The new MCH is still a total joke

[Ruminous]

1 heat per tick per target. 9 targets? You get 99 heat at the end of the skill. Something similar. But they wouldn't do it because it would make the heat gauge not follow round numbers I guess. Or a low-ish % chance to give 5 heat per target per tick.

Burning the bioblaster dots and making them apply their full remaining potency as suggested above is my favorite since it fixes the charges issue.

(why not both?)

It used to just be like 5 heat per second until it forced your gun into overheat back in Stormblood. I'd probably just do that again. Flamer, if you let it pulse for its full 11 ticks, is 55 heat if it's 5 per tick. That's enough for another autocrossbow combo. The extra drill charge means you're not likely to let a bioblaster drift and lose value on a tool not being used immediately. The other thing they could do with flamer is not require us to stand still, but allow us to move at half our movement speed and turn so if targets are out of it, we can adjust it. Currently, any movement and just cancels itself. That's way more restrictive than the other ability that forces you to stand in place, ten chi jin. You can still pivot if a target moves out of your line of sight on that, why can't you do that with flamer? If that's a problem with how the ability is set up, then, change how it works. Give it 10 charges, and each tick reduces a charge and the ability gains a charge every 6 seconds when not in use. It can still functionally work as it does now, but canceling it wont waste it, and makes flamer much more integral to a lot of machinist's play. At least, that's the goal. I don't know if it's a good idea, but it's at least a new one.

But also I'd have it reduce the cooldown of gauss shot/ricochet by 5 seconds each tick, which should get you close to full charges or full charges. Just some thoughts off the top of my head. Maybe they're good? I don't know. It'd still give flamer a lot more utility for group killin' and even if you cancel it halfway you still get a little value out of it. Not that you'd want to, but at least flamer would be worth using for other than looking like a nerd in towns. If it's too much it could be adjusted, but flamer needs something to at least be more useful than meditate.

Still, it is one issue, among many. Still have the wildfire thing, robot doing nothing for groups...Phys ranged in general just needing something to make it appealing other than to fill a 1% boost and limit break...Yeah.

[Valence]

It was 10 heat per second after 4.05, which made you require 5s to overheat from opener, than it was one or two ticks for every burst depending on the rotation type. I don't think 5 heat per tick fixed is bad, but the problem is that it may actually start competing with single target rotations and I'm not totally sure how it would behave there. If it doesnt threaten it though, then fair enough, go for it I say. Would be kinda stupid looking though to see a player using the tool during downtime like a samurai using meditation unless it requires actual hits on a target.

The problem with pivoting is that I play with legacy keys, I cannot do that. And honestly I don't care much if it's rigid. Learn to position and play around the constraints like with leylines and TCJ and whatnot. If you have to abort in the middle, then so be it, but it's not a total loss, you'll still have inflicted damage and accrued some gauge, just not the full extent. I don't mind the charge idea, sounds cool.

Recharging gauss/ricochet, why not. I'll take anything that makes sense tbh.

Honestly, even past all those ideas, the very simple fix they can do if they don't feel like doing any daring effort regarding more, is just to push its potency to 100+.

[Ruminous]

What I mean by pivot of course is TCJ lets you turn in place so if a target moves out of your line of sight, it's just a mouse turn or camera turn. I think if "face target to cast" or whatever the option is on, your character will do that. Leylines is less restrictive than that, since even though it occupies an area, you aren't forced to stand still in it. You have some degree of freedom in how you can move within it. With flamer, you're stuck in your facing until you cancel it or the ability runs out. Allowing us to turn is a way to make it useful if targets move out of its line of fire.

That being said, yeah, the idea was to have it generate heat as long as it's contacting something. Using it willy-nilly for heat generation makes it a 1m barrel stabilizer that forces you to sit still for 10 seconds.

Still, I was throwing out ideas mostly because it's a good way to get the thought process going. Refinement is always going to be what makes things, but much like the scientific theory, you have an idea and ask the question before you start testing. Personally, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of flamer having charges and generating heat. It'd be more akin to bursting rather than letting the gas flow. You can tune the damage and such some if it becomes oppressive, and if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work.

[Valence]

The thing i'm asking is, how do I turn if it was possible? I have literally zero keys under legacy that allow me to do that.

[SomeGuy22]

The thing i'm asking is, how do I turn if it was possible? I have literally zero keys under legacy that allow me to do that.

If you're using legacy on PC, you can either right-click and drag to turn your character along with the camera, or just hold your A or D key (if they're not set to strafing). No clue about controller though

[seolhyun]

i know theyve been going this route for awhile but seeing gauss and ricochet turn into tossing random laser beams kinda sad. feel like mch loses more and more of the gunner aspect every xpac. i really wish the next physical ranged is a dual pistol gunner that only focuses on guns and not throwing random robots and tools.

[Memyx]

feel like mch loses more and more of the gunner aspect every xpac.

In all fairness, gauss and ricochet have always been technology based. Next time you're in game, gpose them and take a look at what's actually happening when you cast them. As it currently stands, the only skills we have that can really be counted as us just firing our gun are Heated Split Shot & Heat Blast, if you count shooting a massive ball of fire as gunplay, lol. Point is, the job's about technology first, and will likely continue to evolve around its technology. I do also hope for a more gun focused job down the line, though. I just don't think MCH was ever meant to be that.

[Baf0]

BRD has received more aoe QoL in 7.0 with Pitch Perfect becoming aoe and Shadowbite + Straight shot sharing the same proc.
NIN has recieved more aoe QoL in 7.0 with both Mug and Trick Attack becoming aoe.
RDM has recieved more aoe QoL in 7.0 with aoe melee combo requiring the same gauge as single target.

Meanwhile, MCH aoe still feels disjointed 3 expansions later with no QoL in sight. Wildfire either needs a complete rework or it needs to have an aoe effect like the other classes.
Anything to do with battery feels so useless in multi-target situations aside from Chainsaw. Queen should have aoe, or just let use Bishop Autoturret again.

[Memyx]

My 2 cents in case this actually ever does get brought back to the Devs behind MCH:
1.) Automaton Queen's Pilebunker & Crowned Collider should both be AoE (with fall-off, of course) so we can have some reason to burn battery during AoE situations.
2.) Wildfire should also be AoE. Again, with fall-off, of course.
3.) Auto Crossbow needs to refresh gauss & ricochet. If it's going to only be available during Hypercharge like Heat Blast, then it needs to function the same way as heat blast.
4.) On that note; Double Check & Checkmate seem fine to me. Guass Round and Ricochet were pretty much the same skills anyways, outside of their VFX. These upgrades just bring them further in line with the job's ever evolving fantasy, and are a boost to both our single target and AoE damage. Now if only we could get that Auto Crossbow fix.
5.) Not gonna lie, I think Flamethrower is fine the way it is. The only change I could see it receiving is mobility, perhaps by giving it the PvP MCH walk as it channels, cancelled by pressing the skill again or activating another. This would make it the game's first and only mobile channeled AoE. Just a matter of if the devs can program that into it, or care to at that.
6.) This might be a reach, but extend Hypercharge just a little bit. Let's say.. 12 seconds? Just to help those higher ping players out a bit more. We went from 8 to 10 seconds in 6.3, but I still hear some complaints. So, y'know, help'em out. 12 seconds.

I think that's all I have, for now.
Keep in mind, this is coming from a casual player's perspective. I do not do Extreme/Savage/Ultimate content, that's too much effort.

[Valence]

Meanwhile, MCH aoe still feels disjointed 3 expansions later with no QoL in sight. Wildfire either needs a complete rework or it needs to have an aoe effect like the other classes.

Going on a tangent here but not gonna lie, I truly miss the old damage compilation type Wildfire, especially now that we have actual stacks for overheat and a more lenient timer. Would probably still suck for high latencies due to the amount of mandatory weaving with gauss and ricochet recharging like crazy. But I do miss it, because it was directly based on the damage done and not just a weaponskill count check. It does work remarkably well in pvp, but in pve, it feels meh in comparison, since MCH used to be THE premiere burst job in the game, and now it's just mid.

5.) Not gonna lie, I think Flamethrower is fine the way it is. The only change I could see it receiving is mobility, perhaps by giving it the PvP MCH walk as it channels, cancelled by pressing the skill again or activating another. This would make it the game's first and only mobile channeled AoE. Just a matter of if the devs can program that into it, or care to at that.

I mean, I'm not against the idea, but the fundamental problem with FT right now is that using it is mathematically inferior to not using it...