18 replies to this topic

[TheFlannelBeard]

FlannelBeard here.

Been a LONG time mech fan since the 90's. Just got into this game last week. The devs seriously need to fix the menu system...anyway...back to the point.

Sold my jenner-d and got a hunchback hbk-4p. I thought going the bug zapper route might be fun. It's the 2nd mech ive now owned.

Ive got the upgraded armor (not endo yet), 9 medium lasers, and 16 double heat sinks (might be 14-15...at work, cant remember the specifics.) And ive yet to kill a mech with it.....

What am I doing wrong? With the blackjack trial mech I was doing great with 3 medium lasers and the AC 20, but now Im just failing. Hard. And im not new to 'mech' combat, so im truly unsure what my problem is.

Can any pros give me some solid advice, and please, I dont need to be told "aim better". Let me know where to aim, distances, and how to truly be effective with this mech.

On a side note, I got paid today. Is it worth buying MC to get into a credit-earning premium mech? If so, which?

Edited by TheFlannelBeard, 20 December 2013 - 06:45 AM.

[N E R E V A R]

Unlike previous mechwarrior games, lasers are damage over time so you need to hold the beam on target for the entire duration.

Also keep in mind the 270m range so you should run it like a close ranged flanker, pop from behind cover and unload your alpha into an enemy mech and then retreat. Use buildings and terrain to your advantage. Another way you can run it is as direct fire support for your assaults, stay diagonally behind an assault and shoot whatever he's shooting at.

For killshots, the center torso and side torsos(xl engine) are what you generally want to aim for. However, you should mostly go for the exposed components. These are just guidelines, always try to adapt to the situation.

[Jody Von Jedi]

This week you get 7 days of premium time for free, so take advantage of it before you spend real money.

Get 7 days of Premium Time for free when you login and use the code "HAPPYHOLIDAYS" at http://mwomercs.com/redeem

[Inflatable Fish]

the 4P is actually one of the most demanding mechs in game, both because of tight heat management and its profile, storing the majority of its firepower in one component.

to succeed in a 4P, stay behind your teammates and provide support fire - a direct hit to an exposed component from your 6 hunch lasers is almost guaranteed to blow {Scrap} up. as a 4P you are fast, but avoid rushing off on your own and engaging the enemy alone, that's more than likely to just get you killed. use your speed and agility to pop in and out of cover and circle around the enemy to take potshots at their backs.

also, to increase hunch durability, set your right torso front armour to 46 and back to 2. you'll notice the difference.

[Spheroid]

The default engine is too slow. You need at least a 250 STD(260 ideally). The first ten heatsinks that are integral to the engine operate at true double efficiency. The difference(heatwise) between a 200 and a 250 amounts to a free heatsink.

Nine lasers is excessively hot. Ghost heat penalizes firing more than six medium lasers at once. I run eight. Endo always, FF is garbage. You will need those slots for heatsinks. Make sure your RT has an extreme front armor bias.

Also why sell your mechs? You have four slots available. Leveling three variants of the same chassis unlocks 2x basics and speed tweak which is extremely important for combat effectiveness. Level then sell. That is the only sane course of action. If you liked the trial Blackjack you should have gotten the 4g as it is cheap and works fine stock.

Edited by Spheroid, 20 December 2013 - 06:58 PM.

[RecklessFable]

I, personally, had to accept that the standard loadout was not workable for me in a world with ghost heat. However, I have had a lot of success with this mech. I have small lasers in the pod and mediums elsewhere. Max armor, and as much engine and sinks as fit. The speed is key since I play the mech as a strafer and assault harrasser. Imagine a locust with a locust on it's right shoulder.

[Dazzer]

I 4P build you might like is a knife fighter , 6 small laz in the hump and 2 large laz on the arms , next to impossible to over heat search the forms . With all 4P its hit and fade, you are smash and grab merchant. Manage your heat is the key to play or your a dead duck. Find a nice assault brawler and act like his body guard the pair of you double taming the bad guy. This is what is it means when you hear on the med forums ´follow the Atlas´

have a wep group with less med laz on it as a cooling group say 3 ML´s so you can keep firing and still cool. Also 4 ML´s on chain fire gives you constant fire (ie laz machine gun).

[Kai Harper]

Spheroid, on 20 December 2013 - 08:50 AM, said:

The default engine is too slow. You need at least a 250 STD(260 ideally). The first ten heatsinks that are integral to the engine operate at true double efficiency. The difference between a 200 and a 250 amounts to a free heatsink.

200 to 250 is *two* heat sinks, just clarifying.

On topic: A fairly common build is the Small Laser hunch - some run it with 9, most with 6 and an assortment of other lasers to back them up. The upside to this is that it generates less heat than a super stock 8ML/1SL, with the downside being that the majority of your firepower is limited to knife fighting range.
I used to run a STD260 (avoid XLs like the plague in Hunchies), 8ML + MPL with 18 DHS, and she ran like a dream on some matches, and like a demon on others. I chalk that up mostly to bad matches and idiotic decisions on my part. The main points to note with this build are that you have an effective range of 270 meters, with poking distance of 540, if you're fast and duck in and out of cover. Just be careful of taking damage to your hunch that you don't need to take.

Currently my 4P has 9ML, STD275, 17DHS with 11 in the engine, and I find that for the most part, she purrs like a kitten. The 11 true DHS give a solid amount of dissipation, even after I lose my left torso, but even so, a disciplined trigger finger is a *must* on a 4P. They aren't mechs that you can get away with grappling with too harshly, as they'll buck you off and stare at you quite disapprovingly while the enemy team murders you. More than any other mech I own, the 4P shines so very, very well when you elite her out - double heat dissipation bonus and heat threshold are just brilliant on them.

For aiming, this'll take a bit of time to get used to - less time for you than new blood, I'd wager, since you're experienced with the MW series - but try to aim for the side of most mechs that has the most firepower in it (side torso, specifically). On certain mechs, unless you're scared of the sheer firepower that their weapons bring (rightly so, in many cases), aim for the central mass. If you see another 4P Hunchie, it's your choice whether to take the CT out, or their Death Star cannon - same rings true for all variants bar the 4SP. For Jagers and Blackjacks, aim for the side torsi, as most right now are running XL (AC/40 on most Jagers, AC/20 + MLx2-3 on most Blackjacks), and for Cataphracts aim side torso as well. If you're a good shot, do the same for Dragons.

In closing, the most important things to note are as follows:
Don't get separated from your team
Protect the hunch
Utilize cover
Aim for weakened areas if possible. If not, go by a mech-by-mech basis to decide where to aim
Don't get overeager and chase the enemy lights too far

[TheFlannelBeard]

Words cant express how thankful I am for a solid, dedicated and knowledgeable community. I play World of Tanks as well, and the community there is....unfavorable and immature. This has been very enlightening.

So far my build is running good. But Im having a tough time getting kills in this mech. After reading through everyones reply (thank you Kai Harper for the extreme knowledge in targeting), ive noticed my play style changing in this mech. Im more of a support role, and up close im doing my best to hit the target points. Ive managed to slide off an arm or two in just the 2 hours ive played since returning home from work. So far, itll take more practice in, but that comes with anything.

If im having a hard time killing or maiming anything with meds, why switch to small? Granted my heat dies down rather quickly, and i seem to manage the heat well (most times), but Im struggling to see the adv of small lasers, other than heat.

As far as the FF or Endo armor, is the FF really worthless in this thing?

Thank you all so much. Its nice getting back into MW after thinking it died for a decade. Such sad times.

Also...RIP sidewinder joystick support, so ive heard. Im weeping openly about this discovery.

Cheers

[Racklesnack]

TheFlannelBeard, on 20 December 2013 - 05:03 PM, said:

Words cant express how thankful I am for a solid, dedicated and knowledgeable community. I play World of Tanks as well, and the community there is....unfavorable and immature. This has been very enlightening.

So far my build is running good. But Im having a tough time getting kills in this mech. After reading through everyones reply (thank you Kai Harper for the extreme knowledge in targeting), ive noticed my play style changing in this mech. Im more of a support role, and up close im doing my best to hit the target points. Ive managed to slide off an arm or two in just the 2 hours ive played since returning home from work. So far, itll take more practice in, but that comes with anything.

If im having a hard time killing or maiming anything with meds, why switch to small? Granted my heat dies down rather quickly, and i seem to manage the heat well (most times), but Im struggling to see the adv of small lasers, other than heat.

As far as the FF or Endo armor, is the FF really worthless in this thing?

Thank you all so much. Its nice getting back into MW after thinking it died for a decade. Such sad times.

Also...RIP sidewinder joystick support, so ive heard. Im weeping openly about this discovery.

Cheers

Yup FF is pretty much worthless unless your running a light or some mediums since all it does it free up a very small percentage of tonnage. If your looking to get more free tonnage for ye buck go with endosteel.

[Kai Harper]

TheFlannelBeard, on 20 December 2013 - 05:03 PM, said:

Words cant express how thankful I am for a solid, dedicated and knowledgeable community. I play World of Tanks as well, and the community there is....unfavorable and immature. This has been very enlightening.

So far my build is running good. But Im having a tough time getting kills in this mech. After reading through everyones reply (thank you Kai Harper for the extreme knowledge in targeting), ive noticed my play style changing in this mech. Im more of a support role, and up close im doing my best to hit the target points. Ive managed to slide off an arm or two in just the 2 hours ive played since returning home from work. So far, itll take more practice in, but that comes with anything.

If im having a hard time killing or maiming anything with meds, why switch to small? Granted my heat dies down rather quickly, and i seem to manage the heat well (most times), but Im struggling to see the adv of small lasers, other than heat.

As far as the FF or Endo armor, is the FF really worthless in this thing?

Thank you all so much. Its nice getting back into MW after thinking it died for a decade. Such sad times.

Also...RIP sidewinder joystick support, so ive heard. Im weeping openly about this discovery.

Cheers

You're very, very welcome. Don't underestimate your punch in that torso though - the lasers may not *look* as impressive as an AC/20, but you're punching out more than they can do with one single shot. If you use it as a boomshot - like you do in the Blackjack - you can be extremely devastating at close range.

Some people just like the feel of the faster recycle time on the small lasers over mediums - just threw it up there so you could see that people like to kit them out differently to stock. =) FF is...semi useful at best. On the 4P, you need the crit slots more than you need the weight.

HBK-4P <- This is my build as of right now. =)

Edited by Kai Harper, 20 December 2013 - 05:35 PM.

[Madara Uchiha]

With mine i tend to hang back, wait untill the enemy is distracted then alpha, retreat then repeat...i have multple fire modes as well pretty much just groups of 3, and lastly i have all bound to i think it is 6 on chain fire. That mech is one of my better killers.

Edit: and if i recall i dont have better armor but i got the structure upgrade. Can fit more dhs in.

Edited by Madara Uchiha, 20 December 2013 - 05:27 PM.

[zagibu]

270STD, 9ML, 18DHS is the most effective build IMO (armor allocation is important on the hunch). Fire the lasers in groups of three (two groups in the hunch, and the arms + head together). If you have a 4 button mouse, you can assign both arms to the last button, to be able to fire up and down without wasting heat from the head laser. If you have even more buttons, you can assign an all-laser chainfire group and an alpha group as well, although the latter probably shouldn't be used if you aren't at 0 heat. Better click the two hunch groups together for a 30dmg alpha, and follow up with the third group if you still have spare heat cap.

The key to playing the 4P (or any hunchback, really) is to keep on the move and twist a lot if you are under fire. But you don't want to be the prime target in any medium, so group up and let others go in first. Follow closely, fire your chain of 15 dmg weapon groups as long as heat and targets allow, then move out again.

A build that has been mentioned, and is actually more fun to play for me than the one above, but less efficient, is the 6SL + 2LL build. A 4ML + 2LL build works, too, if you sacrifice a bit of speed and heat cap. Or a mix of ML + MPL.

You should really stick with a chassis and unlock the basic efficiencies with three different variants (I suggest a 4G/H and a 4SP), so that you can then unlock elite efficiencies with your favourite of the three. Once you have unlocked all elite efficiencies, the effect of the basic efficiencies DOUBLES. This gives you 15% more heat cap and makes you much more agile.

Edited by zagibu, 20 December 2013 - 05:44 PM.

[O F F - W H I T E]

This was one of the many great results i had from this mech, the usual loadout (STD280, 9ML, 18DHS)

It's really a great build, i always stick to the heavies/assaults, and hide behind cover, popping out to alpha strike enemies and then back to cover. If you're looking for kills, you should target an enemy, find it's weakest spot. I usually wait for the CT to turn orange/red before I alpha strike, it's almost a guaranteed kill.

[Dazzer]

a 6 small laz hunch is doing 18 damage every 2.5 sec´s so its a fast shooting AC18. pair that up with 2 large laz which also do 18 points of damage thats a alpha of 36 not bad for a Medium mech. It is also very easy to heat manage which is important when you 1st starting out. The 9 Meduim Laz version is also a very good mech , I in fact have 2 4P´s one decked out in each version.

Throw in a better engine I like the 275 standard and you are moving at 98 KPH with an amazing twist speed which lets you hit and run very well. It also let to re-position quickly letting you pug hole in the line or back up a team mate when that assault bad guy pops up out of no were.

I love the Hunchback 4P if I could put a jump jet of the thing as well I would marry it lol

Edited by Dazzer, 22 December 2013 - 04:23 AM.

[juxstapo]

Prolly not what you want to hear, but take a long hard look at a BJ-1X. Loses a pair of lasers from the 4P, but puts the balance in the arms.

Edit: Make that one laser, loses one laser.

Edited by juxstapo, 22 December 2013 - 08:55 AM.

[Modo44]

Lower the mouse sensitivity in MWO. This gets overlooked very often, but it can help a lot. The default settings are only OK for super twitchy play or locking homing missiles. Use the Testing Grounds to learn running around while holding the beams on-target for the entire duration. If you take lots of MLs, split them into groups of 6 or less to prevent triggering ghost heat. You should be able to clean up after assaults quite easily.

[zagibu]

juxstapo, on 22 December 2013 - 08:54 AM, said:

Prolly not what you want to hear, but take a long hard look at a BJ-1X. Loses a pair of lasers from the 4P, but puts the balance in the arms.

Edit: Make that one laser, loses one laser.

As well as 5 tons. But it has JJ on some variants (not on the 1X, though). And less max armor.

Edited by zagibu, 22 December 2013 - 11:05 AM.

[Kai Harper]

juxstapo, on 22 December 2013 - 08:54 AM, said:

Prolly not what you want to hear, but take a long hard look at a BJ-1X. Loses a pair of lasers from the 4P, but puts the balance in the arms.

Edit: Make that one laser, loses one laser.

zagibu, on 22 December 2013 - 11:04 AM, said:

As well as 5 tons. But it has JJ on some variants (not on the 1X, though). And less max armor.

Also, the placement of the BJ-1X's energy points are drastically different to the placement of the 4P. It may be harder to overheat it, but you're much, much more fragile in that mech, I've found. Between needing to mount an XL to have decent speed, and having minimal chance to block damage with your arms to protect yourself, I'd take a Hunchie any day, personally. Yes, your weapons are more split up, so if you lose an arm you're more dangerous than a de-hunched Hunchback, but I've never lost only an arm yet. It's always been the side torsi. Just something to consider.

Edited by Kai Harper, 22 December 2013 - 02:55 PM.