Automatons just aren't fun

[Mr. Fef]

Am I the only one who feels like playing against the bots is a totally different game than fighting the bugs? And not in a good way?

I mean don't get me wrong, I like the fact that there's major differences between the two factions, but I literally just never have fun when I'm playing against the bots. On the lower levels they just feel tedious to fight, and on higher difficulty levels they're just supremely annoying. The bugs are challenging on the higher difficulty levels, but they dont ever feel as cheesy with their attacks.

I think part of it is just the armor, when you have so many enemies that demand precision shots and then send swarms of them at me, it kinda just feels like I'm fighting a horde of the exact same unit. Like Sure they look different and have different weapons, but when I have to approach them all in basically the same way it just doesn't stay interesting. Just keep some distance, use cover, try to get as many headshots as possible. Doesn't matter if they have a shield and a machine gun or a buzz saw or a rocket launcher, they start to all feel the same. It also really limits what weapons feel useful, weapon balance wont create diverse loadouts when every enemy demands the same tactics.

With the bugs you've got lots of units that die so easy, but several can close distance fast, debuff the player, cloaking units, mortar bugs, etc. The armored enemies have varied attack styles and can be handled with penetrating weapons or regular because the animations and weak points have some variety. With the bots every devastator and even the hulks works the same way basically.

I hope its not just me but I think the bots need a serious overhaul in some way, I literally can't find the motivation to play more than 1 mission against them at a time before completely losing interest.

[Bad_Lieutenant]

Yeah I'm mostly a Bugdiver but I have more fun this way.

Bots is better when you have lots of cover otherwise its a turkey shoot where you are the turkey.

[Aestrea]

The automatons are perfectly fine. They do require a different skill set to fight them and it's actually not skill but knowledge. Knowing how to fight them is a lot different than running and gunning like you do with the bugs because there are situations where you cannot run. Aside from their obvious very small weak points that you actually have to aim to hit unlike the bugs, there are easier and more effective things to hit on pretty much all of them that you would probably not know if you didn't play it long enough.

[Iron Horse]

Originally posted by Aestrea:

The automatons are perfectly fine. They do require a different skill set to fight them and it's actually not skill but knowledge. Knowing how to fight them is a lot different than running and gunning like you do with the bugs because there are situations where you cannot run. Aside from their obvious very small weak points that you actually have to aim to hit unlike the bugs, there are easier and more effective things to hit on pretty much all of them that you would probably not know if you didn't play it long enough.

A skill set such as leaving the system to go fight bugs so you don't get hit by 5 rockets through a wall.

[[Asgard] Thor]

Originally posted by Iron Horse:

Originally posted by Aestrea:

The automatons are perfectly fine. They do require a different skill set to fight them and it's actually not skill but knowledge. Knowing how to fight them is a lot different than running and gunning like you do with the bugs because there are situations where you cannot run. Aside from their obvious very small weak points that you actually have to aim to hit unlike the bugs, there are easier and more effective things to hit on pretty much all of them that you would probably not know if you didn't play it long enough.

A skill set such as leaving the system to go fight bugs so you don't get hit by 5 rockets through a wall.

Didn't see that cannon turret that aggroed from across the map? Skill issue.
Did that factory strider stick it's head in a rock and fire 500 laser at you through it? Get gud.
Did you get ragdolled juggled by all the rockets being shot at you from half the automaton roster? Well you need to be in the right mindset.
Flanked that minigun devastator and he shot at you sideways? I don't know what you mean the autobots experience are the best they've ever been!

[Iron Horse]

Originally posted by Asgard Thor:

Originally posted by Iron Horse:

A skill set such as leaving the system to go fight bugs so you don't get hit by 5 rockets through a wall.

Didn't see that cannon turret that aggroed from across the map? Skill issue.
Did that factory strider stick it's head in a rock and fire 500 laser at you through it? Get gud.
Did you get ragdolled juggled by all the rockets being shot at you from half the automaton roster? Well you need to be in the right mindset.
Flanked that minigun devastator and he shot at you sideways? I don't know what you mean the autobots experience are the best they've ever been!

The game lacks balance and QA, and anyone who says otherwise is just huffing copium.

Who DOESN'T love getting hit in the head by 13 consecutive laser blasts from 3km away in 2 seconds flat by enemies that spotted you and shot you THROUGH the terrain?

[LoveTruffle]

People post this regularly.

They're the only enemy I enjoy fighting. They require more situational awareness and tactical movement around the map on higher difficulties.

I fall asleep fighting bugs.

[[Asgard] Thor]

Originally posted by LoveTruffle:

People post this regularly.

They're the only enemy I enjoy fighting. They require more situational awareness and tactical movement around the map on higher difficulties.

I fall asleep fighting bugs.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy fighting the bots for a while, but then my best tools were taken away from me. You are a little right and wrong too, they do require more awareness, but there's situations where it's a little much in terms of ridiculous.

[Netaris]

Yes, bots are different, in a good way. Terminids require less tactics and teamplay than bots. The best players tend to go on the bot front too. From my point of view, terminids are better to farm and bots are better if you want actual difficulty, teamplay and fun.

[Medium B*t]

I find the bots more fun personally, my only annoyance with them is that you can get rag-doll chained from 100 to dead. Or getting lit on fire, then rag-dolled by a rocket landing near you, so you die to the fire before you can complete the get up animation.

If they sped up the get up animation / made being rag-dolled extinguish you it would solve my only issues.

On the bugs, it's just boring. Half the units are a non-issue. Anything besides a stalker or bile titan is pretty hard to die to unless you get unlucky with headshots

[Wutever]

Originally posted by Asgard Thor:

Originally posted by LoveTruffle:

People post this regularly.

They're the only enemy I enjoy fighting. They require more situational awareness and tactical movement around the map on higher difficulties.

I fall asleep fighting bugs.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy fighting the bots for a while, but then my best tools were taken away from me. You are a little right and wrong too, they do require more awareness, but there's situations where it's a little much in terms of ridiculous.

What tools? Every weapon and stratagem that has ever been good against bots has been buffed or left unchanged for ages, with the exception of the Slugger.

Automaton BS levels largely depend on the terrain and map layout RNG. Sometimes you just get ♥♥♥♥ overlaps and that's that, sometimes the mission is literally free. Maybe AH should look into tweaking some of the RNG, but it's not that big of a deal considering the game is still a pretty big mess.

[Price]

At one point they were fun to play against on Helldive difficulty, but now its just insane with the additional updates they got over the past month or so.

I'm one of those players that tries to get 0 deaths every mission, and going against bots now pretty much guarantees at least 1 death. With bugs I usually get 0 deaths every mission.

[CedricO]

My only gripe with them is the Ragdolling and knockback. Some players on these forums will say that we should be "getting over" the idea of losing controle of your character especially since the illuminate apparently will be doing some sort of mind controle? (i really really really really hope thats not the case) but regardless, my personal subjective opinion is that any mechanic that makes one lose controle of the character is inherently unfun and irritating. And a break of immersion.

I don't say it often but, i will literally die on that rock.

(and on the smaller rock of customization options being a good thing to improve on)

[Netaris]

Originally posted by CedricO:

especially since the illuminate apparently will be doing some sort of mind controle? (i really really really really hope thats not the case) but regardless, my personal subjective opinion is that any mechanic that makes one lose controle of the character is inherently unfun and irritating. And a break of immersion.

If it works like in Helldivers 1, only one enemy will sent blue orbs at you and if you're in the AoE when it explode, your control will be inverted (forward will become backward and so on). It's an habit to avoid those and adapt to invert controls. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

[Dundo]

I think Automatons are way more fun than bugs since bugs have spewers.

[Guardian_Angel]

Automatons are slightly more bearable than bugs now. The latest big buff to chargers and bile titans has made fighting bugs a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ drudgery.