The Flame Salvo Weapon Review By Ken Hicks ID# 846092

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

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

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

Banshee Mecha Review by David McCallum #701548

Right!


I am officially making a declaration here.


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


So there!


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Ah, but at higher levels.


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


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


Here is her first shot in anger.


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


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


Guess what?


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


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

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Jolly Roger Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Prometheus Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

New Opal Dragons Clan Crest By Kenneth Hicks ID# 846092

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

So Who All Is Still There By Pat Willis#224534

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

It's a Classic by David McCallum #701548

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



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



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



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



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

Game Tips for the Newcomers by David McCallum #701548

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


Our newcomers to this Mecha Galaxy.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Now go and kill something, eh?

Submitted by David McCallum #701548

My Nerdom Runs Strong And Deep By Pat Willis#224534

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Big Five by the G.G. Editorial Team

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

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

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

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


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

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


Kenneth > Don't forget the Apatatron (Brontosaurus)


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


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


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

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


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


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

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

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


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


Kenneth > The definite 95 ton workhorse.


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


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


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


Kenneth > Freeze and fork. Deadly combo.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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

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


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


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


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


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


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

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


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

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


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


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

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



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




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