Okay I normally hate the buff and more specifically nerf threads. At this point all that would renew my interest in the game is some relevant meta changes. Pretty sure I am not alone here. This being said, there is so much tears against air, especially libs, that I think a buff to the Ranger might be a way to hit two birds with one stone? As it is, there is no reason to pick the Ranger over the Walker at the moment. I let you discuss the details if it should've damages, spread, projectile speed, etc...
I agree there needs to be more viable anti-air weapons and to be completely honest when I saw this thread what went through my head was "dahell is the ranger?" But then I remembered it's that useless flak cannon that nobody uses. I would completely rework the ranger to have the flak rounds burs, sending an omnidirectional shotgun blast outwards. YES, the ranger now explodes into a huge deimos blast. (Since shotguns are surprisingly good for air anyways)
Es ranger? Let's be bold (and crazy). Current flak system for TR, shotgun like for NC by ALN and laser beam for VS? Two years of development? Hahaha
Name the TR version the ALN Isolator (because that's one of my 5 subject notebook entries of fake guns lol) and I'll never use the NC one. *prepares for the next year to #hypetrain and SoonTM those changes that will eventually be cancelled without public announcement* ~Edit: just realized that my name is ALN_Isolator for a reason...... I need to get someone to help me facepalm as hard as I deserve it.
I don't even know if the ranger should fulfill the role of AA, since the walker pretty much has it covered. Maybe if it did more damage at close range, less at long, it could be desirable.
I am also less than impressed by the ranger. It seems to be designed to be paired with a walker. The ranger uses the flak explosions to blind aircraft (the ranger does that pretty well actually -- lib/gal gunners and esfs have crazy trouble hitting things when flak is blinding them) while the walker does appreciable damage. Sadly, I don't think the ranger can maintain flak explosions long enough (it needs more mag size and total bullets) nor really do appreciable damage. To be fair, I almost NEVER see it in use so my experience getting shot by it is pretty limited -- but the 1 time I saw one I was able to ignore it for a fair bit. However, it is entirely possible that it is better than we all realize.
i preferr the flak cannon over the walker. although its harder to track, it makes it easyer to hit the target cuz it has to be near not only a direct hit
Rarely seen it or used it. And I can understand why. I thought I saw somewhere it was meant to be useful against ground targets as well (like the basilisk - versatile but limited) but then I think the mounting doesn't let it depress far enough.
Actually it's the walker that can damage vehicles and Infantry. The Ranger cannot even if you could angle your vehicle in such way it could hit something of the ground.
I jumped into a random sundy the other week, it had dual Rangers on the top. To my suprise, the sundy was clearing the air, not only deterring but actualy killing the aircraft. Amazed by this i managed to convince 2 outfit mates to try this with me the next day, thinking either it had been buffed or it is serously underappreciated. We were quickly and completely destroyed by the first aircraft we shot at and didnt score any kills.....LOL. Kinda makes me wonder what exactly was going on in that sundy i hoped into, was it skill? was it just finishing off damaged targets with the correct implant? was it something else.... Who knows. I did have a great time with my m8 running a Harasser & Ranger the once but we didnt kill very many, just deterred........deterred, deterred, deterred.
I think one of two things could be done with Ranger. 1. It could be a short range "dps" AA weapon. Tighten the spread/COF and increase its ROF by a lot and increase mag size. You now have a short range alternative to the Walker. The Walker is the accurate longer range weapon, and the Ranger is now the short range high damage option that cant hit things at range. At longer ranges, the COF and ROF with the larger mag will make it as sort of a harassing weapon. It wont do a lot of damage, but will spread flak over a wide area. 2. The other option is to tighten the COF and increase velocity. Its now basically a Walker that trades damage for the flak effect. It would be viable for gunners who dont have the accuracy for Walker. Currently, its not viable as a "less accuracy" option, because the velocity/COF makes it impossible for people who already struggle with aim
As it is right now: -Short range? Walker. -Long range? Walker. -Versatility? Walker. -Accuracy? Walker. -Lower TTK? Walker. -Reason not to ever use the Ranger? Walker.
That's basically the problem with most AA - on its own, merely a deterrent. Amassed AA decimates the sky, even in the Super-Liberator days (and i'm not really considering dual Rangers as 'amassed' !) But anyway - back to the Ranger. Would you believe that for aircraft-kills-per-unique it is better than the Walker ? Strange but true...
