Pixonic Announcement: Pinatas, Pins, and Tulus change

NO. I personally would NOT like to see that change... at least as things stand.

Orkans being able to do that is enough. They are a gold weapon for a reason. That reason. So either they would have to make all splash rockets Gold, or make Orkans Silver, since that feature is what makes it stand out.  And... IMO... Part of what keeps splash rockets balanced is the fact that you are left vulnerable after you let loose a salvo.  Being able to negate physical shields is a very powerful pro that, in most peoples' minds, outweighs the con of being a salvo based weapon.   If they find they just have to have a buff, maybe reduce reload time by 1 or 2 seconds at the most.

Splash rockets are, already, just about as good as it gets for short range. It's a high risk to use them, but it is also a high reward. 500m splash rockets are, arguably, the basis for the most used mid-ranged setup. Some would say the best mid-ranged setup. I don't know if I would go that far, but I definitely have killed with, and been killed by, RDB setups, many times. Not once did I feel that it was under powered. They need to be less powerful than the short-ranged versions because of the risk ratio. At 500m you take less of a risk to your bot, so the damage is good where it is. To keep it balanced, anyway.

Now, perhaps the question should be revisited once the Ancile buffs go live... Perhaps.  I didn't play on the TS that had the buff... so I don't know how much of a game changer the buff will be. BUT... Like I said above, though, as things stand, I think it would be too much to allow them the same behavior/mechanics of Orkans. 

This really... it's not going to change much of the usage of xDB builds. They aren't changing the rocket pods' DPM rates, nor burst fire rates, it will only impact the DPS rates while they are reloading+firing. As a dedicated Orkan Cossack pilot, I will tell you the DPS during reload/fire is pathetic and only useful in very specific extreme scenarios, usually centered around your opponent having a sliver of health left. It will still be the more winning strategy to camp out under cover while your rocket pods get fully reloaded, even if you have 4 of 'em.

I am for this change, it will improve the lot of the lower noob-ish tiers, as all 3 impacted weapons are obtainable by anybody with the Ag. It also provides for a bit of a tactical counter against constant-fire Magnums that said noobs don't yet have access to, and yet are forced to fight.

Honestly it sounds like a terrible idea, the rocket line of weapons are plenty strong enough. Their only drawback is the reload period, otherwise it makes rocket bots too strong.

I'm confused, how does having reload-while-firing encourage camping? If you are camping with rockets, you shouldn't be in a position to shoot anybody with them...

It's going to "match the Orkan type", so presumably
1) yes
2) yes
3) yes

wait so saying 「dookie」 changes it to that?

A Fujin with 3xOrkans already exists, and the behavior you are describing is acceptable as long as they are in range of a beacon. You seem to be counter-pointing with a well established meta-build... ?

The $5 discount-Geppard new account offer comes with 3 Pinatas, how would having a reload+firing buff change how that build is used? It's important, because that offer is part of Pixonic's one-timer revenue flow.

Next, most free2play-ers wind up with a Patton 4xPinata/Pin build, which is a camper's build no matter how good you are. Would having reload+fire change how you strategize keeping your Patton alive long enough to contribute?

I'm not being facetious or sarcastic, I honestly can't see this change having that much of an impact on current game-play strats. IMO, there is an incredible amount of 'Chicken Little' syndrome going on here.

IDK, for absolute sure, that it would be a game changer... but part of what keeps the balance for DBs now is being able to bait a pinata salvo into firing and knowing that they are unusable during that reload time and, therefore, even with a partial Ork load (if they let up after realizing you baited them), you have a chance to take them out.  Being able to stop that pinata mid-salvo sure seems like a game changer because it makes one of the most powerful setups in the game, even more so.  And an  RDB Griff that was able to just keep pelting you with 4 500m splash weapons from 499m??? Or especially a fujin with a buffed shield???!!!  That is definitely NOT good. 

Now, again... if the ancile shield buff is too OP... that may be an answer.... that remains to be seen.  But just a willy nilly "hey guys and gals... should we do this?"  No.  There is no need atm.  I understand the noob argument you make, but in all honesty noob play time is a small chunk of the average player's game.  Even if one elects to stay in silver... that would make rockets pretty much unstoppable... as things are now, at any rate.  I would expect fleets of Griffs shooting constant 500m splash from outside anything else but the other mid-ranged weapons' ranges.... so yes as was stated above... camping would be even more rampant.  I don't want MORE campers.  Just better quality ones that ditch on time and shoot the right targets and get beacons! (If I dream it... they will come!)

500m splash weapons have WAY more damage per missile.  What makes them not OP is how little there are in a salvo.  Compare 16 missiles in pinatas at 974 damage for a level 8 to 4 missiles in CRV Pins at 1758 at level 8.  A constant barrage of 4 of those missiles, whether from Patton or Griff (wouldn't matter since Tulums and CRVs use the exact same missile, just different amounts), would be devastating.

Terrible idea. Players are going to start buying these four weapons only. Pixo will then make Tulumbas/CRV Pins and Pinatas all cost gold, which will in turn make them even more money. People will start complaining. Pixo buffs other weapons. People buy those. Pixo makes them gold. Constant loop.

Ok, that's the kind of answers I'm looking for, thanks

I can imagine that now, I don't normally go for RDB setups because my DB Griff is devastating enough. That said, I ran a RDB Griff for a long time before switching to a DB build, back when I didn't understand how to keep my hanger balanced. Somebody using that 600m range to commit fairly constant splash damage for an opponent attempting to corner-fire, that's a scenario I can confidently call having it's game changed. Still, I don't see all of this as a doomsday level change.

In the bigger picture, I believe Pixonic is going a bit Pokemon/JRPG with all this. Very common for those style of games to have a rock-paper-scissors power balance scheme. We have a very similar effect here in War Robots; Rockets beat Shields (splash), Shields beat Plasma (endurance), and Plasma beats Rockets (range). Truth be told, that's how I pick my next bot to put into play, depending on what builds the NME has on the field (or just killed me with). Seems to me that Pixo is trying to make sure all points on that triangle-of-power are equalized.

@ zman:

Well, fair enough... I see your point... I just disagree... (Strictly going to address the ranged issue at this time) I think not having sustained damage is what keeps them balanced... even at a slower rate, being constantly hit (or the threat of it) from 500m out with a larger AoE splash weapon isn't going to be balanced. Especially considering the amount of Tridents, and now, Molots, and (HEIL HYDRA!) hydras and spirals, and soon to be Gekkos and , God forbid, Zenits... it's changing the dynamic further and further away from the Short Range fights to a more even mid/long range meta. If the game wasn't so geared around short range, that would be different... but it is... and this isn't real life where the best setup is the one that allows you to shoot the guy down with a missile from over 100Km away.  Yes it is more efficient and technically better... but the game is all about getting in there and swinging away. The fun for a lot of people in War Robots, judging by this forum and other places that allow feedback, is in the fisticuffs that happen at the beacons and choke-points. While there should be some effective ranged options other than short, IMO, it shouldn't out perform the short-ranged bots.  Like was stated above... there seems to be a shift towards ranged weapons as a whole.  If this was the only change... then it wouldn't be as bad... but it's a continuation of a trend that has the possibility of changing things a lot. 

Not unless the goal is to have an Ancile bot escort for your Knifers in every push to the center...

Who knows, maybe the other buffs in the "rebalancing patch" will add enough speed and HP to other bots to equal this out... but frankly, I just don't think this would be good.  Perhaps they should get the re-balance update out... let it settle and see how/if people have to change their play and if it really is balanced or not... then focus on a TS or 2 with this new mechanic?

BTW... just my opinion... I could be completely off base... ;-)

I would like this change. It will make griffins slightly less viable, but overall i dont think its a terrible idea.