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As promised, here is the other half of the Review, with my comments on the future of Hawken to follow… at a later date. Tomorrow is not as free as I had been hoping.
Anyways, I’ve tried to include some footage of the mechs, but a lot of them got their fuzz ate by Xbox live, most noticeably the Jobs and Nief. Otherwise it’ll just be a straight opinion piece now that Merl has posted all the goddamn stats. This list features alternate names come up by the community, compiled by DallasCreeper. Because the chassis-name thing is lame.
Mechs
Spoiler
36M
Spoiler
Alternate Names: Sentry, Suppressor, Ripper, Protector, Demolisher, Bastille, Sentinel
The 36M is one of the now-infamous G2A forks, like the Charge and Kerby. And it is unfortunately the least viable. The stationary turret is expectedly useless but really its the nerfed P4P4s that make it unviable. Not only are they not the Incinerator’s P4P4s, their spin-up is just painful. Putting the BBY on the Vanguard was amusing, but literally every other weapon on that thing is more effective, and these modded P4P4s are just… sad. Please see below.
Do those look like the heat-monsters the P4P4 is supposed to be? Apparently they are.
Apparently there might be server-side overrides that grant different weapon profiles? I don’t know. This is just such a blatant oversight, I mean the -XT designation is RIGHT THERE. Come on Reloaded.
How to Fix: For once, I see a usecase for an immobile turret mode. Just remove the turn cap. You’ve already got people calling this a Bastion-clone, you might as well live it up.
Charge
Spoiler
Alternate Names: Charger, Cavalier, Boxer, Raptor, Rover, Gangster, Hunter, Jaeger
I am so angry I lost the footage to this thing because it is my literal favorite mech on the planet at the moment. It is the best G2A fork because it is zippy, the dual mini-flaks are a joy to unleash, the ability is actually really useful situationally and the damn thing just plain looks cool. It’s a decent assassin. Walk in, murder something, hit your ability and run. I honestly think this will see a lot of use in most people’s garages because despite its relative underpoweredness, it is just. Plain. Fun.
How to Fix: Doesn’t really need one. Maybe a slightly higher boost speed and heat capacity, but that’s just wishful thinking.
Civ
Spoiler
Alternate Names: No.
Fuzz this mech and the fuzzy bunny who designed it. This is the absolute worst idea Reloaded has had on console. The Civ is a purpose-designed pubstomper. It one-shots and nearly one-shots immobile mechs and scrubs and is completely useless at higher tiers. Observe.
If I had been a scout, I would have been dead. Had I been a noob, I’d have been dead. As it stands, because the person using it probably only plays the Civ to farm new players they had no idea how to play the game. The Civ teaches bad habits, stomps new players and makes Siege even worse. The previous post dealt with framerate. Now imagine a Siege with 40+ pucks in play.
Welcome to Stutter City, population: the server.
This is a regular and game-breaking occurance. I hope you fuzzhats that were clamouring for a dual-EOC are happy. Congrats, it’s the worst mech in the game.
How to Fix: Delete it and all the game resources related to it and fire the guy that came up with it.
Fuzz.
Gren
Spoiler
Not a new mech, but I did want to bring to light something:
Yeah, the rev-gls now detonate on contact with anything, not one bounce. This is weird because the rev-gls on the Jobs still works the old way.
-XT designation Reloaded - USE IT. The P4P4 is almost forgivable because it doesn’t change the way the mech is played but the difference in these two weapons leads to a MUCH different playstyle.
Jobs
Spoiler
(Uh. That’s not the right picture. Oh well.)
Alternate Names: None at the time of the list. I suggest “R E M O V E T H I S”
So they fixed that “EMP after death problem, but the issue remains - removing all movement options is unfun. Hawken is about slinging multi-ton death machines around in physics-breaking movement, about doing donuts in multi-story walkers and about getting your dance on. I have no idea how this passed the brainstorming stage - I assume the designers haven’t played the game.
Here’s a half-hearted video.
D-, apply yourselves.
How to Fix: Remove the damn thing, start again from the drawing board. The weapon options are interesting, but schizoid.
Kerby
Spoiler
Alternate Names: None at the time of the list. I suggest Cowboy, Gunslinger, Slinger, David.
This is one of those mechs that is clearly balanced for console, because the damn thing’s DPS is going to be a fuzzing nightmare in the hands of people who can aim on PC (i.e. not me so don’t draw conclusions from the video)
It’s fun, in its OP way. I think a DPS nerf on PC would keep its enjoyable characteristics without making it underpowered. The ability, a carbon copy of the Reaper’s, is more useful on it that the Reaper, pointing again to the need to revamp the Reaper’s.
How to Fix: On console? Don’t. On PC? DPS nerf.
Oh yeah, it also doesn’t have any base wings:
Consider this a prime chance to get some experience designing Hawken parts and get your visuals down. It’s not like the arms are a necessary part of A-classes.
Marauder
Nief
Spoiler
(goddammit that’s wrong too. Time to commit sudoku)
Alternate Names: Nephilim, Ace, Drifter, Archer, Stinger, Hawk
The Nief has been nerfed into the ground since the initial release cast Reloaded’s ability to design mechs into so much doubt. I’d call it balanced on console, if slightly underpowered, but I haven’t played it much. It reminds me too much of a Berserker, which I hate, without that mech’s flexibility. The Berzerker has a variety of ranges it can successfully engage from, whereas the Nief can only engage at medium range, in order to keep the target within the turning arcs of the Seeker missiles and actually get the missiles there sometime within the match.
Have a video:
How to Fix: On console, ehn. Doesn’t really need it. On PC: This thing is going to get eaten out of the fuzzing sky. It does NOT have enough HP to do its job against people who can track and aim. Buff the HP.
Also, the reason that more people don’t have this on console is that in the Xbox store its listed at $10. Only when you go to buy it does it apply the 100% off discount. Probably not much that Reloaded can do about that, but there you go.
Ord
Spoiler
Alternate Names: Marksman, Gunslinger, Marshall, Pistoleer, Sheriff, Bandit, Standoff, Hipshot
I want to love the Ord, but there are a few things in the way that. Primarily, the thing is boring to play. I get what Reloaded was trying to do with a passive, no-alt ability hitscan mech - break from the mould! Put a high-skill cap mech in! ...but in practice it just ends up being a really meh gameplay experience. The ability is fine, though I hear the damage multiplier now goes up to a staggeringly dumb limit, which should probably be nerfed. The lack of any further engagement with the weapons though is a problem. Something like an ability to hold your heat level where its at currently would be cool, as juggling heat is pretty hard.
The sound is also really uninspiring. I’ll get into it more in the next topic, but sound design needs to happen going forward because while the Vytro’s Charge Cannon gets away with it for thematic reasons, it is actually a strike against the Ord, compounding already boring-as-fuzz gameplay with that really uninspiring thwack sound. I’d suggest the really tinny bangs of old westerns - not even spaghetti westerns, I mean the really crappy 50s Westerns like Bonanza.
How to Fix: On console, ehn. Doesn’t really need it. On PC: I strongly recommend you revisit the damage ratio on this thing because a like 500% damage is going to break the game in the hands of people who can aim.
Vytro
Spoiler
Alternate Names: Hunter, Magician, Caster, Mountebank, Disruptor, Tesla, Volt, Joul, Thunderbolt
Welcome to Corpse Party, kids, because it doesn’t really get any more lethal than this. The Vytro is another mech that is going to wipe the floor with PC. Jeff will be sporting a permastiffy and we’re all going to be riding it, just get used to that right now. With a Breacher and Charge Cannon, the Vytro is capable of demolishing anything in its path, at any range. In its current state, the Vytro will probably be the new Assault - OP by virtue of the fact that it has no weaknesses.
The Vytro is in a really weird place because I think the idea was to balance the fact that an active Charge Cannon continuously generates heat against the cloak. Putting aside what a terrible idea that is, it doesn’t even work. The Vytro in no way shape or form needs that cloak - it can ignore its ability entirely. It’s a party trick. It might be useful for repositioning or getaways at lower tiers, but that’s not going to do anything at higher ones.
The Vytro is a hella fun mech to play. The Charge Cannon sounds and feels like thunder and seeing that bolt rip across the battlefield is alternatingly terrifying (if it's coming at you) and heartening (if it’s supporting you) but while its balanced on console due to aim problems, this thing is going to be an utter terror on PC.
How to Fix: Bring down the heat gen of the Charge Cannon and lower its overall heat capacity. Half the thing’s problem is the versatility and power of the Breacher. Severely nerf the HP, below SS levels. As it stands, I am kinda ok with the sheer damage output (I’d want to see it on PC first) but it needs to have a drawback, which it in no way has at the moment. Replace the ability with something. Hell, have it drop a holo of the thing repairing and then go stealth for some giggles.
Since I’ve stopped playing the Proct has released, which can be summed up as “oblivious baby’s first berserker that jizzes sticky juice all over the enemy.”
You’re welcome.
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