Topics

1

Guides / Zanc's Gunnery sheet

« on: October 15, 2016, 02:40:15 pm »

Hey

Months ago, Muse released a huge balance update. Just before they pushed out the Loch change, I sent them a Dev App feedback email. It specifically says that Loch is overpowered and would be a problem if it goes live. I even pinpointed what the problem was and proposed a solution, as with all feedback I send. Nothing changed and it went live. You guys know the rest.

Some of the other changes were good, some were not. That's fine, it happens. We can fix it. Several feedback emails later, Muse threw out more and more balance changes completely in the opposite direction of all the feedback I've sent. Then, the regular whom I was playing with decided to quit the game (for his own reasons). A familiar name - Kamoba. I too had enough of poor decisions and stopped playing.

Today, I leave behind my finest spreadsheet.
Zanc's Gunnery sheet: http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=07423823697414864143

There are more docs like it but this is the one I always go back to. The reason I never shared it was because I thought nobody would ever use it. It's disorganized, 'numbers'-heavy and confusing at first glance. But maybe someone will use it for whatever.

Although competitively trained as a Buff Engi (which I completely mastered), I always saw myself as a Gunning Enthusiast. At one point I was also working on a comprehensive buff engi guide, but abandoned it after losing interest in the game. Will come back to try Alliance since I've already bought it though.

Take care
[G/♫] Zanc

2

Feedback and Suggestions / [Ammo idea] Rifled Rounds

« on: May 01, 2016, 03:57:52 pm »

Something like Heavy Clip with some Lesmok traits, but with Rate of Fire as a drawback instead of Clip Size.

Rifled Rounds
-Reduced Jitter (similar to Heavy; 50-70%)
-Slightly increased Projectile Speed (20-40%)
-Reduced Shell Drop
-Significantly reduced Rate of Fire (30-40%)

Designed for: Guns with jitter that could use increased projectile speed/range

Use applications:
>Minotaur
Heavy Clip reduces a shot, which is bad for the Mino that needs to keep pressuring the enemy. This ammo makes it easier to hit, but the time in-between shots is much longer.

>Gatling
Useful to start chipping away at an enemy, but not as efficient due to lower rate of fire.

>Carronade
Slightly more effective range, but longer time for the second shot allows the Engineer to mallet and prevent the pop.

>Hwacha
Better sniping capability. Gives it back a little of pre-nerf Heavy Clip, in terms of Projectile Speed.

Thoughts?

3

Gameplay / Balance musings

« on: November 01, 2015, 09:31:09 pm »

Ever since the nerf of the Pyramidion (kill meta), competitive games have been revolving around the Mobula (control meta) and its counter, the Squid (and its counter, the Hwachafish) for a while.

It's never gonna happen, but here's my wishful idea of what a meta-changing balance patch would be like.

Mobula
-Armor: 600 > 450
-Acceleration: 4.25 > 3.0 m/s²

*Significantly reduced survivability and mobility. This puts the Mobula in a more defensive role, instead of allowing it to be aggressive or defensive whenever it wants.
The Mobula and Spire is similar in that they have a lot of forward firepower. This change defines the ships; Spire as the forward-moving glass cannon, and the Mobula as an evasive, fire support ship - making altitude maneuvers and wearing down the enemy as they approach.

Squid
-Hull: 950 > 800

*Reduced margin of error with 800 hull; with the speed buffs and pilot stamina, 950 gives a bit too much headroom.

Pyramidion
-Acceleration: 2.25 > 2.75 m/s²

*Returns the Pyramidion to its aggressive role while still having a lower headroom of 550 hull.

Galleon
-Max Speed: 30.02 > 28 m/s

*Slightly reduced mobility. The Galleon is very powerful with the best survivability in the game and a huge amount of firepower; only thing even scarier than that is a fast Galleon.

Hwacha
-Jitter: 4 > 6 degrees
-Yaw: 30 > 20
-Pitch: 20 > 15

*Reduced arcs so gunner stamina actually compensates for it; returned jitter to pre-buff value for lesser effective range.

Heavy Carronade
-Jitter: 6 > 4
-Pitch arcs: -30 to 15 (from -20 to 10)
-Reload time: 7.5 > 5.5
-Range: 400m > 350m

*Revert to pre-nerf values; reduced range to make initiating and balloon lock more challenging, also slightly easier to escape from.


Of course these are my opinions only, and being in the forums for a while, I realized opinions vary (A LOT). Just wanted to express my ideas somewhere.

4

Guides / Guns for Gunners

« on: July 06, 2015, 02:01:41 pm »

"Do I even need a gunner?..."

Hello~

Looking at some discussions on triple engi vs gunner, I wanted to share my view. This is how I classify weapons based on whether they benefit from the gunner's range optimization, improved arcs, and/or quicker reload.

Gunner Guns

• Lumberjack [Lesmok, Charged/Greased/Heatsink, Loch]
• Heavy Carronade [Heavy, Charged, Incendiary/Lesmok]
• Heavy Flak [Charged, Lesmok, Loch]

These guns are the best for a gunner due to the benefit of having multiple ammo types, and their use of stamina for better arcs and reload.

Gunner and Buff-gineer Guns

• Hwacha [Gunner: Heavy, Burst] or [Engi: Burst]
• Minotaur [Gunner: Heavy, Greased] or [Engi: Heavy]
• Hades [Gunner: Lesmok, Greased] or [Engi: Lesmok]
• Merc [Gunner: Lesmok, Charged] or [Engi: Charged]
• Mine Launcher [Gunner: Lesmok, Charged, Loch] or [Engi: Lesmok]

This category is the most interesting as it depends on the situations you will get into, and personal preference. If the ship is confident in their ability to stay within optimal range, they would generally be better off with an engineer. For example, if a Hwachafish is able to get up close and use Burst ammo all the time, there would be no need for Heavy Clip. With the addition of stamina however, Gunners can get important Hwacha volleys out quicker or when the enemy is slightly out of arc.

I personally think that it doesn't change much and urge pilots to let your crew decide based on their preference.

Buff-gineer Guns

• Gatling
• Mortar
• Light Flak
• Flamer
• Banshee
• Artemis
• Light Carronade
• Flare
• Harpoon

These guns simply do not benefit from having a gunner; they only require a single ammo type and don't utilize gunner stamina well. Instead, a buff hammer would greatly improve the efficiency of the Gatling, Mortar, Light Flak, Banshee, Artemis, and Light Carronade.

Of course, there is no hard and fast rule to playing the game, but it is interesting to see that most heavy weapons could use a gunner. Remember it is not always about optimizing damage output with buffs; the gunner's ability to improve arcs is unique and valuable, especially in tight situations when you need them the most.

[G] ZanC

5

Feedback and Suggestions / [Weapon idea] Light Howitzer

« on: March 24, 2015, 03:05:37 pm »

Fires a single round that releases a large amount of shrapnel on impact. Effective against Hull and Balloon.

I thought it would be interesting to have a long range harass weapon that won't do as much flechette as the Lumberjack or Carronades, but will slowly wear down Balloons. It wouldn't be an instant disable, but ignoring it will kill you fast due to its shrapnel mechanic.

This is, of course, inspired by the Howitzer.

Overview

• A harass weapon against Balloon and Hull at long range.
• You can also use it close range, but it does not have as much firepower as other close range weapons.
• Releases a large amount of shrapnel at point of impact, slightly similar to the Carronades' buckshot.
• Incendiary Rounds work great for shrapnel.
• Poor horizontal angles would make it mostly for forward facing mounts.

Gun Statistics

• Direct: 100 Explosive
• Burst: 75 Flechette
• Effective Vs. Hull, Balloon
• Rate of Fire: 0.8
• Reload Speed: 0.14
• Magazine Size: 2
• Projectile Speed: 400-600 m/s
• Projectile Drop: Mediocre
• Range: about 1k

• Shrapnels: 25

• Horizontal Angles: Mediocre
• Upward Angles: Good
• Downward Angles: Poor
• Rotation Speed: Low

Ammo Types

• Incendiary Rounds - Works on every shrapnel. Would benefit this under-used ammo type a lot.
• Charged Rounds - This is an option, but remember it has mediocre damage and a significant reload.
• Lesmok Rounds - Because of the low clip size you won't use Lesmok often.

I envision the Light Howitzer as a weapon to harass long range ships (e.g. Mobulas) as you approach them. Let me know if you find that this idea has potential, or even if it's just bad.

Zanc