The Containment War? More like Ammo Deficiency War!

(Monty) #1
  • Players who supply Ammo are now rewarded Fire Support XP, which is a bonus based on the amount of the Combat XP the recipient gains for the next 10s
  • Reduced XP given when providing Ammo to 10XP per magazine (from 30XP)

The above change means that whoever supplies the other players with more ammo, gets less experience than what they used to get. In fact, in order to get at least some experience from your support ability, you are supposed to throw the extra ammo at the start or during firefights. Not before, not after. This means that instead of having one extra gun by your side, you got someone trying to snipe out ammo boxes at their moving teammates, or constantly re-deploy their ammo stations. And unlike revives or healing, you are not really acquiring or maintaining an extra gun on your side. What you get is a sitting duck handing out ammo that you probably won’t even get to use before the enemy has you outgunned.

Thus the big question is, why would anyone bother to throw out the extra ammo anymore? Especially when the primary class abilities of Skyhammer, Arty, and Kira all require open skies to use, and preferably that there is also an EV to stop.

For example, why would you bring a Skyhammer to Underground, when Fragger has access to the same gun, more health, and a granade that you can actually cook ? What of Kira and Arty, when both Vasilli and Redeye actually got more useable abilities and even better long range gun selection?

Not to mention how that mercenary slot could be used for something else entirely, for example a Nader, Fletcher, or even a Rhino as the primary means of stopping the EV. And these three mercenaries will serve a purpose on all maps. Or perhaps a medic since few random revives will get you far more support experience than what you get from the ammo boxes.

As for the recent addition, Stoker, the molotov can be used everywhere, but it will take some time until all people have gotten it. (People might spam their credits on those cases in hopes of their one lucky containment card.) And even then, his ammo station works best when you are defending an objective. For example just like at the end of the Chapel map, hidden behind the big rock, just like Aura’s healing station.

The sad thing is, ammo is still as important as ever. If you run out of it; you are forced to use your secondary against freshly spawned enemies and so accuracy and rate of fire might not be in your favour anymore.

But as for rolling out with a mercenary to supply it, you are not really getting much out of it anymore. Thus it depends on someone being a kind soul, but this is a ‘competitive’ kind of game where you play against your opponents, and try to out do your team mates. Why give out ammo for nothing, when you yourself could get a better score playing as something else?

And personally:

Would I drop ammo packs at spawn for 60~ exp a piece?

  • Sure.

Would I drop ammo packs at spawn for 20~ exp a piece?

  • Nah.

Would I beeline through the map to give that Fragger, Fletcher, Sawbones, or Phoenix more ammo for 90-120+ experience points?

  • Sure. (I think I once got something like 208 points of experience.)

Would I beeline through the map to give that Fragger, Fletcher, Sawbones, or Phoenix more ammo for 30-40+ experience points?

  • Nah.

Now, I honestly hope that the ammo experience change will be reversed. But in the meantime, this is not The Containment War for me, it is an Ammo Deficiency War.

Thoughts, comments?

(Monty) #2

And yeah, if above wasn’t clear… starting yesterday… I have not seen ammo packs anymore. Asked around in game, and based on those who replied, they had not either.

(ostmustis) #3

then you can go medic instead. there are plenty of field ops without you, you little xp banana.

(PeneTraitor) #4

Underground is a bad example as the airstrike is arguably less useful there to begin with. I can only speak for myself, but I dgaf about experience. I care about bullets getting into guns and then into enemies. I give out ammo to facilitate that process. Are you seeing the mercs played and not dropping ammo, or is everyone playing stoker and forgetting to drop ammo stations because they have shiny new toys to play with?

(3N1GM4) #5

Keep your eyes off the score board and on the game, and there shouldn’t be a problem.

(Monty) #6

Well the thing is, I went medic, and so has most others. My recent competitive matches have been without much ‘field ops’ support. Same for objective, and even Execution has been without those occasional ammo throwing Skyhammers. It has been a day… so maybe it is a trend that will pass…

But I am not seeing much ammo thrown, with or without me.

(ostmustis) #7

imo most seem to play stoaker but I guess we will see. Im just amazed ppl play to win the xp instead of trying to win the game…

(Monty) #8

That is not entirely true. There are support missions that require 2.5k, 3.5k, or 4.5k Support experience. A ‘field op mercenary’ used to be an easy and fun way to get that, regardless of the map you were in. Now, it is much more of a slow grind to a point where few random heals/revives as a ‘rambo medic’ in a 7~ minute objective match nets you more than what a ‘field op’ gets in a 30~ minute game of stopwatch.

(PeneTraitor) #9

Sounds more like you are into the XP whore war. I think you are severely overemphasizing xp. Play to win, feed the guns and the xp will come.

(Monty) #10

In Dirty Bomb; there are things called credit missions, where acquiring certain amount of potentially specific type of experience rewards you with a predetermined amount of credits. Credits that in turn can be used to purchase new mercenaries, cases, and trade up to acquire more cosmetic loadouts.

(Monty) #11

You may call it whatever you want, but do try understand that others have different ‘win conditions’ that may be determined by the time they can invest in this game. Thus due to the recent changes; ‘feeding guns’ no longer brings the ‘XP.’ And if it brings no ‘XP,’ then guns are not fed, and teams will be worse off.

I mean, good luck pushing onward with less than half a clip to spare. You might just as well hit ‘K’ to resupply.

(ostmustis) #12

rather use my pistol with full health than my primary with no health, there are ammo crates and you can respawn in obj/sw for ammo so its not a big issue and I havent been in a game without a field op today anyway

(FilterDecay) #13

well defenders on underground need someone giving ammo on the last stage. This will always be a problem and part of the game balance for that map that I think is interesting.

So if you dont see any ammo on that stage switch to a ammo giving class because thats what the team needs.

(Lumi) #14

@Monty

taking your initial post alone you make some interesting points, BUT that only counts if everyone was actually giving ammo for support xp, which usually they don’t, if they do it’s for replenish ammo and keep a team going as a well oiled machine.

Furthermore, you’re forgetting the fact that nobody used to give ammo before anyway and everyone already dropped all their ammo/health packs at the start. Blaming the update for that is pointless.

Besides, in the long run you should get more support xp due to the fire support addition. You never saw someone complain before about you only getting the health insure after bringing a merc back into fighting capability, I don’t see why we should complain about the fire support xp only happening after that too.

(3N1GM4) #15

[quote=“FilterDecay;101300”]well defenders on underground need someone giving ammo on the last stage. This will always be a problem and part of the game balance for that map that I think is interesting.

So if you dont see any ammo on that stage switch to a ammo giving class because thats what the team needs. [/quote]

Except they added an ammo crate next to the defenders spawn.

(FilterDecay) #16

[quote=“3N1GM4;101344”][quote=“FilterDecay;101300”]well defenders on underground need someone giving ammo on the last stage. This will always be a problem and part of the game balance for that map that I think is interesting.

So if you dont see any ammo on that stage switch to a ammo giving class because thats what the team needs. [/quote]

Except they added an ammo crate next to the defenders spawn.[/quote]

thats a shame. It was an interesting dynamic. Although running back to spawn in that situation is worse then death.

(Malkovich) #17

If everything you do in the game is motivated by xp gained then I’m afraid you have the wrong attitude to the game. I’d drop meds or ammo for the team irregardless of how little xp I get, I’d rather win than have 15k xp per match and a loss (which is often the case for me)

(Telzen) #18

Funny thing is that I saw Skyhammers giving out ammo more than usually yesterday. Maybe I just got lucky.

(Backuplight) #19

Since Stoker came out, I can always find ammo! Generally someone leaves it in a very convenient location… in spawn. oh. useful. :neutral:

(LifeupOmega) #20

[quote=“FilterDecay;101349”][quote=“3N1GM4;101344”][quote=“FilterDecay;101300”]well defenders on underground need someone giving ammo on the last stage. This will always be a problem and part of the game balance for that map that I think is interesting.

So if you dont see any ammo on that stage switch to a ammo giving class because thats what the team needs. [/quote]

Except they added an ammo crate next to the defenders spawn.[/quote]

thats a shame. It was an interesting dynamic. Although running back to spawn in that situation is worse then death. [/quote]

It’s in the dip by the C4 plant location actually, on the C4-side of the barricade.