Carbineer Archive

now ipreface this by stating that i am only 2,0,1,3 in carbines at the moment (have to drop master AS before I can train anymore skills )

previously i was a tkm... and HAM cost was always a big deal to me... i never used knucks with posture change specials, etc. so i just had a few observations i wanted to post and get some feedback...

now i KNOW that the HAM situation with carbineer is "MUCH MUCH different" (read as "absoultely insane")... butover the last couple weeks as i have been looking at a lot of posts on carbine specs and browsing many vendors... and it seems as though many of the weps have crazy HAM cost in order to boost the dmg to its absolute crafting limit.

perhaps it is because i am currently an armorsmith and deal with people asking forhigh base armorall the time (even if the HAM requires that they are buffed 24/7), and also because i remember back in the beta when buffs wererare and HAM costs actually meant something... but personally i will always favor lower HAM costs on armor and weps than just pure dmg. (I also believe that doc buffs should be more in line with the new food buffs... but that is another issue)

now to get to the point... when i was tkm and used knucklers for some of the HAM heavy specials (such as kd2) i always thought the HAM cost was bad... of course when i came to carbineer i finally saw the true nature of the darkside ... doing a chargeshot1, fasingle2, fasingle2, actionshot2, fasingle2, etc. sort of attack combo really drains the HAM (suicide anyone?)... and that is using a decent HAM cost laser carbine (somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-50-30)... now am i missing something? i see lots of laser carbs with much higher HAM costs, and when i asked a few WS's about this they said most people don't care about HAM and they just want highest dmg possible... is this just another example of how this game should be re-titled as SWG: a empire buffed? (i would also have accepted SWG: an empire waiting for buffs ) or perhaps just the symptom or the carbineer borked HAM costs?

considering the increase in HAM cost with some of these higher DPS weps, AND considering that is my personal experience that if I am not using specials i might as well slap on the 80% kinetic armor and go get a sandwich, cause against anything tougher than whiteit will take a while with default attacks, is using a higher HAM wep with higher DPS REALLY worth it? i guess if we did a lot more dmg with default attacks then i would say yes... but considering the crazy HAM cost multipliers on our specials (by the way thank god for novamarine's great work on that special modifier list... especially for us trando's with low action secondaries).. it seems as though the "damage per HAM cost" ratio is such that unless you feel like using a stimpack after every other attack.. OR are buffed (but of course)... then perhaps it would be better to have a wep with slightly lower DPS but one you could do multiple specials with throughout a fight rather than rely on a high DPS wep for an opeing volley than switch to a lighter HAM cost wep that is pretty weak... such as a DH-17.

personally iprefer the flexibility involved with a lower HAM cost laser carbine for PvE... because i rely on food more than doc buffs... and stimpacks of course... but this is all pointless if you are buffed... which in my opinion makes it impossible to ever have a HAM cost system that is fair both to the unbuffed AND buffed player.... since the HAM of a buffed player is almost always 2 to 3 TIMES that of the unbuffed... but i am always open to change... so i guess i am just wondering if i should also invest in a higher DPS/higher HAM cost wep... even ifi mostlyuse food buffs?

the main reason i am asking this is because i am about to have some carbines made with the new components (barrel and stock) from the imp themeaprk so i just am trying to figure out what kinda weps i want... and i hope that no one just gives a reply where they pretty much say "always be buffed".. because i really think that is a true sign of the broken nature of this game... and even though yes i can level like a bat out of hades with master doc buffs and leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc. i don't want to be a slave to a master doctor and wait around a city for20 mins for a buff when i would rather be sipping my vaserian brandy and shooting things ... i just don't want a gun that i cannot use specials withUNLESS i am buffed....

give me your knowledge people!!