ZOE Isn't Gamebreaking, It's UP.

20% reduction in armour, which is not the actual multiplier when you consider the original 80%.
Whats the downside to a shield? Or the use of lockdown at chocke points?

If anyone has PS2 on-hand and want's to beat me to the punch, feel free

Oh, and here is the comparison video of the bugged Maxes from a week ago(note the date) to post your video side by side with

That'll help

Well, magburn is useless these days so ... I suppose that the VS can cope with another ability noone is using, but still ...

The ZOE speed definitely needs looking into. The number of ADADAD ZOE's I saw today... it was insane, they were moving faster than macro users and made them nearly impossible to hit.

It has been nerfed. It was hilarious when it was this speed on the test server, had about 10 of us finding an enemy infantry and just running circles around them.

I have Zoe 4 on my VS MAX. I haven't speed tested it against infantry but to me, it feels like it would actually be a little faster than infantry, it's noticeably faster than a standard MAX at level 4.

One thing I did notice when I was trying out my TR was the abundance of VS MAX. They were everywhere! Zoe isn't OP, it's just making VS inquisitive about their new ability.

My offer is still up there- if anyone wants to beat me to the punch of showing ZOE can't ignore physics and ADAD insta-change like in the posted video of the bugged maxes above, feel free.

Hopefully it'll help repair our population numbers.

Typical blind easy mode VS player that cries about everything.

Bursters...

19 per Burster to kill ESF (no ZOE)
15 per Burster to kill ESF (with ZOE)

Use them on your Bursters, and just totally PWN enemy air!

Its a huge improvement and helps, you don't even need extended mags.

Plus just to be able to move faster than other MAXes, that beats that stupid shield NC gets, and the TR MAX is a sitting duck for you to shoot at.

Its obvious the weak Vanu players still exist... those who only signed up cause Vanu has been and always will be easy mode in the game.

ZOE moves slightly slower than sprinting infantry.

That's a nearly sprinting strafing max shooting back. And no, there is no Mag-like momentum loss in changing directions, it functions very much like standard infantry ADAD.

The lock-down immobilizes a MAX and limits their viewing arc, they have to unlock to turn around. If accuracy were made tighter for the MGs, or an armor lock feature accompanied it to improve its durability while locked down, it wouldn't be such a gimmicky ability with a dedicated pit crew to make it really work, and that's wasted man power.

The NC got the real shaft though. They put on a shield, which takes a moment, then to put it away takes another moment. It's not good for breaching, maybe clearing a room, but people can backpedal to keep their distance while firing away with impunity. It's arguably a team play ability in this regard, but still, it could really do with allowing MAX sprint and even melee attacks while it is active at least.

The good news is the CARV is glorious again. Most weapons seemed to have gotten tighter recoils in fact, for all empires. At least the superior DPS of a 750RPM weapon can really cut into a ZOE, especially with head shots. Provided One could hit an ADADing ZOE with any reliability, much less in the head.

THANK YOU, it's not that the ability is OP, it's that the VS are all trying it out so there are a ton of ZOE MAX's out there. The TR and NC are acting like it's unfair because they're infantry fighting MAX's. If anything, I think the ability needs a bit more speed. I'd be happy to lose the damage buff entirely for more speed even if it meant more momentum when changing directions.

So... how many lock down and shield MAXes have you come across?

The problem isn't that the ZOE is OP, actually the fact that it's brought out this many MAXes abusing it (much to my glee, I LOVE fighting MAXes) and I'm actually seeing the MAX spam dying down means it's a genuinely good ability, fun to use, and obviously people are finding flaws with it that it's not being spammed. Or... most people still have it on a 10 minute timer. Sucks to be them.

Lock down and riot shields are a joke however. They're extremely situational in comparison. I'd have prefered if the TR MAXes went the opposite route to the ZOE: slower movement, tougher armor, but keeping the more DAKKA theme. Close to being lock down, without limiting their turning radius because of something being physically impossible (I mean... besides dying, being broken down on the atomic level and put back to together all healthy and new.) Call it armor lock or something, and leave out the stupid arbitrary activation/deactivation timer. That whole sequence alone is a death sentence.

The riot shield needs some real help though. Besides allowing sprint and melee with it active, or even making it a fully encompassing shield, I really don't know how to improve it without basically letting the NC shoot with it active. Hrm... actually... maybe allowing them to fire with a somewhat lower RPM but greater accuracy/choke wouldn't be TOO overpowering, and the left gun only (physical possibility and all that.)

Wow, really? I said I'll update it eventually, yet you respond with abuse. Grow up, mate.

But then again, I can't say I'm surprised. Keep crying, this thread was simply a response thread.

Meh, I like ZOE a lot. I wouldn't mind seeing it buff movement speed a little more tbh, but I also wouldn't mind them fixing the ******* auto-convergence, and would you look at that? 9 game updates in and it still hasn't happened...

sounds good

how about this

-make it so NC can shoot with shield up or use your solution and make it a SMALL, fire rate penalty, let them shoot both guns

-increase turning rate massively for lockdown,
give Lockdown a SECOND, small, fire rate buff


and ZOE- give us a 1.5 X or even 2x speed bonus of the Charger max. So we're 1.5 x or 2x as fast as a charger max and can catch him in a tail chase

make the armor penalty 80% if need be. We'd get one shotted by the standard rocket launcher in ZOE mode.
But, with 2X the speed of charger max (and of course , we now have fixed momemtum thankfully, so no 180 change in direction suddenly like the bugged glitch maxes from a week ago), I think it'd be fair


There, everyone happy?

the only OTHER thing you could do is this

-make lockdown affect bursters
-make ZOE affect bursters
-Raise NC max Shield's effectiveness against aircraft weapons specifically

and that's a different ...situation though. i won't call for that, but it's a option. Might not be a good idea though, ....they'd need a way to buff the NC bursters somehow

The ZOE values are not as beneficial as the numbers that are getting thrown around:

-The movement buff is ~15-20%, not 50%
-If you're using dual Blueshift or Nebula against nanoweave, the TTK bonus is 0% (4 dual shots either way)
-Tests for the vulnerability increase are all over the place, but I'm getting values between 36-54% by shooting Comets at my feet, depending on where I stand in VR. Some of the videos claiming the defense penalty is negligible are failing to account for headshots or placement of explosives. I can't say I know why Comets shot at the ground are getting different results.

You can tell a weapon is well balanced when half the community cries OP and the other half UP. It means the weapon has strengths and drawbacks to balance it

Naw. ZOE is fine where they are. They DO turn on a dime by the way. SOE still hasn't limited MAX turning speed, and ADAD is still as it was when my client crashed, awesomely responsive. I want to make it VERY clear, I'm fine with this. When the numb-nuts get in close to maximize weapon effectiveness they're stepping into the best killing range for my CARV/MSW-R, and that DPS will tear them a new one. Even if they kill me, they'll be beaten and bruised, and I'm not often the only guy shooting at them. If they HAD momentum, and I mean handled like a vehicle momentum, they'd be dirt cheap to kill, like a lock-down MAX. Also, letting the ZOE outrun a charger MAX just eliminates any real reason for any empire to ever pull a charger MAX. ZOE is faster, so what VS would go charge, and the TR/NC would just get out run, so why bother then as well?

Fact is, lock down itself is a bad concept. It's suicide to become a stationary target, even a MAX, without some kind of extra durability to go with it. Remove the lock down, just armor them up and slow them down to practically a crawl when activated, keep the RPM, velocity, and reload speed we have now with lock down. The MAX won't be outrunning a brick dropped at their feet with the armor lock active no matter how hard they try, though they MIGHT survive it without flak. However, at least if they need a boost in speed it won't take 2 seconds to undeploy, or likewise, to deploy, and they don't have to find a wall to back into to minimize the other flaw of lock down, limited viewing angle. Armor lock is just the logical non-crap choice that follows the same principles we find in ZOE, only from the other side of the coin.

The riot shields... *sigh* I don't know about both guns unless it projects the shield from its chest, but it probably does absolutely need to shoot to be useful. The shield is limited to it's front after all, what moron engages a scat max from the front anyway except as a desperate bid to wound it before going down themselves.

Mostly, my intent is for all MAXes to find both defensive AND offensive capabilities in their new abilities. A TR MAX on lock down probably kills as fast if not faster than a scat max in CQC. Think of it this way: A TR MAX with armor lock can keep pressing into an area and obliterating everything while weathering fire like a champ, all imposing like. A VS ZOE (and just about everyone else) can maintain distance and pelt this MAX easily, or close distances with squishier enemies. An NC riot MAX can keep its shield up and return fire, it might even be more durable than the TR MAX in 1v1 situation, especially as the shield SHOULD be the only thing taking damage until it's depleted, though it only works against forward incoming fire, while the TR MAX is absolutely suffering damage.

This game needs more dynamics to gun play and tactical engagement. The MAX abilities are definitely a great first step, but currently only one of them is commonplace and actually enjoyable to engage. The other two are just... fodder.

no, because a charger max still outruns all infantry now- as it should.

If that's not sufficent, then buff Max Charger duration up to 6 -7 seconds, and then buff the ZOE max speed to be quicker.
it'd still be worth it because a charger max can charge as needed

a ZOE max dies quicker, and is a faction specific trait like our magburner compared to everyone's afterburners on things like ESF- same power, just a bit tweaker because it's our trait.
Raising currently implemented momemtum to a vehicle's level of momemtum , i wouldn't mind- because 2X the speed of a charger max means we shouldn't be stopping right in front of your CARV to get carved up.
Lol, magburner doens't make it useless for other empires, especially TR, to put on Racer chassis level 3 xD.
And as long as charger maxes can actually DO something with their charge, aka dodge rocketpods with charger's speed, then they are fast enough to be of use. ZOE maxes can do the same, only better- and of course, if they get hit, they're getting one-shotted. but I actually look forward to the day i get into a speed fight with a TR or NC charger max- with a ZOE max. I just would like to be quicker than they are.

I like your idea for Lockdown maxes to just go at a crawl. Sounds good. Seconded.

We could make the shield cover the entire max, after all , the shield DOES go down with enough gunfire on it, so...sure, why not.

I like how you're complaining about the damage bonus, as if that's the actual strongpoint of ZOE.

Have you tried being on the other end of an ADADADing ZOE MAX?
Trust my word, it's not fun nor funny.

Well, I disagree, but now we're voicing opinions. Not everyone is packing a CARV. I'd argue the TMG-50 and just about every damn NC LMG is a poor substitute for the CARV in CQC, especially facing against a ZOE. Thing we have to realize is it's always a mutual thing. Our accuracies improve the closer we are to each other, and they get worse the further apart we are. If he gets in close, the ZOE drastically improves its chances to kill me, but it WILL suffer a greater amount of damage that it can't just escape from. Keep our distance, he can easily back off and find assistance. Because of his speed, the ball is in his court. SMART ZOE users might deactivate their ZOE when in CQC, especially when the quarters are rather small for moving around in, but they'll be much easier to hit as well. How the total damage difference will work out is anyone's guess. I get to strafe just fine until my shield is active.

+1

ADAD Maxes may be annoying but not more annoying than turning a corner to be 1 shot by a shotgun max from 20 meters away. Also has no one seen lockdown burster maxes? They are insane.