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UL70 Nimbus (Tier 5 Shotgun)

TheWaywardKid

Active member
Jul 6, 2018
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Ever since Tier 5 weapons have been creeping into the game my mind has been trying to picture just what a Tier 5 shotgun for Support would look like. After all, Support has some really nice Tier 4 weapons to choose from as well as enough weight to carry both, and there aren't too many more roles the Support really needs their shotguns to fill! How, then, would you design a shotgun that's worthy of being a Tier 5 without simultaneously making the Tier 4 guns obsolete?

Let's take a look at the Firebug of all things... The Firebug can technically carry both a Flamethrower and a Helios Rifle or Husk Cannon, essentially carrying a wonderful trash weapon as well as something for big Zeds...
…Or they can bring the Microwave Gun.
The Microwave Gun might technically be weaker at each individual task than the aforementioned combo, but it's a one-stop shop with added crowd control utility to boot! I've seen the rare respectful Firebug be able to do wonders with that thing. A shotgun made with this in mind could similarly be an awesome tool while still allowing the AA-12 and Doomstick to shine in their own ways!

In that vein I'd like to bring you... The “UL70 Nimbus”! The UL70 would feature two vastly different firing modes and run off of a unique heating/cooling system (based off of the game logic currently used for healing darts).


UL70 Nimbus.jpg


Flavor Text: “Originally considered the most poorly conceived mining tool ever invented, Horzine has 'enhanced' the UL70 Nimbus with railgun wizardry in order to create a tool of indiscriminate destruction!”

TIER 5
2500 Dosh
15 Weight


Heating/Cooling: The UL70 Nimbus has a single magazine for its entire ammo pool, never having to reload ammo in the traditional sense. Instead, firing the shotgun fills up a Heat meter which predictably prevents the user from firing more shots once filled. Just like with healing darts, the Heat meter naturally cools over time regardless of whether the weapon is equipped. (Pressing “reload” plays an animation that quickly cools a portion of the meter.)


ReloadLower.gif

Firing Mode #1:
  • Fast rate of fire.​
  • Largest pellet spread of all shotguns.​
  • Largest pellet count of all shotguns.​
  • Weaker per-pellet damage compared to the AA-12.​
  • Consumes more ammo than the alternate firing mode, but costs less Heat per shot.​
Comparable to the AA-12 yet less versatile, the first firing mode's wildly inaccurate spread and massive pellet count aim to deluge crowds with a horizontal monsoon of lead! The less-condensed damage is naturally worse against tougher Zeds than an AA-12 with “Tight Choke”, however, and also lacks the ability to be upgraded.


Firing Mode #2:
  • Mediocre rate of fire.​
  • Low pellet count.​
  • High per-pellet damage.​
  • Incredibly tight pellet spread.​
  • High stun power on headshots.​
  • Slightly weaker than a normal trigger-pull of a Doomstick.​
  • Consumes reduced ammo than the first firing mode, but costs significant Heat per shot.​
Comparable to an un-upgraded Doomstick, the second firing mode trades raw damage (and quad-shot capability) for some utility with its ability to stun. The Heating mechanic is a double-edged sword: “reloading” in the background is a very nice bonus, but sharing Heat between firing modes can be trickier than carrying an AA-12 + Doomstick (which can be reloaded separately). However, the UL70 Nimbus costs 500 less dosh and weighs 5 less than carrying both of those guns.


Trivia:
  • The name “UL70 Nimbus” is based off of the word “cumulonimbus”, a massive type of cloud known for its severe storms which rely on warm, moist air and high pressure. Appropriately, the UL70 is huge in size, relies on a heating system, and has two firing modes which are similar to a downpour and a lightning strike.​
  • Although the UL70 Nimbus was designed for the game as a weapon, the “mining tool” backstory is also meant to make at least a little sense. Whereas a “wide” setting would be better for clearing softer material such as gravel or dirt, a “condensed” setting would be better for carefully drilling out valuable ore from tough rock.​
  • The word “wizardry” in the weapon's backstory is a subtle nod to the Harry Potter series, where Harry Potter (a wizard) uses a broomstick model named “Nimbus 2000”.​

Please feel free to comment on this idea! And, if you happen to be interested in some of my other gameplay ideas, please check out the current version of my Survivalist rework or my CrossPerk Perks concepts!
 
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