Old balance issues

[Xoria]

The Lane Hackers request some adjustments to the Hellflurry line of guns. As you can see below, our class 9 guns are substantially inferior to both the Outcast equivalent weapons.

Kraken Type 2, class 9
Power-Usage: 126.00
Projectile-Speed: 700
Range : 700
Hull-Damage : 556
Shield-Damage : 278
Hull damage efficiency : 556/126 = 4.41

Hellflurry Mk IV, class 9
Power-Usage : 130.00
Projectile-Speed : 700
Range : 700
Hull-Damage : 446
Shield-Damage : 223
Hull damage efficiency : 446/130 = 3.43

Wyrm Type 2, class 9
Power-Usage : 165.00
Projectile-Speed: 700
Range : 700
Hull-Damage : 652
Shield-Damage : 326
Hull damage efficiency : 3.95

To make this situation even worse, the Hellflurry line jumps from class 6 Hellflury Mk III guns, to class 9 Mk IV guns, with no options for class 7 and class 8 weapons slots. This is especially painful because the Slipstream LF's gun mounts consist of a pair of class 7, a pair of class 8, and a pair of class 9. In order to stay completely Lane Hacker authentic, a Slipstream can mount 2 class 9 Hellflurries and then either 4 class 6 Hellflurries, or 2 class 6 Hellflurries and 2 shieldbusters.
Given the choice of receiving class 8 OR class 7 Hellflurries, I'm not really sure which would be the most helpful to us. Someone more experienced in the technical demands of combat can illuminate us on that, but I would greatly prefer to have both class 7 AND class 8 Hellflurries available.
Of perhaps even greater importance, Hellflurries of class 6 through 9 need to be significantly upgraded. For the same power requirement, the Hellflurry delivers significantly LESS damage output.
I am not so sure that I want to advocate making the Hellflurry completely similar to the Wyrm or Kraken. I would like to still see some tactical difference in the gun. Perhaps dramatically lowering the power usage and the damage, but increasing the refire rate to 5.88, and even the range to 800 would give us a unique gun.
Here are some options for adjustment : (the numbers are examples for effect, not necessarily the "best" ones to choose from)
1. Increase damage to be similar to Krakens, no other changes
2. Increase refire rate to 5.88 and range to 800, power and damage is decreased somewhat to bring it in line with 5.88 guns
3. Increase range and projectile speed to 1000, decrease refire to 3.03 ( so basically we get a gun that is harder to evade and can strike at a greater distance, but fires less often to make the power usage more balanced
4. Decrease power usage to 100 in order to be proportional to Krakens from an efficiency standpoint; change nothing else
I am not going to claim that any of these are the best options or the right options, and they certainly are not the only ones. I just wanted to give some positive suggestions rather than just negative criticisms.
My bottom line is that the Hellflurries desperately need adjustment in order to make them competitive. As they currently are, I am forcing my Lane Hackers into significant tactical disadvantages in favor of the "authenticity" of Lane Hacker roleplaying. Clearly we have some excellent pilots who are able to overcome those disadvantages, but not all of us are. I would dearly love to never need to mount a gun on a fighter that can't be purchased from a Lane Hacker base (we have our own access to Debilitators!!!), but currently, I just can't bring myself to make that clan policy for our members for their entire career. LH members are fighting an uphill battle on several counts already without having this extraordinary Hellflurry disadvantage.
Those of you with more technical expertise with comparing these weapons, please chime in and work out a solution to fix this for us.
I would like the Hellflurries to provide a competitive, and unique option, rather than being a clone of the Kraken or something else. I think that fits with who the Lane Hackers are. We also need a choice of class 7 and class 8 Hellflurries (or at least one of them at a minimum).

---

Check out my
Trade Development Blog
for all the latest news on Nerfs and Final Nails, or to request trade changes.

An Interactive Tour of OSC Routes  | POB Supplies