[spoon]

Originally posted by PvK:
Well depending on how good you make the higher levels, even as a human I might still deploy MB range 6 rather than the range 8 Versions in late-game, because unless I have racial skill superiority, often it's much easier to hit at range 6 than at range 8. This will be particularly true for AI's which aren't maxed out on Aggressiveness, which describes pretty much all of the stock AI races. For them, range 8 weapons could be a disadvantage, at least if they use Max Weapons Range strategy.

You could always give them a small bonus to hit to compensate, like 10%.

Again though, you are suggesting taking a way a good existing weapon and making more like another existing weapon. If you want another range-8 weapon, I'd rather you add one than change/take away a good range 6 weapon.

It's an ok weapon, but I never use it because it is beat out easily by PPBs mid game and APBs late game. There is never a time I wish I had MBs. DUCs are fine until PPBs come Online.

Of course, if PPBs are nerfed more than a little, then MBs (as is) become more viable as a mid-game weapon.

quote:

---

Keeping them valid in the late-game seems important, but if the PPB isn't nerfed more than a little, they Meson BLasters remain not-so-good for the mid game, either.

MB are valid in late game. Making lower-research weapons competitive with higher-research weapons, though, would mainly make the tech tree shallower and more bland, it seems to me.

---

It would still be less effective than the APB for Point Blank strategies, and would only be worthwhile for people pursuing a Max Range strategy. I don't think it diminishes the tech tree at all.

If you give MB range 8, they wouldn't be so much an alternative to APB as the nearly the same thing as APB. If you're interested in that slight variation, I suggest adding a weapon, but not taking away the existing MB.

I'd be fine with that too - which weapon do you suggest?

Unmodded MB are also one of the best weapons in the game, even in late-game. It's the APB that stands out as being the most powerful at level XII. Tweaking the MB to be more powerful would still leave all the other weapons in the game far behind the APB. If you're focusing on APB vs. MB in late-game, it seems to me the thing to change would be to reduce the appeal of APB somehow.

I was sort of using the APB as the "standard" to base balancing on. I like that it is the best general weapon, given how much research it takes to get to level 12. However, I still think other weapons should be viable in the late game, which means giving each of them a niche.