Red Ant Empire X. By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605.

Mecha Spotlight : Aurora by David McCallum #701548

You hear about those old classics that sit in the barn for years on end, neglected, perhaps past their prime but with a little bit of spit and polish, beauty just waiting to be brought back to the surface.


We all have clan mates that are in a sort of similair position; that mech sitting at the back of the hanger gathering dust, too nice to sell but not important enough to use,  missing that vital component, its "round tuit."


They want to do something with it, but really need to get a round tuit...


That was my Smilodon. I know where I picked her up... she was a prize for the gold we won during the Rise of the Specialists. I'd sold the previous gold medal mech I won and deeply regretted it. I just couldn't part with this one. But she seemed just a little too light and a little too expensive... the niodes were needed elsewhere. So she sat.


It must have been a good 6 months before I dusted here off... more even. The line was heavier but a hole needed filling and I finally had a little spare resource. God I wished I'd done it sooner.


Finally named the 'Aurora' (because that's a pretty golden name), she slotted in to fill the final gap in a new line of light skirmishers at the front. And started to earn her position many times over straight away.


Equipment was easy... as the lightest in the line she had the run of surplus equipment, and every spare set of Enhanced Senses that were a staple in silver medal prize packs went into the cockpit. Solderbots, Fast Data Switches and Pneumatic Shocks were dropped into the cramped chassis. Even though I had a surfeit of spare engines for that tonnage range, there was no messing about... pure speed, pure crystal, pure Pebble Bed Reactors. Oh, I did retrofit a pair of Quad Turbo drives down the track when I got some, but that was later after kitty was already purring.


Shields were the big problem (being decidedly lacking on a Smilo), but the freebie of a Light Bringer while not giving Gamma Grade shielding at least didn't leave a gaping hole.


Armament was dead easy. She got Galaxy Eyes all the way. But I'm guessing for those veteran Smilodon pilots out there, that's not coming as a great surprise.


I know that a lot of pilots feel a big wrench when they finally have to retire a Smilodon, and truth to tell, I probably kept the Aurora in the battle line longer than I should. I just didn't have anything that could compare with the kill power until I managed to salvage a Nakshi, but even then it didn't quite have the same killing power. It did make up for it in staying power though. Swings and roundabouts.


She's not retired though... only transferred. You see, I'm in the unenviable position of being eligible for a specialist slot a lot of the time. When I do, the big toys get put away and my cruiser mechs take the field. Aurora leads the squadron from the first rank.


It seems fitting that the mech I won in the first specialist war now leads my specialist formation, breaking hearts and mechs as she goes.


But don't worry... if you get hurt, she may just sing you a song...


"Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty,
Little ball of FLAMING MEGA DEATH DIE DIE DIE!!!"



Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Regi & Gygax - II. By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo ID # 685605.

The Switch Fairy Cometh... by David McCallum #701548

I'm imagining conversations between pilots and their techs all over Mecha Galaxy...


Hey boss, erm, I just found a switch on this Krampus.


What does it do?

Dunno, never seen it before...


Just on that one?


Hang on... no, they all have it.


And you've never seen it before...


No.


And how many times have you serviced or rebuilt a Krampus?


erm... thousands... and I swear, it wasn't here yesterday.


So you are telling me the switch fairy came in the middle of the night and screwed with my mechs? You'd better trace the circuit back then...


Doing that just now... seems to feed back through fire control and into the power plant. I'd say its a damage booster.


So you are telling me that for all these years, I could have been getting hot shots from my Krampus, and you never told me?!?!


* * * * *


Well, its one way to handle the retcon of the latest upgrade to an old favourite. And yes, I'm being a bit facetious... only slightly though.


From a narrative point of view, "discovering" that mechs that topped out at a specific level can now be upgraded past that is one thing, but changing stuff lower down does seem a bit comic book. Next you'll be telling me we don't really die when our mechs get blown up.


Should we have had a Krampus mk II hit the showroom floor? Or maybe a Krampus only after market upgrade, where for a few crystal we can update it to the latest model. How do you tell the difference between the mk I and mk II... different shaped headlights?


Perhaps more worrying, why are all those Namtar, Oggun and Buchis pilots standing round with their arms folded and tapping their feet expectantly?



Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Christmas Cup By Ron Frye#879655

*(Editors note - this is not meant to offend anyone, just something Ron did in the editors group that we got a chuckle out of and thought we would share.)

Submitted by Ron Frye#879655

When Is It Applicable To Boot A Clan Mate From The Clan? By Pat Willis#224534

We've all seen it coming up through the ranks in various clans, the announcement is made for Clan Wars, your clan leader does roll call of who is in and who is out, people are moved according to their levels, and then the war comes and so and so is no where to be found until the raid after the fact. We hear about it every other clan war. Whomever did not show up for the war but now they are making a killing in the raid and are probably just going to get all the good prizes!

So the debate here is, when is it acceptable to boot them? Oh I know you may have to make special exceptions for some folks just due to their weather being worse than yours, or power is out, an earthquake hits..... you know something truly understandable. But aside from that where do you draw the line?

There are some very large clan families in this game and if you let so and so go they may get snapped up by the competition, and if they are one of your clans top guns that is not an enviable position to be in their cross hairs as an enemy. At the same time ALTS are rampant in this game so trying to figure out if your pilot is sandbagging on an ALT in favor of his main in an opposing clan is a whole nother joy in and of itself. So what ground rules do you set? What do you do in such a situation? Obviously if it keeps happening boot the person, but most clans have some rules in play to try and prevent that from happening as much as possible.

Should there be some kind of game mechanic to go with this? Like maybe being able to brand a persons profile with a little quote along the lines of ,"Bags in wars, not trust able, take into clan at own risk." Or is that too harsh? Some may think not given their personal experiences with such. So what say you players? What is the best way to prevent this from happening , or at least cut back on it significantly?

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

We May Be Looking For a New Editor Soon, Will It Be You By Pat Willis#224534

Hello all, we may be looking for new editor at our Galaxy Gathering offices, if you have the right stuff it could be you to join us. First off what do we do? We take player submissions for the site from both the onsite submissions page and from our Facebook group. We make notes of who submitted what to the site (Example for instance this post would look like  this Pat Willis#224534- news x1) for the weekly payout list to Artemis Molly. When we have no submissions it is up to us to run "filler" pieces, so that the site is always operating on two posts a day.

Of course as the position title says we also edit submissions as they come in. Fixing punctuation here, capitalization there, and whatever else may come up with the piece in question. We also discuss game topics in the editors group which is how we came up with the game ideas, game debates, and even our videos. We get paid a straight wage per week plus half of the normal pay out for a story we write. Candidates are expected to be able to handle at least a couple days worth of posts per week, so at two posts a day, would equal 4 a week. The rest of the slack is picked up by submissions and us other editors.

So that is what we do, want in on it? Then submit a piece to the site, or myself directly via Facebook. It can be a short story, a long story, a mecha, weapon/equip review, whatever you like just please be sure it is a few paragraphs minimum. This is open to anyone in game even if they are at the other network and want to change sides, just saying we rule no one out and seriously consider all applicants. As always thanks for reading and happy hunting.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

They Don't Make Them Like They Used To... by David McCallum #701548

This isn't a rant about the lack of equipment for the big mechs... Pat has that covered.

Of course, the problem is he's wrong.

It's deeper than that.

Oh, I know the RND have examined every aspect of the game in minute detail. The Brotherhood are supposed to have some of the best number crunchers in the business. Even my own guys, the Heroes have some top notch analysts and min/max designers.

The thing is I don't need to do in depth research to know the chemical composition or physical characteristics to recognise that something is a .... poo.

And despite the fact that Mythbusters proved otherwise, its very difficult to polish a .... poo.

I look at the battle results... not necessarily the numbers and hits, only if I really need to cross check something that looks like a close battle. Generally you can get the ebb and flow and feel what is going on. That’s when the .... poo stands out.

We know how nasty the Huge class mechs are. We've been on the receiving end too many times. Get up into BFMs though and it starts getting smellier. Not the 90s, they are good. Love a 90.

But 95s? On paper, my Boreas is the nastiest piece of hardware I have. I know for a fact that to get even a basic equipment loadout that it deserves, my budget needs to be around 2 to 3 times larger than any other mech I own. There is ample equipment for it and I'm more than happy with what its carrying.

Yet it gets into battle and falls over when sneezed at. Seriously, even attacking the Pirate Moon, It spends more time getting rebuilt than it does on operations. I'm seriously working on a combat zimmer frame just to keep the bloody thing propped upright!

My Yallan and Glaccus are complete non events, but at least they are only crystal and I can use that as an excuse as I hang my head in embarrassment.

Let’s go heavier. I don't own a Potatotron. The closest I've come is when somebody has hidden one in the middle of their formation and my trusty 85s have waved to it as they go thundering past the wreckage.

I did buy a Typhoon though. I started to work out how to equip it. I'm pretty sure I can get it up to the same combat effectiveness that you get when a half blind geriatric Labrador attempts to hump your leg.

See, the real problem isn't the lack of kit. It's an actual issue with the chassis. Over 90 tons, they must be too big to polish or something like that... just like other things I could mention.

These newer mechs.... don't hold with them.

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Ignis... its Hot Stuff!! by David McCallum #701548

Suckfull...


No, that’s not a commentary on the Ignis, its a description of my luck when it comes to finding abandoned mechs out Yomi Reefs way.


I always wanted one of these little beauties but being unable to scavenge one for myself and with niodes in short supply, there was always something that was just that little bit more urgent.


That didn't stop me lusting though. There's a reason why of all the mechs on offer, this is the one that schoolboys have posters of. Its sleek, low slung, has built in spoilers and above all... its very very red.


Unless they have posters of that tennis player adjusting herself... in which case make them have a cold shower and give them a poster of an Ignis instead.

Old eczema head may have had the charm of a mass grave and the looks of a half chewed mouthful of cornflakes, but he could certainly build a beautiful looking machine. With its flexibility and handling, it almost begs to be filmed from overhead as it navigates the downward slope of mountain road switchbacks.


It has the sort of style where you want to ditch your flight suit for a tuxedo and trundle up outside a casino on some billionaire playboy resort and throw the keys at the valet.


Things shaken and not stirred could be called for....


And it remains a rich man's plaything. With a list price on the open market of 16000 Ferrite, 13500 Bioptics and 145 Niodes even for the most basic model, it’s not the sort of item you should be going out to buy on a whim. As most pilots will tell you, there are better mechs to be bought for that price, and you'd probably get some change on the deal to boot.


But then most pilots will also tell you that if you are thinking like that, you are missing the point. This is a niche machine for a very specific clientele, the ones who set trends rather than follow them. Not for them the massed torrents of 5 minutes ago, or the current fad of ice with everything or even the hybrid machines that attempt to carry out too many tasks and manage to do none of them that well.


In a story started by the Cindron and carried on by the classic Inferno, the Ignis is the final chapter to date. It burns things. Fast.


I mean, even without aftermarket parts, a fully run in Ignis gives a fire percentage damage increase of 98. NINETY EIGHT!!! LUDICROUS!!!


I'm going to give you a hint here... with 5 chassis slots, by the time you have added your obligatory Energy Aura for some much needed self-repair goodness, there are 4 left. It has 4 legs. Midori's Boots are red so you don't even have to do a re-spray.


The point though is that this is still a niche machine. Fire is one of those funny weapons... not fast enough to outshoot projectiles, not vicious enough to kill like lasers, not enough collateral damage like missiles and not able to stop the opponent dead in its tracks like Ice. It may be lesser favored, but you need them to be able to take advantage of the vulnerabilities that will inevitably be left in your opponents line up.


You need fire in the line... some fire at least.


The Ignis can bring it all in one go...




Submitted by David Mcallum #701548

Frigis Overview By Pat Willis#224534

To Start with this isn’t a cheap mech. It costs 10,000 Ferrite, 9,000 Bioptics and 140 Niodes. It comes factory built with a Flash Freeze, an Arctic Gale, a Galaxy Eye, two Res Lasers and Two focused Icers. This a 80ton biped style mecha with emphasis on freeze potential. Some may already know this and some may have found it out the hard way on the battlefield but if equipped right the Frigis can and will produce a 100% freeze with its weapon shots.

This isn’t just corporate hype to get you to buy the mech it is true equip it right and it will freeze whatever it hits. Due to its immense power and regulation of advanced coolant systems it does contain a slight draw back with a 10% Ice vulnerability in the build. It does emphasize amplified laser damage, of course Ice damage and allows for a handy X2 & X3 damage abilities percentages varied by level of course. It allows for a decent buildup of Precision based weapons if that is your style in the build as well as shielding.

Now with all the tech babble and stats out of the way let’s get to the important part, how does it perform in battle? Honestly I love it. For a nasty surprise stick in your last place last line and watch it eat up mechs from the bottom up. This is a rock solid mecha, it has better armor than the beast mechas and can be outfitted for serious firepower. This is not a mech to pass up or underestimate at all. It’s pricey yeah but it is worth it in the end results.   *Note- (Experience may vary based on play style and equipment involved I only am saying what I have seen from how I put mine together.)

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

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