[Suggestion] LA jumpjets redefined

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by IronMouse, Jun 29, 2015.

  1. IronMouse

    In a sea of suggestions for improving the LA, and the never-to-come LA update, I've been thinking of what's really bugging me about my favorite class.

    Then yesterday, I've been defending a base on Hossin, and a TR LA tried jet-packing onto a Tower landing pad from a tree. I've spotted him in time, took out my Blackhand, and shot him without ADS. From a distance. That's how much time I had on disposal. Instead of feeling good about my aim ( :) ), I felt kind of sorry for him. But then I thought - that's how I look too! And all of the other LA as well.

    So, our special ability is at the same time our biggest crutch. It slows us down, gives away a sound, screws up our aim and just completely exposes us vulnerable to the enemy. Yes, it needs to have some downsides or it'd allow for too much mobility. But still I believe SOE (DBG) made a huge mistake as mobility IS our ace-from-the-sleeve signature ability.

    While keeping every property jump-jets already have (and I'm talking normal jump-jets), it shouldn't slow us down. It should instead speed us up by a percent. The exact percent would have to be a result of testing, but it should definitely be a speed-up. Jump-jets already have a limited amount of fuel, so we won't be able to run around in increased speed indefinitely.

    I often find myself running frantically while playing LA - inside through the doorway, shoot, fly out the window, another entrance from the roof, fly out the window again... Trying to outplay and confuse the enemy. But every time I am forced to use my jump-jets it feels just so underwhelming and sluggish. I am exposed. I am wasting precious time. I can't aim. Everyone who at that moment wasn't aware I'm there now know there's a LA around because of a moderately loud sound and is now expecting me to show up. Fine. But at least make my jet-pack an actual bad-*** utility!

    Some might argue it already is, and I'll agree to an extent. An LA requires an aggressive style of play, great reflexes and a situational awareness. But very often I'll be "punished by the game" even if I do everything right, just because I'm SLOW while flying. Reward good LA players and reward their right choices by allowing them to pull everything off the right way. We don't need no dual wield. Buff the jump-jet speed.
  2. Iridar51

    Actually, when moving horizontally + slightly downwards, LA is a bit faster than sprinting player. Requires proper mid-air squirming, though.

    It used to be better. I don't particularly remember that time, but long ago there was a patch that made the Jet Pack consume almost all horizontal momentum when going downwards.

    I don't think the Jet Pack has a speed problem. When moving at maximum speed it's balanced, more or less. Flying out in the open is dangerous and should be punished. The real problem is with how the Jet Pack behaves around obstacles, big or small.

    Stumbling on a tiny pebble or a half-inch incline slows down to a crawl. There's some sort of mechanic that reduces speed when colliding with something. If it's tweaked or removed, this should resolve the speed issue.
  3. IronMouse

    Concrete example 1: type of building - "A" point building at The Crown. Version with fully open windows. You fly out the window with the intent to climb the roof. In that "short" period of time you are actually slow enough to get - not shot at, but killed with stones being thrown off the Tower building.

    Concrete example 2: jumping a high wall to make a kill, with the intent to jump back ASAP to avoid getting killed. I can't count the times I've been killed in the last few milliseconds when jumping back. I can FEEL the huge "weight" of my character. The damned thing is so slow, it's painful.


    I guess it's down to the individual feeling, but I personally do feel we are being handicapped. We are too sluggish. It's not the end of the world, we function somehow. But we are often punished severely for using our no1 utility - jet-packs.

    And I feel it would do justice to make them more "powerful" and responsive.
  4. Iridar51

    Both are positioning mistakes, it's normal to do them, and normal to get punished for them. Of course, best avoid doing them as much as you can.
  5. IronMouse

    How are they positioning mistakes? I don't know your play style, but as LA I am allover the place. I love playing like that. High risk, high reward play. I do NOT feel I shouldn't be killed, ever. I get killed a lot. I don't give up when overwhelmed and outnumbered and I don't camp from within spawn rooms. Yes, I feed enemy kills. I keep trying. This is not a "I got killed, hence buff me" thread.

    I just don't feel I should be killed because I am slow when using a crucial LA utility. I believe we should be faster while jet-packing. A bit faster, nothing epochal. I can live without it, I have until now and I'm doing fine. But LA deserves a general "buff" and I feel this would be the right department.
  6. Iridar51

    I'm all over the place too. They are mistakes from the LA basic strategy standpoint. I talk more about that in the related video guide, but the gist is this:
    1. Put yourself in a superior position
    2. Have as many effective engagements as possible
    3. Retreat to regain stealth.
    4. Repeat from the first step.

    The definition of a superior position includes having a safe escape route if you come in danger. In Example 2, you deliberately put yourself in a position without safe escape route.

    Example 1 is simply moving over dangerous territory. You should have a general feeling which direction is safe, and which isn't. Windows facing the enemy-controlled tower, for example, are unsafe.

    Don't misunderstand me. I'm not against buffs to our favorite class. 10-30% speed increase certainly wouldn't hurt, and shouldn't unbalance the class. But I do believe the stronger issue is with collision interactions, as far as the jet pack itself goes.
  7. IronMouse

    I see your point, and it does make sense. Partially. It's flaw is that in practice, things often "get out of hand" and tend to escalate/become chaotic especially in PS2 where redeployment makes a world of difference in a matter of minutes. Enemies can be found all around the building, and snipers lurking from over a hill are already a default. Also, moving over dangerous territory is a must since I'm taking/defending points.

    Sometimes (often, mostly even) there isn't a safe escape route and you don't get to choose. You work with what you got. That's why I love LA. It raises my adrenaline. :)

    So your standpoint is valid, but only in smaller engagements where you have a clear overview of the battlefield and are not expecting reinforcements. Other than that, we really could use a speed increase while jet-packing.

    Here's what gives me nightmares: a scenario where a TR heavy slowly spins up his MCG, spraying me with his bullets (what's his average accuracy there, 10%?) from a distance while I'm trying to get my "thick butt" over the wall to safety. Endlessly. Slow. Dieing. Little. By. Little. Seeing my HP melt bit by bit. Argh!

    Back me up on this one.
  8. Iridar51

    I know what you mean by "work with what you got". True, PS2 can't be quite chaotic. There aren't "truly" safe routes. Always a stalker infil can decloak behind your back. Always an AI ESF can nail you. Always an enemy LA can land behind your back with a pump action shotgun. Always you can catch a random OHK from a tank or grenade or a sniper, even when moving.

    You can't eliminate all these chances, in a battle of any size. You can only reduce them.

    In the situation with the TR heavy, where you come under fire while performing a maneuver, often it's better to just abort the maneuver and run to cover, if you have it available. If you don't, then again, it's a positioning mistake. Again, not trying to critique you down or anything. It's normal to make these mistakes, and normal to get punished for them. This is the learning process.
  9. Agiond

    Any way to not do position mistakes when your base is being bombarded by all fronts with prowlers and mosquitos? Because that's what's been happening for 2 days all day long on Cobalt. I miss the old "good" days when only the vanu zerg was sh*tting on us.
    • Up x 1
  10. Iridar51

    In this case, positioning mistake is being in that base in the first place, especially as a Light Assault :)
    Switching to offense is always an option. I mean, if you can't fight back the vehicle zerg, you might as well join an allied vehicle zerg somewhere on another corner of the map.
  11. Kirppu1

    Reason i left cobalt was that there were only few good outfits, when i leaded a platoon people weren't giving two s-hits about your talking they would just go somewhere to be useless, and when i kicked those i got poopd on.

    Seriously i got straight up frustrated because people told me that i was the bad guy when i wanted that people would show up in 15mins to the point
  12. Agiond


    Well then it's just me going wrong, because i simply "can't" zerg. My brain would just explode.
    Also, i absolutely hate quitting fights or leaving faction players alone.

    Maybe i should join an outfit, but all interesting outfits i've seen are TR. F my luck.
    • Up x 1
  13. Heelixs

    True. Jetpacks slow you down when u face obstacles and it's sometimes boring get shot because i missed the roof by an inch but thats another topic....maybe in my opinion scoping while falling and jumpjeting should be reinstated..it was fun back in the day
  14. Iridar51

    What about maniacs [MACS]? They're skilled and active, and rarely farm. Tougher for VS, as most of their outfits come from Cobalt, while I'm originally from Ceres. Trident [TRID] and Phantoms [?] come to mind, but I'm not closely familiar with them.
  15. IronMouse

    Honestly, none of what I've read here or in other forum topics convince me otherwise - we NEED faster jet-packs. Period. Not by a lot. Nothing drastic. But they need to be snappier.

    I, like the guy who wrote the same thing here, hate abandoning battles. It's not bad positioning, it's my conscious decision to play risky. But I want the TOOLS that can back me up on that task. Jet-packs are underpowered as it is.

    Also, a bug. Lately I find my jet-pack energy depleted all of the sudden without any reason at all. I haven't been using them, their energy just vanishes when I intend to use them. Then it starts charging back up.
  16. Iridar51

    EMP grenade hit through a wall would do that.
  17. IronMouse

    I suppose... But shouldn't I see that flicker, special effect that an EMP grenade creates? It just vanishes by itself, I notice nothing on my screen whatsoever.
  18. Iridar51

    EMP affects your sight only if you're in line of sight of the explosion. In that case, shields are depleted and don't regenerate for a few seconds.

    If hit through a wall, EMP only drains shields and ability energy, and the shields start regenerating right away.
  19. Corezer

    I agree with Iridar's momentum change/acceleration, but I would personally do that for drifter jets only to give them something special and further reduce the effect of bumps when skiing, for JJs I would simply increase max movement speed, help you get up on roofs and across small danger zones faster etc. For Icarus I would give it boosts along the ground in whatever direction you're moving by pressing F, just a short distance like 2-3m but enough to get you around corners faster or throw off aim by adding to your strafe etc. that's all just pipe dreaming though...
  20. IronMouse

    That really sucks. If I'm to suffer the effects nevertheless, give me a bloody visual cue. Because I never stare at my HUD in the middle of a battle, and I don't want to find myself without my resources when I need them the most. Either there should be a visual, or it shouldn't affect us at all. Wall or no wall.