I won't be copy-pasting the notes, please refer to this post for what I am talking about. https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2...e-february-27th-2014-6-am-pt-3-pm-cet.175209/ Our ESR's will finally be landing on live! I won't be able to test them until the weekend, but I look forward to seeing your guys' feedback and videos! I was very surprised (the devs gave no inclination of this publicly) but the semi auto sniper rifles rifles got a rather large balance pass. Better recoil recover, less overall recoil, less COF bloom per shot... all designed to allow faster accurate fire. The semi auto scout rifles also have been tuned AGAIN. I thought they were in a good place when I made my HSR-1 video earlier in the month... and then the velocity and min damage range got buffed. THEN this week they get a further velocity buff, faster reload and a larger ammunition pool. Sadly, there was a price to pay for all these new weapons and buffs to our old ones. IT WASN'T WORTH IT In all seriousness, these changes are great. I have, for a very long time, openly criticized our semi-auto arsenal for being unwieldily in combat. Only good for killing stationary targets, because as a target begins to move, you have to accurately land 3-5 shots on your target, with absurd COF/recoil and scope sway (used to be for all, now just the long range SASRs). Compared to bolt actions, these weapons were generally inferior. I know DrTeeth was a big 99SV fan, but I never saw him do anything that couldn't be done better with a bolt action. I also felt that the KSR-35/99SV and equivalent lineups were inferior to the scout rifle semi auto (HSR-1/Nyx/shadow) because the scout rifles were just more accurate, able to fire quickly and had less moving ADS COF penalty (meaning you can ADAD and keep landing shots). This patch gives you more reason to consider the heavier hitting sniper variants, and distinguishes between the scout rifle more. I have to put some time in on this patch, and revisit my previously most hated weapon in the game, the KSR-35 (removing scope sway didn't make me like this POS much more!). It looks like our weapon lineup just became much more balanced and viable! Eager to see and read your feelings after the patch goes live!
I personally can't wait to get my hands on the Vandal. It literally addressed every problem I ever had with the Shadow. The better hip fire and .75 ADS move speed will hopefully make it a joy to play with... and that reload!
Yeah that reload animation Also, I had some fun with the shadow recently on a test server scrim. I'm still a little surprised they have been buffed 2 patches in a row now, but I won't complain!
I've tried several scout rifles and semi-automatic sniper rifles. They all seem inferior to BASRs. Scout rifles and semi-auto snipers are mostly effective only at medium range - where they can be outgunned by assault rifles, carbines and long range sniper rifles. BASRs (when used at long range) can only really be outgunned by BASRs. I like the Nyx but spamming LMB several times while uncloaked just leaves me vulnerable to being easily countersniped or sprayed. With a BASR you can uncloak, land a single deadly shot, cloak and move.
From my PoV, I really enjoy the buff SASRs just got. I prefer using them over BASRs in some situations, when I feel better the DMR than the sniper role. With the long-range variant (Spectre) I put a 6x / Grip / Silencer on it. Watch people become crazy With patience and positioning, you can really decimate ennemy forces without being noticed too much. Yesterday, there was a stalemate at Hvar North garrison (NC pushing on VS from the north. I spent 10 minutes moving around, and picking the engineers repairing tanks, or MAXes, and Medics healing HAs. I ended being ganked by 3 people, while killing one in a lucky Hip-Headshot, when they were looking around , their infiltrator abusing darts to find where I was... IMO, BASRS in close range have a different danger/reward ratio. If you get the HS, you win, if you miss, you're about to die.
Mustarde, it would be interesting to hear your opinion on the new TR ESR when compared to the VS and especially the NC ESR.
Gotta admit, I'm a little weary of the new and un-player-tested railjack "chargeup" thing they seem to have implemented. If it has zero drop when charged, I guess it could be neat, but I hope this isn't another nerf to be tested on live.
I've not tested it at all, but from the wording I got that it wouldn't be a charge up like the VS rifle, but a delay like the old Saron.
That's why I'm so excited about the Vandal. In typical NS fashion, it seems like it will expand upon the the Scout Rifle's versatility, and perhaps put it in a competitive spot for those situations where one minute you might be in a close ranged base fight & the next an open field battle. I don't think it will completely replace the need for a good bolt action or SMG, but I do think it will carve its own niche as a weapon that can be trusted in whatever situation you find yourself in. And the slickness of that reload animation cannot be overstated. *accidentally double posted*
I was on test the other day and It felt like the bolt action "reloading while scoped" tool or whatever we'll call it, didn't make any sound when you reloaded it, like it does in BF3. This Miiight give some trouble due to not knowing when the second shot is ready by audio, and this is something they should add in my opinion. In regards to the general changes to infils, with the new more accurate semi automatic rifles, I'd probably say that Infils has a place in the "meta" now, where you'd generally have one for dart spam they can be pull their weight a tad better now at mid range more effectively. Yeah that Carbine sound nerf haha, who doesn't get scared the **** out of by the automatic scout rifles, the sound is awful, but because of this, enemies are less prone to notice / react as fast by being shot, due to the sound change - I think it's a buff in all honesty. Especially for the Vandal, but that's NS weaponry for ya, beating TR ES options, thanks Higby
The Semi Autos need even further buffs. Even if you are crack shot mcgee, they still have an overall bad TTK. If you take a look at most videos you can clearly see that it takes quite a bit longer to kill overall with them. There are always a few shots that can't be made with autos, but they are rare, and thats the only time the SAS shine, but most are just people pumping 5-6 shots into targets at medium range and getting the same result they could have got with an auto weapon in half the time (or less). Sure there are players that are sick with them, but they really are 1 in a million people with extraordinary reflexes, you can't use those people as judgement marker for weapon success.
But how will this affect your your Infiltrator challenge with the new guns? Not considering the new guns, I only had the Nyx and Phantom left to auraxium so its nice to see them get buffed again.
I'm just completely and utterly confused with how SOE weapon designers "balance" weapons. I really am happy that these rifles got a look at, but I don't see many of the changes here doing much and most of the issues with these rifles will continue to be an issue. I'll have to play with them somewhat to verify my suspicions, but on paper these changes seem like they'll make almost no difference. Thoughts on Specific Points Vandal meanwhile seems like it'll be a straight upgrade for the scout rifles. Only thing that makes it worse than the scout rifles is that on test its projectile velocity was still pretty low. If they didn't change that on the way to live then that's really the one downside to the rifle. Overall I really wish they'd have done something to clarify the roles players between all four semi-autos since right now there's a lot of overlap for such a small pool of weapons.
Oh yeah, I've gotta work on getting araxium with the new rifles. I already finished the MKV Suppressed and I'm working on the crossbow so I can retain both my Infiltrator and Pistol challenge completion medals. Too bad the scouts got buffed after I araxiumed them. Same thing happened with the Rebel pistol, I finish the araxium medal and they buff it next patch, granted I have had the scouts/ semi autos finished for a few months now.
THIS!!! Recently I've been using an unmuzzled Stalker exclusively, trying to auraxium the darn thing, and I don't know what to think about this change?!
MrMurdock is going to be devastated... Kidding aside, the audio changes is probably a buff... I will still mourn the loss of our most audibly distinct weapon.
Lol remember the first time I heard the stalker being fired, I thought I was being shot at by 5 enemy snipers, scared the crap out of me
+1 I didn't think I'd be buying the TRAP but with the more tamed horizontal recoil I'm in love. Already bought it, silencer, laser sight, 2x, 3.4x, oh man <3 It is amazingly quiet and with 600m/s default velocity, works well when silenced. Close to mid range one-burst kill headshot and sounds like a squirrel farting in the woods. And at the same time, mid-range beast. Scout rifles, SABR, battle rifles and semi-autos eclipse it at longer ranges, which is a fair price to pay, but its ironic considering it started out as a "sniper" rifle.
