And no, it's not a nerf/buff sort of "fix"! Well, not entirely. Instead, it starts as an adjustment to the AV MANA Turret's model. It's pretty obvious that the current one is simply a 60mm Bulldog mortar lazily thrown onto a tripod: And to those non-believers, the in-game file name for the Engineer AV MANA Turret is "Vehicle_Common_EngineerDeployable_Weapon_Howitzer_LOD0", which again confirms that it is just an artillery piece (most likely the Bulldog). For whatever reason, instead of adding in an infantry-based artillery piece like they obviously meant to, they sort of stole the model and repurposed it. Unfortunately, the result is something that looks quite derpy. Instead, how about something like this: Which yes, is a pretty lazy job too because it's simply a Halberd thrown onto a modified Spitfire base. But at least it looks something like an actual ATGM... sort of like a TOW missile launcher: As a matter of fact, both the 85mm Halberd and the Engineer AV MANA Turret do the exact same direct damage (1,000). They do differ in other stats, but I see nothing wrong with simply turning the Engineer AV MANA Turret into a Halberd that exchanges indirect damage for a laser-guided capability. As an added bonus, the operators of such ATGMs will be given a default 2x optic to simplify engaging distant targets. While it has a pretty narrow FOV, it should make those long shots slightly easier. But then that leaves us with the original model being kinda useless, and who likes to waste things? That's why the current model for the AV MANA Turret will instead be used for a new weapon, the Bulldog MANA Turret: Now working as a true indirect artillery piece like it was supposed to be in the first place. Pretty much a Bulldog... though with a few twists. It is capable of high-trajectory fire only. In other words if the enemy is standing right in front of you then you won't be able to aim low enough to hit them. Additionally the operator has to stand right next to the Bulldog (using the new interface to aim and fire), so no more hiding behind the thing. It's fairly similar to infantry mortars that have been used since WWI: Now both of these weapons, the AV and Bulldog turrets, are considered to be "heavy" weapons. Not something that can easily be fabricated from whatever an Engineer can carry (which is why no Engineer can magically make tanks or Harassers appear out of their little pack) and not something that can be easily resupplied (try as they might, Engineers can't resupply Halberds or Bulldogs). So the limitation that these weapon systems face is that they need logistical support for sustained operation. 5 shots for each and then you would need an Ammo Sunderer or Ammo Tower nearby to resupply. If the equipment is destroyed, then they need to be manually resupplied in a way similar to the Spitfire. This forces a limitation on these weapons so that infantry heavy weapons teams can't simply spam shots.
I like the idea of mortar in the tripod. But I think the game don't like the idea of indirect fire after they dumb down my MAX Punders.
Oh my vanu I never thought about it being a bulldog on tripod. Now I want a real bulldog MANA turret. Speaking of weapon model names, the airhammer model is called short howitzer and an unused modified mustang model is called canister.
I like this idea. I also wouldn't mind if they just kept the current model and actually made the tripod act as a real tripod.
Alright... so slightly adjusted and cleaned up a bit. The creatively named Halberd-I uses a stronger and sturdier tripod. The overall size has also been slightly reduced to make it a bit more appropriate for infantry use (apparently there's a model of the Halberd in the game files that is unused ). Very similar to the Halberd-H, so does slightly less damage than the MBT variant. It does however gain half of the indirect damage of the Halberd-H, so it has slightly improved anti-infantry power. The Bulldog-I has been flipped around so the pre-packaged 60mm mortar rounds rest on its back. It is fired in a way very similar to how mortars work in BF3/4, using a modified minimap interface. Limited ammunition and deploys balance out this weapon, in addition to the fact that the operator is highly vulnerable to pretty much everything.
