I really like this gun but i feel like it lacks just a bit. I think allowing it to repair friendly vehicles and maxes from range when targeted would give it just the bump it needs to be more competitive in a load out. What does everyone think?
I think maybe it should be used more as a utility or support, and not damage. You may be right. Different ammunition, different effect: NR Ammo: Deals little damage to infantry/enemy vehicles. Hits ally vehicles/MAXes with a repair-over-time. Like 50/s for 5-10s. Disablity Ammo: Slows mobility of enemy maxes/vehicles by 25% for 20s, including turn/turret speed. Stacks up to 3 times? Explosive Ammo: Deals splash damage in a 5m radius when it hits a vehicle or MAX unit. etc
awhile back they accidentally made it actually do some damage to vehicles! so for a brief week or two the gun actually had a purpose beyond ganking maxes! i do like the idea of using it as a support tool though, imagine saving an ally who is dogfighting in the distance by sniping his ESF with a repair dart!
Honestly I think the Archer is fine as is. I swear by it and It's a core component of most of my load outs as an engineer. I typically run Archer in my primary with the Bruiser in my secondary. It's so good in fact that I have a hard time justifying taking the NC Promise LMG or any other LMG because every time I do without fail I end up finding myself in a situation where I wish I had my Archer equipped. The Archer while seemingly low in damage per shot is insanely effective at harassing vehicle targets from a distance and destroying them when they cant get to cover. I cant tell you how many times I've gotten into a tank fight and jumped out of my tank just before it exploded and then finished off the enemy tank with my trusty archer. I easily snipe base turrets from a distance and have pretty good success with taking down deployed sunderers from extreme distances. Hell I even down esf's and libs with this thing on occasion. If your having trouble using this gun I think you might be trying to make it fill a role it wasn't intended for. That being said. I would like to see a nanite repair sniper rifle make its way to the shop at some point. I wouldn't let it do damage to enemy vehicles though, maybe just make it jam their radar or prevent repairs for a period of time when shot. At the bare minimum you should have to change firing modes if you want to damage or heal. Letting it damage enemy vehicles and repair friendly ones at the same time automatically would be op. In a game where friendly fire is a thing, it feels a little cheap to toss out a gun that gives people free license to "shoot all of the things" worry free. This game doesn't need to turn engineers into Anna from Overwatch but for tanks. Side Note: In case my load out caused any confusion with new players reading that, I have the A.S.P. skills unlocked for the engineer to allow them to equip LMG's and Shotgun secondary.
I don't think repairing ammo would be that good, IMHO. My main issue with such an idea, which is interesting and fun nonetheless, is that it is to much of a "hit-or-miss" kind of deal. If it is good, then you will have clusters of engies sitting 100m behind tanks constantly repairing them. If it is bad, then no one will try to use it as it removes your main weapon slot for a gimmick.
