86 replies to this topic

[Redshirt enraged]

Just saying.

The thing is,i like them both,with and without quirks...

The Hunchie is just my favourite,propably because it was my first medium.

Edited by Redshirt enraged, 03 April 2015 - 08:22 AM.

[N a p e s]

Redshirt enraged, on 03 April 2015 - 07:23 AM, said:

Just saying.

The thing is,i like them both,with and without quirks...

The Hunchie is just my favourite,propably beacause it was my first medium.

Same here. First mech was a 4G despite numerous suggestions from the boards that I get something else.

After 2 years of MWO still my favorite mech. This thing just rocks.

[990Dreams]

I prefer the HBK for long to mid range, except the GI, which I use for brawling. I like the CN9 for brawling mostly.

[Fubbit]

HBK!

Centurion is a cool ride and prettier, but hunchbacks (4G!) are for "getting 'er done".

[jackswift]

For me, the Centys are where it's at. Every one of them are good performers for me. They are the mechs I learned how to shield on. The YLW was my first Hero and it is the best mech performance-wise for me. I even put up my first and only 1000 damage game in the CN9-D with an LB10, 2 ML, and, 2 SSRMs. However Since the A was one of my first mechs I learned MWO on, it left a bad taste in my mouth and I am reinventing it so to speak. Still does amazing. As for the Hunchies, they do well for me considering they have many variants that play to my strengths but not as well as the Cents do. And then there's the unfortunate gun arm geometry...That was part of the Centy's appeal to me. That and the main weapon was in the arm. I love main weapons that are in the arms.

[_____]

Cents in general are better defensively because you have a true shield side. On a STD engine Cent, you have to lose an arm, then the LT before being in any real danger. AH is the exception with Cents because the AC20+SRM+XL engine combo is very effective offensively in solo/pub matches but fairly fragile.

Hunchies in general are better offensively because of better weapon mounts. However their arms are crappy shields so side hits will often hit the LT or RT. You also do not have an SRM+AC option with the Hunchies, the two most effective IS brawling weapons in the game right now imo.

In MWO your best defense is being able to kill the enemy fast, so

AH > most Hunchbacks > most other Cents. CN9-A is debatable since 3xSRM6 is also pretty good at brawling and can use both sides as shields.

[Tremendous Upside]

I think which is better is pretty much just personal preference. The two mechs are both good with the right builds and the right playstyles. Hunchies can give you a little more variety in your offensive arsenals. Cents can give you some very fast builds (CN9-D is great for that). For my 2 cents, I'm the minority in that the CN9-AL is hands down my favorite 50 tonner. The LL perks allow for some very nice and well-rounded standard engine builds. The mech was already kind of a beast before if you went with a straight ML/SRM6/standard template. Now with a pair of LLs it's alpine proofed...

[John80sk]

This is frankly a no contest to the Hunchie. Pre-quirk they were about equal, but now the Hunchie can do everything a Cent can do better, and a whole lot of things the Cent can't do.

The Cent might tank a little better, but taking hits doesn't win games, delivering them does. That's why Direwolf>Atlas, that's why Hunchie>Centurion.

I say this with the Cent being one of my favorite mechs in the game. It makes me sad that they've pretty much been mothballed, but there's legitimately no good reason to run them other than nostalgia.

[Soulscour]

It really comes down to one thing. The higher mounted side torso ballistic allows you to hit more mechs when a yen lo wang in comparison will hit dirt. The only exception is fighting on a steep hill.

[Virgil Greyson]

Hunchback wins in the looks department.

[Tahribator]

HBK. High mounted weaponry, ridiculously tanky due to ST heavy hitboxes, STD engine builds and awesome quirks. It's the workhorse of the medium class. It's only a bit less effective than the Cent in straight-up brawls due to the Cent's extra mobility and arm actuators.

The Cent used to be very similar to the HBK in performance and maybe even more tankier (due to shield arms) but its hitboxes got nerfed hard. Now this thing pretty much always dies to CT loss.

[percolated1]

I love the Cent AH (225 std, AC/20, 3xSRM2 on chainfire) for melting faces and AL (225 std, 4xML and 2xLRM10) for versatility, but big respect to the gauss sniping Grid Iron and whichever Hunchie variant has the zillion medium lasers.

Edited by percolated1, 04 April 2015 - 07:42 AM.

[Tesunie]

Wildstreak, on 03 April 2015 - 05:10 AM, said:

Depends on what you look for.

Centurion - Shield arm, speed, zombie but with only 2ML.

Hunchback - toughness despite the RT, versatility since each variant focuses on a different build usually, 4J & 4SP have no RT weakness, all can be done as Energy boats if you want, brings more weapons to a match.

Actually, the 4J doesn't have balanced hardpoints like the 4SP. It still has most of it's weapons (all but two energy slots, one in the head and one in the left arm) that isn't on the right side.



As far as between Cent and Hunchback, I'd have to say Hunchback. More diverse loadouts, and still teaches one twisting to redirect damage away from that right hunch.

As far as all those who favor Cents for their hit boxes, I'd like to remind that they get a hit box reworking not too long ago. Now, instead of shifting damage to their sides as easy as they use to (good luck hitting their CT), they typically have a large CT now. This benefits any XL engines one may take on a Cent, which can be helpful.

Each mech is a good chassis in their own right. It comes down to preference and play style with them.

[finalexamweekFTW]

2 things here, when comparing them as Ac/20 platforms, it comes down to the wang and the 4G. both of them have comparable firepower, however, the Wang is NOT as well suited to brawling, because it usually an XL engine to maintain maneuverability. The 4g like MOST HBKs have an ENTIRE shield side instead of a just an arm. this, combined with the monstrous torso twist range on the HBks make them more suited for brawling and circle stafings.

Secondly, HBKs have more variety in the variant loadouts. Cents have the zombie, the AC/20 builds, and laser mode. The HBK has guass, Ac/20, AC/10, lasers, lrms, srms. the HBK also has more effective quirks that allow for much higher DPS with a guass or AC/20.

Bottom line is, HBKs in most cases are the most effective 50t medium BRAWLERS and lrm boats. cents are interesting, but more suited to the role of a flanker or skirmishers. the roles of these two mechs are not suited to being the focus of a fight, this is just the way of the medium though. they play differently and it is not fair to compare them straight up.

{I have mastered both chassis, all variants except the heros and the CN9-D]

Edited by finalexamweekFTW, 04 April 2015 - 10:42 AM.

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

finalexamweekFTW, on 04 April 2015 - 10:39 AM, said:

the HBK also has more effective quirks that allow for much higher DPS with a guass or AC/20.

no.

Centurion AH with AC20 + SRM4:s can outdps most heavies.You cannot sustain fire with HBK,too much heat and facetime.

[Glxy Cmdr Jason Tseng]

I have mastered both chassis as well including the Heroes, and have to say the cent, specifically the Yen lo Wang is my favorite/best. I have had some success with the 4g and Gi hunch, but nothing compares to the Yen Lo. Just had a round not to long ago on Mining Collective with 7 kills, 700+ dmg in the Wang, and still had the majority of my armor, both arms, and still had ammo to burn.

[Tesunie]

Cookiemonter669, on 04 April 2015 - 12:22 PM, said:

no.

Centurion AH with AC20 + SRM4:s can outdps most heavies.You cannot sustain fire with HBK,too much heat and facetime.

With a guass too? That was one of his two examples.

And looking at it from just an AC20 stand point, the Hunckback has better quirks on the AC20 (last I knew) than even the Centurion AH does, which means that it's AC20 (individually) will be "better". You also could consider the complete dependance on ammo weapons as a possible problem as well. The AH doesn't have any weapon that doesn't depend upon ammo. The Hunchbacks all can have lasers or some energy weapon.

I think this ultimately comes down to play style, preferences and just what you wish to play.

(My AH (set up with an AC5 and an AC2 with three SRM4s) would actually have better DPS than your AH describe as well as better range abilities. But, yours would have a higher alpha. Depends upon what you wish to run.)

[990Dreams]

To continue my support of CN9s, here are my two AH builds

CN9-AH "20 Downer"
CN9-AH "X Downer"

I consistently get at least 400 damage and 1 kill in a mediocre match. Some of my better matches:

X Downer


X Downer (bought a CN9-AH besides the (L) variant)


20 Downer

[Rear Admiral Tier 6]

Tesunie, on 04 April 2015 - 08:51 PM, said:

With a guass too? That was one of his two examples.

And looking at it from just an AC20 stand point, the Hunckback has better quirks on the AC20 (last I knew) than even the Centurion AH does, which means that it's AC20 (individually) will be "better". You also could consider the complete dependance on ammo weapons as a possible problem as well. The AH doesn't have any weapon that doesn't depend upon ammo. The Hunchbacks all can have lasers or some energy weapon.

I think this ultimately comes down to play style, preferences and just what you wish to play.

(My AH (set up with an AC5 and an AC2 with three SRM4s) would actually have better DPS than your AH describe as well as better range abilities. But, yours would have a higher alpha. Depends upon what you wish to run.)

Yes,with a gauss too. And youll have low heat SRM:s as backup.

[DustySkunk]

Relatively recently I fell in love with mediums having discovered that I tend to do really well in them. Both chassis are so much fun but I have to go with the CN9. A lot of great points have been brought up in this thread so I won't rehash what they had to say.

The CN9, while not the legendary zombie it once was, is still a great performer in that role with many of its variants having two energy slots in the CT. The HBK can zombie as well, but is mostly limited to a single energy slot in the head.

When shielding, the CN9 has that huge shield arm that just acts as a damage soak. I find on my HBKs that the hunch itself tends to soak the damage, which means you spend a lot of time simply protecting it as it is your primary means of dealing damage. With the CN9, if you lose the right arm, you still have your left torso put the hurt out with.

Looks are very subjective, but I will say this: the HBK strikes me as more cute than dangerous looking; it's like a squat little dwarf with a bazooka. In contrast, the CN9 radiates an aura of capability and leathality to me.

Like I said before, it's a tough call because I love both of my little mediums, but I have to go with the CN9

Edited by DustySkunk, 05 April 2015 - 07:02 AM.