Hey!

[Squirg]

So I downloaded Titans of Steel: Warring Suns a few weeks ago after seeing a link to it on the Battletech wiki site. WOW! It is a really great game once you get into it, and it captures the original feel of Battletech very nicely.

Luckily for me I learn things very quickly, so after running through the tutorial twice and trail and erroring at least 6 different squads I finally got the hang of the game. I've got quite a respectable squad, average veteran rank with 1 elite pilot. I've also gotten used to making mechs in the factory, and it's fun to play around with them casually in solitary random games. I've taken a peek at the map editor but really haven't gotten into it yet, maybe later.

I'm the kind of guy who really doesn't sign join the community of gamers unless he really likes the game, and after a few weeks of playing, I can truthfully say that this game goes into my favorites. I'm trying to get anyone who I know interested in playing ToS so I can have my first Human v Human game, but until then I'm content with just the campaign and solitary battles.

Well that's all for now, hello everyone!

[LarkinVB]

Welcome. Rare to see new players these times, despite the fact that game is free. 

[Bone White]

Hi Squirg and welcome.

I'm new myself and seeming as you're new and posted here I thought why not?

I've played ToS on and off for the past three or so years, but until yesterday only had version 1.0 I'm glad I looked around for an update!

What can I say - once I got used to the new terrain graphics I'm loving this game even more.

Instead of making a jock team, trying to win by sheer damage alone, and failing miserably when half my team gets killed - I'm trying to play strategically. The weight balance option is a nice way for me to wean myself into the game properly, and I'm loving the starter campaigns... Even if I did just get half my team killed by an engine explosion

I hope to stick around for a while but I have a question - I have an old guide by PrinceCorrin, and the guides/tables that came with the last release of ToS - but are there any other guides around I should get that'll be interesting to read and/or useful? I tried searching around but didn't uncover much.

Thanks!

[Iskandar]

as a note:  engine explosiopns get less common when you face more experienced Jocks.  whenever the engine is destroyed, a check is made vs the Jock's Damage Control skill (modified by the Titan's DCS, if any). 
as a general rule, once you take a leg ot LoT off a Titan and any arm or left/right torso, that Titan is now considered disabled and the AI will eject (if it does not, move out of the hex).  actually, just taking the leg/LoT off a Titan can be enough  if it mounts no arm/head mounted weapons.  the Jock probably will NOT eject at once, but once the rest of the squad is down, he'll go too. 

theree is two conflicting drives in combat.  one one hand, you want to put the enemy down and out of the fight.  otoh, you also want to do as little unnecessary damage beyond the minimum needed to put a Titan out of the fight because of salvage and explosions.  this is one of the reasons I avoid Teslas and Autocannon 20s when fighting with recon Titans.  (well, that and the  "all the eggs in one basket".  missing with an AC 20/Tesla means 15 seconds ish until it recycles.  this is aggravated by the to hit penalty and low skills of the Jocks at that time.)

[Squirg]

Me, I like like to go for the head. The parts there are usually cheap to replace and it's not so amored.
Also, gotta love your jock's kill count. =)

[Iskandar]

and watch your Jock's salary shoot through the roof, yeah.

Though I did have my Jock in a Thunder one shot kill a Fireball.  Hit the location with the engine, destroyed the engine without destroyign the location.

[Bone White]

I'm struggling to fit everything on a recon mech - slowly building up my scanner skill so I can start making called shots in combat, but the scanners are usually too slow.  Ahh I see what you mean Iskandar, I'm only facing rookie/green opposition and they like to explode.  What annoys me is half the time I disable them by taking out their engine before I remove one of their legs.  I guess I'm just unlucky like that.
 
Oh so we get more salvage the less parts of a titan are damaged?  I have a bad habit of sanding them down to dust with my SRM packs. :/

[Squirg]

ORIGINAL: Iskandar

and watch your Jock's salary shoot through the roof, yeah.

No wonder Monique's salary is 100k+ lol. I didn't know kills did that.
Maybe I should start calling shots at the LoT instead lol.

[Iskandar]

yup, and the Jock's business skill will negate that, slightly.  not that you need to push it up but so high, but even something around 25 or 30 will help.

as a sidenote: a leadership skill of 26 or higher, a Survival skill and DCS skills of 60 or higher will allow you to self destruct your Titan on eject.  not exceedingly usefull, but nice ot know.

edit: Bone White: don't expect to get many scans done with newbie Jocks, no matter the equipment. usually you close to fast to get more than 1 or 2 off, anyway, since the time is based off your skill and then modified by your Scanner, usually about 25 at best for skills in the 40s to 50s. this does get better, a GMH 2 armed Titan (like the Mirage) or GMH 2 and Guass armed Tian (like the Cataphract) with Scanner 4 or better AND Scanner skills greater than 60 will allow you to get scans in between reload times, under 17 seconds. I have seen scan times drop to 10 seconds for Scan 6 and 80+ skill, but that will take some time to aquire.

[Squirg]

Ah yeah, Noir can self-destruct on Eject now, I tried it and the eject skill check is about 20%, but if she's being assualted by multiple recons, (which is pretty much how she goes down most of the time anyways) it's useful for taking them down too.