HBS Expansion Thread- its time for II (spoilers)

[Bedwyr]

++MOD DIRECTIVE++

Alright y'all. I dropped the subject in good faith and you will too, seeing how quickly it got heated. Fidelity to the board game is now a closed subject.


edit: You can still talk; that wasn't meant to scare everyone off. Just don't talk about the alignment with the board game. That's touched off flamewars in the past and got heated again so quickly in the last page so I put the kibosh on that. Everything else is fair game.

[Jim1701]

So is the plethora of mech parts in the periphery considered a bug?  It does seem weird there is so much salvage for sale in the planetary stores.  I can understand the black market and faction stores having more stuff but does seem weird I can buy heavy mech chassis parts on a backwater planet.  I'm not quite to the point of heading into House territory so I don't know if the planetary stores inside the various Houses' territory have more/less/same stuff for sale. 

[Colt Ward]

I want to say their frequency setting is off . . . weapons are rare, mech parts are frequent . . .

Finally got a ride to put Infernos on . . . its a Flaming Kintaro!  The pyro in me is SO excited to use that . . .

[Bedwyr]

FWIW, one of the two bug report threads I added to: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/battletech-system-store-does-not-have-any-weapon-systems-for-sale.1288421/

[Fat Guy]

I think that the Black Market prices may be wonkey as well. Most 'Mechs cost over a hundred million!

Weapon and component prices are similarly outrageous.

[Jim1701]

I think that the Black Market prices may be wonkey as well. Most 'Mechs cost over a hundred million!

Weapon and component prices are similarly outrageous.

Check your faction with pirates.  That affects your costs though I haven't seen any quite THAT high.  I currently have a 50% mark up and complete assault mechs are around 18-20 million that I've seen.

[Luciora]

I liken the market and black market to the extent of car shopping while only having enough money for a no frills bike.   

Or unlike an RPG where the stores only open up more stock as you progress through or uncover new areas.  The store always has X item in stock, you just can't afford it.  Yet.

[mechnut450]

I think that the Black Market prices may be wonkey as well. Most 'Mechs cost over a hundred million!

Weapon and component prices are similarly outrageous.

tell me about it a atlas 2 was listed like 30mil on my game i not even made the money to finish final upgrades to the ship.

[BigDuke66]

Was there an expansion announced after Heavy Metal or can we assume that it was the last expansion?

[Colt Ward]

Well . . . no further expansions were announced, but I am not sure I would call it dead.  We only knew about the 3 b/c they were announced and offered as a bundle . . . 6?  8 months?  after the game was initially released.

They still have some things they can add in even staying with pre-Clan . . . but with more tech out it looks like it might go that direction.

[Bedwyr]

I think that's most likely it for this game. Going by their earlier pattern in Shadowrun, if they want to tell more stories using the systems they created in this project, it would be through a new game as with Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Hong Kong (latter via a fresh Kickstarter). I'm not *that* confident they'll do the same again, however. This will depend on what their association with Paradox means. The publisher may give them the funds to do entirely new things, who knows. Also, Jordan Weisman is a serial entrepreneur who gets itchy fingers when he's been building the same business for long enough. I'm confident that's the source of Golem Arcana, a greenlighted project from a game designer/entrepreneur wanting to try something new.

So it's kind of a who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Be cool if they created a game digging into later eras. The siren call of the Madcat is a strong one for sure.

[Caedis Animus]

If that's it DLC-wise for the game, I'm kind of sad but fine with it. Was a nice adventure.

[pheonixstorm]

If the modding potential is high enough who needs more DLC lol

[DarkSpade]

While I'm happy enough with the last 3 that I'd buy another DLC, at this point, I rather they started working on a sequel.  There's still things I'd like to see them do with the game that are probably too much for just a patch or DLC.

[Jayof9s]

I have a feeling if they do more with Battletech (and I hope they do) it will be a sequel.

The fact a lot of the ++ lostech is basically Clan spec makes me suspect that's the direction they'd go.

[DarkSpade]

I've given up on the assassin and I think I'm about ready to give up on the Vulcan.   I just can't seem to find a load out for either that I like.  The Assassin gets taken out easily by the same light mechs it's suppose to be hunting!

Loving both Archers though.

[Fat Guy]

Loving both Archers though.

The only changes I made to my 2R was to replace the torso mediums with an extra ton of LRM ammo and a heat sink (neither in the CT). Cockpit/gyro mods and + damage weapons came as I acquired them.

It worked so well I never bothered with a missile TTS.

[Firesprocket]

I think that the Black Market prices may be wonkey as well. Most 'Mechs cost over a hundred million!

Weapon and component prices are similarly outrageous.

If you are loathed by the pirates, then you will pay through the nose on the black market.  With the new gear found in the various house stores though the black market the only benefit it has is the abundance of planets that host it.

[Jim1701]

Pirates need to stop being so sensitive.

[BirdofPrey]

I've given up on the assassin and I think I'm about ready to give up on the Vulcan.   I just can't seem to find a load out for either that I like.  The Assassin gets taken out easily by the same light mechs it's suppose to be hunting!

Loving both Archers though.

I've only really had problems when outnumbered by heavier mechs.
The trick is to treat them more like light mechs than medium mechs.  You always want to be moving at top speed from cover to cover to keep evasion as high as possible abusing your jump jets as needed or just sprinting if there's no good shots.  Similarly, don't try to burn through a mech from the front, try and get behind them or at least to the side.  That's less effective against light mechs, but also a bit less necessary.

As for loadouts:  I have an assassin with 1ML, 1SL and 2 SRM-4s, one with 1 ML, 3 SLs and 1 SRM-6, a vulcan with 4ML and 2SL and another with a COIL-M and 4 SL
Just run fast, unload into the rear of whichever mech has presented it, and keep running.  No focus fire, just taking opportunities.  Again, though, when you're outnumbered evasion stripping starts to become hazardous for the vulcans at least, they can't build up as much evasion and don't have room for a gyro. 
Again, though, haven't had trouble with lights really.

[Colt Ward]

I finally got a Assassin last night, I am going to use it as a back up spotter to my Phoenix Hawk which means its going to have a lot of close range stuff while moving a lot.  I had one in career (since I got 1 of each nearly right off) with a ML, 2 SL and a SRM for jumping about and killing those lights.  I want that ML, with a spotter that can multi-target so that it can get a better chance of a hit on a mobile light with the -3 Evasion equip.

But yeah, if you get behind a light and then focus fire on a location . . . the ML & 2 SL are going to punch through that rear armor.

[DarkSpade]

Pirates need to stop being so sensitive.

All the factions do.  They all take it way too personally when a merc outfit attacks them.

[Firesprocket]

Switched over to one of my ironman games and managed to get a hold of two Annihilators which I tricked out with ultra 2s or ultra 5s respectively.  It rally isn't a fair match.  Both are a buzzsaw against any mech that doesn't have 60% dr.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

That is hella scary.

[Apocal]

That is hella scary.

Triple UAC/10s are beastly, especially because you can fit TWO ballistic TTS comfortably, along with ammo to spare. Absolutely shreds mechs, even through bulwarked cover.

I call mine Gunsmoke.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

When you need more dakka.

[Apocal]

When you need more dakka.

To be fair, quintuple UAC/5s are more damage, and not by a little either. But being able to extend into long range, through cover and more-less ignore recoil while still consistently taking heads is a powerful thing.

If that isn't to your liking, a triple UAC/2 build for the MAD-3R is probably the steadiest headcapper you can manage. Three ++ UAC/2s (thanks FedSuns faction store!) plus a pair of +10 damage medium lasers means eight chances to knock the head with a 35% chance. You can even add two more medium lasers to make it near-guaranteed with a Tactics 9 pilot.

Right now, HBSTech has converted things to BallisticsTech. I love it.

edit: But for maximum cheese, I'm going to try out quintuple UAC/2s, a brace of ++ medium lasers and enough heat sinks to support the whole mess of them. It should be interesting, if nothing else.

[Triptych]

Pirates need to stop being so sensitive.

If the mission has Pirates as opfor, then I always decline it. The black market is the best store in the game so I always take Pirate mission jobs lol.  ;)

Currently playing my first career mode with the new HM DLC, and an Assassin just plopped into my unit after we get a floating cargo container (I think this is automatic- we got a snub PPC and coilgun too). After a few trial runs I think I got the best loadout by getting rid of all of its weapons and jump jets, maxing out the armor and adding the coil gun to it. Seems to work well as long as I dont let it run too far past its other lancemates.

[Apocal]

By way of an update, a quint UAC/2 + quad ML Anni isn't quite the mech eater that its class-5 sibling manages, but it will still shred through a an assault class CT or rip a head clean the hell off under the right circumstances. And it has more range than it knows what to do with to boot, making for a very strong back liner.

[Colt Ward]

Finally got into the Black Market . . . the interesting things you see.  I am really hoping they get the mech parts to weapons thing sorted out- I need flamers!  The Inferno missiles are interesting but I am not sure they are a better application.  Though I DID get a Inferno hit on a Rifleman's head . . . so, head hit, +10 heat and it looked like the cockpit was on FIRE! . . . at least until the flame went out.

Anyone know how the Infernos work in HBS?  I really wish they had the old BMR mechanic where the gel coats them for X turns instead of a 1 turn heat spike.