Hiya, I'm that guy you may or may not have seen in-game with all the strange faced bots. Based on my amusing bots and obviously Yui-esque name, it may appear that I don't take this game seriously. Sometimes I do like to play a bit serious, because doing so is fun from time to time. I'm going to throw a few thoughts into this post that might help you with your CB experience. Your mileage may vary on some of these tips, but even considering them might change the way you play.
Even before you enter the arena, there are things you can do to prepare. You could do either very well or very badly depending on the setup you enter with, so consider a few factors before jumping in with both feet.
-Are you using your best bots?
-Are you leveling bots as your primary objective?
-Are you trying to place well as your primary objective?
-Are you properly prepared for the type of match you're joining?
I don't mean most expensive bots, the bot you are most familiar with would be your best bot. If you're planning on doing well in the rankings, you should have at least your first two commandos set as the bots you are most familiar and/or skilled with. This leaves room in the third slot for a bot that you're either leveling, or perhaps that is your "just for fun" bot. If you're planning on leveling a bot, this could be the best way to quickly gain experience. If your first two bots are maxed out (leveled and awaiting cartridge placement) then the third bot will gain all of the experience of the fight. This is much faster then leveling multiple bots at the same time.
Different matches can mean different goals for you, a shuffle match might not be as serious as a Vs. Ark or Epoch match. If it's just a shuffle match, you might not want to waste your best wonder bits. Shuffle matches are good for taking it easy and maybe getting in some practice. A Vs. Ark match would be considered more competitive depending on who shows up. This is the type of match where you want to bring your best bots and use your good wonder bits. If you're still newer to the game, you might want to avoid these types of matches until you get more practice. Not saying a lower ranked player couldn't do well in theory, but these types are usually populated with big bad players who have been around for a while. You also might get some hate-talk and possibly vote-kicked depending on the seriousness of the room. Epoch can be serious as well, but is usually just ridiculous.
Still having trouble finding out which bot is best for you? Ask a friend or a clan-mate to set up a team match and you can practice in a less competitive environment.
-As a Lnd type, you should best utilize your natural mobility. Land types are flexible, don't think your only option is melee. Your job will be harassment and surprise attacks on vulnerable artillery units. Do not suicide rush, always know where you are in relation to the rest of your team.
-As an Air type, you should work on air superiority as your main goal. The team who controls the air is the team who usually commands more pressure. Fight off other air units while attacking vulnerable units on the ground. Avoid going too far from your team, you don't want to end up an easy kill for the enemy artillery.
-As an Art type, long ranged harassment and area denial are your main objectives. When the Air units on your team are having trouble, you'll usually be the one to turn the tide of the air battle. Keeping an area safe for your team to occupy means fending off the Air and other Arty units attempting to take position nearby. If you're not a mobile arty, you need to know at all times where any Lnd units are.
-As a Sup type, you can pretty much fill any of the roles above. The best support players are the ones who keep themselves and their teammates alive. When you're not fighting the main fight with the rest of the group, you should be looking for items and charging up your repair bit. Always remember to announce that you're repairing to your team BEFORE you actually activate your bit. This will allow your team to get more hp and give you more points. Repair in safe spots that are not directly visible to the enemy.
Practice and experience will help you to better understand how to be successful, so get out there and try different types.
-Do you find yourself scoring badly more often then you would like?
-Do you find that your team is on a losing streak?
One of the most annoying things in Cosmic Break is when you're trying your very best to win, and your team still loses regardless of your effort. Usually the reason a team loses is either less experience players are not properly playing their roles, or experience players are doing something wrong. You can't help it when a newer player is in a match with you, just hope that when he gets kicked for doing badly, he doesn't come back...
You can be a veteran player and still be the cause of defeat for your team. It's hard to admit your own faults, maybe something on this list might make you think about the way you play.
-Your cost is much higher then the rest of your team, despite your score being low.
-You constantly find yourself cut off from your team, and you get ganked.
-Nobody seems to be around you when you get double/triple/entire teamed.
-You run out of ammo constantly, and you debate suicide rather then waiting.
Alright, most of these reasons depend on your teammates, but all of these can be avoided if you're a smart player. If your score is bad or you find yourself doing badly, perhaps you should come back after you get more practice. There are a lot of good players in the competitive rooms, practice in a shuffle or in a team fight before you attempt a competitive fight.
Always feel alone in a match? Always getting teamed on? This is 90% your own fault for failing to do something very important, utilize the tab key. You shouldn't be alone, if you find yourself stranded, calmly check the location of your allies and rejoin them. It's easy to forget the map when you're in the middle of a fight, but the map is what separates the good players from the great players. Don't completely rely on your map to find enemy players, keep in mind that common sense on where attacks could occur can really save you from a lot of damage.
Ammo a problem? This is an interesting problem compared to the other ones, there are a few different things to consider. Are you going into the fight with a single weapon? If so, I hope you know what you're doing. Multiple weapons can help with ammo and help you to fight in different situations. If you DO know what you are doing, read on. If you have a good support player farming trees and such for items, ask him to help you find some ammo. Usually a good support will hold onto spare ammo and drop it when they are healing. Look for these next time you are being healed, remember to ask nicely if you still can't find any yourself. If you find yourself running low, save some ammo and use it to look for more yourself. Back out of the battle and take down some trees, you can get really lucky sometimes and find ammo and/or repairs. Suicide shouldn't be your only option when you're running low on ammo.
Misc. tips and such.
-Frags
This is Cosmic Break, it is not some random MMORPG where "kill-stealing" occurs. A frag just means you get the last hit on another player, it does not mean you get all the credit for the kill. If player A damages someone 95%, and player B gets the frag, player A is still going to get 95% of the points for that kill. (There are a few other factors on how points are awarded, but getting the frag is not going to be very significant if you didn't damage the unit yourself).
Obviously frags lower the BP of your enemies team, so go for the kill whenever possible. But for the love of god, don't yell at somebody for "stealing your kill", people will just laugh at you for being so uptight.
This is important too, DO NOT chase someone with low hp if it means that you are going to end up surrounded by the whole enemy team. Getting a single frag is not worth getting fragged yourself simply because of stupidity. If he's running back to the entire enemy team, let him go. Just find another target and fire away.
-Laggy Jikuns
If you see 10 teammates attempting to shoot a single Jikun, consider this:
will I truly contribute by also shooting at him? Will attempting to do so give me a good score? Will I be wasting ammo? Will attempting to shoot him give other enemies a golden opportunity to attack us because our guard is down? Should I do something productive and attack something else?
NO, NO, YES, YES and of freaking course.
-Your superior rival
If there is someone on the other team that seems to be able to kill you every time you meet him 1 vs 1, don't fight him. Giving him more kills will simply put him in 1st place, and you in last place.
-Your inferior rival
If someone continually attempts to kill you, you may have gotten into his head a little. Keep it up and continue to take him out. Mind games are a strategy that can really net you a lot of points in this game.
-Lone enemy
By simply targeting another player, your whole team can see them on their maps. (Unless they have the cartridge which prevents this) This is a good way to show unsuspecting teammates that someone is attempting to flank them. This goes both ways though, if an enemy targets you, the whole enemy team can see you as well. So if you're fighting an enemy 1 vs 1, expect enemy backup to show up.
-Proper item use
Don't use fire pillar on your teammates, ever.
Use the Repair +100 only when your team's support bot is unavailable to heal or if you're in the middle of a fight. Save it for when you need it.
Hurricane enemies towards your allies, don't hurricane allies towards your enemies.
Save meteor for when the match is near the end.
Drop Wonder Drugs for your support units/near the PS. (Do you really need it? Really? Be honest.)
-Common sense
Think. Use your head. Handle each situation to the best of your ability. Always strive to inflict the most damage while keeping yourself as safe as possible. Manage your items and ammo carefully, don't forget you have allies on your team willing to help you. Don't go it alone, and make proper use of your radar. Make sure you're using the right wonder bit and equipment for the type of match you are in.
And of course, have fun.
*Edit*
Internal Upgrades!
