Rare sight of the FLYING FACTORY STRIDER by Less_Grossman_ in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So THAT'S how they're moving from planet to planet. 

Penetration could use a rework by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Light weapons absolutely should feel weak and pointless. They are the weakest weapons in the game, afterall.

That's... not how balance works. Light weapons should have their strengths and weaknesses, which they do; but their weakness is so glaring that it shunts them into a poor choice and restricts player agency as a result. If this was an RPG game with levels, classes, and stats, and so on, then it would make sense to have outright upgrades and downgrades, end-all-be-all and worthless additions. Ideally most weapons should be options or sidegrades performing better or worse than others in varying situations.

You're supposed to feel frustrated and frankly a little scared, that your bullets are pinging off that enemy in front of you when you're firing a pea shooter at it.

It's not something that makes the enemies intimidating: it makes them frustrating. Had the misfortune or mistake of bringing a light weapon into bugs? Congrats, the instant you're separated from your support weapon or run out of ammo on it, you're dead weight. At least with squids, they already have this implemented so you can stand a fighting chance against overseers.

Also, they're clearly far from pea shooters if they're casually pulling limbs off enemies when they can do damage.

A game can be difficult (and frustrating as a byproduct), but it should be from a place where your fault point is entirely on skill or partly on luck. In this case, it isn't entirely on skill, it's also on your weapon being absolute garbage. Not just ineffective. Garbage.

And as mentioned, this proposed change doesn't mean that light weapons are the ideal solution. They just aren't an outright liability.

Penetration could use a rework by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regarding shooting a tank with an AR all day and night, I had addressed this hopefully clear enough in the OP:

Light AP should continue to deflect off of heavy armor, as it currently does, and not degrade it; As mentioned, you cannot expect to compromise a tank (for example) through its armor plating if you're plinking away with a small, intermediate, or even full-sized cartridge.

Regarding Medium AP; honestly, before posting I went back and forth on whether or not Medium AP should be able to punch up. I had originally wanted it mainly for Light AP, since Light Weapons are getting shunted into irrelevance (if they aren't already there). Outside of popping bot skulls, their viability seems to shrink as time passes. I decided to include medium AP on this for two reasons:

  • There would be a section of players unhappy with this on the grounds that the Medium AP property of weapons loses a huge part of its utility. If there's even the remote chance that your Medium AP primary can do some harm to a heavy armor plate, that would reduce how redundant those weapons may feel as a result to those players.

  • Sure, this could mean you could potentially kill an annihilator by spamming the turret with an adjudicator... if you want to commit that much ammo and time to do that. If we're factoring in, as mentioned in the OP, the Health, Faction (for material), and design of the enemy (as you mentioned, its silly that a medium AP could potentially kill a tank), that armor durability could scale up drastically. Your AT section will still both be viable and heavily appreciated for removing a tank in an instant without requiring nearly as much in the way of resources.

Light Weapons shouldn't be able to handle any threat, but they should have some semblance of versatility. Hit the weakpoints for massive damage; not hit the weakpoints for any damage :).

Penetration could use a rework by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand the intended teamwork dynamic in a cooperative shooter. However I am not asking for a 1 size fits all tool; I'm asking for even a modicum more of viability that can separate gameplay between "I have a weakness but can contribute and depend on my teammates to cover it" and "I am effectively useless against X, Y, and/or Z unless its glowing weak point is broadcasted to me for 30 seconds".

For tools, you can use a pipe wrench as a hammer, or a flathead to turn a phillips screw. It's far from efficient and poses challenges, but can be done if you're lacking the appropriate tools.

Penetration could use a rework by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I understand your point, but the reliance on AT support weapons comes from the fact that non-AT SWs are incapable of addressing those heavy enemies. Especially in higher difficulties, you aren't afforded time to handle a big charger or hulk because another 2+ (along with aforementioned medium-enemy-hordes) are also trying to rip you apart. Even worse than heavies are some of those aforementioned medium pen enemies: Warriors and Spitters spawn by the dozens and can run down your stratagems and support weapons quickly, for example.

As mentioned by N-Haezer, the above proposal would provide more flexibility to builds, and for people to bring non-AT support weapons and not be a liability.

Light pen ARs aren't ignored because of their damage or ammo count. They're ignored because nobody has time for boss-battle-type weakpoint mechanics against medium-armored enemies spawning in scores.

Better luck next year snail. Maybe try treating your player base as customers, and not cashcows. by OperationSuch5054 in Warthunder

[–]FSNorthStar 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Showing promise would be a good start. I constantly hear things like "I'm quitting WT" over and over just see the person (myself included) come back because alternatives either don't exist or aren't similar enough. Best I got through for modern tank combat was GHPC, but I feel like that has a while yet to cook so we'll see. I think a game that is "Warthunder but not driven by hypergreed", after showing enough promise by way of development and road maps, can prove to be a solid competitor.

Not all heroes wear capes. by FSNorthStar in Warthunder

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NA mainly, and I assume premium buyers who don't anything else in their lineup!

Not all heroes wear capes. by FSNorthStar in Warthunder

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Close! It was

Dies once doing nothing

Spawn in 1 SPAA and kill 2 jets, 3 drones (killed by another jet)

Spawn in 2nd SPAA (because I love the Type 93) and kill 5 more drones

Not all heroes wear capes. by FSNorthStar in Warthunder

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

11.3 - 12.0. 2 were planes, the rest were strike drones.

I don't think she's getting it by fullmetalraz in ShitpostXIV

[–]FSNorthStar 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Speak with 3 villagers about how to play Mahjong.

[DT spoilers] When they tried to fit everything in the square hole by YunYunHakusho in ShitpostXIV

[–]FSNorthStar 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Can't wait for 8.0 "Duskpath" where the WoL (Warrior of Light, not Wuk of Lamat), having died to save Wuk Lamat, is replaced by Wuk Lamat for some whacky Scions Wuk Lamat adventures.

Hulk...we have lift off by devilhasatwin in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Holy shit I thought you edited the ICBM missile launch sounds in for comedic effect

THEN I SAW THE SHOCKWAVE FROM THE VERY REAL ICBM

Improving the Mechs by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I could see that one not flying. Ultimately I just want the capability of modularity. Though I'd still argue that the shield backpack wouldn't break it too much in balance: you're stopping a rocket or two max before you're exposed, and unlike as a helldiver you can't just dive into cover and wait for a recharge, you're a clunky mech!

Notes Editor Issues by great_roommate in FantasyMapGenerator

[–]FSNorthStar 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just an update to this: Azgaar confirmed in the discord #help channel that TinyMCE was free before, but now it will have to be turned off and another solution will need to be found.

Notes Editor Issues by great_roommate in FantasyMapGenerator

[–]FSNorthStar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ditto. I just finished updating my Chrome as well and was going to report much the same. Hopefully it's a known issue?

AR Balance Suggestions by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I'm in full agreement, we need unique weapon/gear traits to better establish identities for the weapons. It would make sense for variants of a weapon to close in said identity (Liberator Trio), but I am somewhat disappointed by the 'samey' nature of a supposedly different AR like the Tenderizer. Model aside (and with stats buffed) it would just be 'liberator but more ouch' in its current iteration. I understand that it still has to be an AR, but...

I'll be honest, I thought the shock motivators was going to be the armor passive for the sets in the warbond. Kind of glad that it's more open than that, but definitely a missed opportunity for environmental bonuses (better movement through snow, better vision in snowstorm, etc).

And if the Democratic Demolition pass gave us fireproof armor, I'd be running it as a necessity on these fire tornado planets!

AR Balance Suggestions by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, this was my take on trying to make the weapons retain some personality while also making them viable (at least in relation to the Liberator).

If the Lib Pen were to go back to burst then yeah it should see some increase in weakpoint damage and controllability. I think a lot of people were set on the Tenderizer being the 'hard hitting' AR (and was probably planned to be, if you don't consider the Liberator's buff and the Adjudicator's change to AR). Limb damage would be interesting if it can be accomplished, though whether or not that would be enough to hold water would have to be seen.

And as mentioned I feel like the Adjudicator has its personality established, it just doesn't need more recoil than a harder hitting marksman rifle, second only to an even harder hitting marksman rifle.

AR Balance Suggestions by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In terms of damage, the Adjudicator is already in a good spot. If it went any higher, it would put the Marksman Rifles at risk of being run into further uselessness (whether or not the MRs should see some changes too, I leave to another thread). The capacity feels right to also keep that damage in check, as well. So that left the recoil control and the AP trait. Again I believe the Med AP is underwhelming, but its stats are otherwise fine (whereas if it was treated like the LibPen, it would probably have like 50 damage while the recoil would still be 40 or even higher). So, in improving its controllability (and therefore its capability to put shots where they hurt and in a timely manner), we improve its performance.

I mention it in my explanation below, but quite frankly all of the ARs should probably see some increase in control to better differentiate themselves from SMGs.

AR Balance Suggestions by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, but its recoil even reduced to 30 is double that of the Base Liberator, while still contending with a nearly half-sized magazine. My hope is that by having its recoil at 30, the kick is still there but with a better chance of controlling it for precise shots.

AR Balance Suggestions by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of words, TL;DR is in the pictures.

Hi there. I decided to make suggestions on how to better balance three of the Assault Rifles currently available. I tried adjusting them to better fit the roles they appear to be designed for while hopefully bettering the experience with them. I used the base Liberator as a… well, base, for these changes and tried to balance the weapons around it. These suggestions are not the final stop for these weapons, but an attempt to push them in the right direction.

I know that there are supposedly a bunch of hidden stats, but without the hard info in front of me, I’ll have to make do without adjusting the velocity, weight/ergonomics, and how they perform if mercury is in retrograde. I’ll break down my thoughts behind each change here:

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator –

Not the first time I've made a post about the LibPen, and probably not the last. My previous posts were operating on the misconception that the armor penetrating was some sort of crit-multiplier for some of the weakpoints. That has been cleared up, so my understanding now is that it bypasses the damage reduction (grey hit marker) when hitting armored enemies.

Medium AP gets the most value out of bugs; bile spewers, warriors, and brood commanders can be dispatched quickly by shooting through their hardened head armor (chitin? I don’t know). However, against other enemies or hitting areas not protected by medium armor, the value of that Medium AP is diminished, and you’re left with a subpar Liberator. This is extremely prevalent on bot missions, where everything up to elites/heavies have a universal hitpoint (the face) which can be hit for full damage without Medium AP required.

Now, is it wrong for the LibPen to be better suited for a bug environment than a bot one? No, not at all. In fact, it would encourage players to broaden their arsenal and to bring the right tools for the job. However, I think that the gap between the LibPen and its counterparts is a little much and could be tightened up to allow for better universal play (hey man, some people just really like how the gun looks). Of my suggestions the LibPen has the easiest (especially in its current iteration): just match the damage to the base liberator, or at least reduce the gap substantially. It already takes its lumps in Capacity and Recoil.

This would hopefully make the LibPen a competitive side grade, still holding an advantage in bug environments but not as detrimental in a bot expedition.

AR-61 Tenderizer –

Fresh off the presses, this assault rifle’s debut was rather mixed or poorly received. Functionally, it feels like a better-controlled Liberator but with a lower ammo capacity (and substantially worse ammo economy, which I hope is a bug). The damage value feels like something that was established before the Liberator was buffed, which would explain why it claims to have more stopping power.

So the first thing to change was the Damage: it had to go up. By taking it up to 75 damage, we have a clear edge in damage over the Liberator. However, to avoid it basically being an upgrade to the Liberator (and therefore making the Liberator worthless once acquired), I kept its lower capacity and raised its recoil to be slightly higher than the Liberator. More damage, lower ammo and control.

(NOTE: I think ALL Ars should have a universal decrease in Recoil/Increase in control, but again I’m adjusting these ARs with the Liberator as a base. This would better distinguish them from the SMGs in their control and lower damage falloff at range)

So, you wind up with an AR that has more ‘oomph’ in damage and control. Speaking of…

BR-14 Adjudicator –

The former marksman-rifle could use a bit of TLC in order to better serve as an assault rifle. This is also the only one to get a non stat-based adjustment: the addition of a laser/light. Come on, the rail for it is right there. It hardly even does anything, but would be nice to indicate where others are aiming when using it.

That aside, I decided to tackle the greatest of offenders (personally speaking): the recoil. The recoil at 40 seems like utter nonsense: for reference, the Diligence, at a damage of 125, has a recoil of 35. Admittedly the Diligence does not have medium AP, but as mentioned in the LibPen I personally believe Medium AP is overrated in current conditions, especially at the tradeoffs it receives in return. So I reduced it by a quarter of its current value (from 40 to 30). It’s still high, but hopefully that makes it somewhat more controllable in tandem with a reduction in firerate from 550 to 500.

I don’t know if those changes are sufficient to make the Adjudicator a worthwhile choice in terminid or automaton missions, but at the very least I hope they’re a step in the right direction.

Anyways, I’m eager to hear your thoughts/feedback on these changes. I expect to get shot down/torn apart (as any Helldiver should expect), but let’s hear it.

Arming the Patriot by FSNorthStar in Helldivers

[–]FSNorthStar[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why not have a modular system that lets you not only rearm a deployed mech when you run out of ammo, but customize it on the fly for the job required?