[Suggestion] Alter the "on headshot" implant stats.

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Demigan, Nov 20, 2017.

  1. Demigan

    More and more impants get modifications at level 5 that say that you will be rewarded on a headshot kill. This isn't a good decision, as it promotes only a select few playstyles and weapon choices. Most of the weapons in the game, especially the CQC weapons, simply aren't good for chaining headshots unless you are extremely close. Couple that with the fact that any weapon will bloom over time and getting the killing blow just after you applied trigger discipline to settle the COF isn't guaranteed and you are left with implants that are best used only with high-accuracy weapons, as other weapons have a much smaller window of opportunity to successfully end with a headshot kill.
    This is a bad decision, as all playstyles and all weapons should be promoted, not just a select group of weapons that focus on headshots more.

    The solution? For starters, every single implant that has a "on headshot" modification should also get a similar reward on a normal kill, for example if you have done a certain amount of damage within a limited time against a player. Preferably as a mathematical function of the weapons maximum bodyshot DPS and being within 10% or above of that maximum or something similar. This way players are rewarded for good play, and even if they don't finish with a headshot, starting with some headshots will make it easier to achieve that DPS threshold but RNG or weapon choice will have less influence on successfully pulling this off. As a possible extra mutator, lower-accuracy weapons will have a higher lenience to the DPS, as they have a harder time pulling off headshots than high-accuracy weapons and thus a harder time pulling off the DPS threshold.
    • Up x 3
  2. JibbaJabba

    I basically avoid the implants that have this, or stop leveling them up and save my ISO when they reach the headshot feature on them.

    I rarely use semi-auto weapons and that's what is require to get the use from these. Don't get me wrong, I land headshots all the time, but many times that just puts the hurting on someone and a body shot is what finishes them.

    I always figured they were geared towards someone with a higher skill than me.
  3. Halkesh

    Why put complicate the calculation when you can simply change "headshot-kill trigger the effect" to "headshot trigger the effect; can trigger only once every 10 sec on the same target".
    You still have to do headshot, but it's far easier to do a headshot than a headshot-kill.

    The other solution is to give half the benefit if you do a normal kill withoutheadshot.


    Also, please add implant that trigger on bodyshot-only / legshot-only (I odn't have for body/legshot-kill)
    • Up x 1
  4. HAXTIME


    Implants should not directly improve 1-on-1 in-combat effectiveness, the kind-of only implant that does this to a limited extent is Battle Hardened, and it is by far the most popular implant thanks to this aspect.

    What could happen, however, is that bonus-on-headshot implants also trigger if the target is killed by a body-shot, but a certain percentage of shots before were headshots (perhaps 60%).
  5. Pelojian

    i can agree with this provided that both benefits (existing and suggested) have a global cooldown and have the same global cooldown, so a skilled player will never be able to have both benefits at the same time, or too close together.

    a skilled player with 100~ extra shield from a headshot killed + whatever extra for 'avg player accuracy' shields would be even harder to kill.

    if i'd done implants i'd never have designed stuff that restores health/shield on difficult kills, because it makes those good players even harder to kill by lesser skilled players. (like that knifing implant that restores health on knife kills, wasn't that fun during halloween?....not)
    • Up x 1
  6. Demigan

    "complicated calculations"? The game makes calculations 10x more complex every second.

    This is just a matter of ROF*damage/60*0,9=DPS with 10% subtracted for the threshold. You could modify this a bit more by adding a distance to make sure distance won't screw you over, such as ROF*(already calculated damage at this range)/60*0,9=DPS at that range with 10% subtracted for threshold.
    Since players tend to be moving you could add 10m to it. so ROF*(damage at range+10m extra damage degradation)/60*0,9= threshold DPS with adjustment for possible movement.

    And that's it! Nothing complicated about it, just applying basic highschool math (or whatever the school's name is in English, I can never tell).
    You might say something like "but linking the implant to the weapon is going to be difficult!", but we already have weapons linked to implants in this way. For example upon a knife-kill you get stealth, or all the "on headshot" mechanics that ignore what weapon you are using. All that comes in the place of "on headshot" is "DPS calculation vs the DPS you managed".

    This again has a problem with high-accuracy weapons. You can look up the average HS ratio per weapon, and you can see pretty significant differences between them. So if you based the headshot ratio on a set headshot % then the high-accuracy weapons would again be far superior than something like a CQC weapon.

    Yes I think that a global cooldown would be a good idea. Having players benefit from these things continuously simply because they are in an ideal position for a moment would be OP.
    • Up x 2
  7. Halkesh

    I apologize for yesterday, I was sleepy and grumpy : I shouldn't have post that.

    For your OP, "10% DPS of the weapon" in description is far more easier to understand now I'm awake. But I don't think it's a good solution (neither the one I post yesterday, after HAXTIME's light). The problem of this kind of implant is it give advantage to player that don't need this kind of advantage to win and it give nothing to other.
    Why not giving the implant bonus when you "participate to a kill" ? Basically : if you kill the target or just get the assist, the implant trigger.
    • Up x 3
  8. Demigan

    Apology accepted, not a lot of people on here have the guts to admit a mistake.

    I actually like your twist. It would make the last level of implants focused more on the support classes, and god knows those can use a few boosts. Having a Medic get some extra health or shield after assisting people would be great. It would also focus the game more on supporting each other, rather than always going for the kill. Heavily damaging 5 people so allies can finish them off vs killing 1 and not progressing should be a no-brainer where people go for the damage, and this would be a first step into rewarding such behaviour.
    • Up x 4
  9. Halkesh

    If any devs read this, please take note.

    I just hope one day they'll do the same for directives and auraxium.
    • Up x 2
  10. Ziggurat8

    Can't comment on implants as they haven't come to PS4 yet but I would like to point out that before my stat reset my weapon with the highest HSR that wasn't a BSR was the Orion.

    Since the Naginatas implementation it's definitely up there. The recoil pattern on both the Orion and Naginata are perfect for starting at mid chest level and letting them walk up your target with the final hits landing as HS.

    Semi auto high damage weapons I tend to do the exact opposite. I start with a HS and finish with body shots.
  11. jettblakk

    This is emblematic of the biggest problem that I have with PS2. The developers only care about the highest skill level, highest accuracy infantry players. Most weapons do too little damage to infantry. Death should come swiftly to squishy boot on the ground.
  12. Demigan

    Actually the TTK has a very different effect on skillful play depending on how high it is but in combination with the ease with which you can hit people.

    At low-TTK's but easy hits, spray&pray is rewarded more as a few accidental hits will get you a kill. On the other hand a skillful player might be able to kill dozens of people in a single flank by simply spraying in the thick of a group.
    At low-TTK with hard hits, spray&pray is somewhat rewarded when RNG shines on you, otherwise the high-skill players will win more often. Allows high-skill players to once again clear entire rooms with superior skill but this time be able to avoid getting insta-killed in some scenario's and kill you right back.

    With high-TTK's but easy hits, the high-skill is rewarded more as they have an easier time winning the 1v1 with accurate weapons. However in 1 vs group, the group is likelier to win as they have easy hits as well and it becomes more of a DPS battle.
    High-TTK's but hard hits is the nightmare scenario, where the high-skill have the health and dodging capabilities to outlast even groups of enemies and can kill the opponents at a much faster rate.

    So there's basically two "good" options: Low-TTK's and easy hits, but that allows a skilled player to wipe out entire rooms with a single flank. Or high-TTK and easy hits, which allows a higher skilled player to win 1v1's more but be less effective against groups. The best solution: Get in the middle of it, medium TTK, easy to medium easy hits. The medium hits side would have drawbacks in harder to hit and things like low magazine size to compensate for a higher reward for success. Not a huge higher reward, but a higher reward nonetheless.