A multi-gunner mech capable of targeting multiple threats at once with its machine guns.
The M-29 "Salem" is an anti-infantry mech unit produced by Usonia. Brimming with rapid firepower, it can saturate multiple targets with lead.
General Description[]
The Salem walks on two digitigrade legs with a long crew compartment. There is a ladder to the top of the crew compartment, likely to facilitate entry. The body is well armored and even more well-armed, with four forward machine guns and a rotating gun turret on its back. The mech walks with a bit of an awkward gait, its weight seemingly quite front-heavy for the chassis to handle, though this does not appear to cause all that much disruption in its actual performance. Its four primary machine guns are hinged and able to move in all directions. It is likely the recoil from the guns, or the weight of the back-mounted Machine Gun helps stabilize the M-29 in its march onwards.
The Salem combines favorable crowd control mechanics and an obscene number of machine guns - it is ideal for handling mass infantry charges, though is competitive as a general-use light mech similar to a Rusviet Kolokol. Being fairly durable and well armed, it is good on defense but can handle some movement to hunt down routed units. It can also hold its ground against some mech units. A rear MG reduces problems if it is flanked, and doubles as a defensive weapon if the mech goes into retreat, being able to suppress infantry that would otherwise pursue and exploit its weak rear armor. In a tight situation, a veteran Salem can activate its Overcharge ability, which greatly improves its ability to fight enemy mechs and exosuits. This allows it to contribute surprisingly good firepower in fights that are normally dominated by heavier units.
Like most anti-infantry mech units, it still struggles against anti-mech units and units with medium or heavy armor, and can fall to artillery quite easily.
Pros[]
- Overcharge ability is useful for damaging any armored target
- Can engage infantry from all angles.
- Sustained fire, does not fire in bursts unlike the Grimbart or Ognivo.
- Durable, third toughest light mech; almost as tough as a Kolokol
- Linkage of four machine guns which can swivel makes it capable of wading into large infantry formations solo, and likely winning.
- All angle machineguns = all angle infantry suppression
Cons[]
- Lacks speed compared to most mechs of similar cost, and does not possess good range
- Without Overdrive, it is very weak against light/medium/heavy armored units
- Veteran or Elite infantry can use their abilities to resist being suppressed, and negate the advantages a Salem possesses in suppressing them otherwise.
Weapons[]
Armed with a quad set of forward firing machine guns, this machine can absolutely rain lead on targets in front of it, but it also has a turret protecting its more vulnerable backside.
Abilities[]
Overcharge (requires Veteran unit rank or higher) - Sacrificing an immediate reduction in health, mech gains increased firepower against all targets for a short period. This is useful when fighting other mechs. With S3-55 "Ward" support to repair damage, this ability is even more effective.
This is mainly useful when a commander knows they can win by using it/knows the Salem cannot survive the battle anyways (might as well do more damage) when activating it; otherwise it is usually best to pull Salem mechs away from enemy fire to fight another day. The ability has a strong visual giveaway - streams of fire bellow out of the rear ends of the Salem's guns while active.
Superficially, this is similar in effect to PZM-9's Overdrive, though as opposed to grinding to a halt, and loosing a far faster hail, the Salem appears to activate some form of additional propellant or some technology within the Salem, causing more outright damage.
Trivia[]
- Following the theme of naming units after real-life American heroes, this mech is likely named after Salem Poor, an African-American war hero of the Revolutionary War who was known for buying his own freedom and critically wounding British officer James Abercrombie at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- Coincidentally, it shares the name with Salem, Massachusetts, a city infamous for being the site of witch trials. In 1775, American patriots raised a drawbridge there preventing British troops from seizing arms and ammunition stored there before the Revolutionary War started, and during the war it became a center for privateering.
- In the game's configuration files, the Salem is referred to as the "Brooklynn," likely on account of the pilot's distinct Brooklynn accent.
- The Salem, to date, has the single highest number of machine guns mounted to a single unit (five) beating even the four mounted to the SKS 300 "Kaiser."
- With forward facing machine guns, walking on two legs, and a burnished silver frame, the Salem somewhat resembles the ED-209 peacekeeping robot from the Robocop franchise.
- Being able to overdrive its weapons without having to wait for them to cool afterwards, unlike the Straznik, could have something to do with the fact that while the Polanian mech's guns are air-cooled, the Salem's guns seem to have water jackets which, if kept supplied with water, allow machine guns to fire potentially indefinitely without melting down (although barrels themselves would have to be changed once in a while due to wear.) Its sturdier construction likely also prevents a need for a shutdown, though clearly, the Polanian System is more efficient for overall unit longevity.
Gallery[]
