8 replies to this topic

[TopDawg]

I have a suggestion regarding the UAC/5 and how to perhaps better balance it. I think that if the cooldown were to be raised to 1.7s (the same as the AC/5), while making it so holding down the fire button only fired on cooldown (meaning you have to double tap in order to fire the double shot), and then changing the jam rate to something like .1 or .15 would go a long way towards better balancing this weapon.

As it stands, with a macro or even with simple timing practice, the UAC/5 way outperforms the AC/5 and is always the better choice if you can fit it; and one crit slot and one ton isn't generally going to 'break the bank' if you're planning on taking them anyway.

When using Smurfy's handy page, it's quite easy to see that the UAC/5 has roughly 50% more DPS than a regular AC/5. To me that pretty much demonstrates that the UAC/5 just about obsoletes the AC/5 and I think that this change would help to make the AC/5 a more competitive weapon.

edit: Changed the title to represent feedback, although I don't know if that's even necessary anymore lol.

Edited by TopDawg, 24 December 2012 - 12:11 PM.

[MadDawg]

This sounds like a good start to balancing. With the current state the Muromets feels like a pay to win mech. 3 UAC 5's is just too powerful and really the only approach you see with that mech.

[His Dudeness]

I agree that is should be the same fire rate as the AC/5, and that holding the fire button would not double fire it. The only advantage the UAC/5 should have over the AC/5, is the ability to fire a second shot with one cool down, with the chance at jamming the weapon. Right now it's superior to the AC/5 in just about every way. There really is no reason at all to take an AC/5 right now.

[Jacmac]

I like the UAC5 the way it is now, other than the jam rate is ridiculous at 25%. You can raise the cooldown and lower the jam rate as long as you go ahead and lower the weight to an AC5, I'm OK with making it practically the same as the AC5 except for double shot capability.

[Martin Gray]

The Ultra Autocannon 5 is good where it is right now. What they need to do is make the reload time for the Autocannon 5 less. It should be between 1.3 to 1.5 seconds. The current 1.7 seconds is too long.

[Necromantion]

Honestly i think the UAC5 is fine right now. The jam rate is easily high enough to screw you if you are just spam firing them. Maybe inflict a second shot range penalty or something within the cooldown period? But honestly i know ive had 2 of them jam at one time and on multiple occasions its resulted in me getting bent over.

[Rivy]

The only people I see taking AC5s are 4x phract pilots so they can fit 4 in it. I approve of this.

[Necromantion]

Some atlas pilots take it to constantly shake the other persons controls while brawling ive also seen a few catapult builds with 2x uac5

[TopDawg]

Well, whether the AC/5 cooldown should be lowered or not I don't know (maybe that would help it to be more competitive as well), but I think the UAC/5 should have the same cooldown as a regular AC/5, with the ability to fire again during cooldown (with a jame rate of 10-15% or so).

Even if you never use the UAC/5's ability to fire during cooldown, it's still a way better choice than a regular AC/5 because it fires every 1.1s, as opposed to 1.7s (it even has a further range by 60m).

I don't really know how it works in TT, but for MWO (in a real time setting), the current implementation of the UAC/5 pretty much obsoletes the AC/5. Whether that's working as intended I don't know, but it seems silly to have weapons (like the machine gun and flamers - which are finally getting looked at) that are just pointless to take.