My Experience with Rico

[OKDad70 862]

Ricochet is overpowered. (I hope developers will read this, as it is too long to expect anyone else will.)

 

Primarily, the rico shots must deteriorate on bounce. Each bounce must reduce its damage potential by 12%, or at least 10%. This would be a trivial reduction for a single, well-aimed bounce off a wall into the intended target. It would reward only aimed shots, not wild shots, and not bouncing down tunnels from the side completely out of the line of fire of the opponent. (The shots would still be effective for three or four bounces, but a dozen bounces until it gets most of the way down the tunnel will cease to be an effective tactic.)

 

The plasma ball diameter must be reduced a bunch. Missed shots that don't make much sound and do not cause directional shift (in other words, obviously missed) still cause hit-point reduction, even when the miss seems quite significant. That is the most incredulous thing in the game. The shot clearly missed, yet damage accumulates anyway. The stats say the projectile radius is up to 0.5 meter. That is a half-meter off the center-line of aim. That is an entire meter across. That is absolutely ridiculous!

 

I wrote that it seemed ricos were taking over games. I have seen up to six ricos on a team, as many as ten in a battle. Perhaps that was a fluke. It seems to be rare to see that many, but two or three to a team is normal, and too many.

 

Fundamentally, the weapon seems to force its users to sloppy and thoughtless play, requiring no skill, just holding down the space bar, especially if the tanker has ample supplies. It is the most annoying weapon in the game. It is effective for sloppy users because of the repeated potential for hitting tanks because of the bouncing and because it is simply overpowered.

 

With 0.6 second pause between shots, the M0 rico can fire five shots in three seconds. That will average about 80 hit points, wiping out M0 wasp and usually M0 hornet. That is more than the approximately 60 hit points the M0 thunder will do with its second shot at the three-second mark. Further, the rico M0 can empty the clip in six seconds, with the tenth shot, and the 11^th shot fires before the seventh second. That is an average of nearly 180 hit points, and nothing at M0 can take that. An M0 mammoth with a rail gun has no chance, no hope of defeating the rico without heavy supply use and lots of patience and many respawns in a one-on-one. The rico would have a very lopsided d/l in that one-on-one. Do the math for any combination. The rico is overpowered. (I don't understand the energy reload stat. The expended rico shoots at approximately 1.2 seconds per shot. {I've tried it.} That is still faster than all but the twins, with more damage per shot.)

 

For myself, I've chosen to try to improve my skills with a second and third account. As OKDad, I drive what I like. Most of the time that is titan (M1, so far) with thunder or twins, depending on the map. My second account is at warrant ranks, and I use only the smokey-hunter given at the beginning. That account is still on M0 hunter, with M1 smokey. My third account, I drive a mosquito (rail-wasp). Both M0, so far, at sergeant rank.

 

Each of these accounts forces me to work on different skills, and I hope developing these skills make me a better player, ever improving in skill and cooperation with teammates. The titan makes things easy. I get to play the way I want. Charge in (slowly) and deal damage. Works out well if I haven't joined a battle that goes well above my rank. With the smokey-hunter, it is hard to justify calling the smokey a good turret. However, with the critical, and precision firing (both timing and targeting) it is quite effective, and I generally do very well when playing this account. With the mosquito, it is hard. That slow fire rate takes skills I am only beginning to master, but I seem to always effectively contribute to my team in the battle. Ranking is slower than I managed on the previous accounts, but I'm satisfied with my progress, and I am learning skills I know I will have to have as I advance in the ranks.

 

It seems reasonable to assume I am seeing extra ricos with each of these accounts because of the rank and the M-levels. M0 rico at sergeant, M1 at warrant, and M2 at 1LT, and this happens to be at or close to my rank on each account. Perhaps I'm temporarily unlucky in all three of my game-incarnations.

 

Generally, with all three accounts (not so much with the mosquito, but almost), with full health, I can come upon three enemy and more than half the time, defeat them all (assuming no long range support), or perhaps take out the last of the three as I explode as well. I can almost always take out three shafts, sometimes four, but it is rare to see more than two shafts in one battle. I can even take out three rail guns sometimes, but a mixed group is what I'm mostly referring to; my success rate drops if the group includes a rico, especially if it includes two. Isidas matter a lot, but isidas are rare enough to be no worry. (And everyone knows you target the isida first.)

 

Perhaps I'm blind to the reality of my own success. Perhaps I overrate myself, but I count on defeating opponents one-on-one. Almost always, if I have full health, I defeat solo opponents in all three accounts, except for ricos. With heavier hulled ricos, my success rate is less than half, that is against all three combinations listed above. Supplies matter a lot, and perhaps rico users use supplies more than average. I had a spell with the titan of using extra supplies. Not any more, and not with the newer accounts. I limit my crystal purchases to the first account only, and rather limited compared to what it seems a lot of players buy. Accordingly, my lower rank accounts simply have very few supplies to use. I don't use them much, which also forces my skill improvements.

 

Walt Whitman liked to say, “If you done it, it ain't bragging.” I speak whereof I know. The rico (and sometimes a drugging asida) is the only turret I have significant problems with. I switch to dragon paint, but that is not my preference. Ricos are the nuisance, not what I'm after. I may overestimate my skill, but I don't overestimate the difference between the ricochet and the other turrets.

 

My main complaint is about the lack of skill rico drivers so often display. Sometimes they are easy to kill, when you can get beside them and they cannot turn their turret. However, in a tight spot, among walls, the bouncing plasmas find you soon enough. The absurdly oversized radius of the plasma balls makes damage almost certain between walls. Even my wasp on nitro cannot stay out of the way long enough to matter, especially since it takes seven seconds for the rail gun to reload. In those circumstances, I never get to take the second shot.

 

The ricochet is too powerful in all regards. It has more range than it should, and it does more damage per shot than it should, and it fires too fast. All of these are only slightly too much. Lowering a little should be sufficient. The real key to the over power of the rico is the large clip and the infinite bounce.

 

Being able to fire five shots in three seconds dealing over 80 hit-points is more than any other ranged M0 turret. The fact that the clip is twice that size is unjustifiable. (Freeze and isida are very slightly higher, but also overpowered for what each is, and short-range limits their options. The vaunted thunder manages a mere 64 hp in 6 sec., and the “Fear Machine” does a meager 60 on average—given its 7-second reload.) There is also the fact that the rico has almost as much impact kick as the smokey, and it can fire more than three times faster than the smokey. That is another factor that reduces survivability in close quarters. The rico's plasma balls can hit from multiple directions and at irregular intervals due to the bounces. Bounces should reduce impact force the same as the damage reduction.

 

I'll add that the plasma ball radius reduction should apply to the twins too, but I've never noticed the damage when the twins was missing. With the lower power of the twins, the tanker must aim very carefully to be effective. I suggest the projectile radius for ricochet and twins should be one-fourth of what it is. The plasma ball should not deal damage when it obviously misses.

 

BTW, I played with ricochet enough to know I don't like it. It doesn't suit my style of play at all. My comments do not refer to me using it, just me fighting it. 

[ExtremeKiller26 443]

My god. Stop this complaining about ricochet. Posting again and again and again will not do anything BUT increase your chances of failing.

 

I am going to answer this point/paragraph wise:

 

1. Nope, then what exactly is point of the ability? It's the only special ability it has. Like others said, if it loses damage it will become UP. If it has increased damage, it will become OP.

 

2. I highly doubt it actually 'missed' you. Due to server lag, the server registers a hit on the tank, but slow connection may make the shot fire a bit late, making it look like that it 'missed'.

 

3. Try bouncing it and actually hitting one guy. It is easier said than done. If you shoot it on one rough surface, the shot won't go straight but it will go up. The charge is fairly short, 8-15 shots per charge if I'm not mistaken.

 

4. You are talking as if the rico will land ALL the shots on the target. If the railgun/mammoth manages to hit the rico, it will miss like 2 shots, one because it aimed away, then second because it is still firing and is trying to aim. M0 rico users aren't that skilled that they will know everything.

 

5. Why are you even going for charging with the titan at lower ranks? M1 titan is slow as a turtle. If you are using thunder, then stay in cover and splash the heck outta rico. It isn't like they will know what hit them. If you are going to stay out every single moment, then you obviously aren't going to have a chance.

 

6. If by one on one you mean standing in front of enemy and just keep shooting until one dies, then sorry, I can't say anything about that.

 

7. Then don't go there. If you are a mosquito, then you are either supposed to stay somewhere, shoot, then relocate or just charge ahead praying you don't die and kill people (Bad idea imo). You never face a rico with a mosquito, or with any weapon+wasp. Rico has high impact power, it will send you flying. You never stand in front of the gun with wasp. 

 

8. Railgun will throw anything outta it's way. Thunder will blind you if you are sitting close to wall. See a freeze attacking you? Well, enjoy the turtle ride. Isida will leach all the hp outta you. Oh, and rico doesn't have infinite bounce. It bounces like 5-7 times and then disappears.

 

9. I do not know what to refer this to, but I will refer this to the developers reading it all point at the top. Most players like to read comments and posts, it isn't like we don't care about anyone.

[OKDad70 862]

ExtremeKiller, pot, meet kettle.

 

How does posting twice warrant "again and again and again"? 

 

Honestly, sir, you seem to have not bothered reading the post you answered so verbosely.

[ExtremeKiller26 443]

ExtremeKiller, pot, meet kettle.

 

How does posting twice warrant "again and again and again"? 

 

Honestly, sir, you seem to have not bothered reading the post you answered so verbosely.

I read it all. And sorry for the "again and again and again" thing. Arun's complaining about rico at the same time made me confuse him with you.

[Meowmix56 174]

I agree it is overpowered but there is no need to reduce range or damage per bounce.  Everything can be balanced by simply lowering the total damage.

[Chameleos 157]

i've made far better DL with isida than rico,but if rico's OP,ok,i have m2 rico and m1 isida lol

also "if you can't defeat them,join them(or either get yourself dragon,as a rico without shots left is barely any harmful)" try being a "skilled rico" by playing how low ranks play,hornet rico without turret turn.

also try considering how it is for the poor rico once he killed u,finished his shots,then finds another enemy in front of him,what can he do?

[AceAgent 5]

ricos with hull with health under a m0 viking stands no chance against my wasp+firebird, mainly because everyone stay in one place while trying to shoot

[kayitsiz 621]

ricos with hull with health under a m0 viking stands no chance against my wasp+firebird, mainly because everyone stay in one place while trying to shoot

My dictator-twins can kill wasp or hornet firebirds without getting damage.

 

İf try keep distance, all times can kill you.

[AceAgent 5]

ricos with hull with health under a m0 viking stands no chance against my wasp+firebird, mainly because everyone stay in one place while trying to shoot

i take back what i said ( that was back when i was a WO2?) Dictator or Hunter with Twins, Thunder, or Railgun is the bomb

[AceAgent 5]

 

also try considering how it is for the poor rico once he killed u,finished his shots,then finds another enemy in front of him,what can he do?

 

that's why twins is so good :D

[XXgamercool_TURBO 14]

Rico isnt overpowered. Its mostly anoying because its so simple to use and so high impact force. Everybody hates getting killed, but hammer rail and rico are probably the most anoying ones to get killed with. Simply because in situations without teamates you have a seriously increased chance of dying. in other words this is a just a simple matter of my combo isnt good against his.