Why can't I quit you? Subpar mech love

Subpar mech is sometimes like that crazy girlfriend of yours.
You know she may not be good for you... but the sex is good.
(For the record... Please do not stick your SLas into the locust for any reason.)

 

I'm still in love with my HBK-4P - I'm not piloting it very often recently but everytime it's a great fun - just had a 5 kills match this weekend.
Simply built (9ML), hard to kill and still challenging to pilot.

 

Ahhhrg... there u hit a nerve. The sex was awesome... but that wasn't enough, so I left her anyway.....

 

Youth... a beautiful thing it was.
Damn... I feel old now. :sigh:

Sometimes weird people are a match for each other.

 

Don't agree with you at all. One of my best setups is 2 ml 4 sl. It has the speed to get into range to use them effectively and stay there.

 

I am talking "your own tiny SLas" not the one on the locust.

 

I don't think the HBK-4P would be considered as a subpar mech.
Sure the hunch is vulnerable but this inconvenience aside it's in my opinion one of the best IS medium mechs.

 

I totally agree with you on this but if u consider how often you can see this mech on the field then most ppl wont... maybe not subpar but definately underrated.

 

I think it's probably the best Hunchback, but that puts it below the shadow hawks, some wolverines and a couple of griffins. Middle of the pack really. Could be worse though, it could be a blackjack

 

Damn, I might love the subpar mechs after all, BlackJacks are my most played mediums (second or third overall mechs).

But personal preference aside, I think the HBK-4P does better than middle of the pack.
The reason is, while other HBKs indeed can be replaced by Shadowhawks or other mediums able to fit better comparable builds, there is no other medium (no other IS mech actually) with 9 energy hardpoints. The closest you can get is the BJ-1X, and after that a Battlemaster or a Banshee for twice the tonnage.
That, plus how the hunch and head lasers are ideally located, makes the HBK-4P a unique and very powerful mech I would not trade for all the Shadowhawks in the world.

 

Thing is, 9 energy hunch aside (where there are builds better than it in a way), everything it does someone is doing it better.\In a way it is the 55ton Phoenix mech that is outshadowing the hunchies.
You get Shadowhawks for the ballistics, Kintaro/Griffin for the missiles(and beautiful cockpit) and both of these have JJ even, not to mention being faster.

But hunche is fun, yes.

 

Obligatory:

 

I only talked about the -4P variant.
The other variants are indeed a bit obsolete compared to equivalent phoenix mechs. Oldschoolers will always keep them a warm place in their heart (BFG anyone?) but it's more nostalgia/habit than minmaxing.

 

Yes me!
Match from last weekend:

First match with it since month....after piloting my 4P that day:

Like I've said - I love my 4P but sometimes I can't resist the roaring sound of an AC20.

 

I just joined a Clan Jade Falcon unit so now I need to roll up my sleeves and buy a clan mech... I know Mad Cats and Ryoken are the best meta clan mechs but...

Summoner / Thor... My favourite clan mech ever since the cartoon show. (I had the toy which my mom gave away..)

So am I going to be shooting myself in the foot getting the subpar Summoner? I just have a crush on mechs that don't get much love from PGI / game translation...

 

Thats all what has to be said about this imho.
If you are going to pilot a mech you don't want to u won't be as good as u could be... - I played so many games in my Ilya or 4P - it just feels "right" when i pilot them.

 

Ilya is wonderful.
But yeah... You have to love your ride to be truly good with it.

 

In my experience if you play a mech a lot, regardless of its qualities, you tend to be able to pull more out of that chassis than most players. Business is an example with his AC20/ 3 ML BJ-1(?). He always plays that mech and really does well in it. I used to watch one of the players from Lords, Coburn, in his Jenner and it was almost breathtaking.

The argument though could be made - would a player that good get better results in a better mech if they put in the same time?

Received wisdom is yes but I'm not convinced as I see Coburn in Victors and Direwolves and in all honesty he doesn't make my jaw drop in the same way he does in a Jenner. Sorry Coburn but trying to target you taught me a lot about lights!