MF'ing ES rocket launcher info (via reddit)

[bpostal]

http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/c...oming_phoenix/

This may not be the right time/place for such a post but I just can't help myself!
Striker time baby!

Oh, also, high points thus far:

Q: Whats the maximum range of the phoenix? How much damage? How manouverable? How much freedom does it inflict on targets that are hit?
A:One of it's biggest limitations is the range, it's only going to go about 300 meters. This is limited mostly by it's slower travel speed and the duration of the control you have over it.

It does similar damage to the default dumbfire rocket launcher (pretty high) to ground targets and a bit more to air, but it is pretty challenging to hit aircraft with unless they're hoverspamming.

Q: How many shots to kill a sunderer (from the back) with the new TR launcher?
A:Each striker missile does a little bit less than 1/3rd of the damage of a standard empire anti-vehicle rocket.

Q:will the Lancer actually fire a laser bolt instead of the plasma ball that we saw in the video preview?
will it have a new sound as well?
A: yeah, it uses a beam and has unique audio.

The Lancer has 6 rounds and can be charged up to a maximum of 3 rounds, the longer you charge it the more damage it does, once it hits 3 rounds it fires. This makes it have an interesting gambit between maximizing damage and potentially wasting a shot if something ducks around before you let go. If you want to, you can fire it at "level 1" 6 times. Each time you fire it it will have a slight delay, similar to the original Lancer. So, it's very close to the PS1 lancer, but with a charge mechanic in addition you can use


Q: Do the NC rockets have fuel? As in, how long do they last for? Is firing a volley of rockets from the TR launcher as awesome as it sounds, and explain the Vanu launcher?
A: It essentially has fuel, it has a limited duration.

The Striker can fire 1 shot every 0.75 seconds or so and tracks as long as you keep the target in the crosshairs, or can be burst fired which launches all the rockets a bit more rapidly. If this sounds to you like a balance nightmare, you're right. We're still playing with balancing this, so it's subject to change before you see it. However, it is awesome as hell.

Q:Will the 'render distance' limits be centered on the player's "actual location", or on the player's "virtual location" (watching through the TV from the rocket)?...
A: It's currently based on where the rocket is, since that's where your client is at the time - the Phoenix is basically a vehicle who explodes and which you mount when it fires. However, the range is fairly limited, so you shouldn't be able to successfully nuke stuff out of your render range under normal circumstances.

Q:Hmm, so if its got a short range, is it ultra maneuverable, like, round corners and suchlike, and if we have such a short range, do the other Empires have a similar drawback mechanic?
Oh, and when we hit something, does it play a guitar riff?
A:It's not going to be absurdly maneuverable, we don't want people using it from inside spawn rooms in towers shoot dudes down below, etc... but it is maneuverable enough to consistently hit targets in open fields.

Each of the weapons has it's own player skill-based trade offs. The Phoenix does a grip of damage compared to any other guided missile.

Q:Will we get mechanics like the new launchers in other guns?
Charge-up railguns? Camera guided bombs? Properly balanced Annihilator where you have to hold the lock instead of fire-and-forget?
A: Now that we've got the mechanics working, we can put them on all kinds of stuff. I'd personally like to see AV MAX equivalent mechanics to these rocket launchers, although how that would work with a Phoenix is a puzzle we haven't quite worked out.

Q:Need more info on the lancer.
-the comments about having to have a vehicle in your sights to charge true?
-does it have a clip like ps1?
-how effective against infantry/max is it?
-How long does that charge time take?
A:You can charge it up freely, even in hipfire. It will fire in hipfire but it has an accuracy penalty when done, so it will only be effective for very nearby targets. Using it that way works in a pinch, but it's nowhere near as good as a Deci in that role since it needs to be charged for a few seconds to do that amount of dmg.

It's pretty ineffective vs infantry and does a lot less damage to them, you can't 1-shot an infantry with a fully charged lancer. It does more damage to MAXes, but still takes ~2.5 full charge shots to drop a full health MAX. It takes about 4 seconds to fully charge, and you get two full charges per clip, or 6 "level 1" shots. The damage doesn't scale linearly, the longer it's charged for, the more damage each charge does. The breakdown is roughly: Level 1: 20% Level 2, 50%, Level 3: 100%.

Q:Ah thanks, this answered most of my questions as well.
I would just would like to know if it [Lancer] one shots ESFs when it is fully charged.
A:Nope, it wouldn't be very fair - it's fairly easy to snipe aircraft with it because it's speed is so fast and the aircraft would have zero warning with the Lancer since there's no lock-on indicator. Coordinated fired with your squad mates can accomplish that, though, and is a very effective tactic with this weapon.