Typhon, Heavy Flak Discussion.

[Echoez]

Well, I just read through the 1.3.1 Lesmok thread and the Heavy Flak has been brought up a lot, so here is this thread to discuss it.

So, now that 1.3 Lesmok is gone, is the Heavy Flak so seriously hampened that it's not that usable, or is the actual gun broken and needs to be looked at over Lesmok after all?

And to add my input, I do think it is the gun. Opinions anyone?~

/Flakshields

/Flameshields

Fire away~

[RearAdmiralZill]

I don't shoot often, so this is just theory.

What if heavy flak had sights similar to the LJ, so you could more easily gauge shots?

[Rainer Zu Fall]

I think the heavy flak has been nerfed now pretty much.
A sight isn't the solution the heavy flak needs, it needs a bit of work right now again. (Although I agree that a sight might help many players with arcing!) There needs to be much more damage dealt with it - either that or increase the number of shots, so lesmok doesn't decrease it to 1 shot.

[Zenark]

The Lesmok change really doesn't affect my ships that much, but that's because I ask my gunners to bring charged.

If the flak can only be effective with lesmok, then I think your gunner is at fault. The flak works fine with other ammo types, it just requires a bit more skill. Even the low level gunners that jump aboard seem to do fine without lesmok.

[Rainer Zu Fall]

It's a gun for far ranges. Why use it on a close range then? That's not the meaning of "far range"...

[RearAdmiralZill]

If you increase the ammo to three (then giving two with lesmok), youd want to decrease the damage anyway wouldn't you?

To my knowledge, heavy flak only does explosive damage, where nearly (if not every) every gun has two damage types, so it can perform two roles to some degree. What if you introduced fire damage to it? I mean, it does so much explosive it sets fire to your hull anyway.

(Yea, im really just going on limbs here.)

[Cloudrunner]

According to this thread- https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,2035.msg34983.html#new

we've pretty much agreed the gun itself is useless without a merc. Currently I see no reason to use the heavy flak anymore, particularly with lesmok changes. It's usually a safer bet to use lumberjacks or brawler setups. Personally, I find the lesmok change frustrating and unfounded, since it cripples ranged battles.

[N-Sunderland]

The Lesmok change really doesn't affect my ships that much, but that's because I ask my gunners to bring charged.

If the flak can only be effective with lesmok, then I think your gunner is at fault. The flak works fine with other ammo types, it just requires a bit more skill. Even the low level gunners that jump aboard seem to do fine without lesmok.

It's physically impossible to hit with charged flak at 1000+ metres, and within 1000 they'll be in arming time before you know it. The gun works best at long range, and with lesmok as it is it simply can't pull it off.

[Rainer Zu Fall]

Exactly, Sunderland. Once again: Why use guns meant to be used for far ranges if there's no far range fight possible anymore? Nerfing the merc was good and necessary...but nerfing every far range gun? Was that really necessary?

[Zenark]

It's a gun for far ranges. Why use it on a close range then? That's not the meaning of "far range"...

Sure it can't snipe across Dunes without lesmok, but it's not a short range weapon. Even with charged, it still has enough range to kill an enemy ship before they're in range to use their guns.

[Zenark]

Increase the base range of the flak then, but last night, my merc/flak Spire was working fine.

[RearAdmiralZill]

If you make it too easy to shoot at range, then you will just get merc/heavy flak builds again to insta-kill stuff. Maybe the arming time just hits it too hard currently.

[JaegerDelta]

lol it feels like the heavy flak is still paying for its ownage in the early days.

[Rainer Zu Fall]

Try using a Galleon on dunes. Ships pop up from nowhere and you can't do anything about it with far range guns. So, sticking with close range guns? Why not use a Pyra/Junker/Mobula instead? They're faster, have a much higher turning speed and about the same killing power.
Those guns don't fulfill their senses. You don't need to shoot from one edge of the map to another, it hasn't been possible previously. But at least shoot them at a range of more than 500m would be nice.
Far range achievements for the classes are now useless too.

[N-Sunderland]

lol it feels like the heavy flak is still paying for its ownage in the early days.

And that's the thing... I want the gun to get some kind of help, but I know what kind of monster it could easily become, considering what it used to be.