So i'm about 50 kills away from auraxium on the TR AI mana turret, and i've come to the conclusion that it's far too easy at nearly any range to kill an engineer on their turret from small arms. Couple this with the low rate of fire and low damage per bullet, and you have an inadequate defensive emplacement that's too easy to shut down. I would prefer the idea that this turret can only be countered by snipers, explosives and anti-vehicular weapons. Not just spraying the front of the turret and scoring easy head shots because there is next to no protection from incoming damage if you're shooting at your target, its too easy for them to return incoming damage more effectively, and does not punish the enemy for charging headlong into your turret. Yes, i know head shots are essential to killing your attacker, but they have an easier time shooting your head than you do shooting theirs. Personally, i believe the shields should have upgrades thatr shape the shield similar to the NC MAX's Aegis shield, except the slit for vision would be large enough for sniper roundsto pass through, and maybe if someone is really skilled - automatic weapons, but nothing like just spraying the turret with as many rounds as possible to kill the engineer, it should take skill or specific weapons meant to counter the turret to remove an engineer from the turret, not just waltzing in and blasting their face with them not having a chance to even retaliate. In the best case scenario, a frontal shield upgrade would provide extra shield protection from incoming fire, but the extra shield would take damage and eventually break down, like how the Aegis shield works. At max rank, the shield becomes impervious to small arms, but will be quickly disabled by anti-vehicle weapons. Here are some examples for a frontal turret upgrade (Shield upgrade): 1st person view. [TR] https://gyazo.com/ec7a26aad313f29b22befa147032f924 3rd person view. [TR] https://gyazo.com/74ce2948f90dd2c89294e524b21b9e54 ---- 1st Person view [NC] https://gyazo.com/70d7c3870dd464a4ed9cfd6716fa2f06 3rd person view [NC]https://gyazo.com/97e64b0a34b65ded079549d73d0a2569 ----- 1st person view [VS]https://gyazo.com/93549a5c0e41c90bf4ad5fc95188b203 3rd person view [VS] https://gyazo.com/d76f7f81525d6137c8dac6226e49bac8 Now, i know what you're thinking. "Why does the VS turret need so many adjustments?" It's just because the VS turret actually has the most coverage compared to NC and TR (its slight, but the face opening is skinnier, which is harder to take out.) as seen here: 3rd person coverage: https://gyazo.com/fa6ed1e4153b2e3805b115b24e49af7b 1st Person coverage: https://gyazo.com/8ed95ed2d2661639407abf1b7b1ad2c6 ------------------- Aside from the glaring weakness to the front of the turret, there could also be upgrades for further protection on the sides, not by a whole heck of a lot, but enough so that you're able to at least have some kind of warning you're being flanked, of course all of these upgrades would heavily rely on adjustments to the shield hitboxes so they are precise. What are your thoughts, keep the discussion constructive please.
Position turret on high ground and aim downwards - head shots almost, or perhaps totally, impossible. I do however, find the AI turret not worth bothering with myself. Even if not getting sniped or blown up it is a magnet for LA ambush. I love the AV turret though, even against infantry - longer range effectiveness. Even then, I only tend to fire of two or three shots and then scoot off to deploy another one somewhere else (like a sniper). The AI turret on the other hand, tends come into it's own by sustained shooting and that is death to the user.
Not bad, this would make the AI MANA turret more viable... but I don't think it should be an upgrade, the base shield just needs to be extended. One major buff to the shield would be a new effect, the current one is extremely flashy and distracting, it should be more static like the Aegis Shield.
