45 replies to this topic

[Cycleboy]

Someone proficient with macro scripting... figure this out quick... if holding the gauss charge too long just sends it into recharge again, can you just write a script for click on, leave charging, then click to fire when you want? As long as you make sure you aren't in your 0.75sec dead zone every 2sec, it is still a click n fire weapon, right? Just have to watch the charge, not mess with "holding" the charge.

[NinetyProof]

Yes, and that is what people will do ...

Of course, if you only have *the* shot while in the .75 range your toast.

Also, the macro kiddies will also macro-in firing of PPC's ... so it's literally just holding the button, lifting a finger, then 3 shots are away.

[Jestun]

You could write a script to click every x seconds, and use manual clicks to fire the charged shots.

You can write a script to do *anything* that you can manually do.

:edit:

But only control inputs, not reacting. Obviously. So almost anything.

Edited by Jestun, 03 September 2013 - 12:34 PM.

[Khobai]

the macro in my signature lets you push a mouse button, automatically charges the gauss, then fires the gauss and your ppcs at the same exact time.

Im not sure how to keep the gauss in a perpetual state of charging though. I imagine it would require a loop command which I dont know how to do.

[Devils Advocate]

You could script it to automatically charge up again every time the charge died but you'd still have .75 seconds of that 2 second window where your click would do nothing. That's fine with me for the bonus frustration that would be caused by interrupting your script to fire nothing out of your rifles 40% of the time.

[ProfessorD]

Shh! Don't spoil it!

Yes, of course everything you just said is do-able. You could also make a macro that lets the gauss run normally (hold to charge) but fires your PPCs in another weapon group when you release the button to fire the gauss. Or you could set your gauss to charge up when you target an enemy, or go to 0 throttle, or maybe set up a loop that basically continuously charges the gauss.

This is another one of those "balance" design choices that really just makes the game more confusing for new people. PGI seems to be incredibly good at contradicting their own design priorities.

[Cycleboy]

Yeah... I'm not a PPC/Gauss user with Poptarts... I prefer to stay landbound (80 tons in the air... seems un-natural). But anyone using just 1 gauss... script... send key down, wait 2050, send up, send down, repeat... and then have another script on a diff button that says "send up"... or even within that first one that says a certain click = send up. Meh... I may have to get autohotkey and mess around myself.

PS... sorry for letting the cat out of the bag.

Edited by Cycleboy, 03 September 2013 - 12:40 PM.

[Khobai]

I think youre better off not using a script to keep it charged. Its not like .75 seconds is very long. And having an autocharge script creates windows longer than .75 seconds during which you cant fire.

[Osric Lancaster]

The macro you'd write to make the gauss charge mechanic work with your other weapons would simply be
1st click - do nothing
2nd click (.75 > 1.25 sec) - fire everything

     The only thing that makes much of a difference is the projectile speed. Two gauss and two PPCs are still going to core a stationary 'Mech or one running towards you, but that at least creates a spread between the projectiles. . . unless you have something that reads the memory location for the didstance to target and adds a slight firing delay to the gauss based on that. There's still no weapon spread on same-type weapon groupings so this tweaking feels moot. But you know, keep tweaing individual weapons instead of doing something about pinpoint weapon focus PGI, I'm sure that'll eventually make the meta go away somehow! Me, I'd just have direct fire weapons focus a couple hundred meters 'behind' a target, then bring the focus rapidly closer to the target as the reticule is held on target, with slow focus decay. Y'know, basic convergance.

     Also changing the heat on weapons whith the heat sysem how it is is like icing where you expect your cake will eventually be baked. And the Orion hip structure and armpit cannon look silly. Sorry for going off topic, just covering all the bases while I'm still able to delude myself that anything said here will matter ever. I'm done. Y'all can tell me why I'm a moron / ignore me now.

Edited by Osric Lancaster, 03 September 2013 - 02:17 PM.

[Tombstoner]

i expected this. day one and a work around goes live. De-sinking the gauss you say well then I'll just have to add a re-sinking macro to my ppc's.... projectile speed is where the balance lies. now people who know how to script or have a macor enabled keyboard have an advantage over those who don't/cant. sigh, we get this and its not like an accuracy co factor couldn't have done the same thing.

Just remove group fire already and add in a .5 second cool down and be done with it.

[Khobai]

Everyone expected it. We told PGI two weeks ago that desyncing would be defeated by macros. Any solution that can be circumvented with a $50 keyboard or by a free opensource program is not a good solution.

[Kanatta Jing]

Or you could just skip the charge time and the macro and switch to the AC 10.

It matches projectile speeds with the PPC better and it's higher firing rate is really handy if you get stuck in a brawl.

Edit: Wait, make the macro for the PPC/Guass builds. Other people can make the PPC/AC 10 build. We'll call one the Sniper and one the Rifleman. In 2 months time we'll know if +5 damage is worth loosing snap shots.

Edited by Kanatta Jing, 03 September 2013 - 02:27 PM.

[Pyrrho]

Khobai, wouldn't firing all at the same time result in a spread shot since the speeds are also out of synch? Timing a pin-point shot would be a bit of a challenge to script since the distance to the target would also have to factor in.

[Xeren KelDar]

Speeds are closer in sync now than before the patch. There was a 800 m/s difference before, now it is 500 m/s.

[Monky]

The weakness of a macro for this is that you would be forced to fire the PPC's if the gauss firing window passes w/o a suitable target, bumping up your heat. On top of that it isn't hard at all to click one button while releasing another, so there's no real reason to macro.

Do you see what they did?

They added a fire delay for 2x gauss PPC combo, without having to add it to individual PPC's or even paired ones.

One of their more clever moves.

Edited by Monky, 03 September 2013 - 03:26 PM.

[Devils Advocate]

As monky stated it's still a delayed alpha no matter what you script so you can't just blow someone's head off as they run between tight pieces of cover or show up on your flank when you don't expect them. Also way less mech variants can equip dual Gauss, and the Cataphract almost doesn't even count because its arms are way low on his body and convergeance is bound to screw your Gauss rounds out of hitting their target at long distances.

Additionally additionally you're suggestions are clearly cheating and or gaming the system, and even if it's an 'easy' fix the reality is that people who are willing to game the system for an edge are going to game the system whether or not it's as simple as a macro. Cheating is cheating and this would be so easy to do without cheating that you'd have to be real dumb or generally terrible at using your hand to require it.

[Pilotasso]

I don't get it, why does PGI nerf weapons that can be worked around with scripts? wouldn't it easier just to give it a delay before it fire?

[J0anna]

Sadly w/o a macro the gauss is pretty much useless for me. I usually use it grouped on a mouse button (w/other weapons) and singly on the mouse wheel, this change has rendered the mouse wheel unable to fire the gauss w/o a macro. Swapping to the AC10 is significantly easier for most applications.

I would suggest replacing the gauss on your mechs with the more useful weapon. Once PGI realizes the weapon is not used anymore (probably in a few months), they will change it so it has some application in the game.

[Rippthrough]

Monky, on 03 September 2013 - 03:24 PM, said:

The weakness of a macro for this is that you would be forced to fire the PPC's if the gauss firing window passes w/o a suitable target, bumping up your heat. On top of that it isn't hard at all to click one button while releasing another, so there's no real reason to macro.

Not really, it's easy to combine the macros so when the gauss is charging/recycling the PPC's don't fire either.

[AZA311]

Macros should be banned from this game altogether. It provides an unfair advantage whether it be gauss, ac2s or ac5. You rely on an automated action to do the work for you which removes any human error possible. Overcoming human error is part of skill in this game. Otherwise, why not just automate head shots.

Show some good sportsmanship or take a hike to COD.