Cybernetic Sinews Equipment Review by David McCallum #701548

Well, what a mixed little bag of hips... I mean tricks this bundle is.


Let's get down to brass tacks. 1955 Ferrite, 1123 Bioptics and a whopping 55 niodes for a chassis piece that gives you a Dodge factor of 8, X2 and X3 damage boosts rated at 5% and 3% respectively and a 4% chance of your shot walking to an adjacent mech.


Of course as we've grown to expect with equipment for the top tonnages, there is a downside in that your mitigation against projectile rounds drops by about 2%. Ah well.


Now admittedly its not the most expensive piece of gear there is, but its not exactly cheap. In fact Niode wise its the most expensive chassis item there is... for the money it would have been nice to have no penalties.


However the big problem is that it's a bit naff.


We all know what we want from a chassis piece, namely dodge and as much as we can get. When I can get the same or comparable from a crystal item, or better from any other Niode based system then I start wondering what I'm spending my hard earned loot on.


Yes, it's an improvement over any single Crystal piece. And of course if you have been sensible on a limited budget, you will have used a mix of pieces so as to not stack limitations from the same type of gear. In that respect, swapping out one of these for any crystal item is going to make sense in a way.

If I had an inkling, I'd say this was another one of those systems that has been geared for a limited market. It cries out to people like Fext pilots who really want to stack those damage boosts to get to the stage where a single shot comes out at 6 or 9 times standard and becomes a critical kill by default. The more multipliers they can stack, the better it is.


Seems a bit of a gamble to me, because there's always going to be somebody who can beat you to the punch and that lack of dodge could be the death of you.


Submitted by David McCallum #701548

To Hunt A Hunter By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

“God it sucks out here. Exactly why is it we can’t guard these guys from the comfort of our Mechs again?”
“Because the moment one runs, you blow them up into a red mist. The Symposium wants them alive.”
“So my shooting them with a blaster as opposed to my Dread is supposed to guarantee liveliness.”
“Yan, just guard the prisoners, if you have to shoot, aim for a leg or a foot or something. Frak.”

Yan Laflamme was hot, sweaty, and miserable. Why the Dragon Clans had decided to use Rizpah as their home base was beyond him. Of all the more agreeable planets and moons they had visited (and summarily blown the frak out of) this had to be the worst.

Now, instead of working on formation outputs or equipment upgrades, he was having to pull guard duty on a handful of poachers and smugglers that the Symposium wanted to take back to stand trial.
One such prisoner, Sam Ripplesomething, was in bad shape. He was missing most of his right arm. The flesh had been pulled from the bone something akin to a hungry man, sucking the meat off of a chicken wing. They had had to spray it down with shock foam and ferrocrete to stabilize him. A few months back, this guy had set some record for the largest Snavurm killed on record. If it wasn’t for his habit of taking rich kids out hunting after Season, he’d probably be a celebrity.

“Hey pilot, can I get a hit off that flask? For the pain.”
Yan looked at him for a hard eight count before tossing his flask to him.
“You should be doped up on enough painkillers to choke a Snavurm, but hey, misery loves company.”
At the mention of the word Snanvurm, Sam flinched.
“Gods. If I ever see a Snavurm again it will be too soon.”
“What, didn’t we catch you by setting a fake hunt?”
“Yeah, but I had to get a kill for little rich boy over there or there wouldn’t be any payment for me since our original hunt went South.”
“What exactly happened out there?”
“Well, you remember that vid of me getting SnarvumZilla, the record holder?"

“Yeah…”
“Well, let’s just say he wasn’t alone. I took this party out to the same hunting grounds, hoping to bag some decent trophies since I had such good luck there before. The area is outside an old Bunny stronghold that got blown apart in the Bad Santa wars. Dead, rusty mechs everywhere. Even old equipment that hasn’t been scavenged.”
“Wait, natives scavenge everything. Especially old battle sites. Why not this one?”
“That’s what tipped me off to it possibly being a good hunting ground. The area is thick with Snavurms. Big ones. Natives can’t get close without becoming dinner.”
“Huh. Weird. Hey, thanks for the tip. Here, keep the flask. Something tells me you’ll need it worse than me.”
“Not if you think you’re going to that place. But thanks, I’ll put it to good use.”

Yan got another pilot to cover for him then headed off to the Com tent. He then got Commander Brose on the line and told him about the large, untouched battle field out in the forest and why it should have some salvageable equipment there.
“Huh. Tempting, but I’m not about to risk a salvage party to an area that is unscouted and probably highly dangerous to anyone not sitting in a mech.”
“I gotcha boss. I have a replacement for me on guard detail and can be saddled up and in the bush in 10.”
“Make it 5 and you got a deal.”

Yan was now striding through the great forest in his 85 ton Dreadnought named Dion. This is where he was meant to be. Not out sitting on a log in the sweltering heat wondering if an ant had crawled up to his gibbelies. His Dreadnought was decked out for clearing Ambershard Stalker nests currently (his last detail). Fire and missile weapons all bristling about the mighty frame of the mech, and a strange coating of what was called “Fruitcake Armor”. This stuff was a left over chassis upgrade from the war that the battlefield he was en-route to visit came from. It was fantastic protection against projectiles, missiles, pincers, and lasers, just don’t fight anything that breathes fire and you’ll be okay.

Quite suddenly, the forest opened up. He was now in a roughly one mile square clearing that had been burned away. All over were blown up and war torn machines. There wasn’t any rust showing yet, but the jungle was already starting to grow over and reclaim its rightful domain. Off about 2 clicks to the east was the abandoned Bunny compound, also good and blown up. Damn, this was one hell of a battle.


As Yan sat there letting it all soak in, he heard his motion detector go off. This was a bit curious as it was set to only go off for things the size of a mech, otherwise it would be a nonstop affair in the jungle. He scanned for heat signatures, but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. He turned up his external speakers to listen and tuned in all his sensors to be on the safe side.

<skitter skitter>
<skreetch thumpa thumpa>
His guns followed the odd noises, and 20 meters off he saw a canopy from a Jadoon swinging to and fro, only he knew there wasn’t a breeze. So what’s out there…
Suddenly, atop another nearby Jadoon, he saw it. A gorgeous emerald Snavurm, about 15 foot in length was skittering along keeping pace with him. Its movements were fluid like as it weaved through the carnage. Its amber eyes never left his own as he was mesmerized, watching it.

<KUH WOOMPH!!>

That’s the sound the world makes as it tilts crazily out of control. The mighty Dreadnought lurched forward onto the front of its canopy. Yan was temporarily thrown out of his chair, but his harness kept him from going too far. One flaw that the Dreadnought has is not being able to regain its balance once it’s gone past its center of gravity.

Something had landed on the back of his mech. Something big. All rear cameras were offline from the impact. Sirens and warning lights were going off all over in the cockpit as Yan struggled to regain control of the situation while simultaneously trying to figure out just what situation he was in.

<SKREEEEEEEEKRUNCH!>

What the bloody frak is going on? That sounded distinctly like his armor being ripped from his frame! A new sense of urgency flowed through his body as he worked to get his mech turned around and upright.
Yan managed to get one of his ammo pods jammed in against something hard so he could push. The mech started to roll over, yet again met with resistance and was shoved back onto it’s face. What was strong enough to wrestle with an 85 ton machine? What the hell had ahold of him and how the hell did he get it to let go?

Without warning, his mech spun violently around. Open sky poured through his now cracked canopy onto his face. Then it was gone and replaced with the source of his problems. A Savrum.
The colossal queen of all Snavurms to be precise. The creatures jaws were close to 10 feet in length and its head was comparable in size to his cockpit. Purplish scales ran from its head down
towards its chest then turned to red in color. Its face had one long laser scar going down the left side of its face and its teeth were full of Fruitcake armor.

It was holding Yan’s weapon pods down and to the side, so he couldn’t bring the big guns down to bear, and he couldn’t risk using the close in flammers on it for fear of becoming a Roman Candle. This situation most certainly did not look good.

Then as suddenly as it started the attack stopped. The mighty beast looked Yan in the face and Yan noticed that the purple in its cheeks were turning a dark shade of green.
“No, please god don’t…”
<BLEEEEERRRRRRCHK>
A seemingly endless stream of partially chewed Fruitcake armor and other bits of nastiness poured forward over the front of the canopy, seeping into the cabin and sizzling where it landed.

“Ew man! Just Ew!!!”

The Beast blinked and looked a bit vacant for a minute as Yan worked hard to avoid the seepage in his cabin. Then it rose on unsteady feet and lurched off into the brush. Once again it was quiet.

Back at camp, Yan finally stepped out of his Dread, happy to breathe the hot humid air. Mechanics were looking his mech over in astonishment, not knowing what to make of the horrendous gouges all over it. Once back in the com tent, he got Commander Brose on the com.

“Yeah boss, it’s a treasure trove of equipment in there, especially for those specialized mechs used in the Bad Santa war.”
“What about the local fauna, is it hostile?”
“Oh Hell yes. Very hostile. But I think I have a way to avoid it without causing any more damage to it.”
“How’s that?”
“Cover all recovery vehicles in Fruitcake Armor.”
“What, really?”
“Yes sir. I have it on good authority that all and any of the threatening creatures in the area will leave us strictly alone if we suit up entirely in Fruitcake Armor.”
“Well, you’re alive, so there must be something to it. Okay Laflamme, get a team together and get to it.”


“If it’s okay with you sir, I’m gonna pass this one off to Bob. I’ve had enough playing with the wildlife for one day. Besides, isn’t it custom to pass Fruitcake off to a friend?”
<end transmission>

Notos Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

This review is for the niode based, fire specialist mecha the Notos. All basic information is provided in the image to the side. As usual I'll be reviewing this mecha based on what I own, and how I have seen it perform in battle. So lets get to it.

I own 4 of these at present the highest leveled one is level 76, so I'll be doing a follow up review once one of them is fully leveled up. Out of the box these come equipped with 1 Prometheus,, 4 Illyrian Flares, 3 Chimera, and 3 Setaline Torch flame weapons. Not a bad starter package to be sure, that much flame weaponry on a mecha of any variety is deadly. On a flame specialty mecha, well that is just a taste of things to come.

Basic build bonuses for this model thus far are as follows ...  Bonus to fire damage, 3X damage, Basic Shield, Fork Shield, Laser Shield, Missile Shield, Ice Shield, 2X damage, Fire Shield, Splash, basic Precision and Dodge stats, with a Projectile vulnerability built in. The vulnerability is really a non issue seeing as it is shielded from most everything else and the available shield slots should be able to handle a less than 5% vulnerability.

Again keep in mind this is only at level 76, this still has some growing to do. What I do have available to me is 4 Cockpit slots, 4 Chassis slots, 4 Engine slots, and 3 Shield slots, with 36 weapon slots. Now if this follows the Boreas or even the Fext in design as far as what will become available, well then there will be plenty of wiggle room to fine tune and tweak to ones content.

Now that there are more sensible choices for equipment these mechas can be outfitted to their owners needs easily. As most mechas they can accept any form of weaponry. With the right equipment load out you can pretty much make anything work. However this is a plain and as simple as it gets fire mecha. All kinds of shielding, and standard issue 2X & 3X damage capability, but all her true big bonuses are in the fire damage. Keep that in mind with equipment, and weapon load out and you'll do fine. Especially at some of the rate of fire speeds on the flame weapons. This big clunker could surprise you in how it performs.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Turbine Engine Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A small crystal engine with a kick the Turbine Engine is for mechas 20-35 tons and will set you back 357 Ferrite, 106 Bioptics, and 30 Crystal. So as you can see it is very reasonably priced it has the abilities of Speed +17, and trample at 3%. Granted there are other faster crystal based engines out there in the same tonnage range, for example the Block Charge engine which gives you speed at +25, but it has no other ability aside from that.

So with this engine piece it may not be the fastest of the crystal based engines in its class, however it does provide additional boost to damage with the Trample ability. It is more fun to shoot through your opponent and hit the guy behind him than to just shoot him after all. If you have the engine slots try stacking these to benefit from the Trample percentages all added up. You may not be the fastest with this but you will most likely be the one who does the most damage.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Inferno Mecha Review by David McCallum #701548

I have just taken part in the strangest KotM I have yet experienced.


Please bear with me, as this is very unfamiliar.


Like most, I have pride in my clan. I'm one of the Heroes. What I'm not is a member of a clan who rates as 'Bad News' on most peoples scale. Not AFF, not MMI and definately not Zeon. We do our best.


I don't generally do KotMs. When I do, it's because the timing falls right for this part of the world and I feel I have a fair shot of making it competitive. As a 70 ton specialist, it would have been highly embarrassing to miss this one, but my C.O. pointed it out. You kind of feel obliged under those circumstances to have a go and uphold the honour of your clan.


So I jumped in and made a single attack to get me into a silver medal slot. For the better part of 4 hours, I watch as more and more jump in. Division 3 is turning into the kind of gutter fight that you wont see above the levels where all you can get are mechs at 70 tons or below. Old allies and older foes arrive, the sort of names and clans that would give anyone pause for thought.


And for the better part of 4 hours I watch as pilots jockey for position, fighting occurring above and below... until the realisation falls that I have held my position for longer than anyone else. That there is 'Bad News' on the mountain today, and as far as everyone else is concerned, I'm it.


It is a very surreal feeling.


The rest is fact. At the start of the final hour I made my run and took the gold position. I'm not saying I was unbeaten, but for the next half hour I would not have spent more than a minute in total anywhere other than the top of that mountain.


I don't think I could have been more dominant if I was dressed in high heels, a corset and holding a whip, and that is a very scary thought indeed.


And talking of high heels, whips and corsets, I can only put that performance down to one person and one machine.


Thank you Tory. Thank you for your begrudged gifts of Infernos bestowed upon me over many a hot date.


Because that is the reason I have another gold on my wall.


Don't get me wrong, I will never give up my command Smilodon in favour of one. The Spitfire is a better all round mech.


But at 70 tons, the Inferno is still Boudicca, the flame haired Queen of Battle.


Had I actually paid for one I would have laid out 145 Niodes, 3000 Bioptics and 5000 Ferrite. Like most of course my currency was sparkling wit and repartee coupled with bloody minded persistence until a certain lady gave me something other than a liquid torch to go the hell away.

Of the 70 ton mechs, more especially those that have been around for a while and are the mainstays of these formations, it is an unadulterated fast specialist platform. Faster than the Freon, more surprisingly quicker than the projectile armed killer that is the Krampus. Protection wise it is one of the most heavily armoured mechs in the Gamma category with only the Buchis having better shielding.


Damage wise it has a respectable 42% Fire increase on its base build plus the chance of overcharging for double or triple charged shots. Not as much as the 55 ton Cindron, but that is a curious beast.. all out attack and little capability for defence. And of course the Cindron has had the advantage of a 2nd generation upgrade package that the Inferno hasn't.


In fact, therein lies the rub. Ice and fire, Freon and Inferno are both due the same enhancements and fine tuning that lower tonnage mechs have already had and that the Spitfire has incorporated into its base build.


But even without it, the Inferno is a lady that earns respect. There are members of clans more infamous than mine and of a significantly higher level than myself who will testify to that. I may ride a Smilodon in that formation and the mountain may have been the first time I used a Spitfire in anger, but the respect and reputation of my formation was built on the back of my flame haired Boudicca.


Her necklace is gold, for it was she who won this victory.


And one of these days, hopefully in the not too distant future, she will be more violently beautiful still.


Submitted by David McCallum #701548

The Red Carpet By Kenneth Hicks Player ID #846092

In the wake of Clan Wars 3313, the disappearance of the Krampus mechas, and the surge in Ambershard Deathstalkers, the strangely painted army of Ghengis Khan decided to rain down upon everyone’s head. Claudio Cappannari stood on an embankment looking forward into a seemingly bottomless cavern. Cavern you say? On the jungle moon? Why yes true believers, during every other half-cocked, hair-brained random feck storm going on, the Jungle Moon of Rizpah was found to be home to an endless maze of tunnels and caverns under the mantle. This played hell with them during the Ambershard Invasion, but now that most of the bug-like trouble makers have been burnt out, it will serve the purpose of the mercenary clans in the upcoming battle.

Behind him, he heard approaching footsteps and labored breathing. Corporal Mary Beth was coming back with a status report and a package for Claudio form command.

“Up here, Corporal.”

<huff, huff>”Be right”<foof>”There, sir.”

As she trudged up the remaining incline to reach Claudio, she reached forward with a rather bulky, yet light package.

“Here you go sir, straight from command.”

“Ah good, open it please. Mind you keep it right side up.”

“Yes sir.”

As she started cutting open the seams, Mary could feel separate objects shifting around in the box.
What the…
As she reached in, she pulled out two folding chairs, a small folding stool, two sets of rangefinder glasses, and one slightly dusty bottle of Scotch.

“What is this, a picnic?”

“Why, did they include lunch? Are there snacks?”
“No sir, just chairs, a stool, some rangefinders, and a bottle of hooch.”

“Hey now! Knowing FJ, that bottle of so called “hooch” is most likely older than you are pup.”

“Sorry sir, I’m just a bit wore out from the trek and slightly confused is all.”

“That’s okay Corporal. Set up the chairs and stool and prepare to watch something not many get to see.”

Once the chairs were set up, stool between them, Claudio motioned her to take one of the chairs and flipped her one set of rangefinders. He then produced two crystal stemmed glasses (those weren’t in the box! Where was he holding those?) and proceeded to pour the amber colored liquor into both glasses.

“Okay Mary, report!”

“All members of Arcane Sanctuary, Project Mecha, and Crystal Dragons are in place sir and waiting on your call sign.”
“Excellent! That completes the roll call. Sit back Corporal Beth and get ready for the show.”
“Sir, I’m a bit confused about that. What exactly is supposed to be happening? Shouldn’t we be above helping Ruby and Sapphire in holding the Khan warriors back?”
“Ah, normally I’d agree with you there, but this is more of a cure wrapped inside of a deception.”
“Uhh, that doesn’t help clarify things sir.”

“Okay. Picture this. Those weirdly painted mechs up there? They’ve been skulking about in various places of interest for a while now. There have been reports on them from all sectors. Now you have a whole new evildoer, who has the latest “dirt” on us and is bent on Galaxy-wide domination. 

Our guess is that this Ghengis guy is most likely a front for someone else. Someone who has been around yet out of sight for a while who is hoping to get a measure of our abilities. So this is why we had everyone buy as many Red Ants as possible, level them, and gear them up. Here, one second…”

Claudio took a transmitter out of his pocket and put it up to his mouth.

“All Clans, repeat. All Clans, on my mark in 5, 4, 3, 2,, 1, Mark!”

Beneath their feet, a low low rumble could be felt. On the far side of the cavern, at the edge of the darkness, thousands upon thousands of little orange eyes flickered to life. A red carpet seemed to be being drawn up the sides of the enormous cavern.

“That’s so weird, is that what I think it is?”

“Put on your rangefinders and find out”

As Mary put on the rangefinders, she clicked the autofocus button on the side, then brought the zoom to x10. The far side of the cavern was solid Red Ant Mechas, using jump jets to scale the walls on their way to the surface.

“We figured the best way to hide our strengths was to take advantage of the recent Red Ant breakthroughs and apply a nearly forgotten tactic used by the Great Ghengis Khan’s ancestors themselves, the Human Wave. Only with mechs. And these caverns we found thanks to the Ambershard purging are just the right size for holding a force of them large enough to completely bury the competition.”

“I must say sir, very impressive. We defeat this Khan fellow while at the same time being misleading as to our strengths.”

“Yes, we thought it was pretty neat-o. Now shut yer yap and pour us a couple more. I want to sit back and enjoy this. Operation Red Carpet is a go.”

 

Nux Raid Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas in the 40-65 Ton range we have this nice piece of crystal cockpit equipment. It is reasonably priced for 265 Ferrite, 200 Bioptics, and 48 Crystal. It gives your mecha Precision (8) and a Crit - Kill percentage of 2.

Now the lower tonnage mechas usually don't have much by way of equipment slots it is true, the Nifthel alone coming in right at 40 tons only has 2 cockpit slots at level 98. However the Nux Raid is superior to the Rackmount cockpit piece which is for mechas 25-45 Tons and has precision (6) and Crit - kill of 2%.

So it has better precision and the same Crit- Kill stat, for the heavier mecha in this category. Crit-kill is always a good thing especially if paired with a mech that has such in the build stats, and even outfitted with everyone's favorite laser the Galaxy Eye. Stack these as a good crystal alternative to heavier priced niode systems and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

In Response to Certain Statements. By Scott Abbott Player ID# 468961 and Kenneth Hicks Player ID# 846092

On July 26^th, a member of Death’s Collectors {AFF} made a statement towards the character of another player, Mr. Scott Abbott, leader of the Dragon Clans. In this statement, claims of account sabotage were made from when both players were members of the AFF. For ease of reading, I have included the Bio that Michael refers to in the Mecha Galaxy Players page. 

Here now is Scott’s reply to these accusations:

I have had an "Online game family" for the past 20 years.  For the past 3 years, that family has been of the Mecha Galaxy variety. From eating Mongolian Grill with Andrew Bell, or daily conversations with Andrew Bell and Todd Rainey, to weekly strategizing with FJ Bros and James Waddington, to funny quips about my most recent birth of my youngest child.

The post by Michael Beagle made me realize that my family is alive now more than ever.  I have had personal conversations with Michael after the incidents in question where he personally thanked me for what I had done with his mechs and resources.  Keep in mind that this all happened over a year ago. 

 I can only think that this latest post is directed by Robert C Goetz, who also used to be in my MG family.  I am almost certain that he currently drives the Michael Beagle account, perhaps only on occasion, and this post is directed to smear not only my name, but the Dragons in general.  His once great "AFF" family took in zero gold medals this past war, and the Dragon clans took in over 10. It saddens me that he would drop to this level, but I cannot think of any other reason for it.

I have over 50 guys on MG who would have my back in MG, as I would gladly have theirs.  I was not trying to sabotage anything on Michael Beagle's account when I had access to it, and I apologize to him for him thinking I did so.

So in a nutshell, one player asked the other to watch accounts while his computer was going to be down for a while. Both had words and discussed after the player came back, and there was supposedly no issues. A year passes, clans split, now there are issues with what has been done.
We’ll let you the reader draw your own conclusions.

<end transmission>

Known Hacks Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

At the other end of the weight spectrum we have the Known Hacks cockpit equipment piece, for mechas 0-25 tons. Costing 183 Ferrite, 200 Bioptics, and 9 Niodes, this little beauty comes with a Slow of (5), Laser Damage of +4%, and Freeze of 6%. Nothing too fancy but also you won't break the bank in getting a couple and installing them on your smaller mecha.

Lets face it the little guys can use all the help they can get when it comes to things like Raids, CW, FW, or KOTM. You never know who or what you are going to go up against so you use everything at your disposal, well provided you don't have a hanger of nothing but loose mechas laying around anyways. This packs in slow which is great but not as good as Freeze, but it has that too so you are covered, and the added laser damage is always welcome. All in all a very solid piece of equipment and of course if you can stack multiples of this on one mech you are ahead of the curve for the lower ranges.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

View From The Top By Ron Frye#879655

Submitted by Ron Frye#879655

Division Balancing By Pat Willis#224534

Clan Wars 3313 are by now concluded unless there were any overtime matches. This clan war saw a new way of gathering a clans average to line up divisions for the war. We saw that the bottom four players of each clan would not be counted or factored into clan average for divisional consideration.

Hold up the bottom 4?

Yup.

And clans routinely require about 8 or 9 folks to even be a clan?

Yup again.

See the issue here? This has effectively cut some clans in basically half, to be totally disregarded in the clan average to decide the fight card. Now how can you really have a clan war when you have such lopsided matches? You're effectively punishing small clans for being small, and tossing them to the wolves.

I realize the Devs were trying to shake things up, and try something new. I get that, I really do. What I do not get is how chopping clans in half for averages seemed like a good idea. Some clans of course will fight well beyond their division, others wouldn't have much of a chance even with standard averaging.

This is true for every clan war no matter how divisions are lined up. However this decision that was made and carried out in game doesn't even allow clans to try if they are small. Half their people right out of the gate are taken right out of the process. No one except for the top players in the top brackets of their divisions are really playing on a level field.

Yes I know war isn't fair, this is a war game, etc, etc, etc. But here's the key word in that sentence sparky, "GAME." Yes some games are unfair as well, toss in RNG and we could debate all day about how skewed the game is or isn't. None of that matters however as this isn't real life, nor is it the RNG. This is people making decisions at the end of the day that we have to live with as players using their game.

As such we can only provide appropriate feedback for things that are done. In this case my stance on the issue at hand is, that was an extremely bad idea. You crippled clans right out of the gate and paved the way for some highly lopsided divisions. Normally I don't say much about how wars are set up. This time even I couldn't believe it. So Devs how about we never do that again. The process wasn't thought through it seems, and the results were highly one sided at best.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Orbit Core Equipment Review by David McCallum #701548

Sometimes I don't like this job.


And I'm not necessarily talking about having to constantly put up with Patrick's socks. Or his snoring after he's had one too many at one of his 'executive lunches'.


No, its the fact that to do a decent review, you actually have to spend some hard earned coinage (and yes, it is hard earned putting up with socks and snoring) to get hands on experience with the kit we have to give our opinion on.

So it was with the Fext. Anecdotal evidence on that beasty and its potential 9 x damage meant that I had to get hold of one, but of course freebies are limited to 1st division clans only. And my recovery raccoons can recognise mechs to recovery but aren't discerning when it comes to specific types.


So my own Fext, actually purchased with actual fundage has been a work in progress. It's a good job that the progress on my Fext has coincided with progress on gear for it being released.


Of course the big problem with these beasts are their speed. While not as slow as a Potatotron, the Fext still has a speed rating somewhere between Patrick's hand heading towards his wallet when there's a round of drinks to be purchased and Kenneth doing a video piece.


In other words, the very opposite of fast.


At least the Orbit Core goes some way towards addressing that issue.


2068 Ferrite, 1432 Bioptics and a hefty 58 Niodes gets you a speed rating of 7, the ability to slow an opponent by 3 on a successful hit and of course a 4% increase in Laser output.


That's it, and I don't mean that in any form of a derogatory manner.


Kindly note the complete lack of drawbacks. Check for yourself. None.


Finally the designers have got the kinks out of the big kit pieces, meaning that it is now more worth it than ever.


Let's just have a quick comparison with some of the other engines around.


Crystal, there's the good old Kinetic Converter with a speed rating of 5. Slower and without bonuses.


Anzus, slower with the dreaded Kickback. VASMIR, slower, geared for flame and missile vulnerable.


Even going up to Niode engines, all have drawbacks apart from the Gigabot Swarm which is slower than treacle in midwinter and the Zentron Thrusters.


Ah, Zentron. Lovely engine. Come back to me on them when I have a Notos, because as good as they are, it makes about as much sense fitting one of these on a Fext as it does asking the A.N.N. crew to go teetotal for a week.


Nope, if you have the funds for a Fext, make sure you have the simoleans for engines as well, because these things are just the right fit.



Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Interview with Legendary Pilot Cher Lee Player ID# 875837 By Kenneth Hicks Player ID# 846092

Today’s interview is with newly decorated Legendary Pilot Cher Lee.

With over 30 King of the Mountain wins to his record, Cher has managed to get on the bad side of more than a few pilots in the quadrant. With fists shaking over their heads and cries of “unfair”, all have felt the the First Place finish in a KoTM slip away from them at least once to this devious pilot and his eye raising arsenal of impressively decked out mechas.

Cher also along with the Legendary Pilot status, received one of the coolest back stories for a pilot in the game: “Cher “TorHel” Lee became infamous for riding at the forefront of his impressive mecha squadron on his Sever class mecha, Witch’s Titty,, that was rigged with a set of illegally-upgraded Torsion Helix chassis. A shady character, even his clan mates say he is just as likely to stab you in the back as he is to shake your hand, and he is well known to trample on friend and foe alike to get to the top of the mountain. A skilled tactician, Lee is always on the hunt for the next colony seeking mercenary aid—though whether he will decide to destroy their foes or burn them to the ground is anyone’s guess. He lives by a simple motto: “Rules? What rules?”

So Cher, first off, I’d like to congratulate you on your Legendary Pilot status. How does it feel?
Cher: If feels amazing being a Legendary Pilot. I’ve wanted to be one since my level 40s. It’s not something you get everyday.

Ken: During the announcement of your reward, the topic of camping came up. What are your feelings on staying at a level for a long amount of time? Do you feel it impacts the game positively or negatively?

Cher: What are my feelings on stay at a low level for a long time? That’s a hard question to answer. I feel it’s a good thing.. Do I feel like I can impact the game in a negative way? No. In a positive way? Again, no. I can’t impact anyone’s game. What I do and how I do  is up to me. Just like how anyone else plays. Do I feel like I’m bully the lower division? Yes. Why? Because I like to stay in control.

Ken: What are your current predictions in Clan Wars? Are there any upcoming matches that you are watching out for in particular? Care to predict any upsets?

Cher: For my predictions for clan wars, I believe that Dragon owns all of its divisions. We have to step up our game. The match I’ll like to see again is Division 3 MMI vs AFF. That has been a very interesting battle and I think it’s going be rather close.

Ken: Finally, any subjects or matters you would like to discuss? What's on the top of Cher's mind?
Cher: So far the Mecha Galaxy has been going great for me. The sales have decreased a bit, but they have given out more free stuff than they have in the past.

Ken: Well I want to thank you today for coming down to talk with us, and good luck in your future battles!

Cher: Thank you for this interview.
<end transmission>

 





Submitted by  Cher Lee Player ID# 875837 & Kenneth Hicks Player ID# 846092

MG Archives by Ron Frye#879655

Submitted by Ron Frye#879655

Whoops By Ron Frye#879655

Submitted by Ron Frye#879655

Semi - Stable Power Field Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas between 45-65 tons this engine piece may just be for you. It boasts an impressive Speed of +17, Trample of 4%, Freeze at 9%, and is laser vulnerable at 8%. It costs 240 Ferrite, 285  Bioptics, and 40 Niodes to purchase one.

As with most vulnerabilities it is at best annoying side effect of trying to customize your mecha, and easily nullified by proper shielding and mecha build. Trample, and Freeze aren't bad for the weight class honestly, but it's the speed that wins out on this one. A +17 is great for this sized mecha, remember if you're fast enough you can shoot first, as long as your precision rating is good enough that first shot can be the hit that kicks it all off for battle. Maybe even a crit-hit if you have it set up that way. Either way that is one heck of a boost for that weight range.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Antimatter Dome Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas in the 45-65 ton range we have this shielding equipment piece. One will cost you 420 Ferrite, 500 Bioptics, and 30 Niodes per unit. Each one has the abilities of Trample Shield at 44%, Missile Shield at 35%, Laser Vulnerable at 11%, Fork Shield at 50%, Splash Shield at 20% and Shield at [10].

That's a whole lot of damage coverage in one equipment piece, the laser vulnerability as has been discussed in the past isn't that big of an issue. Get proper shielding on your mecha and it becomes a non issue. Look at all the things it does cover and to what percentages, and I think we can agree this is going to be a much used and very familiar equipment piece out on the battle field.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Cogwerk Micro Block Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A Niode engine piece for mechas 0-25 tons. It costs 143 Ferrite, 242 Bioptics, and 11 Niodes.  It provides Speed at +25, and Auto Repair [1]. Not much to this engine honestly, but what it does have is pretty decent. The speed bonuses alone is pretty good. Most smaller mechas are rather fast in comparison to their larger tonnage cousins.

Auto repair is always a bonus, it can keep you in a fight for that one round you need to nail that crit - hit. On the other hand, auto- repair does nothing for you, if you yourself are the victim of said crit-hit. If you have the room and want a fast machine with limited repair then just stack these bad boys and go to town.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Another Look At The Keradon By Pat Willis#224534

I did a mecha review on this model once before but I thought it deserved another looking at. This model of mecha was my first real taste of a niode mecha in my rookie piloting days. Something about it for a lower level just starting out is highly appealing, well at last it was for me. It served me long and well until it finally came time to retire it and replace it with bigger stronger mecha.

What makes the Keradon so special you may ask, well it starts off with the abilities of Trample 3%, and x3 damage in its build. These of course go higher as it levels up and it gets the secondary ability of x2 damage. With proper equipment these can be monsters in and of themselves. The trample damage is always a great ability and the times two and three damage can often reduce higher tonnage/level mechs to molten slag. The weapons it comes equipped with aren't bad but you would be smart to change them out when you can as you will out grow them quickly.

The mech itself is handy to hold onto for slot fillers in your formation as you get into bigger and badder mechs, also they come in handy for lighter tonnage events. They are not the speed demon that the fabled Smilodons are, but they are no slouches either. They hit hard and make their presence felt on the battlefield. They are a wise investment either for the immediate future or even for the short term and wind up collecting dust in your hanger until a particular event comes along, in any event these will make many pilots happy and pack a hell of a punch.

They have a long and proud history of serving across the galaxy, it becomes more apparent as to why this is when you see one in action. Properly outfitted in weapons and equipment they can hold the line with the best of them. Oh they will succumb to heavy fire, or a crit kill like any mecha, but they will give one hell of a show before they go down.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534