Fire Beetles are Broken

[Softly]

1) The attack function does not work, they can still blow each other up.

346744-XBX-DalliDilli.fafreplay

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2) you must ground fire them to make them work= noob unfriendly as it is counter-intuitive and not something you would immediately think of= noobs stop using them= excludes noobs like me from playing so well as cybran
3) It takes multiple clicks every time you want to try using them=less time to micro everything else=major detractor from your peformance in the overall conflict.
Example; you move to attack, spend 30 secs (maybe slightly less) setting up your beetles to attack the right location then oh wait, his units are here need to turn around and pull back= all that time wasted= much less damage from kiting your hoplites effectively with losses possibly incured as a direct result. This kind of scenario is regularly played out (without beetles), as players creep forward an back to try and get an advantage.

Solutions:
1)Get rid of fire beetle
2)Increase damage to 10000 and remove ground fire so that when one does work theres cause for celebration
3)Fix the attack function
4)Remove direct attack function and make ground attack default

Ideally 3, 4 if not and 2 if neither of these because I can't stand something only working with a maximum of micro, even auroras/hoplites/mercies work to an extent if you just point them in the right direction.

[IceDreamer]

These things have been a bloody nuisance forever. Personally, I think they should blow each other up, because using them in big groups is using them wrong. I think they should have lower damage but a much wider radius, I think they should have a few more HP, and I think they should be Stealthed or Cloaked. Another form of evasion, not in the stock game, would also suit well, I think. I'll talk to Resin_Smoker about this, as he has developed numerous such things.

[The Mak]

Maybe they should have directional damage, say in a triangle at the front with 45 degrees in each direction from the path of travel (90 degree arc). This way they do not detonate the nearby fire beetles or cause to much friendly fire.

I do not know how to make a directional explosion like this but what about a small AOE but high-damage a very small distance from the front of the firebeetle followed by, lower-damage but higher AOE occurring at points near the base of the triangle, bit further away from the front but occurring at a delayed time. This way you get the main target you wanted to hit, plus the AEO damage without to much friendly damage if at all. From the blueprints, it has a weapon damage of 4500 with a range of 0 - 4.5 with an AOE of 3.5.

Also, I feel they should be amphibious and have personal stealth.

[Voodoo]

Personally, I think they should blow each other up, because using them in big groups is using them wrong.

I agree.

[dstojkov]

Personally, I think they should blow each other up, because using them in big groups is using them wrong.

I agree.

You forgot guys how deathly this unit can be .... you put 3 of them plus a mobile stealh on a t 2 transporter and it's almost a win not even counterable with one anti air turret like for the mercies


Regards

[Gowerly]

They said they SHOULD blow each other up, which negates strategies like these a little.
Firebeetles don't have that many hitpoints, remember, so a couple of PD really reduces their effectiveness.

[Softly]

Yes but in the replay I totally overran his acu, sent in the beetles and told them to attack him, then only one of the three did damage. They were supposedly "Fixed" so they didn't do damage to each other and were easily useable but I don't see evidence of either of those things.

So I am of the opinion they need fixing. If they blow each other up thats fine, but lets be clear about it. If they are going to stay rubbish thats fine too but lets also be clear about that.

[-_V_-]

I disagree Gowerly. I've seen snipes with those happening quite easily. I'm not sure if this has been fixed in one of the numerous patches, but the target priority is messed up for this unit.

This one already happened to me : being on the verge of overrunning my opponent with a flow of t1 spam and then, because of a few remaining units from the enemy, NONE of my units targeted the 3 mobile bombs that jumped at me. By the time I realized it, I didn't have time to target manually (slow clicker lol). I thing those things are deadly, bugged but very powerful when they work.

[NotAsian]

Could introduce a new armour type and weapon damage so they still do damage to each other but its reduced to the point that unless there's way too many of them they still fire ie 4500Damage but 100 - 150 to each other.
Not sure if its possible to add armour types to the game though.

-Slightly related
Otherwise you could turn them into walking mines by giving them the sera scouts ability.

[Gowerly]

I disagree Gowerly. I've seen snipes with those happening quite easily. I'm not sure if this has been fixed in one of the numerous patches, but the target priority is messed up for this unit.

This one already happened to me : being on the verge of overrunning my opponent with a flow of t1 spam and then, because of a few remaining units from the enemy, NONE of my units targeted the 3 mobile bombs that jumped at me. By the time I realized it, I didn't have time to target manually (slow clicker lol). I thing those things are deadly, bugged but very powerful when they work.

I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. I didn't really offer an opinion on WHETHER they should blow each other up.
For targeting, t1 units are targeted before t2, which are targeted before t3.