Empire Specific Rocket Launcher Stream 5PM PDT

[Hamma]

Update:

Coming up at 5PM PDT.

https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/314517209361809408

This Afternoon:

https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/314452714618773504


http://www.planetside-universe.com/twitch.php?view=las0m

[Methonius]

I can't read this at work does it say a time?

[bpostal]

Fuck. Yes.

Edit: "Thinking about doing a quick stream this afternoon to show off the Empire Specific Rocket Launchers. I'll let you know when!"

[o Solei o]

Just says he'll let us know when.

Sooner is better than later!

(Also, any news on whether ESRL are going to be in this week's patch?)

[DirtyBird]

https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/314517209361809408

[DirtyBird]

For those who cant read it at work....around 5pm PST

[Hamma]

Going to be afk for a while tonight, someone be sure to post a recap in here :)

[Neutral Calypso]

Curses! My infernal work blocks twitch. Somebody record and post to youtube. :doh:

[DirtyBird]

He spawned the buggy ftw!
Sorry someone else will screen shot it.

Monday morning update hopefully for the new Empire Specific Rocket Launchers.

I think the Lancer for the VS was the best and as a MAX I am worried about the upcoming snipefest!

[ChipMHazard]

Recap:
http://da.twitch.tv/las0m/b/380236036

Striker looks like something that's going to get nerfed at some point:D
The Lancer.... Doesn't sound much like something firing an energy beam. Its damage is balanced out by having a very fast projectile speed "Near instant".

[Kail]

Edit: Too slow

[bjorntju1]

Saw the buggy, looked really cool. Not so sure about the almost instant travel time of the VS rocketlauncher. But we'll see how that plays out in the game.

[Assist]

They look awesome.
I really wanted to see the Striker full clip damage against an ESF. I'm having nightmares already and I don't fly that much!
Saw the buggy, looked really cool. Not so sure about the almost instant travel time of the VS rocketlauncher. But we'll see how that plays out in the game.

Given that they stated before the lancer fully charged doesn't kill an infantry unit, I think it'll be OK.

I think the Pheonix is going to need a damage buff of some sort.

Oh! And the best news is that none of these look like they'll be used inside bio labs in place of pistols like the other RL's are used!

[ChipMHazard]

They look awesome.
I really wanted to see the Striker full clip damage against an ESF. I'm having nightmares already and I don't fly that much!


Yeah, kinda curious about that one myself.

[DirtyBird]

18:45 mark for the buggy, http://da.twitch.tv/las0m/b/380236036

[Roy Awesome]

The Reddit Recap (x-posted from:http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1ap523/when_this_post_is_15m_old_matt_higby_will_be/c8zfvpk) :

NEW INFO

Aiming for Friday release.


Phoenix:

Can't fly in circles
1 round Mag.
2 round reserve
4 + change to kill a Sundy

Striker:

5 round Mag.
15 round reserve.
15 rounds to kill a Sundy.
Same lock-on system as G2A launcher (can lock-on to both Air and Ground to clarify).


Lancer

Only one that has hipfire.
6 Round Mag.
18 Rounds in reserve.
Full charge = 1/5 Sundy health.
Little less than half health to ESF's.
Projectile speed is nearly instant. Like literally, super fast.
Leaves a observable trail that last for a few seconds.


All the Launchers have sweet animations and sound.


RANDOM BUGGY (HARASSER) PREVIEW
http://i.imgur.com/lzkUV7P.jpg


3 seats, Driver, Gunner, Rumble.
Driver and gunner sit side by side, rumble is off the back.
Basilisk is default weapon.

Recording is up here: http://www.twitch.tv/las0m/b/380236036

*Pic courtesy of BanD1t

[Mastachief]

Nerf the lancer

[DirtyBird]

I thought the Phoenix was the most underwhelming.
Sure its camera guided but I thought it lacked punch.
I'd probably stick with my certed AV Turret on my Engy.

[Pella]

Impressed by the RoF of the stiker. Full clip = dead magrider.

But that lancer is going to be insane with someone who can actually aim.

[Neutral Calypso]

I predict a greater number of vehicles will be buying smoke/flares.

[bpostal]

Hmm. Looks great but I wonder if the Striker can lock onto MAXs

[SturmovikDrakon]

Great animations. Not as sluggish as some of the current stuff. Very snappy and precise, loved it. (first person sprinting animations with RLs still not matching 3rd person though. grrr)

Fantastic sounds, the Lancer especially.

I loved everything about them. Props to the animation, art and sound teams. Hope all future weapon additions have as much effort put into them :)

[Rothnang]

After seeing the stream I am actually convinced that the Phoenix will not be game breaking. The turn radius on it seems to be such that you can effectively fire it over a piece of cover, but you can't fire it out of a building, look for a target and then still hit it in the rear.

I'm actually a bit more worried about the TR one now, because last time I checked everyone hated the Annihilator and lockon spam, and this seems to basically be 2 and a half annihilators strapped together and carried by a single person. Did they mention somewhere that you have to keep aiming at the target to maintain the lock with this?

The Vanu ESRL also seems pretty damn powerful. It wasn't clear from the video if you can hold the charge in the weapon, or if it fires when it reaches 3 automatically. The latter would make it much harder to use of course. The bullet speed on that thing was tremendous. It seems like it does AA launcher damage to aircraft, so it shouldn't be too overpowered hopefully.

[AThreatToYou]

They seem fairly balanced. The Striker seems as though it'll be the best vs. sundies and MBTs, and the Phoenix seems like it'll be the best vs. MAX units & lightnings. The Lancer seems a little UP, though with that projectile speed, who knows?

[Assist]

Impressed by the RoF of the stiker. Full clip = dead magrider.

But that lancer is going to be insane with someone who can actually aim.

Full magazine took the sunderer to 1/3rd I thought? So full magazine won't even get a Magrider burning I don't think.

Lancer is going to be very effective in groups, more so than the other RLs I think.
I'm really curious about that Striker on an ESF though. I think that may need to be toned down on air somehow considering how much less effective the other two RL's are against air.

[Sifer2]

The TR got shafted. Only launcher that gives warning. Only one that needs you to stand out in the open.(Pheonix can be fired from around cover, Lancer charged up before you pop out to fire). And the big ones. Only launcher that can't be dumb fired, and is completely hard countered by IR Smoke/Flares.

So really why did they even bother adding this thing? It's just a clip fed Annihilator with no dumb fire. It's only upside is like the Annihilator a 4 year old can use it properly. But the TR empire is getting seriously gimped here. The others are getting unique weapons that actually give them new ways to engage vehicles on the battlefield.

[Chewy]

Not liking the phoenix. The damage and ammo seems good but not being able to have much control doesn't feel right. Granted firing dead up and turning the rocket to hit anything can be OPed but if you can't use it in cover then you're going to be a sitting duck for anyone to shoot.

Striker seems fine, needs to maintain a lock and it can be stopped by smoke/flares but does a lot more damage. The Lancer has that "peek a boo" style and can be DEADLY to air at the cost a long charge timer and little AI use, so not problems with that. Phoenix on the other hand looks to have a little more limited use with it's slow turn speed and limited range. It depends on if you can have free movement with in the distance limit or if the rocket has a fuel timer.

Another question I have is with Roy Awesomes post. It looks as if the Phoenix is the only ESL to not have the ammo to kill a sunderer. The other 2 have ammo to spare with the Strikers 1 spare mag and the Lancers 1.5 spare batteries yet the Phoenix needs 5 rockets but only gets 3 total.

NC might get fucked with this deal according to the ammo counts and what situations I am thinking that the weapons can be used for.

[Rothnang]

The TR got shafted.

I disagree. Everyone else got shafted. Annihilator squads are a freaking pox on the game as it is, these things are even worse. :D


I like that for once the Vanu have the weapon with the highest skill ceiling.

[Mordelicius]

The Lancer looked OP. Hopefully, damage is lowered considerably. Is that a typo (huge ammo pool)?

Their point and damage mechanism is no different than 'spotting'. Right? Simply point and press q.

Lastly, Higby is a bit wrong/off that the real "counter" to the Phoenix is shooting the projectile. Nope, just shoot the wielder of the Phoenix... :sniper: Wide open target unless it can be shot from the corner effectively. And with that low ammo count (3?), it's fairly worthless lol.

[Rothnang]

HAs are never particularly deadly without an Engineer to resupply them. Especially since you can sit in a more protected location with the Phoenix it should no problem to resupply.

What I really hope is that the Phoenix cannot pass through spawn room shields.

[Chewy]

HAs are never particularly deadly without an Engineer to resupply them. Especially since you can sit in a more protected location with the Phoenix it should no problem to resupply.

What I really hope is that the Phoenix cannot pass through spawn room shields.

Well that protected location could be more harm than good with the phoenix. If the rockets are limited by fuel timers instead of control within a set distance then you can't do much more than fire over a small lump with those turn speeds. If the ammo is really only 3 rounds then they are going to be the worst ESL due to not being able to take on targets while the other 2 ESLs have ammo to spare for any one target they want if they get past a blockade, even as just one lone HA.

People debate over tank mine suicide runs, well at least those cost infantry res. Strikers and Lancers can do that all day for one SC or cert cost without much time exposed and maybe at great ranges. If the ammo counts Roy posted are right (damn you admin ammo cheats) then the phoenix can be ruined before getting out of the box if the rocket cam control is to limiting over the limited range.

300m is a good distance for a rocket, but if it takes half that to make a small turn with its travel speed then the Phoenix may not be worth the costs over dumbfire rockets. Testing needed.

[Zulthus]

I really like what they've done with the launchers. I only feel like the Lancer sound should be changed a bit, it seems to bass-y for the kind of weapon it is.

[OctavianAXFive]

Hmm. Looks great but I wonder if the Striker can lock onto MAXs

In the video Higby said that the Striker does not lock onto maxes, though they (the dev team) had talked about it. He seems to be aware this is a weakness but thinks that its raw killing power against vehicles makes up for it.

As for OP and UP lets let launchers be field tested before we make general declarations.

From what I understand the phoenix is meant to be fired from just behind a hill. As in, you fire it slightly at the sky, and then angle it down over the other side of the hill. Will that be too situational? Test it out!

And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are still alive.

[Mordelicius]

Lancer:

- Unlimited range
- 100% accuracy to the reticule
- No drop
- Instantaneous hit
- Can be primed before targetting
- Huge ammo pool
- Can be hip-fired
- Can be spammed (no cooldown; see ammo pool)

So, basically get a bunch of of HA with 1 engineer to resupply.

- Charge>Pop head out>Fire accurately>Instantaneously hit/Duck back>Repeat :doh:

Also, I know Higby said that it's not meant to snipe against infantry. I'm skeptical of how much damage a sustained spam fire of these can do in an infantry fight. Just take a platoon/squad of these guys bobbing up and down on a good cover. And with enough ammo, who needs a cover? Simply sustain fire then reload. With enough Lancers around, while 1 or 2 are reloading, the rest will be firing continuously.

[Hamma]

Thanks Roy for the breakdown!

[GraniteRok]

Will have to see how they are once they're released. Interesting to say the least.

The Striker's lockon puts out a warning, is defeatable with smoke/flares and with no dumbfire, not able to sneak attack like the other two. Damage is very high on a rear shot to a tank.

The Phoenix has the appearance of limited range, not greatly maneuverable but probably able to be launched from some cover and has an AA counter if seen in time. No dumbfire either but can quickly ADS and shoot as if it is.

The Lancer, in my opinion, will be the deadly one and will top the complaints; Ambush capability, instant hit and no warnings at all plus what appears to be a significant range. Dumbfire isn't accurate but up close and personal, that won't matter.

[bpostal]

In the video Higby said that the Striker does not lock onto maxes, though they (the dev team) had talked about it. He seems to be aware this is a weakness but thinks that its raw killing power against vehicles makes up for it.

Ah, must have missed that. Kinda disappointing, I suppose, but then again I only used my Striker on VS MAXs in flight/trees anyway. Cheers!

[Hamma]

Couple more Harasser Screenies:

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20130320_514a836e2771c.png

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media.php?view=2339

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/mp52rz6sp6/20130320_514a837adc6dc.png

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media.php?view=2340

[AThreatToYou]

Honest, my best opinion is that the Phoenix is going to need an increased ammo pool. At least 1 more rocket. The others should be fine.

[bpostal]

Honest, my best opinion is that the Phoenix is going to need an increased ammo pool. At least 1 more rocket. The others should be fine.

I could get behind that. IMO every rocket launcher should at least have enough ammo to start an AMS on fire if hit from the back with no engy repairing it.

[Climhazzard]

Did they mention somewhere that you have to keep aiming at the target to maintain the lock with this?

Not in this stream, but it had been stated previously that you would need to maintain the lock.

It wasn't clear from the video if you can hold the charge in the weapon, or if it fires when it reaches 3 automatically. The latter would make it much harder to use of course.

If it's like the original Lancer, it'll fire automatically.

I'm curious if it's possible to fire a "level 2" shot. It seems likely, but in his Reddit AMA and this stream, Higby only ever talked about and showed off the "level 1" and "level 3" shots.

The TR got shafted. [...] Only launcher that can't be dumb fired [...]

Technically, the Phoenix can't be dumb-fired either.

Lancer:

- Unlimited range

Unproven.

- Instantaneous hit

Not quite.

- Can be hip-fired

With terrible accuracy. Only useful in close quarters against large objects.

- Can be spammed (no cooldown; see ammo pool)

Cooldown is front-loaded in the form of its charge-up time.

[DirtyBird]

https://twitter.com/mhigby/status/314597172853211136

[Sonny]

I definitely thought that the lancer looked like the best ESL - the flexibility of decent hip-fire damage and brutal charge up damage, without the need to lock on makes me fear for my poor sunderers :).

The striker looked awesome too but at least the long lock on time will limit its spammability.

I was a little disappointed by the Phoenix as it didn't look super manoeuverable and the damage output seemed a little low for the time it took to fire each rocket. But I guess if you had a few NC heavies together spamming them over a hilltop then that would compensate for these minor downsides.

Look forward to trying them out in game!

Sonny

[HiroshiChugi]

Hey, just wondering... Next time you post a tweet, could you maybe post what it says as well for those of us at school and work who cannot view what it says? Just wondering...

[DirtyBird]

I will certainly endeavour to meet your request.

[HiroshiChugi]

I will certainly endeavour to meet your request.

Well thank you good sir! :D ^_^

[Shamrock]

They all look great, I think striker nests are going to be a nightmare for VS and NC ESF's.

[Twido]

Before watching this video I was concerned that the phoenix would be a sit in the spawn room and kill everything in range OP weapon. I am glad that this looks not to be the case and the short range seems to be a major drawback.

I am a little underwhelmed by the striker, to me it looks like a better annihilator. Whether this is OP or not aside, it doesn't look as fun as the others.

I like the Lancer in principle but as with the other two, we won't know if any of them are game breaking untill they are implimented and enough people are using them. So overall, good job Devs, the looks and animations on these are top notch!

[SokarGoldberg]

Again a stream that no european with a job could see... and no recording for us to watch it too..

I also suggested to Higby and Luperzia that they should switch streaming to 2pm pst so europeans might have a slightly chance of watching it.

2pm pst would be 10pm here in Europa. Normally most streams from SOE starts at 5pm so that would be 1am. If I want to see FNO live I would have to stay up until like 3 or 4am in the morning. Thankfully they record the FNO so I can follow it later. But most of the other streams are going live at 5pm.. so no chance to follow it if you don't want to be hung over on your job.

[CasualCat]

Again a stream that no european with a job could see... and no recording for us to watch it too..

I also suggested to Higby and Luperzia that they should switch streaming to 2pm pst so europeans might have a slightly chance of watching it.

2pm pst would be 10pm here in Europa. Normally most streams from SOE starts at 5pm so that would be 1am. If I want to see FNO live I would have to stay up until like 3 or 4am in the morning. Thankfully they record the FNO so I can follow it later. But most of the other streams are going live at 5pm.. so no chance to follow it if you don't want to be hung over on your job.

There is a recording:
http://www.twitch.tv/las0m/c/2050655

Can you not access it in Europe?

[Bocheezu]

Patch notes one month from now:

"Striker lock-on time nerfed to 1320984710982 seconds, just like the Annihilator. HAHA, suckers!"

[Akrasjel Lanate]

Nice