31 replies to this topic

[Lolpingu]

I love the general idea of the Swayback and it's very fun playing it: I'm running a x9 MLAS/18 DHS
Hunchback-4P, and I can quickly chanfire all of them without gaining a significant amount of heat, (and it kills heat quickly, as long as I'm cautious with how many lasers I'm firing at once, I never seem to overheat) or I can just hold the chainfire button and I will continue to fire MLAS indefinitely, gaining 1% heat every 3 beams or so, or I could just alpha which would generate around 50%, but then quickly chainfiring works much better. Definitely looks deadly on paper seeing as it has 45 alpha and can sustain it's 9 MLAS remarkably well with 18 DHS.

But in-game, I'm doing a horrible job!

What happens most of the time is that I follow the big group of Mechs, taking care to stay behind the Atlas and watch his back, and when they engage enemies, I let my lasers loose.

Then what happens is, the group starts to break apart and I immediately get focusfired and find out that an enemy Atlas is behind me, and since the Hunchback's speed is unremarkable, it's usually hard to escape sticky situations like that and I get blown up. Sometimes, even when the main group is engaging the enemy, I will get focusfired anyway, maybe because they fear the power of the 9 MLAS.

And I don't seem to be doing that much damage. I mean, I seem to hit what I aim at most of the time, and I take care to keep my enemies at the 270m sweetspot, and I am very trigger happy with my nine lasers, so I wonder why i'm not doing more than just like 300 damage on an average match, and 600 damage on a really good match (I usually do 600-700 on an average match and 1000+ on a good match with my Atlas), but I am probably doing something wrong.

Can you guys give me any tips on increasing my performance with the Swayback? Thanks in advance!

(P.S., I do NOT want to mount 9 small lasers, I feel seriously uncompofrtable with the 90m optimum range)

[Avalios]

Just because you can mount 9 meds, doesn't mean you should. Go with 6, a 260 engine, and as many DHS as you can fit.

[AxeHammer]

If you're doing 3-600 per match you are in pretty good shape.
Focus instead on taking off limbs and weapon systems.....

[Monkey Bone]

I run 8mlas, 1 mpl std 260 with dhs endo.


If you don't like 9mlas, you can always try something like 2xppc on the hunch + a couple meds, large lasers etc.

[Wittyname Terribad]

The biggest issue Hunchys have is that while they have pretty decent speed and armor, in the land of Splattcats and Hexastalkers, decent isn't just quite enough. Have piloted hunchbacks myself, knowing what they're capable of if left alone, I'll often dedicate a couple volleys they way to kill/neuter them off the bat

Your tactics are right, but mediums are much more difficult to play pug in the current 65+ proliferate environment. Try hopping into one of the free TS servers and coordinating with a like-minded Atlas pilot. They'll appreciate the support, and you can call for help of they start looking at you funny

P.S. - speed will keep you alive. If you don't have a 250 or 260 engine, you're doing it wrong

[DrBlue62]

Strafe with it, try to stay at least 200m away unless the enemy is a sniper or terrain is in the way. Don't get in any faces, just melt them off from as far as you can while still in the optimal damage range.

I assume you're using this.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...474bfc0e45622a3

Edited by DrBlue62, 18 February 2013 - 05:32 AM.

[MasterBLB]

At first,drop medium lasers total down to 7.Second,increase DHS up to 20.
Then put 4 mediums inside the hunch,1 in head and each arm.
Group them in 4 groups:
1.Lasers in arms
2.Lasers in hunch alpha
3.Lasers in hunch chain fire
4.Laser in head

This will make your build very heat efficient,and whenever heat level will go up too high start to using only group 3 till you cool down.

About play,don't go to the first line,instead wait in cover ~180-200m away and choose weakened targets to either finish them quickly or to cripple them.Use your speed advantage to attack from behind as often as you can.
Note that lasers in groups 2 and 4 are so nicely placed it's enough for you to put only your head over a hill to be able to shoot them.Use that for your advantage.

[Budor]

Avalios, on 18 February 2013 - 04:56 AM, said:

Just because you can mount 9 meds, doesn't mean you should. Go with 6, a 260 engine, and as many DHS as you can fit.

This, i run a 250 & 21 DHS, 1 grp for those in arms (or mouse 1 LA, mouse 2 RA) and rest into grp 2 (3). Get target info module and try to aim more carefully.

[The Amazing Atomic Spaniel]

Said above, but 300 - 600 damage is pretty respectable. You're not driving an LRM boat or a splatcat and recently pug matches seem dominated by heavies and assaults. Might be worth selecting Conquest games only because they promote higher mobility and fewer heavy/assault mechs.

I use a laser hunchie occasionally and a lot of the skill in doing well with one seems to be in knowing when to engage and when to hang back. Once a brawl starts I try to make sure I am outside of it and behind the enemy shooting in, rather than mixing it up with all the SRM nose-to-nose mechs.

Definitely worth trading a couple of lasers for a bigger engine. No point in having a lot of firepower if you are so slow that all you can do is waddle up the go nose-to-nose with a Stalker SRM boat.

[Lolpingu]

DrBlue62, on 18 February 2013 - 05:29 AM, said:

Strafe with it, try to stay at least 200m away unless the enemy is a sniper or terrain is in the way. Don't get in any faces, just melt them off from as far as you can while still in the optimal damage range.

I assume you're using this.
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...474bfc0e45622a3

No, actually - I am using the standard engine. I'll grind up some CBs for the 260 engine as it seems like speed might give me the edge I need.

[DrBlue62]

Lolpingu, on 18 February 2013 - 05:56 AM, said:

No, actually - I am using the standard engine. I'll grind up some CBs for the 260 engine as it seems like speed might give me the edge I need.

Don't forget about Endo Steel. About another 500k Cbills. Collect in on the free day of valentines day premium if you haven't to ease your grind.

[Lolpingu]

DrBlue62, on 18 February 2013 - 06:21 AM, said:

Don't forget about Endo Steel. About another 500k Cbills. Collect in on the free day of valentines day premium if you haven't to ease your grind.

With Endo and the 260 engine, will I still be able to maintain 9 medium lasers?

[DrBlue62]

Lolpingu, on 18 February 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

With Endo and the 260 engine, will I still be able to maintain 9 medium lasers?

Yes, you'll actually be almost half a ton light.

[BertyBargo]

Another interesting fit you could try is to add two PPCs and fill the rest out with small lasers.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0e34c3e6cb87d0d

Check that out. As you should (hopefully) know, the ppc is useless below 90 meters... the maximum efficient range of the small lasers. You're not exactly the fastest, but you can deal some real hurt so long as you play smart and dont alpha strike everything you see. No matter the range, you can deal 20 points of damage from either the smalls or the ppcs. Only 2 weapon groups are much easier to work with than 3 or 4. Then again I dont know your mouse.

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RocketDog, on 18 February 2013 - 05:54 AM, said:

I use a laser hunchie occasionally and a lot of the skill in doing well with one seems to be in knowing when to engage and when to hang back. Once a brawl starts I try to make sure I am outside of it and behind the enemy shooting in, rather than mixing it up with all the SRM nose-to-nose mechs.

As a fast medium pilot, it took me ages to figure this out. This is the best advice in the thread. Flanking is where its at.

Edited by BertyBargo, 18 February 2013 - 08:29 AM.

[Lolpingu]

BertyBargo, on 18 February 2013 - 08:25 AM, said:

Another interesting fit you could try is to add two PPCs and fill the rest out with small lasers.

http://mwo.smurfy-ne...0e34c3e6cb87d0d

Check that out. As you should (hopefully) know, the ppc is useless below 90 meters... the maximum efficient range of the small lasers. You're not exactly the fastest, but you can deal some real hurt so long as you play smart and dont alpha strike everything you see. No matter the range, you can deal 20 points of damage from either the smalls or the ppcs. Only 2 weapon groups are much easier to work with than 3 or 4. Then again I dont know your mouse.

----



As a fast medium pilot, it took me ages to figure this out. This is the best advice in the thread. Flanking is where its at.

Unfortunately, flanking is not viable with my Hunchback's current engine
Though I'm making my way to the 260 as we speak.

[Cato Phoenix]

I use 9 medium pulse lasers. Heat is...an issue, but the alpha is loooovely.

If you're worried about speed, bump up to the XL255+. You will gain heat efficiency (2 extra DHS). I think the speed really helps survivability, and I always find that once your mech gets to the point of being torso'd, you're generally only a few hits away from being destroyed anyways. (Notwithstanding big sniper alphas...those can hurt)

[Goose]

"Normal" Swaybacks need Endo and XLs like a hole in the head: 6 mediums, 2 smalls (in the arms), 250 std, 20 DSHSs.

Now, the 5 medium pulse model I built out of a -4J does use Endo to get to 19 DSHSs …

[Spheroid]

Here is my perfect general purpose 4P. I am enhancing it further with module upgrades. Your probem is chain firing the lasers. Fire everything and you will kill things.

The firing pattern on most maps is 8 ML, 6 ML, 2ML, 2ML then another alpha.


http://mwo.smurfy-ne...73d65feb005d533

Edited by Spheroid, 18 February 2013 - 11:05 AM.

[RootBeerBaron]

-If your concern is dying too quickly, my favorite life-saving tactic to peak out from cover and alpha 2-3 times, then step back to cover to cool down. You can tear off the torso of Heavy mechs by the time you need to cool off.

-Avoid close encounters and "Circles of Death". Your hunch is an easy target.

-Keep speed up. I strongly recommend 250 rating, with the extra heat sinks as an added bonus. An XL engine isn't the worst thing; In a standard, if your hunch is blown of you are at 20% firepower anyway, so you are mostly useless, and if you lose your left torso you lose a lot of heat sinks. Just be sure to have longer ranged weapons, so you don't need to get within brawling range to be effective.

-My favorite build: 250 STD, 7 MLAS (hunch/head), scrap arm armor and leg armor to add extra DHS.

-Be sure to dance, a lot. You should have the mobility to stay behind a fatlas or stalker in the open.

I have been running Swaybacks primarily since CB. It is my favorite mech to play, and for me, most effective mech I own per ton.

[Vallyn]

I find my 9xml HBK-4P is excellent.

You will need: Endo-steel, DHS. 250 or 260 engine (I prefer the extra speed, but an additional HS is the trade off).

Keep in mind Damage on the Swayback can be very. . . misleading.

High damage can actually mean poor accuracy sometimes - you can head shot any mech (Dragons and Cats will be the easiest if they ever stop moving) with an alpha, even at 270 or 300m. Two Alphas should core out any mech from behind which is preferably how you should be attacking - flank, alpha, disappear. Or if they don't notice you - just alpha again once your heat comes back down.

The Chain fire is absolutely required - I have my arm lasers on 1, Hunch lasers on 2 (chain fire), and hunch/left shoulder on 3 (group). If you get into a circle of death with another medium or light (or heavily wounded heavy/assault) you just circle and chain fire them down.

The proliferation of heavies and assaults right now make it much harder to use effectively - but you can definately still do a lot of damage. Stick to 200m+ and Alpha people right in the back - you can effectively strip anyone down to internals with one volley. Use your speed to avoid direct contact as long as possible into the match, and try to be stealthy.

The 4P's biggest strength is that ALL that damage can be pinpointed to one spot - a LRM boat sitting still or someone in your face firing at you (like a dragon might) - just alpha them right in the cockpit. Once you improve your aim . . its game over. Can't count the number of times I've killed full HP mechs with a cockpit shot from the HBK.

My assaults I just have to wear them down - the HBK-4P has a scapel.