Reverse Rotary Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

This engine piece is niode based and for mechas in the 85-95 ton range. It'll run you 1,582 Ferrite, 861 Bioptics, and 51 Niodes to get a hold of one. It has the abilities of Speed +8, Fork at 6%, X3 Damage at 3%, and Missile Vulnerable of 3%.

Slower than the R.A.C.E. engine by 2, also slower than the Heavy Anti-recoil engine by 5. Also the only one of those three engines to have a vulnerability, however that is easily nullified by proper shielding on your mecha. The Fork is great as anything that enhances or grants the Fork ability will pay off in battle many times over. Also as most mechas have the X3 damage ability built in it can kick that up another notch. So not as powerful and perhaps as desirable as the R.A.C.E. but stronger than the Heavy anti-recoil engine. It seems to be a very decent middle of the road type of engine.









Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Coldheart Engine Review by David McCallum : #701548

I'M ALIVE!!!!


I put this down to my cast iron constitution coupled with a crash diet of curry and VATs as opposed to Nurse Jessica's diagnosis of 'Man Flu'...


It could also, perhaps, be due to an amount of excitement while browsing the trade catalogues.


You see, I was flicking through to see what would pair nicely with the new Medusa rig when lo and behold this jumped out at me.


The Coldheart Engine.


Now, I don't recall seeing much in the way of advertising or fanfare for this piece, and I can normally sniff this in the wind when it comes to goodies for the mid-weight mecha.


Just goes to show how close I was to knocking on Deaths Door.


But I digress... what we have in a 23 Niode, 456 Bioptic, 520 Ferrite engine module aimed at the 30 - 50 ton weight bracket. Speed rating 20, a bit of overcharge damage and a 6% boost to Cold damage.


Now I love an engine, especially a nicely balanced block like this one. Its a matter of physics that crystal matrices give the best raw speed at any given weight bracket and you can almost swap this thing directly out for a Wankel Rotary given a large enough budget with no ill effects.


The thing is, whenever I see new gear on the market, I always pay attention to the pieces that instantly jump out at me with the sure knowledge that I know where I'm going to put it. If you put your hand to your ear, you will quite literally hear a Banshee crying for these... and if you have already invested the funds to get one to the level where its Ice stats come into play, you must have the fundage to be able to invest in some of these.


Dig a little deeper though and some interesting options come up. You can obviously fit them on a Nifthel, but a good option is always to use the fastest engine you can on the heaviest mech it will fit.


I'll thow some combos out there... Coldheart, Thermal Analyser, Luison, Oggun, Nephilax, Vizi, Zadok. If that can't bridge the gap between the Nifthel and Warg while still catering to the machines natural abilities.



Submitted  by David McCallum : #701548

Medusa Rig Equipment Review by David McCallum : #701548

It is official, I'm dying...


Pain wracks my body, I can hardly breath, vision is blurring, I pass out from coughing fits and my core temperate fluctuates between Chimera and Wendigo levels.


Nurse Jessica is attempting use reverse psychology on me.


She says a might have a slight sniffle, but she can't hide the symptoms from me.


This may well be my last ever review....


But with my core temperature slamming betwixt ice and fire, it gives me an excellent appreciation of the newest cruiserweight cockpit piece, the Medusa Rig.


It comes in at a book price 439 Ferrite, 582 Bioptics and 36 Crystal for a Precision rating of 4, plus
boosts to Ice and Fire damage rated at 6% and 5% respectively.


Let's face it, not exactly outstanding.


Fair enough, it is a budget piece of gear aimed primarily at Wargs or Cindrons, or to give an all rounder like an Oggun a bit of a boost if you have an excess of decent hotty or chilly weaponry.


The thing is, and I speak from personal experience by earning a crust at this weight range, you need the precision in your cockpit because there are a lot of dodgy geezers out there. Given a choice between a smidge more damage, I would prefer to actually hit what I'm aiming at.


For that, it really means going for the slightly more expensive (but worth every crystal) Nux Raid... or even better, an Enhanced Senses rig that you may have picked up as a prize. Heck, if we are talking prizes, you may as well swap in a Thermal Analyzer for more damage and only slightly less chance of hitting but that also means you may get a shot off faster... even if it is going to miss, it will look impressive to the spectators.


There is perhaps one point at which I would use it.


When my funeral arrives (and I feel it shall be soon), mount these on my Cindrons so they may light the boat that carries me to the Hall of Heroes...


And use the cost difference between these and the Plasma Orbs they would replace on booze...


It grows darker now...


Oh, that's only the shadow cast by Nurse Jessica's chestal region...



Submitted  by David McCallum : #701548

Consequences of War by David McCallum : #701548

Well, I'm flat on my back.


Lets face it, for pilots it's an occupational hazard getting your mount shot out from under you and ending up being rebuilt from the ground up.


You that is, not your mech.


In my case it's back spasms caused by an overenthusiastic ejection rather than anything potentially more deadly or inclusive of a degradation in the amount of attached limbs.


Problem is, because there is no actual tissue loss the medics are loath to do anything other than administer drugs and keep me bed ridden.


I do admit however that the arrival of a certain Miss Jessica who managed to wiggle her way into our lower level clans and who has been doing a tour of duty as medical officer among the rest of us has made my enforced bed rest somewhat more palatable.


The down side is that the powers that be have a captive receptacle to dump the paperwork on.


My favorite at the moment is readiness planning (small unit tactics).


In other words, sort out what the hell we are going to be doing next Clan War.


So, there is the rub of it... clan sizes have been approximately halved. Good job we have been given the heads up on that sooner, because its going to be a logistical nightmare for some of the bigger families like the AFF or the Dragons.


And how the devil they are going to avoid each other division wise is going to be a bigger miracle than Pat paying for a round of drinks.


There's going to be other ramifications as well... some good, some bad.


There may well be a lot of free agents, especially from the single clan/small clan family category. I hope they get a berth for the war if they want one, but by the same token they may find that their 'new' home is better and they may leave their old mates behind.


It could well be that for some of the stragglers, old alliances from past Faction Wars will be called upon to throw together a scratch formation. With recent moves to limit the average and criteria of a Clan, here's hoping that the restrictions in place will not prove to be prohibitive in finding people a position within a mini-clan.


A number of new leaders will be stepping up. No bad thing for anyone... leadership experience can only add depth and redundancy to everyone's roster.


As for the war itself... I can almost see this one being very cagey with lots of overtime. Things like giving away a defensive win is going to have far more ramifications... if the clan sizes are halved, a def win essentially will have double the impact. A good specialist is going to be a game changing formation.


Now, I've seen other competitive formats where suddenly a major force has dropped down to a small squad or fire-team. The big difference between the two is that because battles are quicker, you can get more in given a certain time frame. It makes you start to wonder if we will be seeing more match ups than a 'regular' Clan War. Does that remind anyone of the grind that was Mechal.... that which shall not be named?


Just on rough calculations, and assuming participation from folk is the same as a regular Clan War, I estimate that we would have around twice as many fire-teams. That's either larger divisions, or more. Couple that with an enforced roster shakeup so that the face of the enemy is no longer familiar, betting is going to be an absolute swine.


OUCH!!!


Alright, I am suitably admonished that hard laughter is not going to be conducive to a timely recovery.


But I can't help it... I'm imagining the looks on the faces of all of those so called clan analysts who rely on spreadsheets to track theirs and everyone else strengths. I wonder how many will burn the midnight oil to try and redo them on the fly, how many will just go and get drunk and how many are even now just rocking in the corner, sobbing gently.

Submitted  by David McCallum : #701548

Clan Wars Round Table By The Editorial Staff

Another day at the Galaxy Gathering headquarters. Things were rather quiet around the office as they usually are after clan wars. But this last clan wars had ruffled some feathers and was the topic of some debate. Which got me thinking about clan wars in general. What they were, and what they turned into. So, I called a meeting for another round table discussion. To make sure the guys were more receptive to another meeting I allowed mid-morning drinks, provided no one was armed.

Gentlemen the subject on the table is Clan Wars and the frequency in which they happen. Back in the day CWs were like faction wars. Once every three or four months. A lot of prep time and troop movements could be made with little to no difficulty. Also, it leads to more and more trash talk on the boards as clans built up and got things ready for war. It was a spectacle truly. 

Now it's just another monthly event, usually highlighting the rule change of the month not everyone agrees on or likes. It is virtually meaningless now as far as who climbs to the top of what division because they'll not stay there long. And it leads in to a raid that generally makes no sense as to why the NPCs are attacking after a galaxy wide clan skirmish. Bottom line for me, it has lost its charm, its fun, and is regulated now to a clockwork event with no spontaneity. 

More often than not a weak story line behind it to boot given there is only a month to just mesh everything together and present to the community. So what say you gents? Let’s lay it all out no bones about it, Cws and their frequency of rinse and repeat, good, bad, indifferent, and of course why?

David- Oooh goody, Patrick is on his soapbox! Shove over, because I've got loads to say on this one. Now, unlike Pat, I haven't been around quite as long. All I can remember is the format of once a month Clan Wars, and to me it makes perfect sense.

For solo play, you have missions and PvP.
For individual solo play tournaments you have the KotMs.
The only time you really get to play as part of a team is the clan war.
To me, that covers all the bases and the regularity of Clan Wars is not overwhelming.

Now to me, this year has been refreshing. Strong or weak storyline is a matter of taste, but we have at least had one... there has been a story arc, progression, rule changes have been given a basis in the storyline and old enemies have been tied together and in some cases given their own place in the standard missions.

It’s not exactly a reboot, but it has gathered them together cohesively. Compare that with previous years where a bad guy would just pop up out of nowhere then disappear again, it is a step change in the right direction as far as I am concerned.
I'm liking it.

Now, as for the raid following a clan war for no apparent reason... doesn't have to. In the run up to Faction War 1, we got hit by an auto-started Drake raid, and faction chat was like, "Um... I think we might be under attack??!!!" Hit us with surprises like that, I'm all for it!

Which leads me to what I think is Patrick's big bone of contention, given recent happenings. 

The rule changes. 

Now I will remind folk up front that I am an advocate of the occasional unlimited Clan War. There are players who prefer this style, and I don't think they are really being catered for.
That being said, I personally want to pit myself against good players. Good does not equal rich. I have no interest in the size of somebody’s wad.

And to my mind, a good player is somebody who is flexible, adaptable and can cope and do well in any scenario they are given.

The first "Rise of the Specialists" threw the cat among the pigeons and produced some very surprising results and caught a lot of the so called 'elite' on the hop. Mechalympix was the same.

Ladies and gents, this is a war game, and if there is one thing history tells us it is that very rarely is there a plan that survives contact with the enemy, and that all too often the commander in the field must 'make do' with what they have rather than the ideal wish list of what they want. The regular rule changes to my mind simulate that quite reasonably.

Pat- True the rule changes are one thing I have a problem with no argument there. The core of it though is what I have been saying since day 1. If every game is the Superbowl then what the Superbowl represents loses its meaning.

Clan wars used to be about bring your best slug it out, let the dust settle and regroup for a bit until the next one. That seems to be what Faction wars is now.

But what would be the harm in having the clans go on the offensive for a change? Take a clan war off for a month. Institute a clan raid that is started by the clans against an opponent. Have us be the aggressor for a change. Story line gets advanced with us tracking them down, we get to do something other than react, and it allows for a build up like the old days.

Make Clan wars something to look forward to for all involved rather than the same old same old. Especially for a monthly title of the best that just doesn't mean anything anymore.

David- You know, I could cope with that in principal, but I would still want some form of bragging rights. The Clans go on the offensive, but you still want to count coup on your rivals. You know, like the over-dramatised Patton vs Montgomery rivalry.

To make it really interesting though, is working out how to play to your strengths?
Because that is what you would do on the offensive, use your strengths and hit the oppositions weaknesses.

So you would almost have to have mini raids for each player with cumulative totals, but you can set specs if you want and the raid has to abide by those rules!

Then the unlimiteds get to do what they want and the specs get to pitch in with what they do good.

Pat- Bragging rights are easily solved with a reward based system like we have now based on kill count, and medals could be had likewise for tonnage specialists and kill count. But it would at least break up the endless cycle of rinse and repeat we are in now.

Ron- I am going to be the bad guy on this one.......I like more frequent CWs because I get a chance to have a raid once per month and show off as well as test my current formations.......but......I think FWs should be cut back to once every six months instead of once every three months.....this would give players like Patrick that feeling they used to get from rarer CWs and still keep the monthly events for those of us that prefer a regular event.

Pat- Kenneth anything to add to this?

Kenneth- Having monthly clan wars, bi yearly faction wars is a great schedule to an otherwise slow game. It gives you help in building, tests formations, makes you talk and learn tactics, develop new mechs for new formations, etc, etc.

However, there are a few areas that could most certainly see more variety to help keep it from developing "plod" syndrome.

One, more variety in prizes. While it's nice for D1 to get 1st crack at new BFMs, and the Banshee and commisar coming in the bottom ranks, I feel that there's stagnation in the upper middle ranks. Why not switch that Ignis up with some Aspis or Regis? How long has the Frigis been a 2nd place prize? There are several things that could be done in here to increase interest.

Two, more variety in specializations. KothM is currently setting a wonderful example in shaking it up, so why not CW specs? More variance in limited tonnage, Front Line spec, 1 mech, 2 mech, 3 mech, 4 spec, again, the possibilities are endless. It's high time we had something to shoot for other than 20T, 55T, 950T, 1200T, etc.

And finally, there is rumor that Chef will be making 5 minimum / 7 maximum clan sizes for the upcoming war. Now mind you, I personally haven't seen the official statement on this, but I know several clan family's who are puckering their nether regions in anticipation for this possibility. How's that for a shake up to keep it interesting?

Pat- Good gods gimme an old fashioned unlimited slug fest any day..lol. Well alright seems I'm in the minority here as you all seem perfectly content with monthly CW.s. To each their own and thank you for all sharing your opinion. But someone please answer me this... Should it still be called Clan Wars, or turned into something else?

Cause as stands Clan Wars is best of the best for the clans, come out and prove it. But because it is on a monthly basis and changes so often no real best of the best can be determined save those upper tier division clans. We're essentially having Title bouts once a month, but because it happens so much, and so often it has no point and no meaning should you get the title belt, cause it's just going to be turned around and up for grabs again in about three weeks.

 David- Not 100% sure what you are driving at here Pat, and I'm wondering if it is to do with your personal experience with your division rather than what is happening elsewhere? I mean, for the longest time, the AFF were the dominant force in D4, then they moved up and Heroes took over for a few wars only to be beaten by Black Star who moved up from D5.

There's also the Chessmen run, and the current Dragon dominance, so those are other examples of the title not changing hands.

I'm wondering if your view is in some way limited by the huge clan shifts and re-alignments we have seen over the past year in D1 through 3, making things look less static than what the rest of us are seeing?

Pat- The basics of it are really what it used to be vs what it is now. It used to be best of the best reigning for a few months and either holding the title or loosing it to a challenger. It was an event, hype over who would win, speculation, rumor, strategy all over the game page and any where else you looked. It just seemed to mean more back then. Now it's monthly and okay but why? What is the purpose of a monthly clash, if not to establish best of status why are we even fighting? And yeah not a lot changes in Div 2 where I usually fight.

So basically if the event is the story line driven raid why have clan wars to get to the raid and not just promote a raid to the monthly event? Fine tune Cws for whatever rule tweaks you want to make and allow a little build up with say bi monthly wars. Give it some of the importance and weight back it used to carry. Lately it just seems light if not empty.

David-  Because in balance terms, the strength of the raid depends on the strength of your clan, based on the result you got in the division you were in.

Otherwise without ranking, even on a month by month basis, everyone from low to high would get the same rewards...

 BUT>>>

I will concede on point... it does seem a bit daft that we see an enemy on the horizon, hell bent on Galactic domination, therefore our first instinct is to all fight amongst ourselves then go deal with the greebly as an afterthought...

Kenneth- Oh! What about a beat-down CW? Straight up "the most wins you can dole out in a 24 hour period"

David- No point, totally negates spes and defensive wins.

Kenneth- But the beatings...
 

Pat- Good idea but I think the bitching on the game board from such would reach a new level of epic.

Kenneth- Don't care. This can serve multiple purposes. One, it helps you figure out your clan activity level (which a lot of clan leaders with they could do). You'll get an idea of who attacks, how frequently, and from what time of day. Lots of valuable info right there Also, you learn who your true gamers are. Who's the ex WoW, Halo, EQ player that puts in "raid camp" hours to guarantee a win.
Hell, either turn off xp or cut it in half to help promote full participation

Ron- How about this...........Why not make clan wars exactly what the name implies....clan wars......write up a stand alone story line for the game lore stating that the clan wars are a monthly engagement designed by the many smaller governments of the galaxy to decide matters of conflict via combat in a manner that effects only the mechs, clans and pilots involved rather than resulting in planetary destruction.....this explains the term clan wars....this opens up the monthly clan war event to permanent status without question.....it explains why it happens so frequently and why the pilots are rewarded with such lucrative prizes....and it makes the faction wars far more impacting in their rarity and nature.

Pat-  Hell of an interpretation, as well as an explanation. Got to say makes sense all the way around. Well put.

Kenneth- The pilot's story pokes fun at weird, arbitrary things that get decided by Chef for events, lol

Ron- I still say that faction wars should be less often though.....twice yearly makes them far more important and anticipated....and I definitely agree that the story lines, plots, and narrative arcs are going to complete hell.

David-  I just had the most startling idea, and It must be brilliant, because I though of it. We are getting used to rule changes, so no biggy on adapting. We have the camp of heavy hitters who just want a good old fashioned unlimited battle.We also have the clans who use specs in an attempt to remian competitive against said heavy hitters.

Sooo...

What if your clan had the ability to choose their battleground? Do you fight on open ground in an unlimited pitched battle (all unlimited), or do you prefer the dense terrain and uncertain footing where the specs come into play (all spec)?

Chose one at registration!

Clan sizes would have to be smaller so you get a reasonable grouping of each type level wise, but at least everyone gets catered for. That would definitely throw the cat among the pigeons for the campers and level riggers, because you don't know who is going to be fighting in what bracket!

And it is also going to show once and for all how many actually want it unlimited or want specs to be present. 

Kenneth- Ron, I agree about FW. Twice yearly is enough. Oh, and NEVER! Never Mechalympics ever again. Never ever.

Pat- Ughh ,oh hell no got to agree with you there Kenneth.

Ron-  Kenneth Hicks.....just for saying the word mecha*edited*ics....you are going to hell!
 

Kenneth -Wow. Well, let's just call that little piece "resume padding" because that destination was set for me a long time ago, lol.

Ron-I still can’t get the image out of my head of that horrific cartoon of the Glaccus mech running the 100m hurdles.

David- LOL, bunch of bloody lightweights. Mechalympics sorted the adults from the kiddies alright. While it may well have been a grind in terms of time frame, it had you on your toes the whole time... no foregone conclusions and a heck of a lot of lightning raids and spoiling attacks made it extremely interesting. It was a very nice change and very imaginatively done. I certainly would back another event that was as far away from the norm as this one. 

The length of time for Mechalympix aside, the one thing I really did like about it was the fact that in terms of forces, everyone was catered for.

Yes there were a lot of spec based events, but there was also a whole slew of unlimiteds so the heavy hitters could pull on their big boy undies and strut their stuff.  
 

It was at this point Ron started foaming at the mouth while getting a crazed look in his eyes. He advanced on Kenneth and David hurling Brotherhood curses of the God Mecha for having spoken of the hated mecha....well you know.

 Kenneth looked like a deer in headlights, David just backed away slowly. It was then I realized next time, don’t serve drinks at a meeting and just take everyone’s word that they are not armed
. 

Apparently, I should have at least patted them down, because Ron now had a gun in hand was waving it at Kenneth, while still screaming about the not to be named event.

Eventually Kenneth made a break for the door, Ron gave pursuit, David ran after them both. I heard shots fired in the hallway, a couple of groans, and a thud.

I just shrugged, poured another drink, and went over the lay out for next week.

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

Energy Aura Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A unique Niode chassis equipment piece for mechas in the 80-90 ton range. It goes for 1,344 Ferrite, 1,421 Bioptics, and 45 Niodes.  It has a Shield of (6), Freeze 6%, Dodge (6) and Auto Repair (1) for abilities. Limit of 100.

The added Shield is always welcome even if it is under 10%, Freeze is always a good thing especially on your ice based mecha. Dodge is never anything to scoff at, and with this you can add more to what may already have stocked up in your mecha. Auto Repair is minimal but as some of the mechas such as the Regis already have built in auto repair this may be a good piece to add to it so as to get more repair at one time in battle. Granted one Crit-kill will end you no matter what but it is an advantage to a degree especially if stacked. A decent piece all around even if some of the percentages and basic numbers are smaller, but stacked with other equipment and load outs it just may give you the much needed edge in combat.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Times, They Are A Changin’ By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

Scott Abbott sat in his command ship in orbit over Srixin. That was one of the most intensive, weirdest, and difficult invasions that the Mercenary Clans have ever had to endure. It was like you were going into combat with the Bizarro World versions of themselves only they had most definitely been tweeking the mechs.

Now that hostilities have been sufficiently contained, you’d think it would be time for a little R&R, licking of the wounds and rebuilding the fleets, check out ESPN to see if Chris Zimmer is looking to take another KotM.

But no. Nope, that would be too easy. That would have made this whole blasted thing bearable!
Instead, the Home Office of Clan War Broadcasting had to send a memo down the line. One…Memo…

The memo too which Scott was brooding was a General Rule Change with the next Clan War. For the next war, clans will have a minimum of 5 or a maximum of 7 members.

One…Memo…

So instead of having some pleasant downtime, Scott has been awake for the last three cycles, running troops through exercises, taking in data, wins, loses, improvements, activity level, and frequency of bathroom breaks. Pilots and ground crew have been on 18/4 sleep cycles, keeping everyone on edge, always working.
Clan Leaders and cadre have all learned, if Cmdr. Abbott is awake then so are they. Running drills, collecting notes, strategy sessions, keeping the troops moving, making the work pay out in stronger clan structures.

One…Memo…

Clan Wars Administrative Division
Novum Dolorum
Marketing Department

Stan Jennings was just finishing up work with a skip in his step, and a smirk on his face. It’s been a great day!

Apparently Mr. Shapiro really liked his Holovid campaign idea. Why not just double the number of clans, ensuring customers will have to buy the “Clan War Package Deal” to ensure that they’re able to see all the matches. They’ll rake it in! IT Analytics are already projecting a rise of 21% profits for the quarter because of it!

Then there was that tasty bonus they gave me hitting the account at lunch time. With that kind of money, he can take Jane and the kids to Disney World, just like they’ve always wanted!

Yep, life is good.

Psychic Enhancer Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A Niode cockpit equipment piece for mechas 90-95 tons which will cost you 1,173 Ferrite, 1,340 Bioptics, and 55 Niodes. It has a Precision of [8], Crit Kill of 4%, Speed of -6, 3x Damage of 3%, and 2x Damage of 5%.

Given the tonnage range on this usage is highly limited. First off it'll only work in your BMF mecha, and secondly the speed penalty will keep many from stacking these on their mecha. Lets face it the big boys don't move to swiftly as is, no use turning them into a colossal gun turret in your line up. Aside from that draw back not too bad for abilities. It could be better, it could be worse. Personally owning quite a few mechas in that tonnage range myself I think it's rather meh and wouldn't blow 55 niodes on one. But that is me and my play style, you dear reader may have plans for this, as well as equipment combinations I haven't thought of yet. By all means go nuts and have a blast.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Synfuel Reprocessor Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

For mechas in the 30-50 Ton range here is this handy little niode engine part. It costs 1,050 Ferrite, 1,050 Bioptics, and 19 Niodes to purchase. It has Auto Repair of 1, Speed of +5, Projectile Vulnerable at 10%, and Laser Vulnerable at 4%.

Now those two vulnerabilities aren't really an issue with proper slots and shielding to put them in. The Auto Repair isn't bad, minimal but at least it's there. The Speed isn't bad, there are bigger, faster and more powerful engines out there yes, but use these right and with the right mecha sporting a proper load out for the rest of your equipment and you could be very satisfied with the end results.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Core Reactor Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A Crystal engine equipment piece for mechas in the 65-75 ton range. To get one will cost you 511 Ferrite, 455 Bioptics, and 49 Crystal. This piece grants your mecha Speed +8, Fire Damage at +6%, and Missile as well as Ice vulnerable both at 5%.

Honestly that looks to be the fastest engine in that tonnage range, however if you go into the 70-85 ton range you get into the Max Torque Charged engine with its speed at +10. So really it all depends on where your mecha in questions tonnage lies. The speed on this piece is even more than its Niode cousins +7, and usually Niode gear is better. You will have to put up with the vulnerabilities, a slim boost to fire damage, but hey it'll be the fastest in engine in its weight class.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Plasma Core Equipment Review By Pat Willis#224534

A  crystal engine part for mecha 90-95 tons, which will run you 1,725 Ferrite, 1,542 Biopotics, and 73 Crystal. This part has the abilities of Speed +4, Auto Repair of 3, Fire vulnerability of 30%, and laser vulnerable at 8%.

In my humble opinion simply save your resources  and go all in on the Heat Cycler engine, for the same tonnage spread. You'll get plus 7 to speed nothing else but it will save you a world of hurt when it comes to vulnerabilities. The heat Cycler is also much cheaper only coming in at 54 Crystal rather than the Plasma Cores 73 crystal price tag.  If you want auto repair that badly save your niodes and buy a R.A.C.E. Engine for 53 niodes and get Speed +10, dodge (1), Proj. Damage +4%, and Auto Repair of (1). Stack em and see much more effectiveness in your mech than something with large percentage of vulnerabilities built in. Sorry but this is a real waste of resources for the Plasma Core, and will just lead to getting your mecha blown up all the sooner.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534