Some Lanka Suggestions

[gallowsCalibrator]

Hello everyone, gallowsCalibrator here. Maybe you know me, maybe you don't. I'm just a person who likes to snipe, and I tend to do that in every game I can.

 

I've been using the Lanka for nearly as long as I've had it, only switching out to the Ogris to level that up in between dropping four Formas into my main weapon.

 

Over the time I've used it, I've developed a list of things I thought would make it better or easier to use.

 

1) Charging. I know this is basically a core mechanic on this thing, but it's also probably the least fun to use on such a weapon. To snipe with this, you have to hold down the scope key and the fire key at the same time for extended periods. This doesn't stay comfortable for very long, unfortunately. The bows have much faster draw times, which makes this less of a problem with them - I may be wrong, but I never noticed having this issue while using them.

 

There are two ways I would like to see this addressed; either one would be fine by me, but I prefer the first.

 

The first is to remove the charge function and make the Lanka a very slow-firing sniper rifle, with the old charge time becoming its rate of fire (one shot per 1.5 seconds base). This would have the added advantage of allowing that annoying charge light to be removed. (Which should be removed either way, it's incredibly annoying.) The charge sound could be retained as an indicator for when the next shot will be ready.

 

The other is to add a toggle-scope option to the game. This would remove the need to hold down the scope button to stay scoped. This would impact scoping in while running some of the more rapid maneuvers, but there's really no point to trying to headshot something while wallrunning unless you're aiming for maximum style points. Good on you if you are, though.

 

2) Accuracy. This thing is dead accurate, but not on the correct line. It suffers from the same problem that all projectile weapons have, in that over a long distance, the projectiles land up and to the right of the crosshair. Not really a problem for all the other projectile weapons, but I think a sniper rifle's bullets (or plasma bolts, or something) should go precisely where you aim them.

 

A fully first-person scope would be nice to address this, though I am not sure how much effort such a feature would take to add on DE's part. I don't really mind not having weapon models for this, as I'm supposed to be looking through the scope anyway. Other than that, I would guess corrections to the projection would fix this as well, though I don't know how that's been implemented either. This one's mostly up to DE to figure out.

 

3) Puncture. Puncture works just fine on the Lanka, allowing you to shoot through doors and enemies' faces. However, it has some odd behavior at close range, which seem to be an issue with most other projectiles as well. The projectiles veer off to the right after puncturing something close by, be it a wall, fence, or a corpus crewman's bloody face. Hopefully, this can be fixed.

 

So, those are my observations and suggestions for the Lanka. Feel free to give feedback, and to supply your own suggestions.

[CaptainohCaptain]

You don't like sniping, you like playing CoD. Now grab some Sniper Elite and actually snipe things.

[gallowsCalibrator]

You don't like sniping, you like playing CoD. Now grab some Sniper Elite and actually snipe things.

I don't play Call of Duty.

 

I have plenty of hours on Team Fortress 2, which is where most of my sniping experience comes from.

[MA347612890GT4078579132R]

Given it's such a strong weapon, the charge mechanic is justifiable. Switching it to simply be a slower fire rate wouldn't really fix much, besides the pain my finger feels (my mouse is old and becoming less sensitive, have to press kinda hard) when I have to press and hold the button until I have my shot lined up.

There is one problem with its accuracy, being that it's not a hit-scan weapon. I personally haven't noticed any accuracy issues that weren't because of this fact, though I've only been using the Lanka for a couple weeks now. That is my biggest problem with the Lanka so far. We have prototype railguns that fire at mach 10 and you're telling me these things have a projectile velocity slower than a normal bullet?

Also innate puncture would be kickass. I have noticed puncture issues in that unless something was *RIGHT* behind my first target, nothing else behind it would get it, could be why. If you've tested this that much and noticed this consistent issue, might want to post in the bugs section.

[CaptainohCaptain]

I don't play Call of Duty.

 

I have plenty of hours on Team Fortress 2, which is where most of my sniping experience comes from.

But there is no sniping in TF2. Magic scope pinpoint accurate gun is not what sniping about. Sniping is about using rangefinders, calculating wind speed, making corrections to target's movement speed... nothing you can see in TF2.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Icouldjustkissyou

[CaptainohCaptain]

Ah, reposition! I forgot about repositioning after the first shot.

[gallowsCalibrator]

Given it's such a strong weapon, the charge mechanic is justifiable. Switching it to simply be a slower fire rate wouldn't really fix much, besides the pain my finger feels (my mouse is old and becoming less sensitive, have to press kinda hard) when I have to press and hold the button until I have my shot lined up.

There is one problem with its accuracy, being that it's not a hit-scan weapon. I personally haven't noticed any accuracy issues that weren't because of this fact, though I've only been using the Lanka for a couple weeks now. That is my biggest problem with the Lanka so far. We have prototype railguns that fire at mach 10 and you're telling me these things have a projectile velocity slower than a normal bullet?

Also innate puncture would be kickass. I have noticed puncture issues in that unless something was *RIGHT* behind my first target, nothing else behind it would get it, could be why. If you've tested this that much and noticed this consistent issue, might want to post in the bugs section.

Yeah, I understand it would probably make it a little too ridiculous. I mostly thought about it because my finger was starting to hurt from holding both buttons down for several minutes on end. 

 

It's not quite that its accuracy isn't perfect, because it is. It's just that the bullet doesn't travel down the correct line. The hitscan weapons do not have this problem, though I'm not quite sure why, because it seems that simply tracing the same line would work for spread-less projectile weapons as well.

 

I tested it a few times with Corpus Crewmen, which is why they are my example. The bullet goes through their head and exits at a sharp angle. Others have also demonstrated this with fences and other objects.

 

Here's a picture:

http://puu.sh/4hQXj

You can see the entry point in front of me, and the impact point on the floor to the right.

 

 

But there is no sniping in TF2. Magic scope pinpoint accurate gun is not what sniping about. Sniping is about using rangefinders, calculating wind speed, making corrections to target's movement speed... nothing you can see in TF2.

Do you think such a sniping system would be fun in Warframe? I certainly hope not.

 

I don't care if a game's mechanics are realistic, as long as they are fun. Team Fortress 2's mechanics are fun, and Warframe's are fun. Call of Duty's is not fun, and neither are wholly realistic simulations. To recreate the real world is not necessarily to create enjoyable gameplay. Some like it, some don't, and I prefer the more mobile and fluid gameplay of Warframe and Team Fortress 2.

 

You have to reposition all the time in Team Fortress 2, anyway. It doesn't even take a shot to move in Team Fortress 2 - I'm constantly repositioning after just scoping and unscoping for a second or two.

Edited September 7, 2013 by gallowsCalibrator

[MA347612890GT4078579132R]

You can see the entry point in front of me, and the impact point on the floor to the right.

This explains so many things. Guess Shred is only useful for the fire rate on the Lanka, at least until this is fixed. Boo.

[tigrex]

Lanka is perfect as it is now 

[gallowsCalibrator]

Lanka is perfect as it is now 

It pretty much is, but this is just feedback. Nothing they absolutely have to do.

[MA347612890GT4078579132R]

gallowsCalibrator, on 07 Sept 2013 - 02:14 AM, said:

It pretty much is, but this is just feedback. Nothing they absolutely have to do.

They either *need* to change the description or remove projectile travel time. Railguns and slow &#! projectile speed make no sense. Railgun Moa's railguns don't have travel time. I refuse to stay quiet about this while DE labels it as a railgun.

[gallowsCalibrator]

They either *need* to change the description or remove projectile travel time. Railguns and slow &#! projectile speed make no sense. Railgun Moa's railguns don't have travel time. I refuse to stay quiet about this while DE labels it as a railgun.

Yes, it's more akin to a plasma gun. I swear it would look really cool if it had the Railgun MOA's bullet trail on it. In fact, I really want to see a weapon with that someday.

 

Here's a demonstration of the Lanka's projectile deviation, presented by TheBlueJelly. Thanks be to him.

 

[MA347612890GT4078579132R]

Yes, it's more akin to a plasma gun. I swear it would look really cool if it had the Railgun MOA's bullet trail on it. In fact, I really want to see a weapon with that someday.

The in-game description says "The Lanka fires a high velocity projectile through magnetic induction." "Magnetic induction" they say. "High-velocity" they say. But I do agree, that would be so damn cool if it had the trail that the Railgun MOA did as well. I would never not use the Lanka if I could just pew pew blue bars of death all day. Oh and I see what you're saying. Not that I know anything about the code but, with how targeting works, in that the max range on any abilities or looking at something and getting it's information is 50M, it could be it's defaulting to be dead on at that range, which would cause it to be slightly off when hitting things farther than that? Just a guess though, I could be way off.

[yarash2110]

I belive there is a toggle scope option, besides that i agree

[yarash2110]

Why do you have a wiki page, and a coin, and some other weird stuff

[gallowsCalibrator]

Why do you have a wiki page, and a coin, and some other weird stuff

What do you mean?

[LazyKnight]

One suggestion to change lanka that would make it a lost easier on fingers. Make it so that you need to hold click to charge the lanka, but have the ability to release the key after fully charged and it will hold it until the fire key is hit again. This would make using this gun so much more enjoyable and wouldn't get rid of the charge to fire mechanic that is actual required for a coil/rail gun. Even amateur hobbyist coil guns use one key to charge the weapon and anther key to fire it(it would be incredible dangerous to have a weapon setup like a pull-pin grenade).

[Misgenesis]

I wanted Lanka to be a Rail gun. Just like you know what enemy.

I dont mind the charge time but with the projectile speed, it isnt too much fun.