I really dislike the "doom" mode delay, so is there real value in just hipfiring a boundless? Or can I still be effective if I just roll with a proto flux and two SMG's for when I need to help the team push a flag?

Stop spreading rumors.

Doom mode is a weird trick of L1 tapping. You'll get used to aiming in front of people as they strafe and you'll love how fast Doom mode brings people down.

I saw the portfolio of the guy who modeled the ammar heavy suit. (will try to dig up the link). It is pretty hardcore, I'm sure this is where the bottle neck is. If it is just one artist modeling this you will understand why it is taking so long. It looks like months of work to create, revise, create, revise, approve, finalize just the art asset alone.

I'm sure the slot layout is done, and once the artwork is done you will have them.

edit: http://tonywork.cghub.com/images/ found a bunch of dust stuff done by this guy, Some really good stuff on there by a talented artist.

Hmm, you have the opposite theory as I. I always figured it was the slot layout that had them stymied, because of the fact that the Amarr rolled out first.

The Amarr suits, as a general rule, have fewer slots than any suit of the same class because of the whole "more base hp through dual tanking" thing they have.

Whereas the proto basic Amarr heavy frame has a 3/3 slot layout, the Caldari would likely be a 5/2 or possibly a 4/3 (with 5/2 being the Minnie heavy, as they seem to love lots of highs). Gallente would be something like 3/4 maybe. All those slots give the possibility of being even tankier than the Amarr one, and they might be worried about that (though a single flux would likely kill the Minnie heavy, and possibly the Caldari if they aren't also plated.)

The proto Amarr sentinel is a 2/4 slot layout. That's very unkeeping with the rest of the Amarr suits. What would the Caldari variant look like? 3/4? Would the Minmatar one be 4/3? Gallente 2/5?

Then we get into the Commando suit with it's 0 slots at basic level. Does that mean all the variants would have 0, or would the Minmatar and Caldari have 1 high while the Gallente had 1 low? They were very careful with the Cmmando's implementation, making it on the UP side, so trying to figure out the racial variants probably has them rather stuck.

I do wish they'd just take a chance, however.

I mean, it would be great to get more feedback and to hear what the hold up is, but this has always been my theory of what's holding the other heavies up.

The OP isn't spreading any rumors - and it's funny IWS comments that he is since he's the one who let it slip that CCP won't give placeholders to heavies because it's not 'cost effective' - which later came with more excuses of why not - which is adressed in OP's second half.

What am I doing wrong here?

My heavy has dropsuit electronics 5, dropsuit engineering 4, core upgrades 4, heavy weapons ops 3, sidearm ops 3, but I can't run a dual damage mod setup with a complex repairer, two basic plates and a proto grenade.

Doing the rough math I don't even think I will be able to make it fit if I max out the fitting skills, including explosives.

Or are you running the sentinel suit, and so don't have to eat the extra CPU cost of the second damage mod?

I would honestly rather run a basic heavy frame with two complex repairers, a regulator and a couple of complex shield extenders than run the Sentinel.

while a little discouraging, I have a boatload of SP and still lots to work on with my heavy character, so it really isn't a big deal to me

Heavy op needs to be maxed... -3% per level. Some sp into explosives, which decreases nade cpu. I can fit 2 complex plates and an enhanced with 2 dmg mods boundless core locus and toxin. Not sure why u can't fit em

my opinion? hipfiring hmg is effective if u get good at it, and u need to get good at it cause u will never kill scouts, or most the skilled players in this game if you don't.

speed is everything, and they all move too fast to hold R1 with an hmg.

its all about prioritizing what to get first, as its all important

my forge is L10 couple with L5 nades and L9 submachine gun

I can fit all of that on a suit with 12HP rep/s


my HMG is L10 with L5 nades and a pile of plates.. still cant fit what I want with that fit.. need to find 1 more PG and 777k sp for lvl 5 engineering would allow me that... u know.. 777k SP.. for 3PG!!

woot woot. fitting optimization MIGHT drop it 1.. 5% of 10 is .5... 261k for me to 'find out'

I see where it is, you are running a Toxin, while I am running the Ishukone Assault SMG to gain as much effectiveness against Infantry as possible while toting my forge.

Oh well, maybe a five slot heavy just isn't allowed to fit all proto in every slot.

No it wont, well I havent seen the math with all necessary fitting optimization skills maxed out, it would be close.

For the Amarr Proto Heavy maxed out...

Mods... You can expect to fit 4 complex and 1 enhanced mods (a number of different combos are possible)
Weapons... will be a combination of proto heavy, and a combo of proto/advanced sidearm/grenade, either way.

Flaylock Pistol at the moment has lower fitting requirments than SMG or SP. But that is bound to be changed soonTM.

If you were to invest in all the different fitting optimization skills you may be able to upgrade either the enhanced mod to complex, or advanced weapon/grenade to proto... but not both. And that is a big "if".

Anyone want to do the maths please... kthx.

Actually I should correct that, because I am not even trying to run proto modules in all slots.

So, with core upgrades 4, dropsuit electronics 5, heavy ops 3, sidearm ops 3, explosives 3,

And the following fitting:

Ishukone Assault Forge
Ishukone Assault SMG
2 x Complex Damage mods
Complex Armor Repairer
2x Basic armor plates

If I max out the fitting skills can I get a proto grenade in there?

wall of text. you said nothing in it.

How is that a wall?

Maybe you have inefficient literacy skills.