44 replies to this topic

[YueFei]

Soulscour, on 14 October 2014 - 07:50 PM, said:

There is an exception to every rule. I choose to use my hunchbacks in more brawly configurations so xl is out of the question. I pilot them where they are either getting the jump on other mechs and then to run away or as escort mechs in a group. They are not ment to go toe to toe with heavies and assaults on even terms. Hunchbacks dont stay in brawls. They dart in and out of them. Sometimes they stick around if they are unnoticed.

Yeah, I actually enjoy taking damage in my HBK, as long as it results in better trades for my *team* as a whole.

I get that a lot of players want to be the hero sitting in the back unmolested racking up all the damage.

But two mechs with some lost armor and fully functioning weapons is better than 1 dead mech and another that's fully functioning.

The key is to ride that thin line between tanking too many hits and losing weapons, or not taking any fire at all. You want to get in there for the initial clash, but use your speed to get away before you can get focused down too hard and lose weapons. Rotate yourself out. Then when your bigger brothers get there to push, they go in fresh, and hopefully find and prioritize the same target you've already damaged, and you can come in behind your teammates while they draw attention and draw fire and get in your own shots.

If your team is going to take 1000 points of damage in the first 30 seconds of fighting, it's better if that's spread all across the entire team, not for 3 or 4 poor ******** to eat all of it and die while weenies in the back stand completely fresh.

It's why it's such an awesome feeling to have brave teammates with you in a PUG game. You see a teammate get hit, and instead of everyone on the team getting scared, they get pissed and surge in to get some payback for that hit. And when you go in for a shot and get hit, you watch as your teammates shoulder up beside you and unleash a torrent of return fire in retaliation for the hit you took. For teammates like that I have no problem getting hit and even dying if it means the team wins. I'll take dying all day every day every single game with zero kills if it meant having teammates like that with me and winning games.

[Soulscour]

YueFei, on 15 October 2014 - 07:36 PM, said:

It's why it's such an awesome feeling to have brave teammates with you in a PUG game. You see a teammate get hit, and instead of everyone on the team getting scared, they get pissed and surge in to get some payback for that hit. And when you go in for a shot and get hit, you watch as your teammates shoulder up beside you and unleash a torrent of return fire in retaliation for the hit you took. For teammates like that I have no problem getting hit and even dying if it means the team wins. I'll take dying all day every day every single game with zero kills if it meant having teammates like that with me and winning games.

I agree with you. I don't have the same faith in a pug environment however and adjust tactics accordingly. You can be where your team should be the majority of the time, you can tell your team where that is well in advance. If they don't listen, or know where they need to be, the right place becomes the wrong place, with you all alone in the middle of a shitstorm. Sometimes I get so frustrated with the games that I give up on the team and go out whale hunting in my hunchy lone ranger style. These days you can usually get one too.

Edited by Soulscour, 16 October 2014 - 12:10 AM.

[Soulscour]

Hunchback quirks for november patch confirmed http://mwomercs.com/...08#entry3825208

Hunchback 4G is designated as a Tier 5 Brawler - Because it is a brawler it can get certain types of quirks

Additional Armor (RT) +18
Additional Structure (RT) +12
AC/20 Range +25%
AC/20 Cooldown +25%
AC/20 Velocity +25%
Energy Weapon Heat Gen -12%
Energy Weapon Range +16%

Hunchback 4H is designated a Tier 4 Skirmisher
Additional Armor (RT) +18
Additional Structure (RT) +12
AC/10 Range +20%
AC/10 Cooldown +20%
Medium Laser Cooldown +20%
Medium Laser Heat Gen -20%

The 4G build is pretty established already. Recommended 4H build now something like this HBK-4H

Edited by Soulscour, 17 October 2014 - 01:10 AM.

[YueFei]

Soulscour, on 16 October 2014 - 12:05 AM, said:

I agree with you. I don't have the same faith in a pug environment however and adjust tactics accordingly. You can be where your team should be the majority of the time, you can tell your team where that is well in advance. If they don't listen, or know where they need to be, the right place becomes the wrong place, with you all alone in the middle of a shitstorm. Sometimes I get so frustrated with the games that I give up on the team and go out whale hunting in my hunchy lone ranger style. These days you can usually get one too.

Yeah. The strongest position on a map is no good if only 1 or 2 mechs stand on it while the other 10 guys cower somewhere in the corner of the map. =/

Just watch out for those assymetrical Whale builds with all the guns on one side. I made the mistake of attacking a DWF head-on when I saw he was missing a shoulder. Just laziness on my part. I didn't re-read the weapon listing, turns out he still had all of his guns because they were all stacked on the right side. I actually did kill him, but I got badly damaged in the process.

[Senor Cataclysmo]

Even with all that armour it's very fragile.

Don't wander off on your own unless you know the enemy is distracted & you're going for the flank.

Try to stay around the biggest friendly assaults. If you're in a group of mechs you *never* want to be the most threatening target. People know hunchbacks are an easy kill so make your enemy choose between you and a dire wolf or atlas.

Other people have talked a lot about torso twisting/movement/cover. That's just something that'll come with practice.

The *biggest* thing that improved my hunchback piloting was learning to be patient. You are strongest in the mid/late game where everyone's lost armour and is a bit battered. That's when you can put your AC20 or 8 medium lasers to good use. You're never going to win one on one fights with fresh mechs. You need to play relatively cautiously in the early game, to keep your hunch weapons alive to chase kills in the second half. If you can take an opportunistic pot shot at the start, go for it, but you dont want to get into a trading fire situation if you can help it. Even if it means not dealing much damage in the first half, it is better to stay alive and play for the endgame. Once you get there, choose targets who are already engaged. If your enemy is trading with another mech, theyre less likely to notice you sneaking up behind.

Edited by Senor Cataclysmo, 18 October 2014 - 12:04 PM.