Advice to the n00bs

Hello Mech Fans. Vettie here with another edition of Vettie's Views. As you know, from time to time I post my view of things, whether it be about MechWarrior or lousy service at fast food restaurants.

We are all waiting on the release of MekTek's MP3.1, a “free” version of MechWarrior4 Mercenaries with all the previous MekTek Mek Paks included plus a few enhancements. Along with this release, many of us speculate there will be an influx of old MechWarriors and hopefully new ones as well. The trick here is to attract new blood to a very old game AND to keep those players interested in the game. That's a nifty trick and I certainly hope we (we as in the current MW4 community including anyone reading this blog today) can pull this off. It's not gonna be easy to do.

Mechwarrior4 is a very old game. The graphics show that. The High Definition Patch (from Mercstorm) helps and the texturing on some of the MP302b mechs is incredible, but the graphics are still very old. The thing is, this isn't about graphics. Its about game play. I have covered this before stating that in my opinion Mercs is one of the best multiplayer games ever released. MekTek is making some changes even to the single player version. This will allow players to see and use Mek Pak Mechs in the single player campaign. This is a big step, allowing players to get familiar with battlemechs they may actually use on-line

This brings us to on-line play. Many of the existing players of the game, the community if you will, have been playing this game a very long time. Any night of the week a player can join Sunder II (pure tech server) and experience some of the best open play of Mercs anywhere. Many of those pilots, mechwarriors, players or whatever you want to call them, are not only very good at the game, but they are also helpful to each other and other players of the game. Sure, not all are, but most are, trading configs or tactics or backing one another up on a flank maneuver or straight on rush and so on. And let's not forget the guys on various “comms”. D-Day runs an open “comms” teamspeak for the players in Sunder II and I am pretty sure that Oneshot (operator/owner of Sunder II server) either runs a comms service or has access to one that is more or less “open”. Katt and Rhino have one as well. In most cases all you need is to download Teamspeak or Ventrlllo and a microphone. If you don't wanna talk but do wanna listen, you don't even need the mic.

Genghis Prawn (with his trusty admin Mini-Me) run a web site I have mentioned many times before called www.SunderJunkies.com . GP and Mini started this site some time back as a place for players in Sunder to have a place to go to post all kinds of things. If you haven't been there, I suggest you follow the link and go visit the site. They run a great site over there with lots of cool info. I used to write my Vettie's views there before I got my own space.

There has been a thread running over there, started by Vampire back in October of 2008, about giving advice to new players. It simply starts like this “...if you were going to give a new player, or a returning one, advice on MW4 what would it be?” This thread is some 4 pages long and still growing. That gave me the idea for todays post. I am going to try to paraphrase the gist of thread and list the pieces of advice (with my slanted comments of course) but I suggest that you go visit it for yourself so you can read it completely and get a feel for the players who made a post. So here goes, Vettie's View on giving a new player or returning player advice on MW4, taken from the Sunder Junkies with a Vettie twist added for flavour. I am not going to list all the people the contributed to this thread, but I thank them each and every one and I hope I don't offend anyone with my take on the advice and I hope I don't leave anyone out even though I am not using names or quotes, just paraphrasing. Well, you will see...

One of the first things posted is that n00bs (new players) tend to take BIG mechs loaded with high alpha values (as many weapons as they can fit on it) and run into the fray. I agree that this is a mistake. Many will use the “instant action” or solitaire campaign as guide for what works and what doesn't, again, big mistake. If you notice, whatever “faction” you choose in the campaign, you either start with a light or medium class battlemech and you eventually move up to a heavy or even an assault mech. This lets the player get used to driving each class of mech. However, the campaign is played against “scripted” bots with “mostly' stock load outs (except for some of the “named” players). These bots, even though deadly in their own right in no way represent what a “live” opponent will do with a “personalized” weapons load out. I suggest trying different classes of mechs with weapons you are comfortable with. Learn the recycle rates and how much heat the weapons generate on the mechs you choose and of course, learn the ranges of the weapons. The next thing is to learn the heat rating of the maps being played on-line Some maps are very hot (Solar Desert) and some are very cold (Lunacy) so the way your choice of mech operates with a specific load out changes from map to map. Try many different chassis and weapons and find ones you like and feel comfortable with. Try them without ANY electronics so you get a feel for how others pick you up at range or through the fog. Then blend in the electronics and learn how they work. Most of all keep moving. If you can shoot, you can be shot. These guys been playing for 5 to 10 years and they know how to shoot.

Teamwork is listed. This is important. Refer to what I said above, many of the players have been playing for 10 years. They understand the game and how it works. They can “hud” you from 1200 meters. Don't get mad, learn from what you did wrong and get back in there and do it again but better the second time and so on. Don't stray from your team (unless you agreed to be the bait). Stick close and read the chat screen for tips and tactics from your team mates or better yet, get on comms with them and listen to what they tell you, MOST are very helpful.

Back to electronics. After running for awhile sans electronics, Vettie suggests that you ALWAYS take LAMS if offered on your choice of mechs, always. You can learn to avoid missiles and you can figure out certain ways of dipping your chassis forward and turning hard right or left to avoid the inbound salvos, but that doesn't always work and they will eventually hit you. Also, ECM makes it a little harder for the enemy to pick you up on radar. You can get closer WITH ECM and running active than without it. ECM makes it harder for missile mechs to pick you up as a target and lastly it reduces the PPC “fuzz” (disruption) when you are hit by a PPC blast. ECM is worth the 1 ton expense. Vettie says take it.

Learn to run passive. So many pilots are radar dependent. Be aware of your surroundings. To get your bearings or find your team mates or enemies, flash your radar on for a few seconds (VERY few) and then off again. Leave learning missile boats until later.

Use cover. If you run around in the open, it will be a short round for you. When you do get destroyed, follow around a few of the pilots using the spectator view to see what THEY do.

Another thing that n00bs tend to do is set up too many weapons on too many triggers or buttons. If you use a joystick, get a good one that allows you to have multiple buttons mapped because there are MANY controls (not always weapons) that you will find handy. If you use a keyboard, learn the controls you use most. I use a Nostromo N52 and a high quality mouse (Logitech MX518). Configure your set up so that YOU are comfortable and can access the controls (be it keyboard, Nostromo, or joystick) without having to LOOK at the controller.

If you are playing on-line and NO one has died yet, don't, repeat, DO NOT peek that hill first. Even if you think there is only one mech on the other side that you feel sure you can take, there are others you cant see but absolutely know you are there. I like to run a 80 Ton Victor and nearly every config I have consists of FULL armour. I cant even count the times I have died in what SEEMED like one shot from the enemy. Its not just one guy shooting, its several and they all are just drooling for some idiot like me to give them a little bit of a target, that's all they need. Alphas from 3 or 4 assault mechs will kill most any mech in the game, especially if they hit you within milliseconds of one another, so close it seems to be one shot... One of the things you used to hear a lot on our comms (The Blood Pearls comms) was “...Smaga!! Don't go over that hil....crap, come on guys Smag's in trouble...” and the game chat reads “~BP~Smagaman destroyed “BY EVERY MECH ON THE OTHER TEAM””

Learn how to spread your damage. Don't expose your CT more than you have too. Learn to twist and turn. You can take 5 alphas in 5 different parts of your mech much better than 5 alphas to one part of your mech. Practice makes perfect, well, in this game, practice makes you better.

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to ask questions, in game, on here or in the Sunder Junkies forums. Don't be afraid to boat weapons. Learn how they work. ALL weapons except LASERS have a lead time. Learn to shoot moving targets while you are moving. Lasers are the only weapons that hit where you point and pull the trigger. Some weapons have faster travel times than others (except LASERS). Some lock up on you (RACs) if you hold the trigger (or button) down for too long. Some will over heat you if you keep using them (even some ballistics). Don't be afraid to try different weapons until you get comfortable with them.

When you get destroyed, think about what you did wrong. Sometimes you did nothing wrong, you were just out gunned. Sometimes you did do something wrong. Think about it and figure it out. I have been playing since MW2 Dos version 1st came out and I still make some of the stupid mistakes I did way back then.

Remember that if you are new to the game, most of the guys and girls you are facing have been playing along time. You think you could beat Tiger Woods on his own course? There is a lot to learn in this game of ours. Most catch on very quickly. Even if you do, it doesn't mean you will be on top of the kill board all the time or even part of the time. As I said, I have been playing 10+ years and many times I just break even, kills to deaths. If you don't remember anything else, please remember this, MechWarrior4 Mercenaries is a game. Play it to have fun. Be respectful of the people you play with and against and be sure to thank your host every now and then. Enjoy the game.

I hope this helps and I hope to see new folks on line. I also hope that MekTek gets the “green light” soon for the free release. The folks over there have done a lot for this game. The players in the various leagues and open servers have done a lot too. For all you regulars out there, and some of you irregulars (that would be me in that group) give yourself a big pat on the back. If it weren't for the MekTeks AND the players, there would be no game to enjoy.

Side note(?), foot note (?), I don't know, some kinda note anyway, this post comes to you via Open Office version 3.1.1 in a freshly installed version of Linux Mint (8). In these days where jobs and $ are hard to come by, a free OS on an older machine makes it run like new, not to mention all the goodies included with Mint. My thanx to the Linux folks out there. Give it a look see at www.linuxmint.com .

w00t! Folks and hope to see you soon.