The Jackhammer

[RykerStruvian]

Whats the point of the Jackhammer? Other shotguns, excluding pump action shotguns, are comparable to the Jackhammer if not better at being shotguns than the Jackhammer. The Jackhammer has a further range than the other shotguns, but considering the magazine size and the amount of shots it takes outside of close-range (would take about 3-4 shots), it makes the Jackhammer a poor choice in comparison to other close-to-medium range guns, like SMGs.

So whats the point of the Jackhammer? It only fits one attachment, it is out-damaged by other shotguns at close range, and it is out-damaged by other guns at further ranges. It doesn't really serve a purpose or am I missing something?

Yes, it can fire off three rounds in a quick burst but it doesn't make sense. It takes one shot to the head to kill infantry at close range or two to the torso at close range. Three round burst is only really viable against MAXs, but even then you would use something like a decimator.

I just don't see a point in using it. For being a faction special its bad :l

[DirtyBird]

And thats why 99.9% dont use it.
Its shit.

[MercDT]

Yeah...I just don't SOE ever doing anything about it. I feel it's more of a balancing issue now more than ever and that they're just afraid of making any tweaks to it due to all the shotgun negativity that has been going around lately.

So we're stuck with a faction specific shitgun for now.

[ThatGoatGuy]

And we have the MCG, GOML

[moosepoop]

they should make it more like the classic jackhammer in ps1, 3 hit kill with 20 round magazine.

[Ghoest9]

Originally Posted by ThatGoatGuy

And we have the MCG, GOML

Stop whining about the MCG.

Its not great but its not bad either - it has a niche.
The Jackhammer simply is worse than then other shotguns. It has no specific situation where you would ever choose it.

that said - it doesnt really matter - its just kind of lame

[NapalmEnima]

I recall Higby saying they're doing a balancing pass on a number of the existing weapons. The MCG is supposed to start firing immediately and increase it's rate of fire as it spins up. I suspect the JH will get some luv too.

In PS1, it just had the sweeper to be compare to... now, with the shorter TTK. The jackhammer would have to be pretty goddam deadly to out-do the pump action shotguns. Like... "broken" deadly. A piston with a 10+ round magazine that did more damage and was better over range. "Broken" deadly.

So do you nerf the other shotguns to make the JH stand out (and deal with the wailing and gnashing of teeth sure to follow), or make the jackhammer an unbelievably deadly super weapon (and deal with the wailing etc etc)? Maybe it should launch velociraptors instead.

Good game balance is not easy. I sometimes feel a little bad for game designers... then I come to my senses and realize THEY WORK IN THE GAME INDUSTRY.

[RykerStruvian]

Thats pretty much what I'm thinking. The Jackhammer itself, because it is a shotgun, is a really difficult thing to balance. As it stands right now as a shotgun, its still very deadly up close like other shotguns. The issue though is that the main benefit it has over other shotguns is that it can engage targets from a further distance, but even then that distance still renders the gun to be pretty useless due to low magazine size and the fact there other guns available which can do the job of killing better.

I understand they want to make money but releasing new shotguns without fixing the ones you have already, or rather releasing new guns without fixing the ones you have already, just seems like a dirty, greedy money grab. Even though I'm sure thats not the case.

Either way, I just wish the faction heavy weapons were spruced up already. Its been a couple of months as it is. And people are going to complain anyways about changes.

[Methonius]

I don't think its as shitty as ppl say I went on a 73 kill streak with it once with triple burst on.

[Mustakrakish]

Let me start off by saying that I love the Piston. Less so after the shotgun balance pass, but love it nonetheless. I used to think that the Jackhammer was a huge turd with a box magazine strapped to it. I recently demo'd the Jackhammer and after I got used to the differences between it and other shotguns, I bought it immediately. Now I rarely (if ever) use the Piston on my HA loadouts.

The Jackhammer has a lower maximum damage than other shotguns, but a higher minimum damage value and much less severe damage degradation with distance. It's also got a very tight spread, even at its maximum effective range. Basically it operates like it's got Slug Ammo but doesn't require you to be as precise with your aim. On top of that, the reload speed is blindingly fast.

In short, the ranges the Jackhammer works best at are just slightly longer than the maximum effective range of other shotguns. This caters a lot better to my particular playstyle than the other shotguns currently available.

The only real downside to the Jackhammer is the agonizing pause between shots in burst-fire mode, which makes it pretty useless. I can fire off three shells in semi-auto mode faster than I can in burst-fire. The relatively small magazine size (6 stock, 10 w/ extended mag) in combination with the low damage per shell also means you'll spend a lot of time reloading, although the quick reload times help offset that a bit.

In the end, if they made bust-fire mode a bit faster and made the magazines bigger (maybe 10 stock, 20 w/ extended mag), the Jackhammer would go from being the red-headed stepchild of shotguns to being a truly fearsome weapon.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Jackhammer doesn't suck per se; it's just that the most effective way to use it is more of a learning process than instinct.

[leifnielsen]

Originally Posted by NapalmEnima

Maybe it should launch velociraptors instead.

THIS.

[leifnielsen]

Originally Posted by NapalmEnima

I sometimes feel a little bad for game designers... then I come to my senses and realize THEY WORK IN THE GAME INDUSTRY.

You should feel bad for them. They get paid shit.

[MGP]

Originally Posted by Ghoest9

Stop whining about the MCG.

Its not great but its not bad either - it has a niche.
The Jackhammer simply is worse than then other shotguns. It has no specific situation where you would ever choose it.

that said - it doesnt really matter - its just kind of lame

As well MGC is worse then other LMGs. What were you saying about its niche again?

[Quard]

lasher

[Emperor Newt]

Lasher at least has it's uses. Although it is getting less useful with Max players ranking up their flak armor. In groups the Lasher still is an awesome AI weapon. A lone lasher is a free kill in 1on1 situations.