The video explains how the Cray MTC, a tactical support vehicle with a ballistic point defense turret, became nearly obsolete within four months due to the introduction of the threshold damage mechanic in patch 4.7, which prevents low alpha damage weapons from harming larger ships. The presenter criticizes this system for unfairly limiting the MTC’s effectiveness in ship combat and urges developers to refine the mechanic to maintain diverse combat roles.
In this video, the presenter discusses the Cray MTC (Mobile Tactical Carrier) and how it has become obsolete within just four months of its introduction. The Cray MTC was initially promoted as a powerful support vehicle equipped with a new ballistic point defense turret (PDT) that could defend against incoming ordinance and ships. This turret had finite ammo but delivered increased alpha damage, making it effective against shielded and armored targets. The vehicle was envisioned as a valuable asset for base defense and team support, especially in high-threat areas like jumptown events or rallies.
However, the presenter explains that the introduction of a new game mechanic called “threshold damage” in patch 4.7 drastically reduced the effectiveness of the Cray MTC. Threshold damage means that weapons with low alpha damage cannot harm larger ships, regardless of how many shots they fire. This change was intended to create more realistic combat dynamics, similar to how small arms fire cannot sink a battleship in real life. Unfortunately, the implementation was crude, relying solely on alpha damage values to determine weapon effectiveness.
Using data from Ola King’s armor deflection calculator, the presenter demonstrates that the Cray MTC’s primary weapon, the size one MX Torrent ballistic Gatling gun with an alpha damage of 18, fails to damage many common ships such as the Vanguard, Cutlass, Gladius, and Arrow when shields are up or even down. Only smaller, unshielded vehicles like the Nox and Dragonfly take damage from the MTC’s weaponry. This severely limits the MTC’s usefulness in ship-to-ship combat, relegating it mostly to defense against smaller vehicles or ordinance.
The presenter laments that this is an unusual case of a vehicle becoming completely obsolete in such a short time, attributing it to the poor implementation of the threshold damage system. While the idea behind threshold damage is appreciated for adding realism, the presenter urges the developers to reconsider and refine the mechanic. The current system unfairly penalizes small, rapid-fire weapons like Gatling guns, which have traditionally been effective for defense and harassment roles in the game.
In conclusion, the Cray MTC, once a promising tactical vehicle, has been rendered nearly useless in ship combat due to the threshold damage mechanic introduced in patch 4.7. The presenter calls for a significant overhaul of this system to better balance weapon effectiveness and preserve the diverse combat roles of vehicles and ships. Despite its shortcomings, the Cray MTC may still find niche use against smaller threats, but its original intended role has been severely undermined. The video ends with an invitation to follow the presenter on social media for more content.