I think I figured out why Vanu dominate Alerts

**If you take the time to read this, which takes about 3 minutes, you might understand my thought process. If you just skip to the end and read the TLDR, you basically just read the back of the book and judged the cover.**

Up until now, I have never really played VS.
When the game launched I made 3 characters, bought a few things, and then let the VS char sit there.

After being pummeled by the Vanu alert after alert on Connery, I finally decided to go back to the one I rolled at launch (who had 10,000+ certs sitting on him) and outfitted him for a quick combat test.

I see now why the TR have been getting steamrolled week after week.

- For the MAX:
Fractures versus Vortex. Wow. I was flabergasted how EASY it was to score kills with dual Vortex AV guns.
I was scoring kills beyond spotting range due to the zero bullet drop the rounds have. You just point and shoot. No arcing required.
Try to do that with dual Fractures, and it's not even a contest. Add on ZOE and....the universe explodes.
I think it's amazing that ZOE not only increases damage but lets the MAX have superior mobility too, compared to the TR's lockdown where you are rooted to the ground and are forced to take any damage in the face for the bonus in dmg it gives you.

Then there are the TR MAX chainguns compared to Quasars. Again, no contest. Where I would struggle to hit at any meaningful range with TR chainguns, the Quasars were chewing up with no trouble.
I was blown away.

- For the heavy:
I thought the TMG-50 was hard hitting (the LMG that came with the Alpha Squad preorder). Then I used the SVA-88 (the VS Alpha Squad version).
It's like a laser beam. Pew pew. Dead. Pew pew, pew. Dead. I was burning through ammo so fast I had to rearm a few times before finally dying. My kill count was around 11 or 12, and jesus the time to kill was FAST.

- Striker vs Lancer:
Striker can't target base turrets, is difficult to get every missile to hit due to loss of missile tracking if ANYTHING gets between the weapon crosshairs and the target, and has a longer time to get all 5 missiles out to do the damage assuming that all 5 hit for every salvo.
Lancer has no problem hitting base turrets, even at extreme range where they can't even hit you back, can be charged up so all rounds hit at once for maximum instant damage, and has no issues with tracking. You point, you fire, the damage is done. No waiting for the rounds to get there, no wasting rounds because of the chargeup.

Plus, with the Striker you can't really tell the missiles where to hit on the target. They could very well end up all hitting in the front where armor is strongest.
Using the lancer, I can choose which part of the target to hit to inflict maximum damage.

Also, flares/IR smoke are meaningless with the Lancer. You just shoot through all that stuff, instantaneous.
As a TR player, it's such a chore to get the lock (which takes precious time), fire one missile to see if the target has flares/countermeasures, then continue with the other 4 missiles assuming the target hasn't already ducked behind terrain or obstacles because of the big flashing "LOCK ON" message on their HUD.
If they do you have flares, then you have to wait for a re-lock, then fire the rest....again assuming the target hasn't gone for cover, which in my experience they usually do 90% of the time.

The Lancer is superior in every way to the Striker from what I saw.

- Anti personnel mines:
Claymores are lacking compared to the prox mines. 360 degree detection vs a narrow cone....plus the claymore model is larger then life while the prox sits flush against the floor (and in most cases sinks out of sight through the floor).

I didn't try medic or LA, as I don't really play those classes at all. The only class that felt the same between TR and VS was the Infiltrator. The bolt action is just reskinned in VS colors. The prox mine is the only difference.

So...in my opinion, the Vanu have a clear edge over the TR in both infantry and anti-vehicle weapons.
You can say I'm wrong, you can say I haven't factored "this" or "that" into my thought process. It doesn't matter. I've been playing TR over a year and just one day of Vanu with all the toys unlocked made me feel like a God wearing spandex.
I can see why 4th faction players would gravitate towards the Vanu because of the ease of their weapons. No bullet drop, instant laser accurate damage at extreme ranges with little danger of retaliation in some cases.
They're definitely for the newer players, as it's more forgiving.

Personally, I'm going to stick with my TR guy because I don't enjoy steamrolling other factions with 3x the pop as has been happening on Connery.
I'd rather play the underdog and feel rewarded for killing overpop zergs, especially ones with the amazing weapons that they have.

Flame if ya want. Doesn't matter to me!

TLDR:
No bullet drop, instant damage with Lancer + charge shot vs Striker + waiting for lock, waiting for flares, relocking and firing all 5 missiles while keep cursor over target for all missiles to hit, 360 degree prox mines flush with the floor vs large boxy narrow cone detection claymores, ZOE gives dmg bonus + mobility vs TR Lockdown giving dmg bonus (thru faster fire rate) but roots MAX to ground = no mobility, TR MAX Anti-armor Fractures have substantial arc vs VS Vortex rounds which have no arc and can be charged for instant full damage on target at extreme ranges.

I think a more concise TL;DR would be
"VS Easy mode compared to TR, but I'm still going to play TR", along with personal opinions as to why OP feels this.

?

So, VS>TR>>>>NC?

I explained why I will continue to play TR.
I gave examples for all my comparisons on what I tested, too.

What's your point?

Not so much making a point, as trying to improve upon the given TL;DR

TLDR: OP plays Vanu and wants everyone to jump and forth faction to. Provides anecdotal evidence of how they suck at playing their "main" faction yet their alt has 10,000+ certs. Hurrrrrrr.

0/10

All my characters purchased common pool weapons cross faction, so when the reimbursements came in I was awarded a boatload of certs that just sat on my VS character.

Like I said, flame if you want. Don't really care if you do. Every time you flame you bump the thread, so thanks for the indirect support!

Eh, 1/10. I read the blue at the end.

Its called having a massive Over-pop.
Late night they normally minimum have 50% population, and TR just can't be ar$ed even going to the alerts, NC tries and normally gets stomped, but hey least their trying and not adding to the problem (note TR pop drops more than NC's during alerts on most occasions).

Its not a complicated problem, the solution however seems to be.

This has been established for a long time.

VS seem to tear up about everything they have when their weapons are just amazing in almost any situation.

Take the ESRL....

Lancer: Dumbfire, charge, pretty much instant hit with no downside other than LoS.
Striker: Locks on, 5 rounds, does not lock on to MAXs, no dumbfire, flares.
Phoenix: Wire guided.....Short range, no dumbfire, turns like a brick, can hit the projectile and knock it off course..

Just in ESRL, who got the worse one?

I could go into the MAX but I think I got my point across.

VS have awesome weapons and they still complain.

That's fine. I fully explained my thought processes though. I know reading can be lazy for most in here which is why I put the TLDR.

The overpop is due to 4th faction jumping to VS. The reason for that, imo, is because of how easy their weapons are.

Many of the points (in blue) are flat-out wrong or heavily biased to the point of insanity, though.

Fractures and Vortexes? There's no comparison. The Fracture is a multi-role good-at-everything weapon that can be used to slaughter infantry and armor alike.

It takes something like 3 fully-charged Vortex rounds to kill one infantryman. The arc on Fractures isn't that intense, they move at a good clip. Faster than Comets, I know that much. Probably faster than Magrider AP rounds (most things are).

The Striker and the Lancer both need a range nerf, but have you ever tried shooting down an aircraft with a Lancer? At range, that wasn't still or heading straight for you? It doesn't happen. The Striker does ~80% per volley to an ESF. and yes, it DOES still go through mountains.

Lancer and Vortex both take ~3 seconds to charge fully, I wouldn't call that "instant".

TLDR: VS has good weapons and bad weapons. I refuse to turn this into a ZOE thread. We don't need another one of those. But when you think about it, most of the good things VS has are balanced by something good the TR have.

And there are also instances where the comparison simply isn't there. The Prowler is flat-out better than the Magrider. They have the same armor, but the Prowler is faster by a good bit and does more DPS. Saron versus Vulcan? That depends. Do you want an MBT weapon or a Harasser weapon? Because TR have unquestionably the BEST Harasser weapons out there.

It doesn't matter which faction you start with, if you jump ship a year later and check out new shiny toys they are going to be awesome (in your mind).
I've been NC (now level 75) and after my first night of really playing a TR character everything felt better. 99% of it is mental. I don't think my fully certed reaver is any worse than that mosquito I spent a few hours in, but did you see how many reavers I killed with the needler? OMGZ OP. It's new so it feels good. TTK is very close for most guns of the same class across factions. The SVA-88 is a great gun but are you telling me the TR and NC can't compete? Hardly.
SOE does need to take a look at a few things balance wise. (I'm looking at you enforcer modified)

Also the vanu are black, they are usually seen last and blend in to lots of stuff the best. If its night forget about it.

You can spam fire the Vortex to make up for the loss in dmg per shot. Can't do that with Fractures.
And the time to hit for Vortex rounds is instant. Arc or not, you have to wait for the Fracture rounds to travel the distance. The further the target, the harder it is to hit them.

It's harder to shoot down aircraft, but imo it's easier if you land the shot vs waiting for lock, waiting for flare, waiting for relock, hoping the target doesn't get obstructed behind something.
The striker also can't attack MAX units, or base turrets. It's a severely limited weapon.
The lancer can hit anything it wants. The only limit is the player's accuracy.

And the "instant" thing was in reference to damage delivered at one moment. The lancer can do that. The striker has 5 missiles that all have to hit the target independently for the same max damage to be achieved. If you lose sight of the target (player crosses in front of your crosshairs) you lose the lock and all your missiles go crazy and stop tracking. Waste of a clip.

I don't want it to be a ZOE thread either, but you can't deny that ZOE vs Lockdown isn't a fair comparison.
ZOE = dmg bonus + mobility
Lockdown = dmg bonus - mobility
ZOE's penalty of increased dmg received is negated by the mobility. Lockdown roots the MAX...that's guaranteed dmg to the MAX if it's shot at.

I didn't touch on the tanks because I haven't used the Magrider that much.
The Vulcan is superior in close range, while the Saron is superior at distance. I think the two balance out.
I won't deny that the Harasser with a Vulcan is a chore to counter.

But the meat and potatoes of the game is infantry combat, and that's where the majority of my comparisons were done in.

So the point is what, that VS is easymode? No news there, buddy...

Yes, you very nicely picked some of differences between factions. With other words, you nicely focused on explaining strengths of Vanu weapons versus weaknesses of TR weapons. God forbid you tried to do opposite, or talk about TR weapons that are superior to Vanu counterparts (not that I agree with what you stated in your post), but guess what - I don't blame you. After all, you are playing TR.

While your post in general showed how open is your mouth, this part in particular showed how open your mind and eyes are - not.

I agree with all of your points.


Just play VS with the rest of us until they fix it.
If SOE doesn't well whatever; us VS will take the game down with us.