LA gets the jump on HA = LA wins HA doesn't let LA get the jump on him = HA wins (same applies for infiltrator in place of LA) I don't see the problem here tbh, as for the other classes? News flash: they're support classes
I have killed plenty of HAs in no time flat even with thier shield, meanwhile around the next corner is an infil who takes 45 rounds.... Or tonight at Cryo on AMerish. I shoot down this LA or something, then right behind him is an Infil who decided he could take 20 some Gauss SAW rounds from about 10m......the death screen showed his shield was out...but health was 100%....like bull s h it I only did that much in the like 16 rounds I hit you wiht....
Six man squad of nade bandoleer Medics with rez nades cap a 3 floor building. All are using voice comm. and all are using CqC AR's. Let the fun commence!
As someone who has been playing LA mostly exclusively lately, HA shields pretty much only counter me having the first shot an insignificant number of times. Otherwise, it's because *I* screwed up, whether by not being accurate enough or not waiting for the right moment. This is by watching the death screens and assuming if their regular shield is still up -> I didn't do enough damage anyway. Otherwise, the shield extends the TTK by a marginal amount, if it's even up when I engage them.
Eh, well those stats were my stats, so heavy popularity wouldn't be a factor. (Well, apart from inflating my K/D a little because those players made bad class choices when they could've beat me as MAX.) If they had been averages for the entire playerbase, heavy's popularity still wouldn't have been much of a factor because even the least popular class has enough players that the statistical noise is insignificant (except in very short time periods.) At least I hope eliminating statistical noise was the concept you meant by "saturation".
Aren't HA supposed to win against other infantry? I'd say put in the shield delay but maybe add in some more resistance or have it up for a longer time.
Nerfing HA shield will kill main attack class... As somebody say, high survival is HA feature, like ability to heal, repair, revive, droping ammo, turrets. Take it away and class will be crippled. Did you fight as HA against engineer with 845 RoF carbine with laser sight? Did you know, that high mobility at close range > additional hp?
The NMG isn't really a full counter to JJ tactics, but more of an equalizer, it's saved me many times in against a rooftop LA. Sometimes latency and an opponents ability to land lead on my dome kill me before the NMG comes up anyway. I am still not sure why support players run towards heavies spraying body shots. That's just asking for a bad time. On Topic: Medic vs HA @ Medium Range / Med-Long range The Medic class usually has the accuracy advantage at medium range. The assault rifle will land more headshots at medium range than the LMG and provides some equalization between the classes. "Ohh...wait!, you're saying the Medic is, on average, better at medium range, playing mid line (support), than the front line CQC pushers HA?" Yes, yes I am. At med-long range neither the LMG or AR are accurate enough to easily kill each other before getting to cover (unless your cover-to-cover movement is totally fail). Once in cover the Medic not only has the advantage of accuracy, but also no health limitation. If a medic pins down a lone HA, he can win the through attrition. Without support, the HA will be forced to play "pop out wars", which he will lose, or try and use the NMG health boost to close the gap under fire and find new cover for a quick med-kit stab. At that point his NMG is toast, and possibly some shield. The medic and HA are now on even ground health wise, but the medic still has the better weapon. Balanced Engineer vs HA @ QCQ thu medium range Engineers are vehicle jockeys, explosive junkies, turret wizards, and MAX pocket repairmen. This class needs no buffs or nerfs against the assault classes, it has enough roles already. At med-long range an engineer can easily beat a heavy with the AV or AI mana turret. Is that an "I-win" button too? In close quarters an engineer should be humping MAX legs, not trying to shoot HA. When a solo engineer runs face-2-face with an HA he should get dunked for being without his max. Balanced. Infiltrator vs HA @ QCQ LOL, your invisible. Try making sure you land headshots, your life depends on it. This is a tough class in general to play in QCQ. It requires a special kind of player, usually with skills the majority don't posses, but...you get to be invisible: Balanced. TL;DR: The medic, engineer, and infiltrator classes are just played differently, and have different strengths than the assault classes. I think the "instant on" NMG is an important part of the balance equation and adding a delay would negatively impact the variety in gameplay and required tactics if removed. The diversity in gameplay and departure from the homogenized gunplay of COF/BF is what makes Planetside fun and unique for me. I would prefer the NMG remained unchanged.
What many people don't realize is that the overshield is pretty worthless without situational awareness. Unless your in heavy cover, the reduced movement speed and neon glow WILL GET YOU KILLED. The key to really maximizing it's effectiveness is popping it immediately as your about to take damage (you see a sniper lining up a shot) and then deactivate it ASAP so that you can get to cover quickly and start regening. When you start instinctively feeling when the next tank shell is about to hit or when the liberator has cycled a new clip in you can really make effective use of the shield. But when you don't have that awareness or that instinct it just isn't that great. Those are two skills that people develop to use the shield effectively. Otherwise the shield can serve as the deciding factor when latency/faulty aim (happens to everyone)/Hitreg happens and thats about it.
I think I know why support players run towards HA. Maybe because they forget that this game is not COD. In COD you can run around firing at people and have no strategy at all. And this is the reason for why people are asking for this nerf. They just want to run around, fire blindly, and expect a kill.
LOL, when you consider that the NMG and Adren eat themselves as soon as you turn it on, any kind of delay is going to really fubar those ones. THey eat what? like 52 of thier total 600 pts per second? 4 shots from a 143 dmg gun takes the thing out anyway, esp when you add in it eats itself every second....
Look. HA are a little strong, I don't think Van-guarding their shield is the answer. As for the inventory tweaks. Id almost prefer a Planet-side 1 system, 1 Character. with Load outs So, you have a blank template. then you pick armor type: Light,(Infil/LA)Medium(Engi/Medic)Heavy(HA) and MAX(Resource Cost) Then you have a certain amount of inventory slots based on armor type, as well as a basic "weight" limiting. With light armor, You can have Primary, Secondary, Utility, Ability. With medium you have all the light stuff, but then you can have Grenades and tool gun, at the cost of some speed. Heavy Armor would allow Weapon/Nades/Utility/Launcher/ability, But Severely limit your speed, AS it did, in planet-side one. It can also effect vehicles you can pilot with your loadout. A Heavy Armor load out and maxes, are too bulky to fly mossies and drive tanks, This would stop people from driving suicide AP tanks to the battle, Dropping 1 or 2 shots, then finished with rockets from an unblastable Sony DEFENSE zone. The Answer isnt Nerf, All the Time, Rethinking is the Key. PROTIP: The Heavy Assault has an over-shield that gives him an edge in closerange combat, or when trying to attack armor, BUT, he has slowed movement speed and ADS speed. SO, If you see a heavy in a room with a shield up, Run back out, and hope he follows, You have wasted his shield, and leveled your chances. P.S. Infiltrators with SMGs, Remember YOUR role assignment, Terminal Hacking/Long range Recon sniping. NOT Front line assault trooper, So when you go head to head in your Nanoweave stealth suit against a composite plated shield heavy, and lose, Dont come cry on the forums. And to my Engi bros, We are a support/piloting class, We give ammo, repair things, and maybe drive something if rocketspam is light. Medics, your MEDICS, Heal and revive, then go rack up your KD. Remember your roles, and this game only seems slightly unbalanced.
Unless you're running Stalker Cloak, you're not even nearly invisible in CQC as an Infiltrator -- You're a glass statue. Using the cloak in CQC works only on distracted and panicked enemies who have become afflicted with tunnel-vision, which is why clear-headed MAX units and tanks (with their relatively high sense of security) always seem to see you easily and gun you down where hordes of infantry might've looked you over.
4 extra shots is a huge deal when by default it takes 7 shots to kill. That's over a 50% increase in TTK, in a game with already fairly high TTK overall. It just doesn't belong in a game like this - neither does nano really, which is 2 extra shots to kill on top of that for nanomesh+nanoweave heavies. That's up to 14 shots to kill a fully certed HA which is friggin ridiculous. 17 shots for 125 damage SMGs. Think about people not using high RoF CQC weapons trying to put out enough damage to overcome that. It's not fun losing because your target is basically a brick wall of HP, which is why people hate MAX suits even more. And vanguard shield. And post-delay nerf, they'll still have access to that durability, it will just have to be something they actually think about when/where to use rather than being able to just quickly tap a key and have a massive 1vs1 advantage vs. every other class at all ranges except sniper range.
i consider myself a middle of the road player, and i do like my HA, i usually roll medic if i'm not HA. HA's even with shields are far from invulnerable i've been shot from behind, sometimes my shield saves me, sometimes it does bugger all and i drop. not all situations are the same. Someone mentioned about the magazine size. This is all very well, but the accuracy over anything mid distance is horrific, and in CQC the LMG can mostly be equaled and trumped by pretty much anything with a higher ROF. its a jack of all trades class, master of bugger all though. it has its one saving grace, the shield. don't take that away from it simply because a player neither has the tactics or skills to go one on one with a HA. i've taken down a fair few quite happily as a medic and also been stomped on as a medic, but i'm fighting a heavy assault? what did i expect?
Don't care anymore I've been introduced to the world of the Reaper, the Bandit and the Razor. I'll pull a HA to deal with excessive Max or Air, if I have to, though blowing up Max units with Tanks mines is kind of fun.
