Welcome To Legendary Pilot Status Germán Jaramillo Pulido By Pat Willis#224534

Germán Jaramillo Pulido , if you are a regular reader of this site, you know the name well. He is a constant contributor with his comics, most notably his Red Ant Empire, and his Reggie & Gygax comic series. Well he made his 100th comic which appeared in these pages, and he got Dev recognition!

To be clear he has earned his place among the Legendary pilots, one look on his player profile should tell you that. He is a fierce competitor, but the guy has a sense of humor that we here at Galaxy Gathering get a hell of a kick out of. So please join us in welcoming him to Legendary Pilot status.

Below is the in game text of his Legendary Pilot read out for the Regis mecha.

Germán has proven himself to be analytical pilot and is often seen fighting in King of the Mountain events and Circuit Fights with his terrifying Regis, Excalibur. He is also well known for his robust sense of humor. The comic strips he distributes through the Galaxy Gathering news site are entertaining, but they have also been used to save the galaxy from foreign threats. When Xerxes besieged the remote Clarke Federation during the Faction War of 3308, Germán quietly infiltrated Xerses' forces to gather intel on the enemy's strength and formations. He then transmitted this data to his clan through coded messages contained in seemingly innocuous comics. Unaware of the intel leak, Xerxes' forces were taken by surprise and routed. Germán and Excalibur are a formidable pair and when they attack, it's no laughing matter.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Frigis Mecha Review By Pat Willis#224534

If you recall not too long ago I posted an overview of the Frigis mecha. That had all the basics of price, level, manufacturer, and a general.." Yeah it's a good mecha" type wrap up. Well I'm looking to go a little more in depth here, see what comes of it. I figured the best way to do that is to write what you know. I have made legendary pilot status with this mecha model in particular so yeah, I may have a thing or two to say on the matter.

So the information or stats I'm going to give here are taken from my Frigis who is currently at my pilot level of 112. So with that in mind lets have a look under the hood. The Frigis does boast an impressive variety of internal build bonuses. It has it's own Precision before equipment, mine is at (30), it has built in Freeze, Laser and Ice damage, as well as a X2 and X3 damage potential, all wrapped up with a built in general Shield.

Now does it have a downside? Yep, it is Ice vulnerable. Which makes sense seeing as they are billed as a Ice mecha, coolant ruptures from enemy fire and internal havoc on the mechas system, I can see that. But the biggest weapon boost between Ice and Laser weapons on this model is actually in Laser. Can it freeze with Ice weapons? Yes. Do those weapons get a bonus? Yes, and honestly there is only a couple point difference between the two. But in the end Laser takes the biggest bonus with Ice taking a secondary role. So this is actually a Laser mecha not necessarily a Ice mecha. Once you start to understand that the weapon and equipment configurations will come to you.

Now as I said this is based on my Frigis who is at 112, for that level he has 35 weapon slots, 4 Cockpit slots, 7 Chassis slots, 4 Engine slots, and 4 Shield slots. You have the most room to play with in the Chassis slots. You can switch between more speed with equipment boosts, more damage, and still only get a slightly reduced over all dodge. Which if you do your Speed and Precision right really shouldn't be an issue as you'll be firing off hard and fast more than you are avoiding fire. Only 4 Shield slots to be honest does suck. But I've covered my Ferrite plated ass on this one the best I could using them all up.

End result, I'm very happy with how Frozen Dream (the name of my Frigis) turned out. Once you start getting into the build of the mecha and get a feel for it you'll start to see how much possibility this mecha has. It's a solid mecha all round. Some will say it looses its validity as a strong mecha once you get up in levels and have access to the big toys like the Regis, or Fext.

Seriously though not much in the mid tier mechas are going to match the big boys unless you get really lucky, or your pockets are very deep. Personally I really enjoy my Frigis, and it has a place in my formation to this day. In the center row, center spot, my command mecha.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Reggie & Gygax XVI Special Edition Comic # 100!!! By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

 Submitted by  Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

Reggie & Gygax XIV "True Friends" (Comic # 98) By Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Submitted by Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Red Ant Empire XXIX. Fans! (Comic # 96) By Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Submitted by  Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Red Ant Empire XXX. (Comic # 97) By Germán Jaramillo # 685605

 Submitted by Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Handheld Nuke Review by David McCallum #701548

It has to be said, I was extremely impressed with the prizes for both the recent Clan Wars and the raids.


Not only were we treated to a nice little participation only shield system, but there were some revamps to the raid tables that saw folk who gave it a reasonable go able to net themselves a handful of decent weapons to boot.


But one thing I did notice was the justification that led to said groovy shield item, to whit that some of the participation prizes weren't worth it.


Of specific mention was a little piece of kit called the Handheld Nuke and the fact that all it was useful for was the resale value of a few Niodes.


Well, here's the actual truth.


Bunnies lie.


Because these little highly fissionable gems do indeed have a use, and I'm going to pass it on to you since some of the old salts seem to have forgotten about this little trick.


Let's look at those stats.


 I'm not going to bother with cost, because you will get access to them through Clan War prizes. 75% chance of double damage, 25% chance of triple damage. Then the kicker, the reason people don't want to use them. 90% chance of kickback with 100% damage. There's a better chance of blowing yourself up than the enemy, making it a useless system, correct?


Wrong. Wrong wrongedy wrong wrong.


Look at the tonnage range, and see what you can fit it on.



Hello Mr Oggun.


Available at level 24, and if you get it fully leveled at that stage it will have an in built 16% chance of double damage all on its tod. So fit it with a Nuke, and the chances of double damage go to 91%. 101% if you get your Oggun to level 39 or higher. Just saying.


So, we have each and every shot doing double damage. That now means the Nuke gives us a 25% chance of not triple, but SIX TIMES damage. See where I'm going with this?


Now we start looking hard at our other equipment to see what can help.


Expanding Cables give you some more 3 x damage. Multi Fuel Turbines are a bit naff when it comes to engines, and while I wouldn't put one on a mainline mech if I had the choice, they help out here. Same goes for a Stuxnet Injection. The point is you can get it up to over 40% without any weapon bonuses.


But since we are talking weapons, may I point you in the direction of the Injection Beam (readily available from missions) or even the Square Flame? Nuff said.


Actually, I take that back. Just in case you haven't worked out what we are doing here.


Injection Beams at 37 damage and Square Flames at 30 damage may be on the light side of damage output, but they are already doubled to 74 and 60 respectively. You won't get access to that kind of damage until around level 70. But most importantly they give that little bit of extra 3 x damage chance to give you your overcharged shot.


Now what exactly are we going to do with this mech that is bound for a very short, loud and bright life?


Well, we are going to put it and a few like minded friends into our short line... because at those low levels, you are going to be getting your lines of three mechs regularly swamped by higher levels with lines of four. Or missions with lines of four. Or Raids.


Your good mechs go in your long lines, your dross generally goes in the short lines, there only to make up the numbers or get maybe a lucky shot off.


Now one of your short lines has suicide Ogguns.


Kickback only occurs if you hit them, not if they dodge... so if everyone is still dancing, your Ogguns are fine. Who cares if they are carrying a nuke?


Well, somebody on the receiving end will if you get off that lucky shot you were hoping for... and a 6 x shot will breach even Epsilon grade shielding.


It may not be a crit kill, and you will die in the process, but your short line was never going to survive anyway... and 6 x damage is the next best thing to a crit at your level. Rival Clans, Raids, Missions. Every single one can be hurt and softened so your good stuff can finish them off.


So go on... keep a few Nukes. They were free after all.

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Anodyne Chronicles 8 Human feelings (Comic # 95) By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

Anodyne Chronicles 7 AI's Wisdom (Comic # 94) By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

Interview With Scott Abbott 468961 By Kenneth Hicks 846092

K: Hi there every one and welcome to the Pilot’s Corner. Today’s guest is none other than Scott Abbott. Scott, how we doing today?

S: Uh, pretty good…. I thought… this was a Tactical meeting…

K: No no. I had this on your calendar for two months. Sit down, answer some questions and you’re free to go.

S: Okay, wait. What?

K: No worries Scott! Anywhoo, so tell us. How did you start to get into Mecha Galaxy, what was the draw?

S: The mechs drew me into Mecha Galaxy.  I was a long time fan of the Battletech and Mechwarrior games.

K: table top or PC?

S: Mostly PC, I think I only had the pleasure of playing table top once or twice

S: I started off in the Dark Angels training squad, the "Ravenwing."  I can remember Jan Kump being the clan leader.  That was when I quickly learned that I didn't want to languish in a bronze clan for very long.

S:   I moved to Blood Oath after two wars and got a silver or two against a very tough Death's Stalkers squad that had Andrew Bell, Chad Larson and some other very notable names that I eventually brought with me to the Dragons.

S: I can't find any more stalkers even though there were a couple worth mentioning.

K: So the Dragons. What was the medal count this time?

S: Five Golds for the main clans, silver for Ruby, Crystal was silver (as planned) Nova and Training got gold, while Training II got silver. So altogether, seven golds and three silvers.

K: That really is outstanding. These types of wins are possible with something you are fairly well known for, and that's being able to set up an accurate spreadsheet. What's your background with running stats like that?

S: Back when I first joined the AFF we had two strong clans, Reavers and Disciples.  The Reavers had an average in the lower fourties while the Disciples had an average in the low fifties. 

S: We figured they would be in separate divisions.  We figured wrong.  Ultimately, they met in the third round and the higher average clan won.  Hence, I coined the term "Reavered".

S:  I kept tabs on divisional level points from there on to ensure we didn't have multiple clans in the same division. 

S:  I don't think we have had two clans in the same division unless intentional or when Nick changes it up and makes it Eight clans in D3.  

S: Even then, I try to ensure that same clan family clans are 8 clans apart to keep them in different divisions.

K: It's definitely a formula you've perfected over time.

K: Ever since I've known you, you have preached the basics of conserving. Conserving resources. Waiting for sales. Not gaining xp, etc. What would be some other, possibly "out of the box" ideas that you adhere to when building a solid clan or formation?

S: James Waddington, when he was doing clan setups for Exiles back in the day, was the reason I had to start being more creative with clan setups. 

S: He built Exiles Immortals specifically to beat a very strong Accolytes team back then, and they smoked us from the word go two wars in a row.

S:  He developed a level dropping clan that allowed for strong middle specialists and three to four heavy hitters that would sweep, or nearly sweep.  It was very effective and made me rethink a lot of the clan making that we have today.

S: As far as formation tech,  I don't think I have a firm grasp on what works and doesn't work,  I take advice from the pros like everybody else, heh heh heh.

K: And finally, what are your goals moving forward?

S: I would like to see Dragons working with some higher leveled clans or folks to crack divisions above D6.  I would to go up against BSLR again, but they have a 10 level advantage over our top guys.

K: Well, we’re getting short on time, is there anything else you’d like to add?

S: Shout out to all the devs for making this a great gaming community.  Hope it continues!

K: Nice! Well thank you much for taking the time to talk to us today Scott!

S: My pleasure Ken. Hey wait, was this thing locked?

K: Shh.

<end Transmission>

Nerio Build by David McCallum #701548

As previously reported I had the misfortune of a visit by Sauron's Handmaiden (aka the Mother in Law) recently, and unfortunately for me, the only available bed was the one in the games room.


My games room.


This necessitated a certain amount of tidying up, and grudgingly I will admit it was a blessing in disguise as it unearthed a fair few projects I had ferreted away for future work.


Since its a long weekend over here, I got the time to actually get round to some of them.


One of the projects I unearthed was a few robots that I am relatively sure came free with fast food. I was originally going to use them as Knights chassis in Warhammer 40K, but one was close enough to be diverted for a different purpose.


There were a few tweaks and cuts needed, and the original paint job was banana yellow. I'm sure you'll agree the new base colour is far better than that.


I haven't bothered going through all the interim steps and effects as I've covered those in a previous article, but there is one new effects that has been used on this model.


Previous models have involved models that are around 30mm tall, whereas this one is 100mm tall, so it easily lends itself to a new technique; black-lining.


This is where you use either black (or in this case a darker shade of the base colour) to put a line around the edges of things like armour plates or other deep recesses to make them stand out. In this case it was a darker shade of blue to break up the armour segments.


What I end up with is hopefully something that is recognisable as a Nerio, or at least a reasonable representation of one.


The one thing that is missing are unit markings... but that would be maybe a spoiler as I'll be using this model in another piece later this week.

Submitted by by David McCallum #701548

A Suggestion on Upgrades to HG: by Brian Wise #17026

With players currently surpassing level 200 it is about time to update the maximum level that hg helps you as well as what benefits it gives. At current levels, HG maxes out at level 50, with a bonus effect of 58% damage and a boost to dodge of 8%. Most of this bonus is earned within the first 25 slots, making for very little improvement beyond that point.


My suggestion is there are other stats that could be tweaked, including the concept of a buy as you go points system for HG. Players could choose to for every 10 players that join their HG receive a 1% increase in armor due to a morale bonus, or a 1% boost to precision because friendly spotters.


These bonuses could go above the current max level for HG, also these changes could be done to the current system to give the game more depth. So instead of everyone getting a similar boost from HG, players could pick and choose their bonuses, allowing for a more strategic gameplay.


So not every battle plays out the same. A low level player might want more health and dodge than a higher level player because it allows them to stay in the battle longer. While the higher level player might want to change it up to more precision and higher damage because crit kill is a thing, and your wanting to hit harder.


Also with this change i suggest extending how long HG last from 5 to 10 days to match how long merc last, so that the benefits can be played out more readily. I'm not saying to change mercs because that system seems good as it is, allowing players to get these effect through other means. Also as with the current system you can have it start to give less of a bonus the more you put into it so that it becomes better to go into another branch and place points there. With this system i suggest moving the maximum to 100 to see how it plays.


If you want to discuss further ideas on this i suggest a players poll to see what effects they would like to see expanded on with HG.



Submitted by Brian Wise #17026

The Purple Storm By Kenneth Hicks ID#846092

Prince. 

Known as one of the legendary pop icons of all time back on Old Earth, his music is still known to be heard from the com channels of mech pilots far and wide.

  

To honor this Iconic singer, Cogworks developed a new Projectile Weapon, known simply as the Purple Storm. 

The Purple Storm has a one two punch. First off, An exploding shell, that penetrates deep into most armor, ripping opponents for Ninety one points of damage. 

To add to the fun of it though, Cogworks made sure to paint the tips of the rounds with a combination of Strontium and Copper compounds, to give it a quite literal Purple Rain when being used en masse.

Secondly, a sonic vibration wave is sent out slightly afterwards, that rips opponents internals up after the shell has cracked the casing. 

This leaves opposing mechs frozen for a period of time while their onboards try to deal with the havoc created from the wave. 

What you end up with is a highly powerful projectile weapon that has a tremendous amount of freeze capabilities. 

So much in fact, that if the Purple Storm is mounted on certain mechs, it has an over 100% chance of freezing opponents when it hits. 

Over. One Hundred. Percent. That is one hell of a free weapon. 

Added to this already immense amount of destruction is a trample effect. Simply because with this much damage, it would be ashamed not to share it with the rest of your enemies formation. 

Now that you have some background, go out and unwrap that Purple Storm and try it out today!

The Doves will cry if you don't.

Power Ups Opinion By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

We are before temporary boosts with useful effects, but so expensive to activate. Let’s see:

“Battle Beacon: Recharge your battles at double speed” Yes, useful at kotms.

But useful at kotms for a few players and that few will be often quite strong forces that won’t need as many battles as they will own also a good amount of Hatorades. From my experience, I only needed something like this a few times. I certainly could have used it if the cost was dramatically lower.


2X Mech Repair: Your mechs will get special attention from technicians and repair faster than normal.

This is again, an expensive, so expensive boost. Is this useful? Only in two scenarios:

Raids close to the ending time and in danger to fail…

Battles in CW and FW also made in the edge of the ending time…

Only temptation for desperate players yet… But again, if the cost was really lower.


Coffee: Recharge your energy at double the normal speed

This is only useful for impatience people or in Raids in danger… Not likely was going to be so much used with its current cost.


Bioptics & Ferrite Sensor: The latest advancement in resource collection technology allows you to locate bioptics and ferrite with doubled efficiency. Collect at double normal rates.

Yes, this is useful when you ran short on resources and you are aiming to make missions or attack a lot of people because you were not afraid about the experience… But then, there are other ways to get FREE Crystal, ferrite and bioptics just investing some time doing the right things (aaaah…secrets… already published in other article) so, we fall before another expensive boost that might be a lot more used if its cost was way cheaper.


Overall, my opinion is that the Power Ups should have a cost ten times lower, and that could encourage to use the power ups to all the players who have an idea about the real cost of a Niode.


Right now, I believe power ups are an underused feature that might achieve $$$ to the developing team if their price was more appropriate for what is a temporary feature.


Simply, you can’t pretend that ten uses of battle beacon were equal to the cost of an Anubis!


But…


Make the power ups ten times cheaper, or as the suggested prices in the picture… (hey, Reggies approves!) and you might find the players using really more often those boosts and making the developers earning $$$.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605

Pilot's Interview With German Jaramillo #685605 By Kenneth Hicks 846092

Ken: 

Hello everyone and welcome to the Pilot's Corner! Today's V.I.P. (very impressive pilot) is Diamond Dragon member German Jaramillo! 

German! How are you today? 

German: 

Feeling good Ken.

K: So, how long have you been playing and what path have you followed to get here? 

 G:  My first activity is from April 3278, but after a few days/weeks, I left this game to play on a                      server of  Neverwinter Nights (Dragon & Dungeons style)… 

 K:  I remember that game! 

G:  Well, there are some NWN 1 servers alive, and quite good ones.

  

G: I returned and gave NWN new chance after longer than a year. I might have never left them          only if they had  as good development team as MechaGalaxy. 

 G: Anyway, I returned maybe like a year ago in 3295... How long is this? 

 K: Fourteen game years, like 13 real months maybe 

 G: Fourteen, yes

. 

 G: By that time, I joined the Never Ending Journey gang. Kind people, but quite a casual style...                so after some wars I left them because I wanted success.

 K: Sounds reasonable.

 G: After a couple months playing, I noticed the videos and I found a way to become competitive                and successful, with a chance to chase the elite pilots.

 G: So I gave a time of grace to the Never Ending Journey while I was getting stronger (thanks to               the many videos). My last action with them, after a bronze, a couple plastics and a silver                        during the Mechalympics was in the Clan Wars of 3300. 

 G: During that war, we fought against an RND clan, and one of their officers spotted me as I beat               his whole clan except for him. 

 G: That was while fighting against the Big O... The 82nd Omicron Guard [RND] and  

      Michael Telladira offered me to join the RND family.

 K: At RND, you seemed to me to really come into your own.

 G: There, among the RND guys, there was a single thing I disliked that I  had to learn. And that           is  to level up slowly. 

 K: Heh heh heh heh, sounds familiar.

 G: Before RND, there were a lot of things I was missing about the game and while I was learning               alone (I won't say how many niodes I wasted in useless ways)... 

 G: The Research and Development motto lured me for sure.There, too frustrated me a bit to find               that there was not so much of both of those things as I expected.

 G: But they were for sure a lot more competitive and successful than my previous clan, and the                 feeling was so good.

 K: Absolutely. The RND guys always give a tough fight no matter which clan it is.

 K: Speaking of "Research & Dev" work. You definitely have a great background in using                             spreadsheets and investigation, tell me some on how that helps and how you've come to be                 so good at it. 

 G: Well, while I was glad to be a RND man, I though I could support them with my own                               enthusiasm. So, as in certain war, our top clan, the 82nd, climbed up into the sixth division by               accident, I decided to start controlling the divisions. 

 G: I made a database to keep tracking all the active clans during the wars, and called it as                  "Overseer", and later as "Oracle".

 G: As wars progressed, I polished it. Adding some tools into the excel I used, so averages auto                 updated as I added each crew level  by hand to each active clan.

 G:This tool was useful for two purposes: 

            One, to have a better division control, what RND could do as a family with a wide amount                     of players... and why not, also clones. 

            Second, to have a better insight into the CW bets. 

 G: I noticed some time later, that Scott Abbott, perhaps, was running something alike during                      several months or years. 

 K: That explain a lot of things about Dragons. 

 G: Aside support my RND fellows, I started to look other different ways to earn Niodes (free                       niodes).

 G: So as I got videos blocked after two months of intensive activity (in which I earned up to 5,500               Niodes), I noticed the GG and ANN and started making some articles, small histories and hey,               then Pat Willis asked the readers for comics. 

 G: I offered my first cartoons as drafts, but Pat suggested to use them as I made them for direct                publishing.

 K: The Ants! 

 G: Yes, they are very popular 

 G: And since that day till the present, I have made like 88 comics so far... with different series like               "The Red Ants Empire", "The Blonde Chronicles", "Anodyne Chronicles" and "Reggie & Gygax" 

 G: Although I have some good drawing skills, the lack of resources and a decent graphics                           program made me use internet images, to use them as in a collage.

 K: Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean. 

 K: The style of Anodyne Chronicles always appealed to me as a different visual art form than with             other MG artwork 

 G: For the Anodyne Chronicles, I used a Fighter Pilot Cockpit picture... then added Hall 6000 or                 our beloved IM as the AI of the supposed mech. 

 G: Oh, and of course  the stupid situations for a pilot that people could visualize as themselves or               sometimes as a dumb player. 

 K: Oh yes, I think that's one of the greatest appeals of them. 

 K: Well, I want to thank you for coming here and talking with us German

 G: Thank you Ken, it was a pleasure.

 K: And I want to thank the readers for joining us as well. Tune in next time when we talk with               another V.I.P. in the Mecha Galaxy world, 

<end transmission>