you want, or the right ones, or big enough, but painting a picture of "Everything has been shit and they've managed to make only one small thing on time" is wrong.

Delivering the Clan stuff is a solid chunk of progress, sure, but that's seriously a single big delivery in the face of better than half a dozen huge, dragging issues. Keep in mind the hundred dollars I sunk into them fucking around for an obscenely long time, and now it's the people who paid for a different high-priced package that are really reaping the benefits. And I don't get to actually use any of those mechs for ages, because I bought the "wrong" package.

It would obviously be good if this was the start of an ongoing trend towards real progress, my aggravation is in the notion that a single big update wipes out the non-progress they've made on several huge issues and that it somehow magically turns PGI into a decent company, when they're still way far from it.

I definitely should have made it clear that I don't think the Clan stuff isn't any progress at all, just that they've still got a hell of a trend of shittiness to reverse before they stop being a terrible developer. And even not having played in a while, it's pretty hard to not be bitter about the fact that people who bought Clan stuff are having a blast with their great stuff, and my hundred bucks of mechs is worthless because they still haven't fixed several core issues. So it's pretty safe to say that I have a pretty solid fucking point of contention that PGI is still an assy company.

REMOVED because needlessly snarky.

They've made a large number of improvements.

Clans are big, because they've implemented them without much issue with regards to being too strong. They're powerful, but pretty much balanced. An entirely new mechanic for autocannons has been implemented without issue. Like, the sole outlier for clan balance is the Dire Wolf UAC stack.
They've put in private lobbies.
Increasing heat on PPC.
Charge up on gauss.
Numerous HSR improvements that keep on coming.
The SRM fix has the potential to utterly fuck the poptart meta, because now you have a counter other than "More poptarts." They also make half the Phoenix mechs playable, particularly the Griffins.
These are all separate fixes and improvements that have been moving the game forward.

There are also numerous things in the works right now, to address most other issues.
They're directly working on class matching problems.
Poptarting is about to receive another nerf with the leg damage change coming next patch.
And when I say right now, I mean, slated for release in the next few patch cycles.

I've talked with @TOGsolid about this, and I think part of the problem is that when PGI fucks up, it is a huge block of errors all it once, while when they do something right, it is incremental, over time. So the overall progress always feels like it is going backwards, even if it isn't.

What mechs did you buy from the pack that are worthless, aside from the Locust? You can get good numbers out of every single other one. I don't understand this complaint of yours at all. Help me understand here, because unless you want to just stack 8LL or something, I'm not sure what makes any of your mechs worthless.

Ninja Snarl P · June 2014

Ach, I was honestly hoping you would just leave this in the other thread. I feel it's perfectly justified and heavily supported to say that PGI has a long way to go before they prove to have turned any sort of meaningful corner, but people are enjoying the game and I don't want to drag bickering into a new thread where other folks are having a good time. I could handily go point-for-point on what hasn't solved much of anything from that list (not all of it, but much of it), but really, nobody wants that.

PGI has plenty of work to do to prove they aren't pulling a shit train any more, but so far, every time PGI has turned the proverbial corner, they go right back to being incredibly shitty. That, I think, is a fair estimation, but not worth going over any more exhaustively than it already has been.

Docshifty · June 2014

Ninja Snarl P wrote: »

Ach, I was honestly hoping you would just leave this in the other thread. I feel it's perfectly justified and heavily supported to say that PGI has a long way to go before they prove to have turned any sort of meaningful corner, but people are enjoying the game and I don't want to drag bickering into a new thread where other folks are having a good time. I could handily go point-for-point on what hasn't solved much of anything from that list (not all of it, but much of it), but really, nobody wants that.

PGI has plenty of work to do to prove they aren't pulling a shit train any more, but so far, every time PGI has turned the proverbial corner, they go right back to being incredibly shitty. That, I think, is a fair estimation, but not worth going over any more exhaustively than it already has been.

To be totally fair, your original post was right with the complaints. My only issue was the reducing of all progress to them meeting a single deadline.

So, basically, we can agree they've made a lot of progress, just not enough of it in your eyes?

That's a fair opinion. No sarcasm there, I can totally accept that.

HydroSqueegee · June 2014

Heroth wrote: »

Nips wrote: »

Why two units, Hydro? I imagine we'll just be the Oosik Irregulars, a largely-factionless (leaderless, organization-less) merc unit with holdings and equipment in both Clan and Inner Sphere.

We might not be able too, depending on how they set CW up.

Thinking about if further, if you form a Merc unit, can they fight for the clans with IS equipment or would they roll out in clan stuff. It seems to me that you need to be a unit of one of the major clans to run clan mechs and a unit of a house or merc unit to run IS mechs.
Will they let you create a minor clan house as ypur unit?

We need more details.

CycloneRanger · June 2014

Well, my perception so far is that the clan 'mechs are stronger than their IS counterparts. IS lights are competitive thanks to speed, but in the other categories you have to go pretty far into alpha-'mech territory to be on equal footing with clan brawlers, and clan alpha 'mechs will outclass you once they've got their efficiencies maxed out.

Phoenix-D · June 2014

Not allowing mixed units seems odd, as early in the clan wars that's something the IS units did wherever they could (usually by theft, sometimes not, as with Victor Davion's mech)

Docshifty · June 2014

Training section of the op is seriously lacking, so I'm digging up old school Oosik tactics to update it for the new players coming in, and giving the old guard a refresher.

Heroth · June 2014

Has anyone noticed map rotation seem to be favouring the big maps?

Since yesterday i've played around maybe 30-40 matches and only played Forest colony once, River city Twice (one being night) and the rest have been the huge maps, mostly alpine, torm and therma...

LD50 · June 2014

I feel the same way. I haven't seen Forest Colony since the clans have dropped. I've seen more alpine and tourm than anything else.

imperialparadox · June 2014

I long for the day that we get map votes. No-one will ever play Alpine again.

Phoenix-D · June 2014

Heroth wrote: »

Has anyone noticed map rotation seem to be favouring the big maps?

Since yesterday i've played around maybe 30-40 matches and only played Forest colony once, River city Twice (one being night) and the rest have been the huge maps, mostly alpine, torm and therma...

I think the rotation might just have issues. It had a serious hard on for HPG during the test, to the point where I saw that map, Forest Colony once, and Caustic once during the whole thing.

LD50 · June 2014

We both know that's not true; the poptard metaboats will blacklist HPG and crimson straight instead. With any luck we'd never run into them again.

Ninja Snarl P · June 2014

The map selection has never been especially logical, or at least not very clear. Maps were weighted more heavily when they were released and then changed later, but the big maps have definitely been more heavily favored for a looooong time. Stuff like Forest Colony and River City showed up very infrequently once there was a sizable number of the larger maps.

Eat it You Nasty Pig. · June 2014

haha, the madden comments

good times

italianranma · June 2014

TEAM: I see a new thread, G6. Looks like at least 1 assault, bunch of heavies, and one light enthusiast.
ALL: GLHF

Stabbity Style · June 2014

The Dire Wolf, she's still got it.

Stabbity Style · June 2014

Also, turns out I can actually get decent FPS in this game on medium/high settings now that my CPU isn't throttling itself overheating. Yay for aftermarket CPU Coolers.

jgeis · June 2014

I am not too afraid of Dire Wolfs when I'm in my Firebrand:

imperialparadox · June 2014

The Dire Wolf still seems like an incredibly slow, giant target to me, though if you get caught by one in a bad place it's like a triple-AC2 murder machine on crack.

jjae2123 · June 2014

Stabbity, what did you use for cooling?

Eat it You Nasty Pig. · June 2014

I don't think the dire wolf is too powerful exactly, but I don't really like the way it and the warhawk are balanced by just being slow as hell. Seems kinda frustrating for everybody

jgeis · June 2014

I am still of the opinion that none of the Clan 'mechs have been that impressive to me. I will grant that they are a bit harder to kill than IS mechs just because they can't be taken out by destroying a side torso. I've seen dudes walking around at like 7% with a weapon or two still active. That's really annoying, but I haven't felt outclassed when running up against Clan 'mechs in near one-on-one scenarios.

The Stormcrow seems the best so far though, it can be pretty powerful.

Xandar · June 2014

Been using the stormcrow, (bought it al a carte Monday since I wasn't feeling the lights, don't use assults often , know that the Thor is going to be problematic and figured I could always spring for a timberwolf later, or wait for round 2 of clan mechs and get me a maddog)

The stormcrow is a murder machine. Good speed, good profile, excellent twist and room for an ultra AC20. Missing a jumpjet option, but otherwise it checks all the required boxes.

I am surprised how comparable the clan stuff is feeling to IS, however we're also fighting in mixed groups. Were it IS vs Clan I think they would feel stronger.

imperialparadox · June 2014

Through a combination of taking a break and being out of practice, along with the Clan mechanics being different, I've actually been pretty horrible with most of the Clan mechs that I've bought.

I will say as a rough comparison for Clan tech vs. Inner Sphere:

Clan mechs are superior in longevity due to the way their XL engines work, but IS mechs seem to be more maneuverable and often have better arm twisting abilities. Still, Clan mechs are basically XL-zombies, and they are able to operate with weapons available for far longer than a typical IS mech.
Inner Sphere LRM's are superior, due to their blobbing nature. Clan LRM streams get eaten alive by AMS. OTOH, tons of Clan mechs pack AMS, because they have the free tonnage to do so, so that helps a bit. (lol 3xAMS Kit Fox). Also, the radar deprivation module is overpowered (thought it is available for both sides).
Clan lasers have better range and damage so they are able to project pain out farther, but they also have agonizingly long beam durations. I'm used to doing hit-and-runs with Inner Sphere medium lasers, but when I try it with Clan lasers I get thrown off because it takes longer for their firing to complete. You end up face tanking more with Clan lasers (and autocannons). Also, Clan pulses seem incredibly lackluster.
Clan mechs have powerful UAC options, but it's actually easier to mitigate their damage because they operate in bursts. Honestly, the standard Jaegerbomb is more scary to me than something carrying 2xUAC20's, because you have an easier time mitigating the Clan's autocannon damage through movement and twisting. Additionally, as noted above, Clan autocannons require face-tanking, which is a bad thing that is balanced out somewhat by their sturdy XL engines.
SRM's seem the same on both sides. At first I thought that Clan Streak6's would be awesomely overpowered, but their recycle time is so long it's actually hard to maintain pressure on a light mech with them, because they often manage to get away before you can fire them again. I do wish that they didn't nerf the damage for Inner Sphere SSRM's though, since they are limited to SSRM2 launchers.

The one thing that I don't get, is that I see people saying that Inner Sphere mechs are better for poptarting, but with the damage put out by Clan ERPPC's, I don't really know if this is truly the case. Once things settle in and the meta returns to poptart heavy builds, won't the Clan mechs be better suited for this? I guess an Inner Sphere poptart will tend to put out 30 point alphas (2xPPC, 2xAC5), but a Clan mech will have 20+10 adjacent damage from 2xCERPPC's plus their autocannon damage, which while distributed due to their burst, might average out to the same thing when you add in the extra PPC damage. Also, Clan mechs are just more survivable, and if you have a player who is good at poptarting with Gauss, it seems like the choice becomes more one-sided in the Clan's favor.

Handgimp · June 2014

I feel that LBX-20 is better than UAC-20. And not just because I

space shotguns.

Taranis · June 2014

Xandar wrote: »

Been using the stormcrow, (bought it al a carte Monday since I wasn't feeling the lights, don't use assults often , know that the Thor is going to be problematic and figured I could always spring for a timberwolf later, or wait for round 2 of clan mechs and get me a maddog)

The stormcrow is a murder machine. Good speed, good profile, excellent twist and room for an ultra AC20. Missing a jumpjet option, but otherwise it checks all the required boxes.

I am surprised how comparable the clan stuff is feeling to IS, however we're also fighting in mixed groups. Were it IS vs Clan I think they would feel stronger.

My only problem with the Stormcrow is how big its CT is. It's a good brawler, but the advantages of the XL engine are almost negated by the chassis' huge center torso. Still, it's my favorite clan mech so far.

Heroth · June 2014

From what i've noticed, in practice, almost *no* clan mechs have AMS, simply because the 'better' pods don't have it... only one pod on the timber-wolf has AMS and that one only has one missile hardpoint (opposed to the others having atleast 1/2 missile + 1/2 energy + extra jumpjets) so you are forced to give up 2/3 weapon hardpoints for AMS.

As for the 'IS better at poptarting' you sort of answered that yourself, with there direct fire AC's they have the better single burst pinpoint damage while the clans spreads... although i don't use either ppc's or AC's normally so thats just in theory so i can see your point being just as viable.

Tigliss · June 2014

imperialparadox wrote: »

Through a combination of taking a break and being out of practice, along with the Clan mechanics being different, I've actually been pretty horrible with most of the Clan mechs that I've bought.

I will say as a rough comparison for Clan tech vs. Inner Sphere:
Clan mechs are superior in longevity due to the way their XL engines work, but IS mechs seem to be more maneuverable and often have better arm twisting abilities. Still, Clan mechs are basically XL-zombies, and they are able to operate with weapons available for far longer than a typical IS mech.

Inner Sphere LRM's are superior, due to their blobbing nature. Clan LRM streams get eaten alive by AMS. OTOH, tons of Clan mechs pack AMS, because they have the free tonnage to do so, so that helps a bit. (lol 3xAMS Kit Fox). Also, the radar deprivation module is overpowered (thought it is available for both sides).

Clan lasers have better range and damage so they are able to project pain out farther, but they also have agonizingly long beam durations. I'm used to doing hit-and-runs with Inner Sphere medium lasers, but when I try it with Clan lasers I get thrown off because it takes longer for their firing to complete. You end up face tanking more with Clan lasers (and autocannons). Also, Clan pulses seem incredibly lackluster.

Clan mechs have powerful UAC options, but it's actually easier to mitigate their damage because they operate in bursts. Honestly, the standard Jaegerbomb is more scary to me than something carrying 2xUAC20's, because you have an easier time mitigating the Clan's autocannon damage through movement and twisting. Additionally, as noted above, Clan autocannons require face-tanking, which is a bad thing that is balanced out somewhat by their sturdy XL engines.

SRM's seem the same on both sides. At first I thought that Clan Streak6's would be awesomely overpowered, but their recycle time is so long it's actually hard to maintain pressure on a light mech with them, because they often manage to get away before you can fire them again. I do wish that they didn't nerf the damage for Inner Sphere SSRM's though, since they are limited to SSRM2 launchers.

The one thing that I don't get, is that I see people saying that Inner Sphere mechs are better for poptarting, but with the damage put out by Clan ERPPC's, I don't really know if this is truly the case. Once things settle in and the meta returns to poptart heavy builds, won't the Clan mechs be better suited for this? I guess an Inner Sphere poptart will tend to put out 30 point alphas (2xPPC, 2xAC5), but a Clan mech will have 20+10 adjacent damage from 2xCERPPC's plus their autocannon damage, which while distributed due to their burst, might average out to the same thing when you add in the extra PPC damage. Also, Clan mechs are just more survivable, and if you have a player who is good at poptarting with Gauss, it seems like the choice becomes more one-sided in the Clan's favor.

Good observations. With the clan heavy matches I'm seeing way more mechs with armored stripped at the end of the game and most matches seem to be up in the 8-10 min range. I'm guessing both IS and clan time-to-kill has gone way up. Clan mechs can survive the IS pinpoint (case and XL), IS survives longer due to the DoT of the clan weapons. I would really like to see how a clan vs IS match would turn out.

The aesthetics of the clan mechs are so spot on with their contrast to the IS mechs. They are so clean and new looking, IS look beat up and cobbled together (dirt, oil streaks, smudges). The founders catapult is even more dinged up. Good thing duct tape isn't lostech. The art department deserves some extra kudos for that, it is subtle and really detailed oriented. That being said, I would totally buy a "factory fresh" camo for my IS mechs.

NotoriusBEN · June 2014

I'm... Thinking... Of coming back now that you guys say the meta is shaken up some. (I'd still like to see actual mechanics in place but I'll take what I get atm until I decide to drop it again)

level with me. How effective are my:

commandos
spiders,
dragons,
cataphracts,
jenners

compared to the clans and what is out there now. Would my commandos be instantly vaporized? Should I even bother with my dragons since the sentiment is that IS heavies and assaults are fucked against the hitting power of clan tech. What about my pheonix mechs?

if I could get some honest opinions on these, that'd be super.

Handgimp · June 2014

if you're a good light pilot (ie know how to park yourself behind an assault and stay on his ass) you will carve up direwolves and some warhawks pretty easily.

Elbasunu · June 2014

i brought out my 4SP last night and held my own against a sea of Dire and Timber wolves. Srms feel good and those clan weapons are dope as heeeeelllll.

edit: But seriously...that UI needs to be upgraded before I'm willing to do ANYTHING> Mech swapping is a chore. I feel like UI should be priority 2, at least.

Kashaar · June 2014

NotoriusBEN wrote: »

I'm... Thinking... Of coming back now that you guys say the meta is shaken up some. (I'd still like to see actual mechanics in place but I'll take what I get atm until I decide to drop it again)

level with me. How effective are my:

commandos
spiders,
dragons,
cataphracts,
jenners

compared to the clans and what is out there now. Would my commandos be instantly vaporized? Should I even bother with my dragons since the sentiment is that IS heavies and assaults are fucked against the hitting power of clan tech. What about my pheonix mechs?

if I could get some honest opinions on these, that'd be super.

I have only 3 words for you: SRMs are back!

Xandar · June 2014

cataphract is still extremely solid. Lights are still and will continue to be good in context (once 3,3,3,3 is in will be better since you won't be giving up tonnage for nothing), you do have to hit n fade, strike from unwatched vectors, same as always, clan lights are too slow to chase you effectively.

Nips · June 2014

NotoriusBEN wrote: »

I'm... Thinking... Of coming back now that you guys say the meta is shaken up some. (I'd still like to see actual mechanics in place but I'll take what I get atm until I decide to drop it again)

level with me. How effective are my:

commandos
spiders,
dragons,
cataphracts,
jenners

compared to the clans and what is out there now. Would my commandos be instantly vaporized? Should I even bother with my dragons since the sentiment is that IS heavies and assaults are fucked against the hitting power of clan tech. What about my pheonix mechs?

if I could get some honest opinions on these, that'd be super.

Here's what I think:

Commandos - The ECM variant is still just as useful as always. The others finally have fixed SRMs to give them the punch they were lacking. Also, 171 kph is good. Verdict: Slightly improved.
Spiders - The ECM variant is still just as good as ever. The 4xMG variant can do scary damage once holes in armor appear. Verdict: Largely the same (good).
Cataphracts - Still disgusting. I don't pilot them, but I've been side-by-side with enough Murdermets and like builds lately to see they haven't gotten any worse. Verdict: Largely the same (good).
Jenners - Slightly outclassed by the Firestarters, but the Jenners are still rock-solid. SRM fixes now make their missile variants more useful. Verdict: Slightly improved.

Can't comment on Dragons; I'll leave that to our mythical-beast-loving friends.

Your Commandos are not going to be more quickly vaporized by a Clan mech than by any pinpoint-high-damage IS build, and in fact you'll actually probably survive longer given the DoT aspects of most Clan weapons. Especially in the non-ECM variants, kick those bad boys up to a max engine and just mooooove. 171 kph is the life.

Your Phoenix mechs are fine. The Shadow Hawks are still the GOAT for mediums, Locusts are walking deathtraps (*sob*), Thunderbolts can be built for durability to compete, and the Battlemasters still got all these guns, y'see.

If you're available, I'll be on tonight (along with the usuals). Be aware, if you haven't patched in a while, it'll take some time. And also prepare yourself for UI2.0, if you haven't tinkered around in it.

[Edit] Two more points, I just want to reiterate, because they're important. 1. Clan mechs don't have any more armor than the equivalent IS mech, so they CT core out just as easily. 2. Get behind lone Dire Wolves and Warhawks. Dem's easy pickin's if they're alone.

Penny Arcade

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