Some thoughts on S3/New Map
- The Charge Rifle is definitely necessary as a weapon that puts a severe halt to group pushing but it's simply way too strong, and kind of makes other Snipers redundant. Why Max out a longbow when a Charge Rifle with a 3X scope can melt armor in one shot? I don't want it to be nerfed, but definitely retuned.
- City areas like Skyhook and Capital are definitely tuned around Caustic and Mirage and it finally feels as if Mirage has a zone where he can really shine in his skill set. The ambiguity of his holograms roaming through open streets make for a pretty compelling ambush setup.
- Double Tap is UNDEFEATED. Fucking love that thing on an Eva. Been running Flatline/EVA for that gun exclusively.
- I think Cargobots are cool
Personally I think the Charge Rifle should:
1. Consume more ammo (8-12 per shot).
2. Take 2x as long to fully charge (1 second instead of 0.5 seconds).
3. Deal half the tick damage so that the same damage is dealt through the pre-fire despite the longer charge time.
I think with these changes, it'll be more difficult for people to carry that gun to a win. If it takes a ton more ammo it'll be difficult for people to hold onto it as using a single clip will consume 32-48 energy ammo -- an extended mag consuming 56-84 ammo. Currently you can just carry a single stack of ammo and be more than comfortable for the entire game. It has to be the most ammo efficient gun in the game right now.
I think the damage it deals is fine and makes sense. The gun is used on titans in this universe, so it should hurt like hell. That being said, currently the damage is a problem because it can be spammed so easily. Making the full charge take longer means that people have to be more accurate with it as well as allows the person you're shooting at a chance to respond and get to cover. Currently the amount of time between when you realize you're getting shot and when you get blasted is very low. And with a longer charge time, the damage should be spread across that longer charge time so that the overall damage remains the same.
I think with these changes, the gun can still shred at long ranges, but be more balanced within the sniper meta.