Is it just me, or.....

I try to play lights and some mediums the same way I played my first mechs, Dragons; get all the speed you can, joust, and gtfo. Get behind the enemy to harass and open up new lanes of fire on them for your teammates and gtfo.

If they are looking your direction GTFO.

Aside from Spiders, which can still "take damage" like a goddamn jumpship, light mechs should not enter combat with anything outside their weight class unless fighting with superior numbers. If they can hit you then you're doing it wrong to some varying degree of insanity.

And to answer your question: yes, absolutely there is a big learning curve for light mechs. It is easier to jump into a heavy mech and start playing (and have a more satisfying payoff) than to do the same with a light mech.

 

I feel learning to play a light does wonders for piloting other weight classes.

In a light, you cover more ground. You move a whole lot more. You see a lot more(unless you bumrush the first enemy lance solo). You end up gaining a greater understanding of battle flow, the map in general, approaches etc.

There's some impulses and habits you might have gained from heavier classes that you kinda have to kick. Like backpedaling in and out of cover. Sometimes the best way to get out of an enemy's sights is straight forward. Move in, shoot, before he can get a bead, run straight past. Jet a tight turn and back around, or just get straight out before he turns around.

If you're going to be in a Jenner, try to get one or two more to join you. Getting circled to death by 2-3 Jenners is the worst.

 

Oh, they sure use their speed and size advantage, whoever had to chase a LLas RVN-3L playing hide and seek knows how annoying and deadly those things are.
In my opinion this kind of light gameplay is a consequence of how the game evolved: more coordinated teams (less lonely targets), high alpha firing, long range engagement, etc... it made the light job way harder than at the beginning of the game, when engagements were more random and there was more brawling (that could explain skidog's feeling: piloting lights never was easy, but I feel it's harder than it ever was). "Meta" players had to adapt, they now use long rang weapon on their lights.

That behind said, I agree with you, and what I'm writing here does not contradict what I wrote before: this gameplay is just dull. I have a LLas raven, I might have piloted it 5 times only and out of boredom I relegated it on the mechbay, where it's now taking dust.

What's so exciting about light gameplay is the thrill of getting personal with bigger opponents, than theoretically could crush you on a single alpha strike. It's, for example, locating a cored mech retreating behind its friendly lines, focusing on it, flanking the enemy position to take advantage of surprise and taking him down in a single blow before quickly escaping.
SMALL PULSE LASERS FOR EVER!
(6xSPLAS on a JR7-F still works, you kill a lot, you do a decent amount of damage, you're deadly in dogfights... and more than everything it's exciting to play)


As for advices, there's one that I remember, that could be seen a complementary of what I already said about planning escape routes. It's about luring the opponent into your pack (and on the opposite: don't blindly chase a light mech), it's a very valid tactic.

 

I once saw a raven pilot take down an atlas... Granted, it was a bad ATLAS pilot, but this Raven tore this guy apart by just staying in his.. blind spot. Fighting against lights has made me a better Heavy/Med pilot. I've seen a good light pilot take out a whole lance of mechs on his own, or come away from the engagement with rediculous numbers.... It's definitly something to strive for.

 

A good pilot won't allow you to stay in his blind spot (except of course if he's already engaged with another, and bigger, enemy)(in this situation he is definitely screwed). True, it will depend on his mech: much easier to stay on a Stalker's blind spot than a catapult's! But anyway, he'll torso twist, he'll place his back on a wall, etc... that's why I recommend to aim the legs (right leg first on the LRM boats full of ammo: those things easily go boom).

 

Jenner, Xl 300 and 6 MLs with JJ's! GO GO GO!!!!!!!

I find the jenners the easier light to pilot, as I am an Assault/heavy pilot myself.

 

1) biggest engine possible. xl ofc.
2) m-/splas instead of regular lasers. less time on target needed.
3) streaks+bap (if possible) +1/2t of ssrm ammo, tag optional.
4) ditch ams.
5) dont.slow.down. dodge, jink, weave, jump.
6) go for the weak spots: l/r rear torso, legs (legging atlases is FUN), 'special weapons' aka. hunches, gauss, et.c.
target info module will help.
7) bring arty and cool shot 9by9, blitzing past a bunch of assaults/heavies and dropping the marker on them is also fun.

 

I played dozens of games over the years, and my all time favorite was Team Fortress Classic. I used a medic mostly. Fast, deadly. Other classes had their own perks, but I preferred the medic. The speed and deadliness in the right hands could turn a game around or simply dominate the whole damn thing.

Enter the Jenner.

I have a balls out, punch-and-pull-back mentality to utilize the mechs strengths: damn good punch, speed and evasiveness. Weaving in and out, melting a face or two, then running like hell is fun as hell. And when I'm running the F at peak capacity, it's 600+ games. I run my Jenner 'Fancylad' a few different ways:

1. scout/spotter
2. flank/harrasser
3. blood soaked lrm killer

Six medium lasers will kill anything in short order if you do it right. And that coupled with speed is a glass cannon in that size, but oh brother there is no funner way to play.

Been that way since the AOL version in the 90's. Jenner.

 

I pulled over 500 damage in one match in my 3L this weekend :angry: hear:.... the next match... sub 300 :blush:
Not quite there... I think I lose patience. Like I need instant gratification or something.