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MACO TR-117 Battle Rifle
icegavel
Member Posts: 991 Arc User
I'll cut to the chase. The MACO Phaser Battle Rifle is an operable weapon. However... it doesn't feel SPECIAL enough to give it the distinction of a Reputation item. Let's take a look at other Reputation weapons:
The MACO Rifle... is a stock Phaser Sniper Rifle with decent stats and a different animation and sound effect. It doesn't FEEL special (for that matter, neither does the Antiproton Autocarbine - I'll address that, too). But something else doesn't make sense.
In 2372, Jean-Luc Picard had a problem on his new ship. That problem was Borg. But Picard remembered... hey, wasn't there a HUGE period in human history that saw the use (and unfortunate MIS-use) of non-energy-based weapons? Something that hit things with other things? Picard went on to prove that even holographic versions are quite effective against Borg. But wait... wasn't there also an incident on Deep Space Nine (where Task Force Omega has its headquarters) during the Dominion War where a Starfleet Officer went bonkers and killed two other officers with a very similar weapon?
Fact of the matter is, SOMEONE in the Military Assault Command Operations division should know what a "gun" is. And they should be smart enough to think "hey, the Borg can't adapt to THAT!" After all, they're fighting alongside KLINGONS. And what does a Klingon do when it's mad? KLINGON SMASH. Klingons use SWORDS. Surely someone in Starfleet (besides the player) - or, better, Admiral D'Vak himself - has realized that the Borg don't adapt to being punched in the FACE. Maybe someone has figured out how to use that to their advantage by NOW. Especially considering that the TR-116 is said to be used by MACO in the only book set around Star Trek Online. Picking up my copy of it (well-worn from several readings), it says such on page 21. At length - the entirety of that page is devoted to the weapon.
I'm proposing making the MACO Rifle... a bit more special, if nothing else. However, as some players know, we have the TR-116 in-game. It was a preorder bonus. If you didn't preorder the game, you're S-O-L. But, MACO also isn't STUPID. It can figure out how to make a gun. So, I propose thus:
The Preorder TR-116A remains unaltered.
The MACO Phaser Battle Rifle becomes the MACO TR-116B (or TR-117) Battle Rifle. Its primary fire launches a bullet. The SECONDARY fire launches an Incendiary Round (inspired by events in the Star Trek: Destiny series). The Incendiary Round requires line of sight (unlike the secondary fire of the 116A, which does NOT need line of sight), would be an exploit power (basically a Sniper Shot) and would inflict a debuff similar to Fuse Armor, but with a Fire DoT (a small one - basically the hot bullet slags your target's armor at the impact point). Both the Primary and Secondary Fires would be tied to an ammo system (like fuel in the Flamethrower, only expressed as a number). While you have the rifle set as your current weapon, you gain a power called Reload. A three-second channel to refill your ammunition. More importantly, the Borg WILL NOT ADAPT to this weapon, providing consistent fire after adaption occurs. That's... a bit more noteworthy than "oh look shiny new animation."
Now, I also mentioned earlier that the Omega Autocarbine felt kind of unspecial. It's a reskinned AP Full Auro Rifle with new sounds, after all. However, making THIS special is more tough. Can't do bullets, we just did that. But, I think I've come up with something that fits the themes, as I see them, of Omega Force: Stealth and mixed tech. It also does something a lot of players have been wanting: More melee weapons.
So, I propose making the Autocarbine into the Omega Force Charged Katana. Simply, this would be a swift melee weapon with good armor penetration (ignores 10% of target's damage resist as a passive). The Pommel Strike would have an added effect - imparting an energy surge similar to the ability Nausicaan Elite Raiders use to lock down players. The weapon design is human, but the "charged" pommel strike is Nausicaan (and Nausicaans are part of the KDF). Particularly effective for hit-and-run strikes (which are good against the Borg) and close-quarters defense (which most fights against the Borg are).
So, that's my proposal for making the less special rep items more worthwhile. Whether or not it would be retroactive would be up to players. Feedback is welcome.
EDIT: after explaining my stance on things being retroactive, I have decided: NONE OF THIS SHOULD BE RETROACTIVE. This would purely be an add-on to what we have now.
- Honor Guard Pulsewave. Shotgun... WITH A GRENADE LAINCHER. Feels special.
- Plasma Flamethrower. IS A FLAMETHROWER. Pretty damned special.
- Nukara Cryo Full Auto Rifle/Compressed Cryo Launcher. Deals Cold damage and freezes people.
- Shattering Harmonics Crystalline Sword. Not only has the added damage when it absorbs energy, but it can FIRE the energy as a High Density Beam. That's REALLY cool.
- Experimental Proton Rifle. Expose AND exloit attacks without need for a weapon swap. Deals PROTON damage (which isn't hugely significant, but it IS unique - Protonic Polaron weapons only have a CHANCE to do it).
The MACO Rifle... is a stock Phaser Sniper Rifle with decent stats and a different animation and sound effect. It doesn't FEEL special (for that matter, neither does the Antiproton Autocarbine - I'll address that, too). But something else doesn't make sense.
In 2372, Jean-Luc Picard had a problem on his new ship. That problem was Borg. But Picard remembered... hey, wasn't there a HUGE period in human history that saw the use (and unfortunate MIS-use) of non-energy-based weapons? Something that hit things with other things? Picard went on to prove that even holographic versions are quite effective against Borg. But wait... wasn't there also an incident on Deep Space Nine (where Task Force Omega has its headquarters) during the Dominion War where a Starfleet Officer went bonkers and killed two other officers with a very similar weapon?
Fact of the matter is, SOMEONE in the Military Assault Command Operations division should know what a "gun" is. And they should be smart enough to think "hey, the Borg can't adapt to THAT!" After all, they're fighting alongside KLINGONS. And what does a Klingon do when it's mad? KLINGON SMASH. Klingons use SWORDS. Surely someone in Starfleet (besides the player) - or, better, Admiral D'Vak himself - has realized that the Borg don't adapt to being punched in the FACE. Maybe someone has figured out how to use that to their advantage by NOW. Especially considering that the TR-116 is said to be used by MACO in the only book set around Star Trek Online. Picking up my copy of it (well-worn from several readings), it says such on page 21. At length - the entirety of that page is devoted to the weapon.
I'm proposing making the MACO Rifle... a bit more special, if nothing else. However, as some players know, we have the TR-116 in-game. It was a preorder bonus. If you didn't preorder the game, you're S-O-L. But, MACO also isn't STUPID. It can figure out how to make a gun. So, I propose thus:
The Preorder TR-116A remains unaltered.
The MACO Phaser Battle Rifle becomes the MACO TR-116B (or TR-117) Battle Rifle. Its primary fire launches a bullet. The SECONDARY fire launches an Incendiary Round (inspired by events in the Star Trek: Destiny series). The Incendiary Round requires line of sight (unlike the secondary fire of the 116A, which does NOT need line of sight), would be an exploit power (basically a Sniper Shot) and would inflict a debuff similar to Fuse Armor, but with a Fire DoT (a small one - basically the hot bullet slags your target's armor at the impact point). Both the Primary and Secondary Fires would be tied to an ammo system (like fuel in the Flamethrower, only expressed as a number). While you have the rifle set as your current weapon, you gain a power called Reload. A three-second channel to refill your ammunition. More importantly, the Borg WILL NOT ADAPT to this weapon, providing consistent fire after adaption occurs. That's... a bit more noteworthy than "oh look shiny new animation."
Now, I also mentioned earlier that the Omega Autocarbine felt kind of unspecial. It's a reskinned AP Full Auro Rifle with new sounds, after all. However, making THIS special is more tough. Can't do bullets, we just did that. But, I think I've come up with something that fits the themes, as I see them, of Omega Force: Stealth and mixed tech. It also does something a lot of players have been wanting: More melee weapons.
So, I propose making the Autocarbine into the Omega Force Charged Katana. Simply, this would be a swift melee weapon with good armor penetration (ignores 10% of target's damage resist as a passive). The Pommel Strike would have an added effect - imparting an energy surge similar to the ability Nausicaan Elite Raiders use to lock down players. The weapon design is human, but the "charged" pommel strike is Nausicaan (and Nausicaans are part of the KDF). Particularly effective for hit-and-run strikes (which are good against the Borg) and close-quarters defense (which most fights against the Borg are).
So, that's my proposal for making the less special rep items more worthwhile. Whether or not it would be retroactive would be up to players. Feedback is welcome.
EDIT: after explaining my stance on things being retroactive, I have decided: NONE OF THIS SHOULD BE RETROACTIVE. This would purely be an add-on to what we have now.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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However, it's still a good idea... maybe make those weapons as separate items or even their own sets instead of changing the existing weapons?
Winning.
Oh, now don't tell me you want in on all this! Well, ok. Look this that Egg Pawn hanging outside your window, pointing his laser rifle at you, waiting for my next order. He's doing his part. He helps conquer the weak-minded. He roboticizes the weak-bodied. Heck, he even helps keep the useless people from causing any trouble, but you know what? Join. Find the closest Nataran Empire roboticization center near you and join the ranks, before the ranks find you. Oh, I know, you figure it must be so satisfying to know I basically rule the world now, and you know what? It is, but do you want to know the true definition of satisfaction? Well, let me tell you a little story. One day, you see a brand new event. They're giving out boxes that give old event stuff. Your dilithium is plentiful. You buy a whole lot of Phoenix packs on your main, and open them all. You get one epic token. Then, you decide, that since you have all the Breen ships and don't give a damn about the others, you exchange it for an ultra rare, and grab yourself a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship and for the hell of it, a Voth Bulwark. You open both, leaving the Bulwark in your vast masses of starships as you jump into the bugship and deck it out, deck by deck, into the most awesome Jem'Hadar ship you can. You fly it. You enjoy it. Eventually, you get bored and leave, leaving the old Bulwark never flown... until later. Your main is long complete. Your new alt main, based off some character you pulled out of nothing just to explain away some starship being in service without the command of your dear admiral, is also complete. Mostly. Their reps and doffs are hard at work, getting you stuff. You realize the potential, and head back for your dear admiral, pull the most Voth themed build you can out of thin air, and suit up in your giant ship in the shape of you know what. You head out... and cause all sorts of havoc. Enemies scream out your name as their very life is drained away by your swarms of Aceton Assimilators. They complain to the devs of your OPness when you revive yourself from death every time you die. Do you show any form of mercy? No. After all, this isn't the United Federation of Planets, this is mother frakkin' Starfleet, where you explore strange new worlds and kick butt never kicked before. Oh, and you realize that I just wrote another speech rivaling your own signature. Cool. Oh, wait, that's just the original draft, it is part of my signature now. Oh, and yes, I am aware that I have become a Canadian Regent; one day, sooner than you'd expect, we'll suddenly decide to take over the world and declare an "alliance", and I shall become it's Regent. You know, like the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in the mirror universe of our beloved Star Trek. Oh, who'll we be taking over with? I dunno, maybe [REDACTED], or maybe aliens from outer space. Guess you'll have to wait and find out, won't we? Until then, don't ask too many questions, or else my Breen allies on Titania might pick up on your -- [REDACTED BY BREEN CONFEDERACY FOR REASONS] Also, psst... keep an eye out for flying Tribbles! Also walls. Big, great walls, separating entire continents apart. Walls patrolled by Tribbles. Flying Tribbles. Flying Nukara Tribbles. Don't worry, it's not like they were on Venus with a herd of Tholians or anything, they just like the extreme heat and brutal weather like acid rain and hurricane force winds as the norm. Oh, and definitely keep your eye out on any two-tailed foxes, because if they ain't glowing, they're definitely an imposter. Possibly an Undine, we caught one of those once in my place once. Oh, and if you find a two-tailed fox that doesn't like the cold... most certainly ask him to say sorry. If he refuses, DESTROY HIM WITH A DOOMSDAY MACHINE, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH AGAINST SUCH AN OVERPOWERED IMPOSTER!
tr;dr, I am winning last post wins 3.0. Thank you for your time.
I considered this, actually. Hence my ambiguity on the retroactive nature of the change - some people like the weapons now. It's not inconceivable that the organizations would have two weapons as standard (Starfleet, after all, has three different types of standard issue phaser rifle - the ones from the Enterprise-E, the LEGO phaser rifles from the Dominion War, and the compression phaser rifle from Voyager). I was simply confused as to how they would differentiate - I could see it being confusing.
Not necessarily BIGGER than that thread, as that concept is equally (if not MORE) worthy of the attention it pleads for. There are, after all, many things this game needs to change and improve. The Galaxy thread is one, this is another. So long as we stand united in our desire to see the game bettered, it will eventually be done.
Though, it's nice seeing I'm not totally mental and that someone agrees with me.
I have one too. I've even nicknamed mine the "Charlton Heston".
My favorite thing about the TR-116 is that when you zoom in on your toon while firing the weapon, you can even hear and see the spent shell casings being ejected from the weapon as it fires. Any new variation on this weapon simply must replicate that feature.
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I'm sure that having a "No LOS" ability will have the nerfers out in droves, but again, I'm sure the devs could still come up with something.
I support the OP's ideas on this one.
If I recall (though I wasn't around at the time), the TR-116 Preorder bonus (which has been in-game since launch - of course it has, it's a PREORDER perk) didn't get that much flak. But then, it was a Target-exclusive preorder. Not many oeple had it and fewer used it. I've not seen it in action... actually ever. I remembered this idea (I'm not the first to wonder about it on these forums) because Smirk actually tweeted a picture of a character in the new Solanae Sentinel EV Suit and the player was holding the weapon (I recognized it at once - the orange holo-effects around the muzzle are a dead giveaway, since other phaser rifles that have similar effects all use blue).
But, like I said, the no LOS attribute would actually remain the property of the preorder rifle. The MACO one would drop the micro-transporter (MACO assuming that the Borg would be able to trace it and do horrible things, even if Starfleet can't trace it), but would use incendiary rounds as a secondary fire to damage Borg components and melt armor.
Under your minimap, there's a series of small buttons. One looks like 3 arrows. That is what is called the "PvE Queues." That's where you find STFs. They'll be marked as awarding Omega Marks, and will have the names "Infected", "The Cure", or "Khitomer Accord" before the titles.
Incendiary rounds are fun sounding for secondary. As long as you had the standard hit mechanics instead of the ultra zoom it should be theoretically possible.
I am Il Shadow and i approve these Shennanigans!
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situationally it could be
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Even Better.
I am Il Shadow and i approve these Shennanigans!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Remember, we can handle ballistics TODAY. STO is 300 YEARS from now (well, 295). I THINK that a society well-versed in interstellar flight and atmospheric entry/ext as a daily practice can handle a matter as simple as ballistics.
Now, you made the point that cyborgs may be more resilient to ballistic trauma because of being cyborgs. I want to point something out to you: Picard shot the Borg with a HOLOGRAPHIC Tommy gun and they died. Let me also remind you of the end of First Contact. The Borg Queen's flesh melted. She died. The very NATURE of a cyborg dictates that it is a symbiotic relationship between man and machine. Or, as Picard put it, "the Borg cannot survive without their organic components." Sure, they may be able to EVENTUALLY regenerate from the wounds, but the shock of ballistic trauma will overload the biological systems. If the nervous system isn't ENTIRELY overloaded to the point of uselessness by the shock, it'll still be a while to get the drone back up. The Borg will, for all intents and purposes, be dead. Once the fight is done, there's more than enough time for a proper clean-up.
I did say the retroactivity was up in the air. And, as I said in the fourth post on this thread, I am not opposed to simply adding them as an option. It is simply a matter of these being the ONLY sets with two weapons.
Technically speaking, in the STO universe a Civil War era military formation has better weapons to fight the Borg than 24th century. And once tactics and strategy modernized after WW2, probably as well trained. I'll let you google what a Minie Ball or .50 Cal round will do to soft tissue and those would be considered quite antiquated.
Now factor in the probable advancements in materials for propellant and the round, not to mention the actual weapon itself. People wouldn't want to say, "Oh No! The Borg are coming, let me go get great, great, great, great, great, great grandpa's M1 Garand!
How about whipping out a Guass Rifle.. after all if you got portable power packs for hand weapons that VAPORIZE a man sized target, having a weapon that accelerates tungsten penetrater with a soft iron shoe behind it for a magnictic field to grab hold of and flinging said projectile down a "sound muffled" barrel an near hypersonic velocity should be any great technical challange.. Of recoil could be a bit of a pain. Of course there the option of a self propelled round. Give it a little itty bitty HEAP tip and you'll be bouncing borg ...and everything else for that matter off the walls!
There is all type of "primitive 20th century" personal weapons tech that could carve Borg up and spit out chunks. a General Electric .566 mm Minigun should carve them up nicely. Fires the same round as an M-16..breath on the trigger and a 100 rounds go down range in a fairly tight pattern.
And of course there's it bigger 7.62mm cousin. I don't care what the borg carry for body armor. They're going down.
Fun fact, however: Borg also died from phaser shots.
But I think the most interesting point fo ra MAKO TR-whatever-number Rifle is: It would make the weapon stand out and adds an interesting new option.
Don't touch the Autocarbine, it's by far the best non-exploit damage mid-ranged weapon in the game. On top of that, the weapon comes with an immobilize "proc". For those that don't know what immobilize does; it's a root that also prohibits the activation of non-weapon attack abilities for the duration. The weapon is overpowered if multiple players use the weapon on the same target in PvP. The same is true with PvE; it's possible to shut down high level NPCs with the weapon. Granted certain NPCs are immune to control effects, but the weapon is highly useful in it's current state. The Omega set is a tip of the hat to the Stargate: SG1 series. Turning the set weapon into a sword would completely destroy that reference.
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and yet none of those weapons are in the game. That annoys me to no end.
Not to MENTION the GAU-8 that they build into the frame of the A-10 Warthog. That's 4200 rounds a minute. You'd be making cyborg HAMBURGER with that. That IS, after all, a Gatling gun designed to bust TANKS.
Primitive? By Starfleet standards, yes. Ineffective? HELL no. The entire A-10 chassis (for which the GAU-8 is designed) can only carry enough ammo for 17 seconds of sustained fire. Starfleet could stick a replicator pack on that and mod it with inertial dampeners as a recoil compensation system and hand THOSE out.
Yes, but the Borg adapt to phaser shots. They don't adapt to being cut, chopped, stabbed, or punched. A bullet is super-effective against the Borg.
However, you are correct in your second statement: It would be an INTERESTING new option. I, personally, find the MACO Battle Rifle as-is to be... well, boring.
Again, and I've said it about five times now, this doesn't NEED to be retroactive. The weapons do not NEED to be mutually exclusive. I KNOW people like the Autocarbine. I'm not saying "have this and take the other away eww." I'm saying "can I get a different OPTION?" Because having options is a GOOD thing.
False. The Ent-E rifles are in-game as odd-mark (I, III, V, VII, etc) pulse-based phaser rifles (full autos and snipers mainly). Generic Starfleet NPCs also use them.
Eh, they're close, but I wouldn't say that's them.
Those are also launch-era models. Remember, this game was RUSHED out. Cryptic had to cut corners like crunch time at the circle factory. The weapons still need a touch-up.
Now we're speaking the same language. Recently, devs have been redoing stuff from the early game release days-- Tutorials, Missions, bridges, etc.
Now would be a great time to introduce some canon weapon skins. They could actually be used to differentiate between the different weapon types we have.
We've got bajoran, hirogen, dominion screen canon weapons all represented, but all starfleet weapons are conspicuously absent.
That should be addressed now, while we're still doing basic, quality of life touches.
Rumor has it that's just what they're planning on doing. I think Geko said in a recent podcast that Crafting had finally worked its way up the ladder of importance to the point it might see a revamp in S9. Don't quote me on that, though, I may be wrong.
However, while we're doing weapon MODELS, a few new ones would be nice. Cases in point: The Klingon D'k tagh dagger and mek'leth short sword (as well as the Jem'Hadar Kar'takin polearm). The models EXIST in-game. NPCs use them. Where's MINE?!
Seconded, I'd love to see all of those, not to mention a ushaan for my andorian.