For a few dollars more, or Doc and Jesse epos
Aug 11, 2017 16:24:26 GMT -5
ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48, Dejnov, and 14 more like this
Post by Russel on Aug 11, 2017 16:24:26 GMT -5
"For a few dollars more, or My WW-only hangar journey from Gold2 back to Diamond"
As was promised to: zephyr1138 , drake1588 , RagingFire , Tatamat , Poopface , ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48 and not to forget the ones who this was NOT promised to (DarkVagabond , llama4president , moody , Thunderkiss , @jarvis , Шɑɡɡɪή , Paps - I am looking at you here)- this article is a second installment in a trilogy, being the direct sequel to "A Fistful of Dollars" war-robots-forum.freeforums.net/thread/10286/ as we continue exactly where we left off in the first part - The 3rd Anniversary event!
I've been postponing this article a bit, but it's better this way, because now I have two more builds to add.
(spoiler alert: author actually PAID MONEY for a FREE game!)
And of course, the third part of the trilogy would be prequel, set in late 2015~ yearly 2016;
We will HACK THE TIME BACK! to search for answers for the question:
"What Good, Bad and Ugly (walking) War Robots features we are missing out", or "Lost promises, unfinished prototypes and fun facts (with pictures!)"
As usual, everything listed here is based on my personal experience.
It is iOS, Gold~Expert league experience.
A lot of it was obtained in pre-2.9.1 era (when nothing except the Orkans could reload while firing).
I waited a bit to see if this would be relevant with the next update, and I am glad it is. With Jesse getting +10% HP it's even more fun a viable now.
As usual, there would be several sections, for those who got no time to read through the bull?poo-poo?, and for those who got some beer\coffee and a spare time.
NO BULL?poo-poo? SECTION:
0) No, there is NO BUTCH here.
1) Yes, they are FUN.
2) No, they are NOT good for CHAMPION LEAGUE.
3) No, you should NOT BUY these bots if price seems high for you (see p.2)
4) Yes, THEY perform GOOD in battle (however see p.2)
5) Yes, you CAN PLAY on Yamantau or a Moon (or any other map) with only WW bots.
6) The best DOC setup so far is HYDRA+ORKAN.
7) The best JESSE setup so far is PIN+MAGNUM.
So, let's get some music and begin the journey!
Arranged version
Or, if you are picky - clean acoustic guitar
Introduction (feel free to skip)
I remember the first time I got my hands on WildWest bots.
Chinese New Year just passed, and I was wondering what are the feats of elusive "WildBunch" bots, that was priced CRAZY expensive during the event, and disappeared afterwards?
It was a testserver, February 2017. My live server hangar was two Leos (my Silver making machine) and weird Griffins (MoltMk1+Mk2+Tulu+Spiral) and occasionally Cossack (replacing one of the quartet) - my main beacon gold making machine.
I was saving up for a fifth slot, and my friend was buying WP and speeding up upgrades with gold. So, we run pure silver hangars and dreamt on buying BritBots.
My goal was Gareth, and my friend was seeing Galahad in his dreams.
The first testserver experience! I fit my hangar with a Fury, two Dashbots and a Tarancilot (obviously), and then realized something off about in-store bot list.
Jackpot! Those are Wunderwaffes that best players use, I though. I added Jesse for starters and decided to roll out!
(you can see REALLY BORING TestServer video here, but I'd rather you not
Even with new weaponry, Jesse disappointed me from the start. It was, basically, a Destrier, who traded HP for speed. Additional set of weapons was a joke - while Stalker got his stealth, Gareth was supercharged by a shield, and even Cossack - while having 7K less - was able to jump and bear Orkan or Taran - with Jesse all you could do is basically have Molots and Punishers to keep enemy engaged on any range, or put Magnums\Pinatas to theoretically be able to confront any type of shield. In practice whenever I ran guns ablazing at the enemy, I was outgunned and pinned to death.
Next time I tried Butch, but he was awful with Nashorn\Zeus combo, even at knife fighting. I was utterly disappointed (you can see another REALLY BORING video with improved visuals on a test server
I decided to even not to try out a Doc - after all it had no heavy weapon slot, lack of any type of armor (or even the ability to mount a shield) which translated into subpar performance compared to Galahad\Carnage\Vityaz\Golem\Boa, and only two medium slots being available simultaneously would make it under-Rogatka in my opinion. Just a tad faster (it was the times before the Rog update), unable to jump, with a tad more health.
Again, who need another set of weapons when you can't use all four of them at your will?
Utter disappointment.
Well, I thought, maybe 4xTrebuchet Butch was OK bot. But I never wanted to pilot a sniper bot. Crossed out these guys from my bucket list, until...
The 3rd Anniversary event!
I was so pumped about many reports of great things coming out of the chests, that I decided to test my luck to finally win Fury, Galahad or at least a Butch;
even put some real money into spins! In the end I spent about 19K gold, got back more than 63K worth of equipment - how's THAT for exchange rate?
Though, I get no bots I was craving for at that moment (Fury\Galahad), but Lady Luck gave me 3xJesses and 2xDocs, and A ?poo-poo?LOAD of weaponry.
Due to massive grind for a Rog, I drained from Diamond down to Gold2. Not caring about League standings too much, and having so much WW bots that I could've run a full hangar of WW bots, I decided to give it a go.
But wait, there are three lights and two mediums? It is insanity to run no-heavy hangar, right?
Well, what you call "insanity" I call "fun"!
I got bots to lvl2 (because it is VERY fast thing to do), put some new level5 weaponry on them, as well as old trusty 8-9 ones, and gave it a go.
Started with this:
Without further ado, I present you builds, tricks and shortcomings of the gunslingers I learned during the course of a month!
Common traits.
- Team players. Chances are - you die if you be active in the open for longer than a minute alone.
- Capable of dealing MASSIVE damage to the enemy in a matter of seconds (3~10 seconds, namely) at close or mid-range.
- Cannot hold a good punch. Mediocre health (not THAT bad, though) and no ability to Ancile\ECU yourself.
- Awful long-rangers. Having only 2 slots at single moment does not allow you to take advantage of a split second your enemy expose itself.
- Good runners. Very fast for its class.
- Designed to get the beacons. If you are not doing that - you are playing them wrong.
- Capable midrangers. Staying away from plasma and bullets allows you to have enough time to switch slots.
Those were the traits similar for both Doc and Jesse; let's dive into some details now.
Jesse – leave (sic!) to shoot another day.
EXCELLENT at capping beacons, harassing enemies and supporting other fighters.
Let's see its Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Can hide ANYWHERE (small frame, no sticking out parts)
- Very fast (same speed as Gareth, 2 km/h slower than Stalker, arguably faster than the Rogatka due to very fast torso and leg response rate)
- QuickDraw works perfectly well with reload cycle of every weapon available
- Bleak colors (in a basic paint; can blend in and hide from snipers behind obstacles)
- Mediocre, but still doable health (still better than Gareth against Splash); recent +10% helps here, too
- Placement of hands allow it to either cornershoot, or "aboveshoot" - which was previously available only to Heavy weapons (think Carnage or Fury as the best examples)
- Four hardpoints make it very well equipped bot - you can use splash+plasma or close\midrange. More on builds later.
Cons:
- Not the FASTEST bot our there
- Inability to mount ECU (arguably, would be awesome alternative for the Galahad and definitely better Gareth)
- Instadeath on any open map vs sniper if you are not careful. Inability to go stealth\shield doesn't help here.
Naturally, Pros and Cons dictate unique gameplay style, but to understand Jesse style better, I managed to come up with a list of "Dos and Don'ts” for it.
Dos and Don'ts - and some tips.
DO run away. Every time, all the time. To reload, to wait for QuickDraw, to hide from shots, to wait for teammates, to wait for opportunity to strike...
DO capture beacons. Jesse is awesome at scaring enemy away, capping beacon and running back to your team.
DO keep enemy from advancing while waiting for your team, if needed. A single Jesse is capable of holding enemies up to ~30 seconds 1vs3 (ballpark numbers, do not take it for granted). Spoiler alert - you die in the process! Use it in emergency. Read below for more detailed tips.
DO flank the enemy who is engaged in a fight already and pack a punch
DO kill single slow brawler enemy. Make sure it got no Splash\Thunder weapon though. You are good against plasma\bullet Rhino, Lance, Griff, Leo, Natty, Fury, Carnage, Butch, Doc - that's what I experienced myself. Maybe more.
DO outrun a red Gareth. Just give him a friendly shot so he closes the shield, and then you are 20% faster. Just keep an eye on him while running away.
DO try to kill a cloaked Stalker with your lower pair of arms. You will hit it, just some practice needed!
NOT try to use it against snipers at long range.
NOT try to outrun a Hydra. If you got a lock-on it WILL reach out and hit you unless you hide.
NOT ever pour a water into an acid. The right way is to pour acid to the water.
NOT try to brawl in a Jesse 1-on-1 in the open with the enemy when he sees you, and it's 350+ range. Or it sees you and got splash\Thunder weaponry.
NOT try to use it as a sniper.
NOT try to take on a Carnage. Thunder or Zeus. While possible, it takes a LOT of effort and time; it's better to go and cap some beacon instead.
NOT fire lower(side) hands Aphid\Pinata\Pin\Spiral facing uphill. Chances are rockets hit the ground and explode prematurely.
TIP Learn to use different set of arms for a different occasion.
TIP Upper arms do wonders on Powerplant, seaside. Just go into the "grass" and shoot at the "concrete floor" level. You will be hit only by plasma at close range, or by some percentage of bullet\splash projectiles. Also, the Lance can be hit upclose (~3-5m) with upper set of hands ABOVE THE ARMOUR. So you deal damage directly to the bot.
TIP Side arms can be used to cornershoot, or at Moon Beacon site, to shoot from sides, while being protected.
TIP Lance can't aim his hands at you when you hug him. In case there's only one Lance and no wall nearby - it's a 90% win for you. There are counter-tricks, but we will uphold it, because - hey, Lances are a bit OP ;)
TIP When facing a Raijin, your main target is to make it turn to you. You need to hide after that and let teammate do the dirty work. Shoot 1-3 times and be ready to hide (ideally point your feet prior to shooting). If you got no teammate nearby - you are doing it wrong, Jesse loves a company.
Now I feel it's the time to go into the different builds and its peculiarities.
BUILDS for Jesse
This bot can't exchange fire for a prolonged period of time, but can hide and dictate range of engagement.
I’ll just cross out builds that are not suited for his peculiarities, and detail ones that are:
Gekko, Molot, Punisher - need to stay in a direct LineOfSight with the enemy. Not good. Use only if you are fan of the weapon, or got upgraded set.
Noricum - bad weapon. Might get some use after rebalance (possible).
Full set (4 of the same):
4xAphids
A sucker punch. Honda Civic of the WildWest gang. Nobody's dreamcar. Fun at first, but gets boring very fast. Does NOT work against snipers at all.
Aphid reload times just great with QuickDraw. While I'd say it's better than Aphid Patton. You can dodge enemy fire, you CAN fire Aphids one-by-one.
But in the end, it's "just a faster Patton"
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
4xPin
Not really a setup. Just a harras-MEN toy.
You get the beacon and scare the enemy. Or tease that Fury, while evading Tridents.
TopTip: if you see the enemy is about to turn a corner - SHOOT IT! Not for the hit. Just let the enemy see the explosion. He would slow down, so you can get away or, vice versa, grab the beacon.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
4xPinata
Used to be my favorite before Pinata nerf (yes, it was NERFED in terms of missile damage, full clip damage, burst damage, DPS and cycle DPS. The only good thing - reload while fire - removed the need to use it with QuickDraw).
Now - not so much. Too slow RPS, too low DPS, too short range. Can be used in a heat of battle as a finishing blow, though.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
4xSpiral
While pretty fun to shoot at 600m, has I'd recommend paring it with closer range weaponry for harder punch.
Fun to keep Hydra\Zeus\RDB at bay.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
4xMagnums
Man, this joke is getting old.
Combined set (2same+2another):
When using combined set, it's best to utilize different types of weaponry - either Medium+Short range, or Splash+Energy.
2xSpiral+2xAphid
Jesse is known to change range VERY fast, so sometimes it's best to move out of reach\jump of your enemy, while still be able to hit him.
After the update Spirals are doing decent job, and their A.I. is a top-notch, so you might want to pair it with the Aphids.
Not a big punch, but will distract enemies pretty good.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
2xAphid+2xPinata
One of the best setups. You can hit enemy behind the cover, you can reach him at 350m, and when it comes to brawling - you could pack a punch, with BOTH splash AND fire-when-reload weaponry. And then just hide and send some more love over with the Aphids. Nice!
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPin+2xMagnum
My personal favorite. Beacon capper best. Choice of the Cassius Clay. Scare the enemy off the beacon from 500m, kill the Ancile bots, dance around Lance\Leo\Natty\Butch\Rhino while keep dealing tons of Plasma damage. Keep on dancing!
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPin+2xPinata
Keep the pressure on the enemy from 500m and to the hug distance. Can wreck a Gareth, and, if you are swift and lucky, Galahad too. Very bad against Ancile bearers. Not so good against other fast bots or really tough ones (think Leo-Raijin)
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
Doc – A bit slower Jesse on steroids.
Let's see it's Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Got four of the best hardpoints available – medium ones.
- Pretty fast (faster than the Galahad, with swift torso and leg responce rate)
- Bleak colors (in a basic paint; can blend in and hide from snipers behind obstacles)
- Good health for its class
- Placement of hands allow it to either cornershoot, or "aboveshoot" - which was previously available only to Heavy weapons (think Carnage or Fury as the best examples)
- Four hardpoints make it very well-equipped bot - you can use splash+plasma or close\midrange. More on builds later.
Cons:
- QuickDraw cooldown does not go well with every weapon reload time.
- Not the FASTEST bot out there, even in its class
- Inability to mount ECU (would be overpowered with the ability, though)
- Easily gets stuck on slopes (this promised to be fixed in 3.0, but not sure yet)
- Hands are too big and too wide apart, you can cling on while turning around the corner
- Sometimes when you QuickDraw while trying to stick to the wall to keep low profile – you could be moved by your own hands spreading.
Naturally, Pros and Cons dictate unique gameplay style, but I managed to get a list of "Dos and Don'ts” for it. While some of them are similar to Jesse’s, some are not. I’ll just repeat ones’ worth repeating, to make it comfortable to read.
Dos and Don'ts - and some tips.
DO run away. Every time, all the time. To reload, wait for QuickDraw, hide from shots, wait for teammates, wait for opportunity...
DO capture beacons. It's awesome at scaring enemy away, capping beacon and running back to your team.
DO keep enemy from advancing while waiting for your team. A single Doc is capable of holding enemies up to ~40 seconds 1vs3 (ballpark numbers, do not take it for granted). Of course you die in the process. Use to give your team a strategic advantage. Keep your distance and scare enemies while doing so!
DO flank the enemy who is engaged in a fight already and pack a punch
DO overwhelm the enemy with constant barrage of fire. Just keep it coming.
DO outrun a red Galahad. Just give him a friendly shot so he closes the shield, and then you are +20% faster. Just keep an eye on him while running away.
NOT be afraid of ANY shielded bot. You will either outrun or outgun it.
NOT try to use it against snipers at long range.
NOT ever drink brandy with the lemon. It kills the flavor.
NOT try to brawl 1-on-1 in the open with heavy enemy when he sees you, and it's 350+ range. Or it sees you and got splash\Thunder weaponry.
NOT try to use it as a sniper.
NOT try to take on a Carnage. Thunder or Zeus. Take a LOT of effort and time; it's better to go and cap some beacon instead.
TIP use different set of arms for a different occasion. Side arms can be used to cornershoot, or at Moon Beacon site, to shoot from sides, while being protected.
TIP if you use Hydra+else hybrid setup put Hydra first, it will be your “high” set of hands. Hydra rockets could fire over the obstacle, and you can completely hide and shoot, while keeping your bot narrow (so hands won’t stick out and won’t be affected by splash or high spread weaponry).
Now I feel it's the time to go into the different builds and its peculiarities.
BUILDS for Doc
Though on paper Doc got the same firepower per second as a Rog, and can outrun the missiles to some extent, he got no "escape" button, got less firepower than the Galahad and lacks a shield. This dictates pretty unique gameplay style; player must at the same time have enough time to deal 4xhardpoints damage, while keeping escape route or a cover nearby.
While health allows it to take some beating, it's better not to overuse it, and try not to exchange punches.
Best strategies are:
- Cap the beacon, scare away the enemy
- Attach yourself to durable teammate, providing immerse upgrade in firepower
- Keep fight at midrange, hitting fast and hiding while not firing
- Ambush and trickery
To my liking, it's not worth using 4xTaran, 4xMolots or 4xPunishers with the Doc. The firepower provided by only single pair of weaponry is not enough to be a real threat, while absence of a shield\jump doesn't allow you to hold a punch vs medium\heavy bot, and 51 km/h speed without jump is not enough to catch lights.
Full set (4 of the same):
4xOrkan
One trick pony. With limited range, it's a sucker punch (using this term again! B-o-o-o-ring!) but immerse damage potential it's a bot destroyer. Was overpowered back in the days when Orkan could spit out 10 rockets per second, now with only 8.3 is not so much overpowered, and need additional buddy to shield you from the enemy. Or a cover. Expect Doc to die very fast if used in the open.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
4xTulumbas
Typical Doc build. Cheeseburger with fries and cola of the WarRobots. Toyota Camry of the WildWest bunch. Good range +speed allow you to keep on hitting enemies while staying out of reach. Could even be used as a knifer build, to some extent. However, be advised - while TuluDoc got greater burst potential than RDB, you will lose if it comes to fight using "fire when reload" mode - RDB got 4 weapons available simultaneously, and it got HP advantage.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
4xHydra
The safest build of them all. Ultimate Annoyer of the Fury. RDB distractor. Mercy shot master. Got a lot of ways to be used. You can open the game with that bot on long maps, cap beacons and keep on firing missile at a time at the enemy snipers, making it harder for them to aim. You can bring it in a battle a lot later, when there are many crippled reds, and deliver the mercy shots. Also, you can keep enemy Fujins from advancing, force them to stay in Sentry. Other strategy is keep "testing out" the enemy, hitting only one missile at a time, but when you see the opportunity - QuickSwitch to a fresh pair and swarm them.
Just keep in mind that damage is not that good even after the update, and it's not a knife fighter by any means. Which leads us to the “combined” set of builds...
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
Combined set (2same+2another)
When using combined set it's best to utilize different types of weaponry - either Medium+Short range, or Splash+Energy, to surprise the enemy or be prepared to take on any bot fate throw at you.
Notice: you could replace "Orkan" with "Taran" in combined setup, but I feel Tarans lacking a burst punch and is not effective against Gareth\Galahad\Rhino\Lance\Raijin at all; while with Orkans you could run into the Ancile to kill the enemy.
2xHydra+2xOrkan
Now we talking! The Deceiver, the Drosera, the Loki of them all. Spawn this bot in the start of the match, go for the beacon while noticing beacon capper heading same way. Start hitting him with Hydra on the run. Make those Stalker use stealth prematurely! Make those Gareth turn off the shield for speed boots and become vulnerable for your snipers! Irritated Gareth\Stalker\Rog\Cossack\Rhino\Galahad would move in for the kill... only to meet his death in your second set of hands.
MIGHT also work with Tarans, but will be not as good vs shielded bots.
Hydra in this build still works nice versus sniper bots, RDB, Trident\Zeus Furies; great against fast\small\jumpy bots, hitting them in the air, on the ground, on the run. Just don't forget to upgrade it.
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xTulumbas+2xOrkan
Effective splash all-rounder setup. Start from 500m, and when enemy try to close in for the kill - switch to Orkans for faster meltdown. Though 4xTulu is more versatile, allow you to keep away from Plasma.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
2xTaran+2xOrkan
Swiss army knife. Not very useful as such due to extremely close range, but could make you feel warm and cozy - you are basically ready to any bot that's coming for you! In all seriousness - don't recommend. Doc is not a knifer.
FUN: 0 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPunishers+2xOrkans
Another Swiss army knife build, but with a twist. It's the ultimate anti-Ancilot and anti-Carnage tool. Shred the Ancile from far away and IF they dare to move in closer during your reload - finish the job with Orkans; Yippie-Ki-Yay mother?firetruck?er!
Don't forget to bring a friend to shield you from the direct fire, though.
P.s. why not Molot+Orkan or Molot+Tulu? The answer is simple - not enough damage. Two Molots are too weak vs Ancile, and 2xTulu is not enough even to bring Gareth down. And you are no good in close range at all. And the reload is way too long.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
And some BONUS stuff:
Doc and Jesse are fast. Not very durable. Best combined firepower out there.
THIS is how WW bots should be used:
And definitely NOT like this:
WARNING: I experienced A LOT of times QuickDraw is not working for me while in the heat of a battle. If you need to switch weapons - click it SEVERAL TIMES. Cooldown wont' let you "MisSwitch" it (is it even a word?), there is nothing worse than to see you were using exhausted pair of weapons and died because of QuickDraw glitch.
Sometimes it has something to do with the lag, sometimes with other "buttons" being pressed at the same time.
WARNING#2: it is possible to click "QuickDraw" while firing fast enough to NOT empty first clip. You don't want to switch weapons and notice that there are 1\3 of a clip left intact in inactive weapon. This is particularly painful in case or Punishers\Molots\Hydra\Taran – you will need to switch back, finish the clip and only then reload will start.?But it’s not very nice to understand that you left some ammo in first set of weapon instead of leaving it inside of the red bot, too. Pay attention - empty the clip fully, then press "QuickDraw".
And some gameplay videos from the portrayed period:
DeadCity
Yamantau
Moon
Springfield
As was promised to: zephyr1138 , drake1588 , RagingFire , Tatamat , Poopface , ⓣⓡⓘⓒⓚⓨ48 and not to forget the ones who this was NOT promised to (DarkVagabond , llama4president , moody , Thunderkiss , @jarvis , Шɑɡɡɪή , Paps - I am looking at you here)- this article is a second installment in a trilogy, being the direct sequel to "A Fistful of Dollars" war-robots-forum.freeforums.net/thread/10286/ as we continue exactly where we left off in the first part - The 3rd Anniversary event!
I've been postponing this article a bit, but it's better this way, because now I have two more builds to add.
(spoiler alert: author actually PAID MONEY for a FREE game!)
And of course, the third part of the trilogy would be prequel, set in late 2015~ yearly 2016;
We will HACK THE TIME BACK! to search for answers for the question:
"What Good, Bad and Ugly (walking) War Robots features we are missing out", or "Lost promises, unfinished prototypes and fun facts (with pictures!)"
As usual, everything listed here is based on my personal experience.
It is iOS, Gold~Expert league experience.
A lot of it was obtained in pre-2.9.1 era (when nothing except the Orkans could reload while firing).
I waited a bit to see if this would be relevant with the next update, and I am glad it is. With Jesse getting +10% HP it's even more fun a viable now.
As usual, there would be several sections, for those who got no time to read through the bull?poo-poo?, and for those who got some beer\coffee and a spare time.
NO BULL?poo-poo? SECTION:
0) No, there is NO BUTCH here.
1) Yes, they are FUN.
2) No, they are NOT good for CHAMPION LEAGUE.
3) No, you should NOT BUY these bots if price seems high for you (see p.2)
4) Yes, THEY perform GOOD in battle (however see p.2)
5) Yes, you CAN PLAY on Yamantau or a Moon (or any other map) with only WW bots.
6) The best DOC setup so far is HYDRA+ORKAN.
7) The best JESSE setup so far is PIN+MAGNUM.
So, let's get some music and begin the journey!
Arranged version
Or, if you are picky - clean acoustic guitar
Introduction (feel free to skip)
I remember the first time I got my hands on WildWest bots.
Chinese New Year just passed, and I was wondering what are the feats of elusive "WildBunch" bots, that was priced CRAZY expensive during the event, and disappeared afterwards?
It was a testserver, February 2017. My live server hangar was two Leos (my Silver making machine) and weird Griffins (MoltMk1+Mk2+Tulu+Spiral) and occasionally Cossack (replacing one of the quartet) - my main beacon gold making machine.
I was saving up for a fifth slot, and my friend was buying WP and speeding up upgrades with gold. So, we run pure silver hangars and dreamt on buying BritBots.
My goal was Gareth, and my friend was seeing Galahad in his dreams.
The first testserver experience! I fit my hangar with a Fury, two Dashbots and a Tarancilot (obviously), and then realized something off about in-store bot list.
Jackpot! Those are Wunderwaffes that best players use, I though. I added Jesse for starters and decided to roll out!
(you can see REALLY BORING TestServer video here, but I'd rather you not
Even with new weaponry, Jesse disappointed me from the start. It was, basically, a Destrier, who traded HP for speed. Additional set of weapons was a joke - while Stalker got his stealth, Gareth was supercharged by a shield, and even Cossack - while having 7K less - was able to jump and bear Orkan or Taran - with Jesse all you could do is basically have Molots and Punishers to keep enemy engaged on any range, or put Magnums\Pinatas to theoretically be able to confront any type of shield. In practice whenever I ran guns ablazing at the enemy, I was outgunned and pinned to death.
Next time I tried Butch, but he was awful with Nashorn\Zeus combo, even at knife fighting. I was utterly disappointed (you can see another REALLY BORING video with improved visuals on a test server
I decided to even not to try out a Doc - after all it had no heavy weapon slot, lack of any type of armor (or even the ability to mount a shield) which translated into subpar performance compared to Galahad\Carnage\Vityaz\Golem\Boa, and only two medium slots being available simultaneously would make it under-Rogatka in my opinion. Just a tad faster (it was the times before the Rog update), unable to jump, with a tad more health.
Again, who need another set of weapons when you can't use all four of them at your will?
Utter disappointment.
Well, I thought, maybe 4xTrebuchet Butch was OK bot. But I never wanted to pilot a sniper bot. Crossed out these guys from my bucket list, until...
The 3rd Anniversary event!
I was so pumped about many reports of great things coming out of the chests, that I decided to test my luck to finally win Fury, Galahad or at least a Butch;
even put some real money into spins! In the end I spent about 19K gold, got back more than 63K worth of equipment - how's THAT for exchange rate?
Though, I get no bots I was craving for at that moment (Fury\Galahad), but Lady Luck gave me 3xJesses and 2xDocs, and A ?poo-poo?LOAD of weaponry.
Due to massive grind for a Rog, I drained from Diamond down to Gold2. Not caring about League standings too much, and having so much WW bots that I could've run a full hangar of WW bots, I decided to give it a go.
But wait, there are three lights and two mediums? It is insanity to run no-heavy hangar, right?
Well, what you call "insanity" I call "fun"!
I got bots to lvl2 (because it is VERY fast thing to do), put some new level5 weaponry on them, as well as old trusty 8-9 ones, and gave it a go.
Started with this:
Without further ado, I present you builds, tricks and shortcomings of the gunslingers I learned during the course of a month!
Common traits.
- Team players. Chances are - you die if you be active in the open for longer than a minute alone.
- Capable of dealing MASSIVE damage to the enemy in a matter of seconds (3~10 seconds, namely) at close or mid-range.
- Cannot hold a good punch. Mediocre health (not THAT bad, though) and no ability to Ancile\ECU yourself.
- Awful long-rangers. Having only 2 slots at single moment does not allow you to take advantage of a split second your enemy expose itself.
- Good runners. Very fast for its class.
- Designed to get the beacons. If you are not doing that - you are playing them wrong.
- Capable midrangers. Staying away from plasma and bullets allows you to have enough time to switch slots.
Those were the traits similar for both Doc and Jesse; let's dive into some details now.
Jesse – leave (sic!) to shoot another day.
EXCELLENT at capping beacons, harassing enemies and supporting other fighters.
Let's see its Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Can hide ANYWHERE (small frame, no sticking out parts)
- Very fast (same speed as Gareth, 2 km/h slower than Stalker, arguably faster than the Rogatka due to very fast torso and leg response rate)
- QuickDraw works perfectly well with reload cycle of every weapon available
- Bleak colors (in a basic paint; can blend in and hide from snipers behind obstacles)
- Mediocre, but still doable health (still better than Gareth against Splash); recent +10% helps here, too
- Placement of hands allow it to either cornershoot, or "aboveshoot" - which was previously available only to Heavy weapons (think Carnage or Fury as the best examples)
- Four hardpoints make it very well equipped bot - you can use splash+plasma or close\midrange. More on builds later.
Cons:
- Not the FASTEST bot our there
- Inability to mount ECU (arguably, would be awesome alternative for the Galahad and definitely better Gareth)
- Instadeath on any open map vs sniper if you are not careful. Inability to go stealth\shield doesn't help here.
Naturally, Pros and Cons dictate unique gameplay style, but to understand Jesse style better, I managed to come up with a list of "Dos and Don'ts” for it.
Dos and Don'ts - and some tips.
DO run away. Every time, all the time. To reload, to wait for QuickDraw, to hide from shots, to wait for teammates, to wait for opportunity to strike...
DO capture beacons. Jesse is awesome at scaring enemy away, capping beacon and running back to your team.
DO keep enemy from advancing while waiting for your team, if needed. A single Jesse is capable of holding enemies up to ~30 seconds 1vs3 (ballpark numbers, do not take it for granted). Spoiler alert - you die in the process! Use it in emergency. Read below for more detailed tips.
DO flank the enemy who is engaged in a fight already and pack a punch
DO kill single slow brawler enemy. Make sure it got no Splash\Thunder weapon though. You are good against plasma\bullet Rhino, Lance, Griff, Leo, Natty, Fury, Carnage, Butch, Doc - that's what I experienced myself. Maybe more.
DO outrun a red Gareth. Just give him a friendly shot so he closes the shield, and then you are 20% faster. Just keep an eye on him while running away.
DO try to kill a cloaked Stalker with your lower pair of arms. You will hit it, just some practice needed!
NOT try to use it against snipers at long range.
NOT try to outrun a Hydra. If you got a lock-on it WILL reach out and hit you unless you hide.
NOT ever pour a water into an acid. The right way is to pour acid to the water.
NOT try to brawl in a Jesse 1-on-1 in the open with the enemy when he sees you, and it's 350+ range. Or it sees you and got splash\Thunder weaponry.
NOT try to use it as a sniper.
NOT try to take on a Carnage. Thunder or Zeus. While possible, it takes a LOT of effort and time; it's better to go and cap some beacon instead.
NOT fire lower(side) hands Aphid\Pinata\Pin\Spiral facing uphill. Chances are rockets hit the ground and explode prematurely.
TIP Learn to use different set of arms for a different occasion.
TIP Upper arms do wonders on Powerplant, seaside. Just go into the "grass" and shoot at the "concrete floor" level. You will be hit only by plasma at close range, or by some percentage of bullet\splash projectiles. Also, the Lance can be hit upclose (~3-5m) with upper set of hands ABOVE THE ARMOUR. So you deal damage directly to the bot.
TIP Side arms can be used to cornershoot, or at Moon Beacon site, to shoot from sides, while being protected.
TIP Lance can't aim his hands at you when you hug him. In case there's only one Lance and no wall nearby - it's a 90% win for you. There are counter-tricks, but we will uphold it, because - hey, Lances are a bit OP ;)
TIP When facing a Raijin, your main target is to make it turn to you. You need to hide after that and let teammate do the dirty work. Shoot 1-3 times and be ready to hide (ideally point your feet prior to shooting). If you got no teammate nearby - you are doing it wrong, Jesse loves a company.
Now I feel it's the time to go into the different builds and its peculiarities.
BUILDS for Jesse
This bot can't exchange fire for a prolonged period of time, but can hide and dictate range of engagement.
I’ll just cross out builds that are not suited for his peculiarities, and detail ones that are:
Gekko, Molot, Punisher - need to stay in a direct LineOfSight with the enemy. Not good. Use only if you are fan of the weapon, or got upgraded set.
Noricum - bad weapon. Might get some use after rebalance (possible).
Full set (4 of the same):
4xAphids
A sucker punch. Honda Civic of the WildWest gang. Nobody's dreamcar. Fun at first, but gets boring very fast. Does NOT work against snipers at all.
Aphid reload times just great with QuickDraw. While I'd say it's better than Aphid Patton. You can dodge enemy fire, you CAN fire Aphids one-by-one.
But in the end, it's "just a faster Patton"
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
4xPin
Not really a setup. Just a harras-MEN toy.
You get the beacon and scare the enemy. Or tease that Fury, while evading Tridents.
TopTip: if you see the enemy is about to turn a corner - SHOOT IT! Not for the hit. Just let the enemy see the explosion. He would slow down, so you can get away or, vice versa, grab the beacon.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
4xPinata
Used to be my favorite before Pinata nerf (yes, it was NERFED in terms of missile damage, full clip damage, burst damage, DPS and cycle DPS. The only good thing - reload while fire - removed the need to use it with QuickDraw).
Now - not so much. Too slow RPS, too low DPS, too short range. Can be used in a heat of battle as a finishing blow, though.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
4xSpiral
While pretty fun to shoot at 600m, has I'd recommend paring it with closer range weaponry for harder punch.
Fun to keep Hydra\Zeus\RDB at bay.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
4xMagnums
Man, this joke is getting old.
Combined set (2same+2another):
When using combined set, it's best to utilize different types of weaponry - either Medium+Short range, or Splash+Energy.
2xSpiral+2xAphid
Jesse is known to change range VERY fast, so sometimes it's best to move out of reach\jump of your enemy, while still be able to hit him.
After the update Spirals are doing decent job, and their A.I. is a top-notch, so you might want to pair it with the Aphids.
Not a big punch, but will distract enemies pretty good.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
2xAphid+2xPinata
One of the best setups. You can hit enemy behind the cover, you can reach him at 350m, and when it comes to brawling - you could pack a punch, with BOTH splash AND fire-when-reload weaponry. And then just hide and send some more love over with the Aphids. Nice!
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPin+2xMagnum
My personal favorite. Beacon capper best. Choice of the Cassius Clay. Scare the enemy off the beacon from 500m, kill the Ancile bots, dance around Lance\Leo\Natty\Butch\Rhino while keep dealing tons of Plasma damage. Keep on dancing!
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPin+2xPinata
Keep the pressure on the enemy from 500m and to the hug distance. Can wreck a Gareth, and, if you are swift and lucky, Galahad too. Very bad against Ancile bearers. Not so good against other fast bots or really tough ones (think Leo-Raijin)
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
Doc – A bit slower Jesse on steroids.
Let's see it's Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Got four of the best hardpoints available – medium ones.
- Pretty fast (faster than the Galahad, with swift torso and leg responce rate)
- Bleak colors (in a basic paint; can blend in and hide from snipers behind obstacles)
- Good health for its class
- Placement of hands allow it to either cornershoot, or "aboveshoot" - which was previously available only to Heavy weapons (think Carnage or Fury as the best examples)
- Four hardpoints make it very well-equipped bot - you can use splash+plasma or close\midrange. More on builds later.
Cons:
- QuickDraw cooldown does not go well with every weapon reload time.
- Not the FASTEST bot out there, even in its class
- Inability to mount ECU (would be overpowered with the ability, though)
- Easily gets stuck on slopes (this promised to be fixed in 3.0, but not sure yet)
- Hands are too big and too wide apart, you can cling on while turning around the corner
- Sometimes when you QuickDraw while trying to stick to the wall to keep low profile – you could be moved by your own hands spreading.
Naturally, Pros and Cons dictate unique gameplay style, but I managed to get a list of "Dos and Don'ts” for it. While some of them are similar to Jesse’s, some are not. I’ll just repeat ones’ worth repeating, to make it comfortable to read.
Dos and Don'ts - and some tips.
DO run away. Every time, all the time. To reload, wait for QuickDraw, hide from shots, wait for teammates, wait for opportunity...
DO capture beacons. It's awesome at scaring enemy away, capping beacon and running back to your team.
DO keep enemy from advancing while waiting for your team. A single Doc is capable of holding enemies up to ~40 seconds 1vs3 (ballpark numbers, do not take it for granted). Of course you die in the process. Use to give your team a strategic advantage. Keep your distance and scare enemies while doing so!
DO flank the enemy who is engaged in a fight already and pack a punch
DO overwhelm the enemy with constant barrage of fire. Just keep it coming.
DO outrun a red Galahad. Just give him a friendly shot so he closes the shield, and then you are +20% faster. Just keep an eye on him while running away.
NOT be afraid of ANY shielded bot. You will either outrun or outgun it.
NOT try to use it against snipers at long range.
NOT ever drink brandy with the lemon. It kills the flavor.
NOT try to brawl 1-on-1 in the open with heavy enemy when he sees you, and it's 350+ range. Or it sees you and got splash\Thunder weaponry.
NOT try to use it as a sniper.
NOT try to take on a Carnage. Thunder or Zeus. Take a LOT of effort and time; it's better to go and cap some beacon instead.
TIP use different set of arms for a different occasion. Side arms can be used to cornershoot, or at Moon Beacon site, to shoot from sides, while being protected.
TIP if you use Hydra+else hybrid setup put Hydra first, it will be your “high” set of hands. Hydra rockets could fire over the obstacle, and you can completely hide and shoot, while keeping your bot narrow (so hands won’t stick out and won’t be affected by splash or high spread weaponry).
Now I feel it's the time to go into the different builds and its peculiarities.
BUILDS for Doc
Though on paper Doc got the same firepower per second as a Rog, and can outrun the missiles to some extent, he got no "escape" button, got less firepower than the Galahad and lacks a shield. This dictates pretty unique gameplay style; player must at the same time have enough time to deal 4xhardpoints damage, while keeping escape route or a cover nearby.
While health allows it to take some beating, it's better not to overuse it, and try not to exchange punches.
Best strategies are:
- Cap the beacon, scare away the enemy
- Attach yourself to durable teammate, providing immerse upgrade in firepower
- Keep fight at midrange, hitting fast and hiding while not firing
- Ambush and trickery
To my liking, it's not worth using 4xTaran, 4xMolots or 4xPunishers with the Doc. The firepower provided by only single pair of weaponry is not enough to be a real threat, while absence of a shield\jump doesn't allow you to hold a punch vs medium\heavy bot, and 51 km/h speed without jump is not enough to catch lights.
Full set (4 of the same):
4xOrkan
One trick pony. With limited range, it's a sucker punch (using this term again! B-o-o-o-ring!) but immerse damage potential it's a bot destroyer. Was overpowered back in the days when Orkan could spit out 10 rockets per second, now with only 8.3 is not so much overpowered, and need additional buddy to shield you from the enemy. Or a cover. Expect Doc to die very fast if used in the open.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
4xTulumbas
Typical Doc build. Cheeseburger with fries and cola of the WarRobots. Toyota Camry of the WildWest bunch. Good range +speed allow you to keep on hitting enemies while staying out of reach. Could even be used as a knifer build, to some extent. However, be advised - while TuluDoc got greater burst potential than RDB, you will lose if it comes to fight using "fire when reload" mode - RDB got 4 weapons available simultaneously, and it got HP advantage.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
4xHydra
The safest build of them all. Ultimate Annoyer of the Fury. RDB distractor. Mercy shot master. Got a lot of ways to be used. You can open the game with that bot on long maps, cap beacons and keep on firing missile at a time at the enemy snipers, making it harder for them to aim. You can bring it in a battle a lot later, when there are many crippled reds, and deliver the mercy shots. Also, you can keep enemy Fujins from advancing, force them to stay in Sentry. Other strategy is keep "testing out" the enemy, hitting only one missile at a time, but when you see the opportunity - QuickSwitch to a fresh pair and swarm them.
Just keep in mind that damage is not that good even after the update, and it's not a knife fighter by any means. Which leads us to the “combined” set of builds...
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
Combined set (2same+2another)
When using combined set it's best to utilize different types of weaponry - either Medium+Short range, or Splash+Energy, to surprise the enemy or be prepared to take on any bot fate throw at you.
Notice: you could replace "Orkan" with "Taran" in combined setup, but I feel Tarans lacking a burst punch and is not effective against Gareth\Galahad\Rhino\Lance\Raijin at all; while with Orkans you could run into the Ancile to kill the enemy.
2xHydra+2xOrkan
Now we talking! The Deceiver, the Drosera, the Loki of them all. Spawn this bot in the start of the match, go for the beacon while noticing beacon capper heading same way. Start hitting him with Hydra on the run. Make those Stalker use stealth prematurely! Make those Gareth turn off the shield for speed boots and become vulnerable for your snipers! Irritated Gareth\Stalker\Rog\Cossack\Rhino\Galahad would move in for the kill... only to meet his death in your second set of hands.
MIGHT also work with Tarans, but will be not as good vs shielded bots.
Hydra in this build still works nice versus sniper bots, RDB, Trident\Zeus Furies; great against fast\small\jumpy bots, hitting them in the air, on the ground, on the run. Just don't forget to upgrade it.
FUN: 3 out of 3 Cossack
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
2xTulumbas+2xOrkan
Effective splash all-rounder setup. Start from 500m, and when enemy try to close in for the kill - switch to Orkans for faster meltdown. Though 4xTulu is more versatile, allow you to keep away from Plasma.
FUN: 1 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 2 out of 3 Lancelots
2xTaran+2xOrkan
Swiss army knife. Not very useful as such due to extremely close range, but could make you feel warm and cozy - you are basically ready to any bot that's coming for you! In all seriousness - don't recommend. Doc is not a knifer.
FUN: 0 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 1 out of 3 Lancelots
2xPunishers+2xOrkans
Another Swiss army knife build, but with a twist. It's the ultimate anti-Ancilot and anti-Carnage tool. Shred the Ancile from far away and IF they dare to move in closer during your reload - finish the job with Orkans; Yippie-Ki-Yay mother?firetruck?er!
Don't forget to bring a friend to shield you from the direct fire, though.
P.s. why not Molot+Orkan or Molot+Tulu? The answer is simple - not enough damage. Two Molots are too weak vs Ancile, and 2xTulu is not enough even to bring Gareth down. And you are no good in close range at all. And the reload is way too long.
FUN: 2 out of 3 Cossacks
EFFECTIVENESS: 3 out of 3 Lancelots
And some BONUS stuff:
Doc and Jesse are fast. Not very durable. Best combined firepower out there.
THIS is how WW bots should be used:
And definitely NOT like this:
WARNING: I experienced A LOT of times QuickDraw is not working for me while in the heat of a battle. If you need to switch weapons - click it SEVERAL TIMES. Cooldown wont' let you "MisSwitch" it (is it even a word?), there is nothing worse than to see you were using exhausted pair of weapons and died because of QuickDraw glitch.
Sometimes it has something to do with the lag, sometimes with other "buttons" being pressed at the same time.
WARNING#2: it is possible to click "QuickDraw" while firing fast enough to NOT empty first clip. You don't want to switch weapons and notice that there are 1\3 of a clip left intact in inactive weapon. This is particularly painful in case or Punishers\Molots\Hydra\Taran – you will need to switch back, finish the clip and only then reload will start.?But it’s not very nice to understand that you left some ammo in first set of weapon instead of leaving it inside of the red bot, too. Pay attention - empty the clip fully, then press "QuickDraw".
And some gameplay videos from the portrayed period:
DeadCity
Yamantau
Moon
Springfield
