What do you set out to achieve during a game of MWLL?

[Virt]

KingLeer: please don't get frustrated.   

It's increasingly clear that my experiences with anti-air are very different to yours and some other members of the community.    Interestingly though, I see stories from others just like me who are also experiencing real difficulty in making a dent on an aero.     I don't think we can attribute these different experiences to me and others having poor AA skills.   

My current theory is that we're all correct.   AA works great for some, and AA is game-crippling bad for me and others.   I think there's something technical going on here.   

Is it possible that the culprit is server lag?   Is it possible that the 'puffs of smoke' are client side generated, and so, misleading because the server calculates that we're not hitting?   

If so, one thing you could consider to help us would be to introduce some simple sound effect for a server-detected aero hit, and maybe even disable the misleading puff of smoke.    That way we'd be able to tell when we're leading the target well enough to actually hit it.   I don't know how it all works, or what else is feasible.

Finally, I've only created one thread about aeros, and that was to try to gauge dispassionately and empirically the experiences of the community on balance between aeros and vehicles.    This particular thread wasn't about aeros, it was about different game objectives and measures of success.   We got sidetracked a little when we mentioned that we sometimes set out to have a dedicated anti-aero round... with varying degrees of effectiveness. 

In any case, I have faith.  Your comments in threads about addressing aero repair/refuel/return times, and a new dynamic which will cause pilots some concern, give me cause for hope.     

But if that fails, I'm going to plug in my joystick and show you all how the old guy who prefers to fight in Mechs is actually a damned good pilot.       

[dCK-Ad_Hominem]

heh right there with you SB.  but still DAM YOUR HOMING LAZERS!

You're the whole reasons why i'm dreading heavy lasers making it to the mechs .

Check the H config.  I'm just waiting for the day this makes it in. 

Here's what my cookie would be
Talking about the 2nd configuration. An Annihilator with 4lbx10 would also be neat.

[Virt]

I'd love to try that Nova Prime with its twelve ER Medium Lasers.   

(In a mechlab I'd sacrifice a couple of those jumpjets for a bit more groundspeed.)

[ARES]

There is only one thing to achieve.

Pinky: "Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"
The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to take over the world!"

[snooggums]

KingLeer: please don't get frustrated.   

It's increasingly clear that my experiences with anti-air are very different to yours and some other members of the community.    Interestingly though, I see stories from others just like me who are also experiencing real difficulty in making a dent on an aero.     I don't think we can attribute these different experiences to me and others having poor AA skills.   

My current theory is that we're all correct.   AA works great for some, and AA is game-crippling bad for me and others.   I think there's something technical going on here.   

Is it possible that the culprit is server lag?   Is it possible that the 'puffs of smoke' are client side generated, and so, misleading because the server calculates that we're not hitting?   

If so, one thing you could consider to help us would be to introduce some simple sound effect for a server-detected aero hit, and maybe even disable the misleading puff of smoke.    That way we'd be able to tell when we're leading the target well enough to actually hit it.   I don't know how it all works, or what else is feasible.

I was certain that there was a sound (like there is for missiles and other weapons), you just couldn't hear it over the gun firing. I've thought I heard plinks when I fired at long range and the firing sound ended before the bullets reached the target. I agree that there is often the appearance of hitting that still occurs when I can't seem to kill an aero on a direct path down if there is the tiniest bit of lag, but a smooth server they drop like flies.

I'm looking forward to the Warhead port to reduce the lag shield.

Ok topic, I set out to have a little fun and try something new during the round. New tactics, marking for the team or harassing the enemies rear units are usually pretty fun.

[MaverickOriginal]

Perhaps a visual cue to let you know that your weapons hit something? (a red arrow off to the side of the screen)
Maybe right under the personal cash. to let you know that it is going up, or down.

Maybe that will help us to learn the AA better.

[HAARP]

I think it would suffice if the actual hit sound worked reliably and wasn't influenced by lagshields :<

[sleet01]

My goals are two-fold:

1) Support the team.  I'm almost always in a Raven Prime or APC in the first wave because these are force multipliers that help the rest of my team be more effective.  I will also take the Osiris A (iirc) for its ERLBL anti-BA capabilities, or any ECM/GECM medium to hunt down LTs.  Recently I've been enjoying the RAC5 Hollander II and the "Warthog" Bushwacker; I've killed quite a few Aeros and VTOLs but more than anything the ability to sit on a hilltop and effectively engage any BA I see is satisfying *and* supportive.  More than anything, keeping an eye on the battlefield situation and adjusting to changing requirements - taking an ECM medium to assassinate hidden 'boaters, taking AAA if the team is getting anally probed by UFOs - let me feel like I'm contributing.

2) Kill the enemy. Since we're basically playing team deathmatch I try to take out as many enemies as I can, which means I'll use "cheap" tactics like sniping, NARCing, prioritizing BAs and armor, LTing, missile pop-tarting, flanking under ECM, and staying close to the base... *as* *necessary*.  I'll pop a light with an HGauss, hell yeah I will, and I'll flee a dying mech and fight on on foot for as long as possible, so long as it looks like I can take out another enemy.  Since I don't focus on survival to the exclusion of all else sometimes my D/K ratio is low, but I almost always end up in the top 3~5 on my team.

I like to feel like I'm providing support to my team so I try to communicate as much as possible; being an ex-tanker the ideas of combined-arms fighting and coordination are sort of second nature now.  On the flip side, I don't play like it's a sim: there's not enough customization yet to really feel like I'm playing a personalized character and so far there aren't any game modes that reward survival.

In reply to the guy who complained about BAs being useless, well, I'm sorry you feel that way.  I used to curse BAs, up until I learned how to effectively combat them, but in my experience they have been and continue to be an effective part of the team.  They're not going to be downing heavies on their own, for the most part, but they are superb harrassment units that can, in the right hands, destroy snipers, provide TAGging, suppress other BAs, distract parts of a charging unit, and act as forward observers... all useful roles.  Anything that can divide the enemy's attention or take the pressure off your own team's expensive assets is useful.  Maybe you won't rack up the highest score, but piloting a BA can be very rewarding in its own right.

[dCK-Warheart]

Kill as much Stravag Camperpults as possible.

[~SJ~ wangmauler]

For me, I love to try to be the one the enemy team focus's their fire on first - so my teammates can take them out more quickly and our score goes up.  I'm always trying to be a team player and will do anything regardless of my costs to help them out.

[Nitro_R]

For me, I do whatever it takes to get into Shadowcat so I can hit and run with big UAC or LBX.
The rest of the money, I give to one teammate so I can give him an early rank boost.

My secondary objective is to fly like an idiot and crash into objects, then promptly explode.

[AlfalphaCat]

My current theory is that we're all correct.   AA works great for some, and AA is game-crippling bad for me and others.   I think there's something technical going on here.   

Is it possible that the culprit is server lag?   Is it possible that the 'puffs of smoke' are client side generated, and so, misleading because the server calculates that we're not hitting?   

If so, one thing you could consider to help us would be to introduce some simple sound effect for a server-detected aero hit, and maybe even disable the misleading puff of smoke.    That way we'd be able to tell when we're leading the target well enough to actually hit it.   I don't know how it all works, or what else is feasible.

Why are you looking for 'puffs of smoke' to see if your hitting a target, there is a perfectly working feature that shows that your hitting,
their tag/name will light up above their vehicle, how else are you gonna tell your hitting somethin when your half a mile away.  That's what i do playing AA and even with lag you should still be fairly effective, maybe it's not the game doing something wrong, just you.
Also use lots of AMMO!!  And another thing, this game is loaded with sounds, it's already boggy, i don't like the new sound either, and my Pumas run silent, unless i'm looking down, creepy to say the least.

As for the OP...#1 Have fun!!
#2 try not to screw my team by sacrificing My Owens to poor tactical decisions.
#3 Try to counter the punks that are sooo effective using the same asset over and over.
#4Rank up, don't care much about K/D ratio, but it is nice to die less and kill more!!!
#5 Did i already say have fun?
#6 Practice, mostly piloting as i see it as just as important, or more so, than being a crack shot.  Just wish the stop and go was a little more responsive.

Have fun out there kids...

[Virt]

maybe it's not the game doing something wrong, just you.

I can play AA effectively in other online games, so that is not the problem.

[~SJ~KorbinWimmer]

This is a what do you set out to achieve thread not a balance thread!!!

1.  Generally use only IS or only Clan tech based on the team I'm on.

2.  Then from there I try to force myself to pick a variant and stay with it the entire match.

[Virt]

This is a what do you set out to achieve thread not a balance thread!!!

Yep, that was my intention.    It worked out pretty well for the most part.

Are you saying you stay in a <49K mech the whole match?   I mean, you can't afford any other kind of mech at the start of the match.