I never got a shot at using them. I've used max level regular jets a lot, though. They're a lot better with the upgrades. What did the Icarus pull, though?
From a youtube video I saw, it made them like a rapid boost jetpack. Ah found it I was hoping to take the icarus jj and a shotgun and act like the dark trooper from star wars battlefront Go to 2:05
I used the Icarus.. for quite a long time. Using the standard jump jets now.. I just feel so slow an useless compared to before. Icarus made the LA class for me no doubt, was a key element in gameplay for myself. If I had a choice, I rather just trash the current JJ and have Icarus be the standard.
Those jets lose a lot of fine control maneuverability. The charge rate seems pretty low, considering the rate of depletion as well. They do boost fast though, give them that. I don't think they're that much stronger than max upgrade standard jets, which also have a safety net from recharge if you miss. Don't really see why those can't be included, they have a number of tactical disadvantages to cancel out the benefits compared to standard model jets. Was that the upgraded level or the default in the video? I like the Dark Troopers in Dark Forces more than Battlefront and more modern Star Wars games. What I would really like is a jetpack hover mode with some upward thrust options. Drifters could be interesting, but the description of just being a hang-glider model turns me off from them. Next to useless if you have to climb things and jump off them for a temporary hover. Be nice to have a tool that could be used to create flying firing platforms to really complete the chaos of a vertical envelopment.
They are a sidegrade. A sidegrade I loved to use, and I hope they'll bring them back. Used right, they were awesome.
Drifters are interesting, but ultimately extremely situational. I messed around with them in beta but never ended up using them since, if you can't get off the ground in the first place, it's very difficult to get to an elevation at which you can glide to another high point.
I tried them as well thinking it'd be cool to "drift" around and shoot people while moving at near running speed. Despite the steady descent with the drifter, aim is still horrid. If aim were still decent while using the drifter to move, then its uses would skyrocket.
Overall I prefer the standard issue Jump Jets. If certed out they have the versatility to do nearly everything. The drifters are just a downgrade for their use is nearly non-existand and the icarus ones only suit those players that try to ascend very high areas a normal jump jet can not ascend (which are kinda rare though very usefull beside the fact that most carbines are crap at long range engagement).
When they removed them from the beta i was sad but then happy to see i still had them aslong as i didnt unequip them. Figured they took them out for abit since they were buggy. Come release picked light assault saw there was no icarus jets straight away changed to engineer. Not played anything since the engineer. The icarus jump jets sacrificed forward momentum for a boost to vertical.
While I myself prefer standard issue, I disagree that icarus jets would be useful only for ascension. Icarus jets are essentially jets with very high vertical acceleration, meaning you would be able to drop from higher locations while spending less time slowing down, during which you can be shot down (therefore the less it takes, the better). Furthermore, in close combat situations, icarus can potentially outdo the standard issue jetpack simply because it lifts the characters more quickly, meaning their overall time for hopping up and down levels as well as over barriers and obstacles is greatly reduced. It would be much easier to get an enemy you run into around the corner to lose track of you as well; the stock jetpack, after the initial jump, has a relatively slow movement and the opponent can adjust aim rather easily, but with icarus's boost, I think the probability of getting them to waste bullets or lose their aim would greatly increase. Heck, you could just go high then drop on them while spraying for a knife kill without the slower arc that the stock jetpacks give.
Well, they I guess they have been removed with purpose. Even now I see a ******** of LAs glitch around because of their Jump Jets and the lack of the engine to render them properly in large scale confrontation. An even faster JJ could make this "problem" into a serious balance issue. Well, I only had the JJ just for a short time at the end of the Beta but if it is true that they significantly fasten up your fall speed they might be quite usefull. Hell, now I even dont want to spent any certs into my basic JJs. xD
PLEASE BRING THESE BACK !!! I would pay 7000 SC for these if given the option. LA feels handicapped to me without them now. True you do risk suicide from falling if you aren't careful, but that is part of it's balance if you ask me. Advanced Jump Jets that require you to adjust and adapt to their pluses and minuses. PLEASE BRING THEM BACK!!!!
Nothing recent, but they did comment on it once when asked about it on a live stream (I think it was back during SoE live actually) and they said the Icarus jets were removed because they made infantry move faster than the game could track and relate their position to other players which would result in near teleportation-like or 'skipping' behavior to observers when the game suddenly catches up. I believe this was also why the movement speed enhancing cloak for infiltrator was nixed. So if Icarus jets do come back, I think it's a safe assumption they won't exactly be on the same level as the beta iteration.
