Heavy Metal Machines News

Hello, Metal Gladiators

Maintenance is scheduled for March 17, from 11:00 to 15:00 (UTC-0), to apply a hotfix on Artificer, Dirt Devil and Photon’s weapons.

Version: 8.01.19


[h2]Artificer[/h2]

• Weapon 3
  Fixed an issue with the weapon’s cooldown, it was set to 5 seconds and the correct is 6 seconds.

[h2]Dirt Devil[/h2]

• Weapon 2
  Fixed an issue that made the weapon deal much more damage than it should.
  
• Special Weapon
  Fixed an issue that made the weapon pull force stronger than it should.

[h2]Photon[/h2]

• Weapon 3
  Fixed an issue that made the weapon’s repair exceed its maximum value.
  Fixed an issue with the weapon’s cooldown, it was set to 5 seconds, and the correct is 6 seconds.

To share your feedback, please post in our Discord or the General Discussion forum.

Heavy Metal Machines Team

We're undergoing extraordinary maintenance on the Heavy Metal Machine servers, affecting all regions.

Currently, we're unable to estimate the time to normalize the service, and our technical team is analyzing and working on a solution to bring everything online as soon as possible.

We appreciate your understanding and apologize for the inconvenience.

Heavy Metal Machines Team

Hello, Metal Gladiators

Maintenance is scheduled for March 11th, from 09:00 to 16:00 (UTC-0), to apply an update for the game engine.

Version: 8.01.14

• The game engine will be updated from Unity 2017 to Unity 2018, which allows us to use the latest technologies for the game’s development.

To share your feedback, please post in our Discord or the General Discussion forum.

Heavy Metal Machines Team

Hello Metal Gladiators!
We’re very excited to announce that Metal League’s next season is about to start with a lot of changes that will make the competition even better for everyone!

What is the Metal League?
👉 Metal League is the HMM official online tournament. Play from anywhere!
👉 No entry fees.
👉 It happens every Saturday, in a special queue in the game.

Metal League for Pros and Beginners!
Metal League follows each season of the Metal Pass, and from this season on, each Metal League server will have two distinct editions: Metal League Pro and Metal League Beginner. The idea is to allow teams to compete against other teams of a similar level so that the tournament is fun and fair for everybody. And both leagues will take place in two regions at the same time, so we will have four simultaneous leagues, starting with South America and Europe!

It will work like this:

Metal League Pro
Following the same format that you already know, there will be 4 stages of Qualifiers that will define who will go to the Playoffs. The Playoffs phase will be best of 3 (Bo3) matches, and the finals will be best of 5 (Bo5). Playoffs and Finals will be broadcast live on our channels.
As always, the Qualifiers phase takes place every Saturday in the Metal League queue in-game, while the Playoffs and Finals brackets are managed outside the game with Custom Matches.
And this time we also have a new rule for the Playoffs: if the total number of Pro teams is equal to or greater than 16 teams, 8 teams will qualify for the Playoffs, however, if the total number of teams is lower than 16, only 4 teams will go to the Playoffs, with the 1st place facing the 4th, and the 2nd facing the 3rd in the semifinals.

Metal League Beginner
It will follow the same format as the Pro version, but only with teams that are starting their competitive journey. It will feature 3 weeks of Qualifiers and a weekend of Playoffs and Finals with Bo1 matches. Teams will be able to compete for in-game awards to take their first steps towards the glory of our competitive landscape.
And like the Pro, in the Metal League Beginner, if the total number of teams is equal to or greater than 16 teams, 8 teams will qualify for the Playoffs, however, if the total number of teams is lower than 16, only 4 teams will go to the Playoffs, with the 1st place facing the 4th, and the 2nd facing the 3rd in the semifinals.

Okay, but how are we going to separate who plays in each league?
When starting the season and clicking on "Play" in the Metal League queue, the team will make its virtual registration, and the system will analyze all team members to decide if the team will participate in the Pro or Beginner league. To participate in the Beginner edition, all players on the team cannot have more than 60 total victories (not counting custom matches) in their account, and should be classified lower than Silver division in our Ranked Mode.

The system will analyze the status of each member at the moment the team captain officially clicks to participate in the tournament. If a team member surpasses one of these criteria during the competition, there is no problem. What counts is the moment of registration. For this reason, it will not be allowed any changes in the team (substitution, inclusion or removal of members) once it is registered in the tournament. It will be allowed, however, to leave the tournament, change the team and register for the tournament again. In this case, the team will have its points reset once they leave the tournament.

With this change, we hope to provide a fun and balanced championship for beginners to have competitive experience and compete for valuable in-game rewards, while ensuring that veterans have their own high-level environment playing for money.

Remember: the registration is completely free, just click on “Play” in the Metal League queue starting on April 4th in South America and April 11th in Europe!

Two servers, one season!
Another novelty that we are bringing to Metal League this season is the location of the competition: we will have Metal League Pro and Beginner rolling simultaneously on two servers (Europe and South America)! Access the game and choose, in the Metal League section, which server you will join. The same team may participate in the leagues of the 2 servers simultaneously but will be subject to different levels (Pro or Beginner) according to their experience at the time of registration.

When does it start?
The South American server leagues (Pro and Beginner) will start on April 4th.
The European server leagues (Pro and Beginner) will start on April 11th.

And what are the prizes?

Metal League Pro
The total prize pool will be 5,000 Euros, split between Europe and South America (2,500 each). Remember, whatever region you are from, you can participate in both tournaments at the same time!
1st Place - € 1200 + Totem Arena + Exclusive Spray
2nd Place - € 500 + Exclusive Spray
3rd Place - € 250
4th Place - € 150
5th Place - € 100
6th Place - € 100
7th Place - € 100
8th Place - € 100
In the 4-Teams Playoffs Scenario:
1st Place - € 1300 + Totem Arena + Exclusive Spray
2nd Place - € 600 + Exclusive Spray
3rd Place - € 350
4th Place - € 250
*Country-specific taxes may apply.
** Your team’s flag with your team’s name and symbol, will be hung in the HMM arenas for everybody to see until next season.
*** Your team will receive an exclusive spray with your team’s name and symbol

Metal League Beginner
1st Place - 25000 Fame + Metal Pass Premium + All pilots in the game + Heavy Metal model
2nd Place - 20000 Fame + All pilots in the game + Heavy Metal model
3rd Place - 15000 Fame + 5 pilots + Metal Legend model
4th Place - 10000 Fame + 3 pilots + Metal Legend model
5th Place - 5000 Fame + 1 pilot + Rockstar model
6th Place - 5000 Fame + 1 pilot + Rockstar model
7th Place - 5000 Fame + 1 pilot + Rockstar model
8th Place - 5000 Fame + 1 pilot + Rockstar model
In the 4-Teams Playoffs Scenario:
1st Place - 25000 Fame + Metal Pass Premium + All pilots in the game + Heavy Metal model
2nd Place - 20000 Fame + All pilots in the game + Heavy Metal model
3rd Place - 15000 Fame + 5 pilots + Metal Legend model
4th Place - 10000 Fame + 3 pilots + Metal Legend model
Each member of the team will receive rewards according to their position.
Players can choose if they want the Metal Pass Premium from the current season or the next one.
Players can also choose which pilots and models they want among all items available in the game Store.

Any questions? Check out the rules here, but if you have any other questions, you can send an email to [email protected] or reach out to us through Discord or our Social Networks.
Now that you know everything, assemble your team on our Team Member Finder (also known as Teamder), and start training!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The Maximatics automated factory complex never slept, its machines running at all hours of the day. They had grown quickly after the Lady of Winter’s defeat. Among the corporations and nobles of Metal City, they alone had made profits during the Ice Age that had fallen. From heated bunkers to automated construction to aid in rebuilding, Maximatics had expanded their products, becoming a household name.
The Patrons had even approved their request to build on the outskirts of Metal City. Soon, it had become its own neighborhood. The people who worked for the company hardly ever had to leave its secure walls. Not many in Metal City knew what went on inside. The trucks came out from the facility to deliver their products to the market, and then returned. No one could remember seeing a driver.
When Maximatics announced they were sponsoring the next Heavy Metal Machines tournament, however, that had caused quite a stir.
“I don’t like it, Jada,” Stingray said. The pair were staring down at the sprawling factory from the nearest outlook. Stingray watched the small figures move about through a pair of binoculars. “Maximatics has never backed any pilot in the tournament before. Why the sudden interest?”
“Not sure. But given the message we got, seems we’re not the only ones interested.” Jada said.
“Another thing I don’t like. They bounced that signal off so many relays even I couldn’t trace it! Any news on that?”
“Seeing a machine approaching our position.”
It wasn’t long before the two could hear the sound of the engine as well. A silver truck, glowing with blue lights and with a dragon’s head in the front roared up with as much stealth as it could. The big wheels had little trouble on the rocky ground. It was someone Stingray was familiar with, though not usually outside of the Arena.
“Icebringer?”
The truck door opened. The bearded fellow leaned out, giving a wave to go along with his big friendly smile. “Hello there! Did I make you wait? Sorry, I got lost trying to find which rocky outlook Lord Ian was talking about.”
Stingray raised his eyebrows at that. “Lord Ian sent you?”
Icebringer’s smile faded as it dawned on him what he had said. “Oh, right, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Nope, shouldn’t have mentioned that…” The trucker hopped out of his machine. He was rubbing the back of his head, chuckling. “CeeBee really is right, I need to think before I speak sometimes…”
“Alright,” Stingray said. That answered one question. It seemed like the Patrons weren’t any less interested in what was going on with Maximatics than he was, though he would not have guessed they would have reached out to him of all people. “The message said if I wanted to know the truth, come to this spot. You have information, Frost Giant?”
“Oh, yeah!” Icebringer’s grin returned as he tossed a data device from his coat pocket to Stingray. The hacker caught it in the air. “You can always count on a trucker to get something where it needs to be.”
Stingray looked at the drive for a moment, checking for any obvious signs of tampering. The last thing he needed was to fry his systems. It looked clean enough. He slid the drive into his robot, which projected the files for them all to see.
“These are blueprints!” Jada said, adjusting her glasses as she leaned in to take a closer look. “They look like artificial intelligence systems, as well as the specifications for chassis of some kind…”
“But A.I. for what?” Stingray frowned, staring at the detailed schematics. Even knowing they were blueprints, there was a lot that was blacked out or marked as classified. He continued to sift through them, as one after another was projected before them.
“That looks like a machine,” Icebringer said. “Just look at those wheels on it! Don’t know what S.E.U.V. means, though.”
“These all look…familiar,” Stingray said.
“Wait, stop!” Jada suddenly called out. “Look! That one. It’s humanoid! Like an android!”
Indeed, the design was. FU-20: Azure Flame. The chassis looked very strikingly like a woman. Designed with thermal and visual sensors in the head and a blowtorch in the hand. Long strands of coolant dispensers served as makeshift hair.
“Flame Unit? Says it’s designed to be used in high temperature industrial environments.”
Icebringer whistled as he read on. “I don’t know much about robots, but I don’t like this. Seems like they’re getting a little too high tech.”
“There’s nothing wrong with technology,” Stingray said, trying to not sound too defensive. “But you’re right. We need to get to the bottom of this. But I think we’ll need some muscle.”
“My sensors are picking up Rampage in the area. Maybe we could ask him?”
“Eh, I don’t know about that, Jada. Rampage doesn’t operate well as a team. And you remember the last time? Put him anywhere near a Maximatics facility, he’s going to go out of control!”
The three were silent for a moment, thinking on whom they could call. Icebringer clapped his hands, his face breaking into a wide smile. “I know just the guys!”
------
“…So that’s what we’re dealing with. Looks like they’re trying to build some automated machines that drive themselves!” Icebringer finished his story. Stingray and Jada just gave each other looks as they stood behind in the cluttered scrap shot, piles of crushed beer cans scattered about, with the covers of ‘Magnets and Metal’ magazine taped on the walls.
“Darn Maximatics boys, they’re already stealin’ our customers. Ain’t that right, Rufus?”
“Mmhmm, Billy.”
“Now they go thinkin’ they can make cars that don’t need towin’!? That’s half our business!”
“Gonna cut into our beer funds, Billy.”
“Ya got that right, big guy!” Billy Clunker said, slamming his fist down on the counter. The smaller Clunker reached for a can, chugging the liquid inside down before letting out a belch. “Alright, ya want to take these jerks down? Count us in!”
“We’re ready to rock.” Rufus said, scratching his huge gut. “And we can be all sneaky like, too!”
Stingray gave Jada another look before stepping forward. They’d just have to make do. “Alright, you two. Here’s the plan…”
-------
“Do you really think, this is going to work, ‘Manta’?”
Stingray adjusted the cuff links on his shirt, looking out over the top of his sunglasses. His tie was neatly arranged, tucked into his vest. He had spent a lot of time ironing his suit the night before. “Of course. I’ve already spoofed my credentials as a Maximatics executive. The downside of automated systems; once they’re cracked, it’s just a matter of faking the authorization code.”
He leaned against his machine, affecting his cool and powerful persona. His car had been given a sleek dark blue paint job that matched his clothing. The image recognition software wouldn’t have a chance against his new look.
Stargazer shook her head, but she couldn’t resist smiling at the performance. Hiro always was a showman at heart. “Well, hopefully the stealth systems I’ve installed work. I’ll need to stay close to coordinate with all of you. I’ll be listening into their communications.”
“Wonderful. I’ve gotten in touch with “Cryo”. He’ll meet us on the way. Now all that’s left is for my…bodyguards…What is that sound?”
Stingray could only look on with abject horror as the wailing sirens grew louder as the Clunkers’ truck rolled to meet them. The brothers had painted their magnet red, standing out against the black and white color scheme that made them look like a policeman’s pastiche. The sloppy star and scribbled on ‘Poliss’ only added to the ‘authenticity’.
“Wh-what…”
“Everybody, freeze! Get on the ground!” Billy said, holding a taser in his hand as he leaned out the window. “This is a police escort! We got important cop business to do!”
“You tell ‘em, buddy,” Rufus said, his suit straining to contain his girth.
Stingray just rested his face in his palm before taking a deep breath. “I can work with this. Alright, let’s roll. We have business with Maximatics.”
It took only a little while for the three machines to be rolling out of Metal City in the direction of the Maximatics facility compound. Along the way, the radios crackled to life. “This is Cryo!” Icebringer’s cheerful voice came through. A truck painted black with purple X’s joined their convoy. “Got myself painted nice like you asked, Manta! Hauling as much raw materials as Lord Ian could spare. Should be enough to sell our story.”
“Good work. Alright team, it’s time we go undercover.”