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variants. The information is gathered in quotes of myself responding to people or upholding a promise to tell someone about a mech after I try it.My first self-quote in response to whether or not Heavy Metal is the best jump sniper out of the Highlanders. Note that these quotes are unedited and may or may not say things completely unrelated.
Koniving, on 16 April 2013 - 07:47 PM, said:
Best poptart mech is the 732 (it holds gauss + 3 ER PPCs instead of Heavy Metal's 2, due to hand actuator on left arm) or the 733P with its 4 ER PPCs.
Someone needs to try using a mech before complaining about pay to win.
For information, maximum possible pop-tart worthy weapons on Heavy Metal are 1x Gauss Rifle, 2x ER PPC.
732 has 1x Gauss + 3x ER PPC.
733P has 4x ER PPC.
The only thing the HM has in advantage over the others is the two ER PPCs are mounted on the left arm. Oh, and one additional jumpjet which means you'll stay in the air longer, and thus be shot at more.
Should note I own all of the hero mechs. So far the best two I've ever used (and again, used them all) are the Pretty Baby (not as a brawler mind you, that's a bad choice) and the Muromets. I've found that the cbill variants tend to be superior with the exception of the X-5, where the cbill variants blow.
Someone needs to try using a mech before complaining about pay to win.
For information, maximum possible pop-tart worthy weapons on Heavy Metal are 1x Gauss Rifle, 2x ER PPC.
732 has 1x Gauss + 3x ER PPC.
733P has 4x ER PPC.
The only thing the HM has in advantage over the others is the two ER PPCs are mounted on the left arm. Oh, and one additional jumpjet which means you'll stay in the air longer, and thus be shot at more.
Should note I own all of the hero mechs. So far the best two I've ever used (and again, used them all) are the Pretty Baby (not as a brawler mind you, that's a bad choice) and the Muromets. I've found that the cbill variants tend to be superior with the exception of the X-5, where the cbill variants blow.
And since I promised to detail what I thought of the Highlanders when they came out. Here's what I've come up with.
Koniving, on 18 April 2013 - 04:21 PM, said:
As you already know I own all of the Hero mechs up to this point.^1 The Heavy Metal is capable, but has a strong weakness in that 80% of its hardpoints are in the left side. The tradeoff is that it gets energy hardpoints in the left arm and capability of extra jump jets. This also limits it a bit, due to the hand actuator in the left arm. It is not possible to use all 3 energy for PPCs, so it cannot use all of the weapons that exist for the energy side.
I now own the 733. I have only used it in a default configuration but already it has outperformed the Heavy Metal's default config considerably. There have been matches where the 733's default configuration outperforms my HM's jump-sniping loadout in terms of damage and kills. Unlike the Heavy Metal, it actually feels like an Atlas.
When faced against Highlanders, I generally find them to be much bigger threats than Atlases.
However, unlike an Atlas, disabling them is considerably easier when fighting close range.^2
^1 Not easy, but buying
in bulk helps (you get more per dollar for buying the 50 or 99 dollar packages than you do for the 15 or 30 dollar ones. The per dollar ratio rises as you go higher up. A fairly good incentive, as essentially makes the expensive mechs cheaper even though their prices don't actually lower.
^2 If an Atlas loses one shoulder, it still has at least 50% of its firepower and at least 1 energy weapon to fight with, making it impossible to make the mech completely defenseless without destroying both sides. The K and D Atlases could still fight with CT mounted energy weapons even after losing both shoulders. In comparison, the Highlander often carries range-focused builds. Long range ballistic/ high heat energy with some streaks or SRMs. Or, lots of LRMs and close range ballistic/energy. Or some combination. Whatever the case, the Highlander is much easier to neuter by destroying the "close range" side of the mech whichever side it may be. It's like fighting a Fiddler Crab. There's always one claw designed for long range and one for close.
I now own the 733. I have only used it in a default configuration but already it has outperformed the Heavy Metal's default config considerably. There have been matches where the 733's default configuration outperforms my HM's jump-sniping loadout in terms of damage and kills. Unlike the Heavy Metal, it actually feels like an Atlas.
When faced against Highlanders, I generally find them to be much bigger threats than Atlases.
However, unlike an Atlas, disabling them is considerably easier when fighting close range.^2
- If their main close weapons are missiles, destroy their left side.
- If their main close weapons are ballistics or lasers, destroy their right side.
- All Highlanders except the Heavy Metal carry energy and ballistics on the right side. Missiles are always carried on the left regardless.
- The Highlander 733C is the only Highlander capable of carrying an AC/20 or twin UAC/5. It cannot carry twin LB/10x. This is accomplished by removing the lower arm actuator.
- The Highlander 733C is punished for this by removing 10 degrees of motion (cutting it in half) from the arms. However, the actual mechanic should not allow the right arm to be able to rotate horizontally at all, allowing the left to pivot at the full 20 degrees of all other variants. This would have caused issues or triple crosshairs. It was done this way in the interest of simplicity.
- Most Highlanders actually have weak legs, especially if all the weapon hardpoints are used.
- Unlike Atlases and Stalkers who trade rear armor to the front, most Highlanders keep their rear armor beefed up.
- All Highlanders have the engine size of 325 as their maximum. The exception is the Heavy Metal, which can carry up to an engine rating of 330.
- The Highlander has the heaviest jump jets in the game. Each one weighs 2 tons.
- At default speed and max jump jets, none can hurt themselves in their landing. Minimum height to damage one's self upon landing is 30 meters or a speed of 48 kph. The exception is if the landing involves colliding with a mech.
- In time, the Highlander will be able to crush (kill) or damage mechs by jumping on them. Truth is, it can already damage them but not in the way we want.
- The Highlander is a relative to a certain Italian plumber who is infamous for mushroom- and flower-eating, and lesser known for being an ex-carpenter. However instead of crushing turtles and walking fungus, the Highlander crushes mechs.
- Given the Highlander's size, in a bull-rush collision knockdown (when enabled), it would mathematically win against all but the speed tweaked 310 engine stalkers, be able to contend with but not likely win or lose against the Atlas, and will always lose against the Awesome 9M or Pretty Baby due to their superior speeds. However, to compensate the Highlander is likely to cheat with a jump jet dropkick (famous from closed beta catapults) instead of a full-on bull rush / tackle.
- The Highlander's energy weapons cannot point down far enough to hit a light mech that's within 30 meters.
- The placement of the missile launchers in the Highlander's left arm creates a criss-cross formation of SRM 6's, giving the missiles the faint shape of a +.
- Placement of LRM-20 in the arm, or on left torso's second slot, will place a 10-tube launcher which fires the LRM-20 in two volleys of 10, spacing out the heat at the risk of spreading out fire.
- The Highlander's cockpit is huge, but surprisingly difficult to hit. 80% of the visible cockpit area (referring to the entire front side of the head) counts as the center torso. As opposed to 95% of the Atlas's (if you were to count the entire head as the cockpit, if only counting the window of the left eye then it's closer to 70%).
- It is possible to hit the cockpit from above the Highlander -- to most mechs, a cockpit shot is nearly impossible from an upward angle do to them only counting in the upper brackets of the windshield's transparent metal alloy viewport.
- The Highlander's excessively mechanical walk is clearly modelled after current high speed machinery. The walk gives the impression that the Highlander cannot side step without a torso twist, and as such could be easy to knock over from the side. Time will tell.
- All [cbill] variants of Highlanders (which excludes the Heavy Metal) carry a superior number of missile hardpoints.
- The Highlander's damage textures appear to be incomplete.
- The Highlander appears to be virtually defenseless against an ECM spider.
^1 Not easy, but buying
in bulk helps (you get more per dollar for buying the 50 or 99 dollar packages than you do for the 15 or 30 dollar ones. The per dollar ratio rises as you go higher up. A fairly good incentive, as essentially makes the expensive mechs cheaper even though their prices don't actually lower.^2 If an Atlas loses one shoulder, it still has at least 50% of its firepower and at least 1 energy weapon to fight with, making it impossible to make the mech completely defenseless without destroying both sides. The K and D Atlases could still fight with CT mounted energy weapons even after losing both shoulders. In comparison, the Highlander often carries range-focused builds. Long range ballistic/ high heat energy with some streaks or SRMs. Or, lots of LRMs and close range ballistic/energy. Or some combination. Whatever the case, the Highlander is much easier to neuter by destroying the "close range" side of the mech whichever side it may be. It's like fighting a Fiddler Crab. There's always one claw designed for long range and one for close.
Edited by Koniving, 18 April 2013 - 05:07 PM.
