I like challenges, so I've spent a lot of time with Missiles, but it's probably the most challenging weapon in the game.
Until you level it up and spec significantly into Blastian's Talents, it's a horribly weak weapon compared to other similarly-leveled weapons. That makes its popularity among newer players very low.
Unlike most other weapons, aiming takes a ridiculous amount of practice. Again, I like the challenge, but even when target the cursor properly, you might still completely miss or do virtually zero dmg.
There are 3 mechanics causing this:
1. The spread angle is wide. (Missiles will sometimes fly wide and completely miss.)
2. The blast radius is small. (Missiles that land really close sometimes still completely miss.)
3. The damage fall-off gradient seems steep. (Missiles that land virtually right next to the target still may only do 10 dmg.)
It's frustrating to do low damage even when I do everything right.
If any of those 3 mechanics weren't quite as punishing, Missiles would be a lot more user-friendly.
As with all things, I seek balance.
My suggestions (below) are not intended to make it "easy" to use (I like the aiming challenge - unlike Sniper Cannon).
My suggestions are intended to make "actual good aiming" less punished by inconsistent/unforgiving mechanics.
All this should increase it's popularity, especially at lower levels, which means more people might practice and use it. Win for Rovio!
And this will barely affect the best players, who are already masters with it.
My Suggestions
- Don't change the spread angle.
- The 4th Missile should be default. (This really only helps new users, which is a good thing!)
- Blastian-12 should then be changed from +1 projectile to +15% bigger blast radius.
- They should create Missile-specific Perks for +2/4/6% bigger blast radius. That gives Missile users something else to choose from besides +All-Weapon Dmg% or +Range. (Plus, more revenue for Rovio!)
- The damage fall-off needs some tweaking. I'd love to play around with this in a sandbox environment. A slightly more forgiving fall-off gradient wouldn't make this weapon easier to aim, but it would make it more consistent/less frustrating when an experienced player actually gets the missiles to hit.
All of this could be seen as a slight buff to Missiles.
That's definitely true at the lower levels by getting that 4th missile for free - but I'm okay with that.
At the higher levels, it's not easier to aim, but more consistent damage output for when you use it correctly. Which is a buff I guess.
As a trade-off, I'd be willing to agree to a minor decrease in damage -- would 5% be sufficient?
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