#pomson 6000

[mr-electr1c]

made a horrible decision yesterday: i am going to master the pomson 6000. for the bit. but also because if i somehow get decent at it everyone will hate it.

[tf2workbench]

Portable particle accelerators

The Pomson 6000 is an odd duck, rarely seen yet banned in most competitive play. Its ability to mess with Medics’ Ubercharge is hugely unfair, but the weapon itself is pretty lackluster. What might we do?

Pomson 6000 (+/-) Fires bolts of energy (+) Does not require ammo (+) Projectile cannot be deflected (+) On hit: Medics lose up to 10% Medigun charge (depending on distance) (+) On hit: Spies lose up to 20% Cloak (depending on distance) (-) -34% clip size (-) -22% fire rate (-) -80% damage vs buildings

It’s a general rule that whichever team gets Ubercharge first has a big advantage over the other, and that killing the Medic is the only way to reduce it. In a nutshell, the Pomson defies that, suddenly making it a game of Medic-hunting in which any Engineer is a high-priority threat even without buildings.

Another problem is that the Pomson serves to fight the Engineer’s counters rather than really bringing much new gameplay to the table. It isn’t incredibly interesting or satisfying to use; its main utility comes when dealing with Spies or Medics, in which case it still underperforms. It needs a rework.

Pomson Iteration 2 (+/-) Fires bolts of energy (+) Does not require ammo (+) Marks target to be temporarily visible through walls (one target at a time) (-) -34% clip size

Although there may be a few technical quirks to iron out with this attribute, I’d like to see it explored. A silhouetted player instantly has a target on their back and is particularly vulnerable to assassination. And it’s not just useful against spies, although I will admit that it does give a strong edge in that department - not ideal if we’re trying to build a weapon that works well in a variety of situations.

Furthermore, by reducing some of the penalties, I’ve made it slightly more satisfying to use. It might not have the kick of the shotgun, but this Pomson can deal appreciable damage. Let’s try another design, though.

Pomson Iteration 3 (+/-) Fires bolts of energy (+) Marks target to be focused on by sentry (8 seconds) (+) Does not require ammo (-) -25% fire rate

There are actually a few ways you could take this pseudo-Wrangler attribute. Does the sentry fire constantly while focusing? Does it track the target even when they’re out of range? Will it target other players if it can’t see the marked one?

My answers for those questions, for discussion purposes, are “no,” “yes,” and “no,” respectively. Once you tag a target, the sentry will always point at them, although it’ll only fire once they get into range and in sight. This means that it can even point the direction to a marked enemy, like a mechanical guard dog - but it will lose a lot of the constant attentiveness that makes sentries so deadly. Of course, you can reassign targets, but if you want your truly automatic sentry, you’ll have to wait or make sure the marked target is dead.

I like this idea quite a lot, but I admit it has considerable overlap with the Wrangler. Let’s narrow it down a little...

Pomson Iteration 4 (+/-) Fires bolts of energy (+) Marks target to take +25% damage from sentry (8 seconds, one target at once) (-) -34% clip size (-) -15% fire rate

While the Widowmaker deals bonus damage to the sentry’s target, this Pomson gives the sentry bonus damage. It can work well with the mini-sentry, or you can use it to dissuade an incoming push. I think that it could serve as an effective weapon, and if it isn’t strong enough, there are numbers that could be tweaked; what’s important is that the basic idea is relatively solid.

While you’re considering what you might do for the Pomson, take this into account: I almost added attributes for “cannot use dispensers or teleporters while marked,” but discarded them, since they felt too niche! What do you think?

[nucleon-artistry]

Umbre No-Fungineer. (Been playing a lot of TF2 lately and felt like drawing something)

[zirc5]

Widowmaker and Pomson Together

[hammock]

reminded myself that the pomson 6000 props were like $6000 and only 50 were made (besides people 3d printing them). one day tho...

[tf2workbench]

Fixing the Pomson 6000

Having been one of the more controversial weapons for a long time running, I decided to take a stab at tweaking the Pomson so it more fits its original purpose without being a terrible nuisance.

New stats:

(+) Penetrates enemy players

Only hits each player once

Can be deflected/zapped

(+) +10% damage for each player it penetrates, up to three times

(+) Does not run out of ammo

(+) Takes longer for damage to fall off with distance

(-) -80% damage to enemy buildings

(-) -34% clip size

The core idea of this weapon has always been to fight with Medics and Spies, both of which are considered counters to the Engineer - justifiably, since sappers and Ubercharges are extremely dangerous to a nest’s continued existence. However, the draining mechanics, particularly the Uber drain, have attracted fire for a long time (which is something I’ve talked about already, and can dredge up if anyone’s curious). With this tweak, I tried to make it more angled toward inflicting chip damage on enemy Medics that are hiding behind foes. While it’s a respectable self-defense weapon, it’s nowhere near as potent as a delicious shotgun blast to the face; it really shines in mid-range combat, particularly in team fights.

I’m tired and this is a tough weapon, so I may have messed something up. Tell me if you think I have.

[qto12archive]

SO MUCH WANT