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Tigershark AX-0-1 |
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Steele |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:40 am Posts: 423 Location: Duisburg , Germany |
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clausewitz |
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:02 pm Posts: 916 Location: Glasgow, Scotland |
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Steele |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 6:40 am Posts: 423 Location: Duisburg , Germany |
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Tactica |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:12 am Posts: 2241 |
Mixed formations seem to insulate from it pretty well. Horde armies also seem to contend. Armies based upon fighters may give that many bombers a run for their money. However, unusual circumstances in all cases - I'll concede that. So that _many_ weapons is a relative problem, but one that can be addressed easily enough without lopping off limbs. It's best against RA/elite infantry of course, second best against war engines and running a close third is sniping important units out of formations. |
The_Real_Chris |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm Posts: 8139 Location: London |
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HecklerMD |
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Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:42 am Posts: 201 |
Yeah, just like those Space Marine Tacticals! Everyone takes one or two, thats gotta mean they are unbalanced! Or maybe we take them because they dont SUCK. Like, for example, people stop taking Marauders because they suck. Lets not make the TS suck, kthanx. ![]() AX10s get more powerful the more you have, its a synergistic effect, much like Ork warbands and many other units who may not earn thier points back in small numbers, but increase in function as their numbers go up. The difference here, and no offense TRC, as that the effect can be blown all out of porportion when coupled with, ahem, cheezy tactics like air-sniping. Which is not a indicator of a fault with the AX10, but an indicator of fault with the E:A rules in general. Which means, to me, that all the "5 Aces" results are deceptive and highly questionable, when used to indicate a problem with a given unit. They are, however, quite useful to show flaws in the way Epic:A handles air-to-ground. In smaller numbers, when they are not able to exploit the flaws in the rules, 5 times a turn, they are just good. (Read my batreps if you dont believe me.) Which is OK, you know. Its OK to have a powerfull air unit, its OK to have a good air unit. Nowhere does it say you cant. But since there ARE flaws in how the rules handle A2G, we need to limit how many times a unit can exploit those flaws; and what we dont need to do is nerf the unit. Now, 0-1 formation of 1 or 2 makes sense by any reading of the fluff, it wont require a new special rule (which means it wont get kicked back by JJ) it prevents exploits like the 5 Aces list engourages, and still allows the unit to be useful. Its clearly the way we should go. |
Dobbsy |
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Joined: Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:24 am Posts: 4499 Location: Melbourne, Australia |
Yes very true. Now, 0-1 formation of 1 or 2 makes sense by any reading of the fluff, it wont require a new special rule (which means it wont get kicked back by JJ) it prevents exploits like the 5 Aces list engourages, and still allows the unit to be useful. ?Its clearly the way we should go. |
The_Real_Chris |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm Posts: 8139 Location: London |
Umm, no you take tacticals as they are a line unit good for a variety of tasks. You take TS to just blow stuff up. In that reguard they are compared to the other blow the stuff up formations. Here we find they can blow more stuff up at less risk to themselves than the other options. What does more damage, a manta or the quivalent points of tigersharks? What does more damage? Why is a rare unit such a mainstay for that matter? AX10s get more powerful the more you have, its a synergistic effect, much like Ork warbands and many other units who may not earn thier points back in small numbers, but increase in function as their numbers go up. The difference here, and no offense TRC, as that the effect can be blown all out of porportion when coupled with, ahem, cheezy tactics like air-sniping. Which is not a indicator of a fault with the AX10, but an indicator of fault with the E:A rules in general. |
Tactica |
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Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:12 am Posts: 2241 |
Heckler, I'm on board - I just want to see them scale. 5 in a 3000 point army is problematic. 2 in a 3,000 point army is reasonable. 2 in a 5,000 point army will harldy be noticed. 4 in a 5,000 point game will easily be managable. My only point of X units per Y points means the formation still scales in the list. Regards to not going down the Maurader path or nerfing the unit - Cheers, _________________ Rob |
HecklerMD |
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Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:42 am Posts: 201 |
A: Because its unlimited ![]() B: You are assuming, again, that it is, in fact, a "mainstay". Honda's got a Batrep in these here very boards where he uses none, and I myself am considering dropping 1 from my 3500 point list due too poor showing. Sort of. On one hand no. Individually they are good and it is a straight progression. If one unit does, say, twice uts points in damage over the game, having 1000 points of your army do this is more noticable. |
The_Real_Chris |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm Posts: 8139 Location: London |
Yes, as I'm sure you know horde armies are packed with lots of mediocure units, and yes you snipe against them (they also, with the exception of the Eldar? horde, have poor flak making this easier). And, if not, then its, once again something that can be duplicated by other aircraft in other lists with varying degrees of diffaculty, whe seems to indicate, again, a flaw in the rules and not a flaw in the TS, IMO. |
The_Real_Chris |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm Posts: 8139 Location: London |
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The_Real_Chris |
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:45 pm Posts: 8139 Location: London |
Sorry, wrong type of football. ![]() B: You are assuming, again, that it is, in fact, a "mainstay". Honda's got a Batrep in these here very boards where he uses none, and I myself am considering dropping 1 from my 3500 point list due too poor showing. |
HecklerMD |
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Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:42 am Posts: 201 |
This discounts two important factors: Synergistic effect that large numbers of aircraft can have on each other: When the largest portion of your army is airborne, you turn your attentions first to elimination that which is the greatest, and in fact only, threat to a mostly airborne army: flak and interceptors. Both of these being only a fraction of the whole of an opponents army, they are smaller in numbers and scattered. For flak, aircraft are able to roam the board and target them, say on the first turn. More aircraft are able to target more flak assets on the first turn. Once flak is eliminated, and once interceptors, if taken, have been eliminated or expended, a mostly airborne army has free reign over the battlefield, and are immune to retribution. Once flak and interceptor assets are eliminated, the ability to harm the largest, most mobile portion of a mostly airborne army is completely and totally eliminated. This is the synergistic effect: Air units are most able to eliminate to only things that can harm them, and more air units magnify this. Of note, other archetypes of unit/armies, such as Titans, large RA armies, or horde armies, are able to capitalize, to a lesser degree, on parts of the synergistic effect: Eliminate TK, MW, and more potent AP (respectively) weapons in the enemies arsenal, and the ability to be harmed by the enemy is drastically reduced. The difference is in the totality: An all Titan army, for instance, after eliminating all of an opponents TK and MW weapons, is still vulnerable to more mundane AT weapons. Once an armies AA units have been destroyed, nothing can harm air units. Eliminating the only weapons that threaten air assets means total removal of the ability to harm said air assets. This is a universal effect: all armies can take advantage of it to varying degrees . It is not exclusive to the Tau or the A-X-10. Activation Advantage: The fact that most armies air formations tend to run in the 100-300 range means that making a large portion of an army airborne can also provide a built-in activation advantage, while avoiding many of the pitfalls that taking numerous inexpensive ground units face; this can skew the results of lists like "5 Aces" even further. We should not ignore the fact that, once again, this is a factor that all armies can take advantage of to varying degrees. This is another advantage mostly exclusive to air units, but, again, not exclusive to the Tau or the A-X-10 My argument is that while, indeed, 5 units of 1 are too powerful, much of that power stems from the synergistic effect, and the activation advantage, and that in smaller numbers the A-X-10 is powerful but not unbalanced. Issue: Even in smaller numbers, the A-X-10 cannot be countered! Please reference this thread : http://www.epic40k.co.uk/epicomm....;t=6032 This is a batrep in which an unreasonably large amount of anti-air defenses apparently are able to prevent and equally unreasonably large amount of aircraft from claiming victory. It is a possible, though admittedly not absolute, extrapolation that a reasonable amount of air defenses might have the same effect against a reasonable amount of aircraft. If the A-X-10 were to be limited, either by points or by army, then the likelihood of an opponent, with reasonable anti-air defenses, of being able to counter them with a reasonable chance of success is increased, without having to craft ones list to counter this specific threat. Indeed, since the (IMO) best counter to a single flight of A-X-10s, a CAP squadron, combined with flak, is also (again IMO) the best counter to a fully laden SM Thunderhawk on a air assault, most lists are likely to already have these precautions bought and paid for, given the ubiquity of the SMs and the Thunderhawk assault. It can be argued that most flak would play less of a, or no role, against an A-X-10 due to the range of the A-X-10?s weapons, while the Thunderhawk must enter almost all flaks range to deliver its cargo. It can also be argued that 2 2DC, 5+ armor aircraft without RA are much more vulnerable to CAP of all types than 1 2DC , 4+ armor with RA, so these circumstances may approach evening out. The new rules, if implemented, granting a +1 to hit for intercepting aircraft also go a long ways towards making CAP the preferred method of tackling A-X-10s. Players who fail to take rudimentary precautions against reasonable enemy air assets may be shocked and awed equally by the Tau A-X-10 as they would be by the IN Marauder or even small flocks of Ork Fighta-Bommas, and would have no one to blame but themselves. Lastly, this is situational; Space Marines, Eldar, and the Tau, in the case of ?Tau on Tau violence,? all possess flak that out range the A-X-10. The serious ability to destroy the A-X-10 does exist. It is not invulnerable. It can be countered. Issue: Even in smaller numbers, the A-X-10 will still get X number of shots/will still average X number of hits/kills! Please reference the previous issue. In smaller numbers the A-X-10 is more likely to be successfully countered, either by destruction or by failed activation due to blast markers; both of which will reduce the number of shots, hits, and kills. Issue: The A-X-10 can easily earn its points back / twice its points back/ect.. Again, please reference the previous issues; this ability is hampered when the A-X-10 is taken in smaller numbers. This also assumes that a units ability to kill more or less than its own points value is the most important or even a reliable method of judging a unit. An air unit?s inability to hold or contest objectives should not be overlooked. Some units value can be found in how much damage they do, some units value can be found in how much enemy fire and attention they can absorb; Titans come to mind here. Issue: A-X-10s need never venture outside the Tau flak envelope to make attacks; (therefore, CAP cannot touch them) Again, situational. 1: A Tau player relying on the excellent Barracudas to protect him from air attacks might not have much of a flak envelope, or any at all; not everyone takes armies with 12+ Ion Cannon Hammerheads. Tau flak can be suppressed just as any other armies flak can. Lastly, when you only have 1 A-X-10 unit, you will want to get the most out of it, and that might mean leaving the flak envelope to get at that most valuable/vulnerable target. There are many reasons why the Tau flak envelope is not an absolute. 2: One cannot assume that staying in the flak envelope guarantees safety. Some CAP units may venture into it hoping to get lucky, and they just might. Some armies CAP units are tough enough to make it (Eldar) or can be found in numbers able to absorb some hits and still be successful (Orks) 3: Some enemy flak is able to outrange the A-X-10; it may not be safe even under its own flak umbrella. This has been noted already above, but applies here as well. Also, its worth stating that although a A-X-10 can stay outside a units flak range when shooting at it, the A-X-10 is still required to move 30 cm straight ahead before turning in the disengagement move, as seen HERE, in addition to having to navigate off the board; Many opportunities for shots and blast markers to pile on will exist. Issue: Its just too powerful! I disagree. The dice Gods may giveth and they may taketh away, but in the end, the TK weapons on the A-X-10 each have a 50% chance of hitting a target, less if the target is in cover. We have all experienced days when we always roll sixes, and those when we roll ones, and nobody can say with certainty how any unit or weapon will perform on any given day, but 50% of 4 TK shots max, is 2 each turn. IF they activate each turn, IF they survive into the next turn. Like those TK shots, those ?IF?s can add up too. Issue: Everyone is going to take A-X-10s, therefore they must be unbalanced! OR: Why would you NOT take these? Everyone? Many armies feature many units that are mainstay units; I don?t need to tell you all what they are, its not a big secret. Popularity or reliability should not be mistaken for imbalance. At the same time, many players take these same armies, and take none of these ?mainstay? units; Player styles will dictate army composition as much, if not more so, than unit abilities. Conclusion: The ?5 Aces? taught us many things. Back in December. Welcome to February. Now it is just holding us back. Pointing at it and saying ?See! See!? is not teaching us anything new. The stats of the unit have already been altered; other ideas deserve a chance. |
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