Author Topic: Getting Started with Against the Bot  (Read 163582 times)

commando001

  • Recruit
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #510 on: 14 March 2018, 13:58:36 »
Thanks.  Ill try some of those later today.

DM

Kovax

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2421
  • Taking over the Universe one mapsheet at a time
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #511 on: 15 March 2018, 11:31:52 »
Is anyone having issues with the AtB always sending more than 4 times your forces, regardless of the mission type?
There's the inevitable "perfect storm" situation where the RNG rolls high and hits you with an OPFOR one bracket above yours (Heavy against your Medium).  The OPFOR is not limited by weight (your "Medium" lance can't field four 55 tonners, because it's over the 200 ton limit for a "Medium" lance, but the AI can field three 75 tonners and a 55 and call it "Medium), so its idea of a "Heavy" lance is 2 Assaults and 2 upper-end Heavies, or possibly even 3 Assaults and a Heavy.  It also rolls high and adds a second lance in support of the first (possibly two more if it's allowed to double any vehicles), and then it makes its roll for additional "Reinforcements" that can arrive around turn 6, just in case you were bored with the first group.  On the other hand, if you have a lance on Scout orders, you're allowed to roll for them to come in as your own reinforcements.  If that WAS your scout lance facing those bad odds, then tough luck.

I've seen 1:3 BV odds in a couple of missions (as bad as 1:4 in terms of weight), even without vehicles doubled, but it's rare except in "chase" missions, where either you're expected to run away (that doesn't work well if you've got an Urbanmech in the force, such as your Liason officer), or you're expected to engage in a "turkey shoot" at the fleeing enemy, who are more concerned with escape whatever's behind them than trying to fight you (but they'll still shoot).  Depending on what spawns and what you've got available, you can either end up with a heap of salvage after such a mission, or end up as salvage.

scJazz

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1828
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #512 on: 15 March 2018, 19:17:20 »
Fight Lances can reinforce on 6 if they are not otherwise busy that week.
Scout Lances on 5 or 6.

One of the things that is repeatedly overlooked is that AtB is designed for Winning at the Contract Level not the Battle Level. There are Battles that can be generated that are deliberately lopsided in both directions. Your job is to win the Contract, keep your unit together and make money. Winning, or hell, even fighting every single battle is not your job.

To quote the great sage Kenny Rogers... "Know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away" :) >:D

iduno

  • Recruit
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #513 on: 24 March 2018, 10:32:30 »
There's a difference between "good roll" and "balance is for chumps." BV 4k to 12k (plus 3.5k in reinforcements)?

Me: Wolverine, Shadowhawk, Whitworth
DC Back-up: urbanmech
Opponent mechs: Firestarter, commando, wasp, firestarter, commando, wasp, spider, Warhammer, firestarter, Shadowhawk
Opposing tanks: pegasus, scorpion, maxim, condor, scorpion, scimitar, scorpion, pegasus, pegasus, galleon, scimitar, scorpion
Opposing reinforcements: hunter, scorpion, pegasus, hunter, scorpion, J edgar, LTV, vedette

There is no winning on the contract level here. That is losing a full lance, on a fairly easy contract (trying to make 1.5 million c-bills over 3 months).

BLOODWOLF

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 695
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #514 on: 24 March 2018, 16:28:36 »
There's a difference between "good roll" and "balance is for chumps." BV 4k to 12k (plus 3.5k in reinforcements)?

Me: Wolverine, Shadowhawk, Whitworth
DC Back-up: urbanmech
Opponent mechs: Firestarter, commando, wasp, firestarter, commando, wasp, spider, Warhammer, firestarter, Shadowhawk
Opposing tanks: pegasus, scorpion, maxim, condor, scorpion, scimitar, scorpion, pegasus, pegasus, galleon, scimitar, scorpion
Opposing reinforcements: hunter, scorpion, pegasus, hunter, scorpion, J edgar, LTV, vedette

There is no winning on the contract level here. That is losing a full lance, on a fairly easy contract (trying to make 1.5 million c-bills over 3 months).

Thats kinda how I see it too.  So I made my own opfor generator spreadsheet and roll my own opfor with no reinforcements.  You can delete the scenario it creates and just create your own or once you get in the megamek lobby start deleting the opfor's units to make it fair.  Just need to come up with your own system until we get a coder who decides to revamp or do their own non-atb opfor feature.

Dahzer

  • Recruit
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #515 on: 24 March 2018, 17:21:50 »
Bloodwolf would you be willing to share that spreadsheet? I have com across the same situations iduno has mentioned and I’ve modified it here and there, but it would be interesting to see how someone else modified the system.

2ndAcr

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 3165
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #516 on: 24 March 2018, 19:31:09 »
 Wait until you fight the Clans and you see your lance against a full Trinary every fight. But it was one reason why I stopped fighting most of the rolled battles and just started deleting the mass of lance fights and just created and fought Company and above battles.

 Company sized battles take a bit longer than lance sized, Battalion and above, well they can take a long while. Especially if you give princess fast moving units or really jumpy one.

Hammer

  • Numerorum Malleo
  • Global Moderator
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4101
    • MegaMek Website
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #517 on: 24 March 2018, 19:57:15 »
You can also just delete the units in the Megamek lounge till the BV is balanced or you feel it's balanced.  Personally I find if you have double vehicles, and the vehicle effectiveness rules on you have fights that can be horribly out of balance.
MegaMek Projects Wiki
Bug Trackers
MegaMek Tracker
MekHQ Tracker
MegaMekLab Tracker
New Units and RAT's aren't added until after the 2 month release moratorium is passed.
Join the official MegaMek Discord

BairdEC

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 239
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #518 on: 24 March 2018, 21:21:54 »
I added some salvaged vehicles to my recon lance (a Saladin and a Saracen), but when I start a mission, the application says I do not have three crew members assigned to each vehicle.  I assigned a driver and two gunners to each one; one of the crew was designated as the vehicle commander by MHQ.  What am I missing?

iduno

  • Recruit
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #519 on: 26 March 2018, 08:52:04 »
Also, how much fighting is expected before my company is highly regarded enough to buy medium lasers? They are currently not available.

I don't think that was a problem last time I tried AtB, but it gets significantly worse each time I try it.

Snimm

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 992
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #520 on: 26 March 2018, 09:56:52 »
Parts availability is dictated by the type of contract.  Guerilla contracts, for example, don't let you buy anything, if memory serves.

This is the one field where autocannons actually have an advantage - they're the most available tech after machine guns and the like.

BairdEC, you might try deleting and using GM Mode to re-add those vehicles onto your roster, then see if that clear up the problem.
Need help getting started with Against the Bot in MekHQ?  Click here to get yourself up and running!

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=41494.msg957784#msg957784

NickAragua

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 368
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #521 on: 26 March 2018, 10:59:22 »
If you're off-contract, you'll need a C rating before you can get any real parts. However, if you happen to have a veteran+ admin/logistics person, that ups your parts availability a little so you can get away with a D rating in that case.

BLOODWOLF

  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 695
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #522 on: 26 March 2018, 15:57:16 »

ThePW

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1201
  • One post down, a thousand to g... Oh we're here?
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #523 on: 19 May 2020, 22:07:17 »
Does skills automatically increase with experience points or do you have to add manually?
Even my Page posting rate is better than my KPD rate IG...

2Feb2023: The day my main toon on DDO/Cannith, an Artificer typically in the back, TANKED in a LH VoD.

NickAragua

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 368
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #524 on: 19 May 2020, 22:33:15 »
Manually - you wouldn't want MekHQ automatically spending your hard-earned XP anyway.

ThePW

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1201
  • One post down, a thousand to g... Oh we're here?
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #525 on: 24 May 2020, 10:43:27 »
Today's question: How do you UNHIDDEN a unit went it seems the only way you can is when its discovered. The bot doesn't even move towards the location so what can I do besides spot the building across the street every round?
Even my Page posting rate is better than my KPD rate IG...

2Feb2023: The day my main toon on DDO/Cannith, an Artificer typically in the back, TANKED in a LH VoD.

Drewbacca

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3441
  • What could have been...
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #526 on: 24 May 2020, 14:00:36 »
Question, is it possible to hire Clan personnel and have them not generate with a surname?

ThePW

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1201
  • One post down, a thousand to g... Oh we're here?
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #527 on: 24 May 2020, 14:12:48 »
Question, is it possible to hire Clan personnel and have them not generate with a surname?

I think it depends on the manner of how you determine the random names. You would think, when you are editing a toon's name, faction, etc. (usually while on GM mode), when you select the toon as a clanner, that his name changes. It doesn't because you would first have to know what faction the toon will be. Because the game works very basically to formula, it would have be set up to several triggers first. Maybe on a excel sheet, you can do it, just too cumbersome on Megemek… IMHO.
Even my Page posting rate is better than my KPD rate IG...

2Feb2023: The day my main toon on DDO/Cannith, an Artificer typically in the back, TANKED in a LH VoD.

Hammer

  • Numerorum Malleo
  • Global Moderator
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4101
    • MegaMek Website
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #528 on: 24 May 2020, 14:50:24 »
Question, is it possible to hire Clan personnel and have them not generate with a surname?

It's in the coming soon category. We have code ready to be deployed but still needs review. So within the next couple of dev releases.
MegaMek Projects Wiki
Bug Trackers
MegaMek Tracker
MekHQ Tracker
MegaMekLab Tracker
New Units and RAT's aren't added until after the 2 month release moratorium is passed.
Join the official MegaMek Discord

ThePW

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1201
  • One post down, a thousand to g... Oh we're here?
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #529 on: 24 May 2020, 16:12:40 »
It's in the coming soon category. We have code ready to be deployed but still needs review. So within the next couple of dev releases.

Or prove me pleasantly wrong.  ::)
Even my Page posting rate is better than my KPD rate IG...

2Feb2023: The day my main toon on DDO/Cannith, an Artificer typically in the back, TANKED in a LH VoD.

Windchild

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 297
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #530 on: 24 May 2020, 19:41:40 »
An example from MegaMek, just need to start your player name with Clan and it will generate a clanner name (this might work as it is, but I'm not certain).



For MekHQ, there's an option to generate names based on origin faction that replaces generating based on the campaign's faction (as said option replicated the select from drop down), so any clanners will have clan names and any spheroids will have IS-style names.

As for the functionality on the edit person dialog, that is on purpose @ThePW. It will not longer display the surname for pretty much everything, but it does still save it just in case.
« Last Edit: 24 May 2020, 19:44:11 by Windchild »
MegaMek Developer - MekHQ, Personnel, and Internal Focus
MegaMek Discord
MegaMek Projects Wiki
Bug Trackers
MegaMek Tracker
MekHQ Tracker
MegaMekLab Tracker

ThePW

  • Lieutenant
  • *
  • Posts: 1201
  • One post down, a thousand to g... Oh we're here?
Lessons learned: bridges
« Reply #531 on: 15 June 2020, 11:51:38 »
I'm currently trying my bit at insanity by running a Total Chaos "Campaign" using the Gannon's Cannons as my proxy.

Lesson one: When doing the Running from the Devils (TC Pg. 56-58) when choosing terrain maps, make sure that certain structures can hold the weight of the objects your trying to protect. I choose 3 maps. One & Two of the (German) Countryside and the Coastal (with that 3. piece. bridge.). I don't own the mapset that has the Coastals 1 & 2 so I made a clear critical error when I cam to the fork in the road hugging the edge. I had the Kaimyo 67-K and 2 Pegasis tanks. Peg-HQ-Peg. I didn't look too closely at the bridge but apparently megamek thought that was one too many units on anyone piece of that bridge. I proudly had moved all my units to advance to meet the tanks, HIT DONE and saw three entries for Watery Graves... What. The. [Censored].

Totally my fault, too because I added the Kuritan units as my unit so I could make sure they kept moving north away from the WoB units...
Even my Page posting rate is better than my KPD rate IG...

2Feb2023: The day my main toon on DDO/Cannith, an Artificer typically in the back, TANKED in a LH VoD.

Reglor

  • Private
  • *
  • Posts: 26
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #532 on: 19 July 2020, 18:58:32 »
What contract types are considered garrison-types in regards to which contracts finish early by routing the enemy.  Right now I consider garrison (duh), cadre, security, and riot duty missions to be garrison types but are these correct?

NickAragua

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 368
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #533 on: 19 July 2020, 23:09:32 »
I think those are it. Anything where the "required" lance role is "Defend".

PuppyLikesLaserPointers

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1756
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #534 on: 19 July 2020, 23:58:24 »
Honestly I don't understand why there is the options to defend/attack/train/etc, for you are only need to choose one of either types almost all the times. Is it have any meaning other than its name and the contract's 'type'?

Also is there any difference in types of contracts? It seems that all the noticeable difference is choose attack/defend/etc.

NickAragua

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 368
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #535 on: 20 July 2020, 09:42:03 »
The contracts mostly differ in intensity level (how often fights happen), pay, maintenance level and what happens when the opfor routs.

Unrelated, is it just me or do the RangeMaster SPAs blow chunks for aerospace pilots? The reason I say that is that, let's take an aero jock with the RangeMaster - Medium SPA, so he treats shots in medium range as short range. In ASF combat, medium lasers have no medium range.

PuppyLikesLaserPointers

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1756
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #536 on: 20 July 2020, 11:51:15 »
The contracts mostly differ in intensity level (how often fights happen), pay, maintenance level and what happens when the opfor routs.

That makes sense.... Well, what happens when the opfor routs? What do you mean? Such as if I defeat them badly then they will unlikely to go against me for a while?

Anyway, I like to see the difference in choosing either types of activity, and also choose what to do rather than only have a single 'option' without any alternative. For now most contracts are only requires me to have only one type of activity, but in the reality you have to choose either scout, attack, defend or train, else you can split your force to do it all at once(with risk of course). Sure some kind of missions don't require us to do broader jobs at once, but most fight requires more than one at least.

Unrelated, is it just me or do the RangeMaster SPAs blow chunks for aerospace pilots? The reason I say that is that, let's take an aero jock with the RangeMaster - Medium SPA, so he treats shots in medium range as short range. In ASF combat, medium lasers have no medium range.

Ahem. I understand why there is GM option.

Rince Wind

  • Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 170
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #537 on: 20 July 2020, 13:52:39 »
You also get different scenarios. Some seem exclusive to recon (at least the attacker version).

pfarland

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1769
  • Star Captain Farland - 'Forever Faithful'
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #538 on: 20 July 2020, 14:32:25 »
Honestly I don't understand why there is the options to defend/attack/train/etc, for you are only need to choose one of either types almost all the times. Is it have any meaning other than its name and the contract's 'type'?

Also is there any difference in types of contracts? It seems that all the noticeable difference is choose attack/defend/etc.

The required Lance Type is pertaining to the Contract. What are you doing. Lance specific deployments, consider them like rings around your Base/HQ/Dropship/Depot/Rear Area.

Training - This Lance will literally be right around your base. Probably no more than a few hours at most.

Defense - This Lance will be close, really close to your base.

Attack - Likely to be on extended Patrol or en route to known enemy locations.

Scout - These are the guys out looking for the enemy, thus usually furthest from base.

The type of battle each different Lance gets into depends on the type of Lance.
Rule number 4 of product design*: "The concept of 'Intended Use' never survives initial contact with the end user." - Feign

"It should come to no surprise that this forum loves solving problems with war crimes. " - SteelRaven

Southernskies

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 224
Re: Getting Started with Against the Bot
« Reply #539 on: 20 July 2020, 18:55:28 »
And don't reinforce your Scout mission with a Defend unit.   It goes really bad...   :(

 

Register