22 replies to this topic

[PhantomVector]

Howdy all, First time here, been playing a couple days, spent a little money and got myself into the Hunchback 4SP. Perhaps a little impulsive but not much to do about it now.

With that said I could use some advice. I never seem to do a lot of damage despite having about 54/55 damage with the loadouts I have. Is there any advice I should know about piloting it? Or is my loadout incorrect?

First Loadout
5X Medium Laser
2X SRM 6
1X AMS

Second Loadout
4X Medium Pulse Laser
2X SRM 6
1X AMS

So any advice?

[CrunchTheRobot]

This is my 4SP build, and am very content with how it performs:



It's an old picture, but it runs DHS and also has 2 tons of Streak ammo. I haven't changed this thing yet, and don't plan on it.

I don't run AMS, as I have no critical slots left for it. I generally do very well in this, and ECM doesn't affect me too much in battle.

You've got good loadouts there. What I tend to do in my Hunchie is to flank enemies and hit them from behind. Either that, or tag along with an Assault who can't defend themselves from a lighter 'Mech. If all your other Scouts die, you can be a decent secondary scout 'Mech since you go over 90 kph with Speed Tweak.

In a 4SP, I wouldn't use an engine size smaller than 250. With Pulses, I'd watch your heat, but if managed properly, it could be very deadly. Hope I helped! I can also try to answer any questions you may have.

Edited by CrunchTheRobot, 08 January 2013 - 09:26 PM.

[Ryvucz]

Welcome to the game.

I use what most people use and are comfortable with on this one.

5 medium lasers and 2 SRM 6.

Although I do not use AMS on this particular mech, I use the extra tonnage for a better engine and/or more ammo.

[ThinkTank]

I run mine with 4 medium lasers and 2 srm 6. I have 3 grouped on arms and one in the head in seperate groups. The advice about flanking and winging a team mate like an atlas or srm cat is right on. If you get in after the bigger mechs hit them, you can get the kill in a couple of alphas. If you can get behind another mech and alpha them, they are going to have an instant problem- turn to face you and get shot by the guy he was shooting, or get cored from behind in just a few more seconds.

Edited by ThinkTank, 08 January 2013 - 09:45 PM.

[Loc Nar]

If you want to run the kick a** version you hear so much about, it looks like none listed so far... You want 4Mlas in the arms, and either SRM6 x2 or SRM4/SRM6. Also DO NOT FORGET TO SHIFT SOME ARMOR TO THE REAR TORSOS! Hunchbacks come stock with armor 8 on rear side torsos lol...

Key points:

Double Heat sinks
Endo
AMS/1t (LRMs are alive and well guys...)
STD250 engine

MLas x4, SRM4/SRM6 (step 1, start here)
then
MLas x4, SRM6 x2 (step 2)

Your loadout should look nearly identical to that. I highly recommend the SRM4/SRM6 version to start, and following the steps as you get better at managing what is there. Step 1 has great heat dissipation and you will more easily learn how to be effective in that configuration. Once you get that down, swap an SRM4/DHS for an SRM6, step 2. Runs hotter but hits harder. If you are effective enough with this one that you find yourself running out of ammo, swap one more DHS for another ton of SRM ammo (in the leg).
then
Mlas x4, SRM6 x2 (step 3)

Edited by Loc Nar, 08 January 2013 - 10:17 PM.

[Bagheera]

Whatever the weapon loadout, go with the "28 Days Later" design. 260 std engine. Once you get speed tweak unlocked it becomes a 92.7kph zombie.

I prefer dual srm6+artemis. Naysayers will hate on artemis for SRM, and it might just be my playstyle, but I noticed an improvement over not running artemis.

Because of that, and my ammo reliance (I think I carry 4 tons, could easily drop to 2 or 3 if I was better shot or got off my *** and jumped on TS3) I end up with 4 SLs in the arms and a ML in the head slot. 4ML in the arms is probably better, but with my emphasis on the SRMs, the extra heat wasn't worth it. Still runs hot if you get too happy with that medium laser. It's best saved for zombie mode or that alpha that you are just certain is going to finish the job.

[Haitchpeasauce]

Hi there.

Congratulations on purchasing the HBK-4SP.

To be completely honest, I think it's one of the best mechs you can get.

The Hunchback 4SP was my first purchased mech. I've mastered numerous Lights, Heavies, Assaults afterwards. I returned to this mech just yesterday and pulled consistently strong results, topping at 5 kills. I've managed 7 one time.

Here's my build:
* 5 medium lasers
* 2 SRM6, 4 tons of ammo
* 250 standard engine
* Double Heat Sinks

* Endo steel

No AMS or Artemis is required for this.

The mech is very balanced, decently quick, is discreet (you're a low priority target), hits hard, and goes down fighting strong to the end. You can respond to most situations, and out-manoeuvre many opponents with it.

The 4 arm-mounted medium lasers mean you can put heaps of damage on the mark.

The 2 left-right shoulder mounted SRMs makes it hard for the enemy to hamstring your damage output. They sit high-up and close together, so it's easy to concentrate the damage without Artemis.


Chain fire the medium lasers to keep heat down and alpha-strike when you see an opportunity.


I absolutely love this mech and it's just plain deadly.

Too bad the other variants aren't so great because of the Right Torso. I recommend the 4P (wall of lasers act like a scalpel) and the 4J (as a sort-of 4SP). If you want ballistics, get a 4H and put an AC20 or U/AC5 in it, it's decent and sometimes quite fun.

[PhantomVector]

Thanks for the reply, so with all the advice I've gotten I have another question, for the 250, or 260 engine am I going to have to sack anything from my mech? Its a tight fit already, and it weighs a good 6 tons more or so.

Also what is an Mla? Or is that a medium laser?

[Haitchpeasauce]

mlas = medium laser

Yes it's a tight fit, it's the challenge of medium/light mechs.

250 engine is enough IMHO since you need the tonnage for other things.

Do not get a 245 or less engine. 250 is more heat efficient ... but that's another story.

Drop the leg armour to 39.

Store SRM ammo in legs.

4 double heat sinks, two in each side torso.

[Wizard Steve]

Firstly, welcome. Secondly, don't worry about your impulsive purchase, the HBK-4SP is a very strong mech.

As for loudouts, it all depends. Every player plays a little differently and you really need to adapt your mechs to your own style of play. The variables you have are:

Weapons (consider firepower, range, ammo requirements and heat production)
Armour (both amount and location)
Heat Production/Cooling
Speed
Ammo
Accessories (such as Anti-Missile Systems and Beagle Active Probes).

The best thing to do is to play the game and see how you do and more importantly, how you mech does.

Do you run out of ammo or have surplus ammo at the end of the game?
Do you overheat a lot or do you never even get close?
Are enemy missiles a problem?
Are you too fast or too slow?
How do you die? What locations are getting destroyed first/last?

Make small adjustments every few games and optimize your loadout for your style of play.

Also, consider where you position items like ammo and heat sinks. Single Heat Sinks in the legs for example give greater cooling when you're in water. Ammo explodes and damages other nearby components.

I tend to run cool, durable, moderately quick mechs with limited firepower. I'm frugal with my ammo and I don't tend to run AMS. That works for me but probably wouldn't be ideal for most players. You need to find out how to get the best out of your 50 tonnes, not someone else's.

[Straylight]

I'm running my 4SP with a pair of Artemis SRM6s and 5 ML (4 arms, trigger group 1, 1 head for "zombie mode" trigger 3), DHS and Endo, 240 Std engine. It doesn't zombie as well as my CN9-A, but it's more accurate and quick enough to chase off enemy Lights and flank Assaults. If there's a more capable urban knife-fighter out there, I haven't found it yet.

I don't like running Streaks on the 4SP--it feels like a waste of the launcher spaces, considering the limited utility of SSRMs at the moment. Learn to aim, rather than relying on the 'mech to do it for you, and you'll find the SRM6s pay off more consistently, more often.

[TygerLily]

I run mostly what's already been posted, 260 standard and Artemis SRM 6's. I use 5 smalls instead of mediums though. With speed tweak you got ~92kph and you can get more armor on board.

5 smalls do 15 damage (same as Gauss Rifle) every 2.25 for 10 heat.
4 medium lasers do 20 damage every 3 seconds for 16 heat.

Either one works great!

Edited by TygerLily, 12 January 2013 - 08:28 PM.

[urik187]

I have been tinkering with different loadouts and have tried to use PPCs but found them too heavy for my Hunchy. I am currently loading out with 2 x LRM 10s and 5 MLs that I have running on a Cycle.

The cycle feature is great as I dont build up additional heat from firing lasers at the same time. So far this loadout is working for me but then again I have only tested it in 2 drops. I got 1 kill on the first drop and 1 kill + 3 assists on my second. And this is pretty good by my still very noobish standards and playing in randoms

[RagingOyster]

You have the right idea. The first thing to do is throw on those SSRM/2s to deal with pesky lights, after that you can fiddle with different combos of lasers. I always liked MPLs, but MLs work just as well. I would say drop the AMS and max armor or upgrade your engine if you can, unless you plan to run escort duty for an assault mech (which is certainly a vital role, and much appreciated by assault pilots like myself )

Oh and, welcome to MWO! See you in the field.

[Eldane]

EDIT: RagingOyster had similar thoughts lol

Just to spice things up with something a lil different.

I recently mastered my 4sp and ended up settling on this one after running most of the above mentioned loadouts.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...b19e85d3ee6e854

It can run hot if your not careful but it worked very well for me and ended up being my most consistent damage dealer and got me the most kills. Keep each arm on it's own weapon group and the SSRMs on number 3 to keep your heat down. I started with a small laser instead of tag, grouped to fire off both weapon group 1 and 2, but settled on tag, on all 3 groups, for faster locks and better cbill and xp bonuses, it also helped a bit against ECM.

All the other builds are solid, I've used most of them myself, so it's really up to what works best for you.

Hit and run tactics, flanking, and occasionally just creating havoc in brawls is key. Also always try to have cover near for a quick getaway and breaking missile locks.

Edited by Eldane, 21 January 2013 - 09:00 AM.

[Taizan]

This topic was moved to the Battlemechs sub forum, where it is more appropriate.

[Sh4dow78]

4SP was my 1st mech i bought and i really like it and then i tried many setup 2xLL and other "fun" stuf but now i found whats best for me

i use :

endo
DHS
STD 260 (92kp/h with tweak is really sweet ^^)
4xML (i was using 4xMPL and at first its looke awesome but after feew matches i found heat is a kind a problem there and i back to ML and i think is best way for 4SP)
2xSRM6 great firepower, u cant be ignored on a battlefield + 3 tons of ammo ( i was using 2xssrm and 2xsrm4 but i found that 12 rocket "to the face" of enemy or his back torso is better than 4 or 8 ^^ sure streaks might be better to fight against light but since many of them will use ECM u not always can use it and main weaknes is u cant even shoot them :/ when iam still able to lead my fire with srm and if they hit... well they can easy kill a light mech or atleast make him to go back)
rest of my setup is just DHS to the max.


I dont use AMS since i can run almost 100kp/h its not that hard to find a cover, and if u are get caught in open and LRM boat will focus on u AMS wont help u alot since it can shoot like 3-5 rockets ? and 4SP dont have much armor and if u dont hide u are dead anyway

Armor setup, well u just need find sweet spot for ur own u can try put like 10/12 on ur back.


u can also try this ^^ 4xLL HBK-4SP

Edited by Scarface1978, 21 January 2013 - 10:40 AM.

[Kaishaku]

Ive tried the above builds but the one I find works by far the best is

STD250
5 medium lasers
2 SRM4 with artemis (2 tons of ammo)
endosteel architecture
ferrofibrous armour
17 DHS

*why the SRM4's over the SRM6. I find the SRM6's without artemis has too much spread and my game play style focuses on blowing up one component at a time rather than dealing lots of damage all over they place. Its also a more efficient use of your SRM ammo and generates less heat.

Edited by Kaishaku, 21 January 2013 - 12:44 PM.

[Splinters]

I personally am a fan of 2x SRM6's w/ Art IV and 5 ML's build. Of course this usually means I follow the Atlas/Stalker and just shoot at what they shoot at typically. If your doing more Conquer/capture missions then Streaks would be a better fit to thin out the ranks of light mechs.

-S

[o0cipher0o]

HBK-4SP has been my first mech, and i've played a lot with loadouts. Now i'm playing with this loadout:

Std 250 engine
DHS(i think 16, surely as much as the loadout allows)
Endo
1med laser and 1 small laser in each arm, 1 med laser in head
2 srm6
320 armor

With it i'm doing 3+ kills every time i play with it. Even if my team loses.

Edited by o0cipher0o, 21 January 2013 - 02:56 PM.