LA/Infiltrators are built to surprise attack, a shield delay on HA will give HA no fighting chance!!

No... They don't... They have a less wide variety of weapons available, less useful utiltiies, and less health. They do not have better anything. The only advantage they have is that they were able to get into whichever position they spring the attack from easier than a HA would be able to get into the same position.

The problem with this is that HA's ability completely nullified the split second advantage you get from outpositioning your opponent by giving them an extra health pool to burn through where they can twitch to find their shooter and begin returning fire on a level playing field (or even at an advantage, depending on twitch speed)... The price they paid for this? Nothing. The price the LA/inf paid to get into that position to have an immediately-nullified advantage? NOT being a HA, and considerable risk whilst flanking/positioning as an inferior class to the hordes of HA that may be around every corner that (as noted previously) are guaranteed a win in every face-to-face conflict.

If you'd like to find some, I'll show you some screenshots of me stood there as a HA... Given that it's pretty easy to get a Harasser into a Biolab, getting a HA onto a rooftop is hardly a brilliant feat...

Good for you. I look forward to the death of your archaic and boring playstyle, and for us moving towards a more interesting and strategic game that isn't incredibly repetitive and boring (a la quake).

As an FYI, the 'COD' accusation is a pointless one; COD sits on the same ADHD spectrum as Quake (albeit at the other end of the spectrum - Twitch->Casual). I have no interest in the game even slightly tolerating casuals. I do have an interest in the game being exceedingly challenging with exceedingly high skill ceilings for strategy and forethought, not simply a rating system for how many energy drinks you've consumed so far today. Unless you're really suggesting that COD requires more strategy than PS2, you're just blowing smoke.

Yep, I know they do. And they're welcome to. What they're not welcome to is using their reaction time as a crutch to make up for having absolutely no situational awareness, teamwork or tactical thought. Every person who's planned their engagement properly should dominate any person running about mindlessly with a gun. Sorry.

Also, I haven't claimed HA is OP at all. Let's not strawman, eh?

Let's not get into cliches eh? This argument is no more rational than my obvious response that you need to L2P as HA if you -ever- lose to a LA, because I never do. It's shameless dick-measuring and it has no place in constructive discourse. Cheers.

Lol at who ever brought halo 1 in this discussion.It had a pretty high skill ceiling.Bringing it in context with CoD is a shame.

Lol, yeah, nice selective quote. If you'd like to actually do some reading and then come back with something meaningful/constructive, be my guest.

Also, my server NC still sits underpop most of the time, just so you're aware

The HA shield should not be changed anyway. It's been in game since the beginning. Totally absurd to change it after all this time.

Is here realy players who can't kill HA with suprise attack??

Why do people keep using these [PSA] tags when it's essentially just another whine thread?

Adapt and overcome, good sir!

"Problem": Infiltrators would be too stealthy for idiots to deal with.
"Solution": Loud, shimmering cloaks.

Problem: Pistols are generally worthless.
"Solution": New pistols. (Cha-CHING!)

"Problem": Zergfits can't strategically cover their flanks.
"Solution": Lattice system.

"Problem": There's no way to instantly win at close range.
"Solution": Pump-action shotguns. (Cha-CHING!) (It's okay, we can nerf them after the scrublings have bought them.)

"Problem": LAs are using their power to get the drop on people, a core feature of the class.
"Solution": Loud jetpacks.

Problem: Tanks are farming infantry at spawn rooms.
"Solution": Walls. Walls everywhere.

"Problem": People have to use skill in close-range dogfights.
"Solution": Coyote missiles. (Cha-CHING!)

"Problem": The class designed for survivability in up-close encounters survives in up-close encounters. (Fancy that!)
"Solution": Nerf the shield's activation speed.

Epic post lol and so damn true.

Shield delay will restrict HA more towards the offensive role, since they have the initiative to pop the shield, wait and run in. It will take a lot more situational awareness to know when to pop it in a defensive position. IMHO, that's perfectly reasonable.

As for how to counter LAs and Infs after the shield nerf... Bullets to the face is usually a good move. You still have more health than every other class minus MAX, you still have your Lmgs. You will have to do what the other classes do when jumped upon and fight back.

... says the person that posted "'OMFG SOMEONE OUTPOSITIONED ME AND I WASN'T EXPECTING IT!!! TIME TO AUTOWIN REGARDLESS BECAUSE I R HA!!!' button..." Honestly, if that is your definition of "constructive" I think I will abstain.

Cool. So if its not a problem for everyone, that means we don't need to nerf, right?

Run in, with Overshield on? Run?

I think he meant "walk in a sensible manner towards your nemesis"

Whilst I agree with the rest of the post, I think the point you're missing is that the HA isn't JUST the class designed for survivability in up-close encounters. If it was, this would be spot on and the nerf would be worthless. It's also designed for survivability in long range encounters, and AV encounters, as well as being the class designed to engage infantry, MAXs, tanks, and aircraft and close, medium and long range.

Until it has to sacrifice some element of being the best (or nigh best) at everything, it's too much of a common sense pick which is completely stagnating combat in the game. I shouldn't have to kick players from my squad for playing LA/Inf when I haven't specifically asked them to, but unfortunately they're pure dead weight. My entire squad would be a dozen times better off if they were HA (or Medics).

So, apparently one can't be constructive and satirical? That's really tragic. I'll have to tell my board that jokes and parody during meetings are off limits now... Thursday's GM is gonna be loooooooong... :/

Aside from the hysterical logical leap and continued attempt to make this into a 'NC OP' thread, it's like you can't avoid the strawman nonsense? Is this because you don't actually have a reasoned/rational defence for your opinion, or what? You don't need to, you know - you're very welcome to your opinion. Doesn't make it right, tragically, but it's cool - just don't feel the need to pose obtuse and nonsensical rebuttals that are eternally off topic, eh?

The direct fighting class is best at direct fighting? Color me shocked. They also can't fly, can't cloak or hack, can't repair, and (the big one) can't revive. To put a delay on the NMG is to make it utterly worthless- the movement penalty is bad enough. Now all this class has is a (weak, except en masse) launcher and maybe a situational ES weapon.

Of course, since LAs have been nerfed to oblivion with the jetpack sound and the supremely unwarranted flying ADS removal (flying ADS is one of the things that *made the class* what it was), they no longer succeed in their role. Dropping C4 and maybe camping in biolabs and on top of the occasional building is really all they're good for at this point. So, yes, the LA fails against the HA. But that's because the LA was nerfed without reason, not because HAs are overpowered. Don't fall into the trap of Higbyism.

poor use of PSA.

I myself feel concerned since I like playing HA as main class.
Though I see the points Phazaar and other players are raising (easier to get to understanding when people do not seem to be insulting) there's a few questions I've had in mind.

- Where does the need of changing the shield come from ? Was it a real issue in the first place
- Why now ? Some will say better late than never but well .. it's pretty late
- What will be the changes really ?
I mean you cannot put on a roadmap stuff like "we remove your instant win button with a ramping up". What does it really means ? Will the HA still be slower with the shield ? how is it going to affect the consumption of the shield ? How long is going to be the ramp up ?
The changes need testing and devs might not have a clear idea yet but a glimpse of what it's going to be would really help easing people down.
It seems like a U-turn from the very first idea of the shield so far so ... I don't know some explanations would be welcome.

This sounds good but the problem you are missing is, people will now just play medics instead of HA.

The AOE heal is already more powerful than the shield, just not alot more powerful. With a delay on HA shield that changes and the AOE heal +revives becomes even more powerful since the HA was the class most likely to kill them.

In this game damage comes form every direction usually at the same time. The shield is already delayed most of the time due too lag + clientside hit detection, making Resist shield(already the most powerful shield) worthless since you cannot predict most of the times you will take damage.

Also since nano-weave does not stack with Resist Shield, all HA's that are left will be RS + Flak which means a trap will be set for new players attempting to use the HA class.

There is more issues than this, but these alone show if SOE is insistent on changing the HA class this much, they need to review the entirety of the class, since it has had many nerfs on this scale already and now will be the "predict the future or die" class.

Realistically, I see the Inf and LA as the next nerfs once SOE castrates the HA class. So at least HA players have that to look forward too.

I am not really for the HA shield nerf, but will accept it without gripes if they nerf the Medic's revive speed. If they don't, Medic revive trains may take over the game.

Based upon the evidence so far, no you can't.

Oh please! Don't try and get all "wordy" after someone reminds you of your previous childish posts. It doesn't work on anyone that has kids.

As for "strawman", you suggested that this game was a "HA fest". I point out that nerfing based on popularity would be extremely stupid. So we will both agree that nerfing a class because it is played in large amounts would be a bad idea, right?