Higby wants us Tankers to come on PTS at 4 PST and give feedback

So in summary VS is now officially ******. ZoE took over 6 months before they acknowledged it was not being used (and I'm willing to bet after their "buff" to it the user numbers remain the same now 6 months later). The Magrider will be evaluated "later"; well I remember the last time that happened and it took over a year of buffs to bring it even close to par again to the other tanks by reversing every single nerf it received in the first place (except hill climbing).

Seeing how today the number of Magriders is already limited due to lack of ability to be a MBT (on top of being usually the lowest population faction) combined with HE buff for the other factions (and lets not talk about the fiasco with the pistols) I can only see the VS population going on way and it's not up...

Very interesting reading - for me at least, i'm happy that SOE are actually testing potential changes in a 'live' scenario (anyone remembering the original Mag nerf will know what i'm talking about; that was clearly never tested).

As it stands - it is looking pretty bleak for the Magrider now. The fixed turret will be a liability when reversing, getting snagged and/or killing your forces while the Prowler and Vanguard can actually look where they are going. The main cannon changes will force more CQC where the Vanguard is king. At the very least, the Magrider needs a cannon buff.

It must be very difficult to balance non-like abilities BUT overall, the better tactics/situation SHOULD win - and that doesn't seem to be the case.

Oh well - guess i'll be playing more NC in the future (again) - and I thought the NC overpop was coming down a bit too ! I don't want Easy Mode, I just want a chance...

Very respectable, hyperbole-free assessment sir. As an NC tanker, I'm more convinced of the Magrider's plight by your post than any other 100 flameposts on here.

Thanks, I tried to look at it as objectively as I could... including spending time on the NC during the event as well. I have to admit though, that I don't use the Mag like the majority of VS do. (Although a lot of experienced users do, the vast majority of users do not... they just push forward towards the next base and maybe strafe while shooting from hilltop to hilltop)

That said, I tried to lay out my biases as best as I can. (Don't believe anyone that says they aren't biased... they are... they are just kidding themselves) The truth is, I want good equal fights against equally skilled opponents to matter. I can't rely on better Damage or more Armor. I have to Flank, catch enemies by surprise, use cover and distance better, use the semi-stabilized turret to the fullest advantage, bait and trap, etc... in order to get my kills. When I've skrimmed against equally experienced Vanguard drivers... its been ridiculously lopsided. Sure, I can beat the hell out of the inexperienced masses and wipe through full armor columns of guys with 50ish hrs in the vehicle, which is satisfying in helping my faction and breaking some zergs up... but that's not as satisfying as going against equals.

I've always accepted the lower Damage, lower Armor, lower velocity but higher maneuverability and higher accuracy as a baseline. However, this is why I rail against changes that negatively affect the flanking and positional advantages we can get. The Mag isn't a good vehicle for pushing forward into the teeth of the enemy, it also hasn't been very effective at staying back at range and battling with long range shots (since the Saron change, and TR/NC velocity buffs). Where it shines is in the midcourt game... middle ranges, close enough to keep high accuracy, but far enough to be able to dodge.... and in the stealth flanking game.... where it can swing around and attack from the rear or sides to gain the better damage from the weakspots.

The reverse buffs in particular are going to severely impact the Mags effectiveness in those particular arenas. The midcourt because the other tanks get to escape easier thus are punished less for over-extending..... and in the flank playstyle in that they can maneuver quickly around to regain an equal positional footing once they are ambushed. The Mag is dependent on gaining these advantages and keeping them in order to increase our damage output without taking too much damage.

The reverse buff as it stands now on PTS has very little impact on how you drive your Mag. Without being able to see behind, its very limited in the length of time you can go in reverse before hitting something. Unlike all the turreted vehicles, we cannot see any ground behind us. Even in third person, we can't see the whole back-end of the Mag... just the a portion of the jets. Which means minimap driving while going in reverse. Without a backwards view or freelook... there will be very little gain by having the Mag getting 100% reverse speed. In a vehicle that requires quick maneuvers to duck behind cover to mitigate the higher damage and faster velocity shots of the other factions, not being able to see where you go is a detriment.

Don't get me wrong. The Mag is fun to drive... I love the extra perks of being able to parkour around and get places it wasn't meant to get... but that really has limited combat ability... mostly good for 30 seconds of outstanding footage on youtube, but once the fight gets hot and heavy... you're dead if you are trying to do the fancy stuff.

TLR;

I understand SOE's motivations, and I respect what they are trying to do, so I'm not angry, sad, whining or looking for an OP vehicle. I'm just looking to have a defined niche, have my vehicle suited for that niche and be able to be effective in that niche. I want a vehicle that is worth me sinking 500 hours of experience into and working my *** off to become really good at. The reverse speed buff in particular will destroy a good portion of the current Mag's niche.

Hyperbole and panic laden posts isn't going to help the situation. I was in the TS Q/A during the tank test and they are open to ideas on a number of different tank-related topics. We need to provide logical and objective arguments for any changes or block of changes they are wanting to do. Those people on the forums yelling that the Mag is **** and useless are just as bad as those saying the Mag is fine and OP. My stats alone tell you that the Mag can be effective... what stats don't tell is how the Mag is effective and how it's lacking. That's where logical, non-hyperbolic arguments based on experience can help.

Believe me, I lived through the Dark days of the Mag and don't particularly want to do it again... but I also think mistakes were made by the VS players at the time trying to hang onto the Mag that was OP at release due to a variety of factors that are no longer the case. Long range effectiveness combined with strafing ability to dodge shots, combined with open bases, combined with lack of infantry AV options, combined with low-BR overall populations without the required certs/weapons. A lot of the issues were covered up by the even worse abuses of the HE Prowler and Zepher Libs, but they were there nonetheless.