After
the initial group of entry-level Mechanaughts, the Rushnik composes
part of the next available tier of Mechanaughts and is a bit of an
improvement from the starter Pinkett and other low-level sets (the
Mekhi and Frontliner). At this point in the pilot’s progress, these
Mechanaughts become more specialized towards their specific tasks and
pilots will start to upgrade their own Mechanaught not as a whole set,
but part by part, to create the best mix for themselves. While the
Rushnik is a light-armor design that places emphasis on pure speed, the
designers also concentrated on making it tougher than its Mekhi sibling.



On
a cost basis, the full Rushnik set costs 54,000 credits, well over
twice the price of the Mekhi. The Rushnik generates and recovers more
energy than the Mekhi, and has the ability to use its jump jets more
efficiently. Not intended for the rigors of front-line combat, the
Rushnik does not cool down quickly nor is it particularly accurate,
though its equivalent armor protection is closer to the Frontliner than
the Mekhi. The Rushnik head is only equipped with one Mechanaught
Processing Unit (MPU), meaning only one purchasable skill can be
equipped and used at any time.



The designers of the Rushnik
have particularly developed the Mechanaught towards situations where
speed and protection is more essential, such as Aerogate capture,
reconnaissance, and flag carrying. Close-range combat with SMGs or
melee weapons would be preferred over long-range engagements.



Weapon Highlights

• Zeus
  Persuader - This rifle
  fires electrically charged rounds of ammunition that can short out a
  Mechanaught’s electrical systems and controls. The Zeus Persuader is a
  popular low- to mid-level rifle, capable of hitting targets at medium
  range with decent accuracy.
• Colony
  Burster – While it’s not
  actually able to burst open entire colonies, this heavy two-handed
  underslung cannon should sure come close. A set of three intake valves
  nestled along the Colony Burster’s long barrel means that it can
  deliver explosive shells the furthest of all the cannons available in
  Exteel. Like most cannons its shells deal tremendous amounts of damage,
  is very accurate once the pilot locks onto a target, and takes a long
  time to reload.
• Polymer Array
  – Commonly
  referred to as a “rectifier,” the Polymer Array is technically not a
  weapon at all, though a Mechanaught wields it like one. It fires
  polymerized energy particles that, when aimed at an ally, will
  reinforce the armored plating and synthetic bonding of a damaged
  Mechanaught, recovering some of its ability to absorb damage. Like
  other weapons, however, rectifiers will overheat after repeated usage.
  The Polymer Array has a long range but narrow lock-on angle, so it may
  take a little bit of practice to master. Certain purchasable melee
  skills also make use of rectifiers, like the Polymer Array, to degrade
  an opponent’s ability to absorb damage.
• Hellrazor – The
  Hellrazor is
  the next available Mechanaught shotgun after the Spatter Gun, though it
  shoots blasts of fire rather than traditional ammunition. Despite its
  high capacity to deal damage at close range, usually better than most
  other shotguns, the Hellrazor retains low marks for accuracy while it
  generates heat much quicker and takes much longer to reload.

The Dreadnaught Battle Map

Dreadnaught is one of the more unique battle maps available to players
in Exteel.
Mechanaughts battle atop a massive space cruiser as well as various
winding corridors within the ship. The ship is also engaged in a great
battle against other spaceships in the background, which provides an
interesting backdrop to the immediate battle at hand.



The
outline of the map is mostly rectangular, with a long playing surface
across deck of the ship, bisected lengthwise by a squat row of open
bays and communications tower. One end of the map features a raised
platform in front of bridge superstructure, and various Mechanaught
launching bays line the sides of the playing arena. Various tunnels
also lead further down to two sets of corridors and rooms that also run
the length of the ship.



Dreadnaught is one of two maps in Exteel
that feature low-gravity environments, meaning normal non-boosted jumps
can reach quite high (Hint:
at
the apex of the jump, hit your boosters to jump even higher). The
Dreadnaught map is currently available for play in Deathmatch, Team
Deathmatch, Territory Control, and Last Stand battle modes. Territory
Control matches can be rather tricky, with usually one Aerogate on the
top deck and the other four nestled in rooms set at the four corners of
the map. Approaches to these rooms are narrow and pilots contest each
Aerogate viciously.