DUST Fiend
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
10168
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Posted - 2014.01.19 19:16:00 -
[1] - Quote
Assault Dropships OP
The first problem is with HAVs. Their turrets lack the elevation to properly engage dropships, whatever they have now, they should add an additional 10-15%. I have no way of testing how fast the turret rotation is with max skills, but I imagine that coupled with slight movement of the tank would allow you to track most dropships. A slight buff to large turret rotation speed might be acceptable. I even think railguns could use a slight buff in damage, so long as everyone loses the ability to have more than one damage amplifier active at a time. Also on the topic of HAV vs Dropships, HAVs need to be able to fit their small turrets where they want. Right now I believe it's still bugged, forcing you to fit two turrets if you'd like to have a top turret.
The second problem is how the redline effects Dropships vs Railgun tank balance. There is a very simple solution to this that does very little to harm overall gameplay and is very simple to implement: Extend the fly space above the enemy redline. So, what you would do is keep the redline as-is for everything on the ground, but enemy dropships can fly a bit further into that redline to harass perched railtanks. These tanks could either roll even deeper into the redline, becoming a non factor to everything but the dropship, or it could stay and fight, when considering my proposed buffs.
Third is that swarm launchers are very little threat until completely maxed out, and even then, are pretty easy to avoid. They need a healthy buff to projectile speed, and possibly a very slight buff to damage. Increase lock on range from 175 to 250. Invisible swarms are still a thing, so the sooner that's fixed, you would be able to track where you're getting harassed from, and engage or avoid.
Plasma cannons need a healthy buff to direct damage. This will not effect its balance vs infantry, and will give it some sort of purpose against AV, being useful against hovering dropships. It could also stand to cause a bit more impact, it seems to do less than swarms in that respect.
Small missile turrets need splash radius dropped from 2.5 to 2.0, with a 10-15% nerf to splash damage. However, I argue that they need even faster projectile speed to be competitive against other agile dropships, while not harming the overall dropship vs anything else balance.
You might be able to sell me on a very minor decrease to forge gun charge time, but I feel that they are very close to balance right now.
Standard dropships need more of their mobility back. It's obnoxious how much they were nerfed, and while they should not be as agile or fast as an assault dropship, they should be better off then they are now. Without a slight buff to this, standard dropships will struggle against my proposed buffs.
So, that would make HAVs more of a persistent threat to dropships, while allowing dropships to engage perched redline HAVs, while further still providing that HAV with an escape route, which would remove that HAV as any form of meaningful threat to the battlefield, yet allowing it to remain a threat to the harassing dropship. These changes would also create a more hazardous flight zone, with swarms presenting a persistent threat that is still reasonable to engage. Dropship vs Dropship fights become more reliable as more shots are being landed, while infantry is given a little more breathing room thanks to small missile changes.
I feel these buffs could go a long way towards increasing the health of Dropship balance.
Videos / Fiction
Closed Beta Vet; Dropship Pilot
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