Recoil Reduction For Firebug!

[Zeron]

I don't know about you guys, but firebug is my favorite perk in this game. And much to my dismay, Recoil is never reduced via the firebug perk, yet the flamethrower has some of the most insane recoil of a weapon that doesn't get it reduced via a perk!

I often find myself constantly moving my mouse down and almost off my desk when i am playing, since you constantly have to try to look forward rather than at the ceiling.

Personally, i think a 10% increment per level would do nicely, so at level 6 you don't even have to worry about it anymore!

This has been my one and only gripe about the firebug perk since i started playing it.(aside from the armor bug which will get fixed eventually)

 

[Compass]

It's not hard to manage the recoil though

 

[HCX]

That's the only thing that's bothered you about firebug? The flamethrower's always felt like a bizarre incendiary rocket launcher or something to me.

The flames seem to have no effect for the brief time they're on the ground so either I hit the target's body dead-on or I get nothing. That requisite precision is frustrating when I'm trying to ensure that targets die before they make their way to the group. 'Course, the recoil doesn't help much.

 

[Zeron]

That's the only thing that's bothered you about firebug? The flamethrower's always felt like a bizarre incendiary rocket launcher to me.

The flames seem to have no effect for the brief time they're on the ground so either I hit the target's body dead-on or I get nothing. That requisite precision is frustrating when I'm trying to ensure that targets die before they make their way to the group. 'Course, the recoil doesn't help much.

yes, i did forget to note that the fire on the ground doing nothing to ignite zeds does irk me a whole lot.

I've just been playing a lot of MTFmod, so i forgot that the flamethrower's flames on the ground didn't always light things on fire =/

 

[_Duke_]

You can manage the recoil just fine by keeping the nose down. If you can hold high ground, it's that much easier.

If you're on flat ground, try crouching because even if it begins to climb it will have started low enough to still hit.
You should still be trying to point it down but crouching will help.

 

[Red Drake]

The recoil is one of the easiest to manage, just aim a bit lower then your target, in most cases the recoil will be next to none.

 

[Salad Snake]

It's not hard to manage the recoil though

Neither are any of the other guns in the game (except maybe the AK). "It's not hard to control recoil" isn't a valid argument because with practice you can easily control recoil with any weapon.

The question is whether recoil reduction for the flamethrower makes sense for the Firebug, I believe it does. Someone who gains experience with the Flamethrower would learn to naturally reduce it's recoil.

The second question is whether it would be overpowered. That's up to interpretation but I think it would be balanced.

 

[Compass]

It's not that hard to learn, though. Single shots for small specs, spam down and to the left for large ones for maximum effect... The only time I can't easily compensate for the recoil is when I'm randomly jumping.

 

[Salad Snake]

It's not that hard to learn, though. Single shots for small specs, spam down and to the left for large ones for maximum effect... The only time I can't easily compensate for the recoil is when I'm randomly jumping.

You're right, but my point is that it doesn't matter whether it's hard to learn or not. Because it's not hard to learn to control any other weapon in the game, from a Medic with an M14 to a Berzerker with an AK, it's doable with practice. So "It's not hard to learn" is an invalid argument.

Besides, we would be saying the same thing for, say, commando, if recoil reduction wasn't standard with them and then suggested. If recoil reduction wasn't in the game to begin with we'd think of it as too exotic and unnecessary a perk benefit for any of the perks anyhow.

Any weapon in this game is easy to control with practice. It's not like, say, the MG from Day of Defeat. That has no baring on this suggestion, the only thing that matters is the effects on balance that firebug recoil reduction would have and if it would make sense for someone to learn to reduce recoil with a flamethrower as they grow more experienced with using one, not how easy or hard recoil is to control currently.

Besides, by the time recoil reduction is learned, one would have already learned to not spray with the flamethrower.

 

[Murphy]

The flamethrower shouldn't have recoil at all, technically, so yes, at least a reduction is in order.

 

[_Duke_]

The flamethrower shouldn't have recoil at all, technically, so yes, at least a reduction is in order.

Technically speaking, 'muzzle climb' is probably more accurate except "recoil" is easier to say. I don't know much actual flamethrowers, but I figure it's kicking a lot like a fire hose with water would. It's pressured gas or fuel (napalm?), is it not? Shoots out with a lot of energy.

You have to keep control of it or it'll spray everywhere.
Either way, I think the Flamethrower muzzle climb is just fine the way it is.

 

[Murphy]

My gardenhose sprays at least as far as the flamethrower in KF and it has no muzzle-climb whatsoever. It's not like the thing is meant to drown people. You're just spraying them with flaming liquid. Flaming being the operating word here.

But whatever, so it has recoil, or muzzle-climb... Who cares. I still think the OP's suggestion is a good idea though.
It wouldn't change a lot about balance because the flamethrower is manageable as it is so in terms of efficiency it wouldn't get a huge boost with lower recoil, but it would get more comfortable to use.
I'm in favor of the proposed change.

 

[Zeron]

It's not that hard to learn, though. Single shots for small specs, spam down and to the left for large ones for maximum effect... The only time I can't easily compensate for the recoil is when I'm randomly jumping.

Of course it's not hard to learn. It's my favorite class of course i have learned to deal with it. I'm just sick of it. From what murphy says it makes me think that the flamethrower should have no recoil, which would be nice.

When you ferociously tap to overcook gorefasts as they come to you the recoil tends to add up.

 

[Sammers]

I have no trouble with the recoil.

 

[Zerotick]

I personally LOVE the firebug perk, not because your burning stuff, but because it's a hard perk to master. But the recoil is so random sometimes it annoys me, i'll fire 6 or so flames and i'll end up looking at the ceiling sometimes, other times i fire 75+ flames and no recoil at all. It'd be nice to have a reduction in it, I mean if you "Specialize" in one thing, EVERY part of it would either increase or decrease (good and bad) Firebug has only 1 weapon, so why not give it Recoil Reduction? I mean if a sharpshooter gets a reduction up 75%(or 60% i can't remember atm) for ALL of his guns. Why can't a firebug get any for his 1 weapon? personally i'd much rather see the ability for flames to linger and ignite specimens, Any firebug user would, saves us ammo. But recoil reduction would be nice as well..

 

[Sammers]

Firebug has only 1 weapon, so why not give it Recoil Reduction?

Because soon he'll have two weapons and that changes everything

 

[Zeron]

Because soon he'll have two weapons and that changes everything

That's assuming the second weapon isn't a total waste of time compared to the flamethrower. What else does a firebug really need?

 

[Salad Snake]

Because soon he'll have two weapons and that changes everything

True, but I get the feeling that nothing's going to happen that invalidates this request. It simply makes sense for Firebug.

That's assuming the second weapon isn't a total waste of time compared to the flamethrower. What else does a firebug really need?

I'm hoping a more distance weapon. Design-wise he already has a close range, multi-target weapon so it'd make sense to give him a mid/long-range, single target weapon. (Hell, that's the same route the TF2 Pyro went, even if his distance weapon sorta sucked at least at first).


Edit: Is negative rep for poorly worded or flame posts or can I just give it to whoever's argument I dislike too?

 

[Sammers]

True, but I get the feeling that nothing's going to happen that invalidates this request. It simply makes sense for Firebug.

What if it's a super strong weapon that relies on the recoil for it's drawback? That's a big IF though.

 

[comaryu]

That's assuming the second weapon isn't a total waste of time compared to the flamethrower. What else does a firebug really need?

Flame Swords! Fire Breathing Dragons! Fire Crackers! A Lighter!