The Hambaba Who Cares An Editorial By Pat Willis#224534

Well folks there it is the 100 ton missile thrower the Hambaba. It costs a staggering 23,000 Ferrite, 18,000 Bioptics, and a whopping 150 Niodes. All for purchasing a solid thrower of the slowest weapons in the game.

Now if we take the example from the game page to level it to it's greatest potential, well first you have to be past level 200, and secondly I hope you're independently wealthy, cause minus sales this is going to take about 600 Niodes just in level cost to get up to speed.

Now it has been pointed out that this mecha has the most slots and weapon holding capability yet. However let's just think about this for a moment, 79 slots for weapons. How effective do you think that may be given all the limitations on available weapons for the higher levels? 8,7,7,5 is the slot numbers for equipment, just how many niodes beyond the 600 spent to level it up to over level 200 to get its full bonuses do you want to spend?

But it has so much potential Pat why can't you see that? Well actually I can but only if you get it up to giving you the mechas full stats to play with. Otherwise this is pretty much a niode sink hole. Especially seeing as the only missiles really worth a damn for speed in this game are niode based.

Also don't we have enough missile boats as is? 75 Tons has the Rook, 80 has the Ballista, 90 doesn't have missile specific but many mechas like the Torrent can use them to great advantage, and at 95 Tons we have the Anubis, and a 100 ton Crystal missile thrower the Typhoon. So just from 75 tons on up we certainly have plenty of choices, why give us this....no other word for it...mess?

Normally I'm happy and somewhat excited to see a new mecha come out, especially when I get my own and start unlocking what it can do. But this, well I'm going to give it an all around pass. I have to many niode mechas, with niode gear, and weapons to even want to consider the price tag that would come with this thing fully loaded. This to me is a case of, "No matter how you polish it a turd is still a turd."

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Random Madness By Sgt. Ron Frye#879655

Submitted by Sgt. Ron Frye#879655

Pyro's Flare Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Available to pilots of level 30 or above, with 300 initially released. One cost you 620 Ferrite, 430 Bioptics, and 35 Niodes. Bulk buy was also an option here with 5 for 140 Niodes, no restrictions or limitations to be found. It has a straight damage of 62, a speed of 103, and the abilities of Burn at 9%, and 2X Damage at 3%.

This is a significant damage jump for those willing to buy it. As is the Scorcher at level 29 only does 28 damage, at 102 speed, and has a burn at 2%. But as many may note it is a crystal weapon as opposed to this newly released niode based one. As we all know crystal weapons and equipment can be tough, but they rarely beat out niode based weapons or equipment. Hook this bad boy up to your favorite flame based mecha and roast some hostiles.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Money Matters by David McCallum #701548

So, Kenneth has finally gone mad.


The first sign was his declaration that he was going off to play squash. Now bearing in mind his usual sum total of exercise is the hundred yard skive, that little gem came as a bit of a surprise.


Not as much of a surprise however as his sports gear was, which consisted of yellow tartan golfing pants, a pink feather boa and a saw-tooth machete.


There are certain things a chap does not wish to see before he's drunk, and others that he is really glad he isn't seeing during said pastime.


The good news is that we can't inflict any video evidence of this behavior on the general populace; for some reason videos have a habit of becoming non-existent in Kenneth's presence.


I do however have an insight into why he has taken a high dive into an extremely shallow bowl of custard.


Kenneth can't cope with the new sales format of individual categories.


And to be honest I don't blame him, because lately I'd rather do income tax returns than try and work out my niode budget with these new singular item sales.


I shall explain.


Lets forget for a moment the higher tier of spending player, since the rest of us poor folk simply imagine that they buy what they need when they need. They may not, but a gentleman doesn't ask others about their finances.


No, we are going to consider the rest of us who have to scrimp, save and melt down prizes to make budget. And when it comes to spending that meager budget we have two main ways of planning.


The first is to select one mech and completely trick it out into an uber mech of biblical proportions. This is where those massively expensive build plans come in.


Of course there is a downside to this, in that all your eggs are in one or a few baskets, and  your mega mech can always be taken out by an unlucky critical. Even if that isn't the case, the other weak mechs in the same line can be taken out easier meaning you loose line coherency and start getting overpowered as an enemy has numerical supremacy in both mechs and the amount of shots they throw at you.


In terms of spending (says he pulling the conversation back on topic) it does mean that if you haven't finished outfitting an uber mech, you need to make a hard decision of whether to take advantage of a sale and start a new mech being upgraded or hold out for sales on the items you still need.


The other method of course is to spread the wealth and items a piece at a time around every mech in your formation. Relative strength is kept with no intrinsically weak spots, but of course you don't get anything earth shattering until after a huge amount of time and expenditure.


The problem with this method is that when an individual category sale comes up, you need to check every mech in your line to see where the weak points are, provided of course they are in that category, which they might not be, but you need to check anyway.


Then again in your specialist formation if you are regularly performing that duty.


Then for the all the rest of the specialist formations because chances are you are weak in at least two or three of those, and you want to maximise your offensive points in the next war (please read 'get even with the annoying goit you haven't been able to take yet...').


It's around this point that you wish you'd kept track of your mech load-outs in a spreadsheet, and/or wish there was a way you could easily export the info from all of your squadrons into one.


At the point where you reach for a spreadsheet, please see above for my comment on 'rather be doing my tax returns'.


Or just commit sepuku using a tea spoon, whichever is less painful.


 The point is, I don't blame Kenneth for having a funny turn.


I Just need to remember that next time I can take still photos of his outfit and there's always a handful of niodes to be made in blackmail.


But I draw the line at taking photos of him in that tooth fairy costume...

 Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Frozen Dream Build Update By Pat Willis #224534

When last we looked at my build for my Frigis Mecha Frozen Dream, he was at level 108. That build as well as accompanying stats can be found here . I have made some modifications since then to try and keep him more viable for the upper levels since I am now level 115.

 Let's be truthful though there is only so much an 80 ton Frigis can do when facing a enemy line worth of Fext mechas.  This build however has some advantages over its predecessor I feel and given the tweaks made, it gets an updated entry. So here we go.

Both models employ 4 Hawkeye M.M. for the cockpit. For the Precision, Crit-Kill, Laser and Missile damage boosts. (Just because it's a mainly laser mecha with a secondary ice capability doesn't mean you can't add a few surprises.)

For the Chassis I went down to only two  Coolant Systems, added in 2 Wheeled Feet, and kept in 3 Muon Junctions. Again going for a bit of a surprise. While the Hawkeye boosts Laser, and  the Coolant Boosts Ice it also adds in Fire. So really this build is more about giving yourself options.

The Engines were over hauled pretty much entirely to all Indefinite Singularities across the 4 slots. Not only for speed but also for the 2X Damage boost. And shielding stayed as it was.

But now at Level 115 the stats prior to equipment are.
Tons: 80

Level: 115
Armor: 1126
Class: Frigis
Bonuses before
equipment:
Precision (30)
Speed - 15
Ice Vulnerable 10%
Freeze 58%
Speed + 25
Laser Damage + 46%
Ice Damage + 44%
3X Damage 10%
2X Damage 8%
Shield (40)

And now with level and equipment boosts factored in he sits with.
Level: 115 / 115
Armor: 1126

Ice Damage + 64%
Missile Damage + 28%
Laser Damage + 86%
Fire Damage + 20%
Speed + 70
2X Damage 20%
3X Damage 10%
Fork 18%
Crit-Kill 8%
Dodge (66)
Freeze 90%
Precision (74)
Shield (156)
Ice Shield 8%
Fire Shield 29%
Fire Shield (40)
Proj. Shield 29%
Laser Shield 29%
Missile Vulnerable 9%

Now on to the weapons, 35 in all. Most of the old weapon systems got relocated to other mechas and I tried to center in a few unexpected surprises. I installed 5 Frigis Dream Ice weapons, 5 Man O' War Rays, 1 Twin Grazer I had lying around, 1Kojin Stove, 1 Birthday Fist, 4 Tinsel EMP, 1 Triple Matrix, 1 Ammo Cookoff, 3 Chimera, 5 Helios Forge, 5 Winter's Grasp, 2 Northwind Eradicator Lasers (still got em from the NW/CS wars.), and finally 1 King Cobra Laser.

 So there you have it folks a Frigis that got me where I am today, and what it looks like now both inside and out. I do these pieces so folks can see there are some in the game who aren't afraid to show their builds for good or bad. What's the worst that can happen? Someone builds your load out to fight you? Oh no, not like you can't change it up and out in a short period of time. Also on the flip side you may get feedback to help improve on your already existing build. So what I am saying here folks is basically, stop being scared, show off the builds, get feedback, see what happens. Until next time both Frozen Dream and myself wish you happy hunting.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Spitfire Mecha Review Update By Pat Willis#224534

First off the pertinent information.

 Price - 8,000 Ferrite, 7,000 Bioptics, 125 Niodes.

Tonnage -70
Armor points- 165
Start weapons - 8
Minimum level - 41
Minimum heavy skill - 25
Levels/Weapons - 4
Showroom floor weapon load out - 2 Spitfire Racks, 1 T11 Berserker, 1 Plutocracy, 2 Wrecker Shots, and 2 Death Heads.

*Note upgrade cost for one of these is 533 Ferrite, 466 Bioptics, and 3 niodes per level.

Now with that out of the way please note like most of my reviews I'll be basing it on what I have in my hanger. At present mine is a level 115. So mileage may vary depending on where yours is, level wise if you have one.

I'm looking at 5 cockpit slots, 5 chassis, 4 engine, and 4 shield slots at present with 36 weapon slots. It looks promising on equipment set up, got to say so far it reminds me of the Frigis and how it leveled up. If the conjecture on my behalf is right well then this will be fun and affordable to equip. After all it's a 70 ton mecha, the equipment pieces available in that tonnage range no matter crystal or niode are pretty decent.

This mecha has bonuses to missile damage, x 1.5 damage modifier, projectile damage bonus, ice as well as fire damage bonuses, the Fork ability, and its own basic shield. Granted the fire and Ice damage bonuses are minimal but to even see them on a gun and missile mecha, is impressive. The 1.5X damage is interesting. Looks like someone was paying attention to how the Fext did some massive damage, scaled down what they could, and installed it here.

Overall its a pretty solid mecha. From what I am seeing so far it seems to be able to hold its own. Equipment looks like it will give you room for playing around to possibly tweak your fire and ice damage. Weaponry is solid even with no augmentation on its primary weapons of projectile and missile. Although I imagine most pilots will change out the weapons and fiddle with different configurations. Go for it, looks like this model was made for fiddling.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Tundris Fantasy Mecha Take Two By Pat Willis#224534

Recommended retail price.
22,000 Ferrite
18,000 Bioptics
135 Niodes.

The Tundris is a 100 Ton mecha designed by the Brotherhood and manufactured on Garhan station by the J&K Distribution team of Johnathan Judas and Kellek (The Niodemancer, and the Forerunner construct who thinks he is a Forerunner.)  It was virtually made to order given it is based on many improvement notes from the clans Ice specialists (Cryomancers) and advancements in larger mecha technologies.

At the heart of this mecha is a Frigis base so the skeletal system is still forged from multi layered Titanium interwoven with Ferronite, folded and refolded many times in the style of Old Earth Damascus steel. The main difference there is that it then gets an additional exoskeleton armor package to make up the difference and bring it up from the 80 Ton range into the 100 Ton range.

 This upgrade package includes - state of the art reinforced ferrite weave for the cockpit, with extended multi directional sensors across the mecha to alert you to incoming danger from all directions. It is equipped with redundant niobium nerve bundles to give it a slight speed boost for so heavy a mecha. This also increases pilot to mecha reaction time in the heat of combat. The targeting system has been overhauled from the Frigis design to feature optical overlay pinpoint targeting as opposed to the more traditional H.U.D. system so common in other mechas.

At the heart of this upgrade is the Perpetual Singularity engine. There are four chambers deep within the Tundris core that create minuscule singularities in directional opposition from one another. Much like the Frigis and its reverse niode polarization burst. But this engine harnesses the intense energies of the singularities trying to feed off of each other and redirects them to where they are needed most.

The exterior of the mecha is a dense mixture of ferronite and mirrored ceramic overlay which allows it to absorb all but the most devastating of hits with barely a notice. Modifications exist within the armor add-on to pull more power from the mechas systems and divert them to weapons when needed. It has state of the art niobium actuators at the joints also allowing for better reaction time in so heavy a mecha.

The shoulder area of this mecha is much more pronounced than that of the Frigis. It houses triple cryogenic gas vents which super cool the atmosphere around the mecha, and drawing said air into the mecha itself. It adds these super cooled gases to its freeze mixture (affectionately called slush by its creators), to then be mixed with both chemical and liquid solutions inside the arm cannon housing. When the mixture is fired it works much like a projectile, but what is coming out is all absolute zero ordinance.

The arms of this mecha are much more blunted than its little brother the Frigis. This is so the arms when firing can build up more momentum to their ammo. The angled ends of the arms allow for a buildup and release of excessive gasses from the intake vents to be added for propulsion when fired allowing the shot to reach sonic velocity. This helps the Tundris to slow, and freeze most mechas without much more than a couple of shots. These weapon arms, as well as the shoulder vents use a great deal of power as there is so much going on with them at once it becomes obvious why the Perpetual Singularity Engine was chosen to power this beast.

Recommended start weapons.
2 Winter's Grasp, 2 Frigis dream, 2 Wendigo, 3 Glace, 1 Burning Ice, 5 Gorgon


Tonnage     100
Armor Points     280
Start Weapons     15
Min Level     98
Min Heavy Skill 75
Levels/Weapon     6
Manufacturer     J&K Distributors.

 Build     Ice Damage + 9%
Build     Speed - 26
Build     3X Damage 2%
Build     Shield (5)
Build     Missile Shield 5%
Level 2     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 3     + 1 Weapon Slot
Level 4     Fork Shield 5%
Level 5     + 1 Shield Slot
Level 6
+ every 3 levels     + 1 Weapon Slot
Level 7     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 8     Laser Shield 5%
Level 8     Ice Damage + 4%
Level 10     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 11     Ice Damage + 6%
Level 13     Missile Shield (6)
Level 13     Missile Shield 5%
Level 14     Speed + 5
Level 16     Fork Shield 10%
Level 18     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 19     Ice Shield 5%
Level 22     Ice Damage + 6%
Level 23     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 24     2X Damage 4%
Level 25     Speed + 5
Level 26     + 1 Shield Slot
Level 28     Fire Shield (5)
Level 29     Laser Shield 5%
Level 29     Proj. Vulnerable 2%
Level 31     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 32     Ice Damage + 5%
Level 34     Ice Shield 5%
Level 35     Missile Shield 10%
Level 37     Fork Shield 15%
Level 38     Ice Damage + 6%
Level 40     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 41     Speed + 5
Level 43     Missile Shield (6)
Level 44     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 45     3X Damage 5%
Level 46     Fire Shield (10)
Level 47     Splash 5%
Level 49     2X Damage 4%
Level 50     Precision (5)
Level 50     Ice Damage + 10%
Level 50     + 1 Shield Slot
Level 50     Dodge (5)
Level 52     Speed + 5
Level 55     Laser Shield 5%
Level 56     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 58     Missile Shield 10%
Level 61     Ice Damage + 10%
Level 62     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 63     Ice Shield 5%
Level 65     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 66     Speed + 5
Level 68     Missile Shield (6)
Level 72     Ice Damage + 10%
Level 73     Fire Shield (10)
Level 75     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 77     Splash 10%
Level 79     3X Damage 5%
Level 81     + 1 Shield Slot
Level 83     Ice Damage + 4%
Level 86     Wide Fork Shield 10%
Level 88     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 89     Speed + 5
Level 91     Missile Shield (6)
Level 94     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 95     Proj. Vulnerable 2%
Level 95     Shield (10)
Level 97     Ice Damage + 4%
Level 98     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 100     Precision (7)
Level 100     Splash 5%
Level 104     3X Damage 5%
Level 106     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 109     Wide Fork Shield 10%
Level 112     Speed + 3
Level 116     Missile Shield 10%
Level 118     Ice Damage + 10%
Level 121     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 124     Shield (10)
Level 128     Splash 10%
Level 130     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 133     2X Damage 6%
Level 137     Fire Shield (10)
Level 141     + 1 Engine Slot
Level 143     Missile Shield 5%
Level 148     Precision (8)
Level 152     Ice Damage + 4%
Level 154     + 1 Shield Slot
Level 157     Ice Shield 10%
Level 163     + 1 Chassis Slot
Level 166     Splash 5%
Level 175     Laser Shield 10%
Level 175     Proj. Vulnerable 2%
Level 178     + 1 Cockpit Slot
Level 182     3X Damage 5%
Level 185     Fire Shield (5)
Level 190     Wide Fork Shield 10%

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Sideways The Novum Mecha Spotlight By Pat Willis#224534

Like most I obtained my flying mecha from the mission Zone it shares its name with, Novum. Its a slick, swooped back design, sporting more dodge ability than thought previously possible. Normally I would sell off a low tonnage mech, but something about this one made me keep it. As far as I know these are still available on the mission zone Novum Dolorum. Bosses completed or not, it is a mission drop, a very rare mission drop, but a drop all the same.

So I kept this little speed demon and noticed right off she wasn't crystalline based like the Jadoon, this puppy is a niode mecha. As such she is three niodes per level for leveling cost. That isn't too bad if you are a niode heavy player, use your one a day level gifts (that takes forever at the rate of one a day.), or frequent the missions zones which reset often now for mini boss fights to save up niodes for leveling. So there are ways to level it in game without having to spend a dime, unless that is your preferred route in which case more power to you.

The Novum is a 25 Ton flying niode mecha with real simple basic abilities before  installing equipment. Right now mine is at level 57 and slowly being upgraded, I am at level 95, so its before equipment bonuses are as  follows- Speed + 44, Dodge (24), Missile Vulnerable 30%, Laser Damage + 9%, 3X Damage 14% . As with the Jadoon it shares a missile vulnerability, but this is at a higher percentage rate than the Jadoon. It is simply smaller and packs less armor so whatever can hurt a Jadoon, will really hurt these Novum as they share the same basic design body wise.

As it is a smaller lighter mecha thus far it has only 2 cockpit slots which I have filled with FOF Targeting systems granting it a precision bonus, x2 Damage, Missile and Projectile weapon damage upgrades to a small percent. The chassis is made up of 2 Hip actuators for a dodge of (12) per, and one spinal bracing for another dodge of (12). I have 2 engine slots which I put Cogwerk Micro Blocks in for a speed of +25 and and auto repair of (1) per engine. Also it has 1 shield slot which I filled with a Crabworth Alpha for a missile shield of 44%, but I gain an ice vulnerability of 12%. Honestly that doesn't overly concern me as most ice weapons can't fire as fast as this thing can move, and dodge. See what I mean below....

All told with equipment her stats become......
Level: 57 / 94
Armor: 131
Laser Damage + 9%
Missile Damage + 20%
Proj. Damage + 8%
Speed + 94
3X Damage 14%
2X Damage 12%
Dodge (60)
Precision (10)
Auto Repair (2)
Shield (6)
Missile Shield 14%
Ice Vulnerable 12%
Class: Novum
Weapons: 16

Nothing ground breaking I know but hey she is fast and can dodge like crazy, precision needs work but again this is only level 57, working with what I had stored away in my hanger.

The weapon systems are simple with 2 Rage Pulsars with 95 straight damage and crit-kill abilities, 3 H.Blast Plates to take advantage of the projectile bonus with 63 straight damage and the small chance for trample, 2 57AM missile launchers for 96 straight damage with a small percentage chance for Splash ability, and finally 9 Heat Lasers with straight damage of 60, and a small percentage chance at x2 damage.

All in all this is a fine mecha. It's fast, its small, and maneuverable. Light armor but built for speed and dodging at high velocity, and able to pack a punch to boot. So I have to say I'm thus far impressed by the outcome. Somethings could be improved on yes, but this is a work in progress and will likely change a few times before I settle on a configuration. But for now that's how she stands for better or worse.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Cryomancer Fire And Ice KOTM Configuration Mecha Spotlight By Pat Willis#224534

This particular Boreas build is at 108, and leans heavily on the ice side of the weapons configuration. As always there is room for improvement but that is what this game is all about, constantly evolving and getting better.. So first off basic stats just from levels and build with no equipment are as follows...

Tons: 95

Level: 108
Armor: 1337
Class: Boreas

Bonuses before
equipment:
Ice Damage + 100%
Speed - 24
Speed + 24
Precision (51)
3X Damage 18%
Slow (20)
Trample Shield 50%
Splash Shield 25%
Laser Shield 40%
Wide Fork 4%

To bring those stats up I had 6 Cockpit slots, 6 Chassis slots, 6 Engine slots, and 5 shield slots to fill. A lot of equipment and weapons on this mecha are niode yes, but this is a specific build for a specific KOTM so I ramped it up as much as possible. The cockpit slots all got filled in with Haptic Interface, for the 13 precision, added Crit-Kill, and Trample bonuses. The Chassis like so many of my builds are all Muon Junctions. What can I say a Fork of 6%, dodge of 10, and added freeze of 6% is just a good combo. R.A.C.E. Engines went into its slots for speed of 10, an added 1 to dodge, and auto repair capabilities of 1 per piece. The projectile bonus gets utilized a little but as I said this is mainly an elemental build. The shielding slots are not maxed out no, but what I do have is 1 Lightning shield,1 Thiokol Delta, 1 Caudata Delta, and 1Arctic Delta.

Once all that is installed it bring the mechas total stats up to.....

Level: 108 / 108
Armor: 1337

Proj. Damage + 24%
Ice Damage + 100%
Speed + 60
Fork 36%
Wide Fork 4%
3X Damage 18%
Trample 18%
Crit-Kill 12%
Slow (20)
Precision (129)
Freeze 36%
Dodge (66)
Auto Repair (6)
Shield (112)
Splash Shield 25%
Trample Shield 65%
Laser Shield 40%
Missile Shield 38%
Ice Shield 19%
Proj. Shield 29%
Fire Shield 52%
Proj. Shield (30)

Class: Boreas
Weapons: 46

Now those 46 weapon slots were a total pain in the exhaust vent to fill but I took pretty much all the big Ice weapons I had and split them up between this model and its two brother models. This configuration focuses on speed with its lesser damage Ice weapons, and high damage weapons to cash in on the mecha bonuses mainly the +100% Ice damage bonus.

I put in 7 Wendigo, 8 Flash Freeze, 4 Burning Ice, 3 Polar Vortex, 5 Winter's Grasp, 6 Skuliaq, 6 Khron, 4 Arbitrator, 1 Glace,and 2 Creeping Chill. So as I did apply the damage bonus for projectiles weapons with the Arbitrator I focused mainly on the ice weapons. I figure for a 95 ton mecha the speed isn't bad at all, couple that with the precision and faster ice weapons before the slower heavier damage weapons kick in, and it's kind of a monster on the field.

Now of course a high percentage crit-kill mecha with crit-kill weapons will take it out, then again such will take out even the heaviest and toughest of mecha no matter what you put on it. With that said this build for Cryomancer is perfect for fire and ice tourneys with the build bonus to weapons as well as tourney bonus to the same and this is one fairly solid mecha.

So here you have it, a mecha with very high precision, decent speed, auto repair which helps in a pinch, huge ice weapon damage bonuses, and fairly stable shielding perfect for your elemental weapon damage tourneys. I do these little spotlights just to show where my head is at on a certain build. I know folks read them as I can see the site stats for each article, I just hope it helps out those trying to figure out how to set up a mecha. My way is not the only way obviously, and yes some of my builds carry obvious flaws, but hey at least you get an idea of what's behind the hanger doors.














Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

My Life is Over... by David McCallum #701548

How many times have we as older beings heard this from the young?


Usually coupled with the immortal lines, "You just don't understand!"


Now as a member of the officer corps, there are rare occasions (on account of me generally trying my best to avoid such responsibility or accountability) when I actually have to enforce discipline and order among the rank and file.


Horrible unwashed mob of heathens that they are.


This applies to one of my very junior pilots, who could also be best described as a smell consisting of noise.


Generally an affable and easy going chap (even if he does at times have problems breathing and walking at the same time), things have been known to come to a head when such subjects as 'keeping ones bunk area tidy' and 'adhering to the washing up roster' are concerned.


A number of duty derelictions in said areas, coupled with 'insubordination', 'conduct unbecoming' and 'generally being a frakking drama queen and using up precious oxygen that I may wish to breath' had managed to earn an indefinite revocation of his mech-jock licence and a lock being put on his A.I.


His behind had been so grounded, you would swear his legs had been cut off.


He did eventually regain an operational status, and clambered back into the cockpit with all the experience and wisdom of the level 12 (going on 200) pilot he is, eager to get back to his duty, guard the Mecha Galaxy and head off to the Vupa gateway to generally cause mayhem and prod buttock.

Which despite him having served a tour of duty on Cogwerk was now locked to him due to a gate reset having occurred during his 'down time'.


We shut off the general comm channels to protect those un-involved from the ensuing wailing and gnashing of teeth.


So a quick about face and off he trooped with his 9 mech squadron in the general direction of the Cogwerk Gate.


Which was also locked due to him only having served a single tour there.


A wobbly of epic proportion now ensued.


While we have no way of measuring the actual scale of said wobbly, I would tentatively place it between the wobbly thrown by Patrick on the one occasion he accidentally found himself to be sober and the Great Rain Wobbly (I had to use capitol letters there because it really was a good one...) thrown by one General John Fuller when the weather on planet was so inclement that he found he was unable to go fishing, and then discovered that the same bad weather had also delayed our supply shipment, meaning we had run out of coffee.


The Great Rain Wobbly is the reason why all Heroes personnel are now trained in the use of cattle prods, a preservation measure we are all extremely thankful for Colonel Toenjes implementing.


But I digress....


So having finally calmed down (and headed off in the direction of the Pirate Moon), I was under the impression that I would be able to get on with something more useful, like playing with my Notos or working out new and inventive ways to wind Kenneth up, when a call comes in.


This is now Mr. Super Pilot's fourth tour over at the Pirate Moon and the natives have learned from their mistakes and have worked out how to deal with him a bit better. And his Universe beating formation of Nerio, Trooper and Orcus have run into a problem... actually three problems, consisting of a Warhorse, Shocklite and one of those fat Anzu things piloted by Kilgore's minions. And when I say 'run into', I should have expanded on this and added the 'fourteen times'.


How dare they use auto-repair...


So the title credits rolled, I grabbed the pop-corn and settled down to watch the show.


Life over? Check.


Don't understand? Check


All my fault? Che...


Now hold on one moment, because I don't recall it being my derriere that was grounded!


Oh, of course, I did the grounding, therefore the fault is mine. Sure, feel free to go and dramatically throw yourself on your bunk, despite the fact it will take a three day expedition and a team of sherpas to breach the laundry mountain so you can get there.


At least, and this is a small mercy, he took the old codger's advice (that is apparently me...) and did a quick side trip to Cogwerk and hit one of the mini-bosses there, just to make sure he was 'in pursuit' and couldn't have the gateway lock on him, as it inevitably would after the next Major Meltdown.


Oops, guess who just had his licence revoked again.


It is at times like this, when I sit and reflect (while wishing I could pour molten lead into my ear canals to block out the wailing and moaning) that I silently beseech the Gamesmasters that run this Mecha Galaxy.


Please, oh please, when the gateways are reset, please do not lock off the advancement points our pilots have achieved. Not only for my own fledgling pilot, but for all those newcomers who don't yet have a mentor like myself to show them the ins and outs and tricks and tweaks to help them along in their career.


If for nothing else, at least do it for the sake of my sanity...


and eardrums.

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Jabberwocky The Dilophos Mecha Spotlight

* Editors note - I came across this in my files of writing, it is the humble origins of my Regis mecha Jabberwocky. She wasn't always a Regis. She used to be a Dilophos, this is the basic build for her back then.

The origins of this mech are quite a tale in and of themselves. It was once part of the beginnings of the AFF piloted then by a man simply called Jabber. This mech has been spoken about in both the A.N.N. and here in our pages at Galaxy Gathering. It was taken to Immolia where the pilot Jabber was then killed by the reawakened Niodemancer Captain Johnathan Judas. Judas then piloted over to the Cogwerk ports and laid siege to the ports with this mech after he renamed it The Heretic. After a long and drawn out confrontation both the Niodemancer and the Dilophos both were brought down by the Illyrain task force and the mech found its way to Star Factories where it was stripped of its weapons and scrubbed of all mission data or so they thought, that is when I purchased it.

It came to me pretty much as an empty mech, no weapons, no equipment and just your basic functions on board. As I started to repair and rebuild it I made a startling discovery. Somehow the original Battle A.I. who was call-signed Wocky was still on board and viable. She had hidden away deep within the mechs subroutines to avoid deletion by The Niodemancer when he had stolen and renamed her. I was elated to say the least. This was a part of history I now owned. This mech and its accompanying A.I. had brought down rouge Shogunate forces, and bested Sever driving bounty hunters, all before it had ever come into the Galactic spotlight with Judas!

So I began rebuilding her from the ground up. First was her cockpit the battle A.I. needed to be comfortable so I filled her up  with Betrus Processors to give her an overall precision of 70. Next was the chassis which was a simple mixture of Coolant systems and Untiam Actuators, all powered by the engines which were placed inside for which I selected three Indefinite Singularity engines. I even found a couple of shield systems laying around that I installed to her using Vympel Gamma shielding in concert with KLIF Gamma shields and added an Arctic Delta.

I had to strip down some other mechs I had to get all the weapons together and splurged to get a few more in the process. Resulting in the following for her weapon system - a simple mixture of multiple Archfiend lasers, double Rage Pulsars, multiple Flavian Spears, a bank of quad Kaos Beams, three Carnassal lasers, with the rest being Galaxy Eye lasers to fully round out her 27 weapon slots at level 85 modification.

So she went from being purchased unequipped and nothing but a shell with the following ratings...

Bonuses before equipment:
Precision (10)
Speed - 15
Fork 27%
Speed + 21
Slow (10)
Missile Vulnerable 8%
Laser Shield 40%
Fire Vulnerable 5%
Laser Damage + 45%
2X Damage 45%
3X Damage 15%
Fire Damage + 10%

To this once all was said and done with her various equipment installed...
Ice Shield 38%
Fire Vulnerable 14%
Shield (61)
Proj. Shield 38%
Laser Vulnerable 10%
Missile Shield 38%
Ice Vulnerable 10%
Speed + 76
2X Damage 54%
Precision (70)
Crit-Kill 18%
Dodge (32)
Fire Damage + 40%
Ice Damage + 30%
Fire Shield (60)
Freeze 21%
Speed - 15
Fork 27%
Slow (10)
Missile Vulnerable 8%
Laser Shield 40%
Laser Damage + 45%
3X Damage 15%

Is there room for improvement? Of course there is and rest assured I will make many modifications before I retire this mech, but for now given it's rich history and some of the battles it has seen it is an honor and a pleasure to own as well as drive this 75 ton monster. The Jabberwocky lives again and she is mine!

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Fourteen Seconds By Kalevi Karvinen#863817

The story starts from king of the mountain, division 10. Contest is named for Cannon balls, so I take it like any unlimited fight. And level spread was really good for me, as it put me high enough to be competitive.

Like always, I waited end fight to start down on ladders, where others had dropped me after joining kotm. That is my fate, join early, then drop down. So there is no point to even try stay up, need spend limited resources more efficiently.

But anyways, clock hit start time and up I go. Fairly easy. Lose some, then win again, until I was top. And stayed there until end. 12 minutes and 7 seconds. New Nephilax to up and weapons to put in place. Hopped between hangar and kotm, upping mechs and waiting event to start. Only hope for medal would be join early and be missed by climbers.

Ah, new one. Join and then back to check what it was. Just King of the mountain this time, so for me it was unlimited again. Level spread was not bad, but not really good either. I was closer to bottom, but at least I was where my level was meant to be, not in penalty box. So there is hope then. Log out, lets wait how low I find myself this time.

Joining lotto, using free up and checking event. Below 10 already. Above me is… With sinking feeling I read name on top spot. Cher Lee. That’s that then, abandon all hope. Four levels above me and using best that game can offer. Yeah, it was really short dream of another gold.

End fight had started some time ago, I was mainly waiting this to end and next to start. Going to get bronze this time, not bad as such, usually after gold I did not get anything.

Tick tack. Tick tack. Seems that this is one of those long ones… Three fights to hit Cher… About 50 xp… I really would liked to see what he got there, even if I know I won’t win… Silver wont be that much more xp than bronze… Tick tack… Aww, hell. Lets see if I can do anything.

So up I went. Hitting only as high as I could, no point of fighting if cant drop all. Needed some double attacks, but finally could reach first spot. Cher Lee. So what you got there, just one 500$ or many times that. Here we go…

Hah, that was as bad I was expecting. Did see only his first line before all of mine was dead. But sure enough, nothing but big mechs there. Well, another try. Come on!! At least want see second line. Again! So close, just one lucky hit and would been past first line. Again! Still no luck! Well, this kotm going to end soon anyway, same to hit all I got.

So I started do fast attacks. Just click fight and back as fast I could. Then collect super hatoraide from inventory and back making useless fights. Second super gone. Third. Fourth. WHAT!! I’M FIRST!! I WIN!!

My heart was skipping beat or two. Keep refreshing page and waiting to drop. No way that Cher would leave me there. But how I would like to see that “What the… How??” face of his, when he drop me and see that there really weren’t anything that should even make dent to his formation. Minute. Second. Third.

Started checking other divisions and ongoing battles. He must be fighting hard somewhere else, or not be online at all, if I’m still top. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Come on, end already. Double gold so close. Seventh. Eight. Ninth. Please. Please. End. If not Cher, then anybody else could drop me too. No movement yet. Not fair. End. Please end.

Nothing to do but wait. And refresh page every second. Or twice every second. Not sure, just kept clicking. Tenth. Eleventh. Can’t even remember when last felt tension like this. Heart was pounding all over my chest, how it could move like that. Darn. End!! Twelfth. Nick, you are sadist. End. Please. End.

Fights. Is he there? Back to ladder. Not first! NOT FIRST? What! Who? No no no… refresh, need attack fast… blank screen… game is reloading… main page… that awful sinking feeling, kotm has finally ended. I had lost. Felt enormous disappointment. Lost.

Archive. So, who did this. Jesse Charles Anderson. Who? Where he did come? Somewhere way down… aww darn. 14 seconds. If I didn’t go look fights, I would been there when he hit, and could hit back. Judging by tons and level, I bet I could even drop him back down, maybe not first hit but surely before run out of fights. But not today. Silver was just what I expected when started my mad rush, but oh that I am disappointed. Fourteen seconds. I manage drop monster and then lose some random last second “oh, kotm is still on” attack? Fourteen seconds.

Maybe this is what those winners who next hear “sorry, read wrong name” feel on those moments. Fourteen seconds.

 Submitted by Kalevi Karvinen#863817

Noob Leader By Kalevi Karvinen Player ID# 863817

Talk about getting thrown in the deep end with trying to lead clan. Faction war was announced, and like usual, it was a mix of waiting and panic. But at that moment I did not have a clue that I would need to lead anything. I just happily sit with my clan, waiting for bosses to do stuff they do, and go where ever I was told to go.

What I remember from earlier faction wars, is it took few days before anything started to happen. This time though, first announcements about who goes where came on same day with the faction war announcement. Even first time guests joined our clan before that day was over. I think the boss wanted to make sure that this time there would be enough time to move players between factions. Nothing to do with me, just idly wondering if I would stay on Smurf War Patrol or move.

Sure enough, I didn’t stay there. Soon came an invite from a total stranger to a clan I had never heard of. Hidden Smurfs. Well, the name has smurf in it, so there I went. Not many players there yet, but still plenty of days left to improve things. All good. At least got my trusty 420 ton specialist again.

More and more players showed up. It started to seem that I would be middle strength player this time. Kinda of a long time for last experience of that spot. And the clan page started to give us warning about too many small player among us.The leader was way too small. But no worries, the bosses will fix that soon, when we get enough members.

- Hi, what you think, could you be leader after I get this faction ready? There would not be much to do after that, just lock clan and after fights done need start raid and manage limits few times.


- What? Me?


- Yep. You. As you would not do raid anyway, I think you would be fair enough… and managing raid is not that hard- Just set limit 1x when it start and set it free last day. Depending how many actually do raid, you could rise limit middle of raid, just not too much that most get enough time to get their share. Or let it stay 1x until last day, I trust there will be enough active ones to end the raid on the last day anyway.


- You sure that there would not be any need to find extra players? I’m really not that good with people…


- I’m sure. Won’t set you as leader until all is done, and if you lock clan after that, nobody has time to escape… just keep it locked until the war starts, all should go well then.


- ...Not really sure about this, but I can try… But would not mind if you find another leader…


- Sure thing. Thanks.


Leader? Did not expect that. Been happy as regular player, without worries about anything but myself. Well, maybe I can do this, it can’t be that bad…


- You on? Faction is ready, transferring leader to you if you there…

- I’m here.

- You are leader. Lock it up and good luck.


So, I did not escape this experience after all. But it wasn't that bad so far, I just needed set few specialists and wait until the final lock. And trust that others know what they are about to do.


First round: Today and tomorrow [IPG]

Our players were hungry for points. They started fast, took clear lead and kept that growing. At that moment i forfeited any hope to get top 15 group… Not that i couldn’t, but how expensive it would be. A Megazome would be good add-on, but not that good.


So I kept my usual role of defender and last minute hitter on desperate situations. Not that there was anything like that on sight since our opponent was so badly outclassed. Still, I did my usual checks every few hours, including the last hour, but there really was nothing to do. Didn’t even bother to find out if all had hit already, score was so overwhelming. Others had done all that was needed already.


End result was that we lost 61 attacks, they lost 55, so our aggression was showing but not that badly. Final score was: Today and Tomorrow [IPG] 424, Hidden Smurfs 755.



Second round: Battle Group BlackStar

This went almost like first round. Except for that little detail that we were ones who got beaten. Badly. Counted theoretical points, trying to figure how this would end. Did not look good, but it did feel like there could be a chance if we fight smart and have little luck… okay, lots of luck, but it could be done.



Anyway, I emptied the fight bar, taking every sure target away. Not my usual tactic that early in the round, but I wanted more points on score table. That done, I stepped back to normal bystander role, waiting how events would proceed.



Not good. Not good at all. Soon the score was as overwhelming as first round, just in the opposite direction. Little complaining on clan page, as expected, but there wasn't much anybody could do other than just wait for the round to end.



End results were surprisingly similar than on first round. We lost 62 attacks, they lost 47. Taking the situation into account, we did really good. Final score was: Battle Group BlackStar 687, Hidden Smurfs 432.



Third round:The messed up name clan

(sorry about name, no clue how to make those symbols). I think our clan was more than little pissed about last round. They started round even more efficiently than first round. Message was loud and clear. “Lost gold, but silver is ours to take. So, be nice, roll over and die”.



Not sure how excited they were, but die they did. Fast. Soon we were so far ahead on points, that there really was no need to participate any more… unless there was miraculous recovery from the opponent near the end. Strangers things has happened, so I did a regular check, even if did not believe that it was actually necessary.



The end result was better than previous rounds. We lost only 27 attacks, they lost 50. Final score was: Them 27, Hidden Smurfs 700.

Raid:

The raid button emerged faster than expected. The difficulty was I felt a little excitement when I used  the button (first time I got to do that). And more than little panic when raid did not start. Nothing on main page. Nothing on clan page. Last hope was battles and there bosses tab, and felt enormous relief when the raid was there at last. I opened it to check numbers. 31896 kills, 1x for mechs 724 but actual 1x 750 kills. Setting cap to 750 and started waiting for kills to happen. I also checked the clan and main pages again, finally the raid was showing there to.



As the day went by, some killed more than others. Many did not kill nearly as much as I was hoping. This is the biggest reason why I avoid the leader's seat almost more than xp. How long can I make others wait before it’s safe to increase limit, and how much can I increase it. Maybe a hundred or two at first, it should be safe enough…



The first suggestions to go to x2 (and higher) came soon after that. From active ones, they wanted more kills, not wanting to wait if slow ones would actually start making kills. And I understand their point of view, the worst thing that could happen would be that the raid would fail if we run out of time when end monsters show up. But I really wanted give more time for all to catch up, two days should be enough to end this. I hope.



Mechs left count is steadily shrinking. I felt less and less sure if I should set it free, instead x2 started to feel to be the more suitable option. There were so many who hit limit as soon as it increased, so with x2 there should be more players with increased odds for mechs. Even if I know that some would be disappointed, as with free kills they would get even more chances for themselves.



So to compromise, I set the limit to x2 for now, planning make raid free around the twenty hour mark, figuring that if the little kill group haven’t continued by then, there wouldn’t be enough time for them to catch up anyway. Time to wait again.



Timer was close for 22 hours left, and there were hard walls, but also multiple players hitting, so I was kinda relieved. The raid would be done soon, and multiple players would have hit x2 limit. Sure enough, before two hours were gone, it was done. From 32 players who participated raid, 11 got x2 and 11 just x1. 6 were way over x1, but not enough for x2. Sadly 4 killed just a few, but in the end, not a bad allotment of shares. I don’t know what everybody got, if anything, but I hope that at least some are happy for their loot.

Alts And How They Effect Business By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

Alts, alts, alts. Everywhere there’s alts. Alts are handy as a way of supplying yourself with crystal, providing added coverage in thin Clans, and for building obscure Specialists to help stymie the competition.


But how many alts is too many? People have filled entire clans with Alts. In one case, a whole Division, then it was speculated they were able to throw a match for the purpose of betting. But these are shenanigans that typically only affect the in house economics, or at most the pocketbooks of users. And to his benefit, Nick is able to deal with these moments fairly effectively on a case by case basis.


But how can the number of alts in the game effect it on a business level? To show this, I’m going to use the example of Facebook itself.


In February of 2012, Facebook became a publicly traded company. Stocks rose to over $38 a share over the next quarter, the Heavens opened up and proclaimed Facebook a great success with comparisons to such companies as Google and Viacom (which had actually offered Mark Zuckerberg  $75 million back in 2006) as far as share valuation was concerned.


The preliminary prospectus of the company announced that it had 845 million active monthly users who initiated 2.7 Billion likes and comments. Investors were ecstatic over this potential market of which they had access to and the money poured in.


What this was though, was an overvaluing of stock, in part because an estimated 28-32% of active accounts were in fact alternate accounts held by the same active users.


The IPO fiasco tanked Facebook stock down to the low $20s in only a couple weeks and Facebook found itself not only a first quarter flop, but also facing several lawsuits over promised figures. Things had to change.


Now while there are several other reasons for the low IPO other than active users (a glitch mobile platform for example) Facebook took several steps to guarantee a solid value rate to it’s stocks and finally became the traded company of everyone’s dreams reaching $68 a share by 2014. One of these steps was the cracking down on alt accounts to get and maintain a solid number of active users to base its IPO off of.


Now fast forward to today in Mecha Galaxy. Mecha Galaxy has worked hard to not be typical of the “cash vacuum wrapped in a game” model that so many other games on Facebook have used. There are at least three different platforms (Facebook, Kongregate, and Mechagalaxy.com), in-game currency in the form of niodes, some boosts, and that’s about it. Nick tries to garner as much of his operating costs as possible through the use of rent parties, betting events on Clan Wars, and sales on both the Facebook platform and on the website platform. Even the messages to friends are kept to a minimum. Leveling up and of course Honor Guard postings are about as intrusive as it gets which by and large pleases the whole community.


Now we get to the trickier parts, and that would be advertising by Facebook investors. You might see this in a couple forms. One and the most obvious is the videos. Investors have direct access to MG users who use the videos as a way to gain niodes. Here they can bombard you as much as you can take for as long as you can take it. Direct correlation between active users and marketing analysis is achieved

.

Then you would have the more subtle marketing ties, and that’s through algorithms. As a user of Mecha Galaxy, there are certain sites, articles, forums, pages, groups, chats, and clickable thingies that you use. From all of these different places, algorithms are created every time you click or post, allowing investment data miners to categorize your political affiliation, your buying habits, your interests, and what might fascinate you enough to be sidetracked. These things make the number of active users a very serious business matter for Facebook, its investors, and any advertisers that pay Nick directly for access to his users.


Recently the community saw a number of accounts receive nerfing at the end of Faction wars. In this case, accounts were picked as being low level accounts that were over powered and earning more than their fair share of KotMs, causing disgruntled new players who might not stay long enough to appreciate what Mecha Galaxy actually is. Valid reasoning. Without new players the game stagnates and stagnation leads to ruin.


However, I do see a future when either Facebook or investors are going to possibly pressure Nick into having a more strict policy over alt accounts as a way of being able to reconcile actual user accounts and original clicks and posts. And when that day comes, do not be surprised when you find yourself short a few accounts.

Crossfire The Fext By Pat Willis#224534

The Fext is a one hundred ton monster as we all know, capable of handing out up to X9 damage in one hit. This is more of a in progress build as I am still tweaking it and dialing it in. But I will tell you what all is on it for now.

I have 7 Cockpit slots I filled with 5 Predictive Analysis, 1 Oculus Drift, and 1 Retro Controls. The 5 P.A.'s provide Precision, Trample, Crit-Kill, and X3Damage potential. They also pack a Laser Vulnerability at 4% a piece. The 1 O.D. provides further precision, more Trample, as well as Laser and Projectile Damage bonuses. Last we add in the Retro Controls for added Precision, Crit-Kill, X2 Damage, a Dodge bonus, and a Speed boost.


The Chassis is 6 slots all filled with Lateral Stabilizers for the Dodge, X3 Damage, and Speed bump. The trade off there is even more Laser vulnerabilities, and now a Fire Vulnerability. The six engine slots are all filled with Orcus Wheels for the Speed, Projectile Damage, X2 Damage potentials. But again we have even more Laser Vulnerabilities, and now we have Ice added in as well. It should be noted that this mecha has built in Ice shielding as a build bonus and at my current level of 115 it sits at 70% with a Trample Shield likewise at 70%.

The four shield slots are equipped as follows. 1 Lightning shield which gives Projectile shielding, Fire shielding and further Trample shielding, as well as a basic "shield" rating, but has an Ice vulnerability. Then I have a Crabworth Epsilon for Missile shielding but again we run into Ice Vulnerability. I then installed 2 Viridel Epsilon Laser shields seeing as my Laser vulnerabilities were getting a bit out of hand. Those in turn left me with Missile vulnerabilities. But as there are only 4 shield slots you kind of have to hope for the best.

So when everything gets installed and he fires up his engines his total build stats plus equipment turns his total stats into the following......


Level: 115 / 115
Armor: 1521
Proj. Damage + 34%
Laser Damage + 51%
Speed + 55
1.5X Damage 65%
2X Damage 57%
Trample 33%
3X Damage 82%
Fork 9%
Crit-Kill 16%
Dodge (79)
Precision (74)
Shield (151)
Trample Shield 79%
Proj. Shield (30)
Laser Shield 10%
Ice Shield 40%
Proj. Shield 38%
Fire Vulnerable 15%
Missile Vulnerable 8%
Class: Fext
Weapons: 49

Now as to the weapons, they cost a pretty penny to accumulate but hell it's a niode mecha with full on niode gear may as well give it niode guns and round it out. So it has 7 Blue Dragons, 1 Kanabo, 1 Jurassic Storm, 2 Blossoming Beams,5 Harmonic Disruptors, 7 Galaxy Eyes, 5 Ursa Strikes, 11 Big Berthas, 2 Death's Rage, 2 Nutcrackers, 4 Kaos beams, and 2 Rage Pulsars.

So there you have it my build for my first ever Fext named Crossfire. Are there flaws here? Of course there are, but as I said it is a build in progress. This is just what I have in it so far. Take from it what you will.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Mech Review The Harrell By Pat Willis#224534

Welcome one and all to the Galaxy Gathering mech review of the Harrell. I’m your host Pat Willis and today we will be talking about the Cadillac of Mechas the Harrell. This is not an impulse buy coming in at  15,800 Ferrite, 10,300 Bioptics and a whopping 350 Crystals this is a mecha intended for serious buyers and more serious fighters.

Pilots love this thing no doubt; I myself have one and think it is excellent. It is all about pilot comfort and safety with its spacious cockpit holding basic hygiene facilities, a stocked rations pantry, and probably the most sophisticated and comfortable pilot neural relay imaginable to date. The Harrell also contains inner shielding around the cockpit to protect the pilot from any lethal damage the mech takes. Which then will serve as your own personal shield as it cocoons you in case of ejection, it is simply one of the safest mechs out there.

The Harrell is a slug thrower coming equipped with a Hex Cannon, Wrecker shots, Smooth Bores, Rail Guns, and a couple of Maulers. It is easily customizable with many options for cockpit equipment and chassis equipment, as well as plenty of room for whatever shielding combination you desire, but it is a slow mecha in comparison to the other bigger mecha.  It of course stacks on the damage to slug throwing weapons but it can be customized to suit any pilot’s needs. This mecha can and does hold its own nicely, it is just capable of so much more further down the road as it levels and adds more abilities and slots to its already impressive arsenal..

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Hip Shocks Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

This is a piece of Niode chassis gear for mechas 35-55 tons. It'll cost you 620 Ferrite, 465 Bioptics, and 23 Niodes to buy one. It has the abilities of Dodge [8], Speed +4, Precision [2], and Ice Shield at 8%. Not bad actually given the price, very generous piece of equipment.

Dodge is pretty standard, a speed boost with dodge however is not par for the course, but this piece has it. Precision is nice but barely there with its rating, the Ice shielding is sweet especially since a lot of mean ice throwers have been released lately. If more pieces of equipment could be made like this for the higher tonnage mechas this would be a very dangerous galaxy to be in. Back to the point at hand though, these are just a sweet deal, get em, love em, stack em if you can.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Apocalyptor Of The Jadoon Mecha Spotlight

This mech is special to me, while not sentient in the traditional sense like your Skraig, Gigus, or Nakshi it is aware. It is crystalline based as opposed to niode and is imbued with an insectoid intelligence yet no biological systems or organic material are to be found anywhere on or within the mech. Somehow it retains a consciousness and is most definitely self aware. One day soon I hope to crack this mystery and reveal it to the Galaxy at large, for now we'll all just have to settle on the basic modifications I have made to the mech for its current battle prowess.

To start with the brains of this mech are very simple as it already comes with a highly complex system for detecting energy fluctuation, I further modified that ability by giving it all Sensor Arrays. Nothing fancy here really just bonuses to its precision and added damage bonuses to the already deadly laser weapons the mech employs as is. Chassis is likewise simple utilizing Muon Junctions across the board for dodge, a fork ability and a freeze potential. Engines are likewise pretty simple with all Heat Cyclers, doesn't make it the fastest mech granted but it does allow for it to move at a good clip for so heavy a mech.

Weapon systems in keeping with the design of the mech set to maximize laser damage I went a little niode happy with its guns. His main back cannons were taken apart and I installed two Rage Pulsars, then the minor laser banks received my fave bank of five Black Widows (stripped from my other mechs to go to better use on a laser based machine), a Flavian Spear for fun, three Heat Lasers, four Kaos Beams taken from my Dilophos mech, a King Cobra laser system I picked up somewhere along the line, two Cat's Eye Mega beams I got, a couple of  Hack Lasers, a Duboce, and the rest filled in with Galaxy Eyes.

All in all the modifications allow for a 36% fork ability, dodge and precision both coming in the 60's, and laser damage at +87%. This is a work in progress of course as I learn more about the strange critter that is the Jadoon of course I will modify it further to increase and capitalize on its unique abilities. As stands now it is no slouch in the damage department, the  on board insect intelligence seems pleased with hard work and effort that have gone into it thus far. With his guidance and teaching I hope to make Apocalyptor one of the baddest little crystal mechs out there. Time will tell if I succeed.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Retirement of a Legend by David McCallum #701548

It is with no small amount of sorrow that I must announce the retirement of a player who is literally one of our legends.

Don Fugate of Zeon is stepping away from the game.


The word legend is correct, for you will find him listed in the Hall of Legends under the entry for the Torrent, a machine that he rightly became known as an extremely dangerous opponent with. For those who have been around a while, he is an integral part of the Zeon machine that has been a force to be reckoned with at the higher levels of the game.


However if you look down towards the bottom of his accolades, you will find record of the time that I know Don from, a time before Zeon when he joined the first clan I was a member of, Heroes II.


He was a part of the team that brought the first gold to that family and along with others we and I were promptly promoted to the Heroes main regiment, jumped 3 divisions and against the odds brought home a second gold in the Rise of the Specialists.


From my time as his clan mate, I have two lasting impressions. The first is that he is straight as a die... no shades of grey, all black and white. You certainly know exactly where you are with him.


The second is his opinion on specialists. It is perhaps fitting that the final time we met, and the first time on opposing sides it was in a specialist fight.


My clan mate, my opponent, the target of my potato armed ants, my drinking buddy through long nights. I have no Torrent to name in your honour, but in the war when we last met, I earned another that is perhaps more fitting.


I name my mechs alphabetically, and the last was a 'C'. It is fortuitous that the pattern is not broken. Your name at least shall continue to fight, even though you have hung up your helmet.

Know that in the ranks of my chosen specialist formation you shall have a place, for no other reason than I get to play my final joke on you.


Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Ignis mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

Alright lets just get the basics out of the way real fast... Ignis is for pilots with a heavy skill of 45 or higher, any less and you're looking at kick back. You can buy one for 16,000 Ferrite, 13,500 Bioptics, and 145 Niodes. They come equipped with 2 Jurassic Blasts, 1 Hephaistos, 1 Heatray, and 8 Square Flame fire weapons.

Before installation of equipment they have of course Fire Damage bonuses, a built in dodge, Fork ability, X2 Damage capability, Fire, Laser, and Projectile Shields to various extents, Crit-Kill, and finally Auto repair. That's what is in em once you level them minus your equipment which admittedly is a strong selling point. Seeing as these mechas are in the 90 ton range they are safe from the rather abysmal equipment on hand that the higher tonnages have to deal with. Use this to your advantage and load them up with good non wonky equipment and it'll treat you very well on the battle field.

As you can see this is a fire specialist mecha, even though you can tool yours out for whatever weapons you choose its main focus is fire weapons. I own a couple of these and honestly they bring some serious fire power to a fight (no pun intended). There are plenty of Fire weapons on hand to choose from or outfit them to give them a secondary weapon bonus. Both of mine pack a secondary ability of excess Laser Damage. Granted it is nowhere near as high as the Flame damage bonuses from the mecha and levels. It is however nice to know there is a fall back should you get in a pinch and need different weapons or a new approach.

For their size and tonnage they are fairly mobile which is surprising. Their expansion slots make it so you can really modify one out to your personal preferences without much of a problem (both mine have 5 slots across the board for everything Cockpit, Chassis, Engine, and Shield at level 110) So this machine is built with customization in mind. Really once you load one up with the right fire weapons, get it going with good equipment, and hit the battles it will pay for itself many times over with victories and rewards from fights. Do I even need to say how perfect these are for Fire and Ice tourneys? So if you can afford it or if you manage to win one keep it, deck it out and burn the Galaxy down.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Freon Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at the crystal based ice thrower mecha the Freon, aside from the basic purchase information which is shown here you should also know what it comes armed with off the showroom floor. It comes with 1 Enveloper ice weapon, 4 Focused Icer ice weapons, and 1 Cheops beam laser weapon.

As would be expected for a ice mecha the Freon has bonuses to Ice Damage, and has its own inbuilt Slow ability as well as X2 damage potential. It has decent expansion slots and gives you plenty of room to improve upon. For example a level 111 Freon will have 5 Cockpit, 4 Chassis, 4 Engine, and 3 Shield slots to work with.

It should go without saying that one should look at equipment within this tonnage range to figure out which would play best to the mecha strengths, as well as fit individual play style. The thing to remember is it is a 70 ton mecha. It is made for basic engagements, to hold the line for a period of time, or as "heavy" back up for lighter forces. This is not the knock down, drag out, ass kicker such as the Boreas, or the Fext.

It may not be able to hang with the big niode guns but it will serve loyally, and well in your line up. Use the equipment slots to the utmost advantage and stash some kick ass ice weapons on it to get some extra damage from it. You could be looking at one nasty piece of ice hardware once you are done. It is a solid mecha and to pass one over can be a underestimation.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

My Bitter Faction War by David McCallum #701548

I didn't enjoy this war.


Maybe it's like Star Trek films but the other way around, where the odd numbers are good and the even numbers suck.


FW1 was new and exciting, I was a new player and I learned heaps from a great crowd in the Bouncing Blue Brigade. It was a whole heap of fun.


FW3 we teamed up with the Exiles and it was great. They were just as scatty as a barrel of monkeys as they had been in the BBB, and I hope a good time was had by all. I certainly had a blast.


FW5 was the first time we fought alongside our long time opponents the AFF. Far more businesslike, but the craic in team chat was there as well.


I don't know if other people were just busy with real life or what it was this time. Maybe it was just shell shock that set in when we found we had drawn a division 1 berth. There was no faction chat channel set up, and throughout the whole week even our local chat was just... dead.


I wouldn't care, but it started off so well. Birthday celebrations the day before and everyone seemed in a good mood. Quickfire KotMs (and that is something I don't normally go in for) gained folk some nice bonus booty, and I even managed to sneak a quick win while folk were otherwise making their last minute preparations. Nothing like a Nephilax to brighten your day.


Then it was down to business. Objectives listed out. Secure 8 wins for the D1 Notos prize pack. Secure 10 for the standard bonus pack. Use the two impossible wars against Mechalympus and Spirit to try and advance my position from 22nd in the roster to perhaps contend for a Megazome. My 6th Dreadnought from Faction Wars seemed unrealistic when you compared my team-mates and the strength of the opposition. Make damn sure that it was all business in the one fight we had a chance in.


One team mate was having doubts as to his ability in this arena. We worked together to try to ensure he got his 8. We needn't have worried.


Over 10% of Mechalympus started the fight out of formation. Even those that didn't took their sweet time on formation changes when they swapped to attack a specialist. It really seemed as if we just didn't matter to them, the result a foregone conclusion. That we weren't worth the effort of even pretending to be the top players in the game that their level indicated them to be.


There were some high points. I got to fight against a 30 ton formation and had the time to reconfigure after I bounced. 2 kills confirmed that I had improved that formation. I also learned that my 1200 is woefully wrong at this level. That is something that can be rectified later.


I also caught a very high level out of formation and had a stab. The fact that I was giving away over 100 levels and the formation he did have up was what could only be described as 'a bit tasty' meant that I did lose, but it was nice that he messaged me and acknowledged my effort in taking the shot.


Day 1 closed. I had my Notos, I had my bonus for 10, I had the second highest kill tally in the group and I had the feeling that our Division 1 opponents were not taking us seriously.


Day 2 against Spirit of Zeon. Ah, standing in the path of the legendary Colony Drop. It was an extremely educational experience, and I mean that in a good way. I'm not going to give away spoilers, but it is far more than a show of brute force as you would expect and more than a headlong all out attack that clans like the Exiles used to excel at.


There are nuances to the Colony Drop that only a true connoisseur can appreciate. If somebody actually dreamed it up, they either deserve an award or a bullet for being too bloody clever by half. Heck, split the difference and make it a posthumous award. It may simply have evolved without Zeon realising it, in which case all kudos to them for being the well oiled and close knit team we know them to be. It was a privilege to observe and I go away with more knowledge that I can use in the future.


And then once the dust settled, we find that once again over 10% of their forces are out of formation and a number of those who aren't are doing the same sloppy changes and opening themselves up to attack in the way that Mechalympus were.


I came away from that fight annoyed on two counts. First that I had not built a particular formation. I got a lucky kill with something vaguely viable on the particularly outspoken pilot who was taking his sweet time swapping out. I couldn't get the second one despite a good few attempts. I am kicking myself for not prepping better.


But the second reason was that we were being treated with contempt. We had asked for no quarter and begged no favours. It didn't even feel as if we were being thrown the odd spare change, we were beneath their notice, not worth bothering with. Heck, it took prompting for them to even realise exactly who they were fighting.


If its good enough for you to make the effort to turn up in formation when you fight for gold then do me the same damn courtesy.


And meanwhile on the message boards, my clan family were the ones being accused of general sloppiness and making mistakes! It just seemed as though everything about this war was going to be bitter and snippy.


A tally up before the last day changed my mission parameters. 1, keep it tight, make no mistakes, do my damnedest to contribute towards getting the consolation win. Not that anyone would notice apart from our final opponents because all eyes were on the big players. 2, If possible achieve X number of kills. That would make it mathematically impossible for me to not get a Dreadnought.


And so on to the last war. We had a good vanguard that paved the way. We ground out our kills. In the wee small hours when I usually hunt, I searched for targets, checked records and took my kills. Yes, I gave away a few losses, one was unexpected and the other was when a formation swap didn't happen and I hit an enemy light on my second run. I earned kills enough for my 6th green and more kills over and above that went towards us earning bronze.


And as the day drew to a close, I find that I am simply a glory hound, as such who take their shots and grind out their fights and try time and again against stupid odds are labelled by other publications.


Unless of course they are part of the Bunny clans in which case such actions of forlorn hope are written as legend.


Like others, I too have on occasion named a mech in commemoration of a particularly noteworthy event and I shall do so this time. The 6th Dreadnought I have earned in Faction Wars will stand as a reminder to me of the only time I have stood and fought and bled in Division 1, and of the way in which my efforts were viewed by most of the top level players in the game.

Submitted by David McCallum #701548