19 replies to this topic

[ZeProme]

HBK-4SP is the best Hunchie. Well, I believe it is after many people claim and say it is the best and more beginner friendly.

Why is it the best IMO?

-Two Hunchies effectively doubling your respective hardpoint longetivity. If I lose one of the hunchs, I still have another one.

- Zombie mode. The head has an extra energy hardpoint great for surprising enemies who "think" you are actually dead. Unfortunately there is only one slot, so you can't fit something that requires more than 1 slot.

- Your head's energy hardpoint is great for terrain battles. Say you are quarter height up a hill, you can peek-a-boo over the top with most of your body unexposed.

- Lots of energy hardpoints effectively giving you amplitudes of possibility to loadout your Hunchy. (Although one of the least when compared to other Hunchies variant)

- Your firepower never runs out if you used all your LRM or SRM ammo.

- Chain fire for better heat management. I use weapon group 1 for all lasers and weapon group 2 for my SRM 6s.

(My favorite moment was when I was approaching a light mech from another direction, I popped up the hill and alpha'd it >=D)

Of course, my opinion could be bias though since the only Hunchie I have so far is the HBK-4SP. It's DEFINITELY, IMO, the best beginner's "must have" first mech to buy. Most forgiving with lots of firepower at mid to close range. I have the Centurion CN9-A but that requires a bit more awareness and skills especially when your main gun is aching to be blown up.

I honestly cannot think of any cons besides heat management. But careful firing and grouping helps eliminate it. I finally got DHS for it. Not sure how I should continue to load out my Hunchie :3

Any other good Hunchback variants that are "must" haves?

[John MatriX82]

4H - Superior in any way when compared to the 4G. The latter can't consistently have a proper room for multiple smaller caliber ACs and serious backup weapons. 4H can do AC 20 + 4ML with STD 250 or 2Mplas+3SMlas as backup or even full laser builds (although the following one is better):

-4P: probably the best mech to learn heat management, now it's the most effective medium available with coolant flushes and such.

-4SP. I agree it's pretty and symmetrical and can do the best balanced energy/srms with decent heat management.

-4J.. besides being a small lrm boat I don't like it much at all and along with the 4G it has the bulkiest hunch of the bunch.. the arrival of the Trebuchets have overshadowed it, more tubes (30 vs 20), faster, jj capable and somewhat sturdier with XL engines (xl on hunchies is a suicide with that hunch).

Edited by John MatriX82, 28 March 2013 - 04:04 PM.

[Hauser]

Once you've learned to aim and stay on target, once you've learned heat management, torso twisting, throttle control and can dance like you're on ice. Once you've mastered mech anatomy and know how to spot xl engines. Once you know how to be invisible in the middle of a battle. Once you've learned all that, I'd say the 4P with its 45pts alpha is the best hunchie there is.

It's not the best brawler no, that goes to the 4SP, but you can assassinate mediums, heavies and assaults. You need two or three alphas and they're either death or crippled and you can get two alphas off without taking a moment to cool down. That is 90 damage in a 3 second interval on a single spot.

I'm glad the 4P is hard to master or people might take notice.

Edited by Hauser, 28 March 2013 - 05:07 PM.

[ZeProme]

Hauser, on 28 March 2013 - 04:48 PM, said:

Once you've learned to aim and stay on target, once you've learned heat management, torso twisting, throttle control and can dance like you're on ice. Once you've mastered mech anatomy and know how to spot xl engines. Once you know how to be invisible in the middle of a battle. Once you've learned all that, I'd say the 4P with its 45pts alpha is the best hunchie there is.

It's not the best brawler no, that goes to the 4SP, but you can assassinate mediums, heavies and assaults. You need two or three alphas and they're either death or crippled and you can get two alphas off without taking a moment to cool down. That is 90 damage in a 3 second interval on a single spot.

I'm glad the 4P is hard to master or people might take notice.

Damn. A mech with 9 energy hard points, isn't that a bit over kill for a medium mech?

Well, here's how I think it would be. All medium lasers, get STD 260 engine and the rest into DHSs with Endo Steel.

[Hauser]

You've got the basic idea. Check the Ultimate Hunchback Guide thread for some 4P builds.

But its definitely not overkill. Did you notice the bit where I said you have to be invisible in the middle of a battle? That's because 7 of those 9 medium lasers are attached to a huge right torso. If people pay attention to you it's over. There isn't enough armour to survive concentrated fire and the heat efficiency is so poor you won't survive an extended brawl either, the damage just gets too spread out from torso twisting that those 90pts amount to nothing.

The same goes for all those other skills I mentioned. If you can't dance you won't get the angle for your second shot past the Atlas you are using for cover. Knowing your mech anatomy lets you stand still in front of a boom jager, take his 40 damage to the hunch and blow his XL out on the second shot because the lasers recharge a second faster then his AC's. Never mind actually being able to aim and keep the mediums on a moving target for a second.

Owh and did I mention what happens when a LRM carrier gets smart and targets you over the Atlas?

Edited by Hauser, 28 March 2013 - 06:11 PM.

[Drogum Nethar]

Hauser, on 28 March 2013 - 04:48 PM, said:

Once you've learned to aim and stay on target, once you've learned heat management, torso twisting, throttle control and can dance like you're on ice. Once you've mastered mech anatomy and know how to spot xl engines. Once you know how to be invisible in the middle of a battle. Once you've learned all that, I'd say the 4P with its 45pts alpha is the best hunchie there is.

It's not the best brawler no, that goes to the 4SP, but you can assassinate mediums, heavies and assaults. You need two or three alphas and they're either death or crippled and you can get two alphas off without taking a moment to cool down. That is 90 damage in a 3 second interval on a single spot.

I'm glad the 4P is hard to master or people might take notice.

Ditto - if you can learn to do the Chamda dance like a Samurai through a group of mechs and not overheat the 4P its lots of fun, but over all the 4SP has less heat problems and the dual SRM6 punch with 5 MLS just seems to work better. Long live the Hunhcie!!! Question - whats the heavy version of the HunchBack in your opinion? I loved the Black Knight back in the day for a similar "feel" [color=#000000]BL-9-KNT rocked - I want it now![/color]

[Hauser]

I'm afraid I don't know enough about BattleTech to answer that question. I've only played the MW3&4 series. If anything I think the Atlas plays like a Megazord of Hunchbacks.

[Murku]

4P taught me how to survive driving ALL my other mechs, from my 5D Spider (255XL +ECM/2LL no JJ) to my 3F Stalker (300std +3 chained PPC/3SL/4SSRM2).

Skirmishing is the greatest skill to learn in this game, together with lop-sided loadouts allowing peek-a-boo volleys.

[barnmaddo]

HBK-4P with it's huge alpha/2 burst, range and pinpoint damage wins in my book. This lets you pop out, get off your two shots, and then retreat before you've attracted to much attention.

I've just had no luck with the HBK-4SP, but maybe it's time to try our SRM6's again.

[slayerkdm]

The SP was the best, but after the SRM change, I believe the H or P is likely the best. That being said, the P is vunerable to hot maps, and still has the issue of being crippled if the Hunch is blown off. The H lets you add more energy weapons than the G, though in my opinion, you cannot support them enough with the tonnage available on a HBK. Four is about the maximum in my opinion. If you do run five, you have to sacrifice speed, ammo, armour or use something smaller than the AC20. All of those sacrifices are difficult in the current game. Thats why I still run my G, as the tonnage limits me more than hard points that are available.

If I had to pick a mech now, I would likely run the J or H, as they can also be run almost as effectively as laser mechs as the P can be, and you have flexibility of additional weapons. I just no longer believe the SP is the top HBK, and I think that is effident, by the very low numbers of them seen on the battlefield now.

[ZeProme]

I still see HBK-4SPs in battle. Thy make fearsome brawlers.

I'm getting close to buying the STD 250 engine for it. 5 ML and 2 SRM 6s pack a big punch at close quarters.

[FEK315]

Does the HBK-4sp give you bonus C-bills? if so how much?


The missile bays remind me of the Hellspawn!

Edited by FEK315, 28 January 2014 - 08:15 PM.

[DESTROYER0009]

This link will show you Phill's Hunchback 4SP NOT MINE because I use his.

Edited by DESTROYER0009, 30 January 2014 - 04:46 PM.

[DESTROYER0009]

LOL no one voted for the 4G!

[Tesunie]

Long ago (about a year), this was my first mech I ever piloted. I started with the (then) trial Hinchback 4J, and loved it but wanted to tweak it. My first mech I owned was a Hunchback 4SP, to "tweak" the "all one side" weapon loadout of the 4J, my only complaint from my matches with the trial 4J (and having energy weapons on the (back then) slower torso twisting rate).

Over time, I made the mistake of selling off my Hunchback for Cicadas (the Cicada's wasn't the mistake, selling my hunchback was). I have since rebought my old Hunchback 4SP, and have it back in operations. With very little alterations from my original design (which was 2 LRM5s, and 5 med lasers to the now 2 LRM15s with 4 med lasers, and now I'm contemplating 2 ALRM10s with the 4 med lasers considering the new tubes). I find it still very effective and one of my all time favorites to still continue to pilot.

I have loved my Hunchback 4SP so much, my Stalker has taken on a very similar build over time, and I love that mech too. (Doesn't hurt that the Stalker was an old time favorite anyway, so needless to say I was very excited when it went into this game. I got the Stalker as soon as I could!)

Overall, I'd have to agree that the Hunchback 4SP, set up with either LRMs, SSRMs, or SRMs is still a very effective and new player friendly as it was when I first started playing this game. I'd still suggest LRMs for a newer player, as then they can stay out back a bit more, if you place 4 med lasers, that's more than enough fire power right there for close in work under most situations.

Of course, this is my opinion and nothing more. Everyone will work differently, so what I felt was a friendly new ride might be pure torture to someone who plays counter to me (I tend to use LRMs and do alright in direct fire combat).

Edited by Tesunie, 30 January 2014 - 05:21 PM.

[JayVrb]

I loved my 4SP, but nothing will dethrone my 4H. Like someone already said, you learn the ins and outs of your mech and it's like skating on ice. That's what it's like with my 4H


Standard 250
FF Armor
Endo
2 Medium Laser
3 Small
1 AC20 x3 tons ammo

[Dazzer]

How can you make me pick a hunchback ? its like asking which one of my kids I love the most !

I own 2 4p each with a different set up 1 with 9 ML's and the other with 2 LL's in the arms and 7 sl's

a 4SP standard 2 srm6's and ML's

a grid Iron AC20 etc

a 4 J with three LL's

I just cant pick !

a

[FEK315]

Why I love the Hunchback, let me count the ways.
1. Its a foxy looking mech.
2. It has a low profile compared to the Shawk.
3. I think best of all it is underestimated by PUG pilots. I can't count how many Assaults and Large mechs have abandon fighting with me in a Hunchy to turn and fight an Atlas, Misery,Victor etc.. only to have me jam 2 or 3 AC20 rounds in their back.

I Love the Hunchy!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WhatTheWho]

Cody Furlong, on 01 February 2014 - 04:49 PM, said:

Why isn't the Grid Iron mech in the voting options? I have to say that one is the best, since it's sort of a combo of all the others.

Because this thread was created about a year ago?