Disclaimer: These calculated values are based on several assumptions that are reliant upon some arbitrary values and idealized settings. The idea is to be able to compare the relative effectiveness of raw damage between launchers, not their unique traits or reliability. THE ENTIRE ANALYSIS IS AKIN TO WEAPON TESTING IN THE VR. GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE WEAPON'S PERFORMANCE, BUT DOES NOT MODEL THE REAL GAME. Introduction I have taken the liberty to calculate the overall Damage Per Second (henceforth known as DPS) for reach rocket launcher in Planetside 2. This thread is to help properly determine the rate of damage of each unique type of launcher against an armored target. Each category shall/should be explained such that anyone can repeat these calculations and determine the same values, as well as agree upon the assumptions made. This includes the essentially common pool launchers (Dumbfire, specific lock-ons), NS Material common pool launchers, and the Empire Specific Rocket Launchers (ESRL). If you disagree with how some of these values are calculated, or want to know what happens when some parameters are changed, please do so! Assumptions I have made several assumptions regarding each rocket launcher. It is my intent in these findings to determine DPS values that is not purely based upon numbers, but ideal situations that may be found in-game. Assumption 1: The data, which is taken from here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...OSWNaanFqSUVxLWc&f=true&noheader=false&gid=75 Is accurate. (Note that the time of the data extraction is the March 23 Hotfix, and thus so are the DPS values. As of this writing Higby has mentioned some possible changes to the rockets via Twitter. These changes are not considered in this analysis.) Assumption 2: All damage is based off of firing all projectiles in a clip, and therefore achieving the “long reload” value for replenishing the ammunition of the launcher. I have examined the effects of short-reload times, and found that doing so reduces the maximum DPS of the Striker and the Charged Lancer. Uncharged Lancer receives ~+0.5 DPS when using 5 of the 6 shots in the magazine and then reloading (essentially nothing). Assumption 3: The time to empty one’s magazine is that of the speed that it takes to fire all rounds from the launcher. THIS IS IGNORED FOR ALL NON-MAGAZINE LAUNCHERS. IT IS ASSUMED THAT NON-MAGAZINE LAUNCHERS HAVE AN EMPTYING SPEED OF 1 SECOND. Calculations show that if this is not performed, it takes 5 seconds to shoot the rocket according to the data sheet. This is obviously empirically inaccurate. Assumption 4: Lock-on time is based upon target acquisition and not just the amount of time for a guided missile to lock. In all cases, the minimum acquisition time is 1 second, and the maximum is the guided lock-on time. This should model using Aim Down Sights (ADS) with the dumbfire launchers. Lock-on is assumed to occur instantly after reload. AN EXCEPTION IS MADE WITH THE PHOENIX (NC ESRL), WHERE IT IS GIVEN 5 SECONDS AS IT MUST TRAVEL TO THE TARGET. THIS VALUE IS PURELY ARBITRARY. Assumption 5: The amount of time it takes for the Lancer (Vanu ESRL) to charge fully is 5 seconds. Assumption 6: A fully charged Lancer shot does 5x base damage. Assumption 7: Lock-on launchers and the Pheonix receive a 67% (2/3) damage penalty against air targets. The Lancer does not. Calculations Each launcher’s DPS was calculated by taking the rocket damage, multiplying it by the number of rockets per magazine, and dividing the product by the amount of time required for a weapon cycle. The components of the weapon cycle are as follows: Long Reload Time + Time To Empty Magazine + Acquisition Time And in the case of the Charged Lancer: Note that is can fire twice per reload! Long Reload Time + Acquisition Time + 2*Charge Up Time (5s) Results NotesLancer: The Lancer shows to have the lowest DPS. Changing the charge time to 3s reduces the cycle to 12s. This places the weapon at 125 DPS, which is approximate to the annihilator. Changing the charge time to 1.5s reduces the cycle to 9s and gives a DPS of 167. Note that the Lancer does not suffer from reduced damage against aircraft, as it does not suffer from the lock-on damage reduction benefit that aircraft have. Three shots from the Lancer should down an ESF, or two to place it in the red. In terms of lock-on launchers Lancer's anti-air DPS is three times that of the others or, 281 charged and 290 uncharged against air targets. It is the author's opinion that the Lancer is best thought of as an alternative to the GtA launcher. THE ALMIGHTY TLDR: Look at the pretty image then make baseless conjecture because you didn't read the rest.
