The powerloader is faster than any form of pushing/pulling crates. Sometimes as MT/CE I’m nice and take the PL in hangar and carry two crates from Alamo to Req. This is faster. . . sometimes POs need/want the PL around though so I make sure to drive it back.
The drive back makes PL either inferior or on par with pushing/pulling crates- if you push/pull, then when you’re done you get to run back unfettered and you lap the PL.
This can be solved by having its current speed apply when it has both claws full, go a little faster with just one claw, then even faster if both claws are empty. Small change but PL deserves love.
How about the Powerloader beign able to choke-grab a xeno? Slowing down the powerloader, restricting the xeno movement, a bit of damage. Instead of the powerloader punch we have we grab them like this:
I can relay from memory what I remember that staff said about dedicated combat loaders.
“Ooga booga me do not want gungdams anime bad ooga booga”.
Then amplify it for regular powerloaders tenfold. Any buff that helps powerloaders in combat in any way will be shot down. Even with such a massive buff like you propose, it would still be bad at combat, you won’t catch anything but bald T3’s and defenders who would die to one semi-robust marine anyway.
It is super slow, it has very little HP, when it breaks you get stunned, just to turn around (something the biggest xenos and humans do in an instant and on no windup/cooldown) you have to spend a lot of time, so even the slowest xeno can kite you.
Powerloaders don’t need a buff, they need a rework and addition of Combat Loaders, none of which we will most likely never get. Former requires some code-grease monkey to be passionate enough about them, the latter requires menagement change.
It is here just because it was in the movie, it was iconic there and SS13 already had mechs, so re-using code was easy.
