In defense of SA

[Waffnuffly]

I think what Tripod is trying to say is that SA needs aircraft. And I agree. >:T

Also a Morrigu in SA? Hahaha man that would die so fast due to its ludicrously slow speed and horrible turret pitch issues. Just get a bunch of mediums or even fast heavies to swarm that thing (call it out in public chat) and it is utterly screwed in no-time. The Madcat MKII B, however... that one tends to be the game-ender in most SA matches I've seen.

[Urishima }12thVR{]

Yeah. Even if you kill it, the guy inside has probably made enough money to buy another one.

[Virt]

FWIW, I will always choose a server based on TC first, TSA second ... and SA never.

It's not that I don't appreciate the mode.   I just find it too frustrating though as, once I get a bit behind the upgrade curve, I basically become cannon fodder for the guys in the beefier Mechs.   

The way some people camp outside the hanger doors and kill you on exit also leaves a bad taste.

Anyways, that's just my pov on the situation.   Others enjoy it and that's fine.

[MerfMerf]

once I get a bit behind the upgrade curve, I basically become cannon fodder for the guys in the beefier Mechs.   

Truth with a modification really.
Smaller mech damaging a bigger mech get a modifier to its score. I find one can get plenty of score in some situations using a smaller mech. Often need to end up in like a shadowcat or bushwacker though at least. Works in an Adder sometimes too. Problem is it is very very situation dependent. You will typically not catch up to that MKII B or someone nom-noming everyone with a maddog B. Too often people get too focused on taking fights with those units despite having no chance to win, so even if you do the sane thing and refuse to fight them (the maddog is trickier cause it has good speed, but the MKII you should not have to fight if you are in something with a shadowcat's speed or faster) they will still get a lot of points from thrashing many other players who wither does not care and just want to shoot stuff or that simply do not come to the conclusion they should probably not fight a battle they can not win.

Also, it annoys me how something is up with the scoring. Many a time the person in place 1 is not the one actually winning the round. Hidden score somewhere. Was explained somewhere, but I can not seem to recall the exact explanation.

/Merf - The weight modifier helps, but it is not enough most of the time.

[Spooky]

Also, it annoys me how something is up with the scoring. Many a time the person in place 1 is not the one actually winning the round. Hidden score somewhere. Was explained somewhere, but I can not seem to recall the exact explanation.

It's a bug: http://forum.mechlivinglegends.net/index.php/topic,14351.msg230136.html#msg230136
I don't know if they found the reason yet.

[Mekabuser=12thVR=]

btw, I think it was the tx mwll server running SA last night and it was fun.
I have been playing the mod since day one and I still have many many a mech I havent tried, let alone mastered. Thats another great thing about SA, you spend the time fighting, brawling, learning. I learned more about using a bushy D?<THe ac 20 one> than I would in a month of tsa.
btw, are there any SA videos floating around out there? I can imagine there could be amazing ones.

[CGB [Blackthorne]]

I've played a few SA games really and sucked so hard it wasn't even funny. Then today I joined a game with only 2 other people on it, killed both of them because they had weakened each other by the time I had spawned, and then repaired back to full health.

It gave me enough of an edge that (by the time more people had joined the server) I was in a Beatstick surrounded by lights and mediums. When my Beatstick finally died I had enough cash to by the CHLL Morrigu (which I had never purchased before). More pwnage followed.

There are multiple conclusions I can draw from my experience today:
1) Starting players have an advantage
2) Some mechs/units are better in SA than others
3) If you can survive the "wave" and use the repair pad then you are set moneywise for the rest of the game
4) Running around on passive radar waiting to find a mech already near critical and then kill stealing/finishing it off will cause you to win the game...

#4 is the only valid strategy to play with in SA as it is right now...

Solutions:
1) Give all players the same base amount of cash (enough to buy a medium) and cap the amount they can carry over (or wipe their bank account clear as soon as they leave the hangar)
2) Move the repair pad(s) away from the center and make the repair time A LOT slower. People should be able to repair/rearm but it should take them away from the action to do so...
3) Get rid of the killing bonus and make XP and cash 100% damage based.

That's it from me... it's basically a summary of this thread so far...

[xInVicTuSx]

I have found pricing in SA to be very broken. Once you get one of the high powered Assaults like a MKII-B, Mauler-E, or Mauler-C you are an unstoppable force. Even if you are completely ganged up on (which doesn't happen very often) you will still easily be at the top of the scoreboard and have enough money for 4 more assaults completely ignoring starting cash. Its pretty fun up till then.. but once that happens, its impossible to catch up unless you bring out your own brawler assault spam. For good players it only takes 5 to 10 minutes to get to this point... then the rest of the round is pretty lame.

[DFDelta]

Even if you are completely ganged up on (which doesn't happen very often)

This is my biggest problem with SA.
People don't get their priorities straight (or theirs just don't make any sense to me).

If there is a camp of meds shooting at each other, and a BeatStick drops in on them, they should spread out like a scared school of fish, and then turn around and gang up on the MKII like a bunch of piranhas.

Thats the best thing everyone could possibly do, no matter how you look at it.
Modifier for shooting bigger stuff -> more money and points for shooting the MKII instead of that Holly over there.
The MKII is more likely to kill you then the SCat next to you once no other targets are around -> killing it first prolongs your own time in the field.
As long as the BeatStick is around you won't get any kills, since it twoshots everything -> killing it will raise your chances to be able to kill something, and thus gives you a better k/d ratio.

In reality everyone will just ignore the BeatStick and act like it isn't there, like its some nightmare monster that will disappear if you just convince yourself hard enough that it doesn't exist.

Hell, I've walked my Mauler E with active radar into groups of meds/lights fighting each other, and when I walked out with 3 more kills I was still undamaged.

[=KoS= Tripod]

In reality everyone will just ignore the BeatStick and act like it isn't there, like its some nightmare monster that will disappear if you just convince yourself hard enough that it doesn't exist.

lol

The funny thing is this is exactly what I imagine happening whenever I see noobs ignore death machines

[Urishima }12thVR{]

That's pretty much what I do. If I walk up on a couple pilots fighting it out in SA, I will always target the mostdangerous/heaviest asset in the field hoping that others will do the same (especially if there's a beatstick in the field).
Sadly, most folks don't get it and just target the first thing they see without taking a quick look at the battlefield first. Battlefield awareness is key people, no amtter what gamemode you are playing!

Also, Zellbrigen will almost never work in public SA. Duff and I tried that once as we were the top 2 players that match with the heaviest asets in the field. He was giving me the honour but instead of concentrating on me who would open fire on anyone in range, people would insist on targeting duff who was just standing around (until he got hit), no matter how much damage I caused.
I don't expect everyone to know what Zellbrigen is as I only found out recently but fer christ sake, some common sense people!

[CGB [CoffiNail]]

Yeah I have often recently tried to play with Zellbrigen in mind, letting others finish their fights... but often i find if i am just standing around waiting to jump in after the guy will just target me as i am a stationary target.

[DFDelta]

Zellbringen might work as some event, but trying to use it in pubs is like trying to have a honorable fight with FedSun troops. Not gonna happen

[CGB [Blackthorne]]

If there is a camp of meds shooting at each other, and a BeatStick drops in on them, they should spread out like a scared school of fish, and then turn around and gang up on the MKII like a bunch of piranhas.

Thats the best thing everyone could possibly do, no matter how you look at it.
Modifier for shooting bigger stuff -> more money and points for shooting the MKII instead of that Holly over there.
The MKII is more likely to kill you then the SCat next to you once no other targets are around -> killing it first prolongs your own time in the field.
As long as the BeatStick is around you won't get any kills, since it twoshots everything -> killing it will raise your chances to be able to kill something, and thus gives you a better k/d ratio.

In reality everyone will just ignore the BeatStick and act like it isn't there, like its some nightmare monster that will disappear if you just convince yourself hard enough that it doesn't exist.

Three reasons for this:

1) Some pubbers don't know that they get more points for damaging mechs above their class level.
2) (the main reason) They think that finishing off that (already damaged) medium will give them more points than just wounding the (full health) assault that will be killing them in about 20 seconds time...
3) All of the medium/light pilots are afraid to be the first one to shot the assault mech because it will turn on them. This is doubly true since none of the other medium/lights will attack the assault with them due to rules 1 and 2 above...