Rifleman Archive

This new patch has added some really good things to the game (only after the hotfix I should say). But Missions and PVE have been castrated. I am a Rifleman. I make these statements as such.

Enemies/MoBs are now more difficult. If they are more difficult, why hasn't their Con changed? Light Blue Cons are more like Dark Blue or Whites!

If this is the way MoB are supposed to be, then now more then ever, the following needs to be addressed and fixed.

1.) Draw In - I would rather have MoBs draw in at the rate of Lairs, then the other way around. Too many times have I been running about just to end up in the middle of an agro group of Red Cons. Intentionally getting into a fight with such creatures and losing is your own fault. This however, Is ludicrous. Being killed because MoBs can't draw in correctly is completely unfair and inane.

2.) Accuracy - Is there such a thing for Riflemen? I miss more times than I engage in combat. Missing as much as 80% of the time is more understandable if I haven't taken up an elite profession, but I did and that was Novice Rifleman. Apparently accuracy bonuses do not exist, or if they do ... they have been reversed. And YES!! I do maintain the proper Range for Riflemen Class ... 55-64 meters is my average.

3.) 64 meter Range Cap - 64 meters is supposed to be the maximum range anyone can be at and still hit a target. 65 meters and the target is out of range and there is NO possible way to hit the intended target. This only works for PLAYERS!! NPCs can ignore this rule. Why? I get in combat and run to 68 meters ... HA, HA ... he won't be able to hit ... BANG! You take "---" points of damage! WHAT?? He's 68 meters out! Okay .. now I'm 73 meters out and there is no way that he'll ... BANG! guess what ... you've been hit again. If I can't hit my target 65 meters or further ... either should the NPCs/MoBs.

4.) Conceal Shot - If everyone but my target can see where the shot came from, then Conceal Shot is broken. If this is the way the programmers intended this skill, then who knows what they were thinking. Conceal Shot ... no one should know were the shot came from.

5.) Warping/Floaters - MoBs that float are a problem. First, it defies the nature of any sense of reality. Yes, this is a video game, but there are some things that are just golden rules ... like gravity. Second, these floaters cna be 60 meters out, but the second I attack ... that MoB has now wapred to within 3 meters of where I am hacking on me for a hefty 3X damage multiplier! Also, in some cases, MoBs just warp from many meters out to where you are ... usually because they got held up at a rock, or the exit for thei walled camp is behing them, but they're MoBs so they can just warp instead. This is killing Riflemen where they prone.

6.) Riflemen are too Powerful in PVP - Well, since so many made this argument, and the Devs agreed, Melee classes have become Gods. I don't care about PVP. I have no intention to ever get in a bout with another player, but PVE is every bit affected be these "nerfing" changes. I can't last 2 hits anymore without being incapped or killed. No, I don't need to raise my Health or Action any higher, No I don't need to drop my Mind to raise the others. PVE Riflemen don't stand a chance. With all the warping, broken skills, lousy draw in, accuracy penalties (apparently). and evrything else ... Riflemen are SOL.

You might say that I just want to be this overpowered character that no one can kill ... get out of my face with that non-sense. Riflemen should be lethal. They should be more powerful with their skills and weapons than other players. They should be able to take a group of MoBs out without them knowing where the hand of death is being dealt. If this is not the way Riflemen should be, then we shouldn't have these proposed skills in the first place.

I am not saying that these things aren't a problem for other classes. I can only speak from the point of a Rifleman because I am a Rifleman. I don't pretend to assume that these types of things may not be problems for some if not all professions in general.

/bump

II've played for five days but I'm only Apprentice Marksman though, but:

1) I've never accidentally run in to an aggro mob unless I've forgotten to run the map on. You can also use the radar in the left lower corner of the HUD.

2) I hit 90% of my shots when setting up, well over 35% when running.

3) Now you know. Adapt. But I agree, a bit cheesy.

4) Don't have that yet, but AFAIK this is the next thing they'll fix for us.

5) So don't attack floaters that you can't deal with up close? I'm sure they'll fix it eventually (they probably agree with your point on gravity), ignore for the time being.

6) I'm guessing you're meaning the 3x multiplyer. Solutions:
6 a) Keep your distance.
6 b) Use a gun or HtH fighting against mobs that get up close.
6 c) Get a Spraystick for up close.
6 d) Don't get into a close fight without being rested, so you can burst run away if things turn sour.
6 e) Group up with other people to take out the tough mobs.

Really, I don't mean any offense, but I've been levelling just fine in PvE using nothing but my two rifles - maybe the problem isn't what you just said, maybe it's that there are too few mobs in between 12 and 85 (I read this complaint somewhere - too few mobs with difficulties between these two), and that you simply are trying to kill too tough mobs?

I keep my radar out to 128m all the time and I -still- sometimes find myself in the middle of a materializing horde of aggro things. Usually only when running, of course. Sometimes I can run on through them before they aggro, sometimes I can back-peddle and get out of aggro range. It -would- be nice if they actually "faded in" at a longer range though.

My conceal shot has about 97% accuracy, give or take, against blue-cons and white-cons... I recently got 2300 xp or so from a red-con that I had 100% accuracy on... and it was a LOT of conceal shots to take him out (humanoid NPC, either non-aggro or I was "behind" him and he didn't see me to aggro).

Monsters that are "floating" -are- a pain. They remind me of the "stacked" creatures in Everquest... you would see a kodiak bear "floating" in mid-air. In EQ, if you attacked it, it would drop to the ground where it was and THEN rush you... along with the one, two, or three OTHERS "stacked" with it. Very dangerous. So, I learned to look for the "floating" critters and -avoided- them.

Regarding the melee dmg multiple and the suggestions posted:

6 a) Keep your distance.

A wise move, when possible. I've had several cases, though (usually in quests) where the NPCs immediately charge me... I get combat music from, like, 72m out and then just wait for the mobs to appear and charge me.

6 b) Use a gun or HtH fighting against mobs that get up close.

Using a ~pistol~ would work... if you have the skill points to invest in it... I wouldn't use a rifle, though --- you'd die in two, three hits. Hand To Hand fighting would work, too, of course, but I've found Two Hand Sword to be the best bet... if you'vemanaged to use the rifle at all, and inflicted Mind damage, you can use the sword to continue to hit Mind damage. And if you DIDN'T affect the Mind stat of your foe, you can still hack away at the Health / Action with a sword.

6 c) Get a Spraystick for up close.

Spraystick is still a rifle and while it's fast rate of fire might make it suitable fora warning shot AS the foe is approaching (never saves me) once your'e in melee, it's just as bad as the other rifles. Or seems to be, anyway. I haven't done a study, so I don't know if different rifles have different melee-damage penalties.

6 d) Don't get into a close fight without being rested, so you can burst run away if things turn sour.

Works great, except against cat-creatures and others that can outrun even burst run (like Giant Carrion Spats, for some reason). Burst Run also gets killed instantly when you hit water, which can be a problem in watery areas (like on an island in the swamps near Moenia --- just sigh and prepare to clone).

6 e) Group up with other people to take out the tough mobs.

I've never grouped and doubt I will, except maybe for one or two other riflemen or maybe a CH whose pet can tank or something. With Conceal Shot I can take out red-cons as long as they are single and not instantly-aggro.

It means being pretty selective in targets, and limits me a great deal. I've been playing around Corellia a bit, collecting some Herbivore meat, and Humbaba are about the toughest I can take (white-con).... the tougher things usually are social (and / or are cat-like creatures that can cover 64m in 0.003 seconds).

This new patch has added some really good things to the game (only after the hotfix I should say). But Missions and PVE have been castrated. I am a Rifleman. I make these statements as such.

Enemies/MoBs are now more difficult. If they are more difficult, why hasn't their Con changed? Light Blue Cons are more like Dark Blue or Whites!

If this is the way MoB are supposed to be, then now more then ever, the following needs to be addressed and fixed.

1.) Draw In - I would rather have MoBs draw in at the rate of Lairs, then the other way around. Too many times have I been running about just to end up in the middle of an agro group of Red Cons. Intentionally getting into a fight with such creatures and losing is your own fault. This however, Is ludicrous. Being killed because MoBs can't draw in correctly is completely unfair and inane.

2.) Accuracy - Is there such a thing for Riflemen? I miss more times than I engage in combat. Missing as much as 80% of the time is more understandable if I haven't taken up an elite profession, but I did and that was Novice Rifleman. Apparently accuracy bonuses do not exist, or if they do ... they have been reversed. And YES!! I do maintain the proper Range for Riflemen Class ... 55-64 meters is my average.

3.) 64 meter Range Cap - 64 meters is supposed to be the maximum range anyone can be at and still hit a target. 65 meters and the target is out of range and there is NO possible way to hit the intended target. This only works for PLAYERS!! NPCs can ignore this rule. Why? I get in combat and run to 68 meters ... HA, HA ... he won't be able to hit ... BANG! You take "---" points of damage! WHAT?? He's 68 meters out! Okay .. now I'm 73 meters out and there is no way that he'll ... BANG! guess what ... you've been hit again. If I can't hit my target 65 meters or further ... either should the NPCs/MoBs.

4.) Conceal Shot - If everyone but my target can see where the shot came from, then Conceal Shot is broken. If this is the way the programmers intended this skill, then who knows what they were thinking. Conceal Shot ... no one should know were the shot came from.

5.) Warping/Floaters - MoBs that float are a problem. First, it defies the nature of any sense of reality. Yes, this is a video game, but there are some things that are just golden rules ... like gravity. Second, these floaters cna be 60 meters out, but the second I attack ... that MoB has now wapred to within 3 meters of where I am hacking on me for a hefty 3X damage multiplier! Also, in some cases, MoBs just warp from many meters out to where you are ... usually because they got held up at a rock, or the exit for thei walled camp is behing them, but they're MoBs so they can just warp instead. This is killing Riflemen where they prone.

6.) Riflemen are too Powerful in PVP - Well, since so many made this argument, and the Devs agreed, Melee classes have become Gods. I don't care about PVP. I have no intention to ever get in a bout with another player, but PVE is every bit affected be these "nerfing" changes. I can't last 2 hits anymore without being incapped or killed. No, I don't need to raise my Health or Action any higher, No I don't need to drop my Mind to raise the others. PVE Riflemen don't stand a chance. With all the warping, broken skills, lousy draw in, accuracy penalties (apparently). and evrything else ... Riflemen are SOL.

You might say that I just want to be this overpowered character that no one can kill ... get out of my face with that non-sense. Riflemen should be lethal. They should be more powerful with their skills and weapons than other players. They should be able to take a group of MoBs out without them knowing where the hand of death is being dealt. If this is not the way Riflemen should be, then we shouldn't have these proposed skills in the first place.

I am not saying that these things aren't a problem for other classes. I can only speak from the point of a Rifleman because I am a Rifleman. I don't pretend to assume that these types of things may not be problems for some if not all professions in general.