There is currently an issue with the jetgun while deploying. As the camera switches from third to first person (which takes 1.5 seconds according to my stopwatch) the jet gun will only fire directly forwards, regardless of where the crosshair is pointed. The railgun does NOT suffer from this, and therefore I would assume that this is a bug and not an intentional balance issue. This makes deploying in combat against other players an extremely poor choice, since you can try to put them in the center of the screen as you deploy, but there is a very small chance that they will remain there for very long as you burn them. Im guessing the reason this bug exists and that there isnt really anyone talking about it is because no one competent upgrades tank deploy and uses it combat (that will lead into my second point). This really should be changed if the tank is meant to engage pros with deploy at all. Secondly, after playing with level 3 deploy for over 10 hours straight (144 total hours of pc beta played currently) now I have confirmed my belief that it is not worth the 400$ it costs. Level 2 deploy is ABSOLUTELY worth 150$. It almost seems as if the developers meant to put the level 3 ammo regen in the level 2 spot and the level 2 health regen in the level 3 spot since the difference level 3 makes is so marginal and the difference level 2 makes is massive. Since bot waves dont stop to engage the tank (or any other pro) you must deploy with your bots or ahead of an enemy bot waves path to make the best use of the deploy skill. If you deploy with your bots they will be doing damage, so 1 magazine is plenty enough to end an enemy bot wave without the need for level 3 ammo regen. The bots will be dead and will you have time to reload. If you deploy without the bots, enemy bots will walk right past you, and this will mean that you will have time to reload yet again as you undeploy to mop up a single straggler bot (if you care enough). Jackbots and moneyballs seem like the best use of an infinite magazine since they have enough health not to die to the first magazine. Unfortunately jackbots also walk away from you, and jump jetting next to them while unloading the jetgun at point blank for maximum damage is a far more survivable strategy than taking the damage from their slams and rockets if you deploy in front, or getting to watch them just walk away if you deploy behind them. The money ball is great target for this ability and you might get to avoid 2 whole reloads before you get totally annihilated by enemy pros defending their ball or enemy pros that are just spawning in and noticing a bearded tumor attached to their ball. The deploy skill does seem to reduce incoming damage by 25%, but with a stationary target in a pc shooter this is not nearly enough if it is EVER meant to be used anywhere approximating combat. This value should increase at level 3 or something should be changed about the tanks offensive damage output at level 3 to make it a viable strategy. At this point level 3 charge is the best offensive tank skill because of the knock-down effect. Tank passive or product grenade are also great abilities that should both be upgraded for level 3. Once you have level 2 deploy you should never waste money on 3; always opt to use the money after this on juice or turrets. So sayeth a man with no life and a powerful passion for this game.
The only use I've found for tank's deploy level 3 is to get it first in the scramble, build a level 3 shaveice, deploy in front of it and never ever die.
I can say that the Tank's deploy on the PC has it's full radius. I have used deploy plenty of times, pre-update 5, to know that it is working. As for it's use I like it the way it is. Deploy 1 alone is even useful. There are skills for each Pro that can be debatable of it being worth it's level 3 at $400 because they can be situational, deploy 3 is one of them. Deploy itself, imo, is very situational and I use it for base assaulting. Deploy combined with Product Grenade lvl 2 will help you melt down enemy turrets. Deploy also about doubles the range of your Jet Gun. Level 3 is amazing for base assaulting as well as damaging the Moneyball. One of the dangers of deploying in front of turrets is the product stun wearing off while you have to reload. One tip about deploy level 2 and 3. Deploying at level 2 will regenerate health Deploying at level 3 will regenerate ammo So deploy in and out to recover health and ammo. No need to stay deployed ever time as well as having to deploy in battle. It's good to retreat sometime, deploy and recovery, un-deploy and re-enter battle. Also while deployed you can't be grappled or knocked-back. If you find yourself in a situation where you might be grappled deploy and hold jump to set them on fire then un-deploy. As for bots even though they will target you they will keep moving forward until they see your bots. Product Grenade 2 stun them in place, even Jackbots. Level 3 deploy is great for taking out Jackbots, but doing so from a distance with the Railgun and using the product grenade to stun it in place for a bit. Even deploying right next to it and using the Jet Gun can really put some damage into it. I will say deploy 3 is more of a late game/overtime upgrade for me.
I'm not talking about its radius. I don't think I said that anywhere. I'm saying the jetgun fires directly forward regardless of the position of your crosshair during the deploy itself. This means that unless you are firing a stationary target that is not at least head-height you will miss (think moneyball). Agreed. There is no skill as situational as level 3 deploy, and by the very nature of its limited usefulness it is not worth 400$. That is exactly what I am arguing. Stopping like this to shoot a turret or the money ball in an enemy base is deathwish and a bad strategy. If you do this you are asking for a competent player to punish you for this mistake. If you aren't being punished for doing this then you are playing against bad players. Gunners should deal with turrets with their mortar whenever possible and tanks should kill them while juiced or after a product blind while staying mobile. Yep, I'm doing this constantly, but you should never deploy just to reload. Giving up your mobility is a bad choice in a game with airstrikes, bombs, shurikens, product grenades and snipers. The jet gun reloads so quickly by default that this use of the ability is invalidated by the need to stay mobile. Any competent player that gets behind you will know this and simply shoot you. It sounds like you dont play against many competent players. Also, the bug that I described earlier will totally screw you if you deploy to block an assault charge because the first 1.5 seconds of your deploy will see you shooting at the same point in space, and unless the assault is dumb enough to occupy that point he will destroy you with any given weapon. If you stun them then they wont be shooting you and you wont be getting juice from the damage coming in, negating the entire reason for deploying. Perhaps you dont want to be damaged to get juice, but this should have been your reason for deploying in the first place, otherwise you should have just used death blossom on any regular bot wave. No, its not great at taking out jackbots for the reasons I already discussed. The jackbot will die faster and you will stay safer and be less of a viable target if you product it and get point blank in its back for maximum damage while jumping its stuns. It sounds like you realize its not good enough otherwise you wouldnt admit to leaving it for last, so why argue with a change? Why shouldnt the ability be worth its cost?
