Considering that this was my first time playing Mercs online, ever, I don't think I did too badly. I mean, I got a few kills, and I managed to avoid plugging any of my teammates, so I think that made it a successful first outing.

I used three different heavy setups to get the feel of things...I considered running a light, but I had a funny feeling that I wasn't up to that, and I think that was the right choice in hindsight. the first was a 2 ERLL 2 CUAC10 Cauldron-Born, the second a 2 ISLL 2 CUAC10 CB, and the third a 1 CGR 2 ERPPC 1 LTPPC Marauder. All had within 1 ton of full armor. I found the 2 ERLL 2 CUAC10 CB to be the most useful of the three, and I think I'll stick with variants on that rig for a while until I can actually break even with my K/D ratio.

While I loved the heavy punch that the PPC/Gauss Marauder packed, I found it difficult to locate targets at range- I'm assuming that some of the enemies were mounting ECM or BAP or both, since they had me in their crosshairs long before I even knew where the shots were coming from. I'm used to relying on my sensors for target acquisition (a Starsiege habit of mine), and I had a lot of trouble locating enemies visually when I couldn't see them on my sensors. The funny thing is, I thought I would be awful at long range shooting- I was in SP, and MP has more intellignent opponents, after all- but I found that I actually can hit targets at long range pretty reliably with Gauss or PPC (even though my slow target acquisition meant I died more than I killed).

Good times. I'm definitely going to make a habit of this.

Make sure you have BAP on your Marauder- it boosts your radar range and will help you find people lurking out there. Remember it only works when your radar is on, though; related to that, try to remember to turn your radar off anytime you aren't specifically looking for a target.

Also note that even if someone has their radar off, if they're using third person and behind a hill, they can see over the hill and may be inclined to take advantage of that. So don't be too surprised if you get nailed by someone kinda randomly without seeing them on your radar first. You won't really see as much of that here, because most of us TB folk share a bizarre passion for getting in people's faces and blowing up all over them and whatnot.

Furthermore, you really should try out some light mechs. Yeah, you'll get blasted all over the place, but you'll learn a lot by driving them. I personally think it's a good idea to try out all the mechs (yeah, that can take a while) online before really settling down on one. You'll learn a lot about what you really enjoy doing, what weapon combinations you're the best with, and what mech configurations will work for certain situations. Besides- there's tons of mechs and weapons- so why not try them all out?

Oh, and it's good to hear you're having fun. The learning curve is definitely really steep at this point in the game, but remember- we're here to help you out. And have fun. And leg Gwyd.

Glad to see you're jumping right in. One more thing you might consider is the sight line ranges on a particular map. If you're in a city environment or heavy fog, then loading up with shorter range weapons can be really useful. If it's clear and a long ways between landscape features offering cover, then longer range weapons and jump jets work well for me. It looks to me that your favorite loadout is more or less a medium range affair will represent a challenge. shucks pop tart got me again.

Sensors
Don't depend on them too much. A lot of guys (like me) make a habit of running passive as much as possible - especially if I'm not using any weapons (missiles) that require active sensors. I'll generally just blip my radar when I need to get a fix on where the bad guys are, but leave it off the vast majority of the time. I feel like any time my radar is on and I'm not looking at the display, I'm just advertising my position uselessly.

Weapons
PPC's can be great weapons, but out of all the weapons in the game they are the most prone to NDB. (No Damage Bug - a lag-related game glitch that makes it look to you like you hit your target, when in reality you missed it slightly) So depending on your ping, the quality of the server, and your target's ping, they can be pretty inconsistent sometimes.

Bad Guys Seeing You Before You See Them
Since you're an old Starseige guy, you were probably playing with 1st-Person View engaged, right? Keep in mind that if you're on a Third-person Allowed server (which you can check by clicking on the 'Server' tab in the game lobby) then pretty much everyone else on the server will be using Third-person. This gives them a significant advantage over you if you're not, because they can use it to see over or around obstacles.

I know a little about flashing sensors; I've used that on occasion in SS when I want to stay hidden. I have that mapped to one of the toggles on my stick, but I might just move it for convenience.

About first person...I'm afraid to say I'm a rather hardcore FP addict. There's a few other games I play that have the option to use either first or third (and most of them throw the advantage to third as well), but I'm always more comfortable in the cockpit. Using third just to take a quick peek around the corner is a tactic I'm familiar with, though.

Personally, I used to be a hardcore first-person guy myself. Eventually I got tired of getting chewed up by guys using third-person, and I had to decide between playing on first-person-only servers all the time, or playing with my friends (who all preferred third) I ended up deciding that playing with friends was more important to me than some relatively meaningless in-game preference.

So I tried third person, and now I'm really glad I did. I've come to prefer it a lot because not only am I more effective, but I think it gives me a lot better feel for where my 'Mech is, what it's doing, and a much more comprehensive game experience.

In other words, I suggest that everyone give it a try for awhile. If you end up deciding to stick with first (and a lot of people do) then I'd suggest looking specifically for first-person-only servers. The learning curve in this game is steep enough as it is without handing your opponents a huge advantage over you.

Why is this always one of the first pieces of advice given? Can't there be one pilot out there aiming for my torso?

I think the first piece of advice is shoot Gnosis.....................then leg Gwyd!

I can't get used to 3rd person, I just can't, in any game, be it shooting, driving a car or driving a mech. It's the getting hit part that does it for mechwarrior. I find seeing my mech move as well as the cross hair from the knock incredibly distracting and I always end up over compensating for the hit and it's just a mess. In First Person I find this is largely negated and I'm not distracted by the mech twisting and shuddering in front of me. It also hampers me for sniping but since I dislike sniping in any form in a mech I do not think this is much of a loss to me.

The differences between third-person and first-person aren't just how much you can see, but in the amount of knock you recieve from incoming fire. In fact, I can usually make a pretty accurate guess as to whether or not my target is using first or third, based on how long it takes them to get their reticle back on me after I hit them.

Siggy, my guess would be that you've gotten used to first-person (and the increased level of knock involved with it) and so when you're playing in third-person and you get hit, you're overcompensating and probably swinging past your target on the return. It would take awhile to get used to the decreased knock in third-person, but I'm sure you could do it.

Any chance we could like... sue them, and make them stop with that Gwyd?

You've got a really good point there, Wildcard. I've been a dedicated 1st person player for years. Well, since I started playing MW, anyway. Lately, I've been experimenting with 3rd a bit, just to see the differences. I started out just using it when I brawl, to try to keep from getting hung up on buildings and such. I'm not sure if it helped or not, since my skill level is so low anymore, it's hard to tell. Recently, I've tried using it in other circumstances. Like Siegfried, I find it hard to recover from hits. The whole mech swinging around can be tought to deal with. But, like you said, I think that with practice, I may be able to keep from over compensating. Worth a try, anyway.

Gwyd. If it'll make you feel any better...


Leg Gwyd! Only take one leg. Once he's been slowed down a bit, take his arms off. Since he's been slowed down and mostly (no pun intended) disarmed, might as well get some practice in right? Try aiming for his side torsoe (both of em) and hitting them till they are blinking red. Now that all of that is out of the way, you might as well oblige Gwyds prefrence and try aiming for his center torsoe *happy Gwyd*

Nah, just leave him neutered and squirming..........

Ok, leg me after you leg Gwyd.

Working on it.

I'll deliver the papers.

I'll find a neck brace and rent a wheelchair.

you guys are a riot!!!

Hehehe...was just playing around with an LCBL Flea. That thing's a riot...got the attention of just about every single person I looked at, and even managed to grab me a double kill by popping a BK in the leg while a Raven was running past it. Much better results than I had with heavy lasers, or machine guns, or anything else for that matter. Insanely fun! Having a lot of trouble picking a favorite 'mech; I don't think I've used even one I didn't like yet.

Something like this?

Though, I think I did it the other way around. Took his arms, then his torsoes and removed his weapons. Then legged him, and started stripping off the rest of his armor until it got to this point.

Well, I think I've finally found something I hate... ^$&#ed assault drivers self-destructing when I'm -> And I'm getting halfway decent at that too...

Yeah Wrath I saw that. Problem taken care of.

Muchos gracias.

That kind of confuses me though...don't you lose points for S/Ding? Why run down your own score just to deny someone else the points for killing you? Doesn't that sort of...defeat the purpose of killing them in the first place?

Now off to find that map...there wasn't any linkage in the map not found popup.

Some people have that enormous sense of invincibility in an assault and don't like being nailed by a light. That's why intentional suicides are banned on Ronin, because it nails your teams score and affects the other people on the suicider's team's game for the worse. Anyway, it happens, don't let it worry you and remember, if your piloting of a light is forcing overconfident and proud assault pilots to suicide in order to deny you the kill then you're doing something very right indeed.

Oooo... elegant... *saved*

Definitely a good screenshot, even if it was me. He got a lot (OK, most) of my armor legitimately, but once I was out of weapons I was obliging him, turning my back to him when the front armor was gone. It was kind of like getting fitted for a suit or getting a haircut: OK, turn a little, good, now back. OK, finished there, let's move on.

First advice to all new players:

1) Ignore all advice.
2) Ignore all people giving advice
3) Trust your instincts and go with em'
4) Play to have fun.

Here's the real meat and potatoes advice:

A)Maps detemine mechs and mech's loadout.
for example:Lunacy=JumpSnipers,or NonJJ's
snipers,which means mostly Heavies and Assaults.
which you need a:Jump capable,heavy energy and
balistic loadout mech.BK's(black knight),Gladys(Gladiator),
Avatars,Kodiaks,Victors,MK2s,Highlander.You can
choose anything,but if you want to have a chance
choose one of those.
B)Type of Game determines mech and mech loadout.
For example:Battle games are about points,and how
many crit spaces you can destroy,more than just
kills,so having light mech skills count here,as you
get a modifier for taking on heavier mechs.This is
the suicide issue,as a light gets more points for kill,than
it will cost the team member to suicide.Its a pain to
be a light,and have whittled down a lone assault,to
almost to the kill,only for them to suicide.If the server
allows for that,but it makes you angry,leave,as they
will call you a whiner if you make an issue of it.
C)Against very skilled players,every electronic
bit of help to disguise your movement,but reveal
your enemies,is going to save your butt.Some
will say that is lost tonnage and you could use it
for more armor or more heat sinks or more
weapons,and on some maps this is the case,but
more often you'll wish you had IFF and ecm or
Bap,ect.One of the most lethal mechs is Cyclops
due to its electronics capability and its load out
ability.As is the Raven,even though its a light.
D)Never,even in a Sniper map situation,under
estimate Missiles,as they do alot of damage,and
Lag rarely affects a locked on missile.Watch out
for missile boats,and false missile boats.Jump
snipers usually kill missileboats very quickly,but
left unchecked they can create havok.
E)Boats are great,but try Weapon combos,as
the different speeds and trajectories can create
nearly a one hit kill if you are lucky.

Anyway,goodluck,goodhunting,and Have fun.

hmm didn't know that 3rd person decreased the amount of knock. I've been playing first simply for the fact that its more realistic. now i will definitely have to check out third more often, seeing as advanced gyros are one of my favorite electronics pieces

And that is my biggest problem. My recovery time stinks. I have found myself yelling profanities many a time, becouse just as i get my crosshair back on target i get hit again before i can fire. frustrating to say the least.

Been around MechWarrior for the pc from day one. Have to admit I dont see the point of Third Person...your SA is artificially high...removes some challenges that IMHO ought to be there.

I use to hate 3rd person, now well I have trouble brawling with out it because in fp I seem to run into things a lot more...

Third puts a big honkin' Mech in the way of my forward view. I haven't been able to adjust to that ever since I started playing MW4 offline, but online it's even more of a distraction. I'm doing fairly well with first person...well, for a still-somewhat-green-rookie anyway.

I don't have much to add except that snap-shots (where you don't really aim) are your best friend. You may miss, but once your better you won't, but you usually scare the other guy into shooting and missing. Lining up a shot tends to be worthless unless the opponent is all alone and you have no one shooting you. Anticipation of the shot is your best friend.

Once you get good enough you can start ignoring most paradigms and using mechs that shouldn't work but tend to do fairly well. No armor mechs, with lots of guns, tend to worrk well if used stealthily. Max Gun mechs with armor, no speed or Speedy mechs with moderate guns, lesser armor tend to do ok. Using light mechs on assault friendly maps, i.e. Lunacy, can yield good results, solitaires and ravens especially. Rarely are snipers on Lunacy at more of a disadvantage than when pinned down by your sniper support and you bring a speedy light over the hill on them to finish crit mechs. Use snipers on brawler maps or brawlers on sniper maps. Rarely do truly oddball mechs like machine gun mechs or small/medium pulse mechs do well. Generally larger alpha strikes tend to rule the day. Hovever a quick recycling moderate alpha does well in terms of knock and damage over time if driven appropriately.

Oh yeah on third person, you have to watch for drastic or even slight changes in elevation or your shots will hit the ground. The target reticle is set for fp gaming and your mech may not be able to make the shot even if your reticle turns red. Hence why many of the better small and medium pilots tend to go up and down terrain to take advantage of the bobbing of mech torsos and maybe avoid damage by shots hitting the ground.

Last pice of advice: drive an uziel. 2x PPCs for any map or terrain. Or use a Chimera. They're always fun. All them assault boats and uber heavies, well, they're not worth the effort. Works for me (on some occasions at least, but only a few)...

THe debate about 1st versus 3d person will never be resolved.

But I will say this: if you're fighting from outside your mech (3d person) you are making it unrealistically easy to pilot and fight. Period.