random idea for slasher

Let's say we make the slasher move slower and deploy slower. We have to buff it somehow to keep it balanced.

You can't increase the range. Its range is already very long and making it much longer will turn it into an artillery unit (outranging HLT).

Damage? I don't see the slasher as a high DPS unit though. It's a support truck, neither the shield nor the rapier.
Increasing its damage is liable to make a line of slashers able to fend off assault units, which it most certainly should not do.

So what should be changed?

What exactly do you see is the role of the slasher?
Note, I haven't gotten a straight answer from the devs for this question. I see it as deterrence and map control, low damage homing missiles with excellent range reads as "light units can't come here" to me.

thing is that slashers don't scream light units cant go here but more, light units please come here. An equal amount of resources in raiders kills it. Every other unit beats is for its cost probably.

It is not that they're completely useless though.

If you have 2 they can fend of single glaives (note: that's 260 vs 65 metal) , that's how i use them, as mobile missile turrets you can shove them forward after the first minutes of the game. They can take out a lonely LLT or MT (with comm repair)
They need other units around them to function properly, either riots, a commander or a group of your own raiders.
And, admittedly, theyare good vs paralyze drones and light gunships.

I wouldn't increase their range either the range is fine.

Just make sure there are situations where they are good other then just 'meh' just worth the cost at best.

I like the distinction that vehicle facs have between light and heavy. Much more interesting than having just one vehicle fac imo!

I believe you ;-) It is a tricky unit to balance properly. By increasing the deploy time you take away a lot of its effectiveness. They cant run away anyway atm.

I want slasher to have a Reverse gear. It will be easier to micro if it could go backward immediately rather than sluggishly curving backward where reverse is more appropriate. Why can't vehicle reverse anyway??

AoE units actually kill them fast. a Black Dawn took 3~4 one blow with little damage. A crabe can kills 3 one shot. And rushing warriors against slasher. Pyro also good against slasher. Outlaw+dirtbox also. Venom just dance around lots of stunned slashers.

Anti-swarm units is for killing slasher spam.

To be fair Slasher was too powerful when the bot factories were not as well fleshed out.

Mobile slasher would single handedly beat cloakybots. It could run and kill Glaive well enough that too many Glaives were needed to deal damage, Zeus was not in the factory to soak damage and Hammer was worse than it is now. Slasher would just outrun everything else. A similar situation existed with Shieldbots as Thug was unshielded yet the only thing with enough health to do anything at all.

So Slasher may need a revaluation. I'd rather do it in a few months time when the next engine version is released and vehicle pathing is fixed because all vehicles will probably need to be rejiggered then.

I‘d rather hope the small missile become larger to deal more damage per shot. Even raise the price a bit, to 150-200 range.

You can balance it by giving slashers an arcing shot. =P

They take long time to deploy but can secure an area well afterwards.

That is just what it was before and why it was overpowered. It would make slashers into skirmishers with the range of AA. XTA had a long period where ppl only made AA trucks/bots because of this. I can asure you that it was no fun playing that style.