68 replies to this topic

[NRP]

I picked up a 4J because it seems I've caught the Hunchback virus. I started out as a full energy build with 2 PPCs and 3 SPLs, then I switched the SPLs with MLs. I ran all of this with an XL275 and 17 DHS.

What I've found after about 10 matches is that even without torso hunches, I still get shot in my STs. I haven't been cored once in the 4J. All ST deaths. So as much as I love the speed and extra DHS an XL275 provides, I just can't run it any longer.

I'm now running a STD210 with 16 DHS. It's sloooooow, but pretty durable. I'm also not racking up XP on the 4J as fast as I did on the Grid Iron. It almost feels like the PPC damage isn't registering all of the time. Or it might just be the MG on the Grid Iron is a little money maker with all the component destruction I get.

The 4J is fun, but so far I like the Grid Iron a lot better.

[Teshtube]

strikebrch, on 08 January 2014 - 01:39 PM, said:

Nice build bro you just gave me hope on this hero mech.

I'll put it like this

Thnx for the inspiration

P.D: 5 minutes after this quote.....just realized i have this IRON GRID 2.0

did you just use C.A.S.E with Gauss Ammo? lol
(with an XL no less)

Edited by Set Tesh, 09 January 2014 - 01:04 AM.

[Lord Perversor]

Escef, on 08 January 2014 - 03:27 AM, said:

If I were in the market for a Hero mech (I'm not), I'd look at the Misery, Heavy Metal, and YLW before the GridIron. Hell, I'd even look at TDK sooner. The big problem I have with GI is the same I have with the BLR-1G: there's little point to a single missile hard point with a 10 tube limit. A single LRM10 isn't going to accomplish much. Nor is a single Streak launcher or an SRM6. I consider that hard point a waste until the Inner Sphere gets Streaks in 4 and 6 packs.

Have to agree with you here, i think the Grid Iron may be better with a single Ballistic hardpoint and 2x missiles (becoming the kind of all variant hunchback)

Tastian said:

Sadly there is no build the Grid Iron can do that a Shadow Hawk cannot do better.

Heard the very same about Dragons and Shadowhawks yet i can't feel the same sensations on speed/turning with Shadows than my Dragons, as Bishop says it's always a matter of personal preference than just the on paper.



On an unrelated note i'm happy with the New Hunchback Shoulders specially for the 4J now my Laser *butterknife* build it's less noticeable and the Hunch with 3x med lasers last longer without being noticed.

[Iskareot]

I had good luck with the ole AC20, 3 MLS set up last night too -- engine I think I bought a 220 standard, plenty speed and it could take some hits.

Solid build 400 damage ish.. each drop did about 5. I DO like the standard too though, oddly did the same amount of damage per drop. Not sure what to think of that other then I think the stock loadout is NOT terrabad. Hard to alpha with the Gauss but yeah its effective it really is.

Not sure what I will stick with but it is a great mech so far. Good hard points and some things to mess with room wise.

I also BOUGHT the Blackjack C - trial and man that mech is a wicked little stock mech too... I had a couple drops with 500 plus damage.. Ill take it for that thing... {Scrap}. Same set up - AC20 3 MLS go figure.

[EyeOne]

EyeOne, on 08 January 2014 - 11:35 AM, said:

This one is mine. It's strange, I know. But lately I've enjoyed using LRMs in regular combat. It's better than a single SRM4/6. I only played 2 games with it though so I don't have a great feel for it yet.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...abd8dfcc50a1ffa

I changed this up. I went back to a Hunchback standard: AC20, 3MLs. Just more simple.

xengk, on 08 January 2014 - 08:47 PM, said:

for a hunchback pilot, limping around without a hunch and pew pewing with 2 MLaz, I rather be dead.
I still run my GI with XL, although I don't play it as a brawler like the 4G, still getting CT and ST death in a ratio that Im ok with.

To each their own. I'd rather be limping around racking up 10 damage per shot while not getting noticed. I've gotten a lot of kills this way.

[N a p e s]

Lord Perversor, on 09 January 2014 - 02:38 AM, said:

Have to agree with you here, i think the Grid Iron may be better with a single Ballistic hardpoint and 2x missiles (becoming the kind of all variant hunchback)

Ya, I was hoping for those 2 missile hardpoints. 2 streaks, AC10, 3xMlas with a 225STD probably would have been my go-to build for this thing alas I'll have to make due with something else.

Grid Iron

The call of the AC20 is really tempting but it gets redundant using the same loadout on different variants of the same mech so I am trying to be a bit more creative. That build uses all of the possible tonnage, crits and hard points without going with an XL engine but still maintains decent speed and weapons. Hopefully, it'll play ok.

[Ngamok]

Napes339, on 09 January 2014 - 10:37 AM, said:

Ya, I was hoping for those 2 missile hardpoints. 2 streaks, AC10, 3xMlas with a 225STD probably would have been my go-to build for this thing alas I'll have to make due with something else.

Grid Iron

The call of the AC20 is really tempting but it gets redundant using the same loadout on different variants of the same mech so I am trying to be a bit more creative. That build uses all of the possible tonnage, crits and hard points without going with an XL engine but still maintains decent speed and weapons. Hopefully, it'll play ok.

Yea, my Founders mech is my 4G. It's got the AC/20 and 3 Medium Lasers in it. So I just kept the SRM6 and dropped the AC down to a 10. Like I said, if the XL is starting to become a liability, I'll go do to a STD 220 or something and keep the same load out with the 3xML and SRM6 with the AC/10. Or switch out the SRM6 to an SSRM2. I just don't want to go to the AC/20 3xML build since my 4G is that.

[Remarius]

Possibly I'm mad but I have an abiding affection for hunchbacks and wanted to avoid my 4G's AC20, 2 MG and 2 ML format. I'm also a bit addicted to medium speed .... on that basis I've been running around with an "omni-hunch":

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...29e4f712b278fab

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6ca4b3fb42d0dc1

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9ae4680eba2faa4

Needless to say #3 is the least survivable as you get lured into brawling.

Hint: you're not a brawler.

Edit: going to leave the intentional mistake on one of them for the keen eyed... sadly i did launch with it... *facepalm*

Edited by Remarius, 09 January 2014 - 11:25 AM.

[N a p e s]

Remarius, on 09 January 2014 - 11:15 AM, said:

Possibly I'm mad but I have an abiding affection for hunchbacks and wanted to avoid my 4G's AC20, 2 MG and 2 ML format. I'm also a bit addicted to medium speed .... on that basis I've been running around with an "omni-hunch":

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...29e4f712b278fab

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...6ca4b3fb42d0dc1

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...9ae4680eba2faa4

Needless to say #3 is the least survivable as you get lured into brawling.

Hint: you're not a brawler.

Edit: going to leave the intentional mistake on one of them for the keen eyed... sadly i did launch with it... *facepalm*

46/48 armor on the left leg? I really can't find any other possibly intentional mistakes. I was expecting something like equipping AC10 ammo for an LB10X. I've done that and it sucked...

[Remarius]

Check the AC5 version (armour is just a placeholder tbh to check points i could load on).

In fact I utterly fail as I amended that one afterwards looks like... the AC5 one originally had no AMS ammo.

Edited by Remarius, 09 January 2014 - 12:19 PM.

[Golfin Man]

I'm not necessarily a fan of xl hunchbacks and I dream of functioning SRM launchers but I think this build makes good use of all of the hardpoints and the increased max engine size.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...c0b472ad47ae421
You can also use FF and move the heatsink to the engine if you want max armor.
Other 275xl builds could be 3 ML UAC/5 ALRM15 or 3 ML 2 AC/5 w/ four tons of ammo. You can also make a troll build with MGs, PPCs and an ALRM 5 Don't forget the head laser

Using a 275 standard the best I came up with is 3 ML AC/2 ASRM6. Using a 250 you can fit an AC/5, maybe a UAC/5 if you strip some armor or drop artemis. These builds try to emulate the idea of the 4SP in that it can still defend itself even after losing a side torso, although a single SRM launcher isn't exactly considered effective weaponry nowadays.

edited for wrong link

Edited by Golfin Man, 09 January 2014 - 12:34 PM.

[N a p e s]

Remarius, on 09 January 2014 - 12:07 PM, said:

Check the AC5 version (armour is just a placeholder tbh to check points i could load on).

In fact I utterly fail as I amended that one afterwards looks like... the AC5 one originally had no AMS ammo.

Ah ha! I went back and looked over the build 2 or 3 times and for the life of me couldn't figure it out. So this does explain it. It is pretty sad to go into battle without any ammo for a component. Hoping you didn't land right into a match full of LRMs.

Edited by Napes339, 09 January 2014 - 12:33 PM.

[Ronan]

I took the 4G as my Founder mech. Love the thing, but really didn't want to duplicate it in the GI. Heck, I've got a YLW with AC20, so enough AC20's for me. I just like medium mechs, and wanted to have the GI fill a role/use weapons I didn't have somewhere else. 4G/YLW have Ac20, WVR has lbx, Griffon has erPPCs, Kintaro has LRMs, Shadowhawk AC5 and streaks (iirc). So GI had to keep the gauss!!

And I hated it at first. Kept popping a torso and the XL inside. But it was not always the gr side, sometimes the srm side. Tried std engines, then I think I lost the gr half a dozen times and died when that exploded.

But I did eventually learn to live with the gauss rifle. Swapped the srm for lrm10, fiddled with engine size (but still xl), have BAP. And beat my head on my desk until I learned to STAY BACK. Use lrm and gr from a distance. Use huge torso twist to run away while shooting backwards. Still not as good as the 4G/YLW/WVR(P), for me, but better and fun.

[C E Dwyer]

245std ac20 pair of ml's 4-0 with it so far, I guassed my founders so this is the only AC20 build i have

[Corbon Zackery]

You must miss with the AC 20 a lot to have 28 shots of ammo when 14 will get you through a match.

Ammo blow waiting to happen.

The concept of stuffing so much ammo on your mech so it blows up in the fist min of combat is laughable.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8537dbde9b9ccc8

Your wasting tonnage that can be used for other things.

Edited by Corbon Zackery, 09 January 2014 - 01:46 PM.

[N a p e s]

Corbon Zackery, on 09 January 2014 - 01:33 PM, said:

You must miss with the AC 20 a lot to have 28 shots of ammo when 14 will get you through a match.

Ammo blow waiting to happen.

The concept of stuffing so much ammo on your mech so it blows up in the fist min of combat is laughable.

For me the AC20 needs at very least 3 tons and 4 tons is ideal. I often run out of ammo with 21 shots and that is with what I'd consider pretty decent trigger discipline and accuracy. Sure, you could get by with 14 shots but that's seriously limiting how much damage you can deal with that big *** gun you got strapped to your shoulder. Seems like a wasted investment for 280 damage...

[RickySpanish]

Funnily enough of all the builds ive tried, the gauss has worked best i think the reason is that no matter what, players will target the hunch and once it goes, you're quite screwed. The AC20 build doesn't alpha as high as the gauss and lacks range. Therefore you may as well accept your fate should you lose the hunch and go balls deep!

[anubis969]

Corbon Zackery, on 09 January 2014 - 01:33 PM, said:

You must miss with the AC 20 a lot to have 28 shots of ammo when 14 will get you through a match.

Ammo blow waiting to happen.

The concept of stuffing so much ammo on your mech so it blows up in the fist min of combat is laughable.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8537dbde9b9ccc8

Your wasting tonnage that can be used for other things.

That is why you put ammo in the legs and not the torso . Almost no one aims for the legs on anything other than a light unless the legs are weak, not even good pilots, which is why it is the best place to store ammo after the head. The only 'mechs that have any real issue with storing ammo in the legs is the aforementioned lights and JJ 'mechs (due to them spreading damage to the legs) of which the hunchback is neither.

As you've only got 4 tons of ammo in that build you could easily move all of it to the legs allowing you to drop both C.A.S.E.'s and free up one ton. But of cause it's your build, your 'mech so it's entirely up to you. I personally consider the very minor risk of an ammo explosion worth the extra ton but you may not and that is totally fine .

[Bishop Steiner]

Corbon Zackery, on 09 January 2014 - 01:33 PM, said:

You must miss with the AC 20 a lot to have 28 shots of ammo when 14 will get you through a match.

Ammo blow waiting to happen.

The concept of stuffing so much ammo on your mech so it blows up in the fist min of combat is laughable.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...8537dbde9b9ccc8

Your wasting tonnage that can be used for other things.

14 gets you thru if your opponents suck, your team carries you or you die.

14 rounds is all of 280 damage. Unless you do all your work with you lasers (in which case why invest 14 tons into a BFG in the first place?), that's laughable, and certainly not enough if you hunt assault mechs like I do. Or are you so Elite you oneshot Atlases through the eye? And short of an aimbot, everybody misses some shots on light mechs (not to mention ac20 hit registration is still far from perfect).

By the way... no one, and I mean no one, shoots hunchbacks in the legs, hence the 4 tons of ammo is safe.

Nice try though, oh master of mechs.

GRID IRON

There you go. Just got rid of your largely worthless AMS (unless you are facing a lot of LRM5s?), improved your damage, your heat efficiency and survivability. Oh and your ability to actually contribute real damage deep into a match. You (and more likely your teams) can thank me later.

Edited by Bishop Steiner, 09 January 2014 - 08:27 PM.

[FireSlade]

Finally got the build down to something semi plausible http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1a20e163977f27e. I miss the speed from the 275xl but with how quickly the armor dissipates on that right torso I could not go toe to toe with anyone so at least now I can. I wanted something different from every other Hunchback and the Gauss Rifle can lay down some serious damage with 5 tons.