Overclock Discussion: CRSPR Flamethrower

[Karl's Jr]

I want to start a focused discussion on overclocks for specific weapons to see if we can give the devs some feedback they can use. I will post a discussion for each weapon to keep it organized, one weapon a day. Please try to stay on topic and only discuss what you like/dislike about a weapon. If you disagree with someone please provide your experiences with the OC. If someone disagrees with you, just let it go. Please don't clog the discussion with repetitive arguments. Please give feedback for all the OCs you've used, not just your favorite. Also note if you found an OC so unpleasant you never even tried it.

For the CRSPR Flamethrower we have

Lighter Tanks: +75 Max Fuel

Sticky Additive: +1 Damage, +1 Sticky Flame Duration

Compact Feed Valves: +25 Tank Size, -2 Flame Reach

Fuel Stream Diffuser: +5 Flame Reach, -2 Damage

Face Melter: +2 Damage, +2 Rate of Fire, -75 Max Fuel, -50% Movement Speed While Using

Sticky Fuel: +6 Sticky Flame Duration, -25 Tank Size, -2 Flame Reach

[Syncourt]

Only have sticky fuel and lighter tanks so far, both are great. I can make good dps/sticky hybrids out of those or provide really nice CC for the team with sticky fuel (which works to slow dreads).

[Karl's Jr]

I liked the lighter tanks OC because it let me shift an ammo upgrade I usually use to instead increase the efficiency of my sticky flames. I also liked sticky additive because it let me have a DPS build and still improve my sticky flames by a little bit. The small changes have yielded great results without making me feel overpowered.

Face melter on the other hand was amazing at first because of the ability to kill glyphids in about a second, but I found myself going down a lot more. I'm a mobile dwarf so the movement penalty was to severe for my playstyle. You can't really fire in burst to help move either as you'll waste a lot of fuel getting the flame started. Maybe instead continued use starts damaging the player.

I don't have any others yet.

[DeMasked]

I have both Unstable Overclocks and I find them to be good in their own way either for a flame wall build or explosion build.

Face Melter is great in small tunnels or drilled bunkers and awesome against glyphid infested walls.

Sticky Fuel I use for a more mobile lay down fire everywhere stylized combat. The slow makes it incredibly useful for kiting enemies in higher hazard levels.

[eharper256]

I have FS Diffuser, Sticky Fuel, and Sticky Additive.

I originally thought Diffuser would be great (who doesn't want a 20 Ft flame stream?!?), but the -2 damage is more significant than it first seems, so most targets die at a similar distance anyway; and I actually found myself going down more when things appeared in my face due to the damage loss. The only real bonus is that you can hit most Mactera with the flamer much easier (which to be fair is a nice bonus).

Sticky Fuel is playing Splatoon, Dwarf-Style. Being able to surround yourself in long-lasting fire-walls is an interesting change to play; and with the Slowdown mod on top, you can enact your very own 'This is Fine' scenario. However, the loss of tank size basically requires you to take the buff for it on tier 1, which in turn reduces you to a pithy 8 foot range. Hence, you're basically kiting backwards firing at your feet most often. Its really handy for defend objective though.

Sticky Additive is boring but effective; and my most used as a result (sadface). Not much to say on it; just does what it does better.

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I don't have the others of course, but my thoughts:

C Feed Valves is arguably the best trade off; since you usually want the +5 range anyway and always regret losing the larger tank.

Lighter Tanks is meh; max ammo isn't usually a huge need for the flamer as it has a high accuracy in competent hands and infinite piercing. I guess you can take it and have both sticky flames mods without issues.

Face Melter... well as mentioned above, you usually stay mobile and strafing as a driller to give maximum coverage to your flamer or freezer, so they suffer from the mobility loss much moreso than the other classes with similar slowdown overclocks (a gunner doesn't care, and a scout with the slow M1K also temporarily stops to make said shots; and both have good range on those weapons already). You can easily compensate for the loss of fuel though; and may as well take +150 and focus the flamer on melting faces rather than the sticky flames.

[Landor]

I've only had a go with the two unstable overclocks.

Face Melter is powerful, especially with direct damage builds, but it goes through fuel fast. The reduced total ammo capacity and increased rate of fire together make managing your ammo a bigger concern, because if you try to use it like a more normal direct damage build, you may find yourself running dry sooner than you think. I didn't find the lost mobility to be much of a major factor though.

Sticky Fuel makes the CRSPR behave more like it used to, quite a long time ago when setting the ground under the bugs alight was the prime tactic. Pretty decent, if hard to use at first, though the choice between upgrades to the sticky flames over total ammo on tiers three and four are tough ones. Also your choice on tier one is rather important, as you have to pick which downside of the overclock you want to counteract.

Of the two, I think I like Sticky Fuel more, as I found it more usable, but for the most part I would rather use the CRSPR without either. I would probably go for Lighter Tanks if I had it, maybe Fuel Stream Diffuser (that twenty meter flame reach, phwoar.)

[Lunacy]

Sticky flames can be pretty potent especially with the overclock so you can spend points on increasing its utility and damage. The slow works on dreads which can keep them locked down.

[MrPurple33]

Originally posted by Karl's Jr:

I want to start a focused discussion on overclocks for specific weapons to see if we can give the devs some feedback they can use.



Sticky Fuel: +6 Sticky Flame Duration, -25 Tank Size, -2 Flame Reach

I recieved this one and It's not only good, It greatly Improved the way I use the Flamethrower

I was always good with the FT, and Love the Subata, so the Volatile Bullets were always a nice combo, but the "Sticky" never stuck around that well- always do a more direct damage

But the Sticky Fuel OC actually makes It Napalm- I can Leave Layers and wait for bugs to run into it- a nice side effect is it stays Long enough to help Light up areas- I'll puff some spots on outcrops and walls as temporary torches

I'm always Leery of Less ClipSize and Ammo, but the OC depletes zero Ammo, and takes my tank/clip/cylinder from 75 to 50 - basically you have to reload more, which I obsessively do on every weapon anyway, especially the Flamethrower

I consider this OC "balanced" really, not "Unstable"

[Landor]

Originally posted by MrPurple33:

I'm always Leery of Less ClipSize and Ammo, but the OC depletes zero Ammo,

Fun fact, it actually does, and buffs to magazine capacity also raise total ammo as well, because the game considers the total ammo you can carry and restock to for a weapon or tool being reserve ammo (the "max ammo" stat) plus magazine capacity. So by reducing your CRSPR's tank capacity by twenty-five, it also reduces your total ammo you carry by twenty-five as well.

[MrPurple33]

Originally posted by Landor:

Originally posted by MrPurple33:

I'm always Leery of Less ClipSize and Ammo, but the OC depletes zero Ammo,

Fun fact, it actually does, and buffs to magazine capacity also raise total ammo as well, because the game considers the total ammo you can carry and restock to for a weapon or tool being reserve ammo (the "max ammo" stat) plus magazine capacity. So by reducing your CRSPR's tank capacity by twenty-five, it also reduces your total ammo you carry by twenty-five as well.

sorry, I said that wrong- the OC Lessens the Tank/Clip Size, but the TOTAL Ammo Pool of Fuel stays at 300 - that was my Initial worry with the OC and I joyfully found out quickly that was not the case

I had an annoying experience a few months ago when the slot Choke was in for Engie's Shotgun was switched and my total ammo pool was depleted from 130 to 90 (a pretty big drop) but I adjusted - no such adjustment for the FT, just a need to reload more frequently (which I tend to do all the time anyway) - there HAVE been moments in the thick of combat where that has been detrimental- but It's just made me Haul Out the Drill Arms are feel the Glee of Ripping the bugs to Guts and Leg parts

[Dr. Cheech]

Fuel Stream Diffuser is terrible. Try combo'ing it with Unfiltered Fuel or Triple filtered fuel and it just sucks one way or another. The damage required to ignite stuff with Unfiltered fuel requires you to focus enemies for extended periods of time. Triple filtered ignites instantly with it, but the damage loss is very noticeable. The gained range is also glitchy since it acts like a sniper rather than a hose like you would expect it to. Would argue it's one of the worst(if not the worst) flame thrower overclocks you can get.

[NikAkulov]

Are sticky flames worth it as a mechanic at all? I always felt like it was a bit of a waste to spend ammo coating ground in flames in hopes that the enemy MIGHT walk through, instead of, you know, actually just dealing direct damage?

[Syncourt]

Originally posted by NikSharkeh:

Are sticky flames worth it as a mechanic at all? I always felt like it was a bit of a waste to spend ammo coating ground in flames in hopes that the enemy MIGHT walk through, instead of, you know, actually just dealing direct damage?

Yeah it works well. Maybe not as well as direct damage does, but if you want to just play differently to change things up it's pretty fun and effective. It's fairly easy to lay enough flames with the OC to make sure enemies will walk through the fire.

[Hobo Misanthropus]

I'm in love with Sticky Fuel. Good for Kiting, Good for Bunkering, what more do you need?

I roll more Damage in Sticky Flames, +2 sticky flame duration (So 10s total).

This build is more vulnerable to bigger targets though. Flame thrower doesn't do much against big boys, max damage Sabuta fills in the gaps though.

[Bleydoka]

Sticky fuel hands down my favourite OC of all the OC's in the game. I never bothered with sticky flames and the short strong slow. But now i lay down long walls against swarmers or a street of flames for the dreadnought. I can kite haz 5 enemies with ease.
I still don't use any sticky flame upgrades but the sticky slowdown upgrade is huge.

[RainingMetal]

I never really used sticky flames. Too bad the only OC I have for it is that very OC.