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How do I play with other terrible new players like me?

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#1
harmless_kittens

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My son (14) and I installed this game a couple days ago.  We were inspired to try it from the Walking War Robots app, which we are both quite good at.  But as you may already know, this game is NOTHING like WWR.

 

This game is basically a fast-paced first person shooter with robots.  Don't get me wrong, we LOVE this game, especially the beautiful and diverse locations.  However, even having gone through training a couple times, I am REALLY BAD at this game.  (My son is better than I am.)  I've played the game for about 2 hours now, and it seemed like the "Matchmaker" system (not sure what to call it) kept placing me with Veteran or Expert players.  I mean, WOW, I died and died over and over again (although I am getting better at finding a place to heal now).  My team-mates also did not hesitate to tell me how terrible I was, which is discouraging to a new player.  Because my son has played more than me, we do have a couple different robots now (We are level 10 now I think).  I've also engaged the "double-click" for boosting and dodging, because holding the SHIFT key was annoying.

 

So here is my main question.  Isn't the game supposed to have some sort of "balancing" so that I can get placed in matches with other brand new players, like myself?  I was fighting against robots I can't even purchase yet, fully painted and labeled and bearing weapons I've never seen before.  Is this the way it is supposed to be?  I would normally just play the training deathmatch mode, and spare you guys having me on your team, but I don't like that the map never changes in that mode, and its so easy its a joke.

 

Please offer whatever advice you can to a struggling new player.  Thanks in advance.



#2
gArphEus

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1st - welcome 2 the game, dude.

 

Sorry, due 2 the very small playerbase actually, it's very likely u stumble in2 veterans or at least adept players every 2nd match. Though the matchmaker desperately tries 2 keep the teams even and balanced, it's also sabotaged by the so-called "smurfs" - experienced players that re-enter the game using a new account with a very low rank and matchmaking rate. By hiding their real skills this way from the matchmaker, they are misallocated 2 matches where lower skilled players dominate the battlefield, thus they can "stomp" the others with ease. Sad 2 hear, u even got taunted by your own mates - some guys will never learn that it's a really bad idea 2 discourage new players, that bravely dare 2 join a shrinking community... Don't mind of such - every beginning is hard. However - since you won't get much chances 2 play vs. rookies only, the only things i can suggest 2 u r the following:

 

1.) learn as much about the game in advance as possible, b4 jumping in2 the next match - The YouTube-channel of "SoldierHobbes11" is a fantastic source of information 4 beginners. Especially the "HAWKEN - How to..."-videoclips are pretty good 4 learning about  the different mechs with their roles/purposes and weapons.

 

2.) learn about the different gamemodes, but stay away from the more complicated or difficult 1s like Missile Assault and Siege. I suggest you play COOP BOT team-deathmatches against AI bots in the 1st time, 2 gain better control of your movement, aiming, and items, because the BOTs usually adapt 2 the average skill-level of your team, so they might be moa 4giving in reaction 2 every mistake in your gameplay. After a while i would recommend regular Team-Deathmatches, 2 gain betta knowledge 4 advanced tactics and teamplay. Use your standart Assault mech (it's an uncomplicated and pretty good 1), and stick with the majority of your team - this way u don't get overrun that easy by multiple players.

 

3.) just don't give up! Keep playing every day 4 at least an hour of practice, an u will get much better soon, i'll promise. U might also want 2 tinker with your mouse speed 2 find the ideal value 2 improve the precision of your aiming. Lower values r usually better than too high ones. 

 

4.) don't care 4 the fancy stuff like colourful mech cosmetics - they make no change 2 your gameplay. The only things that might influence it r, items, internals and weapons. Also get a better HUD crosshair - the standart 1 is terrible 2 aim with imho. Get the fine "X" in the garage - u can't go wrong with it.

 

If u need further xplanations about the game - regardless what it is, be welcome 2 add me 2 your ingame buddylist. Just enter my nickname there, and send me a friendship request, and i'll reply asap. Usually i play HAWKEN daily in the EU region, so there's a good chance 2 meet me online. If u like, i can give you some lessons, advice, and help u 2 improve your overall gameplay at least that much, that u r able 2 fend off some players. Even direct communication is also possible via Teamspeak.I have moa than 1700 hours of xperience in HAWKEN, so i guess, there r a few things i could teach 2 u. However, even after almost 2 years of experience, i'm still learning from others, so don't expect me 2 b the battlefield superstar - there r many others a thousand times better than me... 

 

Regards, gArphEus.


Edited by gArphEus, 22 January 2016 - 12:30 PM.


#3
Hyginos

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The population is pretty small at the moment, so getting matched with much better players is something of an inevitability. I'd say its worth stick it out, but of course I'm biased in that regard. Especially don't be discouraged by seeing other mechs or weapons you don't recognize. While the common assumption is that the starting mech will be inherently less powerful than other mechs available for purchase, the opposite is actually true.

 

A few notes on common hurdles for newer players:

  • If you have trouble tracking people (that is, they move faster than your mech can turn) consider turning the look sensitivity down instead of up. Hawken has a turn rate cap that is enforced by something resembling negative mouse acceleration, so moving the mouse too fast can have your crosshair moving at a crawl.
  • The projectile of the secondary weapon on the default mech, the TOW rocket, can be detonated in mid air by pressing its fire key again. This means that narrow misses can still damage your target if you time it well, and with some practice you can even hit targets out of your line of sight.
  • When a mech is destroyed (except in siege), it will drop a little yellow orb known as a repair charge. Standing near this orb will heal you.
  • The radar in this game is really powerful. Any enemy within range that is boosting, dodging, shooting, or hovering will appear as a dot on your radar. Be conscious of your radar, and of what may cause you to show up on an enemy's radar.

Edited by Hyginos, 22 January 2016 - 12:37 PM.

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MFW Howken

 

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#4
Analysis

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I looked up Walking With Robots to see how Hawken compares. Based on the gameplay I would say Walking With Robots looks quite similar to Mech Warrior. So grabbing Mech Warrior Online or Mech Warrior 1-4 may be better for you and your son.

 

 

Hawken is much faster in pace and is reminiscent to other arena shooters such as Unreal or Halo. If you attempt to play the game in a similar manner to what I saw in Walking With Robots you will never win a single battle.

 

Look at this Hawken montage and look at the difference in gameplay speed. This person used an A-class, but as you can see the movement in Hawken is significantly higher than Mech Warrior (if the player is aware of the options). As others have mentioned the current player base is small, but will hopefully grow when content is released this year. If you want to get better at the game you will have to change your tactics.

 


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#5
DM30

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As others already said, the game has a bit of a population shortage and so many people have trouble finding games of a suitable skill level. There isn't really anything that can be done about that until Reloaded feels like it's time to make a marketing push.

If PvP games are too frustrating to start with you can try co-op TDM instead, at least until you're comfortable with Hawken's movement and the different weapon cooldowns.

On the subject of movement, learn proper dodging and positioning. Dodge to avoid secondaries or to outmaneuver an opponent, not just spamming it every time you can. SoldierHobb's YouTube videos were pointed out earlier. Definitely look those up, especially the "Moves like mech Jagger" one. If I'm not mistaken he also has review videos for each mech, so if you have one you're really interested in or having a hard time against those might be useful too.
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Hawken gameplay

 

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#6
WmMoneyFrmMissouri

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Welcome ! Please feel free to friend me in game and we can play together. I recommend playing against bots to better get your dodging/boosting/firing skills down a bit if you are discouraged against real players. Good luck and see you out there!

wmmoney.png


#7
angryhampster

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co op team death match, fight against bots.

 

go tech, and heal yoru brawler son



#8
PsychedelicGrass

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Add me in game if you want, we can play together and I'll give you tips c:

What's the big fuzzy bunnyng deal? Lots of amazing people have committed suicide, and they turned out alright.

 


#9
angryhampster

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your thumbnail scares me PschedelicGrass....why you gotta do that man?  why?

 

what are you?!?!



#10
Pumapaw

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Basically you don't since the designers decided to eliminate all skill level limitations and allow the highest skilled to beat on the low skilled because the poor darlings have no game to play.


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#11
SS396

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Add me in game if you want, we can play together and I'll give you tips c:


I guess you didn't understand what he wanted, he requested that he wanted to play with others similar to his own skill and experience. I think this is a pretty common request (even if they don't bother to come to the forums and post about it) of anyone that begins to play this game. Perhaps one of the main reasons why players decide this game isn't fun, and isn't for them.

[DELETED]

 

fuzzy bunny you CZeroFive 


#12
AxionOperandi

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Man, I don't even know what double click for boosting would do to to how your are supposed to play the game but it can't be good.  I would turn that off.

Hawken is a very fast game, yes they are Mechs but they are more in the theme of running acrobatics Japanese Anime than tanks on legs American Mech Warrior.  As far as how to play you should be thinking Unreal Tournament, not World of Tanks.  Tactics are still very important but movement and accuracy are key to victory.



#13
Hyginos

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Basically you don't since the designers decided to eliminate all skill level limitations and allow the highest skilled to beat on the low skilled because the poor darlings have no game to play.

 

This has been explained to you plenty of times, but for the benefit of OP I think its worth repeating:

 

Let me start by mentioning MMR, as it hasn't been brought up in this thread and it is useful information for harmless_kittens to understand. There is a built in skill rating system called MMR that works much like the Glicko rating used in chess. If you do well your MMR goes up, poorly and it goes down. The game tries its best to put players of similar MMRs (and hopefully skill levels) together in servers.

 

When someones MMR gets high enough, that starts getting difficult, as there are fewer players near his rating. This results in the matchmaker having to either put the player in a game far below his skill rating or simply not allow that player in to games at all.

 

The thing is, the players who have high MMRs typically have that rating because they became good at the game by playing a lot, and they play a lot because they really like the game. They like the game enough to play for many hundreds, often thousands, of hours. They like the game enough that they will find a way into a game even if their MMR is high enough that the match maker doesn't let them.

 

Thus, the devs have decided to, instead of barring these players from playing at all, simply put them in the highest rated game they can after a certain amount of time. The reasoning is that it is better to be put the outlier MMR in a skewed game where the systems can (at least kinda) try to work around the high number rather than have the player give up and use a different account with low enough MMR to get into games.

 

EDIT:

That's not to say the system is perfect, of course. New player experience is something that gets discussed around here occasionally and the discussion almost always involves how to keep fresh players from being tossed in with veterans.


Edited by Hyginos, 23 January 2016 - 03:58 PM.

MFW Howken

 

My post count is neat.


#14
SS396

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The game tries its best to put players of similar MMRs (and hopefully skill levels) together in servers.


Uh, no. It doesn't. Right now this is the sort of "trying its best" that seems to be most common whenever you look.

 

And for the new guy all accounts start at 1250 MMR.

Avg Level
24
Avg MMR
~1900
MMR Stdev
±322
MMR Spread
1350-2250

-----------
Avg Level
22
Avg MMR
~1700
MMR Stdev
±336
MMR Spread
1250-2350
-----------
Avg Level
22
Avg MMR
~1700
MMR Stdev
±336
MMR Spread
1250-2350
-----------
Avg Level
22
Avg MMR
~1650
MMR Stdev
±246
MMR Spread
1300-1950

Here we can see veterans allowed into games with players much lower than them, or new players allowed into games with veterans much higher than them.

 

Pretty much just from that sample of data alone, the game fails at trying its best to separate players at all now.  Ever since Josh made that change which was intended to combat smurfs, which I might add has not solved the problem of smurfing.   Lobbies with 1000 MMR spread are constantly happening at all times whenever you look.

 

But either way, there is no real way for this player to only play in games with other players in his MMR level, just like there is no way for a 2000 MMR player that only wants to play against other 2000 +\- 100 MMR players.  Thanks to the brilliant mechanics of ignoring the MMR of the specific player and just allowing them into any game because they waited for 90 seconds.

 

So what Pumapaw said is 100% correct.


[DELETED]

 

fuzzy bunny you CZeroFive 


#15
ATX22

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Howdy Kittens, sorry, but Hawken currently does do a poor job of segregating people new to Hawken from people who have been around for years.  Attempts to provide new players with their own area to learn and grow in this game only resulted in others finding ways around these restrictions in order to not only continue to play Hawken themselves, but also inadvertently add to the growing balancing issues that Hawken suffers from.  

 

Like was posted before, your best bet is to play co-op games until you reach a point that your confortable with Hawken's movement system and other various game mechanics.  You've unfortunately joined Hawken a bit late as the player base here has been dwindling now for about a couple years (give or take a blip or two).  Match making isn't going to get any better until the player base size issues are resolved, and hopefully the player base size issues aren't dependent on the match making issues being resolved... 


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#16
AxionOperandi

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But either way, there is no real way for this player to only play in games with other players in his MMR level, just like there is no way for a 2000 MMR player that only wants to play against other 2000 +\- 100 MMR players. 

MMR spreads of 1000 do happen but I just looked and there were at least 5 servers with a MMR of 1500 +/- 200 with a spread of no more than 600 spread.  So while its no where near as easy as it should be for a new player to land in the right server for them its not impossible, it may just take a few tries to get in the right one.



#17
SS396

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MMR spreads of 1000 do happen but I just looked and there were at least 5 servers with a MMR of 1500 +/- 200 with a spread of no more than 600 spread.

 

600 MMR differential is still way to much FYI, and in reality its not all that far from 1000.  The matches were better a year ago when it was +/- 300 MAX.

 

According to Devotions statements on MMR differential and relative ease of beating someone lower than you in game a 600 MMR spread is about twice as much as he indicated.  Therefore it is still way too easy for the higher MMR player playing against the lower MMR player.  They are just shooting fish in a barrel.

 

For those fish, it isn't fun as indicated in the OP.


[DELETED]

 

fuzzy bunny you CZeroFive 


#18
WmMoneyFrmMissouri

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How 'bout we settle this with a great big WHO GIVES AN F ?!? Let's stay on topic like how can we help out this new player(s). You know what's a big turn off to the OP? Listening to everyone's drivel baggage I'm right you're not.
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wmmoney.png


#19
SS396

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How 'bout we settle this with a great big WHO GIVES AN F ?!?


The guy that takes the time to come to the forum, and post his question(s) and concern(s), thats who gives a F.

So yes, lets answer his questions.... again.

So here is my main question.  Isn't the game supposed to have some sort of "balancing" so that I can get placed in matches with other brand new players, like myself?


No. Currently there is no definite segregation that would keep only new players in specific lobbies by newness, skill, or MMR. By using the matchmaking queue the game tries but after 90 seconds of searching it resorts to a free for all and just ignores any restrictions. Also another issue is veteran players (anyone with any previous in game experience for that matter) can pass as new players simply by creating a brand new account and effectively resetting their stats, according to the game they are brand new.

 I was fighting against robots I can't even purchase yet, fully painted and labeled and bearing weapons I've never seen before.  Is this the way it is supposed to be?


Yes.

[DELETED]

 

fuzzy bunny you CZeroFive 


#20
DallasCreeper

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The community is far too small to support a diverse skill level, so new players aren't gonna do so well against the few and the proud


 

Spoiler

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#21
PsychedelicGrass

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I guess you didn't understand what he wanted, he requested that he wanted to play with others similar to his own skill and experience.


I understand what he was asking. However, you yourself have said several times now that such a thing isn't possible right now, so it seems to me that the next best thing would be to offer to play with him and give tips and suggestions so that they can get the basics down without having to figure it out for themselves over a longer period of time. Make sense?

Edited by PsychedelicGrass, 23 January 2016 - 09:05 PM.

What's the big fuzzy bunnyng deal? Lots of amazing people have committed suicide, and they turned out alright.

 


#22
ATX22

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The community is far too small to support a diverse skill level, so new players aren't gonna do so well against the few and the proud

 

Which is going to make the pool of players that much smaller as even some of the few and the proud eventually do move on to other things as well.  Unless Reloaded comes up with an awesome update, whenever that occurs, it's possible that it'll boil down to the few and the proud making a choice between playing PUB games in Hawken for the near term, or backing off a bit so that everyone can play Hawken for the long term.


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#23
AxionOperandi

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600 MMR differential is still way to much FYI, and in reality its not all that far from 1000.  The matches were better a year ago when it was +/- 300 MAX.

I agree with your point in general.  However 600 was the outlier when I was looking, several of the servers had tighter spreads (200-300) and should have been suitable for a new player.

 

I get the impression the OP is really taking issue with the fast paced “arena shooter” of Hawken more so than anything else.



#24
gArphEus

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Didn't want 2 overstress the OP with tons of numbers an' details, that's y i skipped the whole MMR story and tried 2 xplain the facts in simple words. Guess he's got all the info he needs 2 improve his knowledge and gameplay performance now. Give him some time, respect and maybe later some ingame demonstration of advanced moves, various mechs an' tactics and we have 2 players moa in our shrinking playerbase. If we r able 2 encourage and support at least a few more new players per week, then maybe it's not too late 2 escape the event horizon b4 our little HAWKEN universe collapses like a dying star. Keep the train rolling, guys. Keep playing. It's not ova until it's ova, right?


Edited by gArphEus, 24 January 2016 - 06:09 AM.


#25
Pleasure_Mortar

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Are your sure the OP will ever read all this?

It's been 5 days since he posted here and we haven't heard anything back from him yet.

Seems to me this game is just not what he expected it to be.


Edited by Pleasure_Mortar, 24 January 2016 - 11:03 AM.


#26
harmless_kittens

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Yes I am still here. But every post I make needs to be approved before you see it. We are still playing, and my son is getting much better. His favorite is our Sharpshooter. For me the Vanguard is more to my liking. My son has actually gotten first place a couple times. But when I play I have yet to get more kills than deaths. On well. We haven't seen any more of other players ranting on us either, despite probably wanting to. Thanks for all the advice and your continued patience.
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#27
DallasCreeper

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Pro Vanguard tip. Orbs + Vanguard Turret = death to all who stand in your way. Just use it sparingly, or your squishy metal behind will have more bullets in it than any idiot extremist who decides to attack an Abrams Tank with an AK-47


 

Spoiler

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Ridding the world of evil, one Berzerker at a time.


#28
StubbornPuppet

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Yes I am still here. But every post I make needs to be approved before you see it. We are still playing, and my son is getting much better. His favorite is our Sharpshooter. For me the Vanguard is more to my liking. My son has actually gotten first place a couple times. But when I play I have yet to get more kills than deaths. On well. We haven't seen any more of other players ranting on us either, despite probably wanting to. Thanks for all the advice and your continued patience.

 

Awesome on you man!  It's so nice to see a gamer with a spine once in a while.  Someone who is perfectly happy to stick with something because they like the core, instead of because they are winning.  You are an inspiration.


To be serious for a moment this is just a joke

 


#29
gArphEus

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Yes I am still here. But every post I make needs to be approved before you see it. We are still playing, and my son is getting much better. His favorite is our Sharpshooter. For me the Vanguard is more to my liking. My son has actually gotten first place a couple times. But when I play I have yet to get more kills than deaths. On well. We haven't seen any more of other players ranting on us either, despite probably wanting to. Thanks for all the advice and your continued patience.

 

That's pretty nice 2 hear. It's a pleasure 4 us 2 welcome and support new players. U both deserve our double respect 4 keepin' up playing while the servers provide awkward conditions at best, and the veterans dominate each single match versus newcomers. Good 2 hear, you're both still on it, and keep improving your skills. Just don't rate your performance on the majority of other players - those, that dominate the servers actually have most likely several hundreds of hours more of playtime done than you, so don't give it up, In the end it's all just about good map knowledge, a bit of tactical sense and practice and u'll soon get much better. The gameplay's pretty fast, so 1 of the hardest things 2 catch in the beginning is the awareness, u really need 2 gain. Always have an eye on the radar permanently. Also try 2 avoid boosting and dodging all the time - it shows u up on all enemies radar like a lighthouse at the shoreline by night. In example - if 1 of your mates calls out 4 help, and is in vicinity, u might go 4 it, and boost in there, but sometimes it's much betta 2 enter the scene unnoticed by "silent" walking and alphastrike the enemy devastating in a split-second. Boosting around too much, and ignoring the radar were the worst 2 (of many...) mistakes (hahahaha...) i did myself as i began 2 play HAWKEN, so i can recommend a slow but reasoned engagement - especially when u prefer 2 play the Vanguard. Its ability gives u a 60 % damage reduction, when attacked frontal, so it invites 2 b used all the time, but it also has the negative effect of almost doubling damage incoming from behind, reducing your turning rate monumental and even denying dodging 2 u totally! Don't get me wrong - it's still 1 of the best c-class abilities out there 4 sure! U just shouldn't use it all the way, but deploy it, when u r clearly in the advantage of having mates at your side and better a wall or the rest of the team behind you. However - the Vanguard's the fastest and maybe most popular c-class. It's a good choice 4 a beginner imho. Level it up 2 rank 5, and get the "Vulcan" gun - you sure won't regret it. That thing's a real mech-shredder... And i guess u'll enjoy the sound it makes... ;)

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

Regards, gArphEus.


Edited by gArphEus, 25 January 2016 - 02:02 PM.


#30
harmless_kittens

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Pro Vanguard tip. Orbs + Vanguard Turret = death to all who stand in your way. Just use it sparingly, or your squishy metal behind will have more bullets in it than any idiot extremist who decides to attack an Abrams Tank with an AK-47

OP here.  Can you explain what you mean by "orbs"?  I'm assuming this is an Item or Internal, and, frankly, we haven't done much with those things at all yet.  Thanks again.



#31
6ixxer

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Unfortunately the high ranked players often can't find a high ranked server so they use matchmaker to queue them and they end up in the closest ranked which may be with new pilots : /

 

As many have said, cut your teeth on Coop-TDM.

 

You only vs bots that are scaled to [kinda] match the skill of the players on the coop team.

 

You and your son can play matches and any humans that join will be on your team fighting bots. Talk to these pilots and find out if they are similar experience to you and then arrange to go try DM, etc.

 

I often find new pilots via coop, then we decide to have some 1v1 scrims in DM to see how we fare, and whether we can trade tips.

 

...don't let asshats scare you away, Hawken is a great game and clans will accept just about all skill levels and sometimes have private servers, private voip, and arrange matches and perform balancing and mentoring.

 

If in Oceanic, we unfortunately have low population and need people to have a good new player experience and stick around so we can have organised matches.

 

Cheers,

6ixxer


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#32
LRod

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If you and your son have separate PCs to play on, I would suggest creating another account, and then friend each other.  That way you can create a party, join servers together, and see how cool it can be to work as a pair.  For your first pairing, I would also recommend the Technician and Vanguard combination....serious firepower, with the potential to learn how to coordinate efforts, and how to support the whole team based on mech roles.  Good luck and welcome!


"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting"  - Sun Tzu


#33
harmless_kittens

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OP here.  Thanks to those of you who suggested the Co-Op modes.  I had a lot of fun with Co-Op DM last night, and actually got first place several times.  I really like how the bots "chat" in game too.  Nice touch.  My son DOESN'T like it, because its not challenging him enough.  He wants to play with the big boys :)  I still can't succeed in that mode yet.  I can get a 5/1 K/D ratio in co-op, but drop down to around 1/2 when playing against all these Veterans :(  It just seems like a huge boost, flying, dodge-fest.  Personally, I do think the dodging is a little extreme.  How, exactly, are these robots moving faster than Dragonball Z characters?

 

We're level 20 now, but still haven't done anything with Items or Internals yet.  Also, we've been buying more robots as a way to see new weapons rather than leveling up existing ones, when we have enough money.  The two we have played the most are Sharpshooter, my son's favorite, and Vanguard, my favorite so far.  We also have an Assault (obviously), a Brawler, a Bruiser, and a Predator.  Just this morning we bought our first A-Class, a Scout.  WOW I died fast in that little guy, but he is definitely faster - probably one for my son.

 

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on our progress.  Thanks again.


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#34
harmless_kittens

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OP again.  My son and I are already wondering which robot to try next.  I still do best in Vanguard, and he still does best in Sharpshooter.  I did buy the Mini-Flak for the Vanguard last night, but was not that impressed.  I seem to overheat faster.

 

My son has not bought the Slug Rifle yet for his Sharpshooter.  Do you think he should?  It seems to have great range, but I'm not sure about the damage.

 

We are looking at the Raider as our next purchase?  This is for three reasons.  1) It comes with two weapons we haven't tried yet.  2) It is a Medium bot (I don't think we have the skill for Light Bots).  3)  It opens a path for the G2 Raider.

 

Are any of you "Raider fans"?  Do you think this would be another good one to try?  Thanks again.



#35
Nept

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 Personally, I do think the dodging is a little extreme.  How, exactly, are these robots moving faster than Dragonball Z characters?

 

They do a lot of push-ups and sit-ups, and they drink plenty of juice.


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#36
DallasCreeper

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Cavorite

This. There is a lore thread in Art and Media.


Edited by DallasCreeper, 28 January 2016 - 08:23 AM.

 

Spoiler

2XhpJes.png

Ridding the world of evil, one Berzerker at a time.


#37
6ixxer

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Reflak raider is quite good, even for new pilots. You'll like how you can use blitz and still shoot. T32 or EOC are harder weapons to handle (wait until you rank up then unlock with HC).

 

For A-Class I think you would like Infiltrator. It has Assault rifle which is ok, and the ability uses fuel to give you stealth like predator. Good for getting out of stickly situations. You can get into Heat cannon later. A-class really need to make use of their speed and often Air compressor internal works well with them.


Edited by 6ixxer, 28 January 2016 - 02:30 PM.


#38
TAZ_

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1st - welcome 2 the game, dude.

Sorry, due 2 the very small playerbase actually, it's very likely u stumble in2 veterans or at least adept players every 2nd match. Though the matchmaker desperately tries 2 keep the teams even and balanced, it's also sabotaged by the so-called "smurfs" - experienced players that re-enter the game using a new account with a very low rank and matchmaking rate. By hiding their real skills this way from the matchmaker, they are misallocated 2 matches where lower skilled players dominate the battlefield, thus they can "stomp" the others with ease. Sad 2 hear, u even got taunted by your own mates - some guys will never learn that it's a really bad idea 2 discourage new players, that bravely dare 2 join a shrinking community... Don't mind of such - every beginning is hard. However - since you won't get much chances 2 play vs. rookies only, the only things i can suggest 2 u r the following:

1.) learn as much about the game in advance as possible, b4 jumping in2 the next match - The YouTube-channel of "SoldierHobbes11" is a fantastic source of information 4 beginners. Especially the "HAWKEN - How to..."-videoclips are pretty good 4 learning about the different mechs with their roles/purposes and weapons.

2.) learn about the different gamemodes, but stay away from the more complicated or difficult 1s like Missile Assault and Siege. I suggest you play COOP BOT team-deathmatches against AI bots in the 1st time, 2 gain better control of your movement, aiming, and items, because the BOTs usually adapt 2 the average skill-level of your team, so they might be moa 4giving in reaction 2 every mistake in your gameplay. After a while i would recommend regular Team-Deathmatches, 2 gain betta knowledge 4 advanced tactics and teamplay. Use your standart Assault mech (it's an uncomplicated and pretty good 1), and stick with the majority of your team - this way u don't get overrun that easy by multiple players.

3.) just don't give up! Keep playing every day 4 at least an hour of practice, an u will get much better soon, i'll promise. U might also want 2 tinker with your mouse speed 2 find the ideal value 2 improve the precision of your aiming. Lower values r usually better than too high ones.

4.) don't care 4 the fancy stuff like colourful mech cosmetics - they make no change 2 your gameplay. The only things that might influence it r, items, internals and weapons. Also get a better HUD crosshair - the standart 1 is terrible 2 aim with imho. Get the fine "X" in the garage - u can't go wrong with it.

If u need further xplanations about the game - regardless what it is, be welcome 2 add me 2 your ingame buddylist. Just enter my nickname there, and send me a friendship request, and i'll reply asap. Usually i play HAWKEN daily in the EU region, so there's a good chance 2 meet me online. If u like, i can give you some lessons, advice, and help u 2 improve your overall gameplay at least that much, that u r able 2 fend off some players. Even direct communication is also possible via Teamspeak.I have moa than 1700 hours of xperience in HAWKEN, so i guess, there r a few things i could teach 2 u. However, even after almost 2 years of experience, i'm still learning from others, so don't expect me 2 b the battlefield superstar - there r many others a thousand times better than me...

Regards, gArphEus.


+1 for this reply.
everything i want to answer already been said by him..
Hahahaha
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(08:35:47 PM) Ashfire908: auth taz_ blacklist
(08:35:48 PM) ScrimBot: 'taz_' has been added to the 'blacklist' group.

 


#39
Pumapaw

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That explains the lack of new players... No updates. Lets kill noobs. No new players a steady decline. Looks like this is reloaded intent.



#40
JackVandal

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OP here.  Can you explain what you mean by "orbs"?  I'm assuming this is an Item or Internal, and, frankly, we haven't done much with those things at all yet.  Thanks again.

I didnt see any specific mentions to this here, so Orbs are referring to the health orb item, they are also the little yellow orbs(mech souls) that drop from slain mechs, when close enough your mech will absorb the health out of them, which when combined with the turret, as stated above, is very effective.

 

To answer some other mentions in your posts, the slug on the sharpshooter is good, its just a burst option, compared to the sustain of the starting weapon. the slug is good with dodging back into cover.

 

As for the mini-flack on the vanguard, it has really high damage per second, though if you cant land most of your shots stick with the smc for now, the heat will be more forgiving.

 

Raider is lots of shotguns, the secondary has a second mode great for close quarters, and the ability is great for getting into, or out of a nasty situation, as for the G2 Raider, its all burst, not super friendly, if you miss, your gona die, but its a mean bird if you can land the shots.


"but the dead horse has been beaten so many times it's practically a pulpy mess in the barn by now."

-M1lkshake





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