C4 in general is a hot button topic currently, and more specifically it's use by Light Assaults is the more discussed. Now, I play pretty much nothing but Light Assault. I play engineer sometimes if I remember to change when I grab a vehicle, and Infil when I want to relax and pop a few heads, but for the most part I play just LA. However, I do see that the relation between C4 and the Light Assault is a bit questionable. C4 as it stands can, with two bricks, kill pretty much anything but a Sunderer, a Lib, and a Galaxy with the press of a button and I can understand, since it's happened to me before in several different vehicles, how frustrating that is. On the other hand, placing the bricks (which I certainly do as often as my other LA brethren) is not something to scoff at either. It takes considerable planning and positioning to take out even a single target, and the detonation and placement time delay on C4 is monstrously long, so much so that an easy third (totally guessing that, by the way) of all attempts are foiled just because the button wasn't pressed in time. Arguments for both sides are pretty simple and reasonably valid in my mind. My simplified take on them is this: Anti C4: "My metal death machine should not cower in fear of an infantry or sneaky Light Assault, and I can't be expected to always be aware of my surroundings!" Pro C4: "Always keep on the move, don't sit and farm. There is equipment for your vehicle of choice that can counter C4, use it. The Light Assault is an Assault Class and should be able to take out targets like his older Heavy Assault brother." I agree with both of these arguments, oddly enough. I think they've all got merits and a change should be made to make things better for everyone. However, the binary nature of C4's usage (death to the tank in an instant vs a complete waste of C4 on the infantry's part) the C4 issue is frustrating on both sides. Personally, I like the idea of C4. I don't think it should be removed from the game, and it should stay as a utility for all classes, even LA, and even for Infiltrator! So I've come up with an idea to help this problem. The oft-suggested idea to make C4 a place-able brick instead of a thrown one is nice, but I don't think it solves the problem which is that either the tank dies a horrible frustrating death, or the infantry placing the bricks loses a lot of resources for nothing because of placement time and restrictions. So my idea is to increase the usability of C4 while decreasing it's dominating power, along with a certain caveat. I suggest making C4 detonate as soon as the button is pressed, no silly delay time or placement time, make it much more user friendly in general. This solves the issue of Light Assaults losing C4 because of the obnoxius amount of time it takes to place. However, at the same time, decrease it's power so that two bricks won't destroy an MBT outright, but will still destroy a Lightning, a Harasser, and a Valkyrie in two bricks. A single brick can still destroy or at least bring to critical MAXes, Flashes, and ESFs (because, come on, if your ESF gets C4ed, let the LA have his moment). This is pretty close to half-power for the same two bricks max, but not quite. Now the caveat for this change is reasonably simple. It's a pretty well-argued point that the Light Assault specifically would be phenomenally hurt by this change. This would pretty much relegate the Light Assault to Anti-Infantry only, and his only possible role would be to flank infantry, with no other option of play choices available during a battle. Basically it would be the same as taking away the rocket launcher from the Heavy Assault, all of a sudden you have lost your ability to do anything besides kill a few infantry. So, the LA needs to get his 'rocket launcher' back. I suggest that the Rocklet Rifle/Thumper grenade launcher Higby mentioned recently to be the Light Assault's tool. This tool could still be used to destroy enemy armor, but it wouldn't be instantaneous like C4 and it wouldn't do as much damage (or have the range) of the Heavy Assault's Launchers. This solves the issue of tanks being insta-dead by sneaky C4 LAs. So the new way for a Light Assault to take out tanks is now less like a sneaky-sneaky tank hunter and more like a real combat flanker, with the option between armor or infantry, like the mobile brother to the HA it should be. Any Light Assault can go toe to toe with a tank if he wishes, but will most likely lose in the same manner a Heavy Assault will if he tries the same thing, but the LA can still use clever maneuvering mid-combat to avoid tank rounds and before combat to weaken his opponent's armor with the considerably weakened C4. This way, I think, C4 can be fair and fun to use for the LA, and not the end-all fear of tankers. Sneaky Light Assaults can still pick a target and eliminate it if they have the maneuvering skills and element of surprise (along with good grenade launcher aim as the tank decides to retaliate to the C4 'splosion) and a tanker, if he is a good enough aim with his gun (along with all the tools and combat awareness to counter the surprise C4 'splosion) can still avoid being eaten by this Assault Class. (to be clear, C4 strength can be lessened for all classes, since they all have another role to play without it, and I think Infiltrators can have it in this weakened state as well) Thanks for reading!
No, Infiltrators do NOT get C4. Even if weakened. other then that, a good argument with little bias for nerfing C4 a little, while making it easier to use for the LA (you should also mention that perhaps its nanite cost should be reduced as well.)
Very well thought out post and I agree with many parts of it. I am not sure how C4 taking two hits to kill an MBT will work out in the end. Most of the time it will work out well because either the engineer gets out to repair his tank and get shot or they burn to death because most MBTs do not equip FS (and even less equip smoke). Even if they do survive, the LA could use an explosive crossbow to finish them off (in most cases). I have mixed feelings about the rocklet rifle/thumper based on how it is implemented. Are you suggesting they go in the utility slot, a new tool slot, or in a weapon slot? If they add a new tool slot for it I would be mostly fine with it, as this is more or less how the HA has it with their rocket launcher. If it replaces a weapon I would like it to be the secondary slot as giving up a primary does not seem exactly optimal in a game where the pistols are pretty weak (don't you dare prove me wrong Klypto ). As a utility, it would be odd since it would be the only non-resource consuming utility (since the HA does not have to pay for rockets). If I had to nerf C4 (and btw I still think your approach is a good one), I would keep it at the current bricks to kill for all vehicles except reduce the damage so it doesn't take away nearly 90% of a Lightnings health or 75% of an MBT's. I would reduce the deploy and activation time, and maybe try to fix the "C4 does no damage" bug. I would also remove the AV splash that affects tanks and sunderers (keeping it for all aircraft and Light vehicles though because of their speed and the C4 lagging behind the craft).
Meh, C4 is fine ATM. I rarely am C4d in tanks. Like the OP said, just be more aware. Why are you sitting next to the base wall anyways? Its just one of those weapons that requires extreme lack of awareness on the part of the victim to work.
The best nerf to C4 would be to reduce gunner dead zones on vehicles. It's already gotten much harder to c4 MBT's lately, simply because people are more aware of how C4 operates. Nerf is honestly unnecessary, but if we did, this is the way to go.
