Balance Pass Adjustments

[ChewyLSB]

The new "near-miss" tank system is good, IMO. This may make Vanguard users actually *gasp* USE their machine guns.

[Infernus]

Nearmiss is understandable, people complain about how the splash of a vanguard shell kills them in 1 shot so what do they do, they reduce the splash's damage for both tanks. But hey aint that why they have machine guns (which got a buff in the balance pass)?

[Veteran]

I agree the Pounder nerf was unwarranted. With the existence of the Decimator, and the fact that it's a very common weapon (I dropped prepatch Striker for Decimator and never looked back), the Pounder is now a walking deathtrap. Between Decimators and ScatterMAXs forcing the Pounder to eat its own splash damage, I don't see this as a viable MAX platform.

The only advice I can offer to Pounder operators is to feint, i.e. stop firing when you're not out of ammo to trick the enemy into charging you. Problem here is you're most likely going to eat a Deci hoagy.

Too bad Decimator puts AV to shame. It should really be common pool AV. Special Assault would still be worthy if it were just Thumper and Rocklet Rifle.

Just my opinion.

[Acaila]

Nice fixes.

[Kikinchikin]

yeah i hate the pounder reload nerf now that I think about it. It's already soooooooooo long when u reload and see a reinforced with a deci round the corner and blast u while ur reloading. Sigh That really hurts me, becuz pounder is the only "weapon" I use now, since I am infiltrator. (altho i can use boomers and the amp quite good.

[TheN00b]

just wondering, do u guys think the Pheonix or the Deci r better as an AV supplement to the Jack?

[DramaticFanatic]

I think the pounder reload time increase is just fine. If you have a *good* team, you will be covered by them while you are reloading, and you will be repaired when receiving damage. Just a thought.

[Jagd]

N00B: Decimator delivers the most AV damage of all infantry weapons, but it requires a lot more skill than the empire specific AV weapons because there is no lock on or ability to steer the missiles, and it is a pretty slow moving rocket.

And I'm glad about the tank splash damage reduction, again they are adding to the game's realism; real world tanks use armor piercing shells that are basically big, heavy chunks of lead that use sheer weight to break through their target's skin. They're not at all like artillery shells which are designed to throw shrapnel about and rip through soft targets, although it's incredibly rare for games to try and be realistic about it.

[Incompetent]

Originally Posted by DramaticFanatic

I think the pounder reload time increase is just fine. If you have a *good* team, you will be covered by them while you are reloading, and you will be repaired when receiving damage. Just a thought.

Thats the problem though, the pounders are the only thing that can stand up to the enemy in a straight fight and keep them at the bottom of the stairwell. We CAN'T cover them because the moment they reload a hoard of jackhammers will Surge in the door, up the stairs and kill all of the supporting infantry before they can blink.

Edit: we have some extremely good weapons, but none of them are geared for that kind of combat, we used to rely on our Pounders to keep us alive when we were stuck in those situations, but now we are just going to be slaughtered.

[Jagd]

How about we wait and see it live before losing all hope?

[Rbstr]

I have to say the MG's on a vanguard are the work pieces of shit in the game, the COF blooms like crazy and its COF is huge to beging with, the only time i have eer been able to kill infantry with it was one time when a guy TKed me so i jumped in a got him backwile he wasn't watching(wast Shells on a TKer no way)

[WritheNC]

Thats the problem though, the pounders are the only thing that can stand up to the enemy in a straight fight and keep them at the bottom of the stairwell. We CAN'T cover them because the moment they reload a hoard of jackhammers will Surge in the door, up the stairs and kill all of the supporting infantry before they can blink.

Actually I think the new NC maxes will pose more of a problem after the balance pass. If 3 or 4 walk in together with shields up, and if any of them get behind the maxes and start causing havoc, the TR maxes will likely have to unspike. Dunno what the VS would do though.

I have to say the MG's on a vanguard are the work pieces of shit in the game, the COF blooms like crazy and its COF is huge to beging with

Did they buff the vehicle machine guns yet? Or is that part of the balance pass? I don't remember.

[dscytherulez]

I do believe that is in the balance pass

[dscytherulez]

And I'm glad about the tank splash damage reduction, again they are adding to the game's realism; real world tanks use armor piercing shells that are basically big, heavy chunks of lead that use sheer weight to break through their target's skin. They're not at all like artillery shells which are designed to throw shrapnel about and rip through soft targets, although it's incredibly rare for games to try and be realistic about it.

Have you ever been shot with a real tank shell IRL? The explosion alone even if it wasnt near you would kill you, or at least knock u out and give u a serious concussion.

If you needed to directly hit someone with a tankshell IRL, why would we even use tanks today? They would be worthless.

[Jagd]

Actually, the M1 Abrams fires little rods of depleted uranium that punch through armor and then proceed to ricochet around inside the helpless target causing electrical fires and punching holes through the crew. I did some more reading on this though, and apparently they also have explosive shells (anti-infantry) that they use when they're attacking, say, a group of Iraqi civilians. Same thing with WW2 tanks, they had one type of shell for hard targets, and another for soft.

But anyways I still think it's a good idea to nerf the splash. When a vanguard is parked outside a tower, you simply cannot get past the doors alive if it's spamming shells into the wall.