As of now, the MANA turrets are mainly just deployable cover or distractions and function poorly as a weapon platform. With talk of Anti-Vehicle MANA turrets, I come up with an idea: Convert the MANA Turret to use Nanite Systems weapons. Specifically, the M12 Kobalt, M20 Basilisk, M40 Fury, and A30 Walker. Or MANA turret variants that function similarly to these weapons but altered to be balanced as they are mounted on an unlimited use, deploy almost anywhere, Engineer turret. Replace the basic MANA Turret with an M20 Basilisk style gun that does fair damage to all targets, but is slow firing and inaccurate. The other guns would be certifications that could be added as templates to the ACE Tool. Yes, I am. As I said, alter their performance to balance them. The M40 Fury MANA Turret would heat up very quickly making it a poor choice for infantry suppression and would have a very small, if any, splash damage zone to make it specifically an Anti-Vehicle weapon. Maybe alter the tripod model and make it more of an indirect fire weapon to further discourage it's use vs. infantry while enhancing it's ability to engage enemy armor by giving it increased range due to the mortar like firing system. With this, I would also suggest changing the way the ACE Tool functions. Give it attachments like any other weapon, but these attachments would be Nanite Templates. This way, any future updates to the ACE Tool can be integrated easier by just adding them as certifications for attachments. Perhaps give it two types, "Aggressive" and "Supportive" to limit an Engineer's flexibility by only allowing them to equip one type of turret and one type of support deployable, like the current Ammo Pack "alternate" fire.
All this fine and all. I just usually get shot in the face trying to find a legal place to set that damn ACE down in the first place.
Are there plans to ease the placement of the ace on non level surfaces like ramps anywhere or crags on indar or is the intent make sure the level is surface and not to close to a wall?
The turret is just cosmetic... like a vanity pet. Why in the world would you ever use it when your primary weapon is stronger, more accurate, and mobile (and everlasting with an ammo pack on the ground [which you can keep resupplying yourself forever])? It's a joke, all it is is a kill me sign really. The defense on it is laughable and the accuracy is terrible. "Yeah, stand behind a stationary florescent "shield" that draws the attention of 50 heavy assaults with rockets. Oh, and by the way it shoots 1 spitball a second and if you hold the trigger for more than 2 seconds you can't hit a barn door 2 feet in front of you, and if you hold it down for 3 seconds it shuts off. Good game plan." OP the turret and scale back from there because NO ONE, I mean no one, uses them.
That's why I am saying t o give them different weapon options. The current default has terrible accuracy, just like the M20 Basilisk. Lower the rate of fire and have it hit harder against all armor types. Want to engage infantry? Sacrifice your high damage vs. everything for accurate, high speed, infantry shredding M12 Kobalt. This would make it useful and flexible while keeping it balanced.
@ZanderArch --- thats fine and all but the problem of deploying the thing in the open still exist until they get rid of the flat ground and surrounding clearance requirement to deploy an ace.
