Forums » Suggestions

Rail Buff

May 30, 2012 Dr. Lecter link
Rails are crap.

They're the PvP reward weapon, but are one of the most under-utilized weapon classes in the game. They have horrid refire rates, power consumption, laughable ammo capacity, and are far heavier than is reasonable. In exchange for this, they have moderately higher shot velocities (and ranges, but given how poorly the game handles aiming at distant targets, range isn't really relevant) and damage factors. However, even four ADV rails hitting simultaneously won't kill anything but the weakest of ships.

Rails need buffing.

Rails could be buffed in a few basic ways: (A) somewhat reduce the downsides across the board OR (B) severely reduce or even totally normalize just one of the big downsides; and, (C) somewhat buff both velocity and damage OR (D) significantly buff either velocity or damage.

Of the direct buffs, I think damage makes the most sense to play with given that rails are already largely at reaction time velocities. Of the indirect buffs, mass seems the most overbearing stat, followed by the ammo for some of the lower levels.

With that in mind, I present the following approach for debate. I have tried to create some diversity by making large changes to damage and mass for ADV rails, while only slightly improving the ADV's ammo, speed, and re-fire rate. On the other hand, the MkIII has been improved somewhat across the board. The MkII has been gently improved, and the MkI left alone.

Mk Damage Speed Energy Delay Mass Ammo
I 1400 400 m/s 110/blast 1.6 s 800 kg 30

II 1600 [+200] 400 m/s 90/blast 1.5 s [-.1] 700 kg [-100] 36 [+6]

III 2000 [+200] 410 m/s [+10] 80/blast 1.2 s[-.3] 900kg [-100] 24 [+9]

Adv 3500 [+1000] 500 m/s [+20] 100/blast 1.6s [-.1] 1100 kg [-400] 12 [+2]
May 30, 2012 tarenty link
+1. Also, threadjack: rail turret! Woo, I feel like alloh.
May 30, 2012 ryan reign link
+1

Also, fourth nation of banned pirate rail turrets... as long as doesn't it nerf UIT guilds multi-faction nuetral, if you were not all closed box thinkers, you would know only my ideas can save VO!

AllopaladinOfBungarisalot
May 31, 2012 yodaofborg link
+1

Being able to one shot a Valk/Maud with 4 x advanced rails seems plausible. And Taurs and the likes would still take more than one hit.

Why in hell not?
May 31, 2012 Touriaus link
+1

While I have a fondness of and specialize in under utilized or unorthodox weapons, Rails could use a hand being less troublesome.

(P.S. Implement my Gatling Cannon MKII you troll devs)
May 31, 2012 TheRedSpy link
By all rights I should be stubbornly arguing that rails are just fine and that these changes are bullshit and that Dr. Lecter is just a noob that can't hit rails and wants to buff them to compensate for his lack of skill.

But I'm not a dick.

1+ PURELY because it would encourage weapon diversity and there's really no reason not to try buffing rails to see how it goes, the same goes with a nerf on flares.
May 31, 2012 Shapenaji link
+1

A damage tweak is really all they need.

If you actually manage to hit with these, you should be rewarded.

I'm against dropping the weight as a fix, only because then they stand to buff the valk.
May 31, 2012 slime73 link
+1

A big buff would be to increase weapon firing angle quantization accuracy, however from what I understand that's a little more... involved, compared to changing numbers.
May 31, 2012 Dr. Lecter link
In my experience, the port spread is too wide on the valk/maud platforms for effective railing, Shape. And while 1500kg is insane regardless of ship, 1000kg weapons have a serious impact on a valk's agility...as we've seen with flare/gauss valks. Given the lack of AA or prox/conc, I doubt even buffed rails would be a major new valk rig.

TRS, as Mecha, Smittens, and even old Alamar could tell you (and poor Ray's superbus), I'm not bad with rails. Any time you want to go 5 or 10 rounds in ADV rail hornets, you let me know. Though I should knock some of my D3 rust off first ;)
May 31, 2012 Ghost link
+1

The actual numbers would probably require a bit of testing/tweaking/trial and error. But I think the numbers you suggested are a good place to start. Rails have always been a weapon that most people use only because they're bored or fooling around. Would be nice to see them get some teeth.
May 31, 2012 Pizzasgood link
Yeah. Adv. rails are great for stealing kills during a buswar, but beyond that I rarely use them.
May 31, 2012 Shapenaji link
Lecter: If you tri-rail, sure, but a weight reduction would allow the valk to run a single rail on the middle port, play a distance control game with blasters to mop up.
May 31, 2012 TheRedSpy link
TRS, as Mecha, Smittens, and even old Alamar could tell you (and poor Ray's superbus), I'm not bad with rails. Any time you want to go 5 or 10 rounds in ADV rail hornets, you let me know. Though I should knock some of my D3 rust off first ;)

As Mecha could also tell you, I'm quite good both with and against flares.. that was not the point..
Jun 02, 2012 missioncreek2 link
Interesting suggestion. I think that the PVP is more fun when it doesn't end in an instakill. A few exchanges of damage is better. But the rails could use some love. I would suggest a 50% ammo increase plus lecter's buffs on weight and fire rate, and velocity, but no damage increases.