General Hunchback Discussion

I have been meaning to make this thread for a while. Just a general discussion thread concerning all Hunchbacks. IE Which HBK variant is the best, general questions, people looking for general advice about running a hunchback, hilarious builds seen on the battlefield. You get the idea.

For instance I saw a HBK-4G today that mounted 3 AC/5's. He did not last long.

 

Having played around with the 4G, 4P and 4SP variants, and from what I have seen in gameplay, the HBK-4SP is generally the best Hunchback. It doesn't shove the majority of its firepower into one easy-to-hit torso, and has enough different hardpoints to support a variety of builds.

My two favorite are a long range support using LRM15 backed up by medium lasers (pretty much a smaller, faster, cheaper catapult without jump jets and with less armor) and a variation on the "Pudding Pop" mech that uses an endo frame and double heatsinks to add some more long range punch in another large laser.

I'm running both with the standard 200 engine right now, so they are pretty slow. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the speed needed for the Hunchback and the necessity of AMS. AMS seems to help me survive longer, and helps teammates out if I am supporting them. But maybe it isn't that important. Any thoughts?

 

Kudos to you sir for running a Fire support medium. I am a brawler through and through. I can't go back to the STD 200 engine my mind won't let me.

 

What engine do you use then?


I am currently running (my only) HBK 4SP, which is more or less the basic model with 2x2 MLs in the arms, 2 SRM6 in the torso together with another ML, AMS, double HSs and fero armour.
I am using my 4 lasers on chain fire and my "alt fire" is the 2xSRM6+1ML combined, giving a huge punch up close. My speed is not spectacular since i am running with the STD200 engine. On paper my build uses the STD215 engine, but i haven't bothered upgrading. I still have a little bit of tonnage and space left, which can go for a bigger engine, a case or some more ammo. Haven't decided yet, but all in all i am quite happy with the machine - I can last a while even versus Atlases, and i pack a serious punch. If left unchecked i can dismantle a mech quite fast.


As for AMS - i guess if your build is super packed and you NEED the slots it's ok to go without, but i find it adding a lot of survability and it takes only about 2-3 tonnes with ammo and all. (2k ammo is well enough, maybe even less actually since you either die or the game ends before you run through 2k AMS)

 

Hunchbacks are great....I do wonder about figuring out witch variant is "best" That sounds like such a subjective thing, best for me isnt best for you. Now Favorite that is a diffrent story and mine right now is the 4SP .....amazingly fun little brawler

 

STD 255 in my standard build. I have 2 4SPs right now. You can reliably peel armor off the legs as no one ever shoots a HBK in the legs. Drop the FF and go with Endosteel it is better.

Oh I agree which variant is "best" is extremely subjective. I mainly made this thread for general discussion. I would like to see people asking legitimate questions and having the more knowledgeable members answer questions if they can.

 

I do want to know something though, I have never run any of the other hunchback variants before because those big single shoulders .....every time I see them my eye is drawn to that specific spot and that means others eyes would be to....Without thinking if you are just taking a pot shot the odds are good that you are going to shoot for what your eyes register first so here is my question....

How often do your shoulders get taken off while you are out and about?

 

Even running my HBK-4SP with similar builds to those above, I find my shoulders still being targeted. Granted, they are smaller targets than the other variants, but, they are prime targets all the same.

I enjoy playing the 4SP, wasn't as much a fan of the 4G, mainly because a lost my preferred firepower at the loss of my shoulder. I haven't had the chance to try any other variants so far.

My fave would be 4SP, smaller shoulders with less dependence on their survival for damage output; 4SP makes for a decent Zombie build if you end up with the standard 255 for boosted speed.

 

Realistically any shoulder damage is effective on Hunchies. Blow off a shoulder and minimum 50% destruction of weapons.

 

Can we talk about armor? I usually drop a half ton from the legs and I have never been legged before. I can only remember losing a leg once or twice.

I've seen some builds where they drop the armor on the arms. Is this viable? I imagine that because you are using a Hunchback, people might ignore your arms in favor of targeting your torso, but dropping arm armor to 24 seems risky. I've also considered dropping my leg armor by another half ton, to 24 as well.

This would free up tonnage for a bigger engine. But, considering that this mech will be brawling, it doesn't seem that smart to drop armor that much. Any thoughts?

 

I have seen some builds with dropped arm armor purely for the fact that they aren't mounting anything on the arms anyways. Like the aforementioned 3 x AC/5 I saw the other day.

I only drop enough leg armor to mount whatever weapon or item I am trying to add. I have had matches where I finished without any leg armor and both legs in the red. I think most of it is incidental damage but over the course of a match it probably starts to add up.

 

Hmm. I'll probably keep the leg around at 31 and beef up the center torso to max. Keep the arms at 32 as well, considering that I'm putting large lasers there.

I pretty much always use endosteel and double heatsinks on my Hunchbacks. Has anyone found any cases where you can get better heat management with single heatsinks over doubles? Obviously the costs are something to consider, but if you can afford to run with the double heatsinks, I have yet to find a light or medium that would not benefit from them. Even more so with endosteel.

 

I never drop them below 30. Arms always stay fully armored.

I haven't found a situation yet where DHS aren't better than SHS.

 

I mostly use the HBK-4J, with 2 arm-mounted MPL , 2 ML, 2 SSRM2 and AMS, with 24 SHS and 260XL engine cause this build is designed for close range, so my survival depends on speed. I had to lower legs armor to 24 to fit all that stuff and use endosteel structure. I rarely got leg-ripped, but I also tell you that it gets me sweating every time I fell off some rock and get any leg damage .
With all that HS i can fire all weapons almost continously (except on caustic valley, ofc), can't use DHS cause i will need a lot of slots to fit them, and besides I won't be able to place HS on legs.
Sometimes i change build to 4MPL and 1ML with 25 SHS, with which I can take down an atlas in 2/3 rounds from behind.

 

Can you not afford DHS? With your build I can go 2 x MPL, 2ML, 2 SSRM2, DHS, Endo, STD 255, 17 DHS and still 1 Ton left. That last 1 ton could be used to add another DHS or add some of the armor back to your legs or even an extra ton of SRM ammo.

Edit: You could even go up to the full STD 260 and stay the same. I also moved the one ML to the head slot.

 

I will have to check when I go home, thought I hadn't enough critical slots with DHS. Anyway I like to have at least 24 HS, that's a lot of critical slots for DHS.

 

You can fit it.

Also with the DHS still counting as 2.0 from the engine (Is this actually confirmed? People say it is but I can't find the actually confirmation)

Single Heatsinks 24 * 0.1 = 2.4 HPS
1.4 Heatsinks 17 * 0.14 = 2.38 HPS
Bugged Engine DHS (10*0.2) + (7*0.14) = 2.98 HPS

So with my build you could drop the XL engine get the same HPS. I think that is a win/win. It is even better if engine HS are bugged.

 

You are right, the thing is I was cheated by numbers, used to see numbers on TT sheets like 10(20) I noticed that shifting to DHS still lets your HS to 10 (ofc they are still 10, but double!) I was looking for a 20 on the amount of HS per engine. My mind sometimes does this things to me, thanx Aware

 

This is in regard to targetting and the loss of Primary weapons.

When I am engaged with a Hunchie I prefer to target their head. Because it stands tall above the torso, backdropped by the Primary weapon, it is really easy to hit from all but the right side. If you are skirmishing against it you are pretty much gauranteed a head or Primary weapon hit. The majority of Hunchies I kill are the result of destroying the head. It is much easier to do enough damage to destroy the cockpit than it is to destroy the Primary weapon, with the destruction of the Primary weapon there is no gaurantee of killing the 'Mech.

 

As a general rule for me and my Hunchies: Always use DHS, always use Endo.

I have a personal, irrational and abiding hatred for the 4J, so I can't comment on it rationally.
I can also safely say that if I hadn't paid for my 4G, I'd never pilot it.