Now I know it is not the problem with hit detection. Their small hitbox exacerbates the issue which becomes most notable and creates a "false positive."

It is a core mechanical issue that makes "leading your target" irrelevant.

I have replicated the effect with both a calsent and amsent, and have been doing so for months without realizing it. This has only become wildly obvious with the latest nerf to HAV infantry killing capacity.

Compared to an HAV Main Turret, the forge sentinel has an equivalent hitbox and movement profile to a scout under a heavy machinegun on a sentinel. The situation is very different but the effect is identical.

Phase 1: engagement. Sentinel or scout engages in CQC. HAV/sentinel respond with fire, tracking the target with difficulty.

Phase 2: relative speed allows the sentinel or scout to dictate the pace of engagement in CQC even though in theory they should be dogmeat engaging that close. Scout strafe reaches apex when the target manages to start landing hits.

Phase 3: sentinel/scout change of direction requires 1 second for human reflexes to respond. At this point it is too late. At one-second intervals the sentinel/scout change direction, causing the slower target's aim to continually move in the opposite direction of movement creating what the ignorant call "gun game". It allows the target to avooid taking any significant fire while merrily dancing through active fire.

Phase 4: slow target dies after inflicting minimal damage at best. Smaller target wins a stacked engagement that SHOULD be in the victim's favor.

The culprit: inertia calculation.

You see it in dropships, LAVs, and HAVs. When they stop moving or chang direction they keep moving, slow down, come to a stop THEN change their direction of travel.

The weight x momentum equation is not there for dropsuits. All of the suits move at different rates, but they all chang direction instantly. There is no deceleration, no brief pause where they stop, nor acceleration.

In effect all dropsuits change direction instantly with no loss of momentum. It is less noticable on sentinels because they are slow, have a huge hitbox and are easy to hit. They are the broadside of the barn.

But to an HAV turret, the sentinel may as well be that scout in CQC merrily ignoring the incoming fire.

The problem isn't the calscout or any other scout. Rattati was right. The hitboxes are fine.

It is the core movement mechanics that are breaking the ability to hit and lead a target.