DUST Search - [PROPOSAL]Sentinel battle role

Breakin Stuff wrote:

I have been thinking about some of the issues people have with sentinels and the problems Sentinel Suits present to balance. Quite frankly in my opinion Sentinels aren't being utilized in the best manner that plays to their strengths.

This is not a complaint on current balance. Period. Rattati has done phenomenally well with the cards he has been handed. This is a proposal to alter the role a Sentinel plays on the battlefield.

The objective of this proposal is twofold:

1: Bring Sentinels into line with a role that fits their size, durability and lack of mobility. This includes a re-introduction of turn speed penalties to sentinels but not to the suits directly.

2: Remove Sentinels as the go-to suit in PC for CQC operations in favor of the assault. This objective does not include completely removing Sentinel capacity in CQC.

Proposed primary role: long range point defense and support suppression and vehicle deterrent/destruction. Primary weapons: All Forge Guns, Standard HMG, Assault HMG.

Proposed Secondary Role: Suicide Breach operations. Primary weapon: Burst HMG

Tertiary role: Distraction. Primary weapon: Any People will always fixate on the largest percieved target.

The suit does not need to be altered. What would need to be altered is the Heavy Machineguns. The reason for this is simple:

The suit is not dictating the role of the weapon. The weapon is dictating the role of the suit, and this puts sentinels on the razor's edge for balance continuously and without fail. It is also a source of long-standing irritation among the playerbasse for a long time.

Proposed change to the STD Heavy Machinegun:

1: Increase range comparable to rifles.

2: reduce dispersion dramatically, possibly tone down the damage.

3: apply a turn speed penalty to the HMG, not the dropsuit.

This should bring the Sentinel into line with the role that makes sense, as open-field fire suppot.

Changes to Burst HMG: none. Do not apply turn speed.

The weapon is great for attacking and breaking lines. It is not good for sustained, long-term engagement which is needed for viable point defense. The current standard HMGs do better defensively.

Assault HMG: Light damage, long range with a higher rate of fire in between the standard and Burst in both range and output.

1: leave damage as is

2: place range between STD and burst and reduce dispersion accordingly

3: slightly increase RoF

4: apply 1/2 the standard HMG turn penalty.

These changes are proposed to provide a better differentiation of battle role.

Close combat: minimal or no turn penalty.

Long Range: turn speed penalty.

Forge guns aren't horribly viable vs. Infantry in close. At best you might get a couple lucky kills. So the penalty to turning is pointless.

But utilizing this would make lighter suits be able to deal with sentinels in CQC as they should. Given the Bursts tendency to get the operator killed it's likely this could solve a few headaches among the playerbase.

Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.


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Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 4713	Posted - 2014.10.24 15:51:00 - [1] - Quote Breakin Stuff wrote: I have been thinking about some of the issues people have with sentinels and the problems Sentinel Suits present to balance. Quite frankly in my opinion Sentinels aren't being utilized in the best manner that plays to their strengths. This is not a complaint on current balance. Period. Rattati has done phenomenally well with the cards he has been handed. This is a proposal to alter the role a Sentinel plays on the battlefield. The objective of this proposal is twofold: 1: Bring Sentinels into line with a role that fits their size, durability and lack of mobility. This includes a re-introduction of turn speed penalties to sentinels but not to the suits directly. 2: Remove Sentinels as the go-to suit in PC for CQC operations in favor of the assault. This objective does not include completely removing Sentinel capacity in CQC. Proposed primary role: long range point defense and support suppression and vehicle deterrent/destruction. Primary weapons: All Forge Guns, Standard HMG, Assault HMG. Proposed Secondary Role: Suicide Breach operations. Primary weapon: Burst HMG Tertiary role: Distraction. Primary weapon: Any People will always fixate on the largest percieved target. The suit does not need to be altered. What would need to be altered is the Heavy Machineguns. The reason for this is simple: The suit is not dictating the role of the weapon. The weapon is dictating the role of the suit, and this puts sentinels on the razor's edge for balance continuously and without fail. It is also a source of long-standing irritation among the playerbasse for a long time. Proposed change to the STD Heavy Machinegun: 1: Increase range comparable to rifles. 2: reduce dispersion dramatically, possibly tone down the damage. 3: apply a turn speed penalty to the HMG, not the dropsuit. This should bring the Sentinel into line with the role that makes sense, as open-field fire suppot. Changes to Burst HMG: none. Do not apply turn speed. The weapon is great for attacking and breaking lines. It is not good for sustained, long-term engagement which is needed for viable point defense. The current standard HMGs do better defensively. Assault HMG: Light damage, long range with a higher rate of fire in between the standard and Burst in both range and output. 1: leave damage as is 2: place range between STD and burst and reduce dispersion accordingly 3: slightly increase RoF 4: apply 1/2 the standard HMG turn penalty. These changes are proposed to provide a better differentiation of battle role. Close combat: minimal or no turn penalty. Long Range: turn speed penalty. Forge guns aren't horribly viable vs. Infantry in close. At best you might get a couple lucky kills. So the penalty to turning is pointless. But utilizing this would make lighter suits be able to deal with sentinels in CQC as they should. Given the Bursts tendency to get the operator killed it's likely this could solve a few headaches among the playerbase. For the Standard HMG the turn speed reduction alone would give medium suits an advantage in CQC. I donGÇÖt agree with changing the Standard HMGGÇÖs range, dispersion, or damage. (Assault HMG can provide a ranged option.) The Assault HMG is already sub-par in CQC so I would leave its turn speed alone. I think a dispersion reduction to give it an effective 10m range buff would make it effective without being OP. RP Explanation would be that the Assault HMG and Burst HMG are made out of lighter materials; with the Assault HMG using smaller rounds that can be fired farther with less gun powder, producing less heat at the cost of reduced damage; while the Burst HMG turns out a great deal of damage but overheats quickly. The Standard HMG by contrast has a more robust construction using heat resistant materials which allows it to put out large amounts of damage without heat buildup being as much of a problem, but this also makes the weapon heavier, making it more ponderous and difficult to track fast moving targets. Personally I would prefer increased turn inertia, over a turn speed cap, but I am not sure if that is supported by the game mechanics. Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.
Fox Gaden Immortal Guides 4713	Posted - 2014.10.24 17:11:00 - [2] - Quote Breakin Stuff wrote: You missed the point of the whole post gaden. Sentinels never should have been CQC monsters to begin with. They were pinholed there because you can't strafe glitch high dispersion weapons at long range. During beta when the "top players" were enjoying almost no CQC maps and longer ranges on the justification that range on the HMG would be unfair. Read: "we want heavies to be neutered and easy kills." I donGÇÖt entirely agree with the premise of your proposal. However, I am not vehemently opposed to it either. It just makes me uneasy. I also donGÇÖt have the PC experience to speak directly to its use in that environment, so any suggestions I make in that regard would be based on other peopleGÇÖs description of what is being done, and my understanding of the tactical principals behind the strategies they describe. Hand/Eye coordination cannot be taught. For everything else there is the Learning Coalition.