This is an edited compilation of my opinions of what sniper class could use based on what ive seen, plus some cool extra stuffz. Soz Jeff, imo we have enough classes that have +dmg to specific damage type.

Enter: Particle Beams! xD

Like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keW0ZeU0fMI

Among a few other tweaks to Sniper, I think a bonus to projectile speed would be very advantageous and would also help to further differentiate it from other class.

You can give snipers +100% damage with physical weapons and it wont matter because of ships resist's to them and like has been said over and over SD's can dodge any projectile weapon.

Give them the +% to physical weapons but also boost there (snipers) projectile speed to something that stands a chance vs SD's.

Yes, voomy, i have to say that as a sniper i very rarely die, and when i do, more often than not, it's not my fault.(See my topic on warp visibility in the bugs forum). I'd have to say that 3/4ths of my deaths are because of that, and then a large portion of the remaining deaths are because of the lack of a warm-up on engine vis to complement the cool down.

That said, Long ago, i suggested a massive boost to physical damage for sniper. Why? Because of the fact that allmost ALL ships have massive physical resists. It's like giving a class laser damage boosts, sure it might be nice for perhaps one or two ubers, but for the rest of the game, people aren't going to use laser damage unless the boost is truly massive. 20% damage just isn't good enough to warrant the use of physical weapons in most circumstances, ESPECIALLY considering that physical weapons dont do enough DPS as it is.

The only exception to that is, ofc, the zebra torp...which is broken, btw. 606 base DPS is kinda borked. ESPECIALLY considering that is costs MAYBE 500 mil, while my seige cata, costing me over 5 bil, does about 1/3rd the DPS.

Of course, if the sniper can finagle a swingy cata, then in might be ok...but who is going to pay 50 BIL just to be decent as a sniper? (ok, i would. But thats besides the point, im weird )

Finally, unless the sniper class gets a projectile speed boost, the chances of a sniper actually hitting a SD? less than zero, seriously...unless the SD's player is asleep, afk, or dead, there's no way the shot is going to hit. The only way a projectile can currently hit a SD is to spam them en-masse, like a zerker does.

Anyhoo.

A 20% bonus to physical damage is too small, but if given a massive boost to physical damage it could easily be overpowered. Just give sniper a small damage boost and tweak the rest of the skills so people will actually like it and it can be its own unique class.

+10% Radiation damage.

Hi, sometime working from the end back works well jeff !

You need to decide what a sniper should be able to do, or what you want it to do and work backwards.

So ……..

endgame Shm can out heal emp/lion….
Endgame DM solo most ubers and df 400....
Endgame FC solo rhino prince cess all dg ubers and df 400
Endgame MF ( with MC healer ) lion emp team raid and df 400
Endgame SD pvp cess and df 400
Endgame Gunner most ubers and df 400
Endgame Seer ??? but not a lot
Engame SNIPER ………………

Test the end game sniper, work out the ubering and df then work backwards from there ( if it get too much there is always the nerf button )

But as it stands, why would people play a class with 0 ubering df ability, just ask how many people have a seer they use as there main dps.

Tonal

Maybe you could implement snipers gaining increased recoil and major increased damage when space breaks have been on for a short duration (heck they could even get other defensive boosts when space breaks are on), so they get like a minor seige mode on them. Like just one way to boost the class, then they'd be more like artillery.

That could be an interesting ability, but I wouldnt make it so that you would need to use the seige mode to kill things...

In my opinion the what the seige mode would/should do is, give a little turning boost (so they could operate like a turret), give defensive (+ resist or whatever stats), Increase damage, decrease tracking substancially, add some visibility but not too much, increase recoil, and maybe add increased projectile speed. Also upon exiting seige mode you should get a slight debuff? Im not sure, the whole thing would be pretty difficult to make good and usable without being broken... but thats no reason it shouldnt be considered.

IMO.

Gunner is your big Dreadnoughts, slugging away at each other and bases, a rather large group of Gunners requiring field support. All based on massive bank, these things can last a long time, but their regen cannot possibly allow them to be left alone.

Sniper be the smaller ship, popping support on the battlefield. A kind of Anti-Support Support Ship. That mean one volley and good bye Shield Monkey. Then sneak away from immense range and some stealth. A long range cruiser, Heavy Assault Cruiser would be a good name.


Snipers should have the highest range of all, but Gunners should be able to blast them easily if they got close enough.

That's the same idea as scaling damage inversely with speed.

I dont see it as that...sniper get what 20% max more damage if there doing it right? Mr Ducky here seems to be talking about a huge increase in damage with Less rof, Ie a sniper..