Buff to Scout Rifles incoming

Discussion in 'Infiltrator' started by Astraka, Apr 5, 2013.

  1. Astraka

    Hey guys, if you're like me and check Reddit for Planetside 2 information you may already be aware, but the Devs have confirmed a possible buff to both Scout & Battle Rifles in the next update.

    Higby states:

    "We are buffing them. I'll ask Josh to come explain what buffs they're going to get.
    Necessary caveat: we're still working on the exact details, so it won't be a 100% done deal, but you'll see what we're thinking, at least."

    then Josh states:

    "Joshua here. Like Higby mentioned, we're going to be buffing both the battle and scout rifles in the next GU. Battle rifles: The biggest changes will be in the recoil. Vertical recoil will brought down and recoil recovery will be getting a very large speed increase. Basically, you'll be able to put more bullets on the same target at a muchfaster rate. I'm also looking at the projectile speed and the far range damage (so the weapon isn't penalized so much by nanoweave armor), but those details haven't been completely ironed out yet.
    Scout Rifles: The scout rifles will be getting more drastic changes in comparison to the battle rifles. The goal with the update is to make them into more viable medium range weapons, that way you can choose to equip SMGs for short range, scout rifles for medium range, and sniper rifles for long range. This is going to mean damage changes and maybe a ROF change."


    Check out the post for more Info.

    http://dk.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1br259/is_anyone_else_frustrated_with_buying_the_battle/
    • Up x 10
  2. Antich

    Yes! Finally i will be able to stop thinking of buying the stalker 2 or 3 days before they announced SMGs as the worst 1k cert investment ever.
  3. EViLMinD

    About time. I shelved my Stalker the day the Cyclone was released, and my Warden just never turned out to be a viable option - no matter how many certs I threw into it (compensator, laser and 6x scope was the best setup I found)
  4. Astraka

    I'm really excited to see how far they take the buffs to the scout rifles as prior to the SMGs they were my favorite weapons conceptually. They say 'drastic changes', when in reality I don't think it will take a whole lot to make them into viable mid-range weapons. Of course they have a lot of options as to which path to take. Generally, I hope they lower the recoil so that accurate shot placement over longer distances becomes more viable while possibly giving them better attachments fit for their role (HVA, Adv. Foregrip, underbarrel attachments? ;)).
  5. Zerran

    This is extremely good news! I want to like my Stalker, I really do... but it's just so... bad.
  6. Mustarde

    This is great news! I am not surprised however, as they (esp the SOAS-20 and equivalents) were so bad that a buff was inevitable.
  7. EViLMinD

    It would also be nice if they made the sniper rifles' forward-grip actually do something.... or remove it and refund us the certs.
  8. Astraka

    It does do at least one thing to my knowledge - looks awesome.
  9. iller

    They're semiautos ... trying to compete with full autos. That's a real uphill battle when it comes to perfect tracking
  10. Lucidius134

    drastic is soe terms for "i have to change more then 2 numbers"
    • Up x 4
  11. Manetheren

    Awesome! They could begin by increasing the ammo capacity!
    • Up x 1
  12. OldMaster80

    [IMG]
    I'll finally have a decent weapon for mid range fighting! I had the feeling I wasted my money with the SOAS!

    Increasing damage and ammo capacity would be enough, but I'm looking forward to read details about these changes!

    [IMG]
    • Up x 1
  13. Phrix

    Well i was aiming for the Phantom for mid ranged face blapping, but i guess i'll hold out for a spell.
  14. hansgrosse

    Happy to hear about the scout rifle changes!

    I honestly think the battle rifles work well as-is, but I won't complain about a buff. All I really think they need to make them great is a flatter trajectory and faster bullet speed. The recoil reduction and damage modification I feel is unnecessary.
  15. Astraka

    It will be especially difficult considering how effective all of the full auto weapons are at the ranges they want our Scout Rifles to excel in. The vertical recoil, slow recovery, and the low bullet velocity when compared to most other weapons (LMGs, ARs, & Carbines) make the weapons pretty poor DMRs in my opinion. Compounding those issues is the fact that bullet flinch will always favor the automatic weapons so we're in a situation where the majority of your automatic weapons are not only better at close quarters as one would expect, but also better in most respects at long range combat as well.

    Further lets say SOE does what I would do and lowers the bullet drop/increases bullet velocity, lowers the recoil by a fair margin, and quickens recovery speed so that it is better at longer range engagements than the full autos (or at least the same). Now you have a weapon that has invalidated the tremendously similar semi auto sniper rifle (which at current is arguably better than the semi auto scout as a DMR).

    I'm honestly not sure how they're going to do it, but I do hope they get it right. Of course I'd still be happy if they made the full auto scouts a worthwhile buy and left the semi auto scouts as-is.
    • Up x 1
  16. Dr. Euthanasia

    In my opinion, what the semi-auto scouts need above all else is drastically improved hip-fire accuracy and a higher bullet velocity. Flinching isn't likely to go away, so we could at least have a chance at using our ideal mid-to-close range semi automatic rifle without constantly being forced into ADS mode where it causes us all these problems. It has the potential to be a very effective weapon, but unlike a sniper rifle, it can't afford to be useless when the wielder is under fire or caught by surprise.

    On the other hand, the full-auto scouts are in a much better position despite being almost objectively inferior to SMGs at the moment. All they need is to outperform the latter at increasingly long ranges and they'll have an unfilled niche to occupy.
    • Up x 1
  17. PS2Freak

    Nice, my Stalker will get some love... and i maybe buy warden then. good job @ Josh.
  18. Timeraider

    I still have a loadout with my Shadow.. i love it and hope it gets some love from the devs to.
  19. Rudette

    Great news, thanks for spreading it!
  20. EViLMinD

    True, but that doesn't justify the 100 certs. On bolts, they seem to offer zero benefit to performance. That's stupid. Why include an attachment that does nothing?

    OK, flashlights are pointless too... but at least they do something. They make a pretty light that tells enemies that you're new to the game so please go easy on you ;)