Submitted by Ron Frye#879655
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
Xmas Tree Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534
The Xmas Tree mecha is is a seasonal mech employed by the evil Santa Clause mecha during the holiday season in the post clan war raids. If you are lucky you will be able to salvage one from the wreckage after the raid. They often scatter across the battlefields, taking up positions in forested areas, and lay in wait motionless for their prey to come near. Once a squad is in range they come alive. Crab like legs come out of the base of the trunk for mobility, and it opens up into sections to display its weaponry and fire. The top of the tree, and bottom of the tree open up to usually display some nightmarish mixture of weapon combinations.
Unlike most mecha this one does not seem geared towards any specific weapon type. Instead it starts off with basic build stats relating to Speed, Crit-Kill, Freeze, Splash, Fork, and Ice Shielding, but have a vulnerability to Fire. They are 50 Ton mechs, they used to be listed in the mech tech manual, but it doesn't seem to be in there any longer. Most likely the holiday villain hacked the faction servers and wiped out all information pertaining to his toys, so as to keep information about them to a minimum and maintain as much secrecy about them as possible. As we all know having faced these before in raids, they are annoying to say the least.
They are quick, usually have hit points like crazy, dodge like mad, and excel at crit-kills. Now granted those are the original versions with Santa's upgrades. We however have to start them from scratch as we are salvaging them and rebuilding them to be useful to us. In the process of restoring and rebuilding something gets lost. Ours will never be as tough as what we face in the raids.
However we can gut them, rebuild and equip them, and weaponize them how we see fit to be used on the same fat jolly son of a snavrum who always sends them against us. They are made to amplify weapon and equipment effects, so a well thought out load out on one of these could go a long way to making one hell of a mess of the battlefield. These are more surprise attack mecha, ambush the prey and get out. They aren't made for heavy combat like the Regis, Boreas, or Fext. They can be made a bit tougher with proper equipment but that is up to each pilot.
Overall they are a decent mecha, they are also surprisingly crystalline based not niode mechas like some have speculated. So if you do manage to snag one of these upgrading won't be as much of a resource drain. 50 Tons comes in handy for tonnage specific KOTM, and if you outfit it right you could have a very effective mecha on your hands.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Unlike most mecha this one does not seem geared towards any specific weapon type. Instead it starts off with basic build stats relating to Speed, Crit-Kill, Freeze, Splash, Fork, and Ice Shielding, but have a vulnerability to Fire. They are 50 Ton mechs, they used to be listed in the mech tech manual, but it doesn't seem to be in there any longer. Most likely the holiday villain hacked the faction servers and wiped out all information pertaining to his toys, so as to keep information about them to a minimum and maintain as much secrecy about them as possible. As we all know having faced these before in raids, they are annoying to say the least.
They are quick, usually have hit points like crazy, dodge like mad, and excel at crit-kills. Now granted those are the original versions with Santa's upgrades. We however have to start them from scratch as we are salvaging them and rebuilding them to be useful to us. In the process of restoring and rebuilding something gets lost. Ours will never be as tough as what we face in the raids.
However we can gut them, rebuild and equip them, and weaponize them how we see fit to be used on the same fat jolly son of a snavrum who always sends them against us. They are made to amplify weapon and equipment effects, so a well thought out load out on one of these could go a long way to making one hell of a mess of the battlefield. These are more surprise attack mecha, ambush the prey and get out. They aren't made for heavy combat like the Regis, Boreas, or Fext. They can be made a bit tougher with proper equipment but that is up to each pilot.
Overall they are a decent mecha, they are also surprisingly crystalline based not niode mechas like some have speculated. So if you do manage to snag one of these upgrading won't be as much of a resource drain. 50 Tons comes in handy for tonnage specific KOTM, and if you outfit it right you could have a very effective mecha on your hands.Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Apatotron Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534
Alright first things first lets get the basics out of the way. This review is for a level 105 Apatotron, all bonuses and stats listed are for such.
Ferrite: 21000
Bioptics: 14700
Niodes: 155
Tonnage 100
Armor Points 285
Start Weapons 11
Min Level 90
Min Heavy Skill 55
Levels/Weapon 3
Manufacturer Star Factories
Tons: 100
Level: 105
Armor: 1490
Class: Apatotron
Bonuses before
equipment:
Wide Fork 4%
Trample 25%
Speed - 32
Speed + 16
Splash 25%
Proj. Damage + 26%
Fork 32%
Auto Repair (2)
3X Damage 4%
Missile Damage + 56%
Precision (30)
Shield (46)
Splash Shield 65%
Wide Fork Shield 80%
Trample Shield 70%
base armor + 209.33% from upgrades and skills.
It's equipment slots are 6 cockpit, 5 chassis, 6 engine, and 6 shield. Looks alright from the stat point of view agreed, but truth be told this is just a huge target on the battle field. First off it is just slow, even with equipment, and packing projectile weapons. I've only ever seen this thing go off a handful of times in combat before it gets crit killed. So even with rate of fire being less than stellar, the dodge isn't all that great either. Now I am basing this review just off what I have seen in a fight., and this thing dodges with all the grace of a bathtub. The equipment isn't bad for mechas of this size/weight but it isn't all that great either.
The auto repair is decent, but you'll most likely have the mecha shot up pretty good before you can really notice any effects from it. Bonuses aren't bad when they go off but again you'll most likely see this blow up before you see much of the bonuses come into play.
So in my humble opinion this mecha is just not well thought out, or implemented. It has great potential yes but is severely limited in it's base design, and equipment doesn't really help all that much. It sits in your line, pops off a few shots, takes quite a few hits, and blows up. Not bad if you're looking for something to soak damage for your line, but overall a sinkhole for niodes in purchase price, outfitting, equipment and leveling. I may have mine set up totally wrong but at present I can't afford full on niode everything for it. Not to mention with what is available for equipment, I really wouldn't want to. Got a different point of view on this big slow target? Toss us your review and let us know what you think!
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Ferrite: 21000
Bioptics: 14700
Niodes: 155
Tonnage 100
Armor Points 285
Start Weapons 11
Min Level 90
Min Heavy Skill 55
Levels/Weapon 3
Manufacturer Star Factories
Tons: 100
Level: 105
Armor: 1490
Class: Apatotron
Bonuses before
equipment:
Wide Fork 4%
Trample 25%
Speed - 32
Speed + 16
Splash 25%
Proj. Damage + 26%
Fork 32%
Auto Repair (2)
3X Damage 4%
Missile Damage + 56%
Precision (30)
Shield (46)
Splash Shield 65%
Wide Fork Shield 80%
Trample Shield 70%
base armor + 209.33% from upgrades and skills.
It's equipment slots are 6 cockpit, 5 chassis, 6 engine, and 6 shield. Looks alright from the stat point of view agreed, but truth be told this is just a huge target on the battle field. First off it is just slow, even with equipment, and packing projectile weapons. I've only ever seen this thing go off a handful of times in combat before it gets crit killed. So even with rate of fire being less than stellar, the dodge isn't all that great either. Now I am basing this review just off what I have seen in a fight., and this thing dodges with all the grace of a bathtub. The equipment isn't bad for mechas of this size/weight but it isn't all that great either.
The auto repair is decent, but you'll most likely have the mecha shot up pretty good before you can really notice any effects from it. Bonuses aren't bad when they go off but again you'll most likely see this blow up before you see much of the bonuses come into play.
So in my humble opinion this mecha is just not well thought out, or implemented. It has great potential yes but is severely limited in it's base design, and equipment doesn't really help all that much. It sits in your line, pops off a few shots, takes quite a few hits, and blows up. Not bad if you're looking for something to soak damage for your line, but overall a sinkhole for niodes in purchase price, outfitting, equipment and leveling. I may have mine set up totally wrong but at present I can't afford full on niode everything for it. Not to mention with what is available for equipment, I really wouldn't want to. Got a different point of view on this big slow target? Toss us your review and let us know what you think!
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Kinetic Converter Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534
A Engine piece for mechas in the 95-100 Ton range, costing 1,850 Ferrite, 1,310 Bioptics, and 56 Crystal. For all of that you get Speed +5, that's all. No extras, no bonuses, no tacked on damage multiplier, but also unlike the two other engines in this weight category NO vulnerabilities.
The Reaper Core has kickback at 40% odds, the Tri Peak Turbine has a Projectile vulnerability at 2%. But the kicker is those other two engines are Niode based. Historically speaking Niode based equipment has had one over on crystal based for a long, long time. But now looking at these three engines the lower end crystal with its only + 5 to Speed, looks a hell of a lot better, as well as cost effective, next to the obviously slightly flawed Niode equipment.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
The Reaper Core has kickback at 40% odds, the Tri Peak Turbine has a Projectile vulnerability at 2%. But the kicker is those other two engines are Niode based. Historically speaking Niode based equipment has had one over on crystal based for a long, long time. But now looking at these three engines the lower end crystal with its only + 5 to Speed, looks a hell of a lot better, as well as cost effective, next to the obviously slightly flawed Niode equipment.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Chasing Monsters by David McCallum #701548
Transcript of Mission Tape: Porktober 11th, yr 3313
Strider 4 to main base, security patrol update. All quiet so far, swinging East at the way-point.
Rodger that Strider 4, I have you at the way-point, transmitting coordinates for your next marker.
Copy main base... CONTACT! I have multiple bogies in all directions... its like...
Strider 4, this is base. I heard a contact alert, please confirm... Strider 4, do you copy?
Sorry base, I confirm contact, am attempting to ascertain target. I thought it was Ambershards for a moment, but... Base, can you check to see if there's been an escape from a zoo or a circus transport in the region? I'm seeing lots of wildlife, multiple species and I've seen none of it before.
Stand by Strider 4, checking for you now.
Mac, I got an alert relay saying our sentry patrol had hit trouble.
Uh, no Colonel, its looking like a false alarm. Local wildlife possibly, I'm just checking news feeds to see if there's been any reports of escaped animals. Not seeing anything though. Strider 4, any chance of a description? It might help the feed search.
Copy base, uh... OK... closest one to me maybe looks like a snavuurm, buts it's shorter and more sort of.. pudgy, I guess. Red hide, yellow underbelly, sort of a crest on its head and the HOLY <redacted>! IT'S GOT A <redacted> FLAME WEAPON! EVASIVE MANEUVERS!Strider 4, this is the Colonel! Disengage and head back to your previous way-point. I'll get some backup there ASAP. What's your status?
Rodger that Colonel, shields blocked most of it, some minor damage. Heading back to the way-point... uh... damn, got another one blocking me. Trying to get around it.
Yeah, give it plenty of room Strider 4, no point getting in range of that flamer if you don't need to.
Negative Colonel, this is a different one. Looks like a bright yellow bunny with a weird ass tail... kinda cute. Heh, sounds like its singing...
Singing?
Yeah... could be a mating call I suppose... sounds like "Peeka Peeka Peeka Peeka..."
<sound of violent static and crackling>
Strider 4! Strider 4! Do you copy? Strider 4! Report!
... AYDAY MAYDAY! LIGHTNI....IKE! OUT OF CONTR....N'T HOLD......NCHING OUT!
Mac to Ready 1, we have a pilot down! Scramble now, am feeding course to your machines!
Base, this is Strider 4, chute deployed.... I'm OK.
Strider 4, this is Mac... Rescue crews en-route. Are you coming down close to any of those things?
Uh, hang on... Mac, this is way weird... I can't see anything. The place was crawling just before but there's not an animal in sight!
You sure about that Strider? They haven't just gone to ground?
No... I mean, there must be some sign, right? And I'm looking at my ride and I can't see where it was hit! No soot, no scorching... not a damn thing!
Uh, I read you Strider... look, just get your sidearm ready in case and hunker down until help arrives, OK? Yell if you see anything.
Mac, what the hell's going on?
Sorry, Colonel you know as much as me. One minute he was on patrol, I sent him a route change and suddenly the place is teeming with... hold on... computer, show me that course data packet please. Yeah, thought so... it's been tampered with.
What?
It's had a file appended to it... coding looks real old as well... some kind of... it's a game!
What?
You're getting repetitive Colonel... It's an old virtual reality game... go out and capture monsters. The thing is if you run it through a mech, you have a hundred ton armed gaming rig that thinks it's under attack, and you can't tell the difference until you get outside. No doubt somebody's idea of an absolutely wizard jape.
Can you tell who it was? I'll shoot them myself.
Not yet, but I'll be able to track the source I'm relatively sure. You want me to copy the report to Fuller as well?
No point, he's on... uh... extended reconnaissance.
Oh, you mean the kind of extended reconnaissance where he had to pack his fishing rods?
Enough of your lip Mac.Yessir, sorry sir.... say, Colonel?
Hmm?
This code certainly looks benign... I'll double check it thoroughly of course but... from the looks of it, some of the monsters in this game spawn next to natural water features.
So?
Just thinking that Fuller's fishing trips... Sorry, I mean extended recons always seem more extended than we expect them to... its almost as if he's got to catch them all....
Submitted by David McCallum #701548
Image by Spice5400 on Deviantart
Firecracker A.I. Equipment Review by David McCallum #701548
Well, the fire based mechs are certainly getting some love this year. Maybe it's because that old witchy stinge Tory has had a bit of a fright what with Novum being overrun and she is finally lifting the lid on some of the goodies they've been holding onto.
Whatever the reason, we have another bit of tech on the market very squarely aimed at a particular market, namely the Notas, and its some cockpit gear called the Firecracker A.I.
In a word, love it...
Sorry, that's two words, but that's because I love it lots.
It may seem a bit old school, like a retrofitted Nux Raid. Nothing wrong with that, it was a solid targeting system that has served pilots well for generations as they have trained up.But of course there have been additions geared specifically around fire mechs to provide the necessary valve controls to give both increased general damage and a chance of a super-heated shot if you catch it just right.
But the most excellent thing is that there are no inherent penalties or down side that is normally associated with high tonnage equipment. However at 65 Niodes, 1441 Bioptics and 1037 Ferrite it is by far the most expensive piece of cockpit gear on the market.
Yallan, Ignis and Jadoon can also get a boost from this... just don't go breaking the bank by replacing all your Haptic Interfaces with these pups as standard... tempting, but not quite worth the cost.
Submitted by David McCallum #701548
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
The Magnus Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534
Now as I do with most of my reviews I'll give you the break down based on what I have in my hanger at my current pilot level which at present is 112. So a Magnus as far as I can see has Projectile damage, slight Crit-Kill, Trample and Splash shielding, Freeze, Fork and Missile damage as in built mecha capabilities.
Mine has at present 30 weapon slots, 6 Cockpit slots, 3 Chassis slots, 5 Engine slots, and a whopping 7 Shield slots. So basically you can eek decent speed out of them with engines, get a solid lock with cock pit, side step a very little with Chassis, and soak up a hell of a lot of damage across your shields. In my opinion these are some heavy duty infantry mecha.
They weren't made to dodge fire, they were made to lock and load, take whatever hits from the enemy, and move on to their next target. They are quite versatile in usage of both Projectile, and Missile weapons although it is recommended you change out the floor model weapons. They aren't bad weapons its just that they loose their effectiveness as you level and gain access to, as well as get hit by bigger guns. Getting hit is when you notice those shield slots the most. These puppies if properly outfitted can take a world of damage and still sit there firing at you.
This isn't a speed mecha, or a dodge mecha, this one is front line all the way. It performs much how it looks, lumbering through the battle field taking hits and dishing them out in equal measure. But it is only truly effective if those shield slots are filled and active.Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Hip Shocks Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534
This chassis piece is for mechas 35 -55 Tons in weight, it will cost you 620 Ferrite, 465Bioptics, and 34 Niodes. The abilities attached to it are Dodge(8), Speed +4, Precision (2), and Ice Shield 8%. Not a bad little package all in all. The dodge is nice especially when combined with the speed boost.
Precision is on the low side, but be smart on how you equip it, and let the small percentage augment your already existing rating rather than define it. Ice Shielding is going to come in handy given all the new ice toys that have hit the market lately, again let it add to your already existing ice shielding rather than just relying on that stat alone and you should be alright.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Precision is on the low side, but be smart on how you equip it, and let the small percentage augment your already existing rating rather than define it. Ice Shielding is going to come in handy given all the new ice toys that have hit the market lately, again let it add to your already existing ice shielding rather than just relying on that stat alone and you should be alright.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Betrus Processor Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534
For mechas with tonnage of 70-85 is this nice piece of crystal cockpit equipment. Centered around Precision and a small percentage for crit-kill it is a feasible piece of equipment financially. My personal opinion is that this is one of the best crystal based cockpit pieces available, if you can't afford niode equipment this is a great alternative.
It will cost you 812 Ferrite, 4,320 Bioptics, and 204 Crystal to own one. It has the abilities of Precision of (10), and Crit-kill of 3%. Stack enough of these on the right mechas and you will see your precision stat rise, as well as your crit-kill. Added to a mecha already equipped with crit-kill in the build and you may wind up with a one shot, one kill death machine. Ideal for the free player, and competitive no matter what mecha it is put in.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
It will cost you 812 Ferrite, 4,320 Bioptics, and 204 Crystal to own one. It has the abilities of Precision of (10), and Crit-kill of 3%. Stack enough of these on the right mechas and you will see your precision stat rise, as well as your crit-kill. Added to a mecha already equipped with crit-kill in the build and you may wind up with a one shot, one kill death machine. Ideal for the free player, and competitive no matter what mecha it is put in.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Pebble Bed Reactor Equipment Review by Pat Willis#224534
An engine piece that is for 50-70 ton mechs. It will cost you 315 Ferrite, 220 Bioptics, and 47 Crystal. This engine piece just has the rating of Speed +14, no other frills.This is a work horse of a engine. As the tonnage is mid-range it will
fit into a variety of mechas.
Its only bonus is the speed at +14 but given multiple engine slots for most mecha within that tonnage range it really is a great way to get your mecha going and build it up to speed fast. It is a pretty basic straight forward crystal engine and as such doesn’t supply anything beyond the speed bonus but when stacked with multiples of this little engine you will certainly notice the difference.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Its only bonus is the speed at +14 but given multiple engine slots for most mecha within that tonnage range it really is a great way to get your mecha going and build it up to speed fast. It is a pretty basic straight forward crystal engine and as such doesn’t supply anything beyond the speed bonus but when stacked with multiples of this little engine you will certainly notice the difference.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
Friday, July 8, 2016
Why The Regis Is The True King Of The Battle Field By Pat Willis#224534
The Regis mecha is an extraordinary 90 ton mecha that by all rights has the potential to truly rule the battle field as it stands right now. Through many black market dealings with pirate clans and their access to the Mystery Vortex, I have acquired in total seven Regis Mecha. Given 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.
They are deceptively fast for their tonnage especially at the higher levels, given they are bipedal in design as opposed to a quadruped. They get away from the lumbering movements associated with Jurassic mecha. They have great armor, that is highly evident in the fabled "found" Regis. These rare machines were found by various pilots on the Yomi Reefs when this model was discovered. They were all shells with no weapons back then but the way they were made allotted them more armor points for their tonnage. Add to this already high armor the pilot armor designs/bonuses, and depending on level you could be looking at a true monster of a mecha.
They have a natural affinity for laser weapons and enjoy bonuses to such, they have a X3 damage potential built in, Crit-Kill capability also built in, and Fork as well as Trample. All of that is before you add in weapon perks/bonuses or equipment. They also are fairly proficient with projectile weapons, and spread their on board bonuses to those weapons as well. In truth as long as you put the proper equipment in there really isn't much by way of weaponry these things can not use effectively.
So what does this all add up to? A 90 ton mecha that is fast, enjoys many bonuses to damage as well as has natural Trample shield, Laser shield, Auto repair, and it is highly versatile in the weapons it can use. These things are set to be the new gods of the wars, and KOTM. Really unless you get real lucky with a crit kill, a flash of metal fangs, and a burst of light may very well be the last thing a pilot sees when facing a Regis.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
They are deceptively fast for their tonnage especially at the higher levels, given they are bipedal in design as opposed to a quadruped. They get away from the lumbering movements associated with Jurassic mecha. They have great armor, that is highly evident in the fabled "found" Regis. These rare machines were found by various pilots on the Yomi Reefs when this model was discovered. They were all shells with no weapons back then but the way they were made allotted them more armor points for their tonnage. Add to this already high armor the pilot armor designs/bonuses, and depending on level you could be looking at a true monster of a mecha.
They have a natural affinity for laser weapons and enjoy bonuses to such, they have a X3 damage potential built in, Crit-Kill capability also built in, and Fork as well as Trample. All of that is before you add in weapon perks/bonuses or equipment. They also are fairly proficient with projectile weapons, and spread their on board bonuses to those weapons as well. In truth as long as you put the proper equipment in there really isn't much by way of weaponry these things can not use effectively.
So what does this all add up to? A 90 ton mecha that is fast, enjoys many bonuses to damage as well as has natural Trample shield, Laser shield, Auto repair, and it is highly versatile in the weapons it can use. These things are set to be the new gods of the wars, and KOTM. Really unless you get real lucky with a crit kill, a flash of metal fangs, and a burst of light may very well be the last thing a pilot sees when facing a Regis.
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534
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