3 replies to this topic

[ice trey]

Hello people of MWO, and hopefully - devs.

It's pretty commonly known that besides the 4SP hunchback, most hunchbacks are currently rather maligned in this game right now. With almost all of their firepower concentrated in a single torso location, and said location inflated in size by the huge turret-like bulge, most Hunchbacks end up losing the majority of their firepower very early on in the match. I decided to try fielding a 4J, as I'd not had many LRM fire support 'mechs up until that point, and most LRM support players up until that point were using Catapults, Stalkers, Atlases, and Awesomes, so I thought I'd mix it up a little.

However, if ever there was a 'mech that frustrated me to use, it would have to be the 4J. Even more so than the other hunchbacks, that Missile pod is even larger than any other weapons system. Plus, the fact that three of it's energy hardpoints are in the same location means that you're likely to lose the lions share of your weapons when that location goes.

Now, as you can tell from my signature, the last thing I want to do is deviate from the Canon Battletech stats for this unit. However, there are other things that exist only in MWO that can be tweaked to make this 'mech - if not good, then at least much less frustrating.




My first suggestion would be to - obviously - reduce the size of the launcher, or move it further down into the Torso. So long as it presents a smaller target, the torso may be a little more defensible, and twisting the RT away from a given opponent might actually help to protect the location. However, this could require a major redesign of the model, and I'm not sure how open the devs would be to this.

My second suggestion would be to model some of the same bay doors that can be seen on the Catapult and Centurion onto the launcher of the 4J hunchback. That benefit of an additional 10% damage absorption may not be much, but every little bit helps. Again, it would require some more intensive work, but it would be considerably less so than the first suggestion, I would imagine.

My third suggestion would be to tweak the number of weapons the 'mech can carry. Boosting the arms to carry two energy weapons would be handy, but another option could be to boost the launcher to carry three missile weapons instead of two - which would separate this mech a little more from the 4SP and help to make up for it's vulnerabilities with increased potential for missile weapons. This would be the easiest suggestion to carry through on, I would imagine.



Those are my suggestions so far - I'd appreciate any input that you could offer.

Edited by ice trey, 22 February 2013 - 05:41 AM.

[OneEleven]

Piloting every hunchback except SP involves taking a risk, because all your firepower is focused in one section, wich is also a huge target. However, once i got used to hold right distance, i tend to lose my RT less, or at least late in the game. I dont thing the J variant has the biggest hunch of all, i was even able to play striker-like role with it using 2 SRM6 and a combination of 2 LL's and 2ML's. The bay doors can help, but i dont know if the damage reduction affects the whole section or the missile launcher area only. Additional slots could possibly make the 4J too good because of the ability to boat SRM's and ML's, you could basically build a small stalker. 2 missile points are enough to run LRM's. I have recently bought myself the 4J as a secong hunchback and im enjoying it very much. I think it is OK where it is.

[Achilles59]

Hey guys, hope this topic isn't too old. I've been slogging through many sorties with the Hunch-4J, and have tried out so many different variants, the loss of C-bills makes my knees quake XD. But overall I'm really enjoying the learning curve and what the Hunchback can teach a new mech pilot.

Torso protection is big, a point which I am really just learning how to pay attention to, and I feel that medium mechs can help a pilot to learn good positioning on the field better than most.

Currently running 1x LRM-20 + Artemis, 4x ML's, and 1 Medium Pulse Laser for some extra punch (and because I love pulse lasers, lol.) Have swapped out between 2 SRM's, and sometimes have a TAG on there when I'm feeling my missiles are less effective than they should be.

Also kicked around a BAP, which I'm currently using now, but with so much ECM in this game, it's difficult to notice much difference with TAGs, BAP, etc...

Edit - I do have heat issues, with one chainfire shot of lasers giving me 39% heat! but I'm only rocking 12 double sinks. It can be frustrating, but is also a great way to learn heat management and weapons discipline. I have to make those shots count, but when they do, combined with missiles, I've actually started getting some kills to augment my usual 4+ assists and spotting bonus per match.

Edited by Achilles59, 23 April 2013 - 07:17 AM.

[Okami 359]

I just wanted to add in that I've really been enjoying my 4J. When I first asked around about good builds I was kinda told pick a different variant. I wanted to give it a try so I stuck with it and I have had a lot of fun. The lrms let me help out at such a range that it goes a long way to mitigate the hunch as a target. The hardest thing for me has been remembering to run a support role and hang back. Use up your lrms first bringing the rain. Even though you can bring to bear quite a few energy weapons still you lack the armor of the heavys and the hunch is always a target.

I know this thread is a little old but I just wanted to pitch in for anyone on the fence about trying the 4J variant. Get one, unlock the pilot skills, and then decide if you want to keep it.

I run 2 lrm 10s, med lasers, and a medium pulse in the head.