DUST Search - [Discussion] Question regarding peoples' views of the HMG.

Sgt S-Laughter wrote:

Balance is not about everyone being equal, it's about everyone being good where they're supposed to be. It's about checks and balances. Hopefully it's also about involving counter play more than straight up dps measurements under "optimal" circumstances (Doesn't it sound better that your skill in controlling circumstances lead to your victory in spite of the dps measurements?)

I think the HMG is currently doing it's job well. They are tanky, they have lots of bullets, and they can chew down almost any target in an instant.

Some people's comments are saying "don't stand still," and at the same time saying "don't run." It's kinda funny. This type of attitude and conflicting advisement makes me feel maybe the hmd does need tweaking... But I'm not going to say for sure.

Definite No -

Do NOT add spool time. This does not exist in reality. The bullets are fired as soon as the barrel starts spinning. They could have it's RoF start slower and gain over time... But I don't think that is the best way to tackle this problem anyway.

Do -

Look at it's maximum effective range. This game seems to play around maximum effective range a lot, and this is a variable that a player should be able to have some control over (both the heavy and the ar). Giving the players this method adds some play and counter play.

This prolly needs to be done for all weapons though, not just the HMG. And really, for being a BETA, I would assume ccp is already monitoring balance and tweaking things behind the scenes to bring the game into the balance they want for us. If they aren't, then this game is already dead lol XD


Author	Thread Statistics \| Show CCP posts - 0 post(s)
Shijima Kuraimaru WarRavens 168	Posted - 2013.02.06 03:02:00 - [1] - Quote Funny. I'm a HMG wielder and most of the kills I get are one or two guys who see me and come running straight, yes I said straight, at me at low mid to short range. Do I eat them? Yes I do. But when I get two guys that work together and know not to go head to head with my HMG, they have really good chance to beating me. Three plus guys working smartly together and I'm almost guaranteed dead. But this all assumes that they meet me when/if I'm alone. Also, I have had many MANY times where I was getting my armor chewed by AR wielders who were just out of my range, and they weren't just tickling my armor. They were doing significant damage. Here's the thing that some people miss. Damage per shot is much higher on the AR than the HMG. I think the only thing the HMG beats on a damage per shot basis is the SMG but I can't be sure on that. However, the HMG's rate of fire makes up for this shortfall. So though we HMG wielders may do twice the damage per second of an AR, we have to throw three, or more, times the rounds of ammo out there at a shorter effective range. Then we have HMGs that have longer range, but lower damage per shot. Burst HMGs also have a lower damage per shot than the standard HMG, but it can fire 4000 rounds per minute rather than the 2000 of the other two types. The slow speed of the heavy suit also means that all other suit types get to dictate the range of the encounter. One more thing for the HMG. Under continuous fire, the barrell does climb if we don't manipulate the controller to keep it down and on target. So... We're slower, less maneuverable, and only outrange the shotgun, SMG, and maybe sometimes the Scrambler pistol. So OP I could die. LMAO
Shijima Kuraimaru WarRavens 168	Posted - 2013.02.06 09:50:00 - [2] - Quote fred orpaul wrote: increase damage and spread. it should melt all at close range but have to work for its kills in the long range(AR should win past its optimal) tho I wouldnt mind seeing the spray reduce to less then what it is now in the last 50-100 rounds. Also the HMGs that kill you are proto because HMGs are so broken that its not worth running anything less then proto. just wait till the duvolle or Balac's are in common use, HMGs will be useless. I play Type 1 hvy with basic HMG at the moment. I seem to do pretty good at it as I've killed many a merc with my current set up. Other than that, having to deal with barrel climb that get's worse the longer we hold the trigger, and the damage fall off at longer ranges does make us work at getting our kills at range. People said get good. Well I'm working it!
Shijima Kuraimaru WarRavens 168	Posted - 2013.02.06 09:53:00 - [3] - Quote Sgt S-Laughter wrote: Balance is not about everyone being equal, it's about everyone being good where they're supposed to be. It's about checks and balances. Hopefully it's also about involving counter play more than straight up dps measurements under "optimal" circumstances (Doesn't it sound better that your skill in controlling circumstances lead to your victory in spite of the dps measurements?) I think the HMG is currently doing it's job well. They are tanky, they have lots of bullets, and they can chew down almost any target in an instant. Some people's comments are saying "don't stand still," and at the same time saying "don't run." It's kinda funny. This type of attitude and conflicting advisement makes me feel maybe the hmd does need tweaking... But I'm not going to say for sure. Definite No - Do NOT add spool time. This does not exist in reality. The bullets are fired as soon as the barrel starts spinning. They could have it's RoF start slower and gain over time... But I don't think that is the best way to tackle this problem anyway. Do - Look at it's maximum effective range. This game seems to play around maximum effective range a lot, and this is a variable that a player should be able to have some control over (both the heavy and the ar). Giving the players this method adds some play and counter play. This prolly needs to be done for all weapons though, not just the HMG. And really, for being a BETA, I would assume ccp is already monitoring balance and tweaking things behind the scenes to bring the game into the balance they want for us. If they aren't, then this game is already dead lol XD We do get to play around a bit with maximum effective range. They're called sharpshooter skills. Perhaps modules will also be released later that will allow for adjustments to range as well.