90 replies to this topic

[Aym]

Buddahcjcc, on 04 June 2012 - 11:37 AM, said:

The Hunchback is the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy of mechs

It's cheaper than it's competition and has the words Don't Panic written in reassuring letters on it's cover?

[Lauranis]

There is an additional and less quantifiable reason why the Hunchback is viable in comparison to the Atlas (or other Assault class chassis's). Aside from its slightly improved speed, likely better turning circle,torso twist speed and cost, the Hunchback has significantly smaller silhouette. The Hunchback is shorter, thinner (except possibly the Hunchback's sumo-wrestler legs) and its arms are more slender, protecting its secondary armament by virtue of them being harder to hit.

There are many Medium's and lighter Heavy Mechs in Battletech that are seemingly made obsolete by the heavier designs until you consider that they are physically significantly smaller, making cover easier to use, and them inherently harder to hit

[Gun Bear]

perfectblue, on 04 June 2012 - 05:43 AM, said:

Since when has the Hunchback had jump jets?

The only real flaw in theHunchbacks design as a city fighter is its lack of jump jets combined with its relatively slow ground speed of only 64.8 km/h
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Hunchback Sarna

When people started using Endo Steel internals.

[Solis Obscuri]

perfectblue, on 04 June 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

A continuous theme I am seeing here are people posting:

1. It costs less- with repair costs/purchase price being likely marginal and player selecting a free mech this point is moot.
2. Its an urban brawler- How will the huncback fare in more open environments, such as the forest level we keep seeing then?

Solis Obscuri, on 04 June 2012 - 09:31 AM, said:

Also, the Hunchback has a lot of common variants. The HBK-4G with the AC/20 and two medium lasers is the most common and popular, and is specialized as a brawler, but other variants include the more rounded HBK-4H, which replaces the AC/20 with an AC/10 and adds two medium lasers, giving it better performance at mid-ranges, the HBK-4J and -4N, which are fire-support variants carrying two LRM-10s and 5 medium lasers, and one AC/5, two LRM-5s and 4 medium lasers, respectively. For close combat, the HBK-4P "Swayback" carries eight medium lasers, and the HBK-4SP carries two SRM-6s and four medium lasers. All variants carry enough heat sinks to use their weapons loadouts effectively.

[MagnusEffect]

Oppi, on 04 June 2012 - 06:44 AM, said:

There's a huge difference between a working prototype in a lab and a factory actually producing the stuff for every merc out there to buy. By the time the Clans invaded the Sphere, there were no military units actually using this stuff in any significant scale. (I'll personally shoot the first guy to say "Wolf's Dragoons" ... )

__________________________________
Fluff lesson ahead :

When Phelan Kell was adopted into the Clan Wolf warrior caste and first got to pilot an omni mech, he assumed a laser failure because he'd never seen a pulse laser before. And that was after attending the renowned Nagelring military academy and serving with the Kell Hounds - one of the most famous merc units of the Inner Sphere.
__________________________________

So could you guys please stop to assume that you will be playing one of the maybe 30 people in the Sphere that always got early access to all the fancy toys the NAIS had just reinvented ?

Almost all of the mechs in the 3050TRO feature some lostech. I realize the 3050TRO features all "new" designs, but that is a far cry from saying they weren't being produced in factories by 3049. It was definitely VERY rare back in 3039, but by 3049, almost all lostech was back in production at some capacity and available on market (understandably at a premium cost). You are assuming an awful lot that just because Phelan had never seen a pulse laser therefore no one (who could afford them) in the IS had them. Wasn't that one of his first real assignments? They were hunting pirates... I doubt the periphery would have them in 3049 to be sure. Personally, if given the choice, I always picked a medium laser over the pulse version anyway. IS pulse laser tech kinda sucked in 3050.

2 Hunchbacks > 1 Atlas; no contest. 2 Hunchbacks give you roughly double the shortrange firepower of an Atlas for the same amount of tonnage and armor (collectively speaking). However, that is assuming matches will be setup in such a way where a larger group of lighter mechs could face a smaller group of heavier mechs. This whole "which is better; atlas or hunchback" discussion is interesting, but ultimately fruitless until we know more about how matchmaking will work, drop weight limits, possibility of Battle Value, etc.

Edited by MagnusEffect, 04 June 2012 - 02:14 PM.

[StarSlayer40]

Well, although I'm not entirely sure how matches will work in MWO. In megamek, all units have a BV (battle value) so, multiple hunchbacks are worth one Atlas. If you check it out, several mediums with AC20s on each one could make almost anybody's day go bad.

So, my guess is that in the game it might be smart to get together groups of hunchbacks and start ripping stuff apart.

Edited by StarSlayer40, 04 June 2012 - 01:53 PM.

[Forscythe]

You field a hunchback to be brawler when the highest mech you can slot is a medium?

[Jarikan]

The hunchback brings some nice bang it the front
The devastating AC20 is the crowning point of this battlemech

]Just like the famous uziel and its duel wielding PPCs, unexpected for a medium class

And please, for the love of Star League, don’t say it is the same as the urbenmech…that things just a bucket.

Edited by Jarikan, 07 June 2012 - 04:59 PM.

[Murphy7]

Major Bill Curtis, on 04 June 2012 - 12:57 PM, said:

Last I checked, it's not a 1 v 1 game. If it is a 1 v 1 game, by all means, take the Atlas or something much faster than the Atlas, so you can avoid it. If the engagements are in any way balanced by tonnage, cost, or BV, the comparison of 2 Hunchbacks to a single Atlas most certainly stands.

Except that I thought the origin of the choice was amongst the Founder's package mech choices: Jenner, Hunchback, Catapult, and Atlas; in which case the direct comparison question of a Hunchback to an Atlas makes a certain kind of sense.

This thread has had me considering the Hunchback more strongly, though for me the lead choices before reading here were Jenner and Catapult. Different strokes for different folks.

[Ebynfel]

CapperDeluxe, on 04 June 2012 - 06:04 AM, said:

specifically the 5S

HBK-5S - Originally a refit line converted to full production, the 5S is a complete overhaul of the Hunchback design developed by Norse-Storm BattleMechs. The structure has been modified to use Endo Steel construction techniques, the engine has been upgraded to a Light Fusion Engine, and it has had four Jump Jets added for increased mobility. The 'Mech carries, as its primary weapon, an LB-X Autocannon/20 supported by two Medium Pulse Lasers and a single Small Laser.


but... that's assuming the devs decide to allow this one.

This one is not available for so long because light engines are post clan invasion. Xls are recovered, lights give half the weight drop and one less. Critical in each side torso, allowing an ac20 to fit in the right torso. But, it isn't around for some time yet.

[Melissia]

I actually hope it's NOT cost that balances out the hunchback... perhaps they'll make the hunchback faster than in canon or something.

Making the only real balance being cost just means taht it'll be newbies piloting hunchbacks while experienced players use better, heavier 'mechs.

Edited by Melissia, 07 June 2012 - 08:10 PM.