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I'm going to break this up into 4 sections:
1. Loadout
2. Offense
3. Defense
4. Teamwork
1. LOADOUT
I've played around with a few combinations of lasers (yes even 9 MPL!) but I keep coming back to 9 Mediums. It just works. Standard build can be found here.
There are a couple of points to make here:
1. You can drop a DHS and a bit of armour for AMS which given the current situation is probably not a bad idea.
2. I don't carry a lot of rear armour, particularly on the back of the hunch which is a VERY small hitbox. Some of the guys I talk to like more but I proscribe to the school of thought of 'don't get shot in the back in a medium that goes 92.7kmph'
Anyway loadout is maybe 10% of what makes a good mechwarrior, so I'm going to move onto the next section now.
2. OFFENSE
Learning how to shoot your lasers effectively is one of the most critical aspects of playing a 4P successfully. While it may sound simple there are quite a lot of ways you can go wrong and it took me a long time to find a style that suited me.
Firstly you have the option of arm lock ON or OFF. Now I actually started playing my 4P with armlock ON after watching some of Koreanese's very impressive videos. But it never really felt comfortable so I now play with arm lock OFF by default. This is personal preference but it leads on to the next point.
Weapons grouping. With arm lock on it is pretty simple - I used to stick all 9 ML on M1 and just shoot alphas like that with M2 bound to all 9 ML on chainfire for when you don't need the whole lot. Nowadays I group the two arm lasers to M1 and the 7 torso lasers to M2, with the 7 Torso lasers on M3 in chain fire. I then use SHIFT+M1+M2 for a coordinated full alpha (with armlock temporarily on). This is a little more complicated but it gives me the ability to shoot vertically with the arm lasers which can be very helpful in some circumstances. I can also only shoot the torsos if I am in waist-high cover or I'm not 100% sure on a shot and I don't want to fill up the heat bar. But of course - personal prefernce here I'm just sharing my experience.
Targetting. By targetting I mean firstly what do you shoot, and where? This is a very hard question to answer but 4P laserboats are typically best at slicing up large, slow moving targets. BUT you need to be able to kill what you are after in 3-4 alphas so often 'whatever is most damaged' is a good rule of thumb.
As far as where to shoot again this is going to vary by mech and comes down a great deal to experience and specific circumstances. But if you are relatively new then exploiting existing damage and shooting exposed sections where there is no armour is a pretty good option. Other popular spots are:
Atlas - Right Torso they usually carry a big nasty weapon here and taking it off will typically leave them with a single LL (but be careful if they have a bunch of SRMs - probably better to core them)
Stalker - Anywhere on the 'torpedo' is usally effective - Stalkers you can often get behind and I've killed a lot by blowing through their rear armour in a turning duel.
Awesome - Go for the CT, it is massive and you can't miss it.
Highlander - Often carry XLs so if behind them a speculative alpha to a left/rear side torso can result in a spectacular success and you can usually get around them again to finish the job.
Cataphract - CT is usually the best option although I'd consider the RT of an Ilya as it will knockout most of their armament. Most 3Ds will be carrying XLs so either side torso for them.
Jagermech - Again CT is usually good but if there is a damaged side torso go looking for an XL
Catapult - Shoot CT because it is easy to hit although shooting the ears off a streakcat is encouraged as they deserve a slow painful death
Dragon - CT, it is massive and cannot be missed
Centurion - Legs, they are very hard to land consisten laser damage on their narrow torsos and a good one will have his arms flailing around all over the show. Often missle ammo in the legs to boot.
Hunchback - The Hunch!!
Trebuchet - Often run XLs but CT is usually a safer option.
Blackjack - CT is a safe bet for now
Cicada - CT is pretty easy to get as they have to look at you to shoot you
Jenner - I challenge you to NOT hit CT when shooting a Jenner
Raven - Legs, the body hitboxes are still borked beyond belief and will soak up damage mysteriously
Spider - Honestly, I'd only shoot at these as a last resort as they are nigh on impossible to hit let alone go for components, leave them to the streaks.
Commando - It's going to fold no matter where you hit it but I usually go center of mass.
A note regarding shooting rear armour - you can't kill many mechs in a single alpha to the back, so it can sometimes be a bit of a waste shooting them there unless you think you can actually exploit it by hitting them again. The only mechs I would rely on doing that against is Atlas/Stalker/Highlander. The others can protect their rear and stop you getting there (unless your team intervenes). See video where I am behind the Cicada that still had full rear armour but the front was gone - in this case holding the shot and waiting proved beneficial.
Aiming. While this may sound blindingly obvious it is crucial. You need to hit with your lasers and hit for full duration, with NO WAGGLE!! The objective is to apply all 45pts of damage to a single armour panel of your choosing. There is no substitute for practise with this and you need a steady hand and good timing but there are a few things that can hellp (or hinder) your aim.
1. Rough ground, either under you or your target can make you jiggle up and down enough to ruin your shot. Try and avoid firing in these circumstances.
2. Vertical/Lateral motion, you want to shoot when there is minimal lateral or vertical motion. If a Jenner is circling a freindly wait for him to be running at the left or right of his orbit before shooting. If an mech is coming down a slope, or worse travelling laterally up/down slope then consider holding your shot until they reach level ground.
3. Your relative motion, try and match the vector of the enemy mech to minimse the relative difference, or simply throttle down a little or even stop (if it is safe to do so) to provide a more stable firing platform. Sometimes it helps not to turn your legs (A or D) while taking the shot - focus on moving the mouse smoothly to match the target.
4. Vertical travel, your torso weapons have TERRIBLE vertical travel (worst in the game). This can be a big problem on any map and you often need to move to an elevation similar to your target before being able to take a shot. This also makes it difficult to hit JJing mechs at close ranges. See video where I manage to leg the Highlander instead of coring it ><
Hold your shots. You have got 3-4 alphas before you are completely shutdown so you HAVE to be disciplined with the shots you take. Each shot needs to be taken in the most beneficial circumstances so keep the list above in your mind and if in doubt, don't shoot. Panicking and shutting down is the most common cause of death for inexperienced mechwarriors, particularly on the hotter maps.
3. DEFENSE
Defense is very important for any mech but moreso for a Hunchback thanks to their massive giant hunch that everybody is going to be aiming at. There are two fundamental ways to protect your hunch.
1. Torso Twisting. After firing quickly twist your torso to present the left side of your body to the enemy and keep it there. Hopefully they will then waste their shots shooting your arm. While many mechs can torso twist in either direction (e.g. Atlas) the Hunch can really only do it one way (usually by twisting away to the right). For this reason it helps to adopt an approach vector that runs slightly to the right of your target mech, before turning in an anti-clockwise direction around them. This will naturally position your left side closer to them.
2. Movement. Sounds simple, but effective and unpredictable movement makes an enormous difference to your survivability. To keep this section short, basically take all the aiming tips from above and reverse them. Run up and down vertical ground, move transverse to your target, make small random changes in direction at all times - you don't know when that poptart will appear with 3 ERPPCs. DO NOT drive circles around somebody. Orbital flight paths are terribly predicatble and will result in you getting shot a lot. If you are stuck in the open then drive S's or a figure 8 to keep your movements unpredictable. When there is cover nearby make use of it. You need time to cooldown so you should always have cover nearby to retreat to.
4. TEAMWORK
A Hunchback 4P is a team player, and you need to play a specific role in your team which is to support your other mechs by engaging and destroying the enemy. You are not a scout, nor are you a light hunter, or a base defender. You aren't a frontline mech either, nor are you a brawler. This is a key concept to understand to have success in a Hunchback. You do not have the armour to be 'first into the breach' which can be tempting thanks to your speed. Instead you need to adopt the role of the ultimate reserve force, keeping an eye on the flow of the battle and moving to shore up breaches or exploit success where it occurs. You can keep the flanks covered, but don't venture too far, and if you do always have an escape route. Remember you only have 3-4 alphas, you cannot fight an extended brawl. You need to strike swiftly, devastate the enemy with immense burst damage, then retreat to cooldown.
Know where your assault mechs are, if they get into a fight go and help them. Look for targets of opportunity, if anything stops moving you can hurt it VERY badly with precision damage. Run through the target list and look for damaged mechs that you can finish off with one ore two well placed alphas. You are a precision surgeon with those MLs. Don't get distracted by light mechs, you aren't actually very good at dealing with them unless they themselves are distracted and not taking evasive maneuvures. Don't overextend and always have somewher nearby to get to to cooldown.
Finally, here is a video of a game I played yesterday that hopefully demonstrates some of the things i've discussed in this guide. Anyway I hope that somebody has found this helpful and that it will encourage some of you assault pilots to come and try out some sexy medium mechs!!
