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Post by Landcaster on Jul 23, 2020 8:16:11 GMT -4
So the vast majority of my experience in MegaMek is lance sized combat but with a few support units thrown into the mix.
I was wondering what differences are there when larger battles are played out (when the only objective is destroy the enemy). I know this sounds like a very vague question, but I am aware that it might be entirely possible that larger battles will occur here (sometimes asymmetrically: company vs lance), if players concentrate their forces, and I want to know what to expect as well as what to avoid. Any helpful tips?
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Post by FederatedRat on Jul 23, 2020 8:42:21 GMT -4
For battlemechs it is especially very hard to retreat (that is without JJ). It is much easier to move forward in BT than backward so if you try and retreat you either have to (1) turn your back and run full hog (assuming the enemy is slower than you) presenting your weak rear armored butt to create a gap or just maintain your current distance, or (2) retreat at a snails pace backwards while firing forwards fully aware that the enemy can advance faster than you can retreat. Eventually given enough space they could easily surround you on the flanks or behind as you "back up" and you would take fire from all sides till something goes BOOM.
Concentrating force is powerful true, but if it runs into something even larger?, if your force can't retreat from a superior enemy number it is quite probably largely doomed. Without early scout detection and realizing what you are up against quickly 100x100 maps are killer because they force you to commit to engagements you might not otherwise want to take, to hurry to take as many of the enemy down as you can knowing retreat isn't an option in some scenarios if you are outgunned.
I would recommend having two lines of defense a fast mobile strike force (hovercraft and JJ mechs) that can "take the blunt" of an enemy attack into your territory first. They can "gauge the threat" by giving you accurate information on what your foe is fielding for the battles to come, BUT they have a chance to escape themselves, being fast. Then they can join up with the next line of defense for even more concentrated firepower and you know what you are facing off against. Besides massed hovertanks themselves have stopped enemy offensive advances as many players might decide to turn back for repairs if enough damage is done to their units that they believe them vulnerable.
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Post by keeperkomando on Jul 25, 2020 9:42:30 GMT -4
While you might get the impression that Company v. Company battles would take longer, in reality, they tend to only take slightly longer to resolve than Lance on Lance engagements. Even more so than in Lance v. Lance fights, in Company scale battles, focusing fire against only a single target drops 'Mechs very rapidly. All else being equal, the side with the most firing discipline when it comes to selecting and coordinating targets is the side that comes out the victor. Do not make the mistake of having every unit engage a separate target. Your company should focus on only one or two 'Mechs with the goal of destroying them utterly in one turn. If you can rapidly drop a good number of their units early on, then the difference in firepower becomes insurmountable and they'll be forced to concede defeat.
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Post by Tardigrades on Jul 29, 2020 22:52:46 GMT -4
Ideally you probably need to field a force with more synergy, roughly the same move speed (jump or non-jump) and have weapons that compliment all ranges so that the enemy can't either out-range you or get to close that they can force minimum range penalties left and right. No unit in a formation should be more than a couple of hexes from another member for support reasons, else they could be singled out in physical combat or by swarms of other smaller units. A Mixed Medium-Heavy AFFS Company that moves 5/8/5 can maneuver as a group and throw down so much firepower that it can core out an Assault 'Mech in a single turn at 14 hexes, and it's got the mobility that there's nowhere you can run.
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