AV questions

[Holo]

Indulge my newbiness for a moment if you please

What type of MAX is best for taking out another MAX? AI or AV?

Is the Rocklet Gun an effective AV weapon? Decent at least? Or is it better suited to Infantry?

How about the Thumper? Good or bad AV?

If you're in an open cockpit vehicle like a buggy or a wraith and you get hit with an AV weapon do you take damage as well as the vehicle you're on? Or does the vehicle absorb it all?

Thank You

[TekDragon]

What type of MAX is best for taking out another MAX? AI or AV?

Not being in Beta, this is the only one i can answer. Anti-vehicle MAXs (and anti vehicle weapons) are the best for taking out MAXs. Non A-V weapons do didly squat (ok, they might do didly).

The other questions were good and id like to add to them:

Thumper
1. How many rounds does it hold?
2. Can you load different types of grenades into it? [edit: i mean, different types at same time]
3. Are ammo for thumper counted as individual grenades (1x1 slot each) or do they come in boxed ammunition?
4. About how wide is the blast radius?
5. How effective (as in, how many does it take) are grenades against infantry, MAXs, light vehicles, heavy vehicles?

Thanks

[Sprocket]

In general, the AV MAX is made for killing MAXes and Vehicles. Of course Terran being the exception, their AI and AV MAXes are pefect against both Infantry, MAXs, and Vehicles.

The Rocklet gun I have not seen used much. Rocklet's are underpowered even with a semi-automatic reload rate. They can be useful for clearing doorways or pumping into the back of a MAX before he sees you, but in general I don't see much usage of them.

Thumper: I am picking up this cert as soon as I get my char back up and running, it seems like a very effective weapon. I was already a fan of the Punisher and its grenade/rocket modes are single fire. Being able to pump out plasma/frag grenades quickly is a major bonus. The Thumper has about .50 second reload between shells. It is mainly AI BTW, Vehicles move too fast. It is slightly effective against MAXes if you use frag.

Yes you take damage while in an open cockpit vehicle. If you are being fired on from the front while driving a Harrasser you will take damage.

[Jarlo]

I have played NC and VS maxes and used the rocklet and thumper so I can give a little advice on this stuff.

AV Maxes-- the NC one fires rockets, VS balls of energy. They are both quit good at taking out enemy max/vehicles as long as the vehicle is not moving too quickly. The projectiles are somewhat slow so hard to hit fast moving targets. Agaist stationary or slow moving or clumped infantry they do well, but if the soldier has room to dodge or duck behind something you could be in trouble. The NC AI max (scattercannon) is a bit underpowered IMHO and does pretty poorly against max and pretty well vs infantry. The VS AI Max (quasar) does damn well against infantry and, in 2nd fire mode, fairly well agaist max/vehicles if you can use those jumpjets for some mobility. Overall I think the TR max are overpowered but can be defeated by vs max if the vs player can utilize the mobility of the vs max.

Rocklet-- I used this gun very extensively, and it is not good for the ole grief points. Overall it does good damage vs infantry and max and is pretty effective agaist enemy troops and max. One distinct fight i remember was breakign into a CC controlled by a TR AV max (the one with dual cyclers). One of my squadmates tossed a plasma grenade in with his thumper while i waited near the door with my rocklet. Right when the max stepped out to chase my squad mate, I opened up with my rocklet and the max went down.. was pretty fun

Thumper- You can carry different grenade types but it takes about 1-2 sec to change types (hit x to change). It fires ok but I was not really happy with the range and aiming, you basically had to lob a few to figure out where you needed to aim. Good for indoor stuff and towers where you can bounce them around corners-- bad for outdoors.

[Revoltrix]

Yeah, never used the rocklet or thumper, but AV MAXs waste other MAXs really fast its almost like AI MAXs against infantry.

[TekDragon]

How fast do the rocklets fly?

Also, how is ammunition for the thumper stored? Is it done with individual grenades or does it come in boxed ammo like bullets?

[LesserShade]

boxes of 6 that takes up 3x3 . So you can carry a crap load more grenades for use in the thumper when compared to the 2x2 necessary to carry a single handgrenade.

[TekDragon]

Hmmm... im thinking im going to go Vanu and use thumper and lancer.

Thumper to handle close to mid range infantry and armor. Lancer to handle medium to long range infantry and armor.

Or i might go TR and use cycler for distance infantry and striker for distance armor... hmmm... decisions decsiions...

[Jarlo]

I havent been able to use lancer in combat situations, just on the firing range so far. I kinda like it actually, takes 0.5 sec to fire after you pull the trigget but if you keep the reticle on the target it travels instantly, no projectile!

So lets look at AV weapons by empire--

1) TR== Striker-- pretty strong, 2nd fire mode gives you missle lock and then it guides to target. The target also gets nice red MISSLE LOCK warning prior to firing.

2) NC- Phoenix- nifty little rocket that you guide with mouse after firing. During this time you are essentially defenseless.

3) VS- Lancer-- 0.5 sec delay after pulling the trigger, no splash damage, instant travel to target, lots of ammo.

All different and interesting.

[EVILPIG]

I played some Terran last night--Know thy enemy--and used the Terran Cycler MAX.

I was attacking a NC tower. While descending the stairs to their spawn basement, I mowed down four NV troopers using heavy weapons to fight me. Once in the spawn I could kill anyone who spawned. A fresh NC AV MAX spawned and began unloading on me. Standing toe-to-toe, after having battled several troopers, I was able to easily mow down the NC MAX. I came out of the exchange is surprisingly good shape. I believe the Terran MAX to be unbalanced.