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Post by hi5 on Jul 5, 2017 18:28:19 GMT -5
It's been noted in a couple of threads that a possible MM tweak was made recently, causing a wider range of leagues to be represented in matches than before. For example, Diamond players seeing Gold, Diamond, Expert, Masters and Champions all in the same match. Could be true, could just be an anomaly due to the Summer event. Not the subject for this thread.
Thus, I believe the need to visually sort the high level players on the battlefield from those equal or below you is more important than ever. Do you aggressively push that Red hiding behind a wall or approach with caution? I've discovered a few helpful tips to help spot the Pros, but hoping others will contribute too.
• Dangerous Dancers: Doind a jig, especially while behind a wall is a good sign it's a Pro. It's harder to predict when/if they'll pop around the corner if they are always moving than if they are a statue. DON'T RUSH IN! Make them move first.
• Zigzagging: if you see a red moving fast in short but random directions when not near any blues, it's probably a good pilot. Getting into the habit of moving unpredictably helps avoid sniper fire you don't see coming (looking at you, quad-treb Butch).
• Shy Robots: So you're moving on a white beacon with a Red a couple hundred meters away, stationary, shadowing you or dancing a little. It's a TRAP! A good pilot will stake out a beacon from their favorite spot and wait for the fly to come to the spider. Try circling around first and see what the response is. If you can't quite close the distance on your terms, see if you can herd them towards another Blue. Might force their hand and flush them outside their preferred situation.
• Silent Guns: You've noticed a Treb sniper early on targeting your Blues often, but havnt seen its golden gaze in a while and you're about to rush a beacon. It's worth a look around first, as a pro sniper will show extraordinary patience to both warm those Trebs up and wait for you to show your head.
• Watch that Regen: Does that Ancilot's ancile regenerate pretty fast? It's probably level 11 or 12 and I bet it's got some weapons to match. Might want to approach that big fella with caution - it could be a Pro. (EDIT: It appears I'm wrong with this one and that anciles regen at the same speed no matter the level. Per @nixpilot it's better to measure how quickly your weapons decrease a shield to determine its level.)
• Ground-bound Griff: Top level pilots know not to waste a jump, especially when it just exposes you to good snipers at higher levels. When was the last time you saw that Griff you're hunting jump? If it's more than 30 seconds, it might be a Pro and you should expect a pounce towards you at any moment.
Hedging: The ability to skirt your range or stay just far enough behind cover to obscure an open shot is a skill that takes time. Did you just try to ambush that damaged Red but it somehow managed to step back into cover at the last minute? If you're not already dead, look a little more closely - might be a Pro.
• Remember the Name: The hardest (for me), most important and yet simplest tip. Did (insert clever player name here) just absolutely toast you in seconds flat? It's probably a Pro, so if you can't resist the urge to spawn in your favorite brawler and race back for revenge - at least try to think of a better approach than "gonna get you!". And if you see them later on in a different bot, odds are this one can toast you too so approach with a teammate or at least some caution.
That's all I got for now. Really hoping others will add - so I can use them on you later!
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Post by mijapi300 on Jul 5, 2017 19:08:38 GMT -5
I'll throw in a couple, but want to touch on a couple of yours first.
Zig-zagging. This is a good way to spot an experienced player, but I specifically wanted to touch on what you said it's good for, so someone doesn't think it's good advice to follow. Zig-zagging does nothing to snipers - they just have to be aiming in your general direction and it will hit you unless there's an obstruction. Also, zig-zagging out in the open for no reason could be a player trying to pretend they know what they're doing when they don't. Generally, if you're out in the open and not currently engaged, you should be heading in a straight line to your next cover (unless you see a threat to that).
Griffin jumps. Great advice for spotting a pro, not good advice to follow. A pro Griffin pilot will almost never jump towards a target. The reason pros save their jumps is because it's an evasive maneuver, not an attack maneuver. Unless jumping to close on a target with no reds anywhere close, you'll rarely see a pro jump towards a foe.
Now I'll add some other clues to tip you off that you're facing a pro.
Using Cover/Under-Exposed: If you keep getting hit and then by the time you turn to face your enemy, they're already behind a building, you're probably facing a pro. Look for reds that are consistently stepping out, unloading, and then going back behind cover.
Holding Position: Your idling part kind of covered this, but this will just expand on it a bit. If your opponent seems to know when to advance, and more importantly when not to advance, you're likely dealing with a pro. A good example would be taking center beacon on Yamantau and then settling back down their side of the ramp and waiting.
On a Swivel: This one is a bit more subtle, but if you see a red head on a swivel, they're likely surveying the field as they move. Changing their target from bot to bot to assess ranges and keep their mental picture of the field as updated as possible. It could just be a crazy noob that doesn't know how to keep his bot facing one direction, or it could be a pro!
This is an awesome idea for a tips thread by the way! Kudos on that. Especially with the widened matchmaker, you're going to have a lot more engagements between up and comers and seasons pros.
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Post by mijapi300 on Jul 5, 2017 19:13:33 GMT -5
Oh, and about remembering names: if you ever see "mijapi300" on the red team, just pull yours bots to the center and sacrifice yourself. It's best to end the suffering as quickly as possible.  |
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Post by stokr on Jul 5, 2017 19:25:28 GMT -5
Just a thought on zig zagging...
To an observer, a player who tracks the lines of sight between themselves and reds fairly well might appear to be almost pointlessly zig zagging across an open field when from the zig zagger's perspective they're simply adjusting to the movements of reds to keep breaking the sightlines, as they work towards a goal.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2017 19:55:37 GMT -5
Fun thread. Some good behaviors to emulate listed above. If you find yourself facing down a maxed hangar, I would add not to do anything drastically different than you usually do. Yes, they have the advantage, but if you play smart, and use your own cover, and stick together with your blues when possible, the better matchups can still win.  |
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Post by drake1588 on Jul 6, 2017 0:19:08 GMT -5
Fun thread. Some good behaviors to emulate listed above. If you find yourself facing down a maxed hangar, I would add not to do anything drastically different than you usually do. Yes, they have the advantage, but if you play smart, and use your own cover, and stick together with your blues when possible, the better matchups can still win. Robots don't bleed, Arnold. They do, however, smoke sometimes - I personally think they need to quit making my insurance premiums higher. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2017 1:59:20 GMT -5
It's hard to describe what a pro is doing unless you are one yourself. Otherwise if you see them doing it, then you can do it too.
One of the best ways is recognizing clan tags on both teams. If you see a Champion on your team, most likely there will be one or a couple Masters on the other side.
Ancilots. If you see a lot of Ancilots on the other side, that's a good sign of upper tiers. Also if you see a player drop multiple Lancelots, they are prolly even higher up.
Getting smoked 1v1. If they're beating you silly, give up. Pick a fight with someone else.
What works doesn't work. You've beaten poor Raijins with your Carnage many times. Then you come across a Raijin pilot that knows how to use his shield, and you lose badly.
They have uncanny ability to avoid damage. You might be lucky to get 1 plasma to land on them. They always seem to jump from your Orkan blast. Zeus somehow gets blocked by something that you didn't know was there, either terrain or part of a building.
You never see them. Just when your attention is distracted, he wallops you.
You think you're being sneaky, but he always knows you're there. Right when you think you have a clear shot at his flank, he turns to face you.
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Post by Uhnonimis on Jul 6, 2017 6:41:46 GMT -5
This is a REALLY good thread.
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Post by miscanthus on Jul 6, 2017 7:06:14 GMT -5
If the guy I am fighting shows patience and self control I know I'm in for a good fight. Less experienced players are typically too aggressive and come at you guns blazing. It's the guy in the Thunder Carnage waiting around the corner for just the right opportunity that you need to worry about.
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Post by seanh on Jul 6, 2017 7:41:13 GMT -5
Not sure how to spot ‘Pro’s’ but I can identify maxed out bots. Ambush one in your lvl 8 DB Griffin, unload the full payload on him, wonder briefly why it isn’t dead, when it has killed you and you respawn just stay away from that part of the map.
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Post by hi5 on Jul 6, 2017 8:02:59 GMT -5
I'll throw in a couple, but want to touch on a couple of yours first. Zig-zagging. This is a good way to spot an experienced player, but I specifically wanted to touch on what you said it's good for, so someone doesn't think it's good advice to follow. Zig-zagging does nothing to snipers - they just have to be aiming in your general direction and it will hit you unless there's an obstruction. Also, zig-zagging out in the open for no reason could be a player trying to pretend they know what they're doing when they don't. Generally, if you're out in the open and not currently engaged, you should be heading in a straight line to your next cover (unless you see a threat to that). Griffin jumps. Great advice for spotting a pro, not good advice to follow. A pro Griffin pilot will almost never jump towards a target. The reason pros save their jumps is because it's an evasive maneuver, not an attack maneuver. Unless jumping to close on a target with no reds anywhere close, you'll rarely see a pro jump towards a foe. Now I'll add some other clues to tip you off that you're facing a pro. Using Cover/Under-Exposed: If you keep getting hit and then by the time you turn to face your enemy, they're already behind a building, you're probably facing a pro. Look for reds that are consistently stepping out, unloading, and then going back behind cover. Holding Position: Your idling part kind of covered this, but this will just expand on it a bit. If your opponent seems to know when to advance, and more importantly when not to advance, you're likely dealing with a pro. A good example would be taking center beacon on Yamantau and then settling back down their side of the ramp and waiting. On a Swivel: This one is a bit more subtle, but if you see a red head on a swivel, they're likely surveying the field as they move. Changing their target from bot to bot to assess ranges and keep their mental picture of the field as updated as possible. It could just be a crazy noob that doesn't know how to keep his bot facing one direction, or it could be a pro!This is an awesome idea for a tips thread by the way! Kudos on that. Especially with the widened matchmaker, you're going to have a lot more engagements between up and comers and seasons pros. Some great tips here - especially the swivel. Totally hear you on the zigzagging. I've been able to juke a treb once or twice in a light bot from distance (not that I'm a Pro), usually with a head-fake right after venturing out from some cover - but it's probably more lag than the juke because of the auto targeting lock. Have also had a random duck-back-behind cover save my skin from an unseen bug zapper once or twice. But your comments made me think of another tip - walking backwards in a shield bot. If you see a Galahad or Gary out in the open, not under fire and walking with its head pointed away from where it's going. That pilot not only knows to keep its shield facing the Reds "just in case", but they also know the map well enough to travel from memory without looking forward. |
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Post by hi5 on Jul 6, 2017 8:08:25 GMT -5
It's hard to describe what a pro is doing unless you are one yourself. Otherwise if you see them doing it, then you can do it too. One of the best ways is recognizing clan tags on both teams. If you see a Champion on your team, most likely there will be one or a couple Masters on the other side. Ancilots. If you see a lot of Ancilots on the other side, that's a good sign of upper tiers. Also if you see a player drop multiple Lancelots, they are prolly even higher up. Getting smoked 1v1. If they're beating you silly, give up. Pick a fight with someone else. What works doesn't work. You've beaten poor Raijins with your Carnage many times. Then you come across a Raijin pilot that knows how to use his shield, and you lose badly. They have uncanny ability to avoid damage. You might be lucky to get 1 plasma to land on them. They always seem to jump from your Orkan blast. Zeus somehow gets blocked by something that you didn't know was there, either terrain or part of a building. You never see them. Just when your attention is distracted, he wallops you. You think you're being sneaky, but he always knows you're there. Right when you think you have a clear shot at his flank, he turns to face you. Great tips! The clan tags is another really good one. I regularly fail to read names on the battlefield - they're all just red and blue to me. And I'm not up on my top clans knowledge. I remember a few tags after some especially severe beat downs (VOX and CDXX come to mind first, but there are plenty more), but learning the different clans and level of skill is a great way to get a read on who your staring down before engaging. |
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Post by Thunderkiss on Jul 6, 2017 9:24:26 GMT -5
Fun thread. Some good behaviors to emulate listed above. If you find yourself facing down a maxed hangar, I would add not to do anything drastically different than you usually do. Yes, they have the advantage, but if you play smart, and use your own cover, and stick together with your blues when possible, the better matchups can still win. Robots don't bleed, Arnold. They do, however, smoke sometimes - I personally think they need to quit making my insurance premiums higher. Leaking oil, 「mispelling of grandma」 fluid or coolant will do ? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2017 10:21:54 GMT -5
• Watch that Regen: Does that Ancilot's ancile regenerate pretty fast? It's probably level 11 or 12 and I bet it's got some weapons to match. Might want to approach that big fella with caution - it could be a Pro. Good tips all around, but this (above) isn't right - anciles regenerate from 0% to 100% in the same time. A better idea is "Watch how fast it goes down", but that doesn't really help much. |
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Post by hi5 on Jul 6, 2017 10:29:30 GMT -5
• Watch that Regen: Does that Ancilot's ancile regenerate pretty fast? It's probably level 11 or 12 and I bet it's got some weapons to match. Might want to approach that big fella with caution - it could be a Pro. Good tips all around, but this (above) isn't right - anciles regenerate from 0% to 100% in the same time. A better idea is "Watch how fast it goes down", but that doesn't really help much. I don't own an ancile to check, but swear Ive seen some pop back up faster than others. Could that be Fujin ancile I'm thinking of instead? |
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Post by drake1588 on Jul 6, 2017 10:36:39 GMT -5
Robots don't bleed, Arnold. They do, however, smoke sometimes - I personally think they need to quit making my insurance premiums higher. Leaking oil, 「mispelling of grandma」 fluid or coolant will do ? 「mispelling of grandma」 fluid - you get that from Thai robots, right!? ? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2017 11:33:25 GMT -5
Good tips all around, but this (above) isn't right - anciles regenerate from 0% to 100% in the same time. A better idea is "Watch how fast it goes down", but that doesn't really help much. I don't own an ancile to check, but swear Ive seen some pop back up faster than others. Could that be Fujin ancile I'm thinking of instead? Should be 3% per second for both. Carnage too, I assume, although the Wiki says 1% for that.
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Post by DarkVagabond on Jul 6, 2017 11:55:16 GMT -5
Oh, and about remembering names: if you ever see "mijapi300" on the red team, just pull yours bots to the center and sacrifice yourself. It's best to end the suffering as quickly as possible. That sounds like a challenge! I'm game if you are sweet pea....  |
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Post by DarkVagabond on Jul 6, 2017 12:32:28 GMT -5
Thanks hi5 for a really great thread idea Here is a very simple tip for spotting pros. Pros often use leet speak (1337 $??@?) for their player names. This is not necessarily a sure sign that they're any good. However, if their CLAN name is in leet speak it is often more reliable. I have noticed that almost all the pro CLANS pride themselves by having individual clan names. If you see a player with a clan name that makes you wonder how the HECK they managed to find the characters to make it that way, chances are they are an elitist clan which will therefore ONLY take the best players. Even if the players aren't that good skill wise, they usually are willing to hack or manipulate the game by tanking in order to obtain an advantage, so they will probably have superior levels AND equipment. Also, if their clan name looks like a shape rather than just a word, you're probably dealing with high level players. For me, this has been the simplest, most consistent and risk-free way of knowing which players to look out for on the battlefield. Here is a short list of clans I often encounter and should be treated with care and attention. Almost all their names are written in leet speak: Suicide Death Squad [S.D.S.] FR(star picture) Ruin [RUIN] All stars [A.S.] Legend Alliance [L.A.] Pro Force stars (heavily written with foreign characters) CDxx Anatomy of Death [A.D.] ? Trix Euro [€URO] [?][?] (2 question marks with a boxes around them) [(picture of a bear)] [(?-_?)  ? ?] (or other pictures of rifles) This is only to name a FEW. Many could add to this list, but these are some that I most commonly see. This has helped me identify countless Pros before it was too late. Hope it helps you too. DV |
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Post by Uhnonimis on Jul 6, 2017 15:30:33 GMT -5
One thing I have seen from good players is that they know what works and how to counter you.
If they have a choice between you and another squadmate, and one of the bots is more vulnerable to their loadout, they will typically target that vulnerable bot. Also, if you manage to kill them near their spawn and they come out gunning for you, it will likely be in a bot with a loadout that will exploit your vulnerabilities, and not just the bot that is "next in line".
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Post by Pulse Hadron on Jul 6, 2017 19:54:00 GMT -5
Dancing behind cover has been really helping me. Knew about this before but started doing it more often after reading this and I'm hooked.
Took out a 3/4 health Leo in the top level of Moon center with a splash Gareth this way. Circled on the ramp and occasionally popped up to unload. The Leo was splash too but kept unloading so when I did pop up it was mostly trickling fire. The best part is I don't know when I'm going to pop out. Just run circles, this time, no, this time, no, this time, maybe-no, this time, yeah!
Also works great under the catwalks in Yama or any small cover where you can pop out either side. Which side is it going to be, ha ha red, only I know.
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Post by mechtout on Jul 6, 2017 20:02:38 GMT -5
If you engage and your health bar starts to decrease rapidly....
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Post by T34 on Jul 6, 2017 20:10:53 GMT -5
pro always jumps sideways in an ECU cossack
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Post by WilsonK on Jul 6, 2017 22:41:44 GMT -5
hi5 Very descriptive tips, kudos. mijapi300 don't forget corner shooters, if you see someone jigging behind cover to try and lure you out, and corner shoots you, that guy is pretty experienced too. Don't rush, find a way to flank, or engage other targets first as a decoy. Best is to "Rush to wait, wait to rush" for my playstyle 
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Post by careyfan on Jul 6, 2017 23:52:43 GMT -5
It's hard to describe what a pro is doing unless you are one yourself. Otherwise if you see them doing it, then you can do it too. One of the best ways is recognizing clan tags on both teams. If you see a Champion on your team, most likely there will be one or a couple Masters on the other side. Ancilots. If you see a lot of Ancilots on the other side, that's a good sign of upper tiers. Also if you see a player drop multiple Lancelots, they are prolly even higher up. Getting smoked 1v1. If they're beating you silly, give up. Pick a fight with someone else. What works doesn't work. You've beaten poor Raijins with your Carnage many times. Then you come across a Raijin pilot that knows how to use his shield, and you lose badly. They have uncanny ability to avoid damage. You might be lucky to get 1 plasma to land on them. They always seem to jump from your Orkan blast. Zeus somehow gets blocked by something that you didn't know was there, either terrain or part of a building. You never see them. Just when your attention is distracted, he wallops you. You think you're being sneaky, but he always knows you're there. Right when you think you have a clear shot at his flank, he turns to face you. Great tips! The clan tags is another really good one. I regularly fail to read names on the battlefield - they're all just red and blue to me. And I'm not up on my top clans knowledge. I remember a few tags after some especially severe beat downs (VOX and CDXX come to mind first, but there are plenty more), but learning the different clans and level of skill is a great way to get a read on who your staring down before engaging. Clan tag is the surest sign. Individually (when they solo) they are often good players...but where they shine is as a team. Clans like CDXX and NOOB....they shine as a team. *They know alternative paths to beacons, and they go together with their Ancilots. *They start off with their power bots; generally, they're not starting out with stalkers, rogatkas, or other light bots *They are good at evading damage in a one-on-one situation. Somehow their bots seem to last longer than they should. They know how to hang on by a thread. *They are very good at spotting vulnerabilities in your position and going for the weak beacon *If they're a Zeus carnage pilot, they know how to expertly thread the needle above and below 600 meters so that they can take out Trident Fury or RDB threats *They start with brawlers on almost every map, even maps like Yamantau, Springfield and Canyon *If they're a Griffin or Rogatka, they know how to jump IN TO your Ancile shield to do damage to you *They are generally more aggressive than defensive (although there are plenty of strong defensive type players); they seemingly push your team back *You notice that the keep bringing out griffins or Lancelots *They somehow anticipate that their teammate is about to get nailed by rockets, and they jump in the way with their Ancilots...even using their rush to do it. *They side shoot with a single taran/orkan/tulumbas when they're trying to evade you around a corner *You spot something behind a wall at 500m, and the second you get close to the edge to take a peek, you're already getting shredded by Tulumbas/pins If they have the clan tag CDXX, NOOB, VICE, VOX, you can be sure they are very skilled. These clans are the apex predators of War Robots. But there are plenty of other clans where they will also have extremely talented pilots, like LA, SWRM, etc. You will know that if they wear those clan tags, you are in for a tough fight. |
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Post by Russel on Jul 15, 2017 4:29:05 GMT -5
I don't own an ancile to check, but swear Ive seen some pop back up faster than others. Could that be Fujin ancile I'm thinking of instead? Should be 3% per second for both. Carnage too, I assume, although the Wiki says 1% for that.
That was a hot discussion topic back then, I checked that one personally. Carnage is different. While any Ancile regen at 3% rate and pop back in at 20% of capacity, Carnage is 1% and 10% |
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Post by Russel on Jul 15, 2017 4:30:09 GMT -5
pro always jumps sideways in an ECU cossack Thank you for flattery, but come on, I'm Diamond1 at my best. |
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Post by mechmedoit on Jul 15, 2017 7:07:39 GMT -5
This is a great thread Hi5. Just want to add pros know how to use terrain really well. All the bumps on the ground, walls and buildings to use for cover. They know their weapon ranges and are fast to spot where the enemy pilot robots are and what setups they run. They are excellent to stay out of line of sight from sniper fire. They play very patient and have good timing on when to use their bots ability like the jump drive to get inside the ancilot energy shield and rarely make mistakes. Especially DB Rogatka pilots taking down ancilots. Backpedal to avoid rocket fire in a light bot. Also know to when to defend and when to advance and have a good beacon control game. Typically they are in good clans and have fancy font names I usually take my time scouting when the game starts if possible and when I get killed before spawning in a new bot. Typically they also spawn in a bot to counter your setup. I find dealing with them works better if you pair up with other team mates. I would say I'm no where near a pro, but All these things helps to know and I like that this is being discussed. If anything Hi5 should get a sticky for this  kudos |
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Post by zombiecyborg on Jul 15, 2017 7:54:33 GMT -5
Anybody damaging you from over the listed range of weapons is a good player.
Any pilots jumping form cover to cover and taking you out is good.
But, top of my list is patience. If you are at a disadvantage in a one on one fight.....wait. Wait......wait unitl you are at an advantage.
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Post by Thunderkiss on Jul 15, 2017 8:09:58 GMT -5
Also, one of the worst habits a pilot can have is some combination of:
1) Insta-jumping in a Griffin at the start of a match to gain ground.
2) firing weapons for no reason and for too long at the start of a match.
Don't do these things. Knowledge is power. Keep your enemies powerless.
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? ?] (or other pictures of rifles)
kudos