Aquinarius Zoltanus
0uter.Heaven
161
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Posted - 2013.07.10 19:14:00 -
[1] - Quote
Oh man, I feel like this has been the only topic of discussion on the forums since 1.2 dropped. I guess I'll continue to partake, but I'll try a little harder this time, because I think mostly people are talking past each other and not explaining their side of the argument thoroughly enough.
To whoever asked, the AR always comes up in these threads because there has been a recent rash of AR elitism since the splash damage fix. I'm not accusing OP of committing this, but I have seen AR users claiming their gun takes the most skill to use and 'gun game' (a phrase that keeps cropping up in these discussions), while talking down on the Mass Driver and other explosives, calling them skill-less noob tubes.
I want to spell out for these people the type of skill it takes to effectively use the Mass Driver. I think that it's a weapon that you can learn the basic uses of in a day or two, but to perform the more complicated maneuvers require months and months of practice. I've used it now for over 5 months, and I certainly would not call myself a master.
Here are a few situations you run into using the Mass Driver, and the skill to be successful at them. When I use the term 'hit' I refer to a splash hit, because as anyone who uses the Mass Driver will testify, direct hits happen rarely and cannot be counted on consistently. That said:
Hitting an enemy that is stationary or moving 5-20 meters away, you are on either level ground or you have the high ground:
Takes relatively little skill, players who just picked up the MD should have no trouble.
Hitting an enemy that is stationary at 30+ meters away:
Takes a moderate amount of skill/practice, will take new users multiple shots to correctly calibrate the distance
Hitting an enemy that is moving at 30+ meters away:
Take a large amount of skill to do, even the experienced tend to misjudge
Hitting an enemy that is moving at 30+ meters away, repeatedly, enough times to kill them from full health to zero:
Nearly impossible. I am always extremely proud of myself when I can pull this off.
Notice that I didn't mention situations where the target is above you. I didn't mention it because it's mostly a wash, and the MD user will be forced to either disengage completely or look for another avenue of attack.
Sorry this was a little long winded. TL;DR: Think what it actually takes to use a Mass Driver before calling it a 'noob tube'. |