Please note that the below information is all theoretical, meaning that you may not always be able to use this information. You should always look at and assess each situation individually and decide if this information is worth utilizing. In other words, do not use the information provided here if it puts your unit at undue risk. You need to decide for yourself what is best for You, Your Units, Your House, and Your Coordinator, Lord Takashi Kurita.
Movement
Where to begin? The basics.
Movement cost 1 movement point (MP) to move one hex. In other words, to move directly forward one hex it costs 1 movement point (for a clear hex). It costs 1 movement point to change one hex facing. So, if you want to turn around and go one hex forward it costs 4 movement points, 3 to change three hex facings plus 1 to move forward. That is movement simplified probably about as far as it can go. Now we will unsimplify it.
Movement is a very important part of the game, probably the most important after combat. If you cannot move you are at the mercy of your enemy. Some 'Mechs, such as an Atlas, with a 3/5 movement rate, are not all that concerned with movement. While still important for the Atlas, he has the armor to go slow and absorb large amounts of damage. Smaller 'Mechs without as much armor, however, cannot afford to go slow and just slug it out. They have to rely on their greater speed to make them harder to hit. If you learn one lesson on movement this is not a bad one to take with you:
"Minimize your movement penalty while maximizing your opponent's penalty to hit you."
What exactly does that mean? I am glad you asked. First, though, a primer.
There are three types of movement, Walking, Running, Jumping. If you Walk you incur a +1 penalty to hit your opponent (if your base gunnery is 4 and you walk your effective base gunnery is now 5). If you Run you incur a +2 penalty to hit your opponent. If you Jump you incur a +3 penalty to hit your opponent. Walking generates 1 heat point. Running generates 2 heat points. Jumping generates 1 heat point for every hex you jump. So, if you jump 6 hexes you generate 6 points of heat. Jumping is great for getting over terrain and getting away from opponents, but it comes with a high price, +3 penalty to hit anything and it generates lots of heat.
And now another primer. Know your movement bands.
Move 0-2 hexes: 0 modifier
Move 3-4 hexes: +1 modifier
Move 5-6 hexes: +2 modifier
Move 7-9 hexes: +3 modifier
Move 10-17 hexes: +4 modifier
Move 17-24 hexes: +5 modifier
Move 25+ hexes: +6 modifier
Jumped: +1 modifier added to movement modifier
The modifier is to your opponent's penalty to hit you. So if he needs a 5 to hit you at short range and you moved 6 hexes he now needs a 7 to hit you. Pro Tip: If you can walk 5 hexes or run 6 hexes and the range bracket to your opponent is the same you are often better off just walking. Your opponent's to hit modifier against you is the same but your to hit penalty against him is +1 for walking versus +2 for running.
Now, let us go back to my quote about minimizing/maximizing. As an example we will use a Phoenix Hawk PXH-1, affectionately known to many as the Pixie. The Phoenix Hawk has a movement rate of 6/9/6. Now compare the movement type penalty to the movement to hit modifiers. If a Phoenix Hawk walks 6 hexes he is only incurring a +1 penalty to hit but his opponent is incurring a +2 penalty to hit. This does not mean that you should always walk your Phoenix Hawk 6 hexes every turn! Far from it. This is just to illustrate a point. One key to winning is to have lower to hit numbers than your opponent. The lower your to hit numbers the more hits you will get, and the higher his to hit numbers the fewer hits he will get. This is why for most units you have to pay attention to how far you are moving and how you are getting there. Slow moving 'Mechs do not benefit from this, though. A 4/6 or 3/5 'Mech will always "balance out" with movement. In other words, if you walk 4 hexes you are +1 to hit your opponent and he is +1 to hit you. If you run 6 it is +2/+2.
But, as was stated earlier, this is about faster 'Mechs. Take our Phoenix hawk again. If he runs 9 hexes he incurs a +2 penalty but his opponent incurs a +3 penalty to hit him. That is good. But, it is not as good as, say, a Spider, with an 8/12/8 movement. A Spider can walk 8 hexes for a +1 penalty to hit and +3 to be hit. That is a +2 difference in your favor. A Spider how runs twelve hexes gets +2/+4 for/against. Again you have a +2 difference in your favor. And that is what you want to always be thinking about. Minimize your penalty to hit your opponent while maximizing his penalty to hit you. So pay attention to where you want to go and how you can get there.
This also means paying attention to terrain and how it affects your movement rate (as well as your opponent's numbers to hit you). Moving into or through light woods incurs a +1 movement point penalty. In other words, if you are standing in front of a hex of light woods it costs you two movement points to move forward. If you move through two hexes of light woods it costs two movement points. Here are some common terrain features and the movement penalty:
Light Woods: 2 MP (+1 penalty to hit for each hex firing through, +1 penalty to be hit if in woods)
Heavy Woods: 3 MP (+2 penalty to hit for each hex firing through, +2 penalty to be hit if in woods)
Note: Three of more hexes of light woods block line of sight.
Note: Two or more hexes of heavy woods block line of sight.
Note: One hex of light and one hex of heavy woods block line of sight.
Rough: 2 MP
Elevation Change of 1 level: +1 for 'Mechs and VTOLS, +2 for Infantry and Vehicles
Elevation Change of 2 levels: +2 for 'Mechs and VTOLS, prohibited for Infantry and Vehicles
Elevation Change of 3+ levels +1/level for VTOLs, prohibited for 'Mechs, Infantry and Vehicles.*
You need to be able to afford the cost of the hex to enter. In other words, if you move 7 hexes and want to move into a heavy woods hex in front of you, you may only do so if you have a movement rate of 10 or higher, as it would cost three MPs to move into that hex.
Note: so long as you have 1 movement point you may move a single hex forward, regardless of terrain penalties. For example, a 'Mech with a movement rate of 2/3 is standing in front of a level 2 elevation with heavy woods on top. This would normally cost 5 MPs, but 'Mech can still move forward that one hex, even though it is beyond his movement rate.
* Elevation changes of 3 or more hexes require the 'Mech to climb. That will be discussed another time, in another thread.
Now, pay attention to terrain costs. If you are walking or running they eat up your movement points, which means that you quickly lose that advantage that having a lower penalty to hit your opponent than he has to hit you. So think before you move. What will be to your best advantage? Maybe you can move around a large clump of hills or rough terrain? Maybe you can jump over it? Maybe you can change direction? And when you think about where you are moving, think about those penalties!
Tactical Guide: Movement
Moderators: Jackal, Moderators
Tactical Guide: Movement
Last edited by Mock26 on Fri Oct 29, 2021 4:20 am, edited 4 times in total.
Re: Tactical Guide: Movement
Movement, continued.
Here is a picture of you in your Phoenix Hawk, taking on a Centurian:
Let us assume that you want to close the distance and attack. What are your options? You could run in and go toe to toe with him, and you would fair OK as you have more armor and more weapons, but he has less heat to worry about so he can fire more weapons than you can without overheating. You could rush in and hope to win initiative and use your maneuverability to get around behind him and target his rear and kick him. But this can be tricky and requires that you win initiative. If you do wish to slug it out toe to toe then that is probably your best option. Use your movement to get behind him. If he wins initiative you can jump out and find cover. Just be aware that this can be long and drawn out and if he has equally fast or faster friends it gets even more tricky.
But, let us assume that it is just the two of you. You have better speed, better armor, and comparable weapons. He is better at long range, but in close his LRM is less effective. Both of you have 10 heat sinks, but he has better heat control. Your real advantage is your movement. He is 4/6 and you are 6/9. At running you are almost half again as fast as he is. Use your movement and the terrain to minimize your penalty and maximize his. In this scenario your opponent has already moved 4 hexes. There are three good options for movement, hexes 0308, 0508, and 0707. All three hexes provide you with some cover.
Let us look at option 1:
Moving to the light woods to the left is an OK move. You walk (+1 to hit your opponent) but only 4 hexes, so you are only +1 to hit. But, you would be in light woods, which is an additional +1 penalty to be hit. Assuming a 4 gunnery here are you two hit numbers from this position:
Large Laser: 6 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 8 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +1 for walking +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 7 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
Medium Laser: 9 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
LRM10 9 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
You have a clear advantage on numbers, but he has an advantage on heat management. You can fire your large laser or both your medium lasers and not overheat. If you fire either or both of your medium lasers you will be at 12 or 15 heat generated this turn. He can fire his AC/10 (heat 3) and medium laser (3 heat) and still have enough heat sinks to clear everything from weapons and movement. So, this option is OK.
Let us look at option 2:
Option two is to move to the heavy woods just ahead and to the right. But, you have to run to get there. The numbers now change to this:
Large Laser: 7 (base 4 +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 9 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 8 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +2 for you being in heavy woods)
Medium Laser: 10 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +2 for you being in heavy woods)
LRM10 10 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in heavy woods)
This, too, is only an OK position. You still have the advantage on to hit number with your primary weapon, but he can still fire his AC/10 and medium laser. But, consider that with your large laser you have 58.3% chance of hitting and a 27.8% chance of hitting with your medium lasers, compared to 41.2% for his AC/10 and 16.7% chance of hitting with his medium laser and AC/10. Something to consider. This is a better position than the first one.
Let us look at option 3:
And now onto the third position. This one is a bit different, because you now have a hill you can use for cover. In order to gain cover you have to be adjacent to a hill (or building) that is one level shorter than your 'Mech. Most 'Mechs are considered to have an elevation of level 2. If you were behind a level 2 hill it would block line of sight (you could not see your opponent and he could not see you, so no firing). So since your 'Mech is considered elevation level 2 and you are behind a level 1 hill you get partial cover. This grants an additional +1 penalty to your opponent's roll to hit you, plus any shots that would have hit the legs miss you completely as they hit the cover instead.
Here are your new to hit numbers:
Large Laser: 7 (base 4 +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 9 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 8 (base 4 +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
Medium Laser: 10 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
LRM10 10 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
In terms of just to hit numbers this is the same as position two. But, you have an added advantage, and here is where it gets a bit more tactical. Looking only at the third option, note that the 'Mech is facing hex #0806. The 'Mech could have only moved 5 to hex 0607 and achieved the same bonuses, +1 for moving 5 hexes and +1 for partial cover. But, there is a reason to face moving into hex #1616 and facing to the north east (facing hex #0806). Refer to the attack angles and hit location chart found in Otomo Traing Tip #1 and the below picture:
By being in this hex and facing this direction you are forcing the hit location, making your opponent target your left side. And when firing on the left side your opponent has a 9 in 36 chance of hitting one of your legs, but since you have partial cover that means that they would miss. That is 25% of all hits will be misses. If you had stopped in hex #0607, facing either North or North East, then your opponent would be firing on your front side. From that angle then only 8 in 36 hits would target the legs. 22% of all hits would be misses because they hit the cover. 3% is not a lot, but if you have the ability to get that extra 3% then why not do so? It is these tiny percentages that will give you an edge and can greatly help you to achieve victory. Note that in this example if you had just clicked on hex 0707 to move the AI would move you so that you would end up in the hex facing North. Also note that if you have significant left torso damage this is not good way to be facing.
As with everything you learn do not follow this advice blindly. In other words, do not automatically move into the position that gives you the best numbers. Look at everything that is going on around you. If there was a 'Mech standing on the hill in hex #1616 and facing south or to the south-east I would think twice about moving in next to him. He would get a chance to kick you, possibly in the head! Use this knowledge wisely. Sensei Mock26 will not be held responsible if you use this information unwisely.
"Flesh and steel. One mind.
One body. Forever joined,
In the dance of death."
Here is a picture of you in your Phoenix Hawk, taking on a Centurian:
Let us assume that you want to close the distance and attack. What are your options? You could run in and go toe to toe with him, and you would fair OK as you have more armor and more weapons, but he has less heat to worry about so he can fire more weapons than you can without overheating. You could rush in and hope to win initiative and use your maneuverability to get around behind him and target his rear and kick him. But this can be tricky and requires that you win initiative. If you do wish to slug it out toe to toe then that is probably your best option. Use your movement to get behind him. If he wins initiative you can jump out and find cover. Just be aware that this can be long and drawn out and if he has equally fast or faster friends it gets even more tricky.
But, let us assume that it is just the two of you. You have better speed, better armor, and comparable weapons. He is better at long range, but in close his LRM is less effective. Both of you have 10 heat sinks, but he has better heat control. Your real advantage is your movement. He is 4/6 and you are 6/9. At running you are almost half again as fast as he is. Use your movement and the terrain to minimize your penalty and maximize his. In this scenario your opponent has already moved 4 hexes. There are three good options for movement, hexes 0308, 0508, and 0707. All three hexes provide you with some cover.
Let us look at option 1:
Moving to the light woods to the left is an OK move. You walk (+1 to hit your opponent) but only 4 hexes, so you are only +1 to hit. But, you would be in light woods, which is an additional +1 penalty to be hit. Assuming a 4 gunnery here are you two hit numbers from this position:
Large Laser: 6 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 8 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +1 for walking +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 7 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
Medium Laser: 9 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
LRM10 9 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in light woods)
You have a clear advantage on numbers, but he has an advantage on heat management. You can fire your large laser or both your medium lasers and not overheat. If you fire either or both of your medium lasers you will be at 12 or 15 heat generated this turn. He can fire his AC/10 (heat 3) and medium laser (3 heat) and still have enough heat sinks to clear everything from weapons and movement. So, this option is OK.
Let us look at option 2:
Option two is to move to the heavy woods just ahead and to the right. But, you have to run to get there. The numbers now change to this:
Large Laser: 7 (base 4 +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 9 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 8 (base 4 +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +2 for you being in heavy woods)
Medium Laser: 10 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +2 for you being in heavy woods)
LRM10 10 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +1 for you moving 4 hexes +1 for you being in heavy woods)
This, too, is only an OK position. You still have the advantage on to hit number with your primary weapon, but he can still fire his AC/10 and medium laser. But, consider that with your large laser you have 58.3% chance of hitting and a 27.8% chance of hitting with your medium lasers, compared to 41.2% for his AC/10 and 16.7% chance of hitting with his medium laser and AC/10. Something to consider. This is a better position than the first one.
Let us look at option 3:
And now onto the third position. This one is a bit different, because you now have a hill you can use for cover. In order to gain cover you have to be adjacent to a hill (or building) that is one level shorter than your 'Mech. Most 'Mechs are considered to have an elevation of level 2. If you were behind a level 2 hill it would block line of sight (you could not see your opponent and he could not see you, so no firing). So since your 'Mech is considered elevation level 2 and you are behind a level 1 hill you get partial cover. This grants an additional +1 penalty to your opponent's roll to hit you, plus any shots that would have hit the legs miss you completely as they hit the cover instead.
Here are your new to hit numbers:
Large Laser: 7 (base 4 +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Medium Lasers: 9 (base 4 +2 for being medium range +2 for running +1 for opponent moving 4 hexes)
Machine guns: Out of range, cannot fire.
Here are your opponent's numbers:
AC/10: 8 (base 4 +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
Medium Laser: 10 (base 4 +2 for medium range +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
LRM10 10 (base 4 +2 for within minimum range +1 for walking +2 for you moving 6 hexes +1 for partial cover)
In terms of just to hit numbers this is the same as position two. But, you have an added advantage, and here is where it gets a bit more tactical. Looking only at the third option, note that the 'Mech is facing hex #0806. The 'Mech could have only moved 5 to hex 0607 and achieved the same bonuses, +1 for moving 5 hexes and +1 for partial cover. But, there is a reason to face moving into hex #1616 and facing to the north east (facing hex #0806). Refer to the attack angles and hit location chart found in Otomo Traing Tip #1 and the below picture:
By being in this hex and facing this direction you are forcing the hit location, making your opponent target your left side. And when firing on the left side your opponent has a 9 in 36 chance of hitting one of your legs, but since you have partial cover that means that they would miss. That is 25% of all hits will be misses. If you had stopped in hex #0607, facing either North or North East, then your opponent would be firing on your front side. From that angle then only 8 in 36 hits would target the legs. 22% of all hits would be misses because they hit the cover. 3% is not a lot, but if you have the ability to get that extra 3% then why not do so? It is these tiny percentages that will give you an edge and can greatly help you to achieve victory. Note that in this example if you had just clicked on hex 0707 to move the AI would move you so that you would end up in the hex facing North. Also note that if you have significant left torso damage this is not good way to be facing.
As with everything you learn do not follow this advice blindly. In other words, do not automatically move into the position that gives you the best numbers. Look at everything that is going on around you. If there was a 'Mech standing on the hill in hex #1616 and facing south or to the south-east I would think twice about moving in next to him. He would get a chance to kick you, possibly in the head! Use this knowledge wisely. Sensei Mock26 will not be held responsible if you use this information unwisely.
One body. Forever joined,
In the dance of death."
