Are engineer abilities purposefully made to be weak?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by netBattler, Jan 16, 2023.

  1. netBattler

    Hardlight barrier doesnt protect your head when you crouch behind it

    Auto turret is a joke - I literally just blast it away several seconds before it can kill me

    anti vehicle mana takes forever to deploy, has limited range, and almost no protection for the engineer

    anti infantry mana isn't as good as the kobalt, but has a huge hole in its shield for snipers to donk you on the head with.

    what if we had a new engineer ability that could resupply consumables like nades every 60 seconds? waaaaay more useful
    • Up x 2
  2. lemurwrangler

    gr8post/moo
  3. AuricStarSand

    I've wanted lately from a new player questioning, " too soon kill times ". To have Engi have bullet resistant headgear. The only class to have this. So when theirs a framerate headshot hunter killing you, you have the variety option to spec Engi & ruin his headshot killstreak. By having a Engi as the only class that doesn't allow for headshot dmg. Traded for weak knee dmg armor.

    So the Engi gets zero added headshot dmg verses him & maybe even more resistant to headshots to lower general headshot dmg even more. & has weaker knees than the other classes.

    This would allow:

    1) New players to play a class that doesn't get killed so fast by headhunters
    2) Vets to be able to switch to a class to counter headshot hunters
    3) Vets able to switch to a class to counter qcq door snipers
    4) Variety of shot placement verses one class
    5) Lower framerate users to surprise counter higher framerate users with a class switch
    6) Makes Hardlight barrier more useful for some engi builds with anti headshot resistant engi headgear

    So if a 120 fps user is killing 20 of your allies who run at 60 to 80fps, with rapid assault rifle headshots. You may surprise him, after he kills your infil or la main for example, with a engi switch to a armor build that reduces added hs dmg to zero & has 10% headshot bullet resist. With a Engi armor spec labled " Headgear resistant ".

    I'd say this isn't just a suggestion, as much as it is extremely necessary for rivaling players with higher framerates & getting revenge verse outfitwar vets. Then they have to shoot the knees, yet they'll forget you switched to Engi, giving you time to trade with them fairly.

    Auto turret is useful if the engi has a way to make a defensive position, tho not sure if he has enough hardlight barriers to do so, esp if he had to trade one hardlight away for the auto turret. Then he isn't able to alamo. So the auto turret alerts the engi, yet the engi has no walls to negate the assaulter, even if alerted with auto turret. Is the turret suppose to 1vs1, not really, yet its fuction as alert ops isn't all that if you have no cover to hide when alert.

    AV mana turret is extremely underused.

    AI mana turret is underused as well, even if were at a 10 to 30 min door stalemate. & I'm yelling at allies to use AI mana, they still won't. AI mana requires some fun button to use it, or they won't. A mana turret ability. & yes snipers counter it a tad too easy still. It should be countered by flanks or grenades, not ness snipers 80%.

    Nade refresher sounds exactly what I want, if it gives you one for free nanites once per 60 sec & reminds allies they got a free nade. Or gives them a special nade to use, like a tool box press " E " to equip nade & throw.

    As far as tools. Heavy Assault have the only tool worth that has active use.
    I'd vote a expansion that gives every class one defensive tool & one offensive tool.


    1) Infil deperately wants a offensive tool. & not just rekon darts. Such as trip wire that slows & dmgs, or else shurikan, archer bow.

    2) That would mean. Engi gets a offensive dmg tool. Similar to how HA have rocket launchers. Since Engi's defensive tool is repair.

    3) LA already have rokket rifle, so now they get a defensive tool. Those mini deployable jump pads that help non LA scale roofs.

    4) Medics have a revive tool, shield regen pod, so now they also get a offensive dmg tool. A throwing spear.


    5) HA have launchers, so they would get a defensive tool. Maybe a mortar that regens shields for allies.

    Also when I speak of the medic tool, I really mean their shield regen pod, which is their ability. As the revive tool is mandatory. Would be better if the shield regen pod was their tool. & the revive gun was the medics ability. So I'd suggest to reverse those slots for medic. Make the regen shield the tool. & the revive gun the ability. Than toss medic yes a offensive tool as well, since the shield regen is the defensive tool.

    Really tho, I wish Infils got a new defensive tool as well & the recon dart pods were given to medic. Pistol, Knife, & SMG Infils don't want recon they rush around like beserkers not wanting to wait patiently or view minimap. While hill snipers don't need to counter people who hike a mountain to hunt them. & they all have stealth for scouting the environment. They don't need recon. Medics need recon, they play defensively, & need to view the minimap.

    So I'd give Infils a new defensive tool to help them run fast or jump high for 10 to 30 seconds. 10 seconds if its a mega buff to run speed & jump speed & 30 seconds if its a minor buff. I'd like both styles. Else a mini hand wrist shield for knife infils to aim & block bullets briefly.

    Then the tool slot makes sense for being a slot to begin with, as why is it a slot, if you don't have at least 2 options?
  4. TR5L4Y3R

    AI manaturret is delibarately made so you don´t stay in one play forever as, snipers may dunk you but the same spot helps other infantry to get shots on you and not have to rely on explosives .. you could otherwise use the AV manaturret :p

    sentryturret more than anything is a warningdevice .. an automated turret cannot be too strong as this is supposed to be primarily a PvP game, same counts with automated constructionturrets ..

    hardlight i honestly can´t say much about them as i don´t use them


    considering consumeables cost nanites ... questionable ...
    i´d rather would add an engineer specific implant for that which replenishes the engineers explosives...
    OR offer the engineer some sort of portable infantryterminal ... there is a bit of risk reward for players using the terminal to replenish their consumeables and ammo or even change the loadout in the middle of combat .. 2 seconds is a very long time when you are under constant fire ... it should however not be able to spawn maxes



    one thing is clear though engineerturrets need a higher pitch for AA capabilty ...
    and yea i would add a flakvariant and empirespecific turrets as well ..
  5. Liewec123

    engi is my main class, and it feels anything but weak!

    the class specific passive increases the speed at which your shield starts to regen,
    combined with Advanced Shield Capacitor and Bionics you have super low downtime between engagements.

    and what weapons am i taking in to battle? that would be an LMG as my primary so i can outgun people in mid/long range,
    and a shotgun secondary with a flashlight, so i can outgun people in CQC and blow away any pesky cloakers sneaking around.
    (i run Godsaw and Brawler for the coolpoints!)

    then there are the toys.
    i almost always run with Spitfire, sure it won't be soloing anyone in a 1v1, but the damage it adds ontop of your own is nice,
    you can also use it as cover, it arguably works better than the hardlight barrier! XD
    spitfire's main strength however comes from using it as an enemy detection system thanks to the beeps when it spots an enemy.

    then i also have either a pair of bouncing betties or a hardlight barrier (i usually roll with the betties)

    and did i mention i have infinite ammo?

    engi is strong, i'd say besides max it is the ultimate pointholder class.
  6. Shadowpikachu

    Spitfire used smartly can be undodgable damage or distraction.

    Anti-infantry is weirdly a ranged thing, just tapfire down 30m+, it isnt really a mower turret.

    There can be adjustments elsewhere or alternate anti-infantry for closer range, but these as they are are fine from my experience.
  7. brutes359

    Meh, the problem with engineers is that they lack versatility. They tend to underperform HAs and LAs (as they should) and their vehicle dps leaves a lot to be desired. They need a portable AA gun turret with an open-air lawn-chair style control seat for aircraft, and a higher damage-potential av turret that can really justify making themselves a big target.

    AI infantry turrets are okay in chokepoints, but the giant nuclear lighthouse that is the energy shield is a dead giveaway that just screams "Shoot me" to snipers. Traditionally, machine guns emplacements rely on combinations of good emplacement, and stealth to ensure they can fill their purpose as crowd control style weapons before being destroyed by tanks and snipers. Simply giving them a solid-plate, non-glowing gun-shield would be an excellent start on that as we see with the NS faction.

    Beyond this, I would like to see engineers actually have some unique perks that only they can specialize in, such as being able to place more landmines without them de-spawning, boost the shields and weapon performance of infantry around them through consumable placables, use deployable drones that range from combat, to utility, to surveillance and vehicle hunting and more.

    Generally, it seems odd to me that auraxis is set in a world where energy shields, hover tanks, laser weapons, and railguns exist, but drones are completely absent.
  8. BengalTiger

    For using turrets - Jockey implant gives up to 50% shield boost when operating one. This partially solves the issue of being a big target.

    Hard Light barrier - plant this atop stairs, you can stand a bit back and therefore crouch behind full cover from people coming upwards.

    The AV turret is with infinite deployments and infinite ammo. It's pretty powerful as it is.

    Now food for thought - MANA turrets being more powerful, but engineer can only carry them like mines and needs to resupply after using a very limited amount?
  9. JibbaJabba

    are you aiming downward which lowers your player model head hitbox?

    If left solo it is a sentry that alerts you and everyone else. In a world with oblivious teammates your turret saves you more than you know.

    The anti-vehicle mana turret is indeed a joke. It was viable pre-CAI, and before the 300m range limitation. Now... it's just a "shoot me here" noob trap.

    the anti-infantry mana turret has some of the best accuracy in the game. Most make zero use of this because they full auto it all the time and bloom it. Snipers can't one-shot you if you have Jockey and Robotics implants. Simply aiming up when not actively firing will basically close that hole.

    That would be OP as ****.

    Also - don't forget the engineer does not have a normal overshield. It recharges really fast.
  10. DarkQuark

    I primarily play Engineer and have for several years. I don't think it is week, especially post ASP. Running with an LMG and Shotgun can be nasty and fun!

    One thing I truly wish we had as an ability though is to give ammo to vehicles in one form or another. That would not make Engineers stronger but more useful for sure.
  11. BengalTiger

    Something like an ANVIL ammo tower drop?
    As an Engy only thing.

    Side note - it's not like ammo Sundy or Galaxy or even the base building ammo tower don't exist...
  12. Liewec123

    i don't see that happening, you saw how people lost their minds when NC had a semi-decent AA option on engineer.
    if a skyknight ganks you while you are repairing you aren't allowed to have tools to fight back,
    because otherwise the skyknight might not get the cheap gank!
  13. TR5L4Y3R


    ... err he has no overshield, that´s a heavy assault thing ..
    he has just a quick recharging standardshield ...
  14. Yaesu

    Infiltrators are, have ruined this game for me. Stopped playing my engineer months ago because I was getting wasted every few minutes by infiltrators, mostly stalkers. So I certed out a stalker and have been playing it since. A trend I'm seeing a lot lately is a lack of engineers. People running out of ammo, Max's running around looking to get repaired. I've ran to a nearby sundies to change classes just to repair Max's. Sad really.
  15. JibbaJabba


    No sympathy for solo maxes running around shouting for repair. I gotta stop killing stuff to help you kill stuff? They should have kept their engineer alive...if they even had one.
  16. netBattler

    sorry i dont care what anyone says, the hardlight barrier is trash. I can't shoot over it even when my gun is angled up when I'm crouched behind it, but somehow enemies can donk my head perfectly fine while im crouched behind it.

    ABSOLUTE GARBAGE
  17. AuricStarSand

    Their still needs to be something to help new players play Engineer more as infantry, besides just the few who repair max's. Even if a few vets run engi with asp shotguns, that still doesn't help most play engi.

    & mana turret needs some mission to remind everyone to play ai mana turret. I'd still give mana turret a extra button, a concussion grenade mortor it gets to shoot once per 60 sec.

    Ye I'm not sure if the constant need to repair max's is good gameplay, holding a button down without being able to shoot, even medic revives don't require you to constantly hold a button, & it's not like vehicle repair where you just repair to full hp and then don't take dmg for awhile.

    So the engi repair for max's would be better if the engi got to inject the max with a healing dot. So they don't have to stand there healing so often. That would allow engi's to not have to stand around doing nothing, as if their repairing the max similar to trying to dead tower turret, that keeps getting shot at restarting the progress.

    Also not sure if a max being healed at a door fight indefinetly is fair anyways " immortal door max " or " immortal nasons tunnel max. Maybe if multiple engis inject a healing dot, then ok. Just not one guy having to repair slave entirely. At least medics gets to shoot bullets between revives. Repair slave engi doesn't.
  18. AuricStarSand

    lol. it helps block doors or add a obstacle to jump over, tho ye its not all that for sitting behind haha.
    • Up x 1
  19. netBattler

    idk it just feels like all of the engineer ability slot items aren't as fun as they could be. They are underwhelming. I don't want to use any of them.
  20. OSruinedPS1

    Should have stuck with the Planetside 1 class/inventory system instead of trying to balance every class.