Protected Void
STRONG-ARMED BANDITS
45
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Posted - 2013.07.14 13:48:00 -
[1] - Quote
Has CCP acknowledged there is something wrong with them? I've been searching, but haven't found any official confirmation that they're not working properly.
It's been mentioned in numerous threads, but just as a recap of the problem I'm talking about:
- The passive scanner is unreliable in putting the enemy's little arrows on the radar. Sometimes they pop up, sometimes they don't. It seems unlikely it is purely a scan profile vs. scan precision problem, since I regularly get slaughtered by heavies that have snuck up on my scout suit while I'm hacking something. Also, I have on several occasions come running around a corner, with nothing on my radar, only to face multiple enemies - including several heavies - and of course get blown to bits. It seems unlikely that spending a bunch of SP and a low slot to lower scan profile below scout detection levels is a common phenomenon among heavies.
Hm...now that I think it through, I have a theory as to what the main cause of the problem is: Scan frequency. Ie: how often does the passive scanner pulse to discover new units nearby? And is this influenced by latency issues?
Points to support this theory:
1) Getting shot to bits while hacking an objective, with no warning on the radar, might be a heavy spawning in at a lucky spot (for him), so he can just open fire instantaneously, instead of maneuvering into position. If the scanner looks for new targets, say, once a second, he wouldn't show up before he kills me.
2) If someone close by actually does show up on the radar, he seems to stay there as long as I keep him within my scanner range.
3) When getting surprised by someone around the corner or similar, I tend to be sprinting. As a scout with a Complex Kinetic Catalyzer or two fitted, I have a sprint speed just below or over 10 m/s. After the inexplicable scout scanner range nerf that came with uprising, I have a base range of 10 meters, which gets upped to 15 meters (whoopteedoo) by my Gallente scout suit skill. So: if the scanner pings for new targets when I'm 16 meters away from an enemy, I don't see them. If I'm sprinting, I'm just 6 meters away from him after a second has passed. Ie: he's just around the corner as I come around it. So with a bit of bad luck and timing, it's entirely feasible that my scanner doesn't update quickly enough to cope with my sprinting speed and low range.
If my theory is right, this severely detracts from what should be the scout's primary advantage; speed. |