CW 3316 Rules Changes : A Different Perspective by David McCallum : #701548

In a word, harsh.

Not the rules as such, but the fact that In my opinion it wasn't well advertised and caught undeserving folk on the hop, as opposed to the presumed targets being the low end stuffed alts that are in there riding on other players coat-tails.

Bearing in mind that both Patrick and I try to keep abreast of what is new, something like this would have warranted a news article had we seen it.

I can recall people asking for clarification, and I will be honest, I simply assumed they had it wrong because a cursory search gleaned no rule change that I could find pertaining to this.

It is only with a repost and having it pointed out that I can honestly say that yes, it was there in black and white.

A quote springs to mind.

" ...You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anyone or anything.'
' But the plans were on display...'
'On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.'
' `That's the display department.' 
`With a torch.' 
`Ah, well the lights had probably gone.' 
`So had the stairs.' 
`But look you found the notice didn't you?' 
`Yes,' said Arthur, `yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of The Leopard".' 
-- Douglas Adams.

OK, perhaps a little harsh since a number of people had actually spotted it, but I think the point remains that it could have been advertised more. A post of its own for starters rather than stuck in the middle of the whole rule list.

Since the devs are in communication with all the news sites, we could have even been asked to advertise this change for maximum coverage.

Perhaps a lesson for the future, because hindsight is always 20-20.

But let us turn to the heart of the matter and see how it can be addressed moving forward.

Was the object to stop campers from getting freebies by riding in on peoples coattails, or is it to promote good play?

Does it stop the campers? Yes, I'd say it does. They now have to at least make some attacks in order to get anything, and they need to be high enough to stand a chance. Gone are the days when a level 10 account could earn 80 ton mechs for free, plus the skill points to be able to use them.

I would say however it penalises those who turn up and are willing, able and ready to fight, but find themselves simply outclassed.

I have been the 'tail end Charlie' of my clan a number of times, and I'm well aware of how hard it can be to get wins. Its not impossible, just an uphill struggle.

You can catch specialists out of formation. You can study replays and search for a viable target, maybe not always the one that is lowest level. Sometimes you just take a 'Hail Mary' and score a touchdown.

Somebody who fights like that has turned up to have a go. They are legitimately attempting to be competitive, and while they may be murderously out of their league, they are willing.

I wouldn't penalise anyone who was willing...

The thing is, its subjective. Its very hard to code into the game. It needs judgement, and intervention by a human hand.

It's not something that the devs would want to get involved with, since they are already tasked hard.

But you know, pretty much all sports have an appeal process.

Caveat: I'm talking here about medal awards, not the bonus prizes. Yes, there are people who will use sportsmanship and allow an opponent the chance to get their bonus, while others will not because they believe it should be earned legitimately. I'm not getting into that debate.

But in the Soccer World Cup, the goalkeepers on the winning team still get their medal, even though they will never score a goal... theirs was a different contribution to the team and the victory. Just bear that in mind.

So what if there were a mechanism where shortly after the war a player could lodge an appeal. We have players of good standing in the community who could be trusted to make an unbiased decision... or more than one, from different clans, just in case.

The burden of providing proof is on the person lodging the appeal of course, probably with permalinks or screenshots.

"Look, I tried the bottom guy in each fight but they were too strong so I stopped. Here are the links..."

"Check here, XXX player was attacking ants so I thought I'd catch them out of formation but they swapped back too quick..."

"I only got 2 wins, but my spec got 7 def wins..."

If they contributed, or they look like they turned up to make a go of it, then yes the adjudicators could contact the devs and say it appears legitimate, give them their prize.

Cumbersome, yes... any appeal is. But it does at least give a chance of redressing an injustice.


Oh, one final thing, and I'm sorry for this Patrick.

Had I been on the appeal panel, yes, def wins would be in your favour, but lack of attacks (RL or not, its happens to us all) would have gone against you. Not sure how I would adjudicate on that.

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Clan Wars 3316 What A Waste Of Time By Pat Willis#224534

This last Clan War saw the introduction of a new rule, apparently if you did not get at least four offensive wins you got no loot, skill points, or medal for your profile. So wait a second, you're telling me I can suit up, defend till I'm blue in the face, rack up defensive wins in a specialist position and still get no more than a... "Hey, thanks for showing up."

Seriously? So I'm good enough to hold a line, and effectively get my ass shot off but I get nothing for it? I can get kills for defending, but because I had a real life, and job to go to, didn't pull off any effective attacks and I'm penalized by being left off of the prize list?

This isn't something I heard about folks, this happened directly to me. Second place second division Northwind Highlanders, no prizes, no skill points, no medal. Not making excuses by the way as to why I wasn't attacking all over I really did have real life to attend to. But that raises an interesting point. What if you got screwed on your divisions? What if you went into it knowing you were going to basically be a punching bag for your division and all you can do is defend? You get nothing what so ever, period end of story. How is this a good idea?

Yes there was mention of the rule change on the game page, and also a blurb on the splash page in game, so everyone can say, "Hey you were told." True and you would be correct using the assumption we all read what gets posted. However, and I've spoken with other players about this, the wording was rather vague. Later it was clarified yes, but how hard would it have been to simply mean what you said the first time around?

See this is the problem I have with this game. It lacks any sort of consistency. The rules change on a whim, the lore is effective and works this way one day, but another well we're redacting all of that now deal with this. It's all fluid, always in a state of flux and very little stays the same. Why? Because the Devs listen. Honestly they probably listen too much, which is why we had such wild fluctuation in EXP points about a year ago, various takes on ideas from the game board showing up in game all the time, and last second rules/ change in line ups for wars/ change in clan averages thrown in when you least expect or want them.

Am I unhappy that I basically wasted what time I did have available to me on something I'll never see a return on? Yep sure am. But unlike most I have a format to voice that displeasure. So now we have this article.

Board games and most console system games don't change the rules if you're having a hard time, or get stuck, or feel you weren't rewarded enough. This game on the other hand it seems like bitch loud enough and long enough on the players board, oh and drop some cash on the game, and viola your ideas are made reality. I liked it better when the Devs said you know what this will be that way, period end of story. But it honestly seems as more time goes by that's been tossed to the way side and the cries of... "Gimmie, and Moar!!" drown out even the most sensible discussion on the players boards. Sadly enough because the Devs listen some of it may even be tried.

I said it before it's ultimately the Devs sandbox we just play in it, both game and sites like this. How about we just let them get back to running the game their way rather than try and turn it into 20 or 30 things we'd like to see. Between you and I though next war if these kinda rules pop I'm done with CW's. I've been saying it forever and a day, What good is a CW to find out whose the best if it happens like clock work every month? Also what kind of backwards assed recycled villains are we fighting who keep thinking that after clan wars is a great time to attack? Oh yeah and it's the same damned villain on a rotating basis.

So my suggestions run the game how you want not how everyone else thinks it should be run, lay off the CW nonsense for at least month, stop recycling bad guys, and at least let me have a medal. I mean I did show up in my specialist formation, and did fight.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

A Look At A Reaper By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're taking a look at the new 100 ton, niode slug thrower the Reaper. As usual all pertinent purchase and basic level information are in the image. I have two of these mecha, neither is fully leveled to the 116 pilot level yet. So out of the two, a level 43 and a level 74, I'll be basing my review on the level 74.

The starting weapons here are pretty nice actually. You get 2 Harvesters, 2 Raven's Claws, 2 Silencers, and 5 MAK - 47's.

Build bonuses before equipment sit at Projectile Damage +41%, 3Xdamage 20%, Trample 10%, Trample Shield 20%, Missile vulnerable 20%, Fire shield 20, Splash shield 20, Freeze 13, Slow 6, Shield 17, and Precision 3. With all that I have at present 4 Cockpit slots, 3 Chassis slots, 3 Engine slots, 4 Shield slots, and 35 weapon slots.

Now admittedly I'm a little put off by this mecha as giving a mech an inbuilt weapon vulnerability in my books is worse than the crap the equipment does to the mecha. Also the equipment slots aren't quite as beefy as I would like...yet. As it levels we'll see how much better it gets but based on standard build stats at present I'm wondering why this mecha was needed given we have the monstrosity that is the Fext?

I have to wonder if this mecha was a... "We did it because we could."... kind of deal. It looks slick, it has nice weapons, it has 3X damage multipliers, and it uses fast weapons. You can outfit a Fext with projectile weapons pretty efficiently and achieve more damage with it getting all your damage modifiers to pop in that one shot. So honestly which is better?

Given the two I own aren't fully leveled yet it's kind of hard to say. Although the equipment slots honestly don't tell me much, as more open as you level. However just that one 3X damage modifier just bugs me. Not because it is there, but because there is no 2X, or 1.5X modifier anywhere to be seen. Granted that would make it a projectile only bad ass, but ultimately a rip off of the Fext.

Honestly I wouldn't mind seeing such a thing. So I'm going to level up what I have and see where it goes, but at present I'm thinking my two are destined for the scrap pile. If I want to do heaps of damage and use projectile guns to do it, I'll just slap em on a Fext and call it a day.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Day Mecha Galaxy Stood Still by David McCallum : #701548

Just prior to the Clan War of 3316, an unexplained and unexpected blackout effected all power, mecha, installations and gateways,shutting them down for a number of hours.

Unexplained, that is, until now....



"Q? Build orders for the day," Mac called to the chief armourer as he strode across the hanger floor. "Use a universal pack to speed up the work on the Fides, and here's my expenditure chit for upgrade parts on it and the Gorgon."

The older man accepted the proffered data slate and  scanned the orders, checking to ensure that the pilot had mashed the thumbprint scanner to authorise all necessary funds transfers and command codes for his machines.

"That should do nicely Mac," he nodded to the pilot. "Your heavy squadron is armed and warming up in bay number three. Your gate codes are downloaded, you are in the transit queue behind Lieutenant Roberts, so jump should be in about seven minutes from..."

He never managed to complete the sentence, instead exclaiming "What the devil?!?!" as the hanger plunged into absolute darkness.

His was not the only cry of consternation as most of the other personnel in the cavernous space had used similar, if in some cases rather more colorful oaths at their sudden blindness.

Q fumbled in his pocket for an emergency flashlight and scowled a scowl nobody could see as he found that this too was entirely non functional.

Close by, he heard a dull double pop and suddenly he could see Lieutenant Mac bathed in a dull green light.

"Well, the emergency chemical glow sticks still work," the pilot remarked as he passed one over. "Best go and find the big box of them and pass them around old chap."

Mac raised his voice as he waved his stick in the air. "Pop them if you've got them people!" he ordered, then dropped his voice as he addressed Q again. "Any idea what caused this? Generator failure? EMP burst?"

The older gent furrowed his eyebrows as he responded. "No, backup batteries would have picked up the slack if the generator had gone down, at least long enough for the standby generator to kick in. And your mechs are shielded from EMP bursts but they are out of action as well."

"I know what it is," came a voice from up high.

Both men looked up in the direction of the sound to observe 'Gampy Bob' Roberts, the venerable pilot from Heroes Support illuminated by his own glow stick and wrestling the emergency field bag out of the cockpit of his mech.

They walked in his direction, meeting him at the foot of his mount as he clambered breathlessly down the gantry ladder.

He shrugged, then belatedly added, "at least I think I do."

With that he sat cross legged on the hanger floor and started rummaging in his backpack, glancing up at them and asking, "So chemical is still good, just the electrics are out, yes?"

"It would appear so," agreed Q patiently.

"Good", he beamed, pulling the tab that set off the reaction on the emergency stove block he had retrieved from the pack, then busied himself by taking a combat knife to the top of a tin of beans.

"Ah, are you just going to keep us in suspense Gampy, or are you going to let us in on the secret?" asked Mac testily.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It's a natural phenomenon, nothing to worry about," he began. "It's just really really rare, happens maybe once in a generation. Last time it happened I was just a boy myself, and let me tell you, I damn near soiled myself. But it's all good, it only lasts a handful of hours, then everything comes back to normal." He turned his attention back to the beans, placing the can on the field cooker and stirring the contents with his knife.

Mac and Q glanced at each other, frustration evident on their faces that getting a straight answer was like getting a drink out of a Brotherhood member. It was Q who snapped first.

"So what exactly is it!" he demanded.

"Huh?" Gampy looked up, then realised he hadn't finished his explanation. "Oh, this?" he added, waving the knife point in the air in small circles so as to encompass everything in general.

"This is the Universe in shock. An event has happened that is so momentous and rare it's sort of... holding it's breath to see what happens next."

"Y'see... somewhere.... a Dragon just leveled..."

Submitted by David McCallum : #701548

Revisiting the Regis By Pat Willis#224534

Today we're looking at another niode Jurassic mecha the Regis. As usual all pertinent purchase information is contained in the side image. As to their starting weapons, they come standard issue with two Twin Grazer cannons, two Flavian Spear lasers,  five Heat Lasers, and four Hyper Amps they are ready for a fight straight off the assembly line. Please note this is taken from one of my Regis mechas as the basis for this review. As such it is based on a Regis sitting at my level of 116.

Now before equipment is installed I'm looking at +54% laser damage, 3X damage 10%, Crit - Kill 10%, Fork 20%, Trample Shield 40%, Laser shield 25%, Trample 10%,Auto repair 5, Precision 5, Projectile damage +15%, Wide Fork 8%, 2X damage 10%, and a dodge of 2. That's a pretty hefty laundry list of mecha abilities that can be made better by filling in the equipment slots.

I have 6 Cockpit slots, 6 Chassis slots, 5 Engine slots, 4 Shield slots, and 42 weapon slots available to me. This mecha gives you some room to play with. It allows you plenty of room to dial in your precision rating, gives decent dodge slots with the Chassis, and if you do it right with engines you can eek out every last bit of speed. The shields aren't a complete set so you're down one slot. But careful selection can net you decent protection overall.

Now what does this mecha excel at? Laser damage hands down is its primary weapon ability. Yes, it has bonuses to projectile as well but at nowhere near the percentages that are for laser damage. Of course as with most mechas you can set it up how you like for weapons systems and go to town with it. However this is telling you right off the bat it is a monster with lasers, and it has a Crit - Kill ability that can be capitalized on with proper equipment set up. This mecha is perfect for the Crit - Kill club group of lasers I am so fond of. The Blue Dragon, Cherenkov Ray, and the Archfiend respectively.

So you get a small laundry list of abilities, some nice starting weapons, decent weapon and equipment slots, and it is fairly fast on the draw for using laser and being 90 tons. Sure it'll cost you a bit in resources to get a hold of one, but truth be told they are well worth it. To me about the only thing that ruins this mecha is all the stupid limits on lasers and equipment at the higher levels/ ranges. If you have more than a handful of these you'll notice as you go on outfitting and equipping them, that well they are slowly declining in performance.

Why? Because after a time you get locked out of the good weapons and gear and have to make due with the vulnerable, slow you down, give you problems gear. So be smart keep a many of these as you like but be forewarned after a time gear and equipment gets scarce and your Regis variants will start to decline the further away they get from the original purchase. Yes they can handle niode and crystal gear/weapons just fine. It's just that let's be honest here niode gear gives you more overall which makes it more appetizing for this mecha model.

The same can be said for the weapons systems honestly. So the mecha itself is great. Equipment slots are all right there, weapon slots likewise accessible, it's just the dumb limits on the gear, and some of the limitations on the weapons themselves as far as slowing you down or leaving you vulnerable that totally suck. Especially when you're limited on shield slots from the get go to cover your ass with. But if worked right, with a careful selection of weapons and gear these things become Crit - Kill monsters. That almost makes the rest of the BS worthwhile trying to outfit more than a couple at a time.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

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

For mechas 45 - 65 tons in weight comes this awesome engine, which will run you 240 Ferrite, 285 Bioptics, and 40 Niodes. It sports Speed at +17, Trample at 4%, Freeze at 9%, and is laser vulnerable at 8%. The speed is just great plain and simple, nothing in its weight class can really compare on that level.

The Trample is always a bonus, cause lets face it why not damage the line behind the one trying to gun you down? Freeze is welcome no matter what really, as it just stops your opponent for a round which leads to a free hit on them for more damage. Laser vulnerable here is at a small percentage and should be covered by shields easily, as usual if you have the slots you can keep going until you break even with no vulnerabilities. So for its weight class this is a speedy piece of engine equipment and can amplify your damage to a strong degree, not one to pass on this is for certain.









Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Aspis Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

 Today we'll be looking at the Jurassic mecha the Aspis, please note it is a niode mecha and all pertinent purchase information is available in the image to the side. As usual I'll be basing the review off of the couple I own.

The starting arsenal isn't too bad really. It comes off the showroom floor with 3 Tri - Slagger lasers, 1 Sikuliaq ice weapon, 2 H. Blast Plate projectile weapons, 1 Death Head missile, 1 Ol' Willie Pete Fire weapon, and 5 Rail cannons.

All in all not a bad array of weapons, and proof of intent of this mecha being one of the ones capable of handling multiple weapon types.

You may quickly outgrow most of what it is packing, and of course as you do, replacing the weapons can become an awesome headache. But let's look at the build stats, and slots to see if we can't play around some with this design. Built in before equipment this mecha packs Trample Shield at 88%, Precision of (12), 3X Damage 18%, 2X Damage 18%, Splash Shield 30%, Fork 15%, Fork Shield 25%, Wide Fork Shield 50%, Auto Repair (4), and Crit - Kill 6%. (Using my pilot level Aspsis at 116 for this review, results may vary.)

For equipment I have 5 Cockpit, 5 Chassis, 5 Engine, 6 Shield and 42 weapon slots to play with. Now that is a decent amount of slots to build up your Precision, Dodge, Speed, and various Shielding systems on top of what this mecha already packs as an on board package. Of course how you set it up will depend on your play style. But please note unlike many mecha that come equipped with multiple weapon types from the get go, this ones stats do not reflect that at all in the build.

Instead this is pretty intensely focused on defensive measures given all the inbuilt shielding and slots for even more shielding. Adding in equipment of course will add to your arsenal in the form of bonuses to damage for your given weapon types but that is it. This mecha seems to concentrate on defensive as opposed to offensive measures.

It'll give you bonuses on 2X & 3X damage, as well as Fork for inbuilt mecha ability but it is up to you to properly capitalize on that with weapon abilities/load outs. Niode equipment as well as weapons may serve you better than crystal here as they have more abilities/damage/power to them. With that said however this mecha handles both crystal and niode gear with ease, just you will probably get more out of it, if you niode it out.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

40 Ton Specialist by the G.G. Editorial Team (and various hangers on)

Oh great.


After the last one provided some fruitful discussion, Patrick decided to get all keen, including throwing around heretical phrases like 'Regular Staff Meetings', 'Topical Discussion Points' and 'Invite People In'.


Joy.


Kenneth was actually looking ill at the prospect of having to do some work for a change.


So, onto this weeks round table discussion, and the subject matter:


40 ton specialists... is this the purvey of multiple KotM winners only, or can others use this effectively?

Associated question, what are the best mechs in this class and what would be the lightest you would realistically use? Also consider equipment load-out, are there any do's or don'ts?



Kenneth : One of my favorite 40T specs I've seen out there is run by a clanmate of mine and it's all crystal mecha. All crystal you say? That's because he runs solid Nephilaxes with Zadoks as back up. Tons of guns, leveling abilities for higher levels, a lot of bang for the buck.

Of course the traditional 40T lineup has to be Keradons. Tough, scrappy, at 35T they really do withstand and dish out the punishment.

I've recently seen a lot of people incorporating the Buccaneer which is the best laser mech for it's weight class. Also, the Buc has leveling bonuses well into the 100s so it just keeps getting better with age.

Orcuses and iMechs get used, but my personal opinion is they melt away to a good Keradon barrage, and I've seen a select few people pull it off with Axebots.



David : There's no doubt that Nephs and Zadoks are effective, but I wouldn't exactly consider them as crystal mechs per se... you can only get them through repeated gold medals in 2 events.

I have seen those formations, and they are either run by long term campers or pay players (both of which tend to have a negative connotation to the newer members of the community) or in one very notable case, a crystal based hard leveling KotM junkie.

I guess that loops back to the first question... do the KotM winners essentially have this division locked out from everyone else?



Joel : Yeah, I can't call either mech crystal considering it usually takes a niode expense to pull off a win to acquire either



Kenneth : Considering the weight class, I agree with your statement that campers and veteran accounts definitely have this class sewn up. Unless someone wants to spend $1500 on solid Keradons and Bucs with gear and weapson, then they could do it. But there are so many accounts with 1-4 years in lower ranks that have done nothing but gain these mechs as clan war prizes, KoTM prizes, etc., that there's no piercing it as an "average" new account coming up.



Joel : Pretty much yeah.



Patrick : Honestly the lowest tonnage mechas I own are a Vizi, Zadok, ( 45&35 tonners respectively) and a Megazome at 65 tons. Only reason I keep them is they are winnings and every now and again I find it fun to equip them with big toys and let them run amok in the enemy lines. With that said however I don't go for lower tonnage, like at all. My play style has always been... I've out grown it? What can I get in sell back, cause I'm not going to realistically use it much any more. Yeah, yeah, but everyone should have a formation of whatever for clan wars and KOTM. Okay knock yourself out getting that many mechas. Me I can barely keep up with the upgrade costs on what I have, much less a whole hanger of obsolete mechas I only kick the dust off of once a month. Admittedly I am more comfortable in the 75 ton and up range.

But if I HAD to pick a 40 tonner to use I'd choose the Nifthel. I love ice mechas that's a solid choice. Don't remember all the slots and what goes where, been so long since I had one. I do remember the few I had were work horses and could take an ice arsenal and make it a thing of destructive beauty. Sorry on this one I couldn't be more in depth but as I said once I have decided I'm done with a tonnage range, for the most part it's sold off.



David : Actually Pat, you are possibly more help than you imagine (and I never thought I'd hear myself say that..).

On the understanding that you are a reasonably experienced pilot and know how to put a formation up when sober, if we had a hypothetical situation where the Powers That Be hit us with a mandatory 40 ton spec in a war and Joel turned round and said, "Pat, you're going to be fighting as a 40 this war, to bad, so sad, sucks to be you...", would you go for a solid Nifthel wall or try and mix and match?

And of course if its the latter, what would you use, where and why, building from the ground up?


Joel : 40t's are one of the trickier spec's to flesh out well......if you're going to talk ABSOLUTE crystal you're talking a Nifthel for sure......if you're talking prize mechs you're talking a Nephilax hands down HOWEVER for clarity here on which mechs perform best there should be "crystal [*coughs* or rather...niode] clarity"



At this point Joel popped some vid slugs into the machine to show us some noteable 40 ton battle replays.

Or rather he did after a few false starts; I'm reasonably open minded but even I was reaching for the brain bleach...



Joel : So what I'm saying is Nephs are great...especially when properly & equiped BUT you can't overlook the flying purple people eater.

Now it's more reliable for most gold medal winners to fill their 55t spec with Vizi's where possible but you'll all have to watch those MMI & Zeon replays in your own time if you've not already (if you've not the battles are fun to watch) pew pew pew!

Although the Buccaneer is decent I don't believe it will ever be a more viable mech when compared to a Keradon for instance and although I've seen some Banshee heavy formations I wasn't impressed when considering the costs.......unless you're willing & capable to swallow oceans of xp hunting mechs in limited availability missions you'd better have the gold medal wins to back up the formation with those mechs that can only be won if you're intent on running a strong either 40t or 55t with confidence.



Patrick : Alright I have given it some thought. Given it's me I'd probably do a wall formation of Nifthel mecha. I'd weaponize them much like my Boreas with ice and projectile combos. So I'd have Polar Vortex's going off with Winter Grasp's, and add in Chronysis Rails, Vadhars, etc to top off the damage front. Make an ice sculpture out of the enemy and smash it is the basic effect I'd be going for. Load them up with Zirconium Windshields, Hip Hopper Hips, and mix up the engines with Scrub Grubs, as well as Omnigrav Rotationals.

Or switch it up slightly and lean towards the laser damage with some of the big bastards they have available. Then add in a full compliment of shields either crystal or niode. I'm still of the opinion equipment is mainly useless as long as it is detrimental to your mecha in some way (Speed negatives, vulnerabilities etc)

So by and large I try to save time and resources by pretending those pieces don't exist/ never happened. I honestly resent the fact they charge us such astronomical prices for crap that actually can hurt your mecha, but that's another rant for another day.



Kenneth : The crystal account I talked about earlier belongs to a Lvl 108 who loves his comics and loves his KotMs. The Buccaneer is the only 40 T that I know that gets upgrades as far as it does.


David : Unfortunately I don't own one of the Buccaneer's although I have seen it at low levels and it does look a bit tasty, but further than that I can't really comment.

Tell you what I can comment on... the Banshee. It's got those same long upgrade paths that the Buccaneer does, and even though you might consider it too light in this weight class, mine is carving up Nifthels and Holmes.

Now admittedly with it being that light (10 tons underweight for the class we are discussing) it has access to unused freebies I've gathered over the years, so it is not skimped on for gear... but it is currently destroying or mission killing 3 or more mechs per fight on average, which is a pretty fair exchange rate in anyone's books.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it fares against the niode and prize mechs.

It's fast becoming a favourite.


It was at this point that Kenneth and myself realised that the Brotherhood contingent were not necessarily playing with a full deck. I know that the Smurfs and Bunnies run some serious contraband stimulants, but these guys had been imbibing something decidedly dodgy.


Joel : By the way, the dinner table that I have in the kitchen....it's a round table......

Thing is....I don't like tables that aren't round.........worse yet those rectangular ones I frequent where I'm asked to sit at the head of..........it may provide me a better view but I've never appreciated feeling like a spectacle or center piece and I really dislike past experience or knowledge dictating that I assume the head of the table......having said that I believe that it is well past time that most of this information was publicly available but my loyalties are as they always will be to the brothers & sisters that join us in war from the hood alone.

There was in my opinion only one absolute master of the specialist & it's not <redacted> <giggles>....it never was....that guy still doesn't test all the options when it comes to equipment & weapon combinations.......let alone apply needed theory so he just ends up throwing niodes at problems........now <redacted>  on the other hand.....now we're talking some theory application to get me interested.....but still pales when compared to the true master of the specialist.

Having said that.......yeah....there are PLENTY of do's & don'ts for 30-55t equips & weapon load outs......hmmmmm can I smell a Multifuel Turbine vaporising itself again or is it the scent of my last smoke calling me towards another

Okay......55t....don't try to outWarg a bunch of Vizi's... It's a health hazard.....



Ron : One sentence of four words, six syllables total....."Nifthels with Holmes support"...maybe not as hard a punch as an all KotM reward mech formation....but, it can, and has, beat one as well as hold its own.

This is an example of how equipping and arming your mechs can many times be far more important than the mechs themselves.


David : Positioning and arming in the line? or would that be giving away Brotherhood secrets?


Ron : I don't think that's a big secret mate.....positioning your mechs, arming them, equipping them, etc etc etc. is the most important, hardest to learn, and longest to get down, skill that every player needs to have in their arsenal.....

What I am saying is, yes a formation composed entirely of 40 ton KotM prize mechs is a Goliath to fight, but a formation of 40 ton Nifthels with Holmes support, if properly equipped and armed, as well as being appropriately deployed, can be the David that kicks that Goliath's <redacted> into the dirt


Joel : Just don't argue with the purple people eaters!


Kenneth : <Pops in a vid slug>

Here's one example of a solid Nephilax formation. And while he levels slow, I wouldn't really call this account a true camper.


Joel : Oh Kenneth....he camps harder than than a refugee detention centre. If you're looking for total nephs just look at his hits....unimaginative as they are <giggles>.



At this point the conversation degraded into the never ending slanging match around levelling versus camping.


But I think at the end of the day, everyone agreed that the best 40 ton mechs to have in your formation are...


Novums!


And on that bombshell, GOODNIGHT!

Contributors : Pat Willis #224534, David McCallum #701548, Kenneth Hicks#846092, Ron Frye #879655, Joel Parras #637457

S.M.A.S.H. 8 Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A cockpit piece of Niode equipment for 75-90 tonners. It will run you 892 Ferrite, 644 Bioptics, and 42 Niodes to get a hold of one. Its abilities are Freeze 8%, Laser damage+8%, Missile Damage +8%, Projectile damage +8%, Fire Damage +8%, and Ice damage +8%.

So this little piece covers every kind of damage a mecha can use and enhances it by +8% , as well as enhances a mechas freeze ratio by 8%. As long as you are in the proper tonnage range to use this I say go nuts and stack away with it, as it will only give you damage bonuses, and no vulnerabilities to be seen on it. As always mecha build stats, equipment load out, and skill point allocation will also play into how the damage comes across, but you really can't go wrong here.

\







Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Saturn Shield Equipment Review by David McCallum #701548

Patrick originally put me on a different journalistic assignment, but you know what?


All the monkeys I could give ran away and climbed trees.


Possibly due to the sheer shock and awe of the latest freeby that the Gamescrafstmen have produced for the bonus attack package this war.


And its another shield!


Love a shield!


And this one is so far up my alley, it hit the wall at the far end and had to do a back flip!


Tonnage range between 65 and 80, so mountable on most Heavies and the Lighter Huge mechs. That's mid range clans, or the three cruiserweight specialist types. Comparative to other shields, it straddles Gamma and Delta grade pieces.


Shielding stats are 37% Fork, 32% Splash, Wide Fork 50% and a straight blocking ability of 21 damage points. 11% Fire Shield and a 7% Ice vulnerability is the reverse of any of the standard ice shields, either single aspect or the newer dual units.


Now the Fire and Ice statistics are lower than both the Gamma and Delta shields, but straight shield aspect is almost slap bang between the 2, making this a reasonable addition alongside the Gamma shields.


Now the veterans will have already noticed that while the previous prize pack shield (the Deflector Dish) was very definitely a rear rank piece, it bears pointing out to our newer players that this was squarely designed as a front line piece.

To get any of the extra protection that the Saturn gives (and you won't get them all together) you need Evador Bolts, Calibrated Joints or niode equipment like Telemetry Kits. The point being, it takes away from chassis which is dodge, therefore making your front line vulnerable.


Not with the Saturn Shield!


And of course, 65 and 70 Ton don't even get the above options, they have had to give up a shield in any case.


I can see these things being well popular....

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Fearsome Aspect Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

This is Niode Chassis equipment for 75-90 ton mechas. I tried to find them in the shop but couldn't for the life of me find any. I know I got mine this last raid out, and have to wonder if they are now just tourney/raid specific rewards. They do 3X and 2X damage at 15%, Freeze at 25%, have a dodge of (8), Shield of (20), and Speed at -2.

Now given the speed hindrance I doubt folks will be stacking more than a couple here and there, who knows I could be wrong. The 2&3X damage make these ideal for most of the mid to BMF mecha that have such augmentations in their build design as is. The Freeze rate being that high percentage wise makes me wonder if these are specifically made for Ice mecha, the added shielding is really just icing on the cake here. If you can scrounge a few of these up, load up as much as you can and go to town making carnage out of your opponent.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Doorkicker Is At It Again By Pat Willis#224534

As you may know  (if you read the site) my projectile specialist Actual Intelligence battle personality interface is named Doorkicker. He started off life as a Oggun mecha. He loved his projectile weapons, and his style at the time was best described as spray n pray.

From there he got upgraded into an Ammonite. I thought maybe that would stick but the A.I. did not care for the interface and described the capabilities of the mecha as, "limited." But he stayed in the Ammo for quite some time despite his constant bitching and arguments against it.

I offered to switch him to a Harrell, but he declined. With his reasoning being it was too limited like the Ammo, and really just wasn't his look. So we skipped over the Harrell, and actually skipped over the Antithesis as well. That was simply because he wasn't fond of Dr. Drake, having fought him and his clones before, the mecha had a low opinion of both the man and any machine he may make. Granted the Antis are great machines, but you try telling that to a sentient program who argues using data from the insides of a mecha I've never seen before.

He did settle into the Magnus mecha quickly and easily when we finally got a couple. He said he liked the added options of missile and projectile allowing him to hit from various distances for maximum effect. Never mind we have equipment pieces that could have modified him at any time to take different weapon types, but hey lets go for the one with two types as build ins.

Keep in mind I never said this A.I. was "in its right mind". Personally I think his programming is a little left of center, and he enjoys blowing things up a little too much. But he has a proven kill count, we've faced just about every kind of mecha out there at one point or another together, and he's just dammed fun to pilot. So because of those reasons I offered him yet another upgrade.

Yup, I put that loony son of a snavrum A.I. into a Reaper. Was it the smartest thing to do? Probably not, but it had to beat the time I tried to let him bond with and overwrite a Nakshi mecha. That didn't end well for any one. Two Brotherhood hangers destroyed, a small fleet of mechas damaged and a Nakshi that had to be put down from the experience. So in view of past ideas in regards to this A.I. this wasn't necessarily the worst idea I ever had, maybe not the best, but certainly not the worst.

Now Doorkicker seems very at home in his Reaper shell. The big problem now is getting him to watch his ammo expenditure. The big mechas pack a ton of ammunition storage, which is great for prolonged conflicts. However it isn't so great when you are using a A.I. that is used to very limited ammo storage, and realizes its ammo now is in the tens of thousands per gun as opposed to just the thousands.

His training exercises go something like this.....

Me - Remember you have ammo that doesn't mean you have to blow it all in one shot. Basic three count and chill on the guns got it?

Doorkicker - Got it!
1...2...3... release.
1...2...3... release.

Me - Good, yup just like that.

Doorkicker - 1,000....2,000...

Me - No wait, hold on....

Doorkicker - 3,000...

Me - Just knock it off you know better!

Doorkicker - Ammo reserves barely touched...

Me - Stop it! Don't you dare....

Doorkicker - Safety disengaged. ALL THE AMMO!!!!

Me - Damn it Kicker....

So yeah some more training and maybe a personality tweak or three may be in order for him in the near future if he can't calm down. Until then we train, I level the mecha, and try and get him to understand the concept of ammo conservation.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Crossfire Hybrid Design By Pat Willis#224534

I have put this mecha in the Spotlight before, roughly one level ago so not much has changed. However I have decided to go ahead and switch up his weapon systems a bit. You see a Fext is a laser machine set up to do multiple damage modifiers in a single hit. This applies itself beautifully to the higher end damage lasers on hand. But the damage modifiers will go off regardless of what weapons you put in. So aside from the Lasers, how do you get the best bang out of your Fext?

I looked at other weapon types and decided for my personal play style to mix up the lasers with projectile weapons. Projectiles do high end damage if you're the right level to purchase such weapons. They also have nice weapon abilities like Trample and X2 or X3 damage, not to mention they are generally fast weapons as a whole. So these abilities combined with the inbuilt bonuses on a Fext got me thinking about a hybrid laser/projectile wielding design.

Please note as with all my builds I am not saying it's the best mecha out there, nor is it the worst. I simply put these up to show you where my mind is at on a given mecha at a given time. Here are the results....

Level: 116 / 116
Armor: 1532

Laser Damage + 51%
Missile Damage + 6%
Fire Damage + 7%
Proj. Damage + 30%
Speed + 59
3X Damage 87%
Trample 33%
Fork 9%
2X Damage 57%
1.5X Damage 65%
Crit-Kill 16%
Dodge (79)
Precision (74)
Shield (151)
Trample Shield 79%
Ice Shield 42%
Laser Shield 12%
Proj. Shield 38%
Proj. Shield (30)
Fire Vulnerable 15%
Missile Vulnerable 8%

Class: Fext
Weapons: 49

Crossfire

1532 Armor = base armor + 461.33% from upgrades and skills

Mech Bonuses: (Without Equipment)
Laser Damage + 41%
Speed - 27
Speed + 26
3X Damage 28%
Fork 9%
1.5X Damage 65%
2X Damage 21%
Trample Shield 70%
Ice Shield 70%
Precision (5)

As to what all is in it...
7 Cockpit slots with 5 Predicative Analysis, 1 Oculus Drift, 1 Retro Controls.

Chassis is 6 slots all Lateral Stabilizers

Engine 6 slots with 5 Orcus Wheels, and 1 Quantum Pulse.

Shields are 4 slots with 2 Viridel Epsilon, 1Crabworth Epsilon, and 1 Lightning shield.

Weapon slots 9 Blue Dragons, 2 Rage Pulsars, 4 Kaos Beams, 2 Blossoming Beams, 5 Galaxy Eyes, 5 Harmonic Disruptors, 2 Nutcrackers, 9 Kanabos, 3 Vadhar, 1 Exacto shot, 7 Big Berthas.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Corsair Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

Today we'll be looking at the 100 Ton crystal mecha, the Corsair. As usual all pertinent purchase information is in the image provided here, and I will be basing my review on the ones I own at my pilot level of 116.

To start with, off the showroom floor these come equipped with 2 Arbitrators , 2 Hex Cannons, 2 Smooth Bore, 2 Rail Cannons, and 3 Maulers. So it's looking to be set up for another solid projectile damage build with the starting weapons.

But then we get into build bonuses and realize this mecha has a secondary weapon build bonus. As the bonuses before equipment read as follows...... Ice Damage +11%, Projectile Damage +38%, 2X Damage 33%, 3X Damage 9%, Trample at 19%, base Dodge at 6, Auto Repair of 1, basic Shield at 8, Trample shield at 30%, Fork shield at 45%, and Wide Fork shield at 50%.

So we have a ice and lead thrower on our hands, granted the ice damage boost is nowhere near the projectile boost, but the gap can be closed with proper equipment set up. Speaking of equipment this mecha gives you some decent room to play with in that category. 5 Cockpit slots, 4 Chassis slots, 4 Engine slots, 6 Shield slots, and 34 Weapon slots round off this machine.

Okay so it has only 4 slots for Chassis and Engine equipment, so while your 100 ton mecha may never dace the ballet when dodging, or set any land speed records with its engine slots, there is still room to make it pretty workable. The inbuilt shielding here is a nice touch and can be further modified with the full out 6 Shield slots.

Really this mecha can be made into a Jack of all trades with how you set it up for weapons/equipment, and in your formation. I have found personally that these make some fine support mechas. They provide excellent backup fire and abilities to the battle that compliment my point, center, and last mecha positions. Put them in a line up with Ice mecha and watch them throw in additional ice damage, and maybe eek a freeze or two out of the support fire. Of course they make for excellent projectile support as well as they are more comfortable with projectile weapons, which is reflected in the build bonus.

So we have what looks to be a solid 100 ton mecha from the get go, with decent stats, and equipment slots that open up as you level it. Will it ever stand it's ground against say a Fext or a Reaper? Possibly if you outfit it right, but understand no amount of outfitting in the world will save you if one of those decides to Crit-Kill you, or take you out in one major overcharged shot. In either situation it doesn't matter what you are piloting you are dead meat. But it gets the job done otherwise. A solid design with decent build stats, room to grow, and options available to you for modifications and changing it out.

Also please remember this mecha is a dual wielder in both ice and projectile damage. Outfit accordingly to get the most out of your model. This will never be a Frigis, Freon, Sever, or a Boreas in so far as what it can do with ice weapons. However it will serve you well in a support role to such mechas as long as you remember that it can, and does ice damage bonuses really well.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Harrell A Second Look By Pat Willis#224534

Today we'll be taking another look at the crystal based, lead spitting Harrell mecha. We have reviewed this mecha before in our pages, however as I have leveled since the last article was written, I figured it was time for a second look.

 All basic purchase information is in the side image here. Please note this 85 ton mecha comes equipped with 1 Hex Cannon, 3 Wrecker Shots, 2 Smooth Bore, 2 Rail Guns, and 2 Maulers for a starting arsenal. Per usual I'll be basing my review off of the one I have, so please note this review is based on a Harrell sitting at level 116.

They really don't have much to them for build bonuses. Basic Projectile Damage bonus at +27%, 2X Damage bonus at 28%, 3X damage bonus at 27%, basic Shield at 24, and a slow ability at 8.

Now while they don't have a lot of beginning build bonuses, they attempt to make up for it with equipment slots. I have  6 Cockpit slots, 6 Chassis slots, 3 Engine slots, 5 Shield slots, and 29 weapon slots available to me.

Now the only real let down here is the Engine slots. You will be able to add some speed to your mecha but unless you go with some premium niode gear don't expect overly much, and even then depending on what you put in it still may not be very fast. However it attempts to make up for this by specializing in Projectile weapons. Needless to say those are some of the fastest firing weapons in game so it evens out a bit there.

The Cockpit slots are ample enough to fill out with some killer Precision, and the Chassis slots are set up to give this mecha decent dodge stat. So between the two you should be able to lock on and dance around incoming fire for dodge. The 29 weapon slots allow for a excellent choice of weapons. Granted depending on how you outfit the rest of your machine, it doesn't have to rely solely on Projectile weaponry.

As with most mechas you can set this up to meet your individual needs in battle. As these are solid Projectile throwers of course the majority of weapon bonuses go towards that particular type of weapon. But we all know customization is key, so don't be surprised if you run into hybrid designs centering on Fire/Ice/Laser damage, along with the build bonus of Projectile. So like most mechas this can be rigged for multiple weapon  choices. However it should be noted the build bonus here is strongly centered on Projectile weaponry, so use that to your advantage whenever possible.

All things considered it is a rather solid design, allows for customization, and can bring the pain to enemy lines rather easily. Just watch what you are putting into this mecha and pay attention to its stats and you should have no problem at all following the dots to this mechas full potential.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Flame Salvo Weapon Review By Ken Hicks ID# 846092

New from the Illyrian lines of fire starting is the Flame Salvo. This little beauty was designed for the recruits as a way to get some practices in with the intricacies of flame warfare. Available at Level 8, this is by far the earliest flame weapon you can pick up and causes much more mayhem than anything previously.

For only 300 plus Ferrite, 260 Bioptics, and 17 Niodes, the Flame Salvo delivers 35 damage with a 5% Burn and a 3% x2 Damage to boot. On top of it, it does so rather quickly for a flamer with a 102 speed.

The Flame Salvo is only available for a limited time, so make sure you go out and pick yours up today, as it will be usable for many levels to come.

Banshee Mecha Review by David McCallum #701548

Right!


I am officially making a declaration here.


The Unification Army can pog off if it thinks it's going to re-posses my Banshee.


So there!


Now it's taken a while to be able to have the opportunity to use mine in anger, but I have now, and I must say I'm impressed. You can take this as an after action report of sorts.


Let's go through the numbers first (otherwise Patrick will have a hissy fit if I don't do the obligatory stats).


900 Ferrite, 600 Bioptics and 55 Niodes for a 30 ton mech that starts as a dedicated missile slinger up to around lvl 50, then starts bringing in ice tech to mach it a hybrid. As it gets more powerful, Splash, Freeze, Fork and Crit-kill are built in along with a hefty speed injection to offset what is to all intents and purpouses a platform for the two slowest weapon types there are.


The thing is, those are just numbers on the screen readout.


You want to know how it actually performs, and let me tell you, this thing punches above its weight.


I've seen it in action at both low and high levels. At low levels it is a lighter but more sturdy version of the Dread, capable of going toe to toe with Namtars and Wargs but certainly outclassed by the likes of the Smilodon.


Still, being able to take on an opponent almost twice its weight is nothing to be sneezed at, especially by what to the bulk of the player base is a very light mech.


Ah, but at higher levels.


I love it! I want more! The Unification forces had better watch out, because while they are pratting about on Srixin, it is my opinion that we should be raiding their factories for as much of a stockpile of these things as we can, then giving them all to me!


I tried my own Banshee out in a 40 ton formation and ran a scouting mission. Now for newer pilots, 40 ton specialists at the levels I fight at may as well be Red Ant fights. They are fast, dirty and if you are hit you are dead.


Here is her first shot in anger.


That's two 40 ton mechs taken out by a 30 ton one.


Now in a 40 ton formation, you very rarely find mechs other than mainstays like Nifthels or Holmes, expensive toys like Keradons and Orcus, war prizes like Zadoks or Mountain prizes like the Nephilax. You just don't drop anything lighter than 35 tons in unless you have been a jammy git and got yourself a Novum or you are desperate to fill in slots with anything you have.


Guess what?


I reckon that there's something else that's viable now.


I just wonder how far above it's weight it can hold its own?

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Jolly Roger Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

We're looking at a limited release niode Missile launcher today, (please note it is no longer available in the shop) as usual we'll look at the applicable weapons closest to it in level both below and above it to see how it stacks up. All information in the image is current as of last night between then and now things may change, largely availability of the weapons.

This weapon starts out being available to level 7 and up pilots. Looking in the shop for all intents and purposes I see nothing beneath it level wise to compare it to.So we'll jump right ahead to the next level up weapon.

At level 8 the Air shock is available. It does 13 straight damage, has a speed of 95, and the weapon ability of Splash at 8%.

Looking at the Jolly Roger I have to ask who needs the Air Shock? Can't we just replace it with the J.R.? Damage is better on the J.R. speed is much, much better, and the weapon abilities come in at 2 with 35% Fork and a Precision of (3), as opposed to just one ability of Splash at 8%.

Overall this weapon is a huge improvement over the other weapons on offer for the lower levels/tiers. If more limited releases follow suit like this we may just have to petition to have them permanently replace the older weapons. As obviously they simply can not compete even when they have levels on them.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Prometheus Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

Please note the purchase information contained in the image reflects a 20% off flame weapons in preparation for the upcoming Clan War.

Getting right into it, this is a niode flame weapon available to levels 110 and up. As such it will be a bit difficult to pull a fair comparison against already existing weapons, as this one is of a higher level and really doesn't have anything to compare it to on that level.

Suffice to say with a straight damage of 125 you're looking at one mother of a burn on your opponent from this beauty. That damage clocks in the same ranks as the Twin Grazer,  Winter's Grasp, the recently reviewed Blue Dragon, and the Arbalest. So it is in good company for straight damage.

It has a speed of 106 making it one of the fastest firing fire weapons available on the market. Really the only weapon in the same category that beats that speed is the Cherufe with its speed of 107, but that isn't available until level 133. So all things considered this is among the fastest firing flame weapons available to pilots.

In terms of weapon ability it has a Burn at 41%, and 2X Damage at 18%. Now no real need to do comparisons there those are both fine abilities and pretty decent percentages. You can most likely amplify the effects by adding in proper equipment and paying attention to your mecha build stats. While yes, any mecha can technically be equipped with just about any weapon, some simply excel at using weapons specific to their field/specialization class. This is one of those weapons. Hook it up on a Cindron, Inferno, Ignis, Notos, etc, etc. And simply watch your opponents smolder and burn away.

Bottom line this weapon is well worth the investment, and is pretty much a must for the heavy duty fire bugs we have out and about in the galaxy. So of you are the appropriate level and have the resources, well... why are you still reading this and not shopping? Happy hunting.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

New Opal Dragons Clan Crest By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

Reposting Of The Crit-Kill Club A Triple Weapon Overview By Pat Willis#224534

* Editors note -  I felt that this review deserved to be resurrected and shown once again.

Today we'll be looking at the Crit-Kill club, a group of three niode laser weapons that all share the 19% Crit- Kill ability. They are the Blue Dragon, Cherenkov Ray, and the Archfiend. As far as I know at present the only way to get a hold of these besides the shop is maybe if they are offered up as CW, or raid rewards. The smallest of the three the Archfiend is available for minimum level 73 pilots and up, the Cherenkov Ray is for levels 88 and up, and finally the Blue Dragon is available for levels 107 and up.

The Archfiend does 105 damage, Cherenkov Ray is 115 damage, and the Blue Dragon is 125 damage. Both the Archfiend and the Cherenkov Ray have speeds of 102, but the Blue Dragon buries them both with 104. The only ability these weapons have is a 19% crit-kill attached to each one. Making them a very nasty trio of weapons in the hands of someone who knows how to do a mecha load out.

With the equipment pieces out there offering up bonuses to crit-hits, and laser damage bonuses on top of already nasty build stats these three lasers are set to rule for a good long time over many future battles. You could realistically have over 30% to crit-kills once all is said and done and what 84% or a little higher for laser damage alone? These pack a decent amount of bang for the buck and shouldn't be passed by anyone who is serious about their mecha combat.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

So Who All Is Still There By Pat Willis#224534

You folks do know we pay out niodes for submissions still right? Just asking because lately there has been very little by way of submissions. David, myself, Kenneth, and even Ron are by no means the official word on anything in game. We just do reviews, occasionally argue about mechas, load outs, and builds. But we all have our own take on things and try to offer that here.

I have always said we are here to be the voice of the players, I have stood by that since this site went live. So if you have an opinion that differs from ours or something we have stated in these pages, well by all means lets hear it (Or read it as the case may be.) I can't imagine all the ideas have dried up and there is nothing left to say on things from the players point of view.

We have Clan logos so as long as your design is original as in no one else claims copy write on it this is the place to submit it, and our comics section rather speaks for itself. We even run editorials so an opinion piece can be ran, just please try and keep it this side of a total call out. We can run Equipment reviews, Fantasy Mecha (It's my goal to have one of those get made yet, no matter the submitter. I just want to see it done.) feeling a bit cheeky? Galaxy Gossip is a good place for those articles. Game debates... well yes we have it but that one doesn't pay out anymore due to the Devs fielding all the opinions and issues on the game page. We do keep it there for posterity of the debates we could and did publish.

Interviews, yup we do them. David and Kenneth may be easier to catch for those due to my work schedule but if you can catch one of us we can generally set something up. We have mecha reviews of course but are always looking for a new take or set of fresh eyes on any model. Our Mecha Spotlight is just if anyone feels like showing what they have and how they built it. Submitters tend to be afraid of that category but hey, we never said it had to be a current build.

News is pretty self explanatory. Official lore has to be run passed the Devs if it is something outside of clan specific. However you do still need to get approval from said clan or person you are making the lore from, and it must fall inside the  already established game ideas/parameters.

Pilot profile is simply, want to make a bio to your in game character? Something that falls beyond the little info contained in the Legendary Pilot stats and fills in the blanks? That's the category to submit it to. Pilot Story is basically anything else that goes on in Mecha Galaxy. The front line tall tales, what happened that time on Vupa during R&R. That kind of thing. Then we have Weapon Reviews which again is pretty self explanatory.

All we ask is that any submission be two to three paragraphs in size, and any comics be three or more panels, otherwise it is considered more a Meme by the Devs. Base payouts require the submission to have  names and  player Id#s which are submitted once a week for pay outs on submitted posts.

Remember we WILL NOT accept posts that have already been submitted to the other news sites as it has already been posted there and we don't pay out for doubles. * Note lengthy well thought/executed submissions may be worth 60 Niodes. Devs are and have been known to pay out more for posts of length. Typically though such post are over 1,500 words as a general rule. Pay rate for various story types below...

60 niodes - long story (minimum 1,500 words for it to be considered as such)
30 niodes - story/report/CW interview/poem/etc
20 niodes - mech/weapon/equip reviews, short CW correspondent interview (for interviewer)
10 niodes - short story/report/etc

Any questions on submissions drop any one of us Editors a line and we'll get you sorted, looking forward to seeing your submissions and happy hunting all.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

It's a Classic by David McCallum #701548

Rilius Sectorum drops into Leander La'Salles after a hard day of completely failing to stop clan pilots running amok on Novum Delorum.



The bartender says to him, "So Rilius, what can I get you?"



"Bad day. I'll have a Martinus please," replies Rilius.



"Don't you mean a Martini?" asks the bartender.



Rilius gives him a dirty look and says, "If I'd wanted a double, I would have asked for it!"

Game Tips for the Newcomers by David McCallum #701548

I have to apologise, with everything else that has been going on we have perhaps ignored some of our most important viewers.


Our newcomers to this Mecha Galaxy.


So since I have the time (and am reminded due to the fact I'm using this trick myself), it's only fair that we share this tip with our younger pilots because us old crusties know all about it.


The humble Fury Laser. It's more than just a weapon.


One of the tricks of this game is how well you manage your resources.


Bioptics and ferrite come from battles and missions, Crystals come from harvesting and circuit fights and niodes come from missions and levelling.


But at a certain point you decide to slow down so you can have the funds to equip or arm your mechs or to buy and level new ones. For some reason everyone always keeps an eye on their crystal and niodes but always forget about the others.


But of course to gain Bioptics and Ferrite you need to do missions or fight people, which means lots of experience and more levelling.


But you can get these on the cheap, at least experience wise. This is where the Fury laser comes into it.


If you have excess Crystal, just go and buy them. If not, go and do a few circuit fight battles; small on XP and large on Crystals. Use the proceeds to purchase Fury Lasres % at a time, because it only costs you crystals and you get them cheaper buying in bulk.


Then straight away, sell them back! But of course you can only do these one at a time so the resale is not just Crystal but Bioptics and Ferrite as well!


Essentially you have just traded 3 Crystal for an amount of Bioptics and Ferrite. Job done.


Now go and kill something, eh?

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

My Nerdom Runs Strong And Deep By Pat Willis#224534

I am a nerd. Always have been and it was cool. See my earliest memory of the sci-fi/FX heavy films was Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back. Let me tell you Vader scared the hell outta me as a kid. If I remember right it was my Dad who took me. My grandfather got me into comics as he worked at Western Publishing and was always bringing me Over sized magazine edition Battlestar Galactica (Original series), Hard cover over sized He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comics, and a ton of Valiant comics (XO-Man of war, Captain Atom, Mangus robot fighter).

 My Dad took me to I think pretty much every generation 1 Star Trek film that came out. (Wrath of Kahn will always be my favorite), he also took me to see the first Predator film. Then to round it all out there was my Uncle. He was big into horror. I can remember him transferring all his Beta max tapes to VCR. I also remember he cataloged all the flicks he had and for my birthday/xmas/special occasions, he'd  hand me the list and say pick what you want. My first remembered horror flick, the one that really freaked me out and made me notice was the Original Nightmare on Elm Street.

I think it was my moms birthday and we were all at my uncles house so he let her pick the film. She picked Nightmare. The scene with the dead chick in the school being dragged in that dammed body bag to this day makes the kid in me go..no no no not looking nope.. lol. I had my head buried in a Fangoria Magazine my Uncle had, reading about the very FX I was watching yet still could not watch that scene it freaked me the hell out.

I spent most my pre teen and high school years buried in pen and paper Rpgs like Rifts, ShadowRun, Gamma world, mech warrior, battletech, Ravenloft. I grew up watching Generation 1 Transformers, Robotech and original Lion Voltron (not that BS car crap that was Voltron Force), Visionaries, SilverHawks,...you get the idea.

My circle of friends in high school aside from doing the whole Rpg thing also collected comics. I had been into those since I could read thanks to my Grandpa so X-men, Batman, Sandman, Posion Elves (Original Mulehide graphics through to the authors death when he was with Sirius) original B&W Evil Ernie, Rebel/northstar studios/avatar books - Faust love of the Dammed. And my god the books.

My mom and Grandmother as well as uncle would get me books especially if it said Stephen King or Clive Barker on it  I read it. Hell I devoured it. Watched all the movie or TV show translations, had to have every book that came out when it came out..lol Added them to my library of mythology books, native folk lore tales, and pretty much any book that had to do with haunting s and at the time even UFO's.

So various nerdoms have had me since the very beginning and that ladies and gents is how this nerd was created. The perfect storm of just awesome stuff coming out at one time, me being blown away by it all. Still am to this day some films wake up that kid in there who fell into movies and comics at a young age and never crawled out again.

So what does all this have to do with Mecha Galaxy? Simple it caught my attention on a nerd level. Giant robots fighting it out for the domination of the galaxy, come on what's not to love there. So much there reminding me of other series and times in the mechas we use or maybe a story line here or there. Also so much straight up new and original ideas being worked on pretty much daily.

Story lines to iron out, lore to mull over, deciding what to run with and what not. All in all it is a bit of a dream come true for a nerd like me. Do I do this professionally? Nope I'm not with the Game Craftsmen. Wish I could do this kind of thing for a living, but I just play the game and run the site for niodes like any submitter. So don't ever let anyone get on you for being a nerd and liking what you like. It can lead you to some great places, and leave you with awesome memories.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Big Five by the G.G. Editorial Team

So it was a slow day at the G.G. offices, which in itself was quite different, but it was different in other ways too.

Kenneth was bouncing around the place with his usual enthesiasm akin to a kitten being gently electrocuted.

Ron Frye had wandered in, supposedly for a social visit, but we all knew he was sniffing around to see if anyone had handed in any photos of the inside of the Valkyries locker room.

Even Patrick was having an unusual sober moment and decided that since we had a visitor, he should attempt to look professional (why I have no idea... Ron has known him for years and is well aware of his tendencies...) and called a staff meeting to see if we had any ideas for articles.


David > Yeah, I got something. since the release of the reaper we now have a full compliment of niode mechs up in 95-100 ton, one for each weapon type. Fext, Rumbaba, Notos, Reaper and apparently the Boreas is included in that list to round it out.

Whats the most useful/best/favourite or what is a lemon? etc... discuss.


Kenneth > Don't forget the Apatatron (Brontosaurus)


David > According to Molly, the Potatotron doesn't fall in the same class as its a dual rather than single weapon type platform, but it may fit in with comments further down why you wouldn't bother with a Rumbaba


Kenneth > Which is in my opinion ridiculous making the slowest mech on the table paired with the slowest weapon system.


Patrick > With that line up I have to go with the Fext. 9 times damage and the availability of weapons that can dish out high damage for higher levels is a great mix. They aren't as slow as many would think given the equipment now becoming available, they have nice armor and the slots aren't bad at all. That and the intimidating look of them, yeah the Reaper looks slick as well but it does seem a bit of a Fext copy cat but a Projectile one. Never mind smart pilots have been using high damage projectile weapons on the Fext since a couple days of it being available to all.

Kenneth > Yeah, the Fext is my favorite, but I always have been a sucker for the lasers.


Patrick > Lemon for me would be the Humblahblah, just missile based crab looking tetris mecha doesn't impress me using and specializing in the slowest weapons in the game.


David > Maybe the method to their madness was to make it so ugly you couldn't get a lock on, therefore it actually gets a chance to fire...?

Kenneth > For me the Apatatron is the loser. It's so slow that mechs in the 80T range can pick them off fairly easily.

Also: The Humbaba looks fantastic when you get 3-4 in a line twerking in unison. ;-)


David > And I'm guessing Boreas as top pick, seeing as how wall of Boreas has taken over from wall of Torrent?


Kenneth > The definite 95 ton workhorse.


Patrick > Actually I've been moving my Boreas to the 2nd and 3rd lines and moving my Fext up front. Trying a wall formation of Fexts have seen them in action and they seem to be more devastating in effectiveness than the Bores wall.


Kenneth > I can't wait to be able to do this. But how do you get enough lasers to pull it off?


David > Is that in terms of quick kills from overcharge shots? Because I know that the Boreas guys tend to rely on keeping you frozen until they can grind you down...


Kenneth > Freeze and fork. Deadly combo.


Patrick > Mostly crit kills and overcharge shots for the Fexts.


David > Yeah, see I'm not getting that with mine.... far more regularly its my Boreas that do the higher damage, and crits are spaced out among everyone, but mine are admittedly rigged for ice damage rather than freeze with a fast weapon type.


Kenneth > I've seen some fantastic projectile/freeze builds with the Bors.


David > Yeah, Steve Ross over in the AFF shared that build a few faction wars ago.


Patrick > Fexts are actually monsters with projectile and laser combos, but you need to spend some niodes to do it up right. So yeah probably the more accessible option would be the Boreas all things considered


Kenneth > The fact that the Boreas being 95 ton helps a lot since it has access to more equipment to help with it's builds.


David > Ah, that's an interesting point... all 5 have been designed to showcase a particular weapon type with each one, but it seems like pilots are ignoring that and going for a more hybrid build... two we've just touched on are Boreas with projectiles and Fext with a laser/projectile combo...


Kenneth > I don't personally know enough about the Nacho to know of hybrid builds yet. The Bor has kind of a cool fire hybrid you can do with it, which is freakishly deadly when you stack the freeze component onto it.


It was at this point that Ron stopped trying to slide small and easily pawnable items into his pocket and delivered one of his sermons...


Ron >  The Boreas and the Fext are awesome in my book....one is a freezing machine and the other is a crit killing nightmare with heavy DPS to back it up....both also have the armor platform necessary to stand up to major assaults.....

As for speed....when you are running a mech that big you are going to have to sacrifice speed, but the equipment slots in both more than help compensate for that obstacle....

As for the Humbaba....it just feels like another version of an Apatotron....if I want a 100 ton missile mech, I would do better to save my niodes and grab a Typhoon instead, which is an overall better missile mech in my book anyway.....

I am on the fence with the Notos....it is definitely a kick ass fire mech, but fire is just a raw damage attack and lacks the finesse delivered with crit kill or freeze weapons and just gives you splash or burn which are not as good as trample, fork, wide fork etc. that you can get from missile weapons....so, I have never been that excited about fire weapons...that is a preference issue however, so I will not say it is a good or bad mech due to my jaded opinions on the matter.....

And finally the Reaper......it is a good projectile mech....it delivers a massive direct damage assault and it has a nice trample, combined with the formidable armor platform of a 100 ton mech...but.....it is just a slightly jazzed up version of the Corsair....why waste niodes on a mech when you can pick up a crystal mech that does the same thing with only marginally lower stats.....

Myself, I am aiming for a formation of Boreas, Fext, (for crit kill lasers and freezing ice weaponry) and Typhoons (for area effect missile weaponry) with support from Corsairs or Magnus (for projectile weapons and raw direct damage)....with (for special formation fillers or to field special weapons I have collected along the way) Yallans or Ignis (for flame).....

Yallans, Regis, and Jadoons are also great heavy mechs to fill in gaps if you don't mind dropping down to 90 or 95 tons instead of 100


Kenneth > For my money, the Anubis is the best missile chucker with the highest surviveability out there. I've been told by a couple Fusion guys that the fire hybrid Bor outperforms the Notos because of the high percentile freeze component. The best Apatotron build I've seen are projectile builds simply because that behemoth needs all the speed help it can muster, but I'd like to see this projectile/laser build for the Fext that Patrick is talking about.


David > I was wondering how many folks were sticking with the Anubis... I know I haven't bothered with a Rumbaba because I've already got Anubii doing that duty, and like the Boreas, at 95 tons they have just that slightly better access to equipment


Kenneth > I agree. With the equipment access, I feel the Anubis is really hard to beat for top slot in the missile deployment classes.


David > Guys, any more comments, because this is getting close to being able to collate and publish. From what I can see, Anubis over Rumbaba, the Boreas and Fext are good, undecided on Notos and the Reaper is good but expensive for what you get.

I'm also seeing that people aren't going with what what weapon type the mechs were actually built for, so what the top level players might actually want is a generic platform niode mech, like a 100 ton Keradon


Patrick > I got nothing to add really, I'm all for the Boreas and it may be more economical to get one and outfit it but for my money nothing beats a fully loaded Fext with projectiles and lasers. So yeah that's my take...


Kenneth > Hmm, next time, what about a hybrid build challenge for us? Like come up with a flame based Potatotron  or a laser based Anubis, that sort of thing?


Patrick > Sure why not. If someone wants to mess with their builds to give us a more accurate run down that would be interesting.


Kenneth > Let's see... who's high enough level that could really show some great percentages on new hybrid BFM builds..... rhymes with Mavid ShuLackum...


David > Sorry mate, we both know that it's Pat that skims the percentage off the top... all he would have to do is divert a small amount from his alcohol fund and he could either retire or make any build he wants.

Besides, unfortunately that Reaper is above my grade as well <grumble> ... but I've got my eye on them to start replacing my Dreadnought fleet.


Patrick > I'll put in a solid review of the Reaper when mine is done. It's only level 45, with 2,2,1,2 for equip slots and 26 for weapon slots. Thus far looks to be a solid build.

And leave my alcohol fund alone, it takes a lot of liquid courage to ride with the Brotherhood...


Anyway, you know I'd volunteer but sold my Tatertron and Anubis for niodes and went on an equipment spree.


Kenneth > I need to do that. I'm sitting with an Ignis, Anubis, and Nacho waiting on my Fext leveling, which should be in time for the Clan War.

I could use about 5k niodes right now for equipment to balance out the leveling...



And so, with the conversation looking as if it was going to turn to Kenneth once again forlornly trying to hit Patrick up for a pay rise (instead of the usual embezzlement or blackmail that previous editors have gone in for) we wrapped things up.




Contributors : Pat Willis #224534, David McCallum #701548, Kenneth Hicks#846092, Ron Frye #879655