[Suggestion] New NC infantry class concept: Hijacker

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by karlooo, Aug 23, 2020.

  1. karlooo

    Probably most have experienced recently fighting their own vehicle on the opposing faction because of the feature of the new NS team. Have to say I really do like it and that it's very interesting, and possibly NC, which is described to use unconventional tactics, guerrilla warfare, could have this as their own unique feature, through some new Hijacker class.

    I don't think the class should be similar to an infiltrator because it won't be fun having your vehicle stolen by an invisible guy.
    Instead I think it should be a mix between a Combat Engineer and Light Assault. Having access to a jet pack allowing it to quickly and maybe unexpectedly strike and instead of the C4 it could have a new version of it, which would partially or entirely disable vehicles for some duration depending on how many times it was hit by the weapon.
    Finally allowing the Hijacker to hold the e button on the vehicle and hijack it, I don't know how quickly it should be done.
  2. karlooo

    The players inside the vehicle can of course leave it while it's disabled and try to fight back with their small arms while their vehicle cannot operate.
  3. Demigan

    I would still make this accessible to all factions.

    I always envisioned this in one of two ways:

    1: Engineer&Medic lockpick. Replaces repairgun/healgun.

    The Engineer and Medic do not have any special abilities to get close or remain stealthy, making for a solid risk/reward for them stealing a vehicle.
    Since the Engineer has traded in his repairgun, he'll need to drive what is probably a damaged vehicle back to his lines to swap out his lockpick for a repairgun.

    2: LA's get access to a lockpick that can only steal empty vehicles in a similar fashion and time as hacking a generator.
    To get the occupants out of the vehicle the LA can deploy an alternative to C4, lets call it a thermite charge. A single charge deals (for example) 4000 damage after resistances against an MBT. However the damage is dealt over time.
    The Thermite charge can be disarmed by repairgun or destroying it with explosions or small-arms fire. This means the occupants are encouraged to get out and disarm them while the LA tries to kill them, then disarm his own charges so he can steal the vehicle.


    Special rules for vehicle hacking:
    - deployed AMS vehicles are immune to hacking.
    - any hacked vehicle immediately gets a repaint to the new faction colors.
    - you can only hack empty vehicles. Should occupied vehicles be hackable, then the occupants will get a warning that it is happening and the hack time is increased to give them time to handle it.
  4. karlooo


    I would not want a hijacker class for TR. Like why would they be interested in stealing vehicles if they have good military production, especially from NC?
    Also I think giving the Engineer and Medic an ability to steal would be too random.
    Firstly it would confuse allies because they think you can support them by either repairing or healing.
    Secondly it doesn't happen often where you're in touching distance of an enemy vehicle.
    And lastly if you can steal a vehicle by just tapping the e button, then the new meta will be doing Valk drops on enemy armor lol.
    ____________________________________

    I think the original suggestion to add a new class: Hijacker, which would be a mix between an Engineer and Light Assault would be interactive (limited jet-pack + limited nano-armor kit). It won't be something new and cheesy cause we already experience Light Assault C4 drops but this would be different and much more interesting.
    To steal a vehicle the Hijacker class has to stand still and hold the e button on the vehicle. Fat chance of that happening, so I suggested the class to receive a special type of sticky explosive, which will partially or entirely disable the vehicle if hit by the weapon twice.
    When the vehicle is disabled it cannot move, shoot or turn the guns. The crew member(s) will have to leave their vehicle and fight off the enemies with small arms while their vehicle is disabled.

    So the Hijacker, depending on support, skill and luck has a chance to steal an expensive vehicle for, as an example just 120 Nanites (2 successfully hit weapons).
  5. Demigan

    Of the 3 factions, the TR is the most traditionalist and conventional. The NC is more likely to use experimental equipment and repurposed equipment while the VS is using more technological advancements that they've proven to work.
    When faced with the opportunity to either capture or destroy equipment, lots of armies across the world have chosen to capture it for their own use. That's why for example the German army had some Soviet, French, Polish and other nation tanks, some even large enough to form a battlegroup.

    Also consider the history of the TR: For centuries they have functioned as simultaneously a police force and an occupation/pacification force for their own country, "country" being the entire solar system here without any other nation or army to oppose them. Their most prominent threat was guerilla's, terrorists/resistance fighters and mercenaries hired by companies for one purpose or another. One of the best ways to combat these kind of groups is to have infiltrators (not the class, the occupation) to find and eliminate the such resistance cells. Also the capture of weapons caches and vehicles could be used to provide intelligence about their manufacturers, find clues to their suppliers and prevent more weapons from getting in non-TR hands. For the TR the act of infiltration into enemy ranks and the capture of enemy equipment is as conventional as can be, as it's the most effective method to stop local unrest and strife.
    They might not be in the Solar system anymore and still produce what is to them conventional equipment, they would not hesitate a single moment to steal enemy equipment and arm some of their own men with it.


    They would naturally lose their class-icons on the map and HUD. Even if they didn't, a simple communication system could eliminate any "problems". "Hey you, heal me". <medic turns>, "got lockpick". "Oh ok". Then the situation is like you met a Heavy or LA, they are there as support.
    And if people still complain: Those are little fks that shouldn't be given attention to. If you can't deal with the idea that not everyone is there just for you and anyone with a potential to support has to be your own personal butler, then you're more of a problem for the game than a valuable player.

    Yes! Exactly! That is why it's so perfect.
    One of the reasons why players aren't often in touching distance of an enemy vehicle is because they don't have to tools or abilities to properly deal with them. With this they do have such an ability and reason to get close.
    I would also want stolen vehicles to be something special, not the basic's of the game of "oh well our enemy has 8 stolen vehicles in their vehicle column today".

    I used the example of hacking a generator, and specifically mentioned that it takes time to hack a vehicle. Does a generator get hacked by tapping the E button?

    While an option, there's no reason to make this an entirely new class. Also the LA is basically a dialed down Engineer with a Jetpack, wouldn't your idea mean the Hijacker class is basically an LA with some additional Engineer characteristics and thus be better in almost every way to the LA?
    • Up x 1
  6. karlooo

    Nations captured the abandoned vehicles in WW2 probably to study it, find out about the technology used....But I've never heard of tanks being hijacked in WW2. This something different, I'm not talking about infiltrating, but instead hijack in combat with a special class that has the equipment to do it.
    And also NC is an insurgency, they should be the faction that has this unique strategy in my opinion. Could be very interesting.

    Sorry, didn't notice that.

    I don't think this will end well because I assume people will then start complaining that their vehicle/tank sucks: everybody just runs towards it, not caring for their life. You know, it could possibly turn out into something unpleasant.

    Yeah a mix between the 2 classes. Not the best jet-pack, not the best repair kit, SMG only, sidearm, this EMP effect C4, Smoke or frag grenade....This is how I imagine the class.
  7. Blam320

    Vehicle 'jacking should definitely not be restricted to the NC; that would completely upset game balance for one.

    Being able to hijack enemy vehicles was also a feature in PlanetSide 1, available to everyone through a unique tool called the Remote Electronics Kit, which basically allowed the wielder to perform duties currently restricted to modern Infiltrators (hack terminals, hack locks on doors, et cetera). If vehicle hijacking were to return, it should be through a tool like that.
  8. karlooo

    Balance...but you can get double teamed. So what's the point of equalizing the factions then?
  9. Demigan

    Making sure that if you are double-teamed you aren't also fighting an unbalanced design, which would increase the amount of double-teaming you'll encounter.

    Also the problem isn't being double-teamed, the problem is that there's little design in the game that takes this into account. Spawnrooms are death traps, objectives do not scale based on how much you overpop, there's nothing to change the tactics for underpop so they still have something valuable to do other than go through meatgrinder after meatgrinder to recapture in mere minutes an objective that can take hours to reach for either side.

    The key is: Make being underpopped work, make it fun. Who cares if you are outnumbered 10:1 if you can still get (relatively) safely to the battlefield and do something to stall or even stop your opponents?
    • Up x 3
  10. Grandpa

    There is already a class that can turn off a vehicle in a second. Fly over the vehicle, c4 two pieces, done. If there is a similar class in the game, vehicles are useless.
  11. Demigan

    Ah yes, the teleporting LA with C4. I am really curious where this teleportation capability comes from as I've never seen it on an LA either as the LA or as the vehicle user. Whenever I try to C4 a tank I have to to sneak around, avoid dozens of enemies, find a spot close enough to reach my opponent, hope my opponent hasn't placed something like a Spitfire, actively uses proxy-radar or actually looks around and moves once in a while and then I can get a kill!
    And when I'm in a vehicle, and I spend a lot of time in vehicles, C4 fairies are almost all just cheap kills for me and they stop coming quickly if I ever even see them at all. The only times I get caught by one I know what I did wrong, like park up against a building that the enemy is using because I took a risk/had no choice in the circumstance.


    Anyone who has actively done C4 fairying should have noticed long ago that the easiest and most prominent targets are the tanks that are farming infantry. They sit still, don't look at their surroundings, don't use any of the protections given to them (spitfire, proxyradar, friendly infantry, flanker armor, their movement, their freaking eyes) and will often return to the exact same spot to farm after you kill them without changing their method at all.
    On the other hand tanks in tank vs tank combat aren't as easy targets. They are constantly moving, watching for flanking attacks, doing a quick check on the area around them before they get out for repairs, often have infantry and other vehicles checking the area around them.
    It's almost as if almost every C4 attack is preventable, yet the playerbase is too lazy to actually use it. So instead C4 fairies are made out to be OP cheater equipment! Yes! They kill you in under a second! How? They god damn teleport on top of you and then magically two bricks are on you and detonated by the time you know they are there! Yes! That must be it!