Long time listener, first time caller. Here are my thoughts on the Hwatcha and the Pyramidion as of late (the Big Spring Patch, or BSP), which have been talked about a lot lately in-game. I'm sure these points have been discussed, but as a former primarily-Pyramidion-pilot (pre-BSP) and a so-pro Hwatcha gunner (pre- and post-BSP), I feel like I can almost objectively criticize and critique this ship and this weapon.
The Hwatcha: I hear a lot of calls in-game about the Hwatcha being overpowered and it requiring a nerf because it's too ubiquitous and effective. But it's not. Yes, it's great at disabling enemy components and making the bad dudes crap themselves with all the daunting repairs. But it's awful versus armor and decent against hull itself. That's a good thing. It's a utility weapon. You disable enemies to help your team. Then, if you're smart, you get another gun on the enemy because you can Hwatcha allllll-daaaay using a Goldfish and you're not going to get a kill against a decent enemy. It'll just be a very long match. I generally fly with and for players of all stripes, colors, and skill levels, and I can tell you that a nub Goldfish captain understands the Hwatcha is great at hitting and annoying an enemy... but you'd be surprised at how ineffectively they use it because they rely so heavily upon it. Most newer pilots only use the Hwatcha and never purposely or purposefully use the side guns. Huge mistake, easily corrected with some helpful tips from more experienced pilots.
Pre-BSP, I loved the Hwatcha and burst and heavy ammunition were
REQUIREMENTS. Now... burst still is, definitely, but I rarely find myself using heavy ammo nor asking my gunner to load it up. Heavy ammo on the Hwatcha can't provide the long-range disables that are helpful. But up-close, with burst ammo, the Hwatcha is devastating, and it should be. I only have my gunners use heavy ammo on the Hwatcha now at long range to assist allies who are already stripping armor. No longer can you jack up an enemy ship with heavy ammo at longish ranges. That's good! In short: the Hwatcha is fine. It's still awesome, pre- and post-BSP, but it's not OP. It isn't as useful as it once was with heavy ammo, and that's a GOOD thing. It's lethal because of the constant disables at close range, and that MAKES SENSE. Try not to get into those situations
(Also: I quickly learned using gunner stamina for reloads is way less helpful than waiting for the long reload and having a better angle. I'm sure many of you will agree. I rarely use stamina for reloads at this point, only if I KNOW I'll be in angle... and I'm not a betting man.)
Now, regarding my baby, the Pyramidion: I think the developers lost their way when it came to the design of the Pyramidion. Someone above alluded to how the Pyra was supposed to be, by design, a ramming ship, or a glass cannon. I agree. And it no longer is. And that's sad. The Pyra now no longer has ... well, anything it's particularly great at, and things it's actively bad at.
Certainly some will disagree, but, as a long-time player with zero competitive experience and plenty of pub experience, here is how I've seen the Pyra taken, treated, and responded to:
The Pyra, like the Goldfish, is a great learning ship. That's where I cut my teeth. They're both straight-forward (literally) ships that can be equipped with understandable loadouts and job descriptions. We all know how the Pyra works: engineer on the bottom, engineer on the balloon, and an engy or gunner on the top-right gun. It's cliche and vanilla and that's GOOD. The Pyra was a ship any moron could fly. And many a moron (and maestro) did. THAT was the problem... too many Pyras. The Pyra was incredibly effective in the right hands, and not a disaster in the wrong hands. When the BSP came out, if I recall correctly, three changes were made: the Pyra's turning ability was nerfed, its horizontal acceleration was nerfed, and its armor was nerfed. As Meat Loaf so eloquently sang, two out of three ain't bad. But as we also know, three's a crowd. I think two of these changes would have been warranted, but that all three together are overkill. And the consensus seems to be... and I agree with it... go back to the original concept for the Pyra. It should be like the Juggernaut in X-Men 3: Once it gets a'goin', it ain't stoppin'. Restore the acceleration so it can ram. Give the armor a slight buff so it can actually make it to its target. BUT. I'm all about the nerf to the turning ability, and I'd even be okay with nerfing it further in the name of restoring the Pyra to a ramming ship. The Pyra should have to get close to be effective, and it should go in guns a'blazin'... and if it swings and misses, well, strike one, you're out, sucker. High risk, high reward. As it is now... it's high risk, likely-death without a very reliable bottom deck engineer and decent shooters. The Pyra has been stricken down as a learning ship because it's now a paper tiger against any experienced enemy. The Pyra nerf made me fly other ships more often, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm having more fun. Gone are my days of charging in at the helm of the RAMMING SPEED and killing my enemies... which, I agree, was too easy because if I missed or whiffed, I could easily recover and kill at close range. Nerf that turning. I'm rambling. I'm sorry.
Off-topic: Oh, and don't get me started on the Squid, which is now the most annoying ship in the game because of its resilience and speed, even in the hands of nubs. I used to HATE flying the Squid because you had to be a REALLY GOOD PILOT to fly one successfully... and if you WERE... you were a force to be reckoned with. And I was awful at maneuvering the thing. But now? I can fly one and do well. It didn't use to be that way! It was high risk, high reward... a ship for the skilled pilots. Hence, it's described difficulty-level in-game. Now everybody flies it because it was buffed too much in the name of allowing it to be flied more often... by people who shouldn't be flying it, like me. I miss being a one-trick-pony. I wish I still sucked at the Squid and I wish I still enjoyed the Pyra... but now the Squid is made of titanium and the Pyra is made of peanut brittle.
Okay, sorry. There are my cents, which I hope make some.
