This is likely something that's been brought up numerous times since it got added to the Prowler following its changes during the CAI and other Wrel era changes. Some may think at first glance it's a good module for the Prowler when in reality it isn't, it projects a shield in front of the Prowler when its in deployed mode that is connected to the Prowler's HP rather than a shield HP bar and reduces damage received from the front from anti-armor weapons. It quite literally is putting a big red target on the Prowler! The only main benefits of it is the bit of additional protection and the fact it more serves to protect whatever is behind it from incoming fire. Other than that it's practically one of the most useless defense modules in the game. If this module is to stay in the game it's gonna need a major overhaul IMO otherwise it will need to be replaced with something that better benefits the Prowler. It for starters should be given a proper shield bar like the Deployment Shield on a Sunderer and the Vanguard shield that has 1500 HP at max so that it gives proper defense to the front of the Prowler against anti-armor weaponry given it's already vulnerable being immobile, some have given the idea it should rotate around the tank with the turret but I don't think that would be good and would likely be difficult to implement. When the shield HP runs out the barrier will disappear and have to recharge to 50% before it comes back online. Other alternative to the Rampart Projector I think would simply be to revert changes made to the Prowler and bring back its old Anchor Mode that allowed it to deploy and have an infinite reload speed and firing speed increase, it worked fine for years why did it have to be changed? The Barrage module could remain as well with perhaps a change in how it functions, example being when activated it allows both barrels or all 4 barrels on the Kingsnake to fire in unison giving high damage output.
I 100% agree. Whenever I face an opposing Prowler that deploys this Rampart (while I'm in the Vanguard), I can cheese them. How? Well, the extended hitbox reduces how much I have to peek out of cover to get a hit. Sometimes, I can get hits on them while they can't get hits on me due to how massive the Rampart's hitbox is. Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V the NC Nimitz Reactor onto the Prowler. Honestly, with how annoying and prevalent AV infantry are, it is a must to have something like this on all MBTs. One of the reasons I main the Vanguard (as oppossed to say, the Prowler, or Magrider), is that the Nimitz washes away the petty griefer damage dealt by AMR engineers and Rocklet LAs. Also, Prowler is the MBT that is most vulnerable to damage. Of all MBTs, the prospect of damage is scariest while in a Prowler. Why? Well, the Vanguard shield and Nimitz Reactor are damage/DPS sinks. Magrider's magburner can act as a damage pauser. Prowler's only option to manage damage is Nanite Auto Repair (NAR), which really is akin to the "poor man's Nimitz." Prowler does not have any good damage management options, which is why Higby made sure the old school Prowler was a long-range vehicle that plinked from afar with great might (indefinite reload speed buff and projectile speed buff from the Anchor). Why did it have to change? Like you imply: It didn't have to change. The reason it changed was because Wrel was trying to appease the complaints of TR scrubs who didn't like the status quo. During the times that you alluded to, the Vanguard shield was stronger than what it is now. It used to be ~4,000 extra HP on demand as opposed to the increased directional resistance. Essentially, Vanguards could deny surprise c4 attacks from LA fairies or rear ambushes from other tanks. Even then, the old Prowler anchored mode could defeat this OP Vanguard shield. The sustained firepower of an old-school Anchored Prowler was that much greater back in the day that it could 1 vs. 1 a Vanguard head-on with a 50/50 win rate. However, noob Prowler mains (which unlike the pro mains, make up 99% of the complaints), didn't like that they had to stop to leverage their ability. They were jealous of the Vanguard mains who could tap their ability while moving. The old Prowler, when deployed, had so much firepower, that it would essentially lock down open fields. Anything that came within its field of view (once already deployed) would be body-slammed into having to emergency repair back to 100% health up from 20% health. The whinnies essentially got Wrel to strip the Prowler of this powerful status. The current Barrage ability encourages Prowler mains to take on enemies head-on up close and personal, instead of encouraging them to keep their safe distance and plink from afar. So, to answer your question: It didn't have to change. Do know that when "it" isn't broken, you might want to "fix" it (i.e., deliberately break it) to then offer the solution to a problem that didn't exist before.
It's actually impressive to see an NC main of all players agreeing that the TR has been treated unfairly in some ways by dev bias and supporting a buff to an ability. Wrel was frankly not a good head dev, him being a Vanu main and their rep for having a mix of mediocre and somewhat broken weapons throughout the years lead to some things that were balanced being made totally trash such as the Prowler. Like you said he basically just gave the trash players and whining tryhards on the NC and VS what they wanted and nerfed to TR arsenal and things were only made worse for the Prowler with CAI. I remember the days when groups of Prowlers would line up and deploy on some high ground or on a road and just lay down a massive barrage of fire onto enemy armor or a construction base, and like you said any tank that got in range of an AP Prowler would be reduced to less than 20% HP in a matter of seconds, combined with a Gatekeeper (before it was Wrel'd) or Halberd top gun and it was a kill. The devs before knew WTF they were doing and made the Prowler like it was to do exactly what players done in the game. It was the best all-around MBT having decent armor and can still engage in a close up fights with other tanks though not like they use to cause of the armor changes on tanks with the CAI, it still has good speed and maneuverability so can get around pretty well and withdraw when needed to ie: repair or resupply, and had a good damage output with its cannons and of course Anchor Mode is what made up for its weakness of having weaker armor by giving it some of the best overall damage output and range. I do still think Barrage is a good ability allowing it to lay down heavy fire while also still moving so not as vulnerable to C4ing Light Assaults as it use to be though given that barrage is limited time and must recharge it still just isn't the same. It was only made worse when Wrel would say like "TR victim complex" when complaints were made, which is really unprofessional and just a dead meme and something used by players that simply can't come up with a counter argument on why a nerf or change is bad. And then comes the talk the Prowler "Was too OP and killing the game and vehicle gameplay." Which is BS, vehicle combat was still about the same as now if not more and back then the game pop was far higher. Anyways it's certainly good that someone agrees and presents some of the facts instead of just making claims. All this does boil down to the Rampart Projector is not a good module and the Prowler deserves better. What is your take on my idea for the Barrage being changed?
Yeah, it used to be like that. I remember thinking of the Vanguard Shield as a "Pass to move from one cover to another", or as a "Pass to bomb-rush a Prowler (deployed/undeployed) from the side. TR's armor strength used to be long-range for sure, with NC 's being CQC (vague memories of winning 1 vs. 2 against Prowlers in CQC). My opinion on what makes an MBT "the best" is this multifaceted. In CQC, Vanguard hands down. In the open (not necessarily long range), I give it to the Prowler. Any scenario with a height differential or rough terrain, I give it to the Magrider. Prowler has always been great in the open. Particularly when it has height advantage over the enemy or when the enemy has no cover. However, the TR whinnies didn't know how to deal with the Vanguards and Magriders who in spite of the adverse range or terrain managed to get long-range hits back onto the Prowler. What these people never understood, is that they were not meant to be a sitting duck for eternity. The meta was (and still is), if you see something you can blast and it is safe to do so, deploy and blast. If you're in a CQC environment (such as a narrow canyon, or Nason's or Crown, or Ascent), thank Higby that no Vanguards are lurking around, **** soldier! As Prowler, lurk in locations that will allow you to keep some personal space. Yes, you will have to play more passive than your NC and VS counterparts. You know what is needed to enable safer aggressive play for the Prowler? The utter flattening of just about all maps. Crush down all the mountains and hills to a more reasonable level. That will allow Prowler to better see the lurking threats, and vice versa of course. I would like the old abilities (for all factions) to be brought back, the current ones are certainly a downgrade. So to answer your question, I guess, yes but if NC gets back the old shield also. This, however, introduces a problem for the VS, because they are the only faction with the reverse case: The old ability was not as good as the new one. So, we'll let them keep the new ability. Now, carrying out this "make PS2 MBTs great again" might sound good at first, but you might actually end up screwing Prowlers in the interim. Why? Because the Lattice system. So, recall that Prowler is not the best in CQC. What is that thing that funnels players through the most CQC bases in the game when the maps are locked? That would be the lattice. Lattice needs to go away. Otherwise, I would recommend you get two friends and operate a dual Bulldog Battlebus with fire suppression. Also, CAI needs to be reverted as well. The reason zergfits are so prevalent nowadays is because CAI makes it extremely difficult for individual players to trim the fat. Say you're a daring player with a trusty gunner. You're tired of your faction zerg over popping this one outpost 5 to 1. You embark on a valiant quest to even the odds by finding the enemy zerg and frying its zerglings one by one. In the good ol' days, you could from a distance, find the enemy zerg and its tunnel-visioned armor units. With ANY MBT (but obviously best with the Prowler) you could take out these lings from afar one by one as a single tank. Hell, even as a single ESF with Hornets, I remember a technique that an ESF guy taught me. You line up on a tank's rear from really far away, make a straight line directly to the tank, prematurely let off two hornets such that they impact shortly after/before your reload completes, then let off the newly reloaded Hornets. This would grant you an instant kill on any oblivious zergling tank. Schema like this that allowed individuals to trim the zerg fat were removed by CAI. Sorry for making this such a long answer, but I want to say "yes" to restoring the old Prowler ability. Just, know that CAI has made the meta more about mobility and being able to GT-FO (you serious DBG? G-T-F-O without hyphens is profanity? So glad I'm not a member anymore) once the zerg designates you as the next thing to gank. Bringing back old barrage might make you have to play even more passively than before. That's my only concern if we implement this as a standalone change.
Giving a straight up shield is against the TR design philosophy, that's an NC thing. If you're goingt to that you might as well give the Magrider more dakka or shields too. A rework suggestion? Maybe the shield health is generated from doing damage, with shield gained equal to say 50% of the damage dealt to targets. This would provide a good defense, while still leveraging TR's main power: Dakka. With the Kingsnake and the Vulcan, you can keep healthy buffer provided there are targets to hit.
Despite all odds, there are still some people like Gamercrow, who 99% time sit on c4 flash infil hunting Prowlers, complaining them to be OP. And trolling in yell chat. >_<
That's actually an interesting concept here. A "Vampire/Lifelink/Leech" ability to fuel it's defense.
