DUST Search - MD a summery 11 points, All together fatal, separate meh.

The Loathing wrote:

This thread needs constant bumping.

The only way CCP are gonna take a look at our MD issues is with 30 pages of hate like the HMG whine thread got.

Our MD user population is a lot smaller, and a lot less defined since the weapon can be used across all classes. But the vast majority of users commenting have all said the same thing:

THE MASS DRIVER NEEDS TO BE RESTORED TO ITS FORMER GLORY AS A SUPPORT AND SUPPRESSION TOOL WITH A TRUE AoE.

Whether you believe the problem is splash, trajectory, damage, or lack of ammo from Hives, THERE IS A PROBLEM.

Coming from a person who is still getting relative successful kills from the 'Boundless' MD, the weapon would still not be my first choice if I had my time again. The catering to actual issues of the weapon (what I believe to be splash, trajectory, and effective damage against shields) has made my games less enjoyable since I can no longer go out into open flat ground or fire at a lower hill from above (trajectory issue); I run out of ammo after facing 3 other enemies (shield damage issue, Hive issue); and I no longer can suppress crowds for my squad (splash issue).

CCP, please don't ignore. The weapon is not as effective as it should be.

MD users, please continue to support this or another thread on the subject. 4 pages down, 26 to go.


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Arkena Wyrnspire Turalyon Plus 281	Posted - 2013.05.11 23:02:00 - [1] - Quote The mass driver absolutely did not need a nerf like this. In Chromosome, mass drivers were fairly well done in my opinion. They shined in their optimal tactical situation, as they should, and they could be countered. Other than spamming shots in CQC, they also required a degree of thought to aim. The mass driver always shined in a support role, suppressing enemies, keeping them in cover, and generally causing mayhem among the enemy. Suddenly in Uprising, they can't do that anymore. Enemies aren't suppressed because they're not worried about mass driver fire - it does laughable damage, even if it hits somewhere near to you. It doesn't keep people hiding deep in cover because the blast radius isn't large enough. The Boundless Assault Mass Driver can barely fulfill this role - it can keep enemies in cover sometimes, but its damage is terrible. This is a prototype weapon, the apex of mass driver progression and the variant best suited for suppression. And yet it can barely do that, because it was nerfed. I think the nanohive nerf adversely affecting the mass driver isn't hugely significant on its own - it's kind of meh, indeed. But when you find yourself needing several times as many rounds to do the same job, your ammo supplies are squeezed, and with the nanohive nerf they're stretched even more. Larger ammo reserves would help with this, as would a larger amount of rounds being restocked per nanite cluster. The even greater prevalence of shields has also hurt the mass driver. I have scored two direct hits with a proto Breach mass driver on a ck0 suit, and it took a third before it went down. I am certain that they were direct hits in that instance, as the opponent was standing still and it was at close range. I can only assume that this person was lagging out. Have you ever tried to hit someone three times directly with a mass driver? Flux is a solution, but this limits the mass driver user to only driving enemies back a few times before they're out of flux, and forces a reliance on multiple weapons if they want to actually kill people. People go against the strengths of these weapons and complain because they weren't able to beat them at that. Isn't that what brought us the heavy nerfs? I enjoyed the mass driver greatly during Chromosome. I never topped boards with it, sure. But it was fun to use! It was fun to fight against as well! It certainly wasn't overpowered - it did well at some things, and failed at others. I no longer use the mass driver in Uprising, and I think that's sad. It's simply not viable compared to the assault rifle now. Hell, what is?
Arkena Wyrnspire Turalyon Plus 281	Posted - 2013.05.11 23:11:00 - [2] - Quote Lordbraveheart1 wrote: I tried to get a hot thread on MDs going but it fell on it's face. I only used MD's in chromosone. Now, you can still get kills with them if you are talented, but they are definitely frustrating. The damage does seem random, I've had players just jump harmlessly over my blast, and more often than not I just put a few rounds into their chest to take them down. Atleast direct hit detection works better now than it did in Chromosone. (Mainly using an EXO MD currently) With the introduction to the Caldari Mega-Shield Tankers (Logi's in particular), MD's are a lot less effective against them. It's strange hearing the testimony of players about the MD's performance against vehicles. In chromosone, I didn't even bother shooting at vehicles with MDs, unless they had low HP to help finish them off. Personally I don't think the MD's role should be AV. As it stands, SP sink-hole of waste in my opinion. Switching to another weapon, if anything, get some variety in my weapon selection lol. Killing milita LAVs is something that they can do well at, at least. Mass driver fire won't seriously damage a properly fit LAV before it can get away. I have tried to employ them against armour HAVs and I succeeded in downing a Soma, but this took two people with breach mass drivers shooting it. So it's not hugely effective at AV, but it's a little bonus. And little bonuses are desperately needed by the mass driver right now.
Arkena Wyrnspire Turalyon Plus 281	Posted - 2013.05.12 09:35:00 - [3] - Quote The Loathing wrote: This thread needs constant bumping. The only way CCP are gonna take a look at our MD issues is with 30 pages of hate like the HMG whine thread got. Our MD user population is a lot smaller, and a lot less defined since the weapon can be used across all classes. But the vast majority of users commenting have all said the same thing: THE MASS DRIVER NEEDS TO BE RESTORED TO ITS FORMER GLORY AS A SUPPORT AND SUPPRESSION TOOL WITH A TRUE AoE. Whether you believe the problem is splash, trajectory, damage, or lack of ammo from Hives, THERE IS A PROBLEM. Coming from a person who is still getting relative successful kills from the 'Boundless' MD, the weapon would still not be my first choice if I had my time again. The catering to actual issues of the weapon (what I believe to be splash, trajectory, and effective damage against shields) has made my games less enjoyable since I can no longer go out into open flat ground or fire at a lower hill from above (trajectory issue); I run out of ammo after facing 3 other enemies (shield damage issue, Hive issue); and I no longer can suppress crowds for my squad (splash issue). CCP, please don't ignore. The weapon is not as effective as it should be. MD users, please continue to support this or another thread on the subject. 4 pages down, 26 to go. This, pretty much. CCP may have apparently tested the MD internally and decided it needed a nerf, but given how effective their testing seems to have been, and as someone who has actually played properly with the mass driver, I have no faith in that assessment.
Arkena Wyrnspire Turalyon Plus 281	Posted - 2013.05.12 09:51:00 - [4] - Quote Cosgar wrote: Arkena Wyrnspire wrote: The Loathing wrote: -snip- This, pretty much. CCP may have apparently tested the MD internally and decided it needed a nerf, but given how effective their testing seems to have been, and as someone who has actually played properly with the mass driver, I have no faith in that assessment. See? That's the part that I don't understand. If they're going to base their analysis from playing with the MD or any game mechanic in the office, why the hell are they letting us beta test? I like what remnant has done for the logis and respect him for what he's doing for the heavies, but the basis for changing the MD was unprofessional. Not to mention the changes weren't listed on the patch notes. Yeah. In actual player situations, the MD wasn't nearly as common as Remnant described, even in Chromosome. The stealth nerf takes the biscuit as well - at least the heavies knew what was coming. For the MD guys, the first they knew about it was when they got in game. I actually didn't look at the stats too closely on my MD, but I certainly looked harder when I found that I could barely hurt anything.