127 replies to this topic

[MacClearly]

mogs01gt, on 23 March 2017 - 09:58 AM, said:

Welcome to the internet, caps are used to get attention and I always put abbreviations in capitals..Clan Hunchie is fantastic and is leaps and bounds better than IS hunchies.

His first car wont be a car, he'll get a 4WD truck because winter and all. 911s, being mid engines, are prone to having rear-ends that are very hard to straighten back out after a certain point. Bad idea to let a kid drive one. I've scene professional racers wreck them going around easy turns.

Mr. Greene is very much correct in that they are a rear engined car being that the engine hangs over the rear axle.

The point is also not the pendulum effect you describe. You don't give a kid something too powerful to drive as it is the speed that kills. In relation to this game, the power isn't the problem it is learning the basics.

This game has a very high learning curve, and my opinion is that it is better to foster good behaviour and tactics sooner than later. As far as IS mediums, it is still a good choice and on top of that does so many different weapons which gives a player options and variety.

As far as your internet lesson goes, it has always been considered akin to yelling using all caps and lacking in civility. If that is how you choose to communicate, that's fine. Just realise that it will be communicating on that level and may hinder you getting your point across.

Edited by MacClearly, 23 March 2017 - 10:20 AM.

[mogs01gt]

Yeonne Greene, on 23 March 2017 - 10:09 AM, said:

911 is rear-engine, the 918 is mid. Carry on!

correct, not sure why I said mid.

edit:
******* had Cayman on the mind for some reason

Edited by mogs01gt, 23 March 2017 - 10:25 AM.

[GabrielSun]

My first mech was a HBK bought due to questionable advice from a friend, who then advised that I should put an LRM20 in it because it would be easier to manage the heat. I think I abandoned it after I bought my 4G.

These days I stay away from recommending anything other than play around with the trials and see what you like the feel of and go with it.

Edited by GabrielSun, 23 March 2017 - 12:37 PM.

[Moonlight Grimoire]

I find it hilarious that people say the huntsman is too slow, at 81kph with 52m of jump ability. It is mobile and can get away with a lot. Yes, against a lot of clan mech's it is the same speed and thus can't get away so I get in that regard it could considered "too slow", but, against mostly IS that you see in QP, more so in the lower tiers? 81 with JJ's is plenty fast and agile. It can do high mounted lasers, 2xPPC, Gauss with laser back up, limited SRM and LRM vomit. It is a very flexible chassis.

As for the hate on Centurions and IS Hunchbacks? I understand, Centurions discourage staring due to the huge torsos on it, but, it can bring decent firepower with a standard engine and is pretty flexible. Hunchback has the same issue due to both mechs are humanoid in shape, but, both can easily get up to 81kph with a decent load out. Neither is going to be a 50 ton heavy mech like the Nova or Huntsman, or 55 ton heavy like the stormcrow, but, they are still cheap solid mechs.

And I still say the absolute best starter mech for a player would be either the Huntsman due to it's mobility and hard points are fantastic, or the Stormcrow for the same reason. I only put the Huntsman higher due to those Jump Jet's can get you in and out of trouble far easier than raw max speed can. Hunchback IIC is a strong third, with IS Hunchback as 4th, and Centurion in 5th. Mediums are the best class for someone to start in as they get a taste of speed, but, also have armor and payload to not instantly die, they aren't a heavy or an assault which draw disproportionate fire and are expected to carry harder. It is a good spot for a new person as they can make a dent, but, at the same time, aren't expected to do 900+ damage, let alone 500+ damage in a medium, but, mediums have the potential.

[Johnny Z]

Medium laser Hunchback, I think the SP variant.

[L1f3H4ck]

The Lighthouse, on 23 March 2017 - 01:38 AM, said:

By the way, Kanajashi is currently doing a series of F2P video for Mechwarrior Online for new players, and guess what's his choice of the first mech for new F2P players?

And The B33f used a Partyback in his 1v1 stream, murdering people left and right. Your argument from authority is invalid.

[BrunoSSace]

Wow so much elitism in this thread. Dont recommend a Hunchback because its bad and because its not a Clan Mech. No, I'm going to take a step back for a sec, breath clearly and try with a clear mind.

So you have a friend who is new to game he was just finished his 25 game bonuses matches. He asks you the golden age question mate what mech should I get so I don't waste my credits?
I ask "Jim" what do you want to do mate? You want to snipe, brawl, skirmish, tank damage, kill stuff, have heaps of customization, simple tech that gets the job done or you just want to play a fun mech?
Normal you get the same kinda answer, I want a strong mech that is fun to play.
In my time I recommend a stormcrow become he wanted heaps of customization.
A Shadow Hawk beause he reckoned it looked cool and wanted a solid Inner Sphere Mech.
A Hunchback to another one because he saw me play mine and reckon it looked tough.
So deep breath. Just become its not Clan does not mean its Bad. Inner Sphere mechs specializes in a smaller area then Clan mechs. As long as their first mech is a 50 or 55 tonner or a heavy mech as their first one who cares what it is aslong as its a solid first choice.

When my kids are old enough to drive I'm not buying them a brand new car. Why? Cause they will trash it. Give a kid something top of the line and they will not learn to respect and learn from hard work to buy their own car some day.

End of the day the Hunchback is a solid Mech. Super fun to play and taking it down became its not a Clan OminMech just plain stupid.
Meta or not its a good mech to learn the game. Aiming twisting. Map placement and heat control. Im getting out of here before I become... well yeah.
Bruno

Edited by BrunoSSace, 23 March 2017 - 05:25 PM.

[Pariah Devalis]

Huntsman. 50 ton omnimech, with enough omnipod variety to build it in virtually any way you want without needing to purchase multiple variants. As long as you are OK with not being the fastest mech out there (not the slowest either, mind you), you get a lot of bang for the buck with Huntsmen.

It can missile better than most mechs in its class, it can laser boat to an acceptable, but not ideal, degree, and can carry one or two larger ballistics (though not two gauss or two class 20 AC). It also does hybrid configurations better than most of the other Clan mediums.

Frechdachs, on 23 March 2017 - 04:59 PM, said:

And The B33f used a Partyback in his 1v1 stream, murdering people left and right. Your argument from authority is invalid.

Yet the very reasons Kanajashi put forward are valid. B33f's partyback is a one trick pony. The Huntsman is, by design, a swiss army knife.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 23 March 2017 - 05:24 PM.

[Xetelian]

SCR Prime.

Already upgraded, has a stock build that doesn't completely suck and is almost a heavy mech.

[Wil McCullough]

The Lobsters, on 23 March 2017 - 02:33 AM, said:

The hunchie is a great starter mech, esp the 4sp, and certainly a great starter mastery pack.


For all the guys saying that it is a bad choice for a newbro because it has an easily targeted weak spot (not the 4sp however)

that's not really going to be an issue in tier 5.

Of course itll be an issue.

When you're t5, mm opens valves to t2. Its not like t5s play in their own wading pool.

Which is why recommending a hunchie to a new player is giving him a death sentence.

[mouser42]

if you hate your life urbie other wise get a ebon jaguar or hellbringer for clan as for IS warhammer, marauder or thunderbolt are great mechs to learn on

[L1f3H4ck]

Pariah Devalis, on 23 March 2017 - 05:25 PM, said:

Huntsman. 50 ton omnimech, with enough omnipod variety to build it in virtually any way you want without needing to purchase multiple variants. As long as you are OK with not being the fastest mech out there (not the slowest either, mind you), you get a lot of bang for the buck with Huntsmen.

It can missile better than most mechs in its class, it can laser boat to an acceptable, but not ideal, degree, and can carry one or two larger ballistics (though not two gauss or two class 20 AC). It also does hybrid configurations better than most of the other Clan mediums.



Yet the very reasons Kanajashi put forward are valid. B33f's partyback is a one trick pony. The Huntsman is, by design, a swiss army knife.

Ofc his reasons are valid, how could I doubt Kanajashi Senpai? And you wont catch me trash-talking the Huntsman. But just because Kana bought it, doesn't mean it's the perfect fit for everyone, because, as I previously stated, I don't believe there IS a perfect Mech for everyone. The Huntsman is a Clan Mech, and for some people, that's important. It's also a Medium, and some folks just don't do well in them. And since it's an Omni, you're bound to one speed, and while it gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to loadouts, it's limited in all the other aspects of customization. Maybe your hypothetical friend gets dizzy at high speeds, wants to play with his trueborn buddies and wants all the dakka, all the time. I see no reason to not recommend a bloody Kodiak, even though Assaults are usually not the most newbie-friendly mechs.

And the Hunchie is still a solid little critter.

[Pariah Devalis]

Frechdachs, on 23 March 2017 - 06:58 PM, said:

Ofc his reasons are valid, how could I doubt Kanajashi Senpai? And you wont catch me trash-talking the Huntsman. But just because Kana bought it, doesn't mean it's the perfect fit for everyone, because, as I previously stated, I don't believe there IS a perfect Mech for everyone. The Huntsman is a Clan Mech, and for some people, that's important. It's also a Medium, and some folks just don't do well in them. And since it's an Omni, you're bound to one speed, and while it gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to loadouts, it's limited in all the other aspects of customization. Maybe your hypothetical friend gets dizzy at high speeds, wants to play with his trueborn buddies and wants all the dakka, all the time. I see no reason to not recommend a bloody Kodiak, even though Assaults are usually not the most newbie-friendly mechs.

And the Hunchie is still a solid little critter.

Oh, absolutely. No one mech will be the alpha and omega for starter mechs. I will say the Hunchback is an old reliable training mech as is, surprisingly, the Dragon. However, Clan or IS tech aside, I still think the Huntsman is the ideal first choice for a new player.

It isn't stupidly fast, nor crazy slow, which will teach a new player how to stick with the team instead of over extending and, in fact, makes it a little harder to do so. It has great armor rolling capability if the player tries, yet can and will punish anyone who insists on staring at the enemy, teaching the importance of damage spread and mitigation. It has jump jets, and gets some serious lift out of them, which exposes the new player to that additional dimension of movement.

All that, and it still offers some of the most hardpoint variety of any mech in the game, with above average in its class pod space. Even among the other omnimechs in MWO. This allows the player to experiment. To find a weapon system or systems they feel most in tune with. It lets that player take a single Huntsman, and experiment with nothing but lasers one game, take that very same Huntsman and play with missiles, the next ballistics, the next with some sort of combination of the weapon types, all with the same specific mech. No need to purchase a second or third mech to do so.

Edit:

If you ask me, though, the absolute best option for a newbie mech? PGI should award all new pilots a Chameleon upon completion of the Academy. I mean, that was what it was designed for.

Edited by Pariah Devalis, 23 March 2017 - 08:28 PM.

[Kmieciu]

BrunoSSace, on 23 March 2017 - 05:21 PM, said:

When my kids are old enough to drive I'm not buying them a brand new car. Why? Cause they will trash it. Give a kid something top of the line and they will not learn to respect and learn from hard work to buy their own car some day.

Would you rather buy them an old Holden or an old Honda?
Cents and Hunchbacks are like Holdens: they can be made to work reliably with enough money and expertise
Stormcrows are like Hondas: they simply work.

[mogs01gt]

Kmieciu, on 24 March 2017 - 12:57 AM, said:

Would you rather buy them an old Holden or an old Honda?
Cents and Hunchbacks are like Holdens: they can be made to work reliably with enough money and expertise
Stormcrows are like Hondas: they simply work.

Arent Holden's ******* fast?

[Ruccus]

Kmieciu, on 24 March 2017 - 12:57 AM, said:

Would you rather buy them an old Holden or an old Honda?
Cents and Hunchbacks are like Holdens: they can be made to work reliably with enough money and expertise
Stormcrows are like Hondas: they simply work.

The Stormcrow is over 11 million credits and you still have to buy omnipods if you want to switch things around, while a solid standard engined Hunchback or Centurion build should probably be in the 8 million range.

While in my previous post I didn't specifically comment on the Hunchback, I think the HBK-4SP would make for a perfectly fine first mech if the player likes missiles and energy weapons. Looking a the stats for mine (which I only bought because I got the Grid Iron for free back when it was an event prize), I've played 24 matches in it and averaged 366 damage per match, 16 wins to 8 losses, and 23 kills to 14 deaths. Those are respectable numbers for an IS medium especially considering most of those matches were played without the advantage of double basics.

[Ngamok]

Rifleman 3C with 2x AC/10 and 2x ML under 5 million for chassis and then add modules.

[Aeries]

As a still pretty new player myself I can echo what some others have said, wouldn't recommend IS Hunch as it was my first mech. Honestly was a big mistake. It is not new player friendly. Stock it is slow, which isn't great for medium survivability, and once you encounter people who can aim say goodbye to your right torso and 80% of your firepower.

After spending millions upon millions trying to find a 4G build that would work for me: Ac20/MPL, Gauss/PPC, twin UAC5s, twin LBX10, I finally gave up, stripped it and sold it. Did I have some decent games in it? Yes, was it consistent, no. Perhaps I will revisit the chassis when I am more experienced, but not a good beginner medium.

I have a Warhammer 6R, which I love and is pretty competitive now that I have a loadout that works for me, twin UAC5, twin PPC that all sits pretty high in the torso's nicely leaving your arms for damage soaking. While I run a XL in it I still typically go down from CT coring and not side torso XL flogging. Have had several 700+ damage games and fairly regularly do 300 to 500. While not earth shattering or record breaking by any means I at least feel I am helping my team most games and not being a big huge handicap.

For a medium I have read good things about the Crab and will pick up one of those next as I am working towards a IS drop deck and need a 50 tonner. Good luck to you and stick with it. Steep learning curve, but fun game.

[Ukabix]

If you decide that clan mechs are your thing, I would recommend the Mad Dog as an entry clan heavy. This might be a little off mainstream opinion, since many people consider MDD to be a one of more inferior clan chassis, but Splat / Streak Dog builds are devastating exactly because of that - low enemy target priority. Even without any proficiency the Mad Dog drives very well and is very responsive. It has a decent omnitech setups to try out different builds (from LRM boat, through SRM brawler to double Gauss sniper) and it's similarities to Timber Wolf will help you get settled into the TBR later.

Timber Wolf? It is an excellent heavy hands down, but it is a serious aggro magnet too. If you want to use it effectively and not be in the first three killed every match, be prepared for a very steep learning curve. I would not recommend it as a clan starter, be prepared to die a lot. The same story goes for the Night Gyr.

I would also like to recommend a Stormcrow missle/laser hybrid as a very good clan starter medium. A different build to consider would be the Streakcrow. As I recall it was quite easy and very fun to play as a light hunter in lower ties, but no jump jets and range below 400m required a more careful approach.

[Wil McCullough]

Ukabix, on 24 March 2017 - 10:07 AM, said:

If you decide that clan mechs are your thing, I would recommend the Mad Dog as an entry clan heavy. This might be a little off mainstream opinion, since many people consider MDD to be a one of more inferior clan chassis, but Splat / Streak Dog builds are devastating exactly because of that - low enemy target priority.

+1

most players don't realize it packs a 72 dmg alpha that can take down 3+ mechs within seconds if you "surprizebuttseks" the enemy team from the rear with a coolshot equipped.

splatdog requires patience and good position to use properly though. it's not very tanky so you can't use it to "brawl". it's more of a striker mech than anything else. taking too much damage early will gimp you for the rest of the game.