Preset Loadouts: Light Assault

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Sock, Feb 28, 2014.

  1. Sock

    We all know PS2 has a massive learning curve for a F2P game and the new player experience has been pretty awful throughout the lifespan of the game. These preset loadouts are a good step in the right direction, showing new players how to put together a simple kit. That said, giving new players drifter jets for the light assault preset loadout has to be some kind of cruel joke. Either that, or whoever put these together at SOE doesn't actually play the game and just thought that drifter jets sounded cool.

    For the sake of the game, please switch these back to the standard jets. Compared to this, giving every player in the game a shotgun doesn't even bother me. Drifter jets are absolutely awful in their current state. New players have a hard enough time as is, don't set them back even more.
    • Up x 2
  2. SacredRay

    rofl

    Skimmed through another crying thread looking for that special piece of garbage. Found it.

    Keep it moving guys, nothing to see here.
    • Up x 3
  3. RomulusX


    I wouldn't say they are awful by any means. But without understanding their purpose, they would definitely come across as lackluster to a new person. When a new person finds out they get a jet pack with light assault they are, no doubt, going to think of upward movement. Once they are used to this and the doors the jump jets open, then they will be seasoned enough to understand the uses of drifters. There's no reason new people should start out with drifter jets.
    • Up x 1
  4. Sock

    Please tell me in what way drifter jets are remotely useful, besides maybe for bailing from ESFs?

    Addendum: PLEASE tell me this isn't you: https://www.planetside2.com/players/#!/5428153774063566337/stats
  5. BubbaWatkins

    To be honest I've heard drifter jets are extremely useful in combat situations. They make for excellent roof jumping w/o too much vertical lift which would usually make you a prime target floating too high in the air. Besides, as long as new players are aware of the VR training area they'd be able to check out the maximum versions of each and make their own decisions. If anything a slight follow up message to say to recommend hopping onto the virtual reality training area to give 'em a whirl. Also, from my experience as infantry, it's much easier to track & lead a light assault flying vertically than horizontally. When the enemy is moving vertical, your recoil keeps in step with them, while horizontal you have to compensate for it (slightly harder for some). Plus drifters give superior mobility whilst airborne (personally I liken them to the jet pack from Natural Selection 2 after the Build 250 update)
  6. Unclematos7

    You have to jump off of a higher point than your destination for them to be useful.
  7. jak

    I don't think I've ever seen a high quality LA use drifters for anything other than pulling off stunt tricks (C4ing air after bailing, etc).
    • Up x 5
  8. Dis

    The dev recommended loadout: "close range drifter" with a shotgun and grenade bandoleer.

    It's all starting to make sense.
    • Up x 2
  9. Akeita

    Go ask Paqu what is difter jump jet.
  10. Pat22

    Someone obviously doesn't know how to use Drifters in combination with jump pads, or how to drifter skate properly.

    To your credit though, neither will the new players.
    • Up x 2
  11. Sock

    I'm well aware, but one little trick doesn't make them remotely as good as standard jets, especially since you can do it with standard jets as well.
  12. Sock

    That's cool, but one exceptional player doesn't really make a good case for "this should be the introductory loadout for every new player in the game."
  13. Pat22

    The standard jump jets don't nearly give you as much range as the drifters.
    Drifters are much more situational than the jump jets, but that's not a reason not to give it to the new players. If they're not happy with it, they can switch it out to regular jump pets and at least they'll know drifters exist and what they do.
  14. Flapatax

    Ever since the hipfire nerfs, drifters have lost whatever combat utility they may have had (which even then was negligible). Are they decent for jump padding around? Sure. Regular jets can still get you half way around an entire amp station though, so why sacrifice the better vertical lift/better all around loadout? As it stands they are only good for ESF bailing/C4 runs.

    I see people defending them as classmates from back in elementary school. You can only afford the SNES or Genesis, so you have to vehemently defend your ill-advised purchase despite loads of evidence that you made the wrong decision (srsly, Genesis people, what were you thinking?)


    Remember, on the official forums, even guys with 4h played as a class can contribute to discussions about them.
    • Up x 4
  15. Tycoh

    At first when they introduced the drifter jets i was like "Holy crap! Tribes drifter jets!"


    But then when i first tried them out they were extremely underwhelming. Especially when using them anywhere that isn't above 30 feet in the air. Any type of bump on the terrain and it slows you down faster than a lunch line behind a fat guy at an all you can eat buffet.




    The drifter jets were barely useful before the ADS jetpack nerf. Barely.
  16. cruczi

    A few things wrong with that statement.

    1. Drifter jets start declining in height from the highest point of a normal jump, not from the point at which you're standing before you jump.
    2. Drifter jets can be used to gain height against a vertical surface; very slowly but still. This can be used for gaining position on a rooftop in a facility even though you wouldn't be able to jump high enough.
    3. Drifter jets can be used for hill climbing steep surfaces, as long as you're always climbing a positive angled cliff. This is because being airborne allows you to simply slide your way up a steep surface
    4. Drifter jets can still combine the effect of a grav lift to gain significant extra height, allowing you to get to positions that other classes can't
    5. Drifter jets are better than standard jets for surprise attacks from behind cover in CQC. Relative to the enemy's POV, you're sliding sideways at a height they are not comfortable aiming at, and at a speed similar to sprinting. This is best combined with SMG's that have ALS because the penalty from being airborne is not so huge on the airborne hipfire cone of fire.
  17. Pat22


    Drifter jets can move much faster than sprinting
  18. cruczi

    How?
  19. Giggily

    Drifters are insanely good. As an experienced Light Assault I never remove them from any of my loadouts - the ability to go the same speed as spriting while hovering slightly off the ground instead (thereby preventing me from being able to hit anything thanks to the ADS changes) far and away outweighs the benefit of being able to actually use a jet pack to climb structures and take advantage of the LA's flanking abilities.

    Frankly if you don't use drifters and auto shotguns you're a scrub, sorry.
    • Up x 10
  20. EclipsedTerror

    You'll be shot before you get a chance to get anywhere high enough if you're referencing wall-sliding.

    Very few hills you can't already do that with standard jets and faster.

    Standards already do this better.

    Who are you playing against? In general, people do not have THAT much trouble shooting you out of the air.

    Hip firing with jets running is... stupid. You'll never win a gunfight verse someone actual aiming unless you manage to get a lucky shotgun head shot.


    Standards are the best type to use most of the time and the one situation you might find drifters useful you'll suddenly wish you had standards after pulling off whatever trick you did with drifters.
    • Up x 2