So what's the point of this?

After unlocking Manual Guidance Cutoff (MGC), I tried using it because it was the first Hurricane OC I unlocked. Despite my limited knowledge with the mechanics of the Hurricane, I immediately assumed this overclock was garbage. However, I always try to create fun builds with niche overclocks because the game feels repetitive when I only play the "meta". The beautiful thing about DRG is that almost any build can work, but some OC's have an easier time finding a spot in the "meta". I put the word "meta" in quotes because I believe there isn't really a single best build for each class. In order to find success with Haz5 + EDDs, I tend to play with builds I find fun and somewhat viable. As long as they make sense in my mind, I try my absolute best to get it to work. I think my best example would be using Snowball + Persistent Plasma when both were considered terrible and useless overclocks (This was way before U34). I found a way to get it to work, and it was my main Driller build for a while. I also found great enjoyment when running those "off-meta" OC's because I had to completely alter my play style in order to maximize the potential of what I had just created. In my mind, that is why I love making random builds that "kinda" work. It's so much fun to mess around and try to think of things no one has thought of before.

The Major Difference Between MGC and MF

Obviously, these weapons are vastly different from each other, and I believe in the current state of the game, both of these are considered lower tier OC's. However, the major difference between these two OC's is that Micro Flechettes (MF) has been out for a while, and people aren't using it to its fullest potential. I'm surprised that after a great amount of time, people tend to overlook overclocks that aren't appealing when looking at raw numbers. However, I'm not saying MF is amazing by any means, but I believe there could be a very niche use that could be played around with. Similarly, I believe MGC has a use that people haven't discovered yet, but I ask another question:

Is there a role (or roles) for each of these OC's, and if so, what is it and how could it be used to its fullest potential?

This is the point of the discussion. This question doesn't just apply to only these two OC's, there are plenty of underutilized builds that could be effectively played with. Regarding MGC and MF, this isn't going to be easy, but I'll try my best to create a use for both of these OC's. Everything below this is going to be my thought process when coming up with an idea for a build. With that out of the way, I can finally begin.

MGC

Description: Releasing the trigger disables the guidance system. Additionally, x1.33 Max Velocity

Like I mentioned earlier, this was my first Hurricane OC. I judged this really hard after one game, and I even claimed it made the gun much, much worse. My reasoning was that whenever I wanted to steer the missiles, I had to continue to fire more. This would ultimately waste missiles in exchange for the ability to steer them. With no OC, releasing the trigger still allows the user to steer them, so this isn't an issue. My first idea would be:

In order to utilize this mechanic, avoiding the "problems" as much as possible is the best way to benefit from MGC. But how?...

First, I realized that if I want to stop firing, I lose the ability to control missiles. Therefore, I must be pointing at my current target before I release the trigger. Next, logically speaking, enemies at a longer range are harder to hit because of the "slow" projectiles (Note: I say "slow" because it isn't hitscan). Cutting off the guidance when enemies are at close range gives me the best chance at not missing the unguided missiles. This brings up two additional questions:

1. What about longer range enemies?
2. Does this mechanic actually make the Hurricane better?

I'll start with question 1. If the enemy is stationary or slow, such as a spitballer or a leech, it is a guaranteed hit (unless you can't aim, but that's not my problem lol). This answers the question simply, cut off the guidance when the enemy's health is low. This allows the missiles that are still in the air to eventually reach their target, effectively killing them, and preventing overkill with wasted missiles. It is a difficult timing to pull off, and there is a chance that there won't be enough missiles in the air to kill it. We can solve this issue later, but hint: secondaries exist too.

As for question 2, I would argue yes. The way a good gunner with MGC would utilize this mechanic would be to perfectly fire the correct amount of missiles at a target, then release the trigger. Afterwards, they can freely hit other enemies without the original missiles steering in the undesired direction. However, this takes a ton of skill and practice in order to be certain that an enemy will die before it actually dies. But, nothing is guaranteed in DRG, and user error could be another factor, so there has to be another way to work around this. Hint: secondaries.

Okay okay, we need a secondary. When making a build, it is easy to try to create the perfect weapon, but that simply doesn't exist. A weapon should excel at one thing, usually either single target or crowd control (CC). Then, having a secondary that does the opposite completes the build. An example would be:

Gunner Primary: Autocannon with Nuerotoxin Payload. This is obviously incredible at CC, but not as good in single target damage. Secondary: Lead Spray or Elephant Rounds. These OC's are great at single target, but not as much in the CC department. This build is a great example of a well balanced build. Every bit of criteria is met, so in theory, it is viable. And in practice, oh baby is it good! Making builds with this mindset is simple objectively, but can be more complex when more variables are added. Some may include:

Range (M1k has great range, Cryo cannon does not) Accuracy (GK2 has great accuracy, EM Refire on Stubby does not) Burst DPS (Cycle Overload is a great example, Carpet Bomber is not) Sustained DPS (The opposite weapons for the last example)

Even variables like status effects, friendly fire damage, mobility (RJ, SP, Hoverclock), temp shock, team utility/synergy, etc. need to be addressed when creating a build. I believe the Hurricane is similar to the AutoCannon in terms of CC, but it has the ability to guide rockets, and has a new set of potential upgrades. Ultimately, being able to guide rockets and "micro" your damage output is the role of the Hurricane. I will argue that MGC will further enhance the potential of maximizing the efficiency of the weapon's CC.

Regarding the upgrades for this weapon, I believe going for an AoE / Stun build would be the most practical. Almost any option is viable, but some potential builds would include:

AAABB - Ammo / slight CC bonus BBBAA - Pure damage / fire CBABB - AoE focus / stun

I didn't list any upgrades in the actual build because I still have to test the capability of this weapon. However, every build needs a secondary that compliments the primary. A secondary for this weapon would need to have good range, fast TTK for finishing off enemies, high damage leaning towards burst DPS, and the ability to reliably activate Born Ready. Reloading the Hurricane isn't the end of the world, but it would be much better to have Born Ready do it for you.

Potential secondaries include: Bulldog - Elephant Rounds (high single shot damage), Six Shooter (accuracy needed) BRT7 - Lead Spray (limited range + more damage), Exp. Rounds (damage + range), Compact Mags (ammo, sustain, and range), or either clean OC's (solid choices) Personally, I would run the BRT7 with Compact Mags because it is a solid go-to weapon that reliably does everything I would need it to do.

As far as the rest of the build goes, just make sure "micro"-ing the Hurricane is the best way to reduce wasted missiles and to be able to switch targets rapidly. Then use the BRT7 for cleanup or anything else it needs to do. That's all for the build, now some final considerations.

Thought 1) On the wiki, the Hurricane has the ability to cut off the missiles without MGC. By switching weapons, the missiles will fly straight. When the user reequips the Hurricane, they have access to the guidance once more. My thoughts on this would be that this wouldn't be as useful as this overclock for three reasons:

-Switching targets isn't as effective because reequipping the weapon controls the original rockets. MGC forces the original rockets to fly straight (at the desired target). -Weapon arming exists. What I mean by that is the downtime it takes between equipping a weapon and actually firing the first shot. You aren't able to switch weapons back and forth and fire immediately. (If that explanation doesn't make sense, let me know, sorry in advance) -MGC is simpler. Kind of a lame reason, but it still stands. It's hard to picture myself switching weapons back and forth to try to cut off the guidance and regain it while expecting an improvement in killing efficiency. It just doesn't make a ton of sense in my mind. MGC is very similar to this built-in mechanic, but it does it better in my opinion. Then again, I have to try both out before making a final decision.

Thought 2) Other OC's exist that seem objectively better than this. Why pick this over other OC's? Is there something that makes this OC unique, or is it basically using the weapon without an OC?

To be honest, I couldn't answer this. But I will say that like I mentioned earlier, you don't need to run the best build to be successful. Yes, it would make the game a lot easier, but in my opinion, that gets repetitive and a little uninteresting when using a build that should not be as powerful as it is. Yes, I run them sometimes, but I equally enjoy builds like these. Additionally, there is a use for this OC. Like I've explained, being able to switch targets rapidly can (in theory) save yourself in a hairy situation. Then again, there are other clean OC's that seem like much better choices. There is nothing wrong with completely ignoring what I'm saying and running the other cleans, but I just want to figure out why MGC exists and what it could be used for.

To wrap things up, MGC seems like it would be another boring clean OC, but this can completely change the dynamic of shooting bugs at various ranges. The Hurricane is a CC weapon, but it only allows the user to aim at one thing at a time. MGC breaks that rule by allowing missile to fly in other directions, the only downside is that they are no longer controlled. But, I ask you this, is that a downside? I want you to find out.

MF

Description: +30 Mag Size, x2 Max Ammo, x0.5 Spread Per Shot, x0.5 Recoil, -11 Damage Per Bullet

Wow, MGC took a long time. This one will be more brief, but I still want to talk about why this doesn't seem to be used much. As I have explained earlier, the main difference with MF and MGC is that MF has been out for a while, and even got buffed in a recent balance change update. However, this OC seems to be either underrated or underpowered. I think I might have the solution to this problem, and a potential build for this (I have yet to test it, I don't have the OC yet). Hint: Hurricane...

To begin with, I believe that there is one main issue when people rank this OC against the others. People try to build it for damage and realize that the TTK is almost twice as long as other options. Clearly, this is bad. Therefore, their final verdict claims that this OC is bad and cannot be used without being outclassed by something else. I beg to differ. There is one upgrade on this weapon that has the potential to make this OC useful. You could probably guess, but it is T5.A - Stun.

This is my proposal: Turn the weapon into a stun gun. Only three bullets are required to hit, and with the added accuracy bonuses, stunning reliably is in the realm of possibility. Additionally, taking both damage mods allows the user to one shot swarmers. Using a pickaxe cancelling mechanic, the user has the ability to fire one bullet at a time, effectively killing a swarmer in a single shot. Yes, firing a single bullet in the burst weapon is possible to pull off. As for sustained DPS, I honestly don't mind the TTK with spitters and other lower health targets. However, anything tankier than a Praetorian is when the problem starts to occur. Obviously, don't kill tankier enemies with only the BRT7. It may be a little awkward to heavily rely on the primary, but I believe there is a build (definitely more than one, but I'll only put one) where the stun gun can be utilized effectively.

Before I list the build (which I will have a guide about that soon), the benefits of the stun gun include: -Stun, obviously -High ammo count -A little bit of CC (killing grunts would be somewhat reasonable) -Great range

The next step is to compliment this with a primary. Therefore, I believe using Plasma Burster Missiles (PBM). This would work surprisingly well with the stun gun [Disclaimer, I don't own PBM yet so I haven't played with it myself, but I know how the OC functions. I think I can explain things well enough for them to not mislead you. Let me know if I have anything wrong. Sorry in advance]. I believe PBM is a hybrid between single target and CC, but it is also very efficient in terms of ammo usage. Some weaknesses would be flying enemies because they can be harder to aim at, and the difficulty of hitting a large cluster of enemies without hitting terrain first. Hitting terrain is the worst outcome because the PB missiles do not go through the ground. The stun gun would work well because anything that needs to be shot at will remain in place for 4 seconds. This makes aiming with the PBM much, much easier.

This part of the guide/discussion was a lot shorter and a lot messier than the MGC section. Sorry if anything in this discussion was confusing/worded really poorly. If you've read everything up to this point, I just wanna say thank you because I had a lot to say about our beloved dwarf game. Thanks for sticking around and let me know if the PBM/MF build works out. This was a lot longer than I had expected, but I think I have enough good info on this.

P.S. If this build is made by "Anonymous", it was made by PadreDa. Idk why it doesn't give my name, even though I'm signed in. Either way, thank you for your time.

I just realized I didn't proofread this, again. Anyway...

Rock + Stone!