50 replies to this topic

[LaserAngel]

I guess you guys are the reason I see some matches with nothing but Hunchbacks.

4SP for balanced and customizable brawler or 4P for ambush/assault gun style DPS.

[EdgePain]

My opinion after a week of play:

If you're committed to the game and don't want to give PGI a dime until they start making some real changes/improvements to the game (or you're just a cheap-o) here's what I would do:


On one account, go for a [Light]: Commando or a Jenner, and get two more of the same type and max out the basic and elite XP tiers for all three. Then finish master xp level on the Commando or Jenner you like the best and then sell the other two. After you've tricked out your best ride with all the parts you want, buy a [Heavy] or an [Assault] mech. Then proceed to buy two of the same type of [Heavy] or [Assault] and max out the XP for all three. You'll have one Light and three big guys for this account.

* I'd suggest the Commando-2D or the Jenner-D and put streak SRMs on them and one ammo for each launcher and small lasers for everything else to start.

**Edit: I forgot about the Raven. Its slower than a Commando/Jenner and doesn't have good weapon hardpoints like the two I mentioned above, and since one variant costs nearly 6 million C-bills... most won't want to start with this. While one variant can use two ballistics weapons, they are just too large to use in this small of a mech, and machine guns are junk.


On a second account, go for a [Medium]: Cicada or Hunchback or Centurion and do the same max out XP for three of the same type and max Master XP for the one you want to keep. Then do the same thing by selling off the two you don't need and get [three Heavy] or [three Assault] Mechs, preferably the opposite of what you got on account one. So you'll have one Medium and three big guys for this one.

*I don't suggest the Centurion unless you want to use the CN9-A, as it's the only Medium with a third missile hardpoint (but currently, you can't get a third Centurion without buying the Yen-Lo-Wang, making xp gains moot). I don't suggest the Cicada either since you get zero missiles and ballistics are all too large in weight for a 40 ton mech. You could go for the CDA-3M and only use one ballistic for long range/high damage, but I personally don't see it being worth it... and if you only have energy weapon hardpoints on a Cicada, you may as well use a Jenner instead. Clearly the Hunchback-4SP is the most balanced option of the Hunchbacks, otherwise people that understand the game know to just shoot off your "hunch" and you'll be vulnerable and nearly defenseless.

**Side note: The Heavy Dragon can actually have a large XL engine in it, making it possible to be about 15% faster than the Hunchback (as well as 24% faster than the Heavy Catapult). It needs about 10.5 more tons (or 5.5 more than the largest Catapult engine) than the largest hunchback engine, so its weight basically equals out to the Hunchback but has a significant speed increase and 402 armor instead of 338 for the Hunchback. The high starting cost to own one of these is a turn off, but it could be used as your starting mech instead of a medium. Only other bad part is it does allow the other team to load a Catapult, which could put your team at a firepower disadvantage, whereas the Hunchback won't likely be out-gunned. All three Dragon variants have similar balanced weapon hardpoints, so you'll likely only need one main one.

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You can do either account first, or just do one account if that's all you can do, but I suggest the Jenner/Commando route so that you learn how those work and why they need to be killed quickly (and in some cases, quick Cicadas). Particularly now since Lights don't get knocked down when they run into another mech (this could get re-implemented apparently at any time). It's suggested that you go for Catapults if you go the Heavy route, and Atlases for the Assault route for the extra weight and the better weapon hardpoints.

I think the complaints against using Lights first tends to be over lag. If you are laggy, you can still manage in a Medium or larger, but playing in a Light will be tough (as will trying to shoot other Lights while in any mech). If you're a decent shot in other games where you have to move/shoot fast and you aren't feeling too laggy in the trial raven or centurion, then going Light first should be OK.


Since you can share the parts over your three starting mechs, you basically only have to buy one engine and can share what weapons/heatsinks/jumpjets/AMS you have, but you should max out your armor on each mech.
**I only have experience with the Jenner, but I went with an XL 295 engine since you need to be as fast as you can, but the XL 300 isn't worth the small speed increase for .5 tons more. A cheap upgrade like endo-steel is fine for all three, but Double Heatsinks should only be on your main mech that you're going to keep. Ferro Fibrous isn't worth it since it doubles the armor repair cost for only a 12% increase in armor, and gives nearly zero weight reduction because of that. You may want it on your main Light/Medium mech eventually, but not while grinding C-Bills.**

While getting all that Elite tier and Master tier XP, you should have enough to buy a Heavy or an Assault if you're concerned about the C-Bill cost (and the selling of two mechs should also help). The other two Heavys/Assaults will take a while, but you can still hoard XP on the one you start with. It'll probably take you a week or two of pretty active play to get to your first Heavy or Assault when just PUGing.


Doing this over two accounts will split your GXP and your stats (and eventually faction?), but that's the price you have to pay if you don't want to pay PGI anything and still want to be effective in every class. The rationale here is that the Light and Mediums have very poor loadout choices, so you only really need the best one for you and can sell the rest. The Heavys and Assaults have many options and lots of weight, so you'll probably want to keep each one you buy.

Edited by EdgePain, 04 November 2012 - 08:05 PM.

[CannonFodder86]

• Buy 3 Commando
  
• Finish all 3 Elite Tier
  
• Profit!

Made 20mil CB with my Commandos

Admittedly the Commando is more difficult to pilot than the other Lights, but it is by no means a bad mech.

[One Medic Army]

I <3 my SP, though the P and G are growing on me.
Nothing quite like walking up behind someone and giving them a 4xML+2xSRM6 alpha at pt blank to the rear CT.
One wakes them up, two probably puts them down.

[Elizander]

I fixed my 4SP up with:

245 Standard Engine.
DHS
Endo Steel
5 Medium Lasers
2 SRM6
3 Tons SRM Ammo

A medium moving at 80 kph (almost) with a 50+ point Alpha strike is hard to ignore.

Edit:

I've been playing it for awhile now. If you have cover like many buildings, this thing is damn OP in a pug brawl (Well, that's if I don't lag that is). Weaving in between buildings/cover when cooling down or needing to throw off the enemy aim and they go chase you down while your team shoots at them. I'm scared to see how well this will handle when I unlock elite tiers!

If you can pilot this thing at 80 kph to make use of cover, I say go for it. I normally pilot heavy and assault mechs but this is like a mini-heavy mech on its own with how hard it hits.

Edited by Elizander, 05 December 2012 - 06:13 AM.

[Ryft]

Since picking the ol' Bulldozer style SP up again for a while, I've started running it with a 5th laser in the head. You don't last long as a zombie, necessarily, but with careful heat management the extra punch from the head laser can add more pinpoint damage in a pinch when you *aren't* a zombie, and it also gives you something to use all those heatsinks on when you don't have a good SRM shot lined up, or are a little bit farther away than is prime for the SRMs. Basically, I find that it takes what makes the SP a great medium mech--versatility, with good hardpoint layout--and makes it even more versatile, with an even bigger spread on the weaponry.

I find I don't use the head laser up close much, since I'd rather spend the heat on crit-seeking SRM blasts, but at 300-500 meters out, it makes me that much more dangerous. And if I lose an SRM in the shoulder during a tough brawl, I start laying in again with the head laser, to supplement my damage.

And in a real tight spot, when it's all or nothing, it's 5 more damage on that alpha strike.

Ok, next question: is it focused lasers and then the SRM6s, to find critical hits, or is it armor raking SRM6s followed by well aimed lasers, to take a mech out? Maybe depends on how damaged the other guy is? Currently I've been favoring the former attack pattern. Experienced opinions welcome.

[SeraphimTony]

Im new,
n if i want to buy HBK for my frist mech,
should be 4J or 4SP?
beside the weapons, any different between?
THX a lot~

[Elizander]

SeraphimTony, on 15 December 2012 - 02:52 AM, said:

Im new,
n if i want to buy HBK for my frist mech,
should be 4J or 4SP?
beside the weapons, any different between?
THX a lot~

Get the 4SP. The 4J is an inferior 4SP with an extra energy slot that you won't be able to use very well anyway. They can both do the same job (you can add LRMs to the 4SP) but the 4SP has a symmetrical design, meaning you don't lose everything when your side torso gets blown off because the missile hard points are split between the left and right torsos.

[Flapdrol]

With streaks and ecm the way they are now a commando 2D with ecm might be more effective than a 4SP. I like my 4SP, but ECM has really crippled my performance agianst lights, maybe get rid of the streaks and run pulse lasers.

[Elizander]

Flapdrol, on 15 December 2012 - 03:19 AM, said:

With streaks and ecm the way they are now a commando 2D with ecm might be more effective than a 4SP. I like my 4SP, but ECM has really crippled my performance agianst lights, maybe get rid of the streaks and run pulse lasers.

A lot of us do not use SSRM2s with the HBK-4SP though so the ECM change doesn't really affect us.

[Stingz]

Elizander, on 15 December 2012 - 03:31 AM, said:

A lot of us do not use SSRM2s with the HBK-4SP though so the ECM change doesn't really affect us.

Till there is Streak-4/6 (3058), streaks are mostly a waste of missile hardpoints on mediums and above.