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What We Are Up To - Something Fresh From The Labs

Yoshiro

Senior Community Manager
Staff member
  • Oct 10, 2005
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    Hello everyone!

    The Lab Coats keep telling us that the mercs need more firepower. There was a bunch more they kept babbling on about, but we tuned that out once we saw these new specimens for the Firebugs out there. Now they haven't exactly been "field tested", or tested at all really (unless you count cute furry, irradiated animals in the backwoods of Cornwall). But that's where you come in!

    Have you ever wanted to microwave something clear across the room, or within eyesight really? Look no further than the new Helios Rifle (patent pending)! This baby fires balls of plasma in full auto or three round burst that we can (mostly) guarantee will cook your enemies from inside out and keep going to cook their friends too!
    HeliosRifle.jpg





    Did we mention we needed help testing that guarantee before wider rollout, just make sure we have an updated copy of your HZ-507 testing forms, notarized in triplicate, on file before handling, or being anywhere near this weapon.

    But wait, there's more!

    Was the sound of rounds built on the "science" of dark magic known as "microwaves" not enough for you? Did you want to know what would happen if somebody took that tech and took it to 11? Well lucky you, so did the lab coats back in R&D!
    Killerwatt.jpg





    She fires energy bolts down range, and any entrepreneuring user can choose to "overcharge" the Killerwatt and send a beam of, what did they call it? Tesla destruction down range, destroying all in its path, making you, the new king of the battlefield! Something something harmful side effects*. Please don't visit a doctor, as you may kill them via exposure to your newly irradiated body - but who needs them anyway when you are in the line of work that you are?

    *May cause internal hemorrhaging, spontaneous combustion, paranoia, disillusion of grandeur, low blood pressure, restless leg syndrome, and extended stretches of homicidal mania. Call your nearest Horzine physician if effects, or continued life, last for more than 4 hours.
     
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    The first weapon looks like a small carbon copy of the microwave gun. Is this weapon intended to replace it or is it reserved for something else? I'm always willing to bet it's going to be crossed with the firebug and commando. As for the second gun, some of us always wanted to use a tesla cannon, and here it is! Judging from it's design, it looks like another SS weapon.
     
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    Dr. Lethal;n2329098 said:
    The first weapon looks like a small carbon copy of the microwave gun. Is this weapon intended to replace it or is it reserved for something else? I'm always willing to bet it's going to be crossed with the firebug and commando. As for the second gun, some of us always wanted to use a tesla cannon, and here it is! Judging from it's design, it looks like another SS weapon.

    Hu ? From what i understood, it will more be like a laser assault rifle (a bit like plasma gun in Doom), so i think not it will be a copy of microwave gun. That's really great, i wanted some guns like this for a long time now.
    I hope the first gun will be cross-perk with commando, and the second gun will be cross-perk with sharpshooter.
     
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    Personally, I really like the Husk Cannon as a firebug "fleshpound killer". The weapon that I have never seen a use for (except for when it was first released and OP) is the microwave gun. Sure it kills big zeds, but is not ammo efficient whatsoever. I am deeply looking forward to the Helio rifle, since the microwave incapacitation effect is so cool!
     
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    Spych0pat;n2329101 said:
    Hu ? From what i understood, it will more be like a laser assault rifle (a bit like plasma gun in Doom), so i think not it will be a copy of microwave gun. That's really great, i wanted some guns like this for a long time now.
    I hope the first gun will be cross-perk with commando, and the second gun will be cross-perk with sharpshooter.
    It still looks like a smaller microwave gun. And we all know that particular weapon is not seen use in ages after it was nerfed pretty hard. Also, I'll like for the Tesla Canon to be restricted to just Sharpshooter because Commando has enough weapons.
     
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    Dr. Lethal;n2329104 said:
    It still looks like a smaller microwave gun. And we all know that particular weapon is not seen use in ages after it was nerfed pretty hard. Also, I'll like for the Tesla Canon to be restricted to just Sharpshooter because Commando has enough weapons.

    True.
    All that commando needs right now is weapon weight rebalance, as l85 and mkb make no sense in their weight category right now, and AK has no real reason to be used currently.
    (ok sure mkb deals 10 more dmg than ak so it makes sense to weight it a block higher.... but the fact that dmg upgrade mods are much higher on it than ak's, and at max upgrade it deals same dmg as stock fal but weights as an upgraded one? that just makes it even less appealing and practical)
     
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    Dr. Lethal;n2329104 said:
    It still looks like a smaller microwave gun. And we all know that particular weapon is not seen use in ages after it was nerfed pretty hard. Also, I'll like for the Tesla Canon to be restricted to just Sharpshooter because Commando has enough weapons.

    "This baby fires balls of plasma in full auto or three round burst"
    Tell me how that sounds similar to the microwave gun ?
     
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    Killerwatt
    I mean what do I say about this weapon from it's description. You guys make it sound like it's a complete monster, and easily a tier 5 weapon off the bat; yes please. I like that the survivalist is getting another exclusive weapon but it doesn't really get any bonuses for having it's own weapons like the rest of the perks. I mean the 20% global damage is nice but it needs something to give it a clear advantage over the rest instead of just being a mix-mash of other perks. Maybe using its perk specific weapons give him extra damage or something? I heard you guys wanted to re-work that perk so in due time of course. Cause I think he's a solid perk: nice skills all around and great survivability (obviously), but it just needs something perk specific to really be more useful. At the moment, it seems a bit counter-intuitive to give the Survivalist perk specific weapons but have all these skills benefiting every weapon but it's perk specific weapons. I like the Freezethrower, it's useful; but, my skills don't benefit it and it's usefulness doesn't outweigh it's lack of skill support from the perk.

    Helios Rifle
    As for the Firebug only weapon, it looks like a solid tier 3 or 5 weapon and I wouldn't mind either one. I'm a little worried about it not doing what the Microwave gun does best at the moment, which is pushing everything (mainly big Zeds) off of you with that alt fire. The Helios Rifle doesn't seem to have that since it's full-auto or 3-round burst. That and what tier I think it could be tells me that it's going to be stronger than the Microwave Gun in some way (DPS, Raw Damage, etc). Sounds good at first, but you guys have the Firebug at a place where it's a little Zed destroyer; no perk kills little-med zeds like the Firebug does. So with the way the perk is, I don't think it should be a Big and Little Zed killer. You guys tried that with the Husk Cannon and before the nerf, Firebug was like the Destroyer of Worlds, I was clearing areas left and right and Big Zeds were almost a joke (HoE). I mean yeah, the Berserker destroys all it touches but not at a range (and don't tell me the Eviscerator can compete with the old Husk Cannon cause it couldn't; still love it though). Anyway, Firebug, shouldn't be an everything killer with the weapons it has (in my opinion). Something to keep in mind when balancing that weapon. I'm rarely in danger already as the Firebug thanks to the Microwave Gun alt fire so having a Destroyer of Worlds weapon repeat would just be great but not great at the same time if you get what I'm saying. Of course, If you guys are going for the Destroyer of Worlds thing for the Firebug then I'm all for it! (But make a higher difficulty if you do)

    I know I didn't really talk about the weapons themselves as much as I did the perks but I just wanted to share how I think these weapons would impact the perks as they currently stand. The weapons seem good so that's not where I have my concerns, it's more about the perks that they will be affecting. Also I'm seeing talk of a Scientist perk, and you guys have a small collection of, what I'll call, SciFi weapons so yeah new perk, go for it (no idea what that perk will do though). Either way, I'm looking forward to these weapons, appreciate all the work you guys do :)
     
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    bviktor;n2329123 said:
    I proposed the zapper long ago, I don't understand why you'd force this energy crap down the bug's throat. There's a whole lot of potential for an energy-focused perk, and it makes literally zero sense to give the firebug a friggin' plasma rifle.

    ... whatever.

    Maybe it's your delivery that makes people unwilling to listen?
     
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