Rifleman Archive

1. 2.5 melee stinks. and as an add on to this: Commando weapons are not melee weapons.2x damage seems more reasonable and heavy weapons should not be counted as melee

2. Dizzy should do something. It takes multiple hits to dizzy someone and then knock them down and as a result, they should be on the ground for a reasonable amoount of time. Usually they're up again before I can get a shot off. It's alot of work and HAM for no beneficial result. 10 secs on the ground or so should be better than the 2 it is now. Not sure how this may affect thecombined KD/dizzy attack of other profesisons though.

3. 70m range. It's not too extreme. Even if the spawn system works at 64m or so (stuff spawns when you're within 64m). I don't mind walking up, scouting the enemies, then moving back into firing position. 6m is not totally unbalancing and is an improvement on a sniper's role.

4. Masters of mind damage? We should be the ones who are masters of mind damage, we currently aren't. Not sure a good way to fix this without nerfing other professions, but we can find something of a comprimise. (Perhaps my #6 is a solution/step in the right direction)

5. T21 does not have scary damage! It's not overpowered nor was it ever overpowered after the introduction of 75% PvP damage reduction. They have been working it up in the right direction but another +100 max damage would be appreciated.

6. HAM costs are still really high to the mind. A 10-25% reduction to the mind drain should be balancing for the upper tier weapons. Possibly adding a bit to HA drain if the mind drain is significantly reduced (20%+).

p.s. I'm all for small increases over time with the results checked after each patch. I don't really think it will ever be implemented that way, but it's the best method for change. Tweak it and see how it works. If it needs furthur tweaking, tweak again.

Just curious Aldeon, would you mind showing us your current idea for your six? I think most people seem to be in favor of including fix/improvement to cover shot and the stealth line in general. I would also encourage the idea of changing Tusken (an AR back to 1) and Spraystick dmg types as mentioned on this thread.

My list would be:

1) Warping mobs. I can understand why SOE put this quick fix in, but in its current implementation all ranged professions are suffering terribly. As Riflemen, we suffer the most because of our 2.5x damage modifier (baddies do extreme damage to us after they warp, as opposed to Pistoleers or Carbineers who don't suffer nearly as much). Please fix the computer AI to run around these objects or only allow them to warp past the object that is blocking them.
2) Heavy weapons being considered melee weaponry. Just the other night I was sniped by a Bounty Hunter with a non-styled attack from 64 meters away for two 600+ damage shots. I have nothing against heavy weapons or their styles (the range cap on styles *attempts* to balance this) but we shouldn't take melee damage from 64 meters away. I consider this a Riflemen problem because the 2.5x damage modifier makes us completely powerless against these weapons regardless of the situation or tactics we use.
3) Cover being essentially useless in PvP combat. Cover is not completely useless (I've noticed that it does help against humanoid NPC ranged baddies considerably) but in a PvP environment it's essentially worthless. I'd like to request that this immobilized, temporarily disabling state (you cannot use any styles when tumbling, and cover makes you tumble for a short period of time) give us a huge bonus to defense (in its current form, the defense boost is dismissible for anything but PvE, in which case it's mostly useless even then) or give us a form of radar-stealth or immunity from being TAB targeted when in the covered state. If radar-stealth were implemented and it proved too unbalancing (allowing the Rifleman to actually use /aim and get off a couple of decent shots could be imbalanced in some eyes) then simply add in a minimum range in which the stealth is ineffective. For instance, if a covered Rifleman is within 30 meters of someone, they can see the Rifleman perfectly fine on radar. Auto-attack would also prevent the Rifleman from getting off more then 1 shot unnoticed, which would make Conceal Shot a useful skill for PvP.
4) Clarification on the role of a Rifleman. This would probably be easily enough to answer, but it is a question that needs an 'official' response nonetheless. Currently, a Rifleman is simply an AoE support gunner. We have (and don't quote me on this) four AoE attacks; coincidently they are our most powerful attacks (Strafe Shot II being most notable). With branches such as 'Sniping Accuracy' and 'Concealment Tactics' I was under the impression that our profession was a long-ranged assasin, contrary to the current de-glorified artillerist. If we are indeed artillerists, please change the name of our branches. If we are snipers, then stick with this theme throughout our skill tree. Some will argue that Strafe Shot II is a perfectly fine skill that needs no fixing, and they are right. However, snipers do not lob artillery shells at groups of enemies and take out regiments of bad guys. Even in the Sci Fi world, snipers are generally long-ranged one-on-one assasins.
5) HAM Costs. This is a well known topic for almost every combat profession (Fencers, Carbineers, etc.) but the more we pound it into the heads of the Devs the better. With the current damage reductions in PvP we end up killing ourselves when we use our styles. A 170-225 damage Mind Shot II was doing around 50-100 damage to myself. Add a 30-50% miss rate to that and we end up hurting ourselves about the same as we hurt our enemies. My proposal is to increase the effectiveness of Strength, Quickness, and Focus and lower the effectiveness of foods, drinks, and spices. This would make people less dependent on drugs and food to have a chance at surviving their own attacks, while also keeping these items useful. Personally, I think foods, etc. should increase a person's secondary stats two-fold if (and only if) they were stacking several different items at once. Tripling one's strength and quickness with a single Sunburn is a bit much, it ought to require several foodstuffs. Likewise, a person's base secondary stats ought to have a greater overall effect in the HAM cost.
6) Fixing defensive ability mods. Even post-patch I have yet to dodge a shot. Honestly, I haven't trained in Counter-Sniping I yet (to get +5 Block) ... but I do have Fencer skills and a +5 Dodge. I have yet to dodge a single attack, PvE or otherwise. I've even logged a time when I let a bunch of kreetles smack me around (while keeping Peace up and stimming myself) and when I reviewed the log not a single dodge ever took place. I was hit for WELL over 200 times. Some hard data on how effective defensive mods points are would be useful. I'm hoping the number is somewhere around .25-.50% for each point of a defensive ability.
7) Suprise Shot is still broken. I'm normally not an advocate of hearsay, but I'll be a hypocrite for just this once. My understanding is that the ability is now working only when you're holding a carbine, and that you don't need to be in the covered state to use it. Fix it, then test it, then launch it live after it works for sure, please.
8) Message alerting us whether or not our status attacks have landed. This is just a personal thing, but I'd like to request a message to pop up telling us whether or not status effects (dizzy, lower posture, raise posture, bleeds, etc.) land and when they're removed from a target. I can't count the number of times I've hit with Flurry Shot I and the Dizzy effect just doesn't hold. A simple message (much like the alert that tells us when a target has the 30 second knockdown/posture change immunity timer on him) would be very beneficial to professions across the board. It's true that we could just look up at the target box, but it's much easier to see if the message just pops up telling us that the effect didn't hold or that it has worn off.
9) I want to twirl my rifle. Seriously, if Pistoleers are asking for it, then why shouldn't we? I want some colorful rifle-twirling emotes and a pretty British red coat. I also want those ridiculous-looking hats with the huge feathers in them. I want a musket danmit!

If any of these were sent in with last month's report, sorry. I'm honestly too tired to look at it lol. This is reflected in #9.

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1:Move special's mind coststo be action &| health based.

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I'm really against that idea. It's a massive change to the playstyle of riflemen, and having that changed would be an excuse to nerf our power in the future. Also, anyone who made a zabrak or mon calamari rifleman for the higher mind stats would be pretty hurt by a sudden change in how the rifle HAM system works.

I don't think the mind costs will be as bad, anyway, now that they're going to add ways to heal mind damage. This will actually help us as long as they don't make it too easy to heal mind while you're under attack.

My issues:

1. Make T-21's easier to make in terms of rare resources.

2. Fix surprise shot.

3. Consider giving us some sort of slight range advantage.

4. Fix heavy weapons doing melee damage.

5. Take a look at rifle accuracy over all ranges.

6. A mind heal is ok, but please make mind the hardestpool to heal out of the three.

#1 2.5x melee penalty

#2 2.5x melee penalty

#3 Lower HAM costs

#4 Fix armor piercing, will help with #6

#5 Fix conceal and surprise shot

#6 T-21 improvement, damage or HAM, eitheror both good

#7 2.5 melee penalty(just had to throw that in again)

here's a thought and a question:

does the melee multiplyer apply to spraystick wielding?

the melee multiplyer (hope it gets changed to low melee defense, i.e. you're easier to hit) shouldn't apply the the spraystick... it's the oddball short-range rifle and fires like a pistol (and you can fire while running)

increase rifle range to atleast 100meters

My Thoughts...

1. 2.5 melee is really rough.

2. WARPING MOBS. Good grief!!! I hit prone with my weak, weak T21 take my first shot at a slice hound. If I miss, I have 2 slice hounds warped on top of me eating away my health and action bars and my target is still 60 m away mocking me as I try to stand up and flea from his buddies!!! GRRR. Sorry, that really bothers me.

3. Increase range. I'm fine with 70 m. Im fine with almost anything as long as its FARTHER than what a pistoleer and carbineer can shoot. I hate being their whipping boy in PVP.

4. HAM costs. Ouch. Enough said there.

5.Un-nerf the T21 or give the rifleman class a new and better weapon when you reach Master. I have nothing to look forward to.

6. Is any form of concel going to have any bonus in PVP? Maybe something where we can hide from radar by being in prone and crawling? Maybe if you are more than 45 m away you are concealed, and then wants you fire, you are flagged and the target can see you?

Aldeon, Thank You for all of your hard work.

1. T21 damage has to come up or ham cost has to go down. And please don't tell me to switch to a laser rifle or e11 or DL20a after the first shot. BHs and Pistoliers don't have to switch to a d18 after the first shot, do they?

2. *2.5 damage multiplier has to go. 9 out of 10 mobs in the game go into melee.Those mobs that do not go into melee, are usually social and havefriends that autodetect you and do go into melee withyou.

3. Every weapon in the game should have specials thattarget a common pool. Grouping is next to useless unless all members of the group have the same weapon type.

4. Range advantage. Give it to us. It does not exist now. Ifit is actually impossible to go beyond 65 (which is BS) then make ideal range for every weapon type to bethe max range or reduce damagedrasticallybeyond ideal range

5. Fix conseal shot

My big 6:

1. Remove the 2.5x damage penalty. Most melee MOBs can reach me from 60m before my previous special expires (unless I'm using a spraystick), so if I shoot something 3 times and don't kill it, it will be able to reach me before I can shoot it a 4th time. Once it closes in, I cannot hit it with anything other than a spraystick, which is weak compared to most pistols or carbines.

2. Fix the stutter step. I have died more times because of this bug than any other single factor in the game.

3. T21s. Unnerf them OR make them more available. I don't mind them being rare if they're worth the wait. But if they're not going to be worth the wait, then...don't make us wait.

4. Fix Cover.

5. Rebalance HAM costs. If it costs me 50% Mind to do HS3 vs HS2, then HS3 should be 50% more effective.

6. Fix Warping.

All of my issues have been reported by my fellow riflemen either in this report or last months. With this exception:

Make the Bowcaster a viable option for the rifleman. It is a rail gun, and as such should have the heavy armor piercing quality. I can deal with most all of theweapons shortcomings as they can be augmented by power -ups. But this weapon deserves a biy more clout.

1 word - Accuracy. We are called Sharpshooters, not wild-maybe-we-will-hit-shooters.

There is no way i should miss 4 times in a row from 60 m with my laser rifle with expert sniping accuracy

-Logoseen Ospooro

1. The T21 needs to be fixed again, even if they nerf the commando and bounty hunter. It's sad to see all these posts showing us that a laser rifle is better than our elite weapon.

2. 2.5x damage multiplier really doesn't make sense. i should be able to defend myself with a rifle up close just as well as anyone uses a staff to defend themselves.

3. Prone warp