Victor Moody Stahl
Amarr Templars
Amarr Empire
193
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Posted - 2014.12.04 06:42:00 -
[1] - Quote
I'll chime in as someone who used both the PLC and Swarms and used to use Forges- the only real reason I spec'd out of Forges and picked swarms instead was because it gave me a little more SP to dump into Scrambler Rifles so that I could get Prof 4 and, more importantly, Fitting Optimization 4.
But enough about my SP investment choices.
So, with the PLC, I feel like it's in a really good place right now, and any issue with it's ability has more to do with the balance between different vehicles- most especially how the Soma/Madrugar is ass and 99% of the things it can do are done either equally well or more likely better by the Sica/Gunnlogi.
For the record, I don't personally know, but True Adamance, the famous Amarrian tanker, has made numerous comments and several threads about this situation, and I am inclined to believe him.
PLCs are also potentially usable on almost every suit in the game- obviously a Sentinel isn't going to care for it because of FGs, but everyone else will take interest in it. They will also probably lose interest as the intense CPU requirement brings quite the headache to some fittings, and the relatively higher skillcap it has can be bothersome to those who are newly interested in it. However, in skilled hands it is quite capable.
There were some impressive "Cannoneers" before the PLC got buffed- check out XxGhazbaranxX's youtube channel for some impressive PLC action, though most of it is pre-buff.
For Swarms, it's my opinion that they are best deployed on one of three platforms:
1) Scouts with a cloak. You get the EWAR and invisibility to stay alive, as well as a grenade slot for Flux (anti-Gunnlogi mostly) or AV (for everything else) nades. You also get some impressive sprint speed and endurance for chasing down a pesky tank- an LAV is too fast for anybody to catch, and dropships tend to run away as soon as you fire on them (which, as a dropship pilot, is usually the smart thing to do).
2) Commandos; here, you have some HP, but more importantly, you get a backup light weapon- mostly this is ends up being a rifle, but if you're creative (or crazy) it might be, say, a PLC. Perhaps even more significantly- and especially if you run something really crazy like double Swarms or double PLC- is the reload bonus. It's still incredibly useful for combining the PLC and Swarms- in fact, a low and slow flying dropship is almost the ideal target for such a loadout.
That and Somas/Madrugars, though the armor HAVs end up being a perfect target for most AV weapons TBH.
3) the Amarr Logi. Pretty much, it comes down to the ease with which you can combine REs, Proxies, and Swarms- or a PLC if you are so inclined. Unfortunately, the lack of raw HP, as well as a lack of compensation via EWAR and/or mobility, makes this sort of a subpar choice. It could work really well... if Logis were better. Or if Proxies were better. Mostly what makes this possible is the AmLogi sidearm slot. I haven't really experimented too much with this, so I'll refrain from further comments.
So, to address this:
Bojo The Mighty wrote:[...]
Question: On any other suit, does the level of damage, rate of fire, and range justify the limitations of swarms:
limited purely to vehicles within the 150 meter lock on range
the CPU/PG
the lock on time and range
slow reload, short clip
[...]
In general, I consider lock range to be usable- it was quite frankly OP to a ridiculous degree that a single swarm user could basically deny a hemispherical zone ~400 meters in radius to almost any vehicle that deployed to the field. This was especially a problem on Manus Peak, and IMO is still an issue even some maps (mostly Line Harvest, again IMO).
As far as CPU/PG, Swarms do not take up very much fitting space- on the Commando it can be tricky, due to a lack of fitting space in general, but I so far haven't found any issue trying to squeeze advanced swarms and an advanced ScR onto the Commando A/1-Series (Amarr ADV Commando). I've also got a (quite entertaining) fit for the Commando A-I that uses a PLC+Swarms, though both weapons are standard level. It's a little tight on CPU, but that's more to with the PLC's unusual fitting requirements.
I already touched on lock range, and IMO lock times are quite decent. If anything, I'd almost say lock times need to be longer- but that comes more from being on the receiving end as a wannabe derpship pilot.
Reload time I don't find to be an issue, but at present I exclusively deploy swarms on a Commando, so it could just be some kind of confirmation bias.
Bojo The Mighty wrote:[...]
And same for the PLC:
Does the damage, free-fire mode, and rate of fire justify it's one shot clip, slow travel time, and overall lack of essential range?
I've already touched on the PLC a bit, and I personally think the weapon is quite capable. About the only thing I would change is the addition of an Assault variant; much lower direct and slightly lower splash damage, a 3 shot "clip", a heavier drop, and larger splash radius- basically a sort of big, plasma-based MD.
As far as range goes... I think the main issue is just that the projectile travels relatively slow and has an arc. The problem is that that arc is quite useful for hitting things behind cover (hence the note about a more noticeable arc on an Assault variant), but that that mostly applies when firing on infantry, and not vehicles.
If I'm honest though... the "free-fire" function is what makes the PLC so awesome to use. That moment when you blap a heavy who's (very stupidly) decided to charge straight at you... priceless.
It's nearly as awesome as carrying a PLC and Swarms, and then being attacked by a NK scout who you then proceed to punch to death. Yes, I really did experience that awesome moment, and yes, it really was as glorious as it sounds.
Buff Logis | Nerf Scouts
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