Rifleman Archive

I mean, REALLY. I've been here since 3 days after it came out. Ever since then the whole rifle class has been playing second fiddle to Pistoleer, Bounty Hunter, and Smuggler class. This is what I see...

The4variables that matter most in a ranged combat class are Accuracy, Speed, Damage, and HAM costs.

Right now, Pistoleer (and anyone even using a pistol) has a Serious advantage in the game. Let's take each variable one at a time, and HONESTLY compare them.

Accuracy - Go out and shoot a Pistol then a Rifle in real life. The pistol is not nearly as accurate, so that should be reflected in the game. If nobody can shoot further then 64m due to system limitations, that's fine with me. Then one of two things need to happen. Either cap the Pistol and Carbine weapons to shorter distances OR change accuracy settings. If they can make it so that a rifle can only hit 1 shot in 5 or more at less then 20m then they can make it so pistols are just as bad at long range. Obviously Carbine should be a middle ground weapon. Differant weapons are for differant distances and that MUST be reflected in the game. Rifles are Long Range weapons.Pistols are Short Range weapons. PERIOD

Speed - If the purpose of the Rifle is to hit at long distances then Rifles absolutly should take longer to fire due to the idea that you are aiming. Pistols should shoot faster. They are eaiser to swing around with and faster to aim. Again Carbine should be in the middle. I think this currently is where it should be in game. Pistols shoot faster then Carbines, and both Pistol and Carbine shoot faster then Rifles. This is balanced.

Damage - If you go onto the Pistoleer boards most of the posts are whining about how rifles do SO much damgae over time compared topistols. If you shoot something with a .22 pistol and then with a 30.06 rifle, which do you think is going to do more damage? Let's be honest here, in the pecking order of damage between Carbine, Pistol and Rifle, Rifle should be on top and Pistol on bottom and, again, Carbine somwhere in the middle. DOT (damage over time) is bandied about with the thought that Pistoleers should do JUST as much damage,over time,as Riflemen. I compleatly Disagree with that. Rifles should do more damage by virture of the fact that they are bigger guns, therefore more energy or larger projectiles. It's the same as the Armor Piercing abilities. Pistoleers complain that they only have one gun with AP and it's only Light Piercing. Of course it is, you are shooting a PISTOL. A rifle SHOULD have better AP then a pistol. Oh and by the way, there is only 1 rifle with AP, the T-21, and most people haven't seen one and some servers can't even build them. I think the solution is to leave THIS aspect the way it is and fix the other issues. If those are fixed I think this would be less of an Issue.

Ham Costs - The current system for Rifle Ham Costs suck. In several posts the Dev's have said the trump card for Riflemen is that they damage an unhealable pool, the mind pool. The problem for riflemen, or anyone using rifles, is that when you try and use the special attacks, it takes away from the mind pool of the Rifleman. Isn't that a little backwards? Of what good, is the ability to damage an unhealable pool, at the cost of your own unhealable pool? Using a pistol subtracts from the Health Pool, Carbine from Action. BOTH these pools are healable with simple stimpacks. What benefit does the Rifle convey on it's users? You can do Excellent damage attacks, but at a Horrific Mind cost. My character has 800 Mind and maxed sub-stats, I'm good for 8 Mindshot 2's, If anything else is needed then I'm in trouble. Using a pistol you can spam Healthshot 2 untill the target is dead. The only thing I can think of to make this better is to either Reduce the HAM costs, OR seriously raise the minimum possible damage on all rifles, so If you DO hit you do decent damage making it worth the HAM cost. If this is fixed, then the Speed and Damage issues would stop being issues.

These 4 Variables, if looked at individualy, don't seem so bad. If you look at them together it's terrible. Solutions are simple, implementation isn't, I understand that. At the same time, however, SOMETHING need to be done. At least a little feedback from the dev's that say "yeah, we know, we're working on it" would be nice so at leastthere is an acknowlegement that issues are being worked on. Thank you for your time.

I could waste 15 min of my time explaining how you are dead wrong in every argument but I have done that to many times already. So I will save myself some time and get to the main reason why you dont know what you are talking about.

You are a Novice Rilfeman. You have no clue, absolutely no clue the power of this profession.

"Oh and by the way, there is only 1 rifle with AP, the T-21, and most people haven't seen one and some servers can't even build them. I think the solution is to leave THIS aspect the way it is and fix the other issues. If those are fixed I think this would be less of an Issue."

Wrong

Jawa Ion Armor Light AP1
E11 Rifle Armor Medium AP2
Laser Rifle Armor Medium AP2

The T-21 is the only Rifle with Armor Heavy AP3