Post by Rekkon on Jun 6, 2016 9:10:39 GMT -8
I have begun writing a scouting guide. More to come hopefully.
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First up, go read GMan129's scouting guide for generalities on how to play the game mode. My guide is going to focus on map specific tactics, specifically one or two "rule of thumb" approaches to each. I also assume you are taking a combat-oriented approach rather than going for a pure "smoke dive."
Grim Plexus
To me, this map has the most obvious course of action for both sides. The reason for that are two concentrations of potential intel in the D4 and G6 areas, outlined roughly in green. Whomever distributed the potential intel spawns on this map did a terrible job. I have seen up to seven intel in each of these regions, and you will notice the defenders have quick access to them. If you have ever dropped attacker on this map, only to see the enemy grab like 8 intel in the first minute, this is why. This map remains the only one I have seen the attackers win the skirmish, but lose the match because they could not find a single data point to collect.
Defenders/Protectors:
Two defenders start just outside the D4 sweet spot. You should immediately get eyes on the frozen lake there and start hoovering up all the intel. Be advised a good enemy team will be heading directly toward you so stay vigilant. Some of the higher ground will let you see the attackers as they enter F4, and you definitely want to keep an eye on the little E4 trench that leads to your frozen lake. If the other two defenders are not moving directly to your position, you may need to break off (with or without all the intel) to avoid a fight that is 4v2 the hard way.
The other two defenders starting in E8/F8 need to move at maximum speed to link up at D4. Do not collect intel, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 MC. With a little luck, the C4 guys are picking up a lot of intel and are unalbe to move to you, so you have to move to them. The attackers drop roughly the same distance from D4 that you do, so if you do not immediately link up with the rest of your team, there is a real risk of getting destroyed in detail.
If you pick the D4 region clean and have no contact with the enemy, link up and head toward the G6 cluster, grabbing any other intel you see on the way. If the attackers left their spawn the "wrong" way, you are likely to find them in this area, and if they did not, you can basically strip mine the map. Either get your team to 11 to summon the dropship or collect 10 and sit on the 11th (without capturing it) to force the enemy to come to you.
Attackers/Gatherers:
Proceed at best speed toward D4. There is the possibility of a beacon across from you in G2, which you should probably ignore (or task a fast mech to snag). The same is generally true for any others in G3/G4, though occasionally you get one directly in your line of travel that would be foolish NOT to collect, but getting to D4 is your overwhelming priority. If you have lights, you may even want to send them ahead to disrupt the enemy until your mediums arrive. The faster you get to D4, the more likely you can engage the two defenders that spawn there before their lancemates arrive. For this reason, coordinating four fast mechs (like Jenners) is not a bad strategy. If the enemy is collecting in D4, you stand a fair chance of forcing an unfair fight in your favor. If the enemy is not collecting, you want to secure that concentration of intel for yourself. Generally the D4 skirmish decides the game.
If you clean out D4 without enemy contact, move as a group toward the G6 cluster. This is almost sure to bring you into contact with the enemy, and if it does not, sweeping both locations (and whatever chance intel lies between) almost certainly nets you enough to cast Summon Dropship.
If you are running "do not engage" mode with fast mechs, heading to the G6 cluster first may be worth a try, operating on the assumption that the defenders are converging on D4. Clear that area, then sweep roughly F5 to F8. By then, competent opponents will know what you are doing and be seeking to meet you in the center of the map, so you may have difficulty getting the rest of the way to 10 without some combat. In that case the threatened mech running in the opposite direction of his friends is your best bet to draw away enough hostiles to let the rest of your team easily finish the objective (hopefully).
Dropship Locations
Extraction points are marked with purple stars. I personally have never seen one come to E5 and only seen E7 once. I do not know if each dropship spawn has an equal chance of being selected, but these two in the middle of the map are the fastest to check for green smoke. If it is not one of those, the defenders are probably screwed because the size of the map means there is no way to check the three outer locations AND concentrate enough force to prevent a smoke dive. Generally you cannot wait to observe the dropship flight either, as doing so leaves you insufficient time to reach it.
----------------------
First up, go read GMan129's scouting guide for generalities on how to play the game mode. My guide is going to focus on map specific tactics, specifically one or two "rule of thumb" approaches to each. I also assume you are taking a combat-oriented approach rather than going for a pure "smoke dive."
Grim Plexus
To me, this map has the most obvious course of action for both sides. The reason for that are two concentrations of potential intel in the D4 and G6 areas, outlined roughly in green. Whomever distributed the potential intel spawns on this map did a terrible job. I have seen up to seven intel in each of these regions, and you will notice the defenders have quick access to them. If you have ever dropped attacker on this map, only to see the enemy grab like 8 intel in the first minute, this is why. This map remains the only one I have seen the attackers win the skirmish, but lose the match because they could not find a single data point to collect.
Defenders/Protectors:
Two defenders start just outside the D4 sweet spot. You should immediately get eyes on the frozen lake there and start hoovering up all the intel. Be advised a good enemy team will be heading directly toward you so stay vigilant. Some of the higher ground will let you see the attackers as they enter F4, and you definitely want to keep an eye on the little E4 trench that leads to your frozen lake. If the other two defenders are not moving directly to your position, you may need to break off (with or without all the intel) to avoid a fight that is 4v2 the hard way.
The other two defenders starting in E8/F8 need to move at maximum speed to link up at D4. Do not collect intel, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 MC. With a little luck, the C4 guys are picking up a lot of intel and are unalbe to move to you, so you have to move to them. The attackers drop roughly the same distance from D4 that you do, so if you do not immediately link up with the rest of your team, there is a real risk of getting destroyed in detail.
If you pick the D4 region clean and have no contact with the enemy, link up and head toward the G6 cluster, grabbing any other intel you see on the way. If the attackers left their spawn the "wrong" way, you are likely to find them in this area, and if they did not, you can basically strip mine the map. Either get your team to 11 to summon the dropship or collect 10 and sit on the 11th (without capturing it) to force the enemy to come to you.
Attackers/Gatherers:
Proceed at best speed toward D4. There is the possibility of a beacon across from you in G2, which you should probably ignore (or task a fast mech to snag). The same is generally true for any others in G3/G4, though occasionally you get one directly in your line of travel that would be foolish NOT to collect, but getting to D4 is your overwhelming priority. If you have lights, you may even want to send them ahead to disrupt the enemy until your mediums arrive. The faster you get to D4, the more likely you can engage the two defenders that spawn there before their lancemates arrive. For this reason, coordinating four fast mechs (like Jenners) is not a bad strategy. If the enemy is collecting in D4, you stand a fair chance of forcing an unfair fight in your favor. If the enemy is not collecting, you want to secure that concentration of intel for yourself. Generally the D4 skirmish decides the game.
If you clean out D4 without enemy contact, move as a group toward the G6 cluster. This is almost sure to bring you into contact with the enemy, and if it does not, sweeping both locations (and whatever chance intel lies between) almost certainly nets you enough to cast Summon Dropship.
If you are running "do not engage" mode with fast mechs, heading to the G6 cluster first may be worth a try, operating on the assumption that the defenders are converging on D4. Clear that area, then sweep roughly F5 to F8. By then, competent opponents will know what you are doing and be seeking to meet you in the center of the map, so you may have difficulty getting the rest of the way to 10 without some combat. In that case the threatened mech running in the opposite direction of his friends is your best bet to draw away enough hostiles to let the rest of your team easily finish the objective (hopefully).
Dropship Locations
Extraction points are marked with purple stars. I personally have never seen one come to E5 and only seen E7 once. I do not know if each dropship spawn has an equal chance of being selected, but these two in the middle of the map are the fastest to check for green smoke. If it is not one of those, the defenders are probably screwed because the size of the map means there is no way to check the three outer locations AND concentrate enough force to prevent a smoke dive. Generally you cannot wait to observe the dropship flight either, as doing so leaves you insufficient time to reach it.
As for the streak crow taking a long time to bring something down, this is absolutely true. The streak crow is incredible at shearing armor off of a mech, but not very effective at killing it. This is why I recommend not taking 4 streak crows in a scout game. Three at most, or even two, supported by a direct fire medium (non streaks) and a light will work together much better. The streaks open up a target, while the more directed fire can take off the unarmored limbs or go for the killing shots. 