Is there some configuration that allows you to drive a mech while say the torso is twisted 100 degrees or somthing odd like that.

RIght now I have the torso set up so its on the mouse, and steering on the joystick. mouse button 1 is set to center the torso to the legs.

Is there a better way? are there techniques for running while twisted?

I guess my problem is that I loose track of where I am going in firefights.

Aaron.

Some joysticks have a third axis (the Z axis, which is just twisting the joystick to the left and right). A lot of people I know use that for their torso twist (myself included).

I used to have a joystick with only an X and Y axis (back when I played BK). I pretty much made an adaptation to the WASD controls.

W - Look left
A - Twist left
S - Look right
D - Twist right
Spacebar - Re-center torso

Edit: Sorry, got the lefts and rights set to the wrong keys. All fixed.

Torso twisting is one of the most distinct features of MW games. I use a joystick and a mouse, too. With very little problems. The mouse controls the torso, while the joystick turns the mech and provides several useful buttons to deliver pain to other players.

Although the joystick has a Z axis in the stick, I don't use it because it is uncomfortable to my wrist and because when I assigned it to the torso I found it would move the torso when I just wanted to turn. I think that my being right handed and using the joystick on the left hand may have something to do with that.

Look out for visual cues. The crosshairs have a small green bar that moves to either side depending on your torso's angle. The radar shows your field of view and moves accordingly. The third and most natural (although misleading at times) is to look how the environment moves. If the last thing you did is start walking and the landscape moves from left to right, then your torso is twisted to the right.

yeah that is kind of a big mess for me. I'm a lefty, and both my mouse and stick are molded for the righties. The mouse works well in the left hand though (cause the mold is designed to be accomodation to a lefty) which is what I use to aim. The right is the trigger finger. And I drive with the joystick.

I just keep getting hung up on terrain I did not see cause I was blasting some enemy. When I am shooting an enemy, I run into stuff and die. When I am paying enough attention to my driving not to hit anything, I am pummeled by the enemy, and I die. If I try to do both, I do neither well and I die.

Other than that I kick butt on the maps with no obstacles.

Aaron.

Try third-person view.

BOO!!!

I have problems sometimes with that as well, though not nearly so much on open maps as on city terrain. One of things that makes it easier to see where you are on a city map is to keep track of the street grid. After a while, you can tell what your orientation is to the nearest buildings, From that, you can figure out if you need to be adjusting your heading to avoid hitting one.

Try 3rd person view. Might as well Try Mech Assault.





Jab!

Don't encourage them! Some will find it anyway, the rest will stay in TRUE form... as 1st person, leet-type players...

I didn't say convert to third-person view. I said try third-person view. When a new player is trying to get the hang of visualizing where his 'Mech is, and what his 'Mech is doing, there's no better training tool than third-person view.

If that player should then choose to hide from the game's real capabilities, and cower within the artificial and imposed restriction of Forced First-Person View? Then I reckon that's their business.

*Beats down Wildcard with a nail-studded 2x4*

Yep, nothing left to do but revert to violence.

It's more of an issue of simplicity versus challenge. It's easer to pilot in 3PV, but it's more challenging in FPV. If you feel like a challenge, then just hit the "v" key a few times and there you go. Other options include driving Arguses, Chimeras, or Maulers. It's more fun that way, IMO.

Ya weenie! *grabs nail-studded 2x4 from TDog and starts beating 'Card with it*

Btw, 'Card, I went on to use 1st person a lot more anyway. It took a while to get used to, and I'll admit that it's more difficult to use, but I do feel that it's more precise (if your view is in between all of your weapons, rather than above, then you're less likely to shoot the hill while hill-humping or jumping or whatever. I love watching a person using 3rd alpha dirt... ). Also, at extreme close range if you're using 3rd, sometimes your weapons will fire out to the sides and completely miss the 'mech a meter away from you (ugh... I hate that, especially since I nearly always brawl when using 3rd). I'll admit, I do still use that view occasionally, but I'm getting farther and farther away from it. Also, 3rd was starting to get kinda boring. It was like the shots would fall right into my hands... er... guns... whereas in 1st person, I take a split second to size up the shot and I enjoy that. Also, the strategies involved in the FFP NR games that NBT provides are a really fun part of the game for me. It's not just *run to the center of the map- shoot a bunch- get killed- respawn- run back to the exact same part of the map and shoot the same people and the same mechs- blow up again...* - quite frankly, that kind of gameplay was getting boring for me. I felt like I had rediscovered Mechwarrior when I started playing NBT- it's a lot more like what you imagine 'mech fighting would be like- no mindless running in, getting killed, and respawning, and no 3rd person-exploiting popping up and down. Instead you get careful piloting, a greater focus on survival, more tactical manuevering, and also careful mech selection for the map and weather settings. Typically my only method of play on 3rd-person servers is run in, shoot stuff, and die. I do still enjoy that from time to time (ah... one of my favorite memories is from Gladiator Pit- you were on the other team in a Madcat, I was in an LBX-full reactive armor fast Hauppy, and I just charged into your spawn, blew off both your missile racks in one shot, and knocked you down. Of course, shortly after I finished you off, your entire team blew me apart... your comment was something like, "I don't know why you'd come after me- I'm not really that great of a tactical significance." It's just fun shooting you for some reason... probably because you make remarks like that ). At any rate, I'm happy I started using 1st person- mostly because of NBT. I enjoy 1st person no respawn much more than 3rd person respawn. 3rd person for me is now mostly for goofing off (but 1st is better for DFAing. Come to think of it- I really don't use 3rd much at all anymore. I still use it in MWL brawler drops, because the shooting is a bit easier, and you get a better picture of what's going on around you, but that's about it).

You're a weenie, too, John.

*snort*

'Card, why do we play TBR- Team Battle Restricted? Why do we have 3025 night? Why do we play under brawler settings? BECAUSE IT'S REALLY FUN! FFP NR IS THE SAME WAY!

*beats 'Card repeatedly with 2x4"



You know, you really ought to try it sometime.

On topic, 3rd person, as 'Card said, because it's easier to use and gives you an idea of what's going on around, is useful for getting used to piloting.

*shudders at the thought of 3rd person*

Anyhow, I will agree that 3rd person view is far easier to pilot in. You get a larger field of view, you can see about 60 degrees wider than you can in 3rd person view, and on top of that, you can see your entire 'mech, and anything you may have got caught on.

Edit: Oh, and it makes for better "action shots" when you're taking screenshots.

I dunno, since I've never used anything but 1st person, I prolly can't offer much of an opinion. I prefer it because there's more of a...sim...feel to it, for me. Recently, tho, I have experimented with 3rd person, just to check it out after hearing many of you talk about it. I found that it is a lot easier to keep track of your surroundings, and stay oriented.

Not that I'm gonna start using it or anything. I want my MW to feel like MW. If I want to look at my mech's back, I'll play MA or CBT.

Thanks fo rthe suggestion Card, I will give it a shot. I have always been a strict FP player. (Since MW1, but we really didn't have a choice there now did we?)

I will take on some stuff with 3rd and see what I can learn.

Aaron.

Exactly. That way, while using the total state of freedom that is third person perspective, one can watch others cower within the artificial and imposed restriction of assault whoring poptarting.

I find that I settle into 1st Person by nature, 90% of the time. I have certain configs that I go to 3rd person on--a Long-Tom, JJ ShadowCat is much more entertaining when run in third person, for example.

Some pop-tarting tactics almost require 3rd person, but I rarely go down that dark path. For real fun, Brawl Solaris-style in first person in something fast, like an 8 ML Wolfhound. Constant Head-Rush.....

As for torso-twist--got it on the stick and have trouble trying to twist in any other way. After a while it becomes natural to turn and twist with the same hand...I don't usually even look at the green "twist" indicator on the screen anymore. You can kind of feel how twisted you are, and of course you can hear it when you approach the peg-point on either side. The 360-twisting mechs (Raven, Thanatos, etc.) were the hardest for me to get a handle on, but have some HUGE advantages if you can get the knack.

And quit thwacking WildCard! Show some spine and pick a harder target....

Greetings,

New to the site, somewhat new to Mech 4 but a very very old hat at BattleTech. I used to work for BattleTechnology Magazine as the Technical Advisor and have been playing the board, RP and computer versions of the game since '86 (Anyone remember the original activision Mechwarrior that ran on a 386 . I hope I can contribute to the flavor of the site while I learn from all of you about how to master the online aspects of the game.


I have been reading on multiple forums about the religious debate between 1st person and 3rd person and just wanted to add a Universe reality check here.

In the BT universe Mechwarriors are linked to their Mechs with NueroHelmets. These helmets allow them to be "aware" of the Mech in ways that the computer games can never hope to convey to us. In addition the pilots actually rarely relied on the actual viewports in combat, Battlemech sensor systems created a 360 degree visual HUD display in front of the Mechwarrior. The front 180 is compressed slightly in the middle and the back 180 is broken to right and left and compressed heavily on the right and left of the HUD. This allowed a Mechwarrior to easily see 360 degrees around their mech at all times.

So in some ways the 3rd person view is a substute for this full sensor view that exists in the BT universe. So the purist arguement on 1st person while valid is valid only to the Computer game itself not to the BT universe.

Best to you all,
The Welshman
BT Veteran

LOL.

I have been a long time fan of Battle-Tech sinse the first release. Most people who play the game now think of only the Dark Age sets (BLAH!), now the original, kick arse, sets of City Tech and so on ruled. So, yes I do agree with you on this, just the mass of mechwarrior players have no clue. Most of the true Battle Tech fans from the MW2 and 3 game are now mostly gone due to the shafting of making your own 'mech from scratch.

And just to rant here:

Why the hell did MekTek release the Firemothe as the most crappy 'mech ever. I'm sorry to say that when I was playing it on MW2 I was able to get full speed and armor and a small pulse laser. Now with Mek Tek they have castrated one of the best light 'Mechs ever. At full speed you cannot have full armor or a weapon. What a load of crap.

********Rant Over********

Wow this thread is old.


**picks up 2x4** Aha! This is where I left it.

Yeah 'Card points that out every now and then, but the "purists" ignore him, as I suspect they will ignore you. Some hard heads in the community.

It actually feels awkward for me to play any sim type game be it flying, driving, whatever from any other perspective than in the drivers seat. I have friends that play all driving games and such from outside the vehicle. not only do you seem to lose the sense of speed, but some of the in depth gamplay as well. At least for me anyways.

Pot,Kettle,Black

Like this, you mean?

Well someday maybe a developer will read the old books and see the reference to the 360 viewscreen and code it into a game...

Yeah who am I kidding