July 8, 2024 - PTS Update

Ever since the Sunderer rework went to PTS we've working very hard on preparing it for the live release. We've been closely following the feedback as well as testing and updating internally. This has resulted in the many changes, updates, and rebalances listed below.

Before getting to the list though, we think it may be helpful to go into more detail as to why the rework makes such heavy use of constant repair and layering to improve the defensiveness of the Sunderer. Constant repair (or shield regeneration) is effectively a "flat DPS" defense against incoming damage, meaning that a single attacker or source of damage is heavily affected but once that threshold is reached further attacks are fully effective. This makes overwhelming a Sunderer still very viable while hurting lone actors.

Furthermore, by layering defenses, destroying a sunderer needs to be approached in a more tactical and piecemeal fashion. Simply pointing and shooting at a Sunderer is intended to be minimally effective, especially for a single attacker. Instead, controlling the space around a Sunderer, in order to first destroy the supporting elements (engineers, repair stations, shields, etc), is much more important for eliminating the Sunderer.

Or goal is that deployed Sunderers behave more like mobile spawn rooms than they did before, giving players a more protected space to gather and push from, thus better enabling coordination and providing more tactical opportunities for both attackers and defenders.

Download the latest PTS build here.

Sunderer Rework Update

Changes/Updates

General

• All descriptions have been rewritten for clarity and to update stats/functionality
• The Havoc status effect has been improved
  • The duration of grenades, mines, ESF Missiles, and launcher has been increased from 6 to 8 seconds
  • The duration of Haywire ammo has been increased from 4 to 5 seconds
• The full, level 3, stat boosts from both the previous performance certs (Rival Combat and Racer High Speed Chassis) are now rolled into the base stats rather than level 2 from each

Deploy

• Deploy dome
  • When deployed the dome now starts with a low amount of health and must charge to full
    • It takes around 34 seconds to completely charge depending on level
  • The size and shape of the dome now much more closely matches that of the Sunderer, making it much less likely to undesirably protrude through geometry
  • The dome visuals have been updated to make them easier to see
• Point Defense
  
  • Many of the point defense modifiers were not being correctly applied, leading to the cert performing far better than intended
  • These modifiers have been fixed, and also the bonuses reduced, bringing it more in-line with its intended power and use

Armor

• Enhanced Plating
  • The mitigation bonus of Enhanced Plating has been reduced at the top end from 40% to 30% and the range between levels narrowed
• Nanite
  • Passive repair amount has been slightly reduced at the top end and its overall range tightened. The passive repair should now correctly persist through damage
  • The burst repair now works correctly and should heal for the stated amount
  • The passive and active repair now use a shared cooldown
  • The burst heal amount has also been slightly increased to compensate for the increased passive cooldown
• Reactive armor
  • Reactive armor was interacting incorrectly with some damage types, causing it to be provide far more protection than intended
  • The armor now behaves as intended, activating and blocking the listed damage types and ignoring all others completely

Cargo

• The maximum number of simultaneous cargo deployables has been reduced to 1
• Cargo deployables now have their own notification strings
• Cargo deployables now have collision and can receive vehicle damage.
• Cargo deployables can now be disabled by EMP
• Cargo deployables can now be hacked
• Cargo deployables will now show how damaged they are via VFX
• Cargo deployables can now be spotted, each with its own icon
  
  
• Repair Station
  • A much weaker, passive version of the proximity repair has been added to the certification
    
    • While the repair module is undeployed the sunderer will repair a very small amount around itself in a small radius
    • This is intended to be comparatively weak and does not repair other sunderers, useful only for very minor, slow, damage
  • The deployed version has been slightly buffed, its repair amount and range have been increased. Sunderers now receive reduced repair amounts from the station
  • The repair from multiple repair stations will no longer stack, with the highest repair value being selected

• Proximity/Scout Radar
  • The Proximity Radar has been renamed to Scout Radar to more accurately describe its functionality
  • A passive, version has been added with a small range that is active when the sunderer is mounted and no RADAR is deployed
  • The deployed RADAR has been buffed with increased range

• Ammo Tower
  • The ammo tower range has been increased when deployed

Known Issues

• Some projectiles, such as from the Spitfire and Scorpion launcher, can pierce the Deploy Dome
• Cargo deployable audio is not correctly playing for players that enter the range after it is deployed
• Spotted cargo does not always show up correctly on screen or on the map
• The Stealth Module is not as competitive with its alternatives as it should be, we are looking into ways to make this certification more desirable