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Post by S1E1 on Jan 16, 2023 4:23:26 GMT -5
So this definitely seems like a good thread to get going and share what we're learning. Frankly there is so much coming at you in this mode that it's hard to get a handle what works consistently. I feel like I've run into some human opponents that are farther ahead of the curve than me, but I'm slowly working the equation. From observing a few of them and experimenting a bit myself, I've come up with the following spawn points for the hotel-like map Atlas Foyer:  Spot #1: The Honey Hole
This is the spot I think everyone has already figured out. I definitely fought it out with several human players trying to keep spawning there. A small, depressed pocket, it can be good for sniper weapons, Disc Launchers and ArcTorrents. The main issue can be a lack of targets at times.
Spot #2: Kill Corner
I first saw a human player using this spot. He basically never moved and when the match was over, he had wracked up 27 kills with a single AT Surge. The first time I played it, I got a Godlike there. The basic trick seems to be to let the enemy come to you and never go far enough from the spawn point to let something come in behind you. You can go almost up to the top of the stairs and out through the downstairs front a decent ways without that happening. Lack of targets can again be an issue. ArcTorrents are best here and Surges do well. Spot #3: The Murder Mast
This is the most target rich spot I've found. The pic isn't great but it's a highly elevated thin ledge with spotty cover. The main issue is that you can get shot from a lot of directions, including a slightly elevated platform below you. Because of that you really want to drop in a Panther here and use the fence to give you protection. I think some folks have used maxed Orions here to good effect as well. Sniper weapons and Disc Launchers are what to use. Spot #4: Hot Pocket
Honestly I didn't get this one to really work for me, but I noticed some other players seemed partial to it, so I marked it on the map. It it across from the Honey Hole, and hangs above the big open area with multiple ramps coming up the bottom level. Again it seems to have a limit on available targets but I didn't really work it, so maybe it's better when you get the hang of it. No pic. That's what I got initially. Hope it helps. I definitely saw some folks just free-roaming the map and doing well. Not exactly sure how. I feel like there might be a die fast/change mechs strategy some folks are playing around with, I don't know. Anyway, as folks get tips to share, please do.
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Post by OU812? on Jan 16, 2023 14:13:28 GMT -5
Thanks for posting. Useful info and a great start of a discussion.
The second spot is my favorite and where I’ve been most successful.
It’ll be interesting to see how FFA will change when it comes around the next rotation.
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deviant
Destrier
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Karma: 76
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Post by deviant on Jan 16, 2023 16:31:17 GMT -5
Great post. I was mainly playing spot 1, with 4 as the fall back if 1 wasn't available. Will try the other two spots next time.
For the other FFA map, I mainly tried to spawn in a corner location and used the tunnel between it and the corner spawn on the next side to hide for reloading.
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AnimalsCS
Destrier
Posts: 33
Karma: 55
Pilot name: AnimalsCS
Platform: iOS
Server Region: North America
Favorite robot: Lancer
MA Division: 1
MA Pilot ID: 4350588
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Post by AnimalsCS on Jan 17, 2023 1:27:06 GMT -5
Some thoughts on FFA - and I played a lot of it last week because I was enjoying it:
Shotguns and specifically Tengu shotguns are fantastic. Tengu can avoid zephyr and surge blasts if the ability is timed right.
Railgun is actually good because of the burst. Getting a quick 2-3 kills is usually quite doable even if you die.
Cheetah + missile rack has been awesome for me. Mine ability is much better in this mode than any other. You can sprint at an enemy and drop mines on them while rockets are reloading. Mines also are great for waiting in a corner if you are facing a zephyr/surge/killshot/etc you can more often than not double ko or even survive.
Speed is super important. I have found that in general my light bots overperform due to kill stealing and being able to avoid damage/dangerous situations. Sitting in corners and camping and waiting for enemies to come has felt typically ineffective.
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Post by S1E1 on Jan 17, 2023 19:25:57 GMT -5
Some thoughts on FFA - and I played a lot of it last week because I was enjoying it: Shotguns and specifically Tengu shotguns are fantastic. Tengu can avoid zephyr and surge blasts if the ability is timed right. Railgun is actually good because of the burst. Getting a quick 2-3 kills is usually quite doable even if you die. Cheetah + missile rack has been awesome for me. Mine ability is much better in this mode than any other. You can sprint at an enemy and drop mines on them while rockets are reloading. Mines also are great for waiting in a corner if you are facing a zephyr/surge/killshot/etc you can more often than not double ko or even survive. Speed is super important. I have found that in general my light bots overperform due to kill stealing and being able to avoid damage/dangerous situations. Sitting in corners and camping and waiting for enemies to come has felt typically ineffective. Great stuff. I definitely saw players like you running around and I was totally wondering how they made it work. Did you prefer any specific sections of the map like the tunnels below, or ?? Also, how do you get Tengu to neutralize Zeph/Surge pulses? Jump over them? I have definitely had players do it to me but my Tengu is so under levelled I haven't figured out the trick to it. I was definitely thinking after FFA that it might be next mech for me to prioritize. It had been more in the fun category (like my poor R2 Cheetah) until now. But I have to work on all of it - SG8s, shotgun pilot, etc, so it'll be a while. |
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AnimalsCS
Destrier
Posts: 33
Karma: 55
Pilot name: AnimalsCS
Platform: iOS
Server Region: North America
Favorite robot: Lancer
MA Division: 1
MA Pilot ID: 4350588
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Post by AnimalsCS on Jan 18, 2023 0:37:35 GMT -5
Great stuff. I definitely saw players like you running around and I was totally wondering how they made it work. Did you prefer any specific sections of the map like the tunnels below, or ?? I typically avoided tunnels because they are pretty easy death traps. A guardian or surge could easily come around the corner and my mobility advantages were entirely neutralized. There were two main exceptions to this - if I was in Cheetah and thought I could bait a human player (doesn't work on AI typically because they are good at avoiding mines) or if I knew a tunnel was empty and needed a place to hide while reloading (edges of the map are vastly preferable for this though). Both FFA maps are arranged like a big square with the edges on the outside and lots of cover, then a reasonably open path circling the map, then tunnels and cover in the center. My typical routine was to use this open lane and run circles around the map. Kill anything that is easy, avoid anything that would make a difficult target. Prioritize stealing kills from other human players if possible. By using this lane, it is possible to duck for cover in either the center or edge of the map depending on situation, and is pretty easy to cross diagonally to the opposite corner of the map. I found that if I exclusively stayed on the edges of the map my bots would last longer but my kill counts were way lower because I was encountering so many fewer bots and couldn't avoid the unfavorable encounters. One other reason why I think this strategy works beyond just being able to steal kills is that you get so many opportunities for side and back shots. Especially with something like railgun those can be devastating and provide many one-shot-kills. As far as I can tell, though I haven't rigorously tested this, if you jump right before a Zephyr or Surge activates their ability (maybe a half second window?) then the pulse misses you. It takes a bit of intuition to pull off and is worth practicing in cpc or 5v5 first. |
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