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Post by S1E1 on May 21, 2023 15:55:57 GMT -5
Heard a rumor about this and looks like it's true. EM Rifles are losing auto-aim and the critical hit chance for maxed rifles is dropping from 75% down to 55%. Miniguns are getting a 20% buff.
Definitely some folks angry about this. I'm a bit in the middle. I paused upgrading my EMRs to max, but I had put some A-Coins into getting them past R6 and now I feel a bit ripped off. Also, like a lot of other folks, I am worried that this signals the start of a War Robots-style cycle, dropping OP gear, then nerfing it after all the spenders max theirs.
But that said, EMRs were OP. The fact that the one sniper weapon with an aiming laser had auto-aim was dumb. And I don't like the idea of a maxed weapon conferring an extra advantage. We already have to max mechs for the energy capacity at the least. Making it so you have to rush weapons too is just a such a money grab.
I hope losing the auto-aim doesn't make it too problematic to run these as much as I need to. Not a lot of great replacements for these. If they all of a sudden drop some new OP weapon to take its place then the verdict will be in on MA's future.
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Post by Danny Linguini on May 21, 2023 16:43:40 GMT -5
When does this take affect on the live server? I actually welcome this. EMR’s - and depending on the day, RM’s - will run through my entire hangar if I make any kind of attempt to grab beacons. Of which I have neither. On the other hand, I have a pair of Minigun 8’s and a 16 that have been collecting dust for awhile now that could maybe be worth using again, or at least be a viable option for something in slot #5. But I can certainly see you and many other players being a bit jerked about the EMR nerf - that’s pretty significant, but not at all surprising for these people. It’s gotta mean they have some other magic meta weapon waiting in the wings to reel in a few more whales. Now if they’ll just do something about RM’s - with pilots and implants now, they’re worse than ever.
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Post by S1E1 on May 21, 2023 17:08:41 GMT -5
Honestly I was surprised. Weapons have been pretty nerf resistant, which is why I invested A-Coins into getting mine maxed. Rocket Mortars were OP for like 2 years before they lowered the radius even though everyone wanted them nerfed. Railguns and Disc Launchers have held their value too. That's partly why I jumped on the EMR train with both feet. Figured it was a smart long-term move. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But if this actually signals the start of greater game balance, then I'll be cool with it.
No word on when this goes live on the main server. My guess would be this week, probably in a couple days.
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Post by salvia on May 21, 2023 17:45:26 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. There were indeed a lot of complaints with EMs being OP, but it still comes as a surprise that Plarium would actually weaken them (albeit pretty softly, all things considered).
A few quick takes :
- The EM is the top of the line sniper weapon, and overall weapon even. And it's rpetty recent. It seems a bit soon to outclass it with another Legendary replacement.
- In conjunction with the new progress path, these weakenings might signal a push from Plarium towards lower grade weapons. E.g. the LA12 which I previously mentionned. But also a future Epic sniper weapon - keep in mind the current gap between Uncommon LAs and Legendary EMs (with Rare GRs being nonexistent lmao 😂).
- I always play with auto-assist off, so if I owned an EM rifle I doubt I'd see any difference in use.
- Another (?) Minigun buff ? Man, Plarium really wants to shift these and finally get a decent ROI, it seems.
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Post by OU812? on May 21, 2023 18:29:33 GMT -5
Thanks for the info.
I have mixed feelings. In one sense, 😀 EMR nerfs! I’ve hated those things. On the other hand, it appears that the pixonic style release and nerf cycle. 🤑 Plus, did mini-guns need a buff? I’m getting thrashed by those, albeit from AI mechs.
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Post by Danny Linguini on May 21, 2023 19:44:18 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I have mixed feelings. In one sense, 😀 EMR nerfs! I’ve hated those things. On the other hand, it appears that the pixonic style release and nerf cycle. 🤑 Plus, did mini-guns need a buff? I’m getting thrashed by those, albeit from AI mechs. If the miniguns were on AI, then they’re probably cranked up to 11, along with maxed pilots and implants. The last time I used them, even Bastion didn’t have enough HP to last for as long as it took the miniguns to make dents in the fenders. The stats are very deceiving - it looks like they should do a lot of damage, but look how long it takes to empty a clip, and then how long it takes to reload. 20 seconds to do total damage, and at that you have to be within 45m of your target, who’s surely not going to stand still all that time even if you hit it with an EMP first, and then 17 seconds to reload. Between reloading, getting to and coming out of cover, you could spend half the game picking your nose between engagements. Even with the buff, that’s still a big drawback. |
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Post by lrob on May 21, 2023 22:26:18 GMT -5
I agree with the feelings of people here. Early after the introduction of the EMR, this nerf would've been a welcomed change. After all this time, it just sounds like a Pixonic cycle. I heard that not so long ago more people from Pixonic moved to Plarium...
For me this is the beginning of the end (nostalgic song).
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Post by Danny Linguini on May 21, 2023 23:46:57 GMT -5
I agree with the feelings of people here. Early after the introduction of the EMR, this nerf would've been a welcomed change. After all this time, it just sounds like a Pixonic cycle. I heard that not so long ago more people from Pixonic moved to Plarium... For me this is the beginning of the end (nostalgic song). Nothing new here, really, other than feeding top-end weapons into the cycle now. They’ve pretty much been been on this path since they came out of beta. You can’t tell me they didn’t know this thing would be OP from test server feedback. As long as there are whales spending big to max these things out within minutes of their being available, this cycle will keep repeating. |
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Post by Danny Linguini on May 22, 2023 10:03:25 GMT -5
Well I popped the Minigun 8’s on the Bastion for the specialization spree. I had a crapload of BP’s for them, so I kicked em up to 4.6, and they’re actually pretty decent now. The spin-up and long reload times keep them from being totally OP, but they otherwise shred up reds pretty good on a mech with good shielding. I just ran against an AI with them on a Panther that was doing ok, but I think Panther is too squishy for them myself. I finished the spree, but I might keep them on for awhile longer, even without a heavy duty pilot. Now that I think of it, I should go look through the parts bin for Minigun implants.
Only problem now - I have no long-range builds. Longest I have are the DL’s, which are mostly useless past 90m. Dammit.
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Post by Koalabear on May 23, 2023 6:18:59 GMT -5
Has anyone seen any evidence yet that the EMR is now like the RG in that it can hit a mech if only a bit is sticking out of cover? That was always one of the advantages of the RG over the EMR in that since it didn't have auto aim assist, it didn't have to hit centre mass and could score a hit even on a shoulder or similar. I've only played a couple of games since the nerf so I haven't seen for myself yet.
Even though I've invested so much into the EM16, I'm happy for the nerf. The EMR was crazy OP. You literally could play with your eyes half closed. Tag with laser and wait a sec before OSK'ing your target. Sheesh.
Edit....
So I've played several more games with the EM16. I HATE it even more now. Before, it was too easy to play...it was point and kill. Now, it truly is a sniper weapon and you really need to keep a bead on your target. It'll be good on some maps but I don't see it dominating as it once did. They removed the auto aim assist not just from the initial laser but also from after you've tagged your target. I don't know if that makes sense. Before, I just had to be somewhere in the vicinity of the hit box to activate the EM the tagging laser will automatically aim dead centre and then a second later, the shot will follow. If I or the target moved, the laser would "stick" with the target up to a certain extent. This last part is what I think they should have kept. Like, use the laser to "tag" a target and when it's tagged, the shot will hit whatever you've tagged - up to a certain arc extent. So, if you accidentally tagged the wall beside a target, then the EM will hit the wall unless you crank your aiming back over. So, there's no auto aim assist for the tagging laser but the tagging laser acts as a "sticky" aim.
TBH, if they'd just heavy nerfed the double damage chance, that would have been enough. That would have stopped people from doing the "six shooter pew pew" thing from behind a column or cover. Stick an arm out, PEW, KILL, stick the other arm out, PEW, KILL. If they'd heavy nerfed the double damage chance, then snipers would be forced to step all the way out to double shoot to kill a target and even then there would be a chance of survival.
Oh well, I had just R6'd my Gatecrasher. Now, looks like I'm changing things around again. I'm shelving my Gatecrasher and now focusing on my Bastion. I've found that I kinda like MR12 with Surge. It's challenging and rewarding. I want the Bastion to run my AT12s now and my Redox is now fielding my DL16s.
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Post by S1E1 on May 23, 2023 12:26:17 GMT -5
I think I like EMRs more now, tbh. Before the would be this thing where right before the shot it would yank right sometimes. Never figured out why but a whole set of touchscreen users experienced it too. That seems fixed now, so if I miss, it's just on me.
I like the aiming laser and it's feeling pretty natural. With Rails, just relying on the cross hairs was always problematic and misses are more frustrating give the long reload. Definitely got some more misses, but I am ok with it in the name of balance. Still can hit fire, pop out from cover and hit the target, but definitely tougher - I'm going to practice that more now.
Haven't really winged targets yet. I feel like there is still a little tendency for it to go to center (I am set to Vertical Targeting Assist, not Wide) but far less so. I have to play more games and see.
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Post by Koalabear on May 23, 2023 13:04:44 GMT -5
Hmm, I thought that jerking to the right was me!
Oh well, I've shelved my EM16 for now and have put in DL16 on Redox and put Arch Angel on Guardian with RG16. Panther still has GB16 and I really love this build. So, if/when I get another 32EN mech up and maxed, I'll give the EM16 another try.
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Post by Danny Linguini on May 23, 2023 13:36:20 GMT -5
I’m having a bit of fun here with the Bastion/Minigun setup. Depending on the map, mostly the 3-beacon maps, I start out with this mech and just head straight for center. Half the time the reds come out in clumps of 3 or 4, and I just unload on them like Tony Montana. I usually end up about the same as he did, but I just keep those guns spun up and take a few of them with me. If I have some aggressive teammates with me, it can be a real bloodbath. Say hello to my little friend(s).
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Post by Koalabear on May 23, 2023 14:04:28 GMT -5
I want to see a comparison of DPS between GB and MG. I feel they both are pretty close to each other.
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Post by Koalabear on May 25, 2023 7:24:31 GMT -5
So, what I did yesterday was to spend most of my remaining implant parts to bring my purple EMR implants back to their former glory, slap them on Maverick and tried them on Panther. It works but is still damned hard to use. I feel like when EMR first came out, they were like this and then they got a silent buff with auto aim assist. Does anyone remember? Anyway, my purpose now is so that I can swap between an EM16 and GB16 build on my Panther. When contesting a control point, spawning my GB16 Panther is often enough to turn the tide. In the time of my stasis field (buffed with Ability Duration), I can easily kill 3-4 mechs depending on relative health. Theoretically, I can do this with EM16 too but I just don't have the manual dexterity to pull it off. Anyway, the EM16 will get dusted off for certain TTDM maps.
So, between RG16 and EM16, I greatly prefer the RG16. I think I do just over 250k each mag and two double shots are usually enough to kill anything (except maxed Bastions of course).
On the plus side, I'm no longer in any rush to max my Gatecrasher ever since I put DL16 on my Redox. DL16 actually works amazing in conjunction with the Caustic Blast and my Redox is now an amazing close to mid ranger. I'll take pot shots at clumped reds up to around 100m and then in brawls, I can use my blast to hit red thru walls and then shoot the floor at intersections to kill them before I even see them. Sheesh, DLs are freaking OP!
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