I've been steadily building up an archive of those DISCORD comments I've made most often during my Academy matches on
Friday Night Fights and else where throughout the week.
I just cut from Evernote and paste each script into DISCORD as an example of the script's situation arises.
Not all scripts are used in each match. Indeed if it drives enough discussion, only one or two scripts might be used in the entire match.
DISCORD is ideal because unlike in-game, where the comments disappear after a match, DISCORD discussions persist so the gamer can go back later and review them at his or her convenience.
Attached below are the Academy "scripts" for those comments. During Academy matches I take a full 90-seconds for my turns. This let's my opponent read through and begin to ask questions if the have them. So the intent for each script is to "Frame the Topic" but not to go into such detail that it derails the match. Any comments, suggestions or additional "Scripts" / Topics would be greatly appreciate.
Scripts follow:
MOVING TO CONTACT:
Moving to Contact is my favorite part of the game. You want to gain “Sensor Contact” of the Enemy first, since this gives you Turn Order Advantage when you and your opponent’s first Mechs are both Phase 5 (or Phase 4) Lights Mechs.
“Turn Order Advantage” means having the ability to defer your own movement and force your opponent to move first in the current/next Turn.
A few techniques help you gain and maintain Turn Order Advantage. Gaining “Sensor Contact” of your opponent first can be very important, but even more important is crafting your Lance to be able to maintain that Turn Order Advantage. Having Arclight in a Light BattleMech is one surefire way to be able to win or at least be well positioned to compete for Turn Order Advantage in any Multiplayer match.
LONG RANGE BREACHING SHOTS WITH APEX:
Some matches can be won or lost with Apex’ ability to use Breaching Shot.
While Apex forgoes the valuable Survivability Skills of Bulwark and Surefooted, the combination of Multishot and Breaching Shot (with an 8-Gunnery) ensures that Apex is a brutally efficient Damage-Dealer.
The Trebuchet, Enforcer and Centurion-A have all served me very well in a Long Range Fire Support role when Apex is at their controls.
MECHWARRIOR SELECTION:
With Arclight as Scout / Initiative Holder and Apex throwing long range daggers of full Damage, a Lance is sure to cover down on many of the possible battlefield functions and combat roles during a BATTLETECH match.
All that is left is to chose your remaining two MechWarriors. Ozone is a Top MechWarrior, given his Surefooted and Bulwark Abilities. Able to anchor any Base of Fire, Ozone is also a capable Raider and Skirmisher.
To round out my Lance I often choose Mockingbird. Her combination of Bulwark and Sensor Lock permits her to be very instrumental in many facets of the game, from reconnaissance to Indirect Fire Spotting, to Base of Fire and eWAR, Mockingbird has served me well in many a tournament match.
TIMER AWARENESS:
It is important to watch the match timer. Not many matches go by before I am caught flat-footed and either just barely get off a shot, or lose a Mech-turn entirely. All because I was not watching the clock.
As a Rule, I set 20-seconds as my FAILSAFE THRESHOLD (in other words, if the timer counts down to 20-seconds and I am still evaluating moves, I reserve until the next Phase, taking care to never have this situation arise on the Final Phase / Phase One.)
I’ll be doing my best to not make any timer mistakes this match! : )
TWISTING TORSO:
“Twisting Torso” means to fire out of the very corner of a Mech’s Firing Arc, thereby presenting just one Arm, one Leg and one Side Torso toward the Enemy. As a match progresses I find it very important to Twist Torsos so as to preserve the BattleMech’s ability to employ its most important weapon systems, as long as possible.
An supplementary technique I employ is that to start a match I usually refrain from Twisting Torso. I do this because at the start of a match there is a tendency for Damage to spread fairly equally. However, I take all care possible to begin “Torso Twisting” before any Damage goes to my Internal Structure.
If done well and in conjunction with supporting Mechs themselves presenting easier than or more dangerous targets, Twisting Torsos can preserve the bulk of a Mech’s Combat Power well beyond what would have been possible if the Mech had squarely faced the Enemy from the start of a match.
SHIELD ARM and SHIELD TORSO:
When building a Custom Mech or choosing Stock BattleMechs for a match, I place a premium on those Mechs which possess an Arm with no Weapons but respectable Armor. When that Arm is “Torso Twisted” toward the Enemy, it can absorb one heck of a lot of damage that would have gone toward the Side and Center Torsos had the Mech been positioned squarely toward the Enemy.
Even better are those Mechs who have both a weaponless Arm and weaponless “same-side” Side Torso. This combination of Shield Arm and Shield Torso can withstand an amazing amount of damage, preserving the Center Torso and Weapons of a BattleMech for many turns. Though care must be exercised that the Leg on the Shield Side is monitored as it may end up giving way and causing the Mech to fall down, long before Damage begins to eat into the Mech’s Center Torso Internal Structure.
FOCUS FIRE:
A key to winning a BATTLETECH match is to be able to bring fire from all four of your Mechs against a single Enemy Mech until it is destroyed. Then lifting and shifting those fires to the next Enemy Mech until it too is destroyed. A trick is to ensure that through Scheme of Maneuver and use of Terrain, that you deny the Enemy an ability to do the same to one of your Mechs.
Sometimes you can use your speed and maneuverability to stay outside the Weapons Range of all but one or two of your opponent’s Mechs. Sometimes you can put Hills and enough Wooded Pips between your force and your Enemy. Sometimes he is using just one “Spotter” Mech that you can destroy it Knock Down. Finding ways to isolate just one of your opponent’s Mechs for Fires from all of your Mechs (while safeguarding your Mechs from the same thing happening to them) is a key to BATTLETECH Victories.
ARMOR SHARING:
A Lance has four Mechs and many tons of total Armor. The player who can make more of those tons of Armor work for him has an important advantage. Yes, Evasion Chevrons should keep your Scout safe, and distance should keep your Long Range Support Mech safe, but getting these Mechs into the fight and drawing Enemy Fire ON YOUR TERMS can often spell the difference between Victory and Defeat.
Let’s take the Firestarter, two Centurion-As and Trebuchet Lance. It is a 20m Cbill Lance. If you go into a fight and employ them “Doctrinally” high Evasion for the Firestarter and great distance for the Trebuchet, odds are the Enemy will Focus Fire your Centurions. After a time the Armor on these Mechs will fail and they will fall.
But as the Centurions are approaching destruction, if you purposely leave your Firestarter or Trebuchet vulnerable (leave your Firestarter out of Cover or will low Evasion, bring your Trebuchet into Medium Laser Range so you can Alpha Fire an Enemy Mech) you just might entice your opponent to leave off targeting your Bulwarked Centurions in favor of the High Value Firestarter or Trebuchet.
Do you risk destruction of the Firestarter or Treb?
Yes, but that risk just might buy your Centurions the time you need (by keeping their Weapon Systems in play and dealing damage) to gain a decisive advantage on your Enemy.
TURNING THE FLANK:
Gaining Flanking shots on your opponent can sometimes unhinge his Combat plans and intentions. I often look to do this if I have a Jump Cavalry Mech available (Panther, Griffin-1S, either of the Wolverines.)
I have found the key is to use your Jump Jets and Heat Sinks judiciously, to keep Evasion Chevrons high and Heat manageable while pushing down the Left or Right Flanks. But most of all, one much know when to pull your Flanker back and before the Enemy can effectively Focus its Fires on it.
When forcing your opponent to react to your Flanker, advantage must be seized while he is reacting and hopefully out of position with respect to your other three Mechs. If you play passively, the Damage your Flanker suffers will be for naught. If you Maneuver decisively, you just may catch your opponent BOTH out of position AND overheated from reacting to the Flanker.
INSTABILITY:
While Assault and Heavy BattleMechs are appropriately more stable than Light and Medium BattleMechs, both Kinetic Weapons Fire and Melee Damage will increase a BattleMech’s Instability to the point they and Knocked Down and vulnerable to Called Shots.
The key is to maximize your chance of Knocking Down your opponent while minimizing or at least managing your own Mech’s Stability.
Focus Fire with the occasional and opportunistic Melee Sttack/DFA will permit you to best take advantage of Knocking Down your Opponent.
Keeping an eye on the terrain over which your opponent is traveling may prove important. If he traverses Rough Ground, he will be even more vulnerable to Instability. While it may detract from your focused fire on another target, the payoff from targeting a Mech whose inherently unstable for a time because of Rough Ground can make the risk worthwhile if you can then knock it down and Call Shot it.
PUSHING PHASE:
Being Knocked Down or Precision Shot, or if your Enemy uses Vigilance, the Match’s natural order of Initiative and Mech Phases will be changed.
Sometimes you can ensure an opportunity to Focus Fire an Enemy Medium or Heavy by “Pushing Phase” and isolating it temporally with a Precision Shot. Even better if the targeted Mech has already moved this turn. In this case you might be able to Target it four or more times depending on the relative phases of each Mech still present in the match.
MUTUAL MELEE SUPPORT/WINGMEN:
The Enemy will try to Backstab your Mechs. Jump Jets and Jump Cavalry Tactics make Backstabbing even more possible/likely.
A key defense against Backstab is mutually assured Rear Torso Damage. This is possible if you keep your BattleMechs tightly deployed and within range of being able to cover your own Mechs’ “Sixes.”
If the Enemy jumps behind your Mech, he should be able to see that you have one, better yet two or three Mechs within Melee Range of his Backstabbing Mechs. I focus on Melee rather than Support by Fires because the chances to hit a Mech with a Melee Attack are usually quite high, even when the Enemy has maxed out his Evasion Chevrons by jumping into Backstabbing position.
TERRAIN MASKING /USAGE:
BATTLETECH Maps are works of beauty. So many elevation changes, so much Cover (Lunar Biome not withstanding.) All if that combines to offer players a wealth of Lines of Intervisibility. Judicious use of those lines will offer you an advantage when it comes to using terrain against your opponent.
Sometimes you can adjust your Scheme of Maneuver to put entire hills and/or ridge lines between the bulk of your forces and the greater part of your opponent’s forces.
This Maneuver and use of terrain can permit you to gain a spatial advantage thus focusing fires from all your Mechs against a single Enemy Mech. All the while terrain blocks your opponent from effectively doing the same.
If done well, this tactic leads to a War of Atrition where you begin to grind down your opponent at a faster rate than he is damaging you. Care must be taken that at some point the Enemy may charge into Close Assault or even Melee Range, this marginalizing the impact of terrain masking. Careful preparation and positioning on your part however, can serve to mitigate against this Enemy Action.