CamClarke
0uter.Heaven
Ishuk-Raata Enforcement Directive
3
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Posted - 2014.01.29 15:17:00 -
[1] - Quote
As a person who's recently started flying ADSs (about a month now), I agree wholeheartedly on almost every point. As fragile and difficult to master as they are, they are ridiculously costly to use because at some point, someone, somehow, will usually bring at least one of your dropships down in any given match unless you stay at the flight ceiling the entire time. I believe things would be better if:
1. Costs were slashed to make ADS piloting viable as a permanent, profitable role. Given tanks' prices right now, I agree that 70k is right about where they should be, not including mods.
2. Collision damage were reduced. Love taps are literally more devastating than damage modded proto rail turrets.
3. Large railgun turrets effectiveness were nerfed in some fashion. I believe implementing falloff on large rails is the best option, if it is made severe enough that it at least forces them out of the redline if they want to do anything useful, which not only improves our survivability, but gives bluedots and ourselves the opportunity to fight back. Also, this should drastically reduce vehicle call-in destruction.
4. I don't typically have gunners, but if these problems with passenger turrets are true, that is a pretty serious concern. Fix it.
5. For the benefit of the AV players, swarm launchers need a buff. Right now, I mostly just hover, laugh, and rain missiles on them unless there's at least 3 of them. Given our fairly low effective engagement altitude and the fact that, once fired, they continue to track you, it should just be a straight damage buff (as opposed to a range buff) to make them a legitimate threat in your own range. Forges are currently fine against ADS pilots and are effective at chasing me off.
I will, however, disagree on the destabilization. Its primary purpose seems to be to make AV players harder to hit while you're under fire, which is necessary so we simply don't walk all over them, and its secondary purpose is to throw off our control to give the AV players a better chance to make followup shots. Destablization should be left as-is for balance purposes, otherwise ADS piloting would be too easy.
In every respect beyond those listed above, I feel assault dropships are in a good place. In the hands of a skilled pilot, they can perform admirably at both anti-vehicle and anti-infantry, and can provide a number of useful services to the bluedots below.
tl;dr: Reduce prices, nerf large rails, nerf collision damage, fix passenger turrets, buff swarms and ADS piloting will be balanced for both sides. |
CamClarke
0uter.Heaven
Ishuk-Raata Enforcement Directive
6
|
Posted - 2014.01.29 17:21:00 -
[2] - Quote
Vulpes Dolosus wrote:Prices are fine. My fully proto-ed out fit only costs 500k, or about 2 games, and my ADV fit (which is just as good except against tanks) only costs 400k. You shouldn't be losing dropships more than every 2 games and even still, if prices were dramatically reduced, we'd be having the same problems we're having with tanks currently.
Maybe I'm just butthurt about how there seem to be constant redline rail tanks literally just watching me fly, waiting for me to drop down just low enough for them to hit me. Their prevalence is so great currently that I've actually been having a hell of a time just trying to land on all but the tallest structures long enough to drop an uplink for the team, or if there is a lack of suitable cover, to even land and recall. I end up stuck with few WP if I can't throw down some uplinks, which leaves me with a poor payout, so often it takes me around four matches to make the 370k for one ADS. Probably doesn't help that I'm usually the only one in the sky on my team.
Vulpes Dolosus wrote:It's pretty easy to avoid enemy dropships trying to ram you. You just need to keep situational awareness. They're much easier to deal with than jihad jeeps with tanks.
Absolutely, it's just silly that if you and another ADS are having a shootout in the air and just happen to have a passionate midair kiss trying to get closer for easier aiming one or both dropships will explode.
Varjac wrote:What ship variant do you fly? What are some tactics you use against a max sp forge player?
Python here. Mash light shield booster, hardener, get the hell out of that area with evasive maneuvers. If it's a big map, continue doing my stuff elsewhere. Smaller maps, land behind cover and recall. I'm simply not pro enough yet to deal with a really good forger, especially on a tower. My skills aren't high enough to effectively use a double hardener fit, so if I take a heavy hit I boost it back up, harden, and run away.
Mobius Wyvern wrote:I would like to add to this thread the need for the ability to pitch the Assault Dropship turret in first person, and not just in third.
Totally slipped my mind, would love to be able to do that. |