Sharpshooter Suggestions

[a1eat0r]

I'm going to repeat some of my and others' suggestions, without mentioning the M99 that has its own threads.

• Change the HC's and the MK23's weight to 3 blocks (leaving all dualies weight as it is). Being able to carry only one of them with the Crossbow was the trade-off of choosing it over the other sharpshooter long guns. Now you can carry both along with the Crossbow, which is ridiculous. Changing their weight this way would make the Magnum a valid choice for some loadouts, while all the on- and off-perk loadouts that include one or both handguns and that could be carried with the 4 block HC would still be possible to use.
  
  
• The Musket. Increase the headshot mulitplier and decrease the base damage (see this post). Why does the weapon have such base damage in the first place? It doesn't make sense, especially considering that some balance patch removed all bodyshot bonuses from the Sharpshooter.
  
  
• Remove the firing speed bonus from the Crossbow. Or at least make it so the whole fire-and-reload animation has to play before the weapon can be fired again.
  
  
• Change the Sharpshooter's spawn weapons: level 5 spawns with the HC, level 6 spawns with the LAR. Because now the Crossbow costs as much as other spawn weapons, replacing it with another weapon isn't a big deal. Less sharpshooters that spam it at everything would be a good thing.

 

[vealck]

I agree with pretty much everything here. Some remarks though:

a) It would be still possible to carry Xbow, HC/Mk23 and .44 at the same time.

d) HC is actually much better starting weapon than LAR, costs more, etc. so maybe it should be the other way around. Definetey, SS shouldn't start with Xbow, though.

 

[poosh]

Level 5 could spawn with .44 Magnum while Level 6 spawn with LAR.

 

[Althamus]

I'd argue that ignoring the buy/resell values, the LAR is much better for a SS than a HC.

Other than that, all the points seem valid.

I really want the Xbow to go back to it's old firing speed. With the quick firing ability (teamed with inability to carry another heavy rifle (LAR/EBR combo), I tend to use the Xbow for more things than I should, and am slightly sloppier with my aim (because I have time to be) and so ammo becomes more of an issue.
And yes, I know it's my fault for being sloppy, but you give commando rifles a lot of ammo because faster firing speed encourages people to fire them more often.

I must admit that I like the sharp spawning with an Xbow. It means that I have a class which I can spawn with on any (camping) wave and not rely on money to be effective. FB, Demo and support I wouldn't spawn as on a W7+ map unless I knew I'd be funded, which limits you if sharp is added to that list.
Yes, I know, team game don't join on W7+ anyways, and if your team won't throw you

 

[naksiloth]

HC cannot kill Fleshpounds. I think .44 Magnum for level5 and LaR for level6 would be fair. May it would be more fair for Sharps to spawn with .44Magnum and LaR together on level6.

 

[|WC|Capt.525]

I agree with all your points, aside from point A. I think that the HC should be changed back to 4 blocks, while the Mk should weigh 3, and have no penetration. That way there is a reason to go for all the handguns, depending on your situation.

@Naksiloth: .44 and LAR is literally a loadout on its own. Making the Sharp spawn with both at level 6 is a big ol' NOPE. Level 5 spawning with a HC/.44 and level 6 with a LAR is fine, just not both at once.

 

[poosh]

Xbow initially has 12 bolts, LAR - 40 bullets.

On HoE you spawn with

 

[Dub]

Level 5 could spawn with .44 Magnum while Level 6 spawn with LAR.

Eh, no thank you.

I like it just how it is. No other perk gets a pistol starting weapon, so it might even happen to be slightly UP.

 

[a1eat0r]

a) It would be still possible to carry Xbow, HC/Mk23 and .44 at the same time.

d) HC is actually much better starting weapon than LAR, costs more, etc. so maybe it should be the other way around. Definetey, SS shouldn't start with Xbow, though.

a) This may be just my personal preference, but I think the HC is that much better than the Magnum, so I don't have a problem if the Magnum can be carried with the Crossbow and one of the other handguns.

b) My reasoning was that a sharpshooter can kill both fleshpounds and scrakes with the LAR and only scrakes with the HC. The HC can be replaced with the cheaper Magnum as others suggested.

I think that the HC should be changed back to 4 blocks, while the Mk should weigh 3, and have no penetration.

Then it won't be possible to carry M14 + MK23 + HC, unless that's also what you want to change. And 4 blocks for the HC seems a bit too much when it's used off-perk. (And then people start posting that it should one-shot crawlers.)

 

[nd2spd]

Agree with a1eat0r & Poosh. Would give .44 some more use if even for a single wave...

 

[|WC|Capt.525]

Then it won't be possible to carry M14 + MK23 + HC

I wouldn't be opposed to it. I mean, even if a Sharp is only halfway decent, having both the Mk.23 and the HC in the loadout is pretty gosh darn powerful (especially when you throw the M14 in the mix). Instead, making people pick with the balancing I suggested will mean that both the HC and Mk will be used (just not at the same time), and the .44 would be considered useful for its penetration when paired with Mk (I use the .44 more than the Mk anyway).

 

[ArcheKruz]

I still think that 3 blocks is too light for the HC. I also think that dual handguns should weigh 2 blocks more than their single counterparts.

 

[nd2spd]

Why?

 

[a1eat0r]

Instead, making people pick with the balancing I suggested will mean that both the HC and Mk will be used (just not at the same time), and the .44 would be considered useful for its penetration when paired with Mk (I use the .44 more than the Mk anyway).

I'm not against getting rid of the [M14 + HC + MK23] loadout so the Magnum would be used more, but I still think a sharp should be able to carry both pistols with the M14. That loadout seems to me like a logical alternative to [M14 + LAR], with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The main problem with the HC taking up 4 blocks is that the MK23 would remain a better off-perk sidearm: even without penetration, it has a larger magazine, and even one block difference often determines a player's choice of weapons.

 

[Althamus]

I still think that 3 blocks is too light for the HC. I also think that dual handguns should weigh 2 blocks more than their single counterparts.

I completely agree with duals = normal+2 blocks.

But what makes the HC so good? The Mk23 is better than the HC IMHO, even if they both weighed the same.

 

[ArcheKruz]

That is a good point, though the Handcannon looks and feels a lot bigger and heavier than the Mk23

 

[vealck]

Ah, while we're at it, it's now just totally ridiculous that having a second 9mm takes 4 blocks of space. It should take 1, or 2 at most, given other pistol's weights and the tremendous usefulness of double 9mm's.

 

[ArcheKruz]

Agreed, dual 9mms should only be 2 blocks.

 

[Althamus]

That is a good point, though the Handcannon looks and feels a lot bigger and heavier than the Mk23

True, I'll agree the HCs look a lot bette rthan the Mk23s (as in fact, do the magnums). But gameplaywise, I can't see an advantage, and handicapping yourself to use a cooler looking gun seems cruel on TWI's part.

 

[DarkFalz]

True, I'll agree the HCs look a lot bette rthan the Mk23s (as in fact, do the magnums). But gameplaywise, I can't see an advantage, and handicapping yourself to use a cooler looking gun seems cruel on TWI's part.

I like the Handcannon more since I find I'm a better shot with it and I think the iron sights on the MK23 are terrible. The only real big advantage the MK has is more ammo but as long as you're actually aiming to get headshots, the Handcannon has more than enough ammo to get you through an entire wave. I often finish a wave with one or two extra mags of ammo leftover. And even if I do run out of HC ammo, we're often so close to the end of the wave that it doesn't even matter.