Higby's post on the Vulcan

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by BlueSkies, Nov 27, 2014.

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  1. Alarox

    I just tested it with a bunch of TR/VS/NC guys on PTS.

    You'll be pleasantly surprised.

    You know how when you're Anchored with AP/Halberd, you'll just barely lose to an AP + Halberd/Enforcer Vanguard who pops shield?

    You can now do this with AP/Vulcan and Fire Suppression. Meaning, if you jump any Vanguard you'll be able to beat them.
    • Up x 3
  2. Alarox

    I just got off test.

    The new Vulcan has increased magazine size (60 to 90), better damage falloff, and better CoF.

    The end result is that you can fire throughout the entire engagement, and you can use this weapon effectively even up to 200m.
    • Up x 4
  3. Shockwave44

    It also has severe bullet drop and low projectile velocity.
    • Up x 1
  4. Shockwave44

    They aren't even in the ballpark.
  5. Dualice

    I'd ask a Vulcan what it felt about all of this, but, as any Trekkie will tell you, they are devoid of emotion.
    • Up x 4
  6. Siilk

    Higby is one of the worst things that happen to PS2, only surpassed by SOE not really caring for the game a couple of months after it's official launch. PS2 team lost a number of strong developers under his "leadership", his design decisions are questionable at best and the way he set up the community interaction is plain horrendous as he puts personal ego-stroking above all other interests in this affair. Heck, the whole "reddit vs official forum" thing is only exist because he happen to have more fanbois there so each his thread on reddit is, as he himself might've put that, "a thrilling entertainment of circlejerking".

    Sadly yes, that's an accurate description of the current state of the PS2.
    • Up x 4
  7. BobSanders123

    Thanks for info and taking the time to test that out.
  8. DatVanuMan

    [IMG]
    P.S. Soon ZOE will be buffed. I like where this is going.

    ...

    [IMG]
  9. MasonSTL

    sooo you are going to assume the worst and say he isn't professional because of this assumption... if I understand correctly. Sounds more like paranoia
  10. MasonSTL

    I'm not sure if you are trying to be ironic or not.
  11. GhostAvatar


    And the problem is, you can't actually express your frustration on these forums, because it isn't "constructive". So people are going to express and release that frustration in other ways. Leading to such comments as what Higby wrote. Its nothing more than a result of their own actions.
    • Up x 3
  12. Titan6

    According to you. Just because you don't get the outcome you wish, doesn't mean they're wrong.
    • Up x 1
  13. FBVanu

    did Higby call this forum a "circle jerk" ? did I misunderstand his tweet? please tell me I misunderstood and he did not in fact insult his own player base... i want to be wrong on this one.
    • Up x 1
  14. PostalDude


    Can't we get this trash-heap fired already ? Game's been going down into the bowls of hell since this autist came into power.
    • Up x 1
  15. KnightCole


    Sounds like its insanely OP....
  16. FocusLight

    So did I.

    I also tested the Enforcer and the Saron while I was at it and compared them.

    Yes, the new Vulcan can one-clip an enemy MBT in the rear.
    So can the Enforcer, and the Saron needs 2.5 clips to take an enemy MBT from full health to dead, but with it's high ROF and it's fast reload the TTK is comparable.

    However here are the factors you are not taking into account.

    1. If you get up behind an enemy MBT (ESPECIALLY A MAGRIDER) and get time to empty a clip perfectly into it, there is likely no-one inside of it.

    2. If you end up in any situation where you get up behind enemy armor and can unload at will they are DEAD - the secondary weapon you have is not the only one and the TTK with a primary AT weapon and a secondary AT weapon into the rear, weak-end of enemy armor is extremely low. Emptying your Vulcan takes about 6 seconds, emptying the Enforcer takes an average of 7-8, emptying a Saron mag takes 4 at most. Together with your primary weapon that's an average of 4 seconds to kill an enemy tank by putting all rounds squarely into it's weak point.

    3. Live combat is usually chaotic and very rarely will you find enemy targets not shooting back or trying to shield their rare section. For instance, being able to pop a Vanguard in 4-6 seconds by laying all your rounds into it's exposed rear is meaningless when that Vanguard shoots back, moves and pops it's shield.

    In short, as far as I see it the TTK of the Vulcan has been balanced around what the other weapons in the same category can do. You lament that the Vulcan can one-clip an MBT in the rear? Well the Enforcer can do that right now on live and has been able to do that for quite some time, and while the Saron needs more re-loads it has the benefit of pin-point accuracy at long range with no drop, and far faster reload than the Enforcer/Vulcan, as well as far higher mobility on a Magrider, so it balances out.

    Personally, I'm looking forward to being able to fit my own faction's AT weapon on my AT-specific tank and have it be a viable alternative to the NS Halberd. Something tells me the Halberd will still be favored for long-range bombardments using lock-down anyway though.
    • Up x 4
  17. FocusLight

    Sounds like you did not test it on the PTS along with your own options. Fortunately for you I did so you don't have to.

    Alternatively if your still skeptical (and you should be) go test your own Enforcer and the Vulcan using the same attachments in the same situations.

    As I see it the Vulcan is no better than the other 2 in theoretical TTK, it IS however still the most inaccurate AT secondary simply because it's a chain-gun. The Enforcer has drop but fires squarely where it says the rounds will go, so once you compensate for the drop your aiming is very easy. Saron can be spammed, or fire with pin-point accuracy for longer ranges, just like the Enforcer. Vulcan is still getting less and less accurate the further you go because it's rounds land randomly inside it's circular crosshairs, like the chaingun does and shotguns do.

    If the Vulcan is OP, now, then the Enforcer and Saron have been OP for along, long time. And I don't think they are.
    • Up x 2
  18. QuakerOatsMan

    I wouldn't jump to any conclusions based purely off VR tests. Live gameplay is usually very different because vanguards and magriders are very rarely going to be caught off-guard by a prowler at closer ranges where the vulcan changes are supposedly going to let it shave off a significant amount of a magrider/vanguard's HP. The halberd will still be superior at the ranges where the prowler excels.

    That being said, these changes would conform more towards the way a chaingun is expected to work. This is closer to the TR's flavor of bullet saturation.
    The prowler—as the supposed top DPS/offensive tank—would gain a new niche through its secondary: AV suppression at close-mid range. In other words, defense through offense. The mechanics of the new vulcan would give the prowler more of a short-mid ranged "buffer zone" to compensate for its lack of survivability. Too much damage for its clip size? Vulcan performing too well? Then let the devs adjust the bullet damage or whatever tweaks they would have in mind.

    The main, significant problem VS and NC players are looking at is that the 90-round clip also applies to the harasser vulcan, which is the one that needs to be addressed. The harasser is far better than the prowler at properly utilizing the vulcan to its optimum performance.
  19. WTSherman

    There are some major differences with the Vulcan though.

    1: The Vulcan is the only secondary that can put out over 900 sustained DPS. It's also the only secondary that can put out a little over 1300 DPS for nearly 7 seconds. This is after accounting for the AP HMG damage type. The Enforcer only has 750/545 (first mag and sustain respectively). How exactly do you expect 1300 DPS to have the same TTK as 750? You'd need to combine both the Enforcer and AP main gun just to match the damage output of the Vulcan alone.

    2: As a bullet weapon, you have to take its effectiveness against infantry and aircraft into account. The PTS Vulcan's CoF and damage per mag have a strong resemblance to the Canister, which is fairly effective against infantry and aircraft (the ones it can damage anyway). The Canister does still have a higher pellet density (puts more pellets downrange in a given time due to firing 12 per shot), but the Vulcan also has a higher damage per bullet so it needs fewer hits.

    Giving the AP HMG damage type to the Canister could very easily turn out badly. As could giving Canister stats to a weapon that is already AP HMG.
  20. BobSanders123

    I actually wasn't lamenting, I'm TR myself so I am looking forward to this buff, I was merely stating my static results from the PTS.
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