Just checked the latest PTR update, and as far as i can tell there has been no updates on the sniper rifles since the last patch on friday. Given that these rifles are supposed to be released on the thursday patch im concerned, mostly about the shade and its current state on PTR its conpletely fubared atm. Now i know that the devs could easily have it all sown up on their internal server, but leaving it this late to update to the ptr gives us no time at all for any kind of meaningful testing or feedback before it hits live.
It might be possible that they just don't want us moaning about the new iterations and just want to get them released, lol. Also compared to TRAP's state Shade is almost done...
i can see a small patch dropped since my original post, yeh the trap is still borked in terms of its scopes but its functionality is there and the design works. The issue with the shade still stands; what is the point in the heat mechanic when you can simply override it with a reload? also lol charge ohk with the silencer = 182m also rofl at straight pull on NC railgun, called it
Nice. Way to not only make an OP attachment SoE, but to also give it to the easiest new sniper gun, while keeping the weakest "sniper gun" uncompetitve at any long range. But yes....lets lessen is ammo/ammo-per-clip mid testing so that it ALSO chews its ammo super quick. Because no one wants TR to have any sniper lanes vs NC no drop guns of easy aim or VS unlimted ammo. I'm tired of ES stuff just because I know they throw **** together for the only empire I have time to play. Lib guns are next on their imbalance list and their original plans for a inaccurate zephyr copy only strengthen my thoughts that they just don't give a crap anymore and aren't afraid to show it. The straight pull shouldn't even see the light of day on any gun. It's ridiculous. Least of all the damn NC tier 4 sniper gun.
The straight pull is fine, it's a feature that other games included by default... For a game set within the future, the sniper rifles are some of the most primitively designed weapons in the game compared to modern technology...especially in terms of the scopes themselves. With that said, the new ESR are likely going to go the way of the ES MAX abilities.
Why do I see no straight pull bolts in the latest test server...? I even validated game assets to make sure nothing was borked... Haven't seen em yet.
The NC Rifle except for sights and attachments looks done, it's an upgrade deal with it. The VS Rifle except for sights and attachments looks done, it's not worth buying a side-grade at best. The TR for some crazy reason don't even want a sniper rifle they would rather have some mediocre mid rage PoS that isn't even close to ready,
TR ESSR, now has a single shot, double shot, and triple shot burst firing modes. NC ESSR, has very fast velocity meaning virtually no bullet drop and little leading of distant targets. VS ESSR, can now be reloaded to cool down any heat it has built up.
I dont see a reason why they should release the ES Snipers. The TR Rifle looks realy useless and i dont see any situation where you would sue it over existing guns. The VS one is the next VS weapon featuring this crappy chargeup mechanism and players rarely use Semi-Auto Snipers anyway, and everyone who wants to use a Sniper will stick to his Paralax over the chargeup mechanism. The NC one is the best one and is a straight upgrade to the Longshot, the higher velocity, resulting in nearly no drop and small lead, will shift the Balance among snipers as it would get alot easier for NC to snipe compared to VS / TR. I dont heard of anyone so far that will get VS or TR ES, but im sure that most NC will get the ES Sniper if it stays in its current state.
I raise my hand for wanting the TR one. Being a "bush wookie" (read: sniper) is my least favorite playstyle of the Infiltrator class (in spite of how satisfying it is to hit a headshot at range on a moving target).
I just tested the Shade and oh my god, it's pretty much the worst sniper I've ever had the misfortune of using. A hold-to-charge mechanic? Relatively slow projectile speed? Comparatively short OHK range? C'mon SOE, are you completely mental? There are no reasons to use it over any of the current Vanu sniper rifles, none. Hold-to-charge: You're a sitting duck while charging, another sniper can easily pop you before you get your shot off. You can't do a quick shot, holding shift for just long enough to get an accurate shot off. Projectile speed: You may argue that it having no bullet drop might compensate for this, but it really doesn't outweigh all the cons of this weapon. Range issues: Comparitively low OHK range means that you have to sit closer, making it easier for the enemy to spot you. All these things combined creates a weapon that is such an obscenely bad idea that I can't comprehend why this left the drawing board. The drawbacks should have been fairly obvious even in the theoretical stage of designing the weapon. Now, for the Railjack.. This sniper is everything you could ever want, period. High damage, fast projectile speed, low to no bulletdrop, okay chamber time and being able to use the auto chamber attachment. My mind is truly and utterly blown. Some things work with asymmetrical balance, sniper rifles aren't one of those things. I've been fairly happy with playing Vanu for the last 55 battleranks, but this sniper alone truly makes me want to join the winning side, so to speak.
It's not a SOAS -- doesn't even have a full-auto mode anymore. It's (supposed to be) a super SABR according to Higby. The current versions on test are starting to align a bit more with that vision. I've always liked the SABR -- my only medic playtime has been simply to use that gun. Higby also likes the SABR, so I'm glad that I'm going to finally use an incarnation of one of my favorite guns on the class I play 87% of the time.
SABR is an ok gun but......you and maybe 10 others play it ALOT. So TR get the short end of the stick, period. Infils have the best ranged niche. This gun's semi auto mode is useless with its huge recoil per 1 shot....and it has half the dmg of a rel semi auto......... The Cert Trap can only be tested for usability with scopes. I have a suspicion it may be decent on a 3.4 or 4 scope but how can I tell when SOE keep neglecting the god damn gun to make changes to their favorite VS and NC children. Cert Trap doesn't even have all its scopes yet and they fix the railjack scope first? Really? Even then...why use it over my SOAS? So far it still has less DPS unless you are right on the nme and that's what the damn repeater is for. If they want to make it a REAL scout type gun...then MAKE IT ONE. It needs better recoil and hip-fire. Right now it recoils like a true Semi Sniper........with half the damage.
Was hoping they would make an empire specific anti tank sniper rifle that would give us something against vehicles. Sniper rifles should require some skill, I'm happy with my Rams and Paralax and don't need anything else.
