Red Ant Empire Vii By Germán Jaramillo ID# 685605.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo ID# 685605.

Late From The Party By Kelevi Karvinen#863817

iMountain and spot 27. Not worst possible spot but darn that this kotm had filled fast. Well, no matter, I'm back in division eight and close enough for top level limit, so I think that I try to win this event. Now to make that iMech formation.

Loading main formation, clicking out all mechs, save two Keradons, and fill it up with iMechs. Then hangar, clear weapons from unused mechs, and fill them back in again... Too tired to do this properly, so just sort weapons by damage and put them to mechs. Really not best way to do it, but maybe good enough to keep me from dropping any lower. Equipment I did need to think little longer, specially when I run out of those parts that I would liked to use. Darn, should make updated list, what I'm missing from lighter mechs... When I get enough niodes to actually buy those parts is anyone's guess, as even my heavier mechs are running dangerously light from equipment.

Oh well, fast and dirty formation done, what next... Honor guard. Of course it would be empty when I need all help I could get. Still almost full day to fill it, will easily be ready before end fight starts. Err... when it was again... 3 am... Great! Another night with little shorter sleep than I should sleep. But as my memory is as bad as it is, I put alarm ready right away, so it should wake me close start time. Maybe I won't be ready by exact moment when fight start, but I trust that fight will continue longer than few minutes. Time for real life stuff, hopefully including short nap at some point.

Beeb, beeb, beeb... Oh love of gods! DARN! This was so stupid idea. So tired. 3:01 am. Late already. Should go back to sleep. Ah hell, might as well check if kotm is still going on, should not take long if it's over already. And would not wait next event to start if I'm now too late.

3:04 am. Starting computer. Waiting... Login to to windows. Waiting... Login to facebook. Waiting... Page not found! Oh come on! Reload. Waiting... Why this has to happen just now? Would it too much to ask that all would work like it should work? Page not found! Starting to feel little desperate! Reload again... Page not found. Some other bookmark. Page not found...

Quick look to modem. Flashing light. Connection down. Again. Reload again, what it do then? Still flashing. Why these still wont realize, when they cant get connection up, that they need reset themselves? How hard it could be program to make them fix connection by rebooting if nothing else works on set amount of time. So frustrated I tracked down modems power source, plug it out, counted five and plug it back. And waited again...

Finally lights started to flash again. Looking for connection... looking... looking... steady light. Yes. Reload page. Log in screen of Facebook. Fill boxes and start. Waiting... Start game. Waiting... Events (still on, need hurry), ladder and hit as high as I could. From 27 to 18 and as soon fight started back to event. From 18 to 11 and again back to event as fast as computer let me click. 11 to 5, then 5 to 1. Done. 40 xp spent so far. No clue how hard those fights were, so I need fill my hatoraides to maximum before I run out of fights.

Checking gifts, hoping that enough players had return gifts and I could really fight till end of event. Oh sweet, more than enough. Collect and back to event tab. Need to hurry, so I can hit back if I'm dropped already.

Instead of kotm, Clan Wars 3303 tab loaded. No no no... not yet... Open kotm tab... “There is no ongoing event”. Already? Feeling more than little desperate I clicked archive open, betting that there would not be results yet. But there was results. Still I was first, has been total of 24 seconds. Mixed feeling of relief and wonder filled my head. I did make it on time, even with those hindrances that slowed me. And so happy that I hit first to kotm before collecting gifts, if done different order, I would be late and be out of top 25 too.

Feelings of unreality filled my brains as I go check hangar, if it would also confirm situation. New weapons top of the list. So next base and sort by name. Scroll down. Yeah, new Nephilax waiting to get serial number end of it's name. 18. Actually pretty stupid collection... should stop... but not yet... want couple more... then I stop... maybe.

Submitted by Kelevi Karvinen#863817

I'm Blinded By Repair Bots

Tricks With Treats By Kalevi Karvinen#863817

Another morning, planning to do daily routines on Mecha Galaxy when odd game spam pops up from news feed.

TRICK OR TREAT
Click my post and we'll both get a treat!

What the... Well, it do say that it is from mecha, and senders name is familiar... maybe it's not another click trap... maybe... Nah, won't touch it! Using safe “join guard” link I start game, check honour guard when I was on that tab, then lotto (no win again but join next). Next is circuits turn, if there is new one (should not be, but can't be too careful, Nick do make surprise stuff time to time). Nothing there, so hangar and free up, then check if that open new slots... again nothing. Events and where I am in kotm... nothing unusual there so going check clan and harvest crystals from there.

Almost done, last is home page check if there is some sale or other interesting stuff... err... what? There actually is something? Need to zoom in that can read text. Halloween I guess... trick or treaty... post spam and get 10 random gifts... get 25000 and something extra is given... post button... okay, clicked that, now what... can't see what we would get if make that 25000 (that's crazy big number as last 500 spam hunt took weeks to collect).

Hmm... click counter... How in hell there is so many clicks already? when this event started? Opening players page and scrolling there...

3.04 am from Nick “Wow, you folks love Trick or Treating! I did not expect this to get going so fast. Already in the past 2.5 hours, Trick-or-Treaters have collected... “

Holy hell. Those clicks drop mechs too! Time to hunt links.

“All 10 collected, try next day”
“All 10 collected, try next day”
“All 10 collected, try next day”
“Got 50 Ferrite”
“All 10 collected, try next day”
“All 10 collected, try next day”

And that's it. No more links. Feeling little disappointment, as I was clearly too late. Event was started close midnight of my time zone, and those who were active at that time had collected all already. Well, I bet this will go on few days so maybe I manage to be wake after next reset and catch few links. Err... when that reset was? Game and home...after 23 hours... so somewhere before midnight... not too bad time, I can see if there is any point to be there second time...

Oh, close to bottom of my screen I notice that mail tab is active? Hmm... what would it be... “Trick or Treat!”, “Trick or Treat!”, “Trick or Treat!”... Multiple Trick or Treat! messages? Ah, those are from my post. Lets see... ferrite, ferrite, bioptics, crystal, biobtics, crystal.. Well, I guess those were “tricks”, as amounts were kinda small, nothing over 50... and definitely nothing more valuable... Yep, my luck is strong as ever, as what I see from gamers page, some had got multiple mechs (big ones)...

Trying to find any mention, if players level have some effect what you could get as “treat”. No luck there, but found few more bragging posts.

...err... I have problem. Huge problem! I found so few links even when there should clearly be almost hundred... and there would not be any more even if I'm wake when others post them. I have cleaned my news feed for some time now, so most only game related messages won't show at all. Or should I say that messages from game related friends wont show. Only links that I needed to see so far are guard ones, and those are posted in honour guard page or in chat, where they are easy to find. How to do this...

Find by players name, go face page, click link. “Gone, try next day”. Yep, this is not good way to do this. I would be always late. So, where I can change follow status? Nope, not there... Not here either... Finally found it from face friends list, and spend long time slowly clicking every friend back to follow mode. Argh, my feed... so crammed of random stuff, could not find any messages from “real” friends... Oh Nick what did you make me do... Well, it's only few days, maybe I can endure this.

New link! And another. Open to new tab, next new tab, and next. Waiting to links open behind main tab, still trying to find yet another new link. Finally loading stopped, time to check if I got anything. Ferrite, tiny weapon, ferrite, crystal... not much but at least I was in time this time. Now I just need to sit here and wait others to post links.

Oh that happy feeling what I felt that moment... and oh how I was ready quit whole link hunt after few hours. No mechs or any other “treat” worth mentioning. But I felt myself been like those game addicts. One more. One more. Just one more. Should do some real life stuff... Well, there is time to click one more. And another... darn, I'm late... well just one more...

Also noticed that there was others that just sit waiting. If link was more than five minutes old, it was usually already empty. Found some complains that when one messaged that he would post link, just to let clan members chance get treat first, all would be gone before friends managed to click it. It was crazy... but I was one of those who “stole” links away... sorry about that, specially as I was starting to think that player level would effect what you would get from link. Not sure if high level players link would drop better loot than low ones, but definitely high ones got more mechs than low ones. Or at least high ones posted more often what they got. Game is what it is, but how I would love to get some big dino to toy with.

Then came multiple links from same player? How in hell they did that? They weren't even same post multiple times, as every link worked just fine and dropped different loot. Questions were posted. Seems that at some reason that “post link” button emerged over and over again, and every time they clicked, it posted new working link. But no matter how I tried, my button was gone after I first clicked it. And as there was only few who posted multiple links, that bug was pretty rare phenomenon.

Day went by hunting links more or less whole time. No mechs. News feed was kinda painful to follow so put some random posters back to do not follow setting. Then came time to end fight of KOTM. That make me level up, so for a while I was busy at upgrading my mechs and checking if there was new slots. Soon was gone all my earnings from this Halloween event.

Next day and posted my link again. Really not expecting much, when after few minutes checked mail. Ferrite, ferrite, biobtics, crystal, mech, ferrite, crystal... errr... what? Mech? From TOT-link? Quick to hangar (as there has been some joke messages about mechs). Sure enough, there was new mech. Finally. Could it be... now I was level 22... maybe I was now big enough to get mechs too. Definitely time to hunt more links!

Managed to do few hours of hunting, and started to be more than little bored for those less than 50 ferrite, bioptics or crystal “treats”... I put more and more posters to do not follow setting. Counter was almost full, so I figured that this event would end before I get anything more useful. But still I continued link hunt with vain hope for another mech. Or useful equipment. Or any niode weapon, even small one would be fine. Or even better, just treat with some niodes instead of anything else.

There was post that event will end when counter hit 25000 and Nick is again online. Actually, when I noticed that post, event almost immediately ended after that. Darn. If players had just stop post those links for couple hours, Nick would been offline, and we could continue link clicking for multiple hours more... maybe even 10 hours more... Ah well, what's done is done. This was fun. Started to feel more like work in the end, but still fun. Sounds like some players got tons of stuff, more that 10 mechs,equipment and weapons. And others got almost nothing. Just like from raids, but with no xp involved... Got scary thought... maybe there was ultimate trick too, and some poor soul did get xp from link... That would end my hunt immediately it found out that there could be xp lurking somewhere.

But at least I got mech and some free stuff, so not total failure for me. Still happy that it ended when it did. Not saying that I would not like to do it again... maybe with Christmas presents... but until then, back to daily routines.

Submitted by Kalevi Karvinen#863817

The Lost Blonde Chronicles By Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Submitted by Germán Jaramillo # 685605

Red Ant Empire VI By Germán Jaramillo Pulido ID# 685605.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo Pulido ID# 685605.

Alloy Tendons Equipment Review by Nathan Justin Weiser #817890

With a technique first developed by Dr. Jenoar on Warworld 17 in an effort to rehabilitate wounded gladiators, the Alloy Tendons were born. With a lightweight, strong, and flexible Jundanium alloy at it's core and a mesh carbon fiber covering, the Tendons can be weaved fiber by fiber into the warriors muscle fiber. What was found, however, was that these men would then become super soldiers in the arena.

With the ability to dodge at a level not seen before in organic life forms, the technology was then adapted to small, human sized robots with equally powerful effects. These devices could survive intense volleys of attacks and leap the length of a standard Zelotian pool (50 old earth meters). It was believed then, that this technology could be adopted by mech pilots as well.

So far they have only been able to be fit to light mechs, due to them often having a similarity of build to humanoids. Strap these to any light mechs and watch them whiz about the room. I've even seen one survive a volley from an Sym-20 thanks to these.

What they didn't dodge, they were able to shrug off completely. The only issue I can find with these are not with the tendons themselves, but with the mechs that can employ them. But I suppose it only makes sense. Two legs, two leg tendons, after all!

At a price of 155 ferrite and 130 bioptics, you would do well not to take these lightly.

Submitted by Nathan Justin Weiser #817890

Plural Protection Shield Review by David McCallum #701548

Ooooh! New Shields! Love a shield...

Alright, they may not be the most glamorous item in the universe and you might think there's not a lot to be said about them. They don't have the flashy lights and heads up displays of cockpit pieces, the magical repair properties or the handling characteristics that make your Boreas move like Jessica Bradley Rabbit on a floor full of ball bearings, or the throaty growl of big engines that make you feel like your bum is about to take flight and soar along the runway at mach 4.....

They just sort of... sit there.

But I bet you'd feel naked if you went into battle without them.

In fact, since thay are essentially clothing for your mech, it's a big fat hairy lie to say they aren't much to look at. They are the evening gown worn on the red carpet.

So lets see what the newest creations from Nu Milan have in store for us...

As an Alpha grade shield set, it's less of an evening dress and more like swim wear... but instead of the usual boring old one piece that only covers against a single weapon type, the new shields cover against two. I guess that makes them more of a bikini...

7 niodes, 150 Ferrite and 225 Bioptics is the same cost as your bog standard old Alpha grade shield and you get a smidge less straight shield blocking, a touch more vulnerability and a whisper less protection.

But what you do gain, and this is the important part, is a heck of a lot more flexibility.

25 ton or lighter mechs have so little shield in the way of shield slots available that it is not the pure blocking shield that saves you, its the percentage of degradation that is going to keep you alive. Yes, these newer shields give less of that mitigation, but they give far more than they take away and more importantly they close off the holes or vulnerabilities. Suddenly 1 shield type is 2, 2 is 4 and 3 is the complete rounded package.

I can only wait for the Beta, Gamma and Delta versions of these shields to hit the market, because there are some big boys in the line that can sure do with some bikini lovin' of their own...


Submitted by David McCallum #701548

Red Ant Empire V By Germán Jaramillo Pulido ID# 685605.

Submitted By Germán Jaramillo Pulido ID# 685605.

Sabot Launcher Weapon Review by Nathan Justin Weiser #817890

This piece of technological genius expands on technology that has been around since the 1600's of Old Earth. They were developed in France during this period and were made primarily of wood. However, due to their uncomfortable nature they were most commonly associated with the lower cla...

What's that? This weapon doesn't launch clogs? Well, I figured the splash damage came from the wood just sort of smashing on the mech and going everywhere. Are you absolutely sure that's not what they launch?

Well, no, I never really watched to see what was loaded, I simply trust my crew.

Well... In that case *coughs*. MY MISTAKE! What we are, apparently, talking about is a missile system that fires projectiles held in a very precise position for added accuracy. However, this technology has been around for a very long time. These projectiles are "supposedly" filled with smaller pellets that ricochet off of the targeted mech in all directions after creating a devastating impact. They can be useful on any mechs, however, I suggest them be used on any mechs that sacrifices precision in it's targeting systems for another desired effect.

The accuracy of the Sabot Launcher cannot be overlooked. With 56 damage outright, and the addition of 10% damage from splash, this weapon can make a real impact on the opponent. Still... I would rather SABOTage the enemy than Sabot them.

Submitted by Nathan Justin Weiser #817890

Molly By Monk Malone/RonFrye#879655

Submitted by RonFrye#879655