[PTS] Mar. 18, 2022 - Arsenal Preparations (PTS Update)

[PSNews]

Download the Test Server client from this thread after reading the Test Server Policies: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...st-test-server-policies-download-link.114038/

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Hey there.

Big important message up top: There is a lot going into this update, and some of that is not yet completed. If something looks bugged, out of place, or just missing, it might be coming down the pipe in the next update. However, don't let that deter you from making a note of it, but certainly keep it in mind when running through these changes.

The reason we wanted to get this build out in front of the community as quickly as we have is because the sheer volume of data in this update is massive, and there will inevitably be bugs and polish that we want to get resolved as quickly as we can.

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Legacy NSO Outfits

• Guild leaders who still run legacy NSO Outfits can now permanently align their outfit with a faction by speaking to Emerson.
• This is a one-time transaction that will cause your Outfit, and all of its current members, to align to that faction as well. Individual members will need to relog or re-zone into Sanctuary for their home faction to be updated.
• Additionally, NSO players without active memberships will remain Freelancers until membership is renewed. Freelance mode does not boot you from your current Outfit.

Basilisk Weapons

Factions are receiving new empire specific "Basilisk" (jack-of-all-trades) top gun options. VS/NC/TR Main Battle Tanks will receive these weapons by default, and the Sunderer, ANT, and Harasser will be capable of unlocking them as well.

• N30 Trawler (New Conglomerate) - A slow firing, 30mm heavy machine gun.
• M18 Palisade (Terran Republic) - A heavy machine gun that increases rate of fire over time.
• V42 Pariah (Vanu Soveriengty) - A stable, rapid fire plasma platform.

Vehicle Adjustments

General

• Tank shell tracers have received new visuals.

Reload Speed Certification Lines

• The reload speed certification lines for main cannons, noseguns, ESF wing mounts, Liberator bellyguns, and Flash weapons have been standardized at 5/7/8.5/9.5/10% reload speed.
• The reload speed certification lines for top guns, air vehicle non-nosegun (and non-bellygun) weapons have been standardized at 10/14/17/19/20% reload speed.

Dev Note: In many, but not all cases, this is a buff to the reload speed cert line, with bigger gains at lower levels to increase accessibility to newer players.

Chimera

The changes here help compensate for the Chimera being a larger target, and give the non-Satyr main cannons more presence on the battlefield.

General

• Chimera Health from 5000 to 5500.

CT-135 (Chimera Main Cannon)

• Direct damage from 550 to 600.
• Reload speed from 2.5 seconds to 2.25 seconds.

CT-150 Cyclops (Chimera Main Cannon)

• Direct damage from 800 to 900.

HCG-20 (Chimera Forward Turret)

• Projectile velocity from 550 to 650.
• Max damage range from 10m to 25m.
• Min damage range from 100m to 200m.
• Min damage from 167 to 143.

Valkyrie

Changes below help move the Valkyrie a bit further away from piñata territory by increasing its overall movement capabilities and its anti-vehicle effectiveness with non-VLG weaponry.

General

• Increased forward speed by roughly 25kph.
• Increased downward thrust speed.
• Increased forward and rise acceleration.
• Increased braking capabilities.
• Tank shell resist from -65 to -80.

Wyvern

• Damage resist type from 28 (Armor Piercing Chaingun) to 4 (Heavy Machine Gun).
• Minimum damage from 143 to 150.
• Minimum damage range from 100m to 200m.
• Reserve ammunition from 300 to 480.

Pelter Rocket Pods

• Reload speed from 3.5sec. to 2.25sec.
• Direct damage from 125 to 145.
• Reserve ammunition from 100 to 200.

Dev Note: These damage changes here might be a little juiced, but we'll wait for feedback before amending further.

Hellion G20

• Magazine size from 60 to 90.
• Reserve ammunition from 450 to 720.

Sunderer

• Deploy Shield now uses hex shield visuals to show when it's active.

ANT

• Added Deliverer Module as a defensive slot option.
• Deliverer Module passively dispenses ammunition to nearby vehicles, and acts as a global spawn point while deployed. Additionally, The Deliverer Module allows Squad Members to spawn directly into the vehicle.

Galaxy

• Added the Lodestar Module as as defensive slot option.
• Lodestar module now allows the Galaxy to deploy into a global spawn point, with a defensive shield layer and attached equipment terminals.

Grenades and Mines

General

• A new HUD grenade warning indicator has been added for offensive support grenades like Flash and Concussion Grenades.
• Detonation visuals for EMP, Flash, and Concussion Grenades have been updated.
• Targets who are Flashed or Concussed now display small debuff visuals.

Concussion Grenade

• Effective radius from 12m to 10m.

Flash/Quick-Det Flash Grenade

• Effective radius from 12m to 10m.

EMP Grenade

• Effective radius from 15m to 10m. (Dev Note: You should still have no problem hitting spawn beacons.)

Nanite Healing Grenade

• Renamed to Nano-Regen Grenade.
• Healing over time from 150hp/sec. to 175hp/sec.

New Grenades

Cleansing Grenade (Combat Medic only)

• Combat Medics now have access to the new Cleansing Grenade.
• Cleansing Grenades detonate on impact, removing most status effects and healing 100hp/sec. for 3sec.

Havoc Grenade (Heavy Assault only)

• Heavy Assault now have access to the new Havoc Grenade.
• Havoc Grenades detonate on impact in an 8m radius, preventing repairs for 6sec.

Timed EMP (Infiltrator only)

• Infiltrators now have access to the new Timed EMP grenade.
• Timed EMPs detonate after 3 seconds in a 10m radius, depleting shields and scrambling the HUD.

Impulse Grenade (Light Assault only)

• Light Assault now have access to the new Impulse Grenade.
• Impulse Grenades detonate on impact in a 5m radius, knocking back enemies or yourself.
• When used on enemies, the knockback is less extreme than when used to propel yourself.

New Mines

Flashbang Mine (VS only)

• Vanu Sovereignty Infiltrators and Engineers now have access to the new Flashbang Mine.
• Flashbang Mines blind enemies in 12m when triggered.

Havoc Mine (NSO only)

• NSO Infiltrators and Engineers now have access to the new Havoc Mine.
• Havoc Mines prevent repairs of mechanical targets in a 12m radius when triggered.
• These mines only trigger when vehicles or MAX units come within range (or are destroyed.)

EMP Mine (NC only)

• New Conglomerate Infiltrators and Engineers now have access to the new EMP Mine.
• EMP Mines deplete shields and scramble the HUD of infantry within 12m when triggered.

Concussion Mine (TR only)

• Terran Republic Infiltrators and Engineers now have access to the new Concussion Mine.
• Concussion Mines slow and disorient enemies in 12m when triggered.

Infantry Changes

This update includes many sweeping changes that will broadly impact the balance of certain weapon archetypes. The areas below will be broken down into groups to make it easier to digest.

Broad Weapon Changes

Sidearms

• Most sidearms now have their ADS CoF bloom set to half of their hipfire CoF bloom. Weapons impacted by this are noted further down.

Dev Note: This is a subtle change that technically extends effective range, but won't be noticeable in most cases. More realistically, this change is closer to housekeeping.

Select Fire Modes

• Select fire modes that aren't an important part of the weapon's capabilities, are being removed. Those changes won't be listed individually, and much of the removal is still a work in progress.

Dev Note: There are many weapons in the game that don't make use of their select-fire functionality, and realistically, it wouldn't make sense to try to tune all of that extra baggage to be useful. Removing the burst/semi-auto modes on weapons that don't lean on them will help streamline the weapon quality overall. Examples of weapons that make good use of alternate firemodes are the TRAP-M1, SABR-13, TS2 Inquisitor, LA3 Desperado, Phaseshift VX-S, etc.

Sniper Rifles

• Anti-infantry sniper rifles now use a separate Sniper Rifle resistance type.
• Being struck by a sniper rifle now has more prominent audio.

Dev Note: The damage values for this new resistance are equivalent to small arms. This change will allow us to do is modify the bodyshot damage output from Nanoweave, as mentioned further below.

Power Knives

• Activated knife damage from 1050 to 900.

Dev Note: Power knives consistently kill with two shots to the body or one shot to the head. This change is meant to dampen the effectiveness of specific setups, and give players more time to react to the burst of damage when the user can't land a headshot.

Shotguns

• Starting (not maximum) CoF for all shotguns is now 0.15 in all non-jumping/sprinting/falling movement states. (Dev Note: The inconsistency of cone of fire on top of the pellet spread has attributed to these weapons being frustrating and ineffective, with a few exceptions in the realm of pump action shotguns.)
• Cone of fire now blooms per shot by 0.3 from the hip, and 0.15 while aiming. (Dev Note: This change mostly impacts automatic shotguns where there is no break for the cone of fire to settle.)
• Pellet spread values while aiming and firing from the hip have been standardized using the wider hipfire values. (Dev Note: Previously, some of these weapons had hidden a tighter pellet spread while aiming, but this function is now moving to the new Smart Choke attachment available to most shotguns. On paper this is a nerf, as the smart choke will further increase hipfire pellet spread, but the consistency created by functionally removing cone of fire will balance out the drawbacks.)

Attachment Changes

Slug Ammunition

Slug ammo now comes in 3 flavors with different damage ranges with independent hipfire cone of fire values. It's intended for semi-auto shotguns to be the most desirable to use with slug ammo, where others have steeper tradeoffs.

• 650-500 damage, pump shotguns.
• 600-400 damage, semi-auto shotguns.
• 475-300 damage, auto-shotguns.

Underbarrels

• Shortened the firemode switch timer for underbarrels from 0.8sec. to 0.4sec.
• Weapon equip time penalty for having an underbarrel equipped has been standardized at 0.25sec.
• (The above changes do not affect integrated underbarrels, like the one on the Punisher.)

Dev Note: The changes here are meant to reduce some of the clunkiness of Underbarrels in general.

Compensator

• Increased Compensator's vertical recoil reduction from 15% to 30%.
• Decreased Compensator's hipfire cone of fire penalty from 20% to 15%.

Dev Note: Compensators tend to be used less as players learn to control vertical recoil. These changes push the attachment closer to relevance for more setups and skill levels.

Forward Grips

• Advanced Forward Grips have all been converted to Forward Grips.
• The equip time penalty for these grips have been standardized to 0.15sec. across all weapons.

Dev Note: Advanced Forward Grips were previously given to weapons who already had top-tier horizontal recoil models, and the benefits of a grip far outweigh the drawbacks.

Laser Sights

• Advanced Laser Sights have all been converted to Laser Sights.

Dev Note: Like above, Advanced Laser Sights were typically given out to weapons that already had top-tier hipfire cone of fire, only furthering balance discrepancies. Unlike most attachments, laser sights don't have a real drawback beyond opportunity cost.

Comfort Grip

• Penalty now increases vertical recoil by 20%, instead of increasing hipfire cone of fire by this amount.
• Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, and most Scout Rifles now use Comfort Grips, instead of Forward Grips.

Dev Note: Traditional Forward Grips offered no functional benefits to slow firing semi-auto weapons, so swapping them for Comfort Grips (which reduce the equip and unequip time of a weapon,) can be interpreted as a buff in almost all cases.

Mobile Prediction Laser

• An MPL now reduces vertical and horizontal recoil by 60% when fired from the hip, instead of reducing hipfire pellet spread.

Dev Note: With the changes to cone of fire for shotguns, all shotgun laser sights have been converted to MPLs so that the attachment remains a relevant option for certain setups.

Disruptor Ammunition

• Now reduces total per-shot damage by 20% at all ranges, and strips maximum shield energy on hit, instead of a flat value.
• The amount of shield and energy stripped varies from weapon to weapon, this is unchanged.

Dev Note: Overall this results in a buff to any weapon using Disruptor Ammunition, and further increases its effectiveness against enemies with higher-than-typical shield pools.

New Weapon Attachments

Heavy Barrel

• Reduces cone of fire bloom by 20% while aiming down sights.
• Reduces aim down sights movement speed by 20%.

Short Barrel

• Reduces cone of fire bloom by 40% when firing from the hip.
• Increases vertical recoil by 20% while aiming down sights.

Angled Forward Grip

• Reduces first shot recoil by 80%.
• Increases overall horizontal recoil by 10%.

Flechette Ammunition

• Triples maximum and minimum damage falloff ranges, but reduces the number of pellets fired (weapon dependent.)

KCAP Ammunition (Terran Republic only)

• Reduces headshot damage by 50%.
• Increases legshot damage by 20% and removes the legshot damage penalty.

Dev Note: The accessibility of bonus damage through legshots might be too powerful, so we might move a different direction based on feedback.

Manticore Ammunition (Vanu Sovereignty only)

• Reduces infantry movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds on impact, reduces projectile velocity while equipped by 40%.

Cerberus Ammunition (Vanu Soveriegnty only)

• Causes the weapon to fire a 3-pellet spread horizontally from the hip, and vertically while ADS.

Specific Weapon Changes

Many weapons are getting tune-ups, but much of that isn't in the current test build. If you don't see your favorite underpowered weapon here, it might receive some changes in the next build (AM-7 Archer, the Charger, Dragoon, and Semi-Auto Snipers are among those receiving changes, for example.) That said, many weapons have received new attachments that have the potential to alter how those weapons stack up against one another.

Solstice SF (VS Carbine)

• Renamed to: Prominence VE4
• Hipfire minimum cone of fire values reduced by 0.25 across the board.

Orion VS54 (VS LMG)

• ADS CoF bloom from 0.04 to 0.05.

Eidolon VE33 (VS Scout Rifle)

• Long reload from 3.4sec. to 2.6sec.
• Short reload from 2.5sec. to 2.0sec.
• Underbarrel ammo restock cooldown from 5sec. to 2.5sec.

Beamer VS3 (VS Sidearm)

• CoF bloom while ADS from 0.12 to 0.06.

Cerberus (VS Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.16.
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.08.

Manticore SX40 (VS Sidearm)

• ADS CoF bloom from 0.14 to 0.07

Spiker (VS Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.15 to 0.12
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.1 to 0.06

NS-30 Tranquility (Black Market, Common Pool Scout Rifle)

• Slow caused by Tranquility projectiles from 30% to 20%.
• Maximum damage from 280 to 300.
• Updated weapon description.

NSX Yawara (Black Market, Common Pool Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.15 to 0.14
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.1 to 0.07

Warden (NC Scout Rifle)

• Long reload from 3.4sec. to 2.6sec.
• Short reload from 2.5sec. to 2.0sec.
• Underbarrel ammo restock cooldown from 5sec. to 2.5sec.

LA8 Rebel (NC Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.16
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.08

LA8 Rebel (NC Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.16
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.08

LA3 Desperado (NC Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.18 to 0.12
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.12 to 0.06

AMR-66 (TR Scout Rifle)

• Long reload from 3.4sec. to 2.6sec.
• Short reload from 2.5sec. to 2.0sec.
• Underbarrel ammo restock cooldown from 5sec. to 2.5sec.

T7 Mini-Chaingun (TR Heavy Weapon)

• Headshot multiplier from 1.5x to 2x

MG-S1 Jackal (TR SMG)

• BX Adapter no longer reduces magazine size, and uses the existing weapon ammo pool.
• BX Adapter's refire rate from 60ms to 80ms.
• BX Adapter no longer prevents rail slot items from being equipped.

T9 CARV-S (TR LMG)

• Vertical recoil from 0.42 to 0.35
• Horizontal recoil tolerance from 0.7 to 0.42.

Dev Note: These changes make the CARV-S far more controllable than it was previously.

RAMS .50M (TR Sniper Rifle)

• Short reload from 4.72sec. to 3.86sec.
• Long reload from 5.575 to 5sec.

TX1 Repeater (TR Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.2 to 0.1
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.1 to 0.05

T4 AMP (TR Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.15 to 0.1
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.1 to 0.05

TX2 Emperor (TR Sidearm)

• ADS CoF bloom from 0.12 to 0.06

TS2 Inquisitor (TR Sidearm)

• Hipfire CoF bloom from 0.15 to 0.1
• ADS CoF bloom from 0.1 to 0.05

BAR-A75 (NSO Scout Rifle)

• Renamed to BAR-A50 for consistency.

Source: Test Server: Announcements

[Fallengud]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoiCw4pCAMM

[xxRey619xx]

The only 3 items who im focus is now the. 
[font="Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif]Flechette Ammunition they will added this in a Shotgun ammo [/font]

Hopefully the N30 will be not useless like the the  Vehicle Shotgun NC Gun.
Might the N30 will be more useless again like the other faction Weapon btw. they will be powerful again:(

And the Chimera Tank added more health btw. this Tank is useless on my opinion right now because i dont see more than 2 poeples inside. This tank need also a special to the NSO Faction.

[StrikingSpliff]

I watched shocktor testing some of the weapons lastnight. Seems like VS get bad end of the deal and the compensator buff turns every weapon into the betel in terms of laser like accuracy and hardly any recoil. Gauss Saw looked deadly

[TheComposerNC]

tbh, the betel is only nice in cqc, on long ranges you aint hitting anything with it (compared to most NC and all NS LMGs) but yes, that comp buff is something interesting. Looking over the changes and new additions, I am worried that some of it will just fade into obscurity from the moment it is realeased (looking at heavy barrel specificaly)

[TheComposerNC]

I tested some of the changes myself and I have to say, solid update. We can do a lot of theorycrafting about what can be the best loadout for a gun.

Nc is getting buff here btw. The anchor can be tamed with the new attachments and the SAWs can be made into laser pointers. Comparing the effects of the new parts between beetle and Anchor and SAWs, the NC side just hits differently.

P.S. I was right, heavy berrel is useless.

[Coliax]

I wonder if Resist Shield + Smybiote and Survivalist will knock Adrenaline/Nanoweave/Medikit combo from its Throne. Adrenaline gets heavy nerved and nanowave dosent reduce smalls arms any longer. Therefore Resist Shield gives the largest EHp of them all and those implants regenerate 225 hp together (423 EHp with Resist).

Think about it

[font="Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif]P.S. I was right, heavy berrel is useless.[/font]

also this is gold for Promise Pointhold since its the only weapon in nc arsenal that actually has a problem with bloom (all other guns are just burst fired and dont experience it)

[TheComposerNC]

The promise has a compensator now, you dont need to sacrifice movementspeed and maintain acc over longer ranges.

P.S.  I could be wrong here, but I think the promise doesnt get the heavy berrel

P.P.S I was wrong, It has a compensator, heavy barrel, short barrel and the standard thing it already has

[Solskipper]

Orion + Short barrel + Manticore ammo 🤮
As if 2.5k/d VS HA sweaties didn't have enough sweat under their titties