[Suggestion] Light Assault Needs a Tool

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by PricelessBounty, Sep 1, 2015.

  1. Demigan

    Only darklights see stealthed infiltrators. HV/NV scopes don't pick up on stealth. Otherwise, who would in their right mind use a limited cone Darklight if they can make an infiltrator show up all over their screen at longer ranges?

    And infiltrators and LA have a lot of common ground. Both their abilities allow them to infiltrate bases and ambush people. The LA can get to high ground much more easily to spot people than the infiltrator, and he's usually in a better position to spot important targets rather than the targets everyone can already see. The way these goggles spot also improves the ambush and tracking ability, allowing the LA to be a better hunter of his prey.
    Infiltrators use darts and motions spotters to detect for the entire team, these goggles would benefit the LA only, and only for the people he spots. Otherwise you might as well say "the Engineer is the explosives class, so only he is able to carry any C4 or mines. No more AI mines for infiltrator or C4 for Heavy/Medic/LA", it's the same reasoning.
  2. doomedking517

    Hmm, I stand corrected about nv/hv (I read somewhere that they saw cloaked peeps, since they dont, I remove that objection) and whilst you are correct about them having many similarities between infiltrators and light assualts, the similarities end after their play style of ambushing, the infiltrator is aimed at information gathering yet are limited to minimap information and spotting it would seem logical that infiltrators had enhanced information gathering, however wire mesh tracking wouldn't benefit us so,I dont even know why I'm complaining xD suppose I just fear the idea of even more dangerous hunters (you guys literally are what kill me most of the time xD) and information gathering everyone can already do (I think the red triangles should follow round corners for everyone anyway just for 3 seconds or so ) plus our recon tools are already replicated with crossbows and their bolts that do the same (even if less effectively), its like giving everyone a spitfire turrent thats 30% less effective then someone asking for heavies to be allowed anti tank mines
  3. Voodoo Bliss

    My idea:

    It's a Personal Field Beacon

    LA find themselves out and about quite a bit, you would set this device in a cunning spot before moving in for the kill, if you die you can deploy on your Personal Field Beacon, which also destroys the beacon. You would have a new one after respawning of course but you only ever have one per 'life'. Certing into it could increase the duration of the placed beacon.

    Activated with F

    The Personal Field Beacon can only be used by its owner.

    The beacon would still shine a beam towards the sky and can be destroyed as normal so this device couldnt be used to infi-spawn.
    • Up x 1
  4. Serialkillerwhale

    How about a simple yet effective recon feature?

    A spyglass.

    It has greater zoom than a long range sniper and can zoom in or out, by scrolling up and down while using it. While using it, you can "Mark" targets at a greater range.

    1: It's Tacticool.
    2: It's something besides the usual annoying flanking that everyone hates to deal with
    3: It gets some light assaults to stop freaking
    • Up x 1
  5. Shiaari

    Maybe the jet pack should get a pass. There's no need to have three different jet packs. Just one with three modes, and let LAs swap those modes on the fly. I honestly don't think that could be abused much if we normalize the fuel consumption to keep the overall duration of the jet pack's modes of operation the same as they are for the three unique jet packs.
  6. Iridar51

    I don't like manually swapping modes. But combining all jet packs sort of makes sense, as Icarus and Drifters are hugely underused due to being too situational.

    It would be nice to have an Icarus burst at the press of the F button. Not sure how to go about Drifters and Jump Jets. Maybe activate Drifter mode by holding Sprint in the air or something.
    • Up x 2
  7. Skiptrace


    I would actually prefer the ability to toggle swap between Drifters and Standard, with Icarus being changed to hit F or Shift to get a slight boost to your height. That would work really well IMO. As for an actual tool slot, we need something that isn't going to overpower the Light Assault, however it would be useful to a team. I can only think of one or two things that could work.

    Concept 1: Wrist Dart Launcher: You have 3 types of Wrist Darts, Explosive, Smoke, and Spotting. Each rank of the tools (each type of dart is it's own Tool.) increases ammo capacity by 2, you start with 2 darts at rank 1, and at Rank 5 you carry 10. Explosive Darts would create a small explosion in a ~8m radius, takes 4-5 to kill a Max, and 2-3 to kill an infantry, but you can selectively detonate them like C4, however C4 is removed from LA as a counterbalance. Smoke Darts are select detonate Smoke Grenades. Spotting Darts are the most interesting, when you tag a target with a Spotting Dart, you put a Faction Colored glowy effect around them akin to the Heavy Shield, but not so similar that it can be confused with the Heavy Shield. This can be used to pick targets for a Sniper that is 200+ meters out, so he knows who to pull the trigger on first. Or plenty of other things, this can also mark both Ground and Air vehicles, but their velocity is low enough that it's difficult to mark Air vehicles that are flying by.
    • Up x 1
  8. Shiaari


    That sounds fantastic!
  9. Dragon_Wrangler

    What should happen imo is this: give us concussion nade or buff flash nade. only 1 piece of c4 but it can ohko a lightning thats certed. our tool should be a ES grenade launcher style weapon. TR would have a belt fed low damage per shot but rapid fire one, VS would be a single shot variety that can stick to vehicles and should be very balanced in terms of AoE and damage. NC should get a sort of coilgun that has a charge time and as such damage is based on that. For TR you would have standard ammo, AV ammo and cluster ammo for AI. Cluster ammo would split at the apex into a several small charges. VS would have standard, AV, AI ammo with nothing too special since theirs is meant to be very all around. NC would have 0 explosives in their AV rounds but they would do considerably more damage than other AV rounds. Their standard ammo would be more AV focused and their AI rounds would stick to walls and detonate after 3 seconds.
    • Up x 1
  10. SQPD

    Even though LA is built for mobility, we don't want the scout from TF2 in PS2. Going a different route, what about something that takes advantage of jetpacks rather than further augment that ability? Like NVGs or laser target designators? NVGs would help the user see in the dark which is useful if you're up high somewhere at night. Situational, but potentially game changing. Laser target designators would work by marking targets for any vehicles and planes within 400m. These would give a spot bonus. To limit use, it will take 3 seconds to mark a target when it is directly in your crosshairs. The target designators also has an overheat to limit spam.
  11. SpoofGhost

    I definitely do not want to lose C4 as an LA, its what makes that class fun, and actually its the only useful class to use it with.
    Then again i use drifters and tree hop to bomb tanks etc.

    That said, the LA should have some other toy to use/thing to use. The swapping between jump jet types would be really welcome.
    a lot of times i wish i had the other type. Drifter and especially Icarus are super situational.

    1) As for tools, sticky boots would be a nice option, this way you can stick to a service for X seconds can be certed up to stick longer.

    2) Grappling hook for your team to use. This rope can be used to climb up/down to points, and to glide along from point to point.
    you only get 1 rope to use and it can be destroyed by attacking it like beacons. can be certed up to get up to 2/3 ropes.

    3) jet-pack converter, so it is used as a flamethrower.
    • Up x 1
  12. AxiomInsanity87

    The translocator?


    I like it!
    • Up x 1
  13. Pat22

    The introduction of ANTs and player-constructed structures adds new opportunities in the endless search for a Light Assault tool.

    I propose an idea that will simultaneously give the Light Assault a tool that sort of fits its 'mobility' aspect, while also addressing the constant demand for artillery and orbital strikes.

    What is this idea? It's a Target Designator. You use it to designate targets for player-constructed artillery weapons.

    To elaborate on the possibilities and balance of this idea;

    The designator itself can have multiple variations.
    -The standard one would be a short-ranged area designator, which targets a small-ish area ( 40 diameter or something ) in which your squad's artillery would fire ordnance randomly.

    -A second type could lock on to vehicles, offering a more powerful, concentrated volley on a single target and anything in close proximity to it.

    -A third, laser-guided type could allow you to change the target area as the artillery is firing, allowing you to track targets but revealing your position via visible tracking laser beam.

    Any of the designators would have a ranged between 50 to 150 meters, meaning the Light Assault does have to be relatively close to the target in order to fire.


    Artillery types could include things such as:
    - Armor-Piercing cannon. Best used to destroy ground vehicles, minimal splash.

    - HE mortars, best used to splash infantry

    - Missile Launchers, capable of hitting aircraft and equivalent to HEAT weapons, decent against both vehicles and infantry.

    - Satellite Uplink: Scans the area and transmits target data to orbital satellites / ships to fire an orbital strike at the designated area.


    BALANCING FACTORS:

    Obviously something like this needs to be done well. There needs to be limitations.
    First of which would be the quantity of these weapons that you can deploy. These are squad-based weapons. They cannot be both deployed and used by the same person. They also have a limit based on your squad size.
    For example, The cannon and mortar can be deployed at a ratio of one per four squad members, for a total of 3 to a squad. Missile launchers can be deployed at 1 per 6 squad members, for a total of two, and the Satellite Uplink can only be deployed by a full squad.
    Combinations can be made but players can only count towards one weapon, so the only combinations really viable is any variation of 3 mortars and cannons, or one mortar / cannon and one missile launcher.

    The weapons have a squad-based cooldown for deployment and use. When deployed, a cooldown is applied to all squad members and remains on them even if they leave the squad and join another. Same for when the weapon is fired. The weapon can only be deployed and/or fired again once the cooldown has expired on all squad members. Meaning if one squad member with the cooldown leaves and joins another squad, that other squad will now suffer the cooldown.
    This would also hopefully discourage redeployside as putting these weapons on one front would encourage a force to stay there.

    Then there's range. The weapons would have a certain set range ( 4-500m ) in which the target must be to be able to fire at it. So the target needs to be within range of the weapon and also within range of the Light Assault's designator.
  14. Pat22

    That being said, I also very much like the idea of having built-in HS/NV goggles, or a new kind of grenade, or a buff to smokes and flash grenades ( how about fixing the smoke grenades so they work properly while we're at it )

    In the end, it's all the same; we need something in our tool slot. We're the only class that doesn't have one and it's painful.
  15. Wind_Walker

    I think we're all over thinking this a little. Let's take a step back and see what we're dealing with.

    What is LA? It's an infantry class known for its mobility, specifically its jetpack opportunities. With it you can gain high ground, lay down spawn beacons on good spots, and flank the enemy, provided you have sufficient skill and tactics.

    What is a tool as far as PS2 is concerned? Well, looking at it from a gameplay standpoint, it's a class specific item designed to provide a utility that other classes cannot (medic tool, repair tool, ammo box, AV/AI turrets, Rocket Launcher [yes, it's a tool] and Recon darts/Motion spotter).

    These tools play to the strength of the class it's bound to, and not meant to give someone a tertiary weapon (heavy's RL was meant for AV/AA/A-MAX)

    IMO, there are 3 ways to go about this. Mobility is the name of the game, and the point is to provide a tool as defined above.

    1) give the LA a hard-light platform to stick to walls. It'd function like the engie's ammo box/turrets, with unlimited deploys, but only one deploy at a time. The platform would glow the faction's color, and would only be wide enough for say 1-3 ppl. This doesn't add anything game changing, but gives LAs a reason to stick with the team and help out.

    2) A zip-line. Same deal with mechanics, with the LA firing two faintly glowing anchor points and that would be one "deploy". The zip line would have limited uses by allies before it disappears. Allies would be able to go both directions, and deploy could be like Infil's motion spotters. Limited, with ranks determining number of uses before despawn/ deploy count.
    EDIT: Give the zip line a range cap, 20m or so.

    These two would be destructible by gunfire and EMP Nades like usual.

    3) this is a little out of the box. The LA doesn't have a tool. S/he packs light. So why not capitalize on that? Have the LA tool be nothing (with the icon being fists, a hand, a turnip, idc) and have it give the LA a movement speed boost since they don't have a firearm in hand. Pulling the "trigger" would give them 1.5x - 2x movement bonus, with a stamina bar being the balancing factor. The stamina would be used quick, and regeneration relatively slowly.

    Idk, I think these would be the best, what do you guys think?
  16. SQPD

    Shield diffuser: A repair tool looking device that creates a small sized hole in enemy shields to shoot through. It has a range of 10m and can destroy a heavy shield in 1.5 seconds if all the "shots" hit, essentially stripping the heavy naked of all his "skills." These cannot be used on spawn room shields to deal with those damn Vanu spawn room "heroes" (more like rabbits).
  17. DAMER0N

    I really like the grappling hook idea, would be extremely cool as a way to assist less mobile infantry with base assaults.
    • Up x 1
  18. Aekir

    Why not a larger 50% longer ranged variant of a power knife, like maybe a small combat sword that varies in stylization between factions? It would utilize the LA main gimmick of mobility, and adding another depth of cqc other than "point auto shotgun here". The TR could have a W40k style chainsword, the NC a carver axe, and the VS. a plasma edge sword?
  19. Kcalehc

    I like the idea of the personal translocator, its very skirmisher-y, allowing the LA to get out of a sticky situation easily, but I could see it being a bit easy to abuse.

    Iridars jetpack modifications would be pretty cool too, though probably not at the expense of an actual tool.

    How about some kind of target designator device. That shoots a dart that can attach to vehicles, making them essentially 'spotted' to any friendlies within 150m, lasts about 15s. Also might decrease the lock on time for launchers. Should provide some xp for the LA if the target is destroyed while the designator is active. Helpful for marking those sunderers you stumble across while flanking.

    An additional grenade, or modification to an existing one: the Darklight Flash Grenade. Not only does it blind or disorient enemies, but it highlights for a short duration any cloaked infiltrators within its area of effect.
  20. Iridar51

    Press Q.

    As for lock ons - kind of presumptious to base the functionality of a tool on nearby players of one other class carrying and using a certain piece of equipment.

    TBH, the overabundant idea of "target designator tool" seems useless and underpowered if it's anything less than a faction-wide glow that's visible from 1000m through walls and terrain, and even then it doesn't do much on its own. Not sure how at all it meshes with Light Assault. Seems that spotting things is infiltrator's field.
    • Up x 1