27 replies to this topic

[VikingN1nja]

Due to the current jam rate is there really any point to them.

Should the jam rate increase as heat does?

They shouldn't jame after first few rounds.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

My understanding is that they still offer superior DPS to standard AC5s over time, and certainly if you get lucky they have pretty crazy burst damage. If you take a UAC then don't use a macro or chain fire them or anything, since the standard AC5 is better in all situations where you aren't double-tapping. Just rock and roll on your target, as the increased RoF is still superior even given the current jam rate.

Edited by Levi Porphyrogenitus, 18 November 2013 - 10:52 AM.

[verybad]

I think they're pretty well balanced against standard AC-5s now actually, the jam makes them troublesome perhaps, but they still offer good overall damage (just not always when you need it most )

I still use them and get good results, but have to be considerate of the jamming. This also opens up the AC-5 for people that don't want to deal with jamming- so that's what balance is all about. The AC-5 and UAC-5 are both decent and some will take one or the other.

[Ahja]

"My Understanding"? Translation you dont use them because they dont work right. This weapon system is very broken. A one shot jam is rediculous and nothing like this weapon would ever reach the field working that badly. Yes I know its just a game.

[Tahribator]

They're great when used in pairs or more. Single, not so much. I don't see how they need more improvement, they're great as they are.

There's the fundamental issue of chance of jam being completely random, but that's not going away any time soon.

[Blurry]

The jam rate makes them balanced.

usually when I narrow in sights and unload I jam. For that reason alone I stopped using them. When zerod in on a prey you cant have jams. I moved either to the better ac5 or take a chance with the ac10.

Better bang with the AC5 but hey ac10 is 5 more so it gotts to be betters - biggers numberz right.

Ac10 isnt bad - it just isnt great

[Alcom Isst]

You can stack them with an AC/5, boat three of them, or use them on a chassis fast enough to duck/evade when a jam occurs.

Oh wait, you meant an actual change to their functionality and stats... yeah, I got nothing.

Edited by Alcom Isst, 18 November 2013 - 11:08 AM.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

Ahja, on 18 November 2013 - 11:03 AM, said:

"My Understanding"? Translation you dont use them because they dont work right. This weapon system is very broken. A one shot jam is rediculous and nothing like this weapon would ever reach the field working that badly. Yes I know its just a game.

I chose the words "my understanding" because I haven't personally done the math. A friend of mine did, and according to him the UAC5 comes out quite a bit ahead on dps even with the current jam rate.

Edited by Levi Porphyrogenitus, 18 November 2013 - 11:19 AM.

[RavensScar]

I'd say they're a fairly well balanced weapon. They're high-risk, high-reward. If you fire them once every 1.5 seconds, they don't jam. In this way, they behave identically to a standard AC/5. However, if required, they can put out a higher DPS than an AC/20, at much greater range, but risk leaving you vulnerable if they jam.

We're talking about a 9 ton weapon that can deliver 20 damage in 3 seconds out to 600 metres, with an absolute max range of 1800 metres. If there was any way of managing the jam rate, we'd be straight back to the UAC/5 tommy-gun meta that ruled a couple of months ago, and pretty much every other ballistic weapon (and probably PPCs) would be redundant.

They're not great for brawling - too unpredictable. But if you use them at medium to long range, and make good use of cover (take cover when they jam) they're really quite dangerous.

[jper4]

they seem to be in a good spot now. lowering the jam to 15% from 25% made them a bit OP for that time but now that it's back to 20% haven;t heard anyone complain about them either way. i never really used them that much at any point but now tossed one into one of my shadowhawks and having decent matches with it.

[Highlet]

UACs are in a great place right now in terms of ballistics. A buff to them, they would be too strong. A nerf, they would be too weak. Leave them alone.

[Krinkov]

I would change them to be a hyper-burst weapon. You could fire them normally like an AC5 with a 1.5s cool down or you could double tap but the cool downs would stack to three seconds. Either mode would have the same dps but the double tap would be better for hit and run damage.

[Roughneck45]

Were you playing for the two weeks when they were "better"? It was ILYA hell. Triple UAC builds as far as the eye could see.

They are in a pretty good spot right now balance wise. I think it comes down more to whether you just hate the random jam mechanic or not.

[xMEPHISTOx]

omegaorgun, on 18 November 2013 - 09:42 AM, said:

Due to the current jam rate is there really any point to them.

Should the jam rate increase as heat does?

They shouldn't jame after first few rounds.

There is nothing wrong with them or the jam rate at this time. You just have to use them properly meaning do not just hold the button down. Dual uac5's on a highlander w/2 ppc's is very effective
imo.
And as Roughneck states above they were simply ridiculous a while back when they seemingly never jammed and people were loading as many as possible on a mech and never letting up on the fire button. Was quite silly actually.

[Kubernetes]

They seem pretty well balanced now. Either carry two or adjust your playstyle to deal with jams. I sometimes pair a UAC5 with an AC5 and the UAC goes through ammo at a 4:3 ratio compared to the AC5--this tells me the UAC does not need a buff.

[Asmosis]

They could be improved with better aim.

[Rhent]

The UAC should keep the jam rate it has now, however the rate of fire should be lowered to 1.4 sec in comparison to the AC5's 1.5 sec. The UAC has 1 extra ton of weight and 1 extra critical space for the chance to fire double rounds with increasing chances of a jam. Setting the UAC/5 to the exact same base recycle of the AC/5 is too much of a hit to justify running UAC/5's.

You should be able to macro UAC/5's and get a slight increase in overall DPS w/o a chance of jam in comparison to the AC 5 giving you a 7% increase in base DPS.

[DerMaulwurf]

Tahribator, on 18 November 2013 - 11:03 AM, said:

They're great when used in pairs or more. Single, not so much. I don't see how they need more improvement, they're great as they are.

There's the fundamental issue of chance of jam being completely random, but that's not going away any time soon.

That's the main problem I see with the UAC5. It rewards boating even more than other weapons, because the law of averages helps you get a more reliable performance with more and more copies.

Rhent, on 18 November 2013 - 08:38 PM, said:

The UAC should keep the jam rate it has now, however the rate of fire should be lowered to 1.4 sec in comparison to the AC5's 1.5 sec. The UAC has 1 extra ton of weight and 1 extra critical space for the chance to fire double rounds with increasing chances of a jam. Setting the UAC/5 to the exact same base recycle of the AC/5 is too much of a hit to justify running UAC/5's.

You should be able to macro UAC/5's and get a slight increase in overall DPS w/o a chance of jam in comparison to the AC 5 giving you a 7% increase in base DPS.

I disagree, you pay the ton and the crit for the possibility to gain enhanced burst through rapid firing. If that's not worth it for you, then run standards. Should it be shown that it's not worth it in general, tweak the double shot mechanic.

[Hans Von Lohman]

Never jamming on the first shot is probably the single change that needs to be made.

[Samziel]

Not using them at all. SImply because I won't go for macros because I feel they are cheating but I cannot manage the jam without them either. AC5 in my hands does the excact same but with a ton less and without a fear of jamming.

I think they could be made a burst fire weapon, but considering they are balanced in the hands of those who are better at using them they are fine.

Edited by Samziel, 19 November 2013 - 12:20 AM.