34 replies to this topic

[Gwydion Ward]

Someone please give me some pointers here.

Am i doing something insanely wrong, or does this mech simply, flat out, suck?

It never fails, every match i get into, Every time i bring it out. It loses ALL of its armor + the structure underneath it, in less than 1 second, 2 at the MOST.

Yet, i have the maximum # of armor on it that i can put into it (front/back splits vary depending on what i try out of desperation).

It doesn't seem to matter if its getting hit by Gauss', Medium lasers, Small lasers.. Hell i think even a flamer striped me of all my armor just as quickly.

I walk up, engage in a fight, in less than 0.5 - 1 second, im dropped.

Is the mech just that bad, or am i seriously doing something wrong?

Current Loadout: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7b77059d51e6de7

[Spheroid]

That build is bad. No endo, no DHS and stock ammo ammo placement? There is no mystery here.

Edited by Spheroid, 05 July 2013 - 10:59 PM.

[Deathlike]

That is a terrible build...

It should look more like this (I'm not a Hunchback guy, but take this for what it is worth):
HBK-4G

[Johnny Reb]

Biggest problem with the mech is the current meta, you go slow, are a medium, and must traverse alot of ppc and lrm fire to even engage with your weps. Then it has the hump target.

[Terror Teddy]

The standard HBK-4G setup is not a bad build and works - it's just very outmatched by specialized meta builds or other upgraded chassis.

I usually go with the following:

HBK-4G
Max Armour
Endo-Steel
Standard 200 (with engine tweak it goes at 70km/h which is acceptable)
X2 External DHS
X1 AMS (1 tonne ammo)
X2 AC/5 (3 tonnes of ammo)
X3 ML

[Utilyan]

Rhapsody Repine, on 05 July 2013 - 10:26 PM, said:

Someone please give me some pointers here.

Am i doing something insanely wrong, or does this mech simply, flat out, suck?

It never fails, every match i get into, Every time i bring it out. It loses ALL of its armor + the structure underneath it, in less than 1 second, 2 at the MOST.

Yet, i have the maximum # of armor on it that i can put into it (front/back splits vary depending on what i try out of desperation).

It doesn't seem to matter if its getting hit by Gauss', Medium lasers, Small lasers.. Hell i think even a flamer striped me of all my armor just as quickly.

I walk up, engage in a fight, in less than 0.5 - 1 second, im dropped.

Is the mech just that bad, or am i seriously doing something wrong?

Current Loadout: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7b77059d51e6de7

Your post inspired me to try a g based on 20 as its main.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...e8833f6a4962dba

No weapon on that right arm, gives you a chance to zombie if you lose that 20.

But my current favorite config is based off the up comming shadowhawk.....I wanted to play off the AC/5

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...1785099a7741327

I set group like left mouse for large laser, right mouse for ac/5, capslock for small laser and machine guns, space bar for just machine guns.

This mech is alright......it takes a long time to overheat so you could alpha back to back and if you do overheat it will be from the large laser. you could cool down on MGs and AC/5z.

The way I play is direct fire support. It might be best to baby sit an assault mech. Just pick one and escort it and never leave it, shoot what it shoots.

I almost always build hunchies with 260's engines.

[meteorol]

As others have stated, you should upgrade your build with double heatsinks and endo structure. (Double Heatsinks are really a must on every mech)

This will give you alot of free tons to add a bigger engine, more/bigger backup lasers for your ac20 and more ammo. Moreover, it will run cooler with DHS.

Regarding your problem: Medium mechs in general, and the Hunchback in particular perform subpar in the current meta.

Your hunchback will have 40 side torso armor at most. 1 hit from a high pinpoint alpha mech will basically burn through all your armor. Even a max speed hunchback is too slow to avoid incoming fire. Too slow to dodge, not enough armor to withstand. Thats basically the hunchbacks problem at the moment.

Your best chance is not to draw attention on the battlefield. Wait until the enemy mechs are busy shooting other stuff, try to flank them and hurt them without getting shot.
In the current meta, with HSR in place and most people actually hitting what they are aiming for (which wasn't the case for months), a decent heavy or assault pilot will rip a hunchback apart within seconds in a 1on1 situation.
Basically, everything above catapult weight level can load enough alpha damage to 1shot your side torso armor. Don't engage those mechs in a open 1on1.

[Johnny Reb]

Problem is when im doing my lrm thing I look for juicy targets like the HBK.

[xengk]

Rhapsody Repine, on 05 July 2013 - 10:26 PM, said:

Someone please give me some pointers here.

Am i doing something insanely wrong, or does this mech simply, flat out, suck?

It never fails, every match i get into, Every time i bring it out. It loses ALL of its armor + the structure underneath it, in less than 1 second, 2 at the MOST.

Yet, i have the maximum # of armor on it that i can put into it (front/back splits vary depending on what i try out of desperation).

It doesn't seem to matter if its getting hit by Gauss', Medium lasers, Small lasers.. Hell i think even a flamer striped me of all my armor just as quickly.

I walk up, engage in a fight, in less than 0.5 - 1 second, im dropped.

Is the mech just that bad, or am i seriously doing something wrong?

Current Loadout: http://mwo.smurfy-ne...7b77059d51e6de7

This is what I run on my 4GF
HBK-4GF
Everyone wants that delicious hump on the HBK, for it contain the milk of the gods.

Medium mech are not build for solo brawling, you will have to stick with one of the big brawler.
Preferably an Atlas, Cataphract or Jager, stick with another medium if the big boys are running PPC/Gauss or LRM that day.

Don't draw attention or starts engagement, only join in when the shooting have started.
Our job is to exploit any weak armour on the enemy, always aim for yellow or red part and continue working on that part.
Whenever possible, circle around to their back and melt their butt with AC/20. But make sure you rump is not exposed to other enemy.

When in my 4GF, Im not looking to score kills but to gather component destruction and assist.
My team winning and I count that as a job well done.

[Ngamok]

HBK-4G

Mine. I don't go run out and brawl. I stick with the group and shoot at whatever my Assaults shoot at. Also, since your gun is in your shoulder, you can pop up over hills and back down to hit them with the AC/20. I use my 2 arm lasers in grouping 1 and my AC/20 and head ML in group 2. 3 tons of ammo is plenty because that AC/20 goes fast if they are hitting you. No AMS is bad, but since I tend to stick near the group, I have to rely on them.

[xengk]

Ngamok, on 06 July 2013 - 09:24 AM, said:

HBK-4G

[SirLANsalot]

HBK-4G +1
Normal build for any 4G (aka Stock +1). Plenty of speed (85KPH) for a hunchback AND still carrying that godlike AC20, NEVER ever use a gauss in the HBK....its JUNK for that mech due to the extra ton.

HBK-4G +2
Upgraded build (aka Stock +2). Upgrades the ML into MPL, and the stock eng is placed back into the mech, 11 DHS keeps the PL's in check.

[Gwydion Ward]

Thanks for all the feedback guys

Was really starting to get frustrated with the thing, And no i wasn't 'trying' to go 1 on 1 with Atlases and such, but even commando's seemed to be able to burn threw my armor in less than a second.... was REALLY getting frustrating.

I'll try a few of the loadouts posted, and the suggestions. See if i start having fun with the mech again

[Gwydion Ward]

Meh.. tried a few of the sudjestions.. and it still isnt worth crap =T

Ammo in legs does no good, just means it now takes 2 hits instead of 1 to 100% destroy me. Right side armor (even with all but 1 armor set to frontal) still drops in 2 hits. Meaning the ac/20 blows, taking with it the right arm. Making me 'instantly' down to only 1 lowly laser. 2 hits to the other side and THAT weapon is gone as well.

Thats IF the other mech doesn't simply ping me twice in the center and instantly finish me off that way.

Swear if it wasn't for the credit boost the mech gives, i wouldn't bother playing it at all right now. Hopefully the new ones with Phoenix will be worth using in place of it.

[BlackIronTarkus]

Wow, you really are clueless about this game. How can you be a founder if you know nothing about what you actually found.

• Never take ferro fibrus over hendo steel.
  
• Get double heat sinks! You are a joke with your single heat sinks.
  
• You are a medium, you can take on lights and other mediums, but you wait for heavies/assault to get engage to attack something bigger than you.
  
• You can't be slow in a medium, thats just asking to die.
  
• Max armor and for christ sake put some armor on the back.
  
• Learn to spread incomming fire with torso twist. Search for ''how to torso twist'' or something like that.
  
• Place your ammo in your legs or in your head... whatever place people tend not to shoot. If you place them in your leg dont go all jump/jet in their face so they actually shoot them off and at the same time blow the damn things.

Current meta(trend, people using the overpowered weapons) is that, people target your center torso with high alpha(high damage in a single burst) to destroy you as quickly and as easily as possible. So you either use speed, terrain and torso twist at your advantage, you die or you join the meta by playing a lame *** stalker with 4 ERPPCs.

Edited by BlackIronTarkus, 07 July 2013 - 06:02 AM.

[meteorol]

Rhapsody Repine, on 07 July 2013 - 02:20 AM, said:

Meh.. tried a few of the sudjestions.. and it still isnt worth crap =T

Ammo in legs does no good, just means it now takes 2 hits instead of 1 to 100% destroy me. Right side armor (even with all but 1 armor set to frontal) still drops in 2 hits. Meaning the ac/20 blows, taking with it the right arm. Making me 'instantly' down to only 1 lowly laser. 2 hits to the other side and THAT weapon is gone as well.

Thats IF the other mech doesn't simply ping me twice in the center and instantly finish me off that way.

Swear if it wasn't for the credit boost the mech gives, i wouldn't bother playing it at all right now. Hopefully the new ones with Phoenix will be worth using in place of it.

What do you mean by "other mechs ping me twice"? What exactly does a "ping" look like?
If it is a 4x PPC or double AC20 ping it is not unusual for a hunchback to go down that fast.
That is just the bane of medium mechs in the current meta. They simply don't have enough armor to take more than 2 of those hits, and they are too slow to dodge them. This especially troubles the hunchback with its bulky frame.

[Ngamok]

xengk, on 06 July 2013 - 05:53 PM, said:

There is back armor there. I manually added in max armor to the front before I knew the max armor option was there.

[RussianWolf]

try something totally different, I ran my for the last couple days as a light killer and skirmisher. 3machineguns with 4tons of ammo, 3mpl (2erll is also doable) biggest engine and as many dhs as it will carry. Full armor.

The only time I died easily was getting ambushed by 3+ enemies

[MeiSooHaityu]

A fast Hunchback is a good Hunchback OPs Hunchback was too slow.

Also, I think he was running blindly into the fight by the sounds of it. Any mech that gets focus fired on won't last too long.

Overall, I would try to keep a medium mech around 80kph and faster if possible.

P.S. I am at work posting this durring break and we can't stream video (so I couldn't watch it ) ...I hope this was the right video.

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 08 July 2013 - 10:04 AM.

[Jiffy]

meteorol, on 07 July 2013 - 07:38 AM, said:

What do you mean by "other mechs ping me twice"? What exactly does a "ping" look like?
If it is a 4x PPC or double AC20 ping it is not unusual for a hunchback to go down that fast.
That is just the bane of medium mechs in the current meta. They simply don't have enough armor to take more than 2 of those hits, and they are too slow to dodge them. This especially troubles the hunchback with its bulky frame.

Double AC20 will take down things much bigger than a Hunchback in 2 hits. By extension, quad PPC's should as well. I still have no problem surviving in my Hunchback 4SP and 4P, though.

Question for the OP: How familiar are you with playing medium mechs? They really do require you to be a wallflower early game. You have to sneak around, damage enemies where you can, and wait for a large brawl to break out. Then you run in and help the team by shooting their targets in the back, if possible. I know, easier said than done, but you'd be surprised how often it works if you just remember how fragile you are.