Well, this is just speculatory of course... however I am just trying to point out possible flaws in game mechanics that may lead to more serious balancing issues between empires.
One of the main advantages I much appreciated about the VS in PS1 was their effective range on most weapons exceeded the other empires, most notably the Lancer and Magrider. Lancer was really the only AV weapon that required any sort of skill, and had a moderate to hard learning curve on it... however once mastered to an extent it became a really nasty deterrent to vehicles and even aircraft if you knew what you were doing.
Magrider, well it was a sniper tank.... only when compared to the other two however. The COF issue sucked because in a tank duel you would have to get as much range on them as possible to have the upper hand, and the COF was pretty big past 200m. But regardless, still a good tank with good AV/AA capabilities.
Now looking at PS2, it seems that if we are the only empire to have damage degradation while the other two simply get damage drop or *arc* to their weapons/cannons, but will still presumably do full damage if they actually do hit their target at range.
First possible flaw: Once NC/TR master this effect to an extent, will their weapons become superior at range compared to the VS weapons, since the VS weapons will suffer from damage degradation no matter what, while TR/NC simply has to learn how much higher to aim at certain ranges?
This suggests that the VS will need to be within a certain range to do full damage, but if you ask me this kind of takes a new turn in the empires 'advantages' and seems more like an NC theme if you ask me, the guys who are supposed to be 'in your face' with the most armor and biggest guns for quick burst damage... seems appropriate for NC right? Will the VS still have a formidable range advantage at a certain distance where they will be able to do full damage and still be able to keep a good range on the enemy?
Second flaw: With Cone of Fire game mechanics, this will be a double blow to the VS with their 'effective range' issues... as mentioned earlier it was possible to keep a good range on enemy tanks in a Magrider, however the COF was rather large and it really wasn't a 'sniper tank' like most people claimed it to be, you basically had to just put the COF over the target and hope that 1/25 of the shots would finally hit it. Aircraft at range was a pain as well. With damage degradation AND COF issues, PLUS other empires simply having bullet drop on their weapons instead of damage degradation as well, I see a whole storm of crap that could happen in these type of situations... plus if the Mag is supposedly going to be gunned by the driver, and the Heavy Rail Beam being where the PPA used to be, meaning the driver will not be able to rotate the main gun at all... it sounds like it's going to be a real pain in the ass for Magrider drivers to compensate for damage degradation, COF and driving at the same time while hopefully keeping a decent range on other vehicles. *sigh*
I still think all tanks should require a driver and a gunner... why are we taking a more rambo, killwhore take again? Im confused
Also, why not just make the Heavy Rail Beam into a cannon and subject it to gravity as well? And for all you nerds out there, photons are also subject to gravity as well so dont tell me that 'beam weaponry' shouldn't have a bullet drop.... plus aren't the VS weapons simply kinetic darts being propelled by beams?
Anyways... time to speculate away again
2011-11-26, 02:36 AM
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