Give NC MAX an AI weapon that works at medium range without having to dump certs in it, also make it automatic like the Cycler, and we'll call it fair. Otherwise let's keep the faction's distinct from one another, that's the entire point of them being factions.
This game is based on PlanetSide 1. They aren't going to alter the iconic weaponry of each faction, the purists would have a fit and rage the forums for months. NC always gets the shotguns and shields that make them a close combat faction, though they overnerfed the jackhammer. A midrange weapon for NC is not likely to happen, but you can still look forward to the Area Denial flamethrowers at some point.
I'm 100% in favor of all three factions having access to weapons effective at the engagement range of their choice for MAXes. With that being said, what difference does it make if you reach this goal through certs in a weapon you already have? It's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a new weapon with certs, and it's an option no faction but the NC has.
I notice that you fire both arms at once, perhaps you should consider firing only one to both preserve ammo and to have a constant projectile stream with the cert buffs on the weapons? Considering two shots will kill any non heavy infantry anyway you don't need as fast a ttk as you do firing both at once.
You rarely get 2 shot kills unless you are right on someone and don't miss. I see what you're saying though.
Consider it more like a semi-automatic infiltrator rifle, you really need to learn fire discipline for any shotgun let alone the hacksaws. The only time I ever double tap is when I'm confronted with a HA shielded.
After watching that, I don't really notice any significant difference from my scatters. I maintain that the scattercannons improved when they were made semi auto because of how much more ammo efficient I find myself being without sacrificing splat in the face damage. Currently I am running dual scattercannons with extended mags and level 1 nanoregen. I mostly play without an engineer although I do occasionally have to run and find one. At the moment I feel i'm limited more by my framerate than by the scattercannons themselves, and i'l take that little bit more accuracy and control over hacksaws any day. I will say you were lucky you got a good amount of asleep vanu at the start,usually you have to work harder than that . As for balance, I do agree that it's off a bit when it comes to max vs max. I don't fear any other faction MAX at any point ever..I don't ever put myself in a situation where they could be. I've been in biolabs and gone 2 vs 1 at half health vs MAX suits coming round a corner and killed them both without reloading or suffering much damage. At the same time I've been hounded by clever infantry who kite me and try to get C4 or mines/grenades down while they or other people are shooting. I also somewhat fear engineer turrets because shotguns aren't really accurate enough to hit past the turret shield even at the limit of your normal kill range.
Good video, good commentary. Thanks for posting this. In regards to Hacksaws vs. Scattercannon-- the best thing for mowing down a horde in CQC is double hacksaw, non-slug. However, expecting this to be the only thing you're fighting in anything other than a Tech Plant meatgrinder or bio lab is a bit optimistic. The rate of fire allows you to catch multiple nearby enemies very quickly with a shower of pellets-- aim roughly between them and the spread will do the work for you. I run with a slug-ammo Scattercannon on the left arm and a Hacksaw on the right, both extended magazine. A single Hacksaw is enough to mow down anything within 10m, and the left arm (naturally slower firing, so even if I panic I don't burn through the mag) can seal the deal on wounded foes or pick off long range targets and give the NC MAX some teeth there. I find treating the weapons separately to be one of the MAX's real strengths-- smart play will mean you have virtually no downtime, where reckless play can do excessive damage but leave you with long reload periods. About MAX weapons in general: it's a matter of faction difference versus weapon balance. With so little choice in regards to MAXes no matter what you go with, I think I'd put my vote on wanting equivalents of other faction's AI weaponry simply for the sake of variety as opposed to keeping exclusivity. No ability options and only one type of AI weapon (shotguns) means there's a woeful lack of variety among the various suits.
NC Max is effective for sure. But do I want shotguns for my TR Max? Honestly no. I think the three sides are too homogenized as it is. I'd like to see the Maxes stay as different from each other as possible. It really adds flavour to the game for me.
Well, once we get flamethrowers again, TR and VS will have a close range option. Does anyone know exactly why they were removed?
not sure, maybe performance issue it caused with rendering the flames with multiple maxes using them. Just a guess.
They also weren't terribly good, whenever you fired them they completely obscured your target and made it extremely difficult to tell if you were hitting anything at all.
No they aren't... Comet was the best thing we had at range before it got nerfed down to 1 round per clip. Quasar's cone is ridiculously bad at any range past 15 yards and even then most infantry can slip behind something and get away. With this NC junk players basically get death touched. Considering the fact that over distance our weapon's damage significantly degrades this is patently false. If anything I'd say medium range is where it's at for vanu.
