Since we're getting an Anti-Material Rifle to deal with MAX spam at long range, why can't we get an Anti-MAX shotgun to deal with MAX spam in CQC? This weapon would be a replacement for the Rocket Launcher on HA. It would be a semi-auto shotgun that would do very little damage to infantry and vehicles, but would be able to take down a MAX in 3-4 shots.
Perhaps it should kill MAXs in 3-4 headshots and 6 bodyshots. Either way there is currently no viable infantry counter for MAX spam other than to pull a MAX of your own. The Anti-Material Rifle is a step in the right direction, but it still doesn't counter MAXs where they need to be countered most, because ~90% of this game is CQC.
This would allow HAs to solo VS and TR MAXes much easier than NC MAXes. It would mess with MAX balance way too much because VS and TR don't have the TTK to handle a HA 3-4 shotting them while NC does. Also HA doesn't really need more anti-MAX tools.
There is this thing called a rocket launcher. We already have them, and they already drop maxes in 2-3 hits. We don't need infantry weapons that can one-clip maxes.
We do need infantry weapons that can one-clip MAXs. Otherwise MAXs would need to be nerfed to the ground. It's the only way to end the current MAXside meta short of actually releasing the mythical Resource Revamp, but we all know that's not going to happen for at least three years. Rocket launchers are ineffective and unreliable at combating MAXs in CQC. The stupidly low velocity makes it very easy to miss your target even in close range, and the painfully long reload means that the MAX is either going to kill you or run off to it's engi. If rocket launchers were an effective counter, then MAXside wouldn't be a thing. A Rocket Launcher is to a MAX what a Skyguard is to an aircraft: A ****** deterrent, not a counter.
Decimators are slow to fire and are some good anti-MAX weapons in PlanetSide Classic. You only had three shots per Decimator, anyway, and you needed to land them all, or hope you have a followup weapon that worked. To work it, you had to do a lot of corner-dancing.
Sticking 'em with an AV grenade tends to solve that problem quite nicely, unless they've equipped flak. You still have to hit with the rocket and the grenade, but there's no running from that combo. Personally, I don't understand why MAXes are so tough period. I'd rather they an upgrade over heavy assault (and priced accordingly) than a vehicle you can take into a biolab (and revive.)
Medics shouldn't be able to revive MAXs, but that's another debate. I like the idea of a replacement for the Rocket Launchers to specialize our Heavies a little more, but it's not needed. Everyone can deal with a single MAX in its own way. A Heavy Assault can kill a MAX in less than 5 seconds with AV frag and rocket combo, but you'll need to shoot some bullets if he runs flak armor. Other classes can too, but at a slower pace, which is perfectly normal as the MAX is a force multiplier that costs 450 nanites to pull, and shouldn't be weak. These items will help you in that task: - Rocket Launcher (HA) - AV Grenade (HA) - Sticky Grenade (Engineer) - Tank Mine - you can shoot at it or throw a sticky on it before the MAX steps on it (Engineer) - C4 - don't place C4 on the floor, stick it on the door frames, so they are harder to see (any class except Infiltrator) - Explosive Darts - underrated weapon that works very well on small fights where a single MAX is camping the point (all classes)
There are more than enough cqc counters for infantry to use, and the current shotguns do a boatload of damage to maxes at close range, in fact they can all 1 clip a max with headshots already, and almost kill them with body shots like 1 or 2 shots from the second mag will kill to the body. NC max shotguns are identical to infantry shotguns they just have 2 of them and people know how fast they can bring down a max so just bring a buddy or 2 and they go down just the same. Basically the idea of a shotgun thats even more powerful would be ********, lol. Biggest issue i see with infantry fighting maxes is many of them don't use their primaries and just run away thinking they need a rocket launcher to kill one, but the best way to fight maxes is to charge at them and pump them full of lead, unless of course theres like 5 of them aiming at the door way, then you need rockets at range.
Shotguns are already fairly powerful against maxes provided you can actually dodge them , this isn't needed and i see it as pointless. if i recall on test a while back there was a shotgun on the TR ( placeholder or not i dunno) that had a 20 round mag or somthing , it wasnt mentioned much and was taken out , that wouldve been interesting.
This mentality you seem to have that a single infantry should have enough power to take down a MAX needs to be cut from existence. It should always take a veritable smorgasbord of infantry swarming a MAX in order to defeat it. Bad enough that a single c4 thrown by a wannabe hero 1 shots the equivalent of a MBT. When I pull a MAX I expect the same K/D from pulling a MBT w/ a gunner, and nothing less.
This. I've earned quite a few MAX kills by just charging their face, getting in that "awkward" too-close range and putting headshots on them. Really, any HA that can do the dance can take out a MAX with their primary -- the trick is getting in that range (and staying there) before they wipe you. If there are too many MAXes (or enemies in general), you should be sitting back lobbing rockets and AV grenades. If that's still no good, you should probably reevaluate the situation and decide whether or not they're too dug-in to be removed by couple stragglers.
at shotgun range you might aswell hurl c4 at them, or RL them in the face and AV nade. imho this new rifle is simply to stop the raven QQ.
