Fizzer XCIV wrote:The Problem:
Scouts are better at "Assaulting" than Assaults are. They have become the go-to slayer suit, when really, Assaults should be the go-to slayer suits. Surely this is the case right? Assaults are meant to be the best slayer suits, if I'm not mistaken.
Want to kill? Use a scout.
The Question:
Why are Scouts better at slaying?
Well, let's see here. What makes a scout better at slaying? Well, what does a Scout have that Assaults do not have? Maybe we can pinpoint what makes them better...
GÇóEwar. Better in every way.
>Scan Precision is better by 10Db.
>Scan Range is better by 10m.
>Scan Profile is better by 15db.
>Hack Speed is 5% faster.
GÇóCloaks. Not really scout exclusive, but...
GÇóExtra Equipment Slot.
GÇóScout Bonus.
GÇóRacial Bonuses.
GÇóShield Regen stats.
GÇóFaster by about 0.5 m/s.
GÇóHigher Stamina.
GÇóHigher Stamina Regen.
GÇóSmaller Hitbox, I'd say about 75-85% the size, roughly.
Now, let's see what Assaults get that Scouts don't. Wouldn't be a fair comparison otherwise...
GÇó230 or so more base eHP.
GÇó2 more slots at the Prototype level. 1 more at advanced.
GÇóSlightly higher PG/CPU on average. Only pronounced at Prototype tier.
GÇóFaster base Armor Regen by 1 HP/s.
GÇóBetter Melee damage.
GÇóAssault Bonus.
GÇóRacial Bonus.
Alright. I think that's everything. If you know of anything I'm missing, tell me.
Now, we can quite clearly see the Scout has numerous advantages over Assaults, and to be honest, over every other suit as well. Let's separate the ones that really truly contribute to Slayer-Scout superiority. The ones that make a better slayer.
GÇóEwar. The part associated with passive scans, in particular.
>Scan Precision is better by 10Db.
>Scan Range is better by 10m.
GÇóCloaks.
GÇóScout Bonus
GÇóRacial Bonuses.
GÇóShield Regen stats.
GÇóFaster by about 0.5 m/s.
GÇóSmaller Hitbox.
I've taken the liberty of bolding the ones that have a large impact.
We can see how each of these advantages contributes to the problem.
-The Scan Stats allow even Scouts without any Ewar modules equipped to scan most people.
-The Cloaks allow Scouts to approach their target visually undetected. FMA.
-The Shield Regen stats allow all scouts to recover in between firefights faster. Allowing them to be more prepared for the next fight. Shield scouts don't even have to use Rechargers or Regulators because of this. I would say this makes up for the Slot advantage the Assaults have.
-The Speed and Hitbox allows for super-strafing. I don't need to explain this. This alone completely negates the main advantage of the Assault suit, the 230 HP.
As you can see, the two strongest advantages of the Assault suits are easily rendered pointless when compared to the advantages of Scouts.
The Answer:
Many factors. The overall reason is that the inherent advantages of Scout Suits outweight the Advantages of Assault suits.
But specifically, it is because Scouts don't have to equip modules to become good at certain things, and this allows them to use HP modules and rely on their base stats for everything else. A luxury other suits can't afford.
So...
My proposed nerfs to bring them in line:
-Scout Shield Regen reduced to to subAssault levels.
Scouts should have to equip Rechargers and Regulators just like everyone else if they want good regen. They should be more focused on running away to escape combat, rather than regenerating fast so they can get back into the combat.
-Raise the Scan Precision of Scouts to 40. They'll still be the best at it, but even they should have to equip Presision enhancers if they wanttomake effective use of their scans. This should com with Presision Enhancer Buff so that Scouts that are already using multiple Presision Enhancers don't feel this one so much.
-Reduce the Range of Base Passive Scans to 15m. Again, they will still be the best at it, but they should have to use modules if they want to make use of it, rather than relying on base stats. This should also come with a buff to Range enhancers.
Well. That's it.