Regarding the animations, personally I'm fine with it. I'd want more "high-tech" like visuals because it is a machinist after all, not a gunner. Besides, if you search around the forums, there are a bunch of threads that MCH was really boring visual wise. I'd say that the over the top animations did well in making MCH "not boring" visual wise.
There's really no point to this change at all. If potencies still remain the same, people will just use Heat Blast since that reduces GR and Ricochet CDs.Because having to arbitrarily maintain a specific level of heat in order to use your filler combo at full strength is stupid.
That said, there's little excuse for not simply having Hypercharge upgrade your filler combo into "Heated" versions with the same 1.0s GCD as Heated Blast.
If potencies are buffed for the heated combos, HeatBlast as a skill will become redundant, and be useless.
The only way you could justify having both Heated and Non-Heated shots is if Overheat MCH (which I don't really mind; I loved 60 second rot MCH) and Old Wildfire comes back, and for Heatblast to go back to Cooldown.
Oh god. If you're talking about old turret targetting, then no. That was hell to weave.4. Turret and Automaton are two separate summons with their own cooldown. Summon ability changes to Overdrive while machine is summoned to avoid ability bloat.
If you're talking about current turret summoning, then sure? But you're essentially leaving a large part of MCH's damage to two inconsistent things.
And with how SE handles pet AI, I would rather deal with only one AI.
Why would you buff GR but no Rico? I honestly think Crossbow is fine as a Hypercharge action, and Flamethrower just needs a synergy update with Bio Blaster and Heat Gauge.Adjustments to Hypercharge. Action renamed to Heat Redirection. Adds X stacks of Heat Blast and Flamethrower (shared stacks). While stacks are active Gauss Round is changed to Heated Gauss Round.
Flamethrower no longer locks you in place. Shorter duration of one attack, similar to Crossbow. Flamethrower is now Multitool action.
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Honestly though, current MCH isn't something that needs a complete overhaul (looking at you MNK).
What it needs is just a bunch of adjustments to gameplay aspects. Here are my thoughts:
> Bioblaster will apply [Toxic Substance] to enemies hit by it.
> Flamethrower will add 5 to the heat gauge every second. Enemies that have [Toxic Substance] will be inflicted with [Burning], refreshing Bio Blaster duration and inflicting a second separate DoT to the enemies.
> Autocrossbow will reduce Ricochet and Gauss Round cooldown, just like HeatBlast.
Essentially, this will change MCH's AoE rotation to two phases and will probably reduce Carpal Tunnel for the players as well.
A Flamethrower "Rest Mode" and the hypercharge crossbow, Rico GR spam.
Spreadshot will be there just in case you die and need to rebuild Heat Gauge.
> Automaton Queen will ignore all collisions.
> Automaton Queen Roller Dash will instantly refresh its cooldown when MCH switches target.
> Automaton Queen Roller Dash will cast the instant MCH changes target.
> Automaton Queen will receive a buff every 1.5 seconds that will increase the next Arm Punch's potency by 150.
> Automaton Queen will change its target to the MCH's current target without fail, every single time.
This will hopefully fix Queen's janky AI. Of course if SE manages to actually fix Queen AI to be consistent, especially during two target fights, then they wouldn't need to do anything else.
>Wildfire duration changes to 11 seconds.
I keep hearing about Drill and AA being delayed and not being counted in wildfire because it only counts damage until 9.2 seconds currently. So this change will hopefully keep that consistent.
[Some good to haves but will probably be too broken and everyone will hate it]
> Arm punch give the target a phys damage down, similar to old Hypercharge.
> Wildfire will boost GR and Rico damage by 10%
> Hypercharge will grant 5 stacks of HeatBlast or AutoCrossbow. On the last stack, the last GCD will Crit Direct Hit.
> Dismantle added back.
> Refresh added back
> Drill giving a 5% phys vuln up that lasts 10 seconds.