Hit a Python earlier today with 3 consecutive, proficiency 5 volleys. This is the first in a long time that all 3 connected.

I caught him offguard and well inside my 175m range. He activated shield hardeners when struck and immediately ascended. He survived, though each volley I'd launched appeared to connect. Had I a partner to sync strikes with, he most assuredly would not have escaped.

Point being, 3 is not a guaranteed kill; in a 1v1 setting, a well-fit Python has good odds of survival even against max skill swarmer. In a 2v1 setting, on the other hand, I believe the Python's odds to be much lower than before Delta.

From my perspective on the ground, the biggest difference is that 3 volleys launched on an ADS off-guard are 3 volleys which are very likely to connect, whereas before only one or two would connect.

So 1 clip of your armour focused weapon didn't kill a shield based vehicle because they had to use an active mod that has at least a minute cool down to survive against your 2 second reload

poison Diego, if the data supports that claim, CCP Rattati will buff the ADS.

The swarm needs not to be this powerful

I haven't seen how Delta swarms perform yet (need to go home and try stuff), but given that swarms have been a useless flare gun for months, I can't imagine them being that incredible. The primary notion was that it needed to be possible for swarms to catch up to an ADS which wasn't afterburning. Being able to hit your target on occasion is a fundamental requirement of being at all useful.

I haven't seen how Delta swarms perform yet (need to go home and try stuff), but given that swarms have been a useless flare gun for months, I can't imagine them being that incredible. The primary notion was that it needed to be possible for swarms to catch up to an ADS which wasn't afterburning. Being able to hit your target on occasion is a fundamental requirement of being at all useful.

Swarms were so useless in Hotfix Charlie, they should've been a sidearm. (I actually suggested this, rather than buffing them. Nobody went for it though. It was probably a good decision not to, but sixteen swarms on a team would've been fun.)

@P1

I find 3-5 deaths to be rather reasonable in a Multiplayer FPS title. But if you're somehow loosing 3-5 ships then you must not be as good as people say you are. The only way to die that many times to a Swarm Launcher is to keep getting within it's range as opposed to attacking from a different area.

@P2

I fail to see a problem with being hit by Swarms if you aren't "on the move". As an ADS Pilot, you shouldn't be standing still anyways. Though I'm glad to see that you find surviving engagements against AV difficult, as this means that Hotfix Delta was indeed a success.

@P3

When CCP was "rebuilding" vehicles from the ground up, they stated that vehicles (and AV by extension) would have to follow a "Waves of Opportunity" model. Truth be told, Assault Dropships aren't exempt from this rule either.

As for not being able to fit a better AB due to CPU/PG requirements, I'd suggest studying this thing that seems to be very common with CCP's design, called quid pro quo. Basically, if you want something, you'll have to make a sacrifice in return for it.

Just like a MinCom (or any suit) looking to deal max damage will have to sacrifice a lot of tank, ADSs should be sacrificing max efficiency if they want to escape engagements easier.

@P4

It took me about a minute to decide whether or not to waste my keystrokes on this assertion, as it's all anecdotal. Not only is it anecdotal (and possibly fabricated), the statements don't support any of the data available collected by CCP. Whether or not Forge Guns exist is irrelevant, as it doesn't change how innefficent SLs were.

If you need to rely on a target being severely damaged to kill it, along with multiple people with similar SP investments to be effective than it has no purpose for existing, as nobody will use that over the other options.

(If 2x Gëñ 1y = 1z, why would anyone use anything but Y or Z?)

@P5

Assault Dropships do have a chance of escaping. You can ADS to survive 3 volleys, so assuming you aren't standing still like a mouthbreather, you'll be able to escape, along with that, you can easily escape 175m before all 3 volleys are fired, provided you aren't 0m away.

1.5s is an exaggeration, and even when you're being knocked back, you can still fly forward.

@Soraya Xel

If the data supports it, then I'm indeed in favor of Swarm Launcher adjustments.

First of all, ADS Pilot and Proto Minmando with prof V swarms here.

I always found it rediculous, that an anti vehicle rocket could not reach a subject that it's supposed to destroy.
So I'm very glad that they finally catch up with the DS. It should have been like that all along.

Second, It makes absolutely no sense that if you launch av against a DS, that the pilot can tank the av for a while instead of just moving out instantly. This has been changed, and I like that a lot. The module cooldown was very needed.

After ADS reign supreme, it was about time that things changed. Do you pilots really think that it's balanced, when barely anybody has the chance to take you down?

A swarmer on a roof has to be taken out by your teammates, if you have no mates, then get in a squad, or avoid the swarmer position. A swarm should be area denial, and that's what we got now. So you better do a strafe run before you start to hover over infantry to go for those easy kills you had for the last months.

BTW I actually would like to have a even bigger turn radius on the swarms, would make it possible to curve swarms around obstacles, like a boomerang.

You can never please the ADS pilots...Kind of makes me wonder how vehicles are going to have a role in Legion.

I am telling you from EXPERIENCE that ADSs are unusable now, unless the enemy team has nothing but militia AV.

For how long have been ADS btw. You dont sound like you have ever lost and ADS in your life.

X

If there's ADSes on the field, I can easily lose 3-5 equally expensive proto suits in a match to them. o.O

Syringe is a very good pilot, and hes lost a fair few (a large number to me!). Couldnt tell you how long hes been flying but hes better than 90% of the the other junk pilots out there.

Equally expensive? Don't make me laugh.

Especially since proto swarms cost all of 40k, almost half of virtually every other proto weapon.

Plus on a commando you can fit a light weapon to defend from infantry, so if you die it's your fault.

They're actually a pain to use. Because their lock range is incredibly short (a peeve of mine) and they fail to hit often because the ADS can move behind buildings and such. Meanwhile, forge guns have a much greater range, pinpoint accuracy (almost as good as a sniper), and near instant speed that makes them incredibly effective.