Heatsink: Good or Bad?

[Ultimate Pheer]

I generally try to take heatsink in pubs when the captain only has two ammo types they need me to take for the build to work effectively.

I may not end up using it in the match, but having it and not needing it is better than needing it and not having it.

[Lieutenant Noir]

The only thing I want done with heatsink would be to decrease it's reload time, and lock you into using heatsink (it would reset the reload cooldown once you switched to another ammo type).

-That way a flamer burning out your guns would no longer happen because it would be easier for the gunner to time a heatsink, anticipating a flamer barrage
-On mines, it would be a quick emergency mid-range projectile
-And thus do more overall dps on the heavy carronade to free up more exotic ammo types, like incendiary or lochnagar

[Alistair MacBain]

Heatsink giving permanent immunity sure is a thing but how would it become a midrange ammo oO.
It has muzzle speed decrease thus decreasing arming time and range thus making it a closerange ammo. And id rather not change that.

[Lieutenant Noir]

Sorry, what I meant was that since heatsink decreases arming time by decreasing projectile speed,
on a mine launcher, you could launch it quicker with a reload speed decrease than with incendiary.

Those three check marks would be the results by a decrease in reload speed

[Arturo Sanchez]

Sorry, what I meant was that since heatsink decreases arming time by decreasing projectile speed,
on a mine launcher, you could launch it quicker with a reload speed decrease than with incendiary.

Those three check marks would be the results by a decrease in reload speed

you just seem to really like making stuff OP. Heatsink is not meant to be a near impossible to pierce fire shield. Like chemspray it is just temporary protection to fire setting.

[Lieutenant Noir]

Don't get me wrong, Heatsink is useful but as a gunner, I am still highly dependent on an engi's chemspray or extinguisher.
If one has a good engi, you will never need heatsink.
If you don't have a cursory engi, your gun is going to be too damaged by the fire damage to quickly reload heatsink in a flamer barrage. All at once, you are left useless waiting for the gun to burn out or waiting for an engi with an extinguisher to clean up your mess.
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Also, tell me what you use heatsink for because all I use it for is loading into guns that I might use later.
That and the preferred ammo on the light flak, not as a utility fire-fighting gunner tool.
I prefer lochnagar for fighting fires
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There are situations where I have timed a heatsink just right, to anticipate a flamer barrage but they are few and far between. In competitive, you will never need heatsink as a utility tool because the engineers are at it. However, I would like something to give gunners an edge if you got no one on chem-cycles.

It is a reload speed decrease and would lock you into using heatsink by restarting the reload cooldown after you switch to another ammo type. Everything else would stay the same.

tldr: I want to use it as a utility fire-fighting gunner tool and not as light flak ammo.

[Dementio]

Heatsink works just fine on heavy flak, lumberjack, heavy carronade, mercury, mine launcher, banshee, artemis when aimed to destroy hull and not components and light flak. I mean, it is one of the ammo types with the highest damage per clip!

You could use Heatsink for a gunner on Galleon bottom, Mobula top, Junker bottom, all these places where engineers rarely go or have to leave in order to help repairing something more important. It could even work on Squid in case the gunner is using the front gun, who has got time to chem spray that during kerosening and hydrogen/chute vent?

Heatsink prevents fire from happening and when loaded it even extinguishes 3 stacks of fire. Of course during reload it does not do anything, because nothing is loaded it, wouldn't make sense if it magically prevented fires. This makes it less useful on guns with long reload times such has hwacha, when in combat.

When in combat it all depends on your gunnery skill of what ammo to choice: Is heatsink just fine or do we need burst or heavy clip now? You could win with another ammo type than heatsink, but you might lose your gun if you are not quick enough. And if you decide to load heatsink in, but you lose your gun in the middle of the reload, you were not quick enough to reload heatsink or the engineer was lazy, it depends.


Also, Engineers can't fix everything all the time, that is how ships die. Expect the worst and prepare for that -> Heatsink.

[Indreams]

Places you want to heatsink (from my experience):

1.) Pyramidion side-guns
Pyramidion engages with the front guns. Your engineers are  busy manning the balloon side gun, fixing the flimsy hull, or repairing phoenix claw engines. They can't keep an eye on the side-guns. When the pyramidion is eventually forced into a broadside, it'd be a great shame to see that your side-guns burned down. Also, it helps engineer's with their chem-cycles.

2.) Mobula top guns and edge guns
Mobula is a big ship. Your engineers will split the ship and take care of lower decks. They usually won't get around to the top or side guns frequently. It'll depend a lot on the gun you are using, but you might want to heatsink these.

3.) Flare Guns
Flare gun has two shots and one of the longest reload time. Heatsink will increase the ammo count to three. That's very useful.

4.) Squid front and side guns
One engineer will run around the engines. One engineer will usually tank (stay on) the hull. It'll be hard for them to save you're guns. If you are facing flames, it might be a good idea to heatsink these guns.

5.) Flamethrowers
Ironically, heatsink is a viable ammo choice on a flamethrower; it gives you more ammo. More ammo means longer flame duration, longer flame duration means more fire on the enemy component. Heatsink flamethrowers are extremely effective in flamer against flamer battles.

6.) Galleon aft gun
This will really depend on what the aft gun is. If it is flames, its not a bad idea; it'll usually be up until you need it. If it is mines, you'll have to make the call. If it's harpoons, your captain is probably crazy and try something crazy. If it's anything else, question you're captain's choice, but heatsink it anyways.

That's about all I can think up. I usually heatsink guns that won't be the first gun to shoot and need to be up when I need it. Sometimes, I take heatsink as an engineer to make my life easier. I think if we get a few more places that's good to be heatsinked (heatsunk?) we could probably make a guide of places to heatsink.

[Lieutenant Noir]

Sorry, I worded this wrong but I have many uses for heatsink

Heatsink is a very useful ammo type
-Its good for putting in guns that are not currently being used to be used later
-Its good for guns that have a small clip and gain an additional due for more dps

As a gunner,
-If my gun is damaged,
I repair it

-If my gun is broken,
I rebuild it

-If my gun is on fire,
I load in lochnagar enough times until it breaks
wait for the enemy flamer to reload,
then rebuild it

I rarely find opportunities to use heatsink against flames because heatsink never reloads fast enough to prevent a weapon burnout.
If its a flamethrower or banshee, it's designed to put on as many flames as possible within a short amount of time.

Currently though, any change made to heatsink would cause a catastrophically large change because it has like four other properties to it. These including clip size increase, projectile speed decrease, movement speed increase, and a damage decrease.
I use heatsink more for these properties than for fire fighting.

[Dementio]

Of course when actively fighting a flamethrower while shooting a gun as a gunner heatsink during reload won't do all that much. Load it earlier. If you see the enemy ship loadout and see them bringing a flamer, you should know when best to reload heatsink to save your gun and kill/disable the enemy before your gun has to reload as well. If the enemy flamer gunner is an engineer, chances are they will have to repair something when you shoot them.
And as mentioned, guns currently not in use loaded with heatsink will probably be available at any moment unless they are completely destroyed.

-If my gun is on fire,
I load in lochnagar enough times until it breaks
wait for the enemy flamer to reload,
then rebuild it

If you have time loading lochnagar then you probably have time loading heatsink and leave it there until the flamer reload. If your gun is a carronade though, I suggest you to shoot it, regardless of flamer reload.
Heatsink doesn't even break your gun and you can actually move the gun around.

[Lieutenant Noir]

I don't know,
I guess I'm just used to being an engi, where I can just put on a chem spray instantly as soon as I'm being threatened by a flamer.
Or maybe tunnel-vision That could defiantly be the problem

BTW, I don't actually use lochnagar (Its so hard to convey sarcasm in text >.<)

[Replaceable]

When you play with mines: Lochnagar IS your heatsink.

[Indreams]

Eh... When you play with mines, Heatsink is to Lochnagar as Kerosene is to Moonshine.

[Radagahst]

(this is based on opinion and some experience)
there are 2 great guns for heat-sink

1st is a hwatcha that is there for disable as the extra ammo means more hits on more stuff

2nd is a heat sunk mercury can strip an unaware pyramidion or goldfish in one clip which greatly helps sniper build (think H-flak spire that can strip at 1.5 kilometers out with a good gunner

[c-ponter]

(this is based on opinion and some experience)
2nd is a heat sunk mercury can strip an unaware pyramidion or goldfish in one clip which greatly helps sniper build (think H-flak spire that can strip at 1.5 kilometers out with a good gunner

personally I wouldn't see this as effective because (as far as I a m aware) a buffed charged merc can still strip the hull in 1 clip but has no decreased projectile speed so is easier to aim and faster as it only needs 2 shots not 3. it's very rare to have a merc where it can't be buffed almost constantly (top deck galleon being the only place I can think of you would have a merc without constant buffing)