[Suggestion] Fixing Heavy the easy way

The simple fix, without a rework, is to just make it so that the shield covers all or the body besides the head. Headshots should still deal as much damage as it the shield was inactive and should not drain shields that drain when damage is taken. This way, heavy assault wouldn't be a hard counter to flanking and/or skill.

It's an easy fix. Fully agree.

This seems a decent idea(I guess)

a better fix is to create game-mechanics that improves the other classes viability in the game.

I've already mentioned it before (although it's not my idea originally): Security Consoles could make the Infiltrator and LA highly prized units in Auraxis combat. These would be small consoles with a healthpool that can be destroyed by shooting it. Every console has a benefit for the defenders. From providing a shield on a doorway to restrict the attackers to preventing any turret or terminal being hacked while it's active to powering the ammo towers etc. Put these in places that are hard-to-reach by Heavies because they have to fight through the defenders, while LA and infiltrators have a chance to get there quickly and disable this advantage.

The attackers need something similar to make LA's and infil's on the defenders team more useful. I think a wide range of calldowns could work similar to the squadbeacon. These things could activate or accelerate things in a large area. Think "mundane" things like turrets, ammo drops, revives/heals and repairs.

Medics are revivers and damage healers, but you could add some damage preventing to them by giving them access to deployable shields (which if you read the engineer page were originally intended for the engineer but never created). These shields could come in the form of half-cover (you can duck behind them or shoot over them) or full cover, or even one horizontally above your head to shield a bit against airstrikes. The size and shape of the shield would determine the total health-pool of it (the smaller the more health it gets).
Anyone can walk through them but they block grenades, rockets and small-arms fire. They have a limited health, when depleted they can regenerate. You can destroy a shield completely by destroying the shield-generator put down by the player. This gives another incentive for LA and Infiltrators to get behind enemy lines and destroy shields put down by medics, and it gives medics a specialized and important role in the battlefield.
If they even have access to several utility-shields that cost resources to place you could have some extremely powerful shields on the battlefield at a price.

And suddenly the HA doesn't look like the mainstay infantry anymore. LA and infantry have an important role in clearing away the advantages of the attackers/defenders for the HA's to push through, medics are very important for creating cover for both sides and engineers have always had their vehicles, ammo packs, explosives and turrets.

Short and simple with an emphasis on skill. I like it.

While those are some decent ideas, thinking small is probably the best way to get positive changes in game at this point. Lemon's change could happen with a few lines of code, yours would take several hundred. Not to discount your ideas. Just being realistic.

easier: just remove the over shield altogether

the HA still has LMGs with twice the ammo of other classes per clip, and rocket launchers... why have an over shield at all?

thinking small is what dev have done while player base has declined 80% or so

Having no ability would be bad. I wrote out a more complex fix suggestion but with all the stuff the devs are working on, a smaller solution is needed. With this, heavies would still be good but wouldn't be as effective against players that can headshot, and the mobility reduction would actually be a disadvantage. As of now, it means nothing unless if resist shield is being used, because the time that the heavy spends going slower is time that he isn't technically taking damage. This change would make the overshield more balanced without having to remove it.

Then medics will be the new HA as the regen field will be flat out better... and then the lesser accurate guns like shotguns, lower accuracy LMG, ARs, carbines, and 2nd gen SMGs will need buffs as they are not really "headshot viable".

Messing Infantry balance in such a way will have serious effects on gameplay. The change to nanoweave already had a massive impact.

Medic won't be the new heavy because, as you said, most guns are not very headshot viable. Heavy assault will still have more health and be a good front lines class, but if someone gets the drop on a heavy they will no longer be able to just tap F to win. It takes aimbot to get 100% headshot accuracy. Heavy assault will still have an advantage. I also don't see why this would make guns need buffs.

i coulda sworn they already did that

This would not work, all it would do is make medic the new meta class.

No, because not even the best players can get 100% headshots. It'll still be the meta class, it just won't be able to counter light assaults and infiltrators that get the drop on it. That way it's more balanced.

Except getting the drop on someone doesn't always mean you have a clear shot at their head. With TTKs as fast as they are you can take someone from full to dead before they even know they are being attacked due to lag. Plus, you can just as easily headshot someone in a head to head fight, meaning the HA ability would fail to do the very thing it is meant to do.

Since the overshields reduce movement speed it also makes them easier to headshot. So the movement speed reduction would need to be removed in the very least.

That's the point. The movement speed reduction is supposed to be a disadvantage. With this, there would actually be so pros and cons to heavy assault. The movement speed reduction isn't even very large, either, it's 25% off. This means you're moving at .75 which is equal to ADSing with a the old orion, which was fast enough movement to be complained about constantly on forumside. Anyway, as previously stated, headshots are hard to get. This wouldn't make heavy assault a bad class, it would just make it more balanced with other classes. Heavy shouldn't be a hard counter to flanking and/or skill, like it currently is. If this is implemented, we can fix that.

i see nothing wrong with the HA class
its current shield still takes double damage from headshots and can be drained in 2-3 bullets. if you get the drop on a heavy, and you cant kill it with your current class or weapon, pick a different one or aim better.
i use the lynx currently, dealing 125dmg per bullet, and have NO PROBLEMS killing heavies, even if ive started firing AFTER theyve popped their shields. is it my high RoF thats doing this? no, i was able to do the same with the Jaguar at 750 RPMs. was it the .75ADS on the Jag? no, usually i hipfire.
the problem with heavies is that they are the most played class, therefore people die to them more often. if i die 10 times to one thing and 3 things to another, there are two things you can do: 1.) learn how to overcome it 2.) complain
-all other classes move faster than HA in ADS so "movement" isnt ur problem.
-the shield can be easily taken down with good aim (even with the lynx which is terribad)
if you still cant hold ur own, try playing a heavy. oh your still dying to them even though you have the same abilities as them? hmm...

yeah, it would make it more fun
horrors !!

or dump PS2 and roll into a balance FPS

btw, do you play HA much?

You're totally right, all of this is pure imagination and people who express reserves about HAs, think about alternatives and spend time on forums just do it for the pleasure of whining.

I wanted to upvote your post. Sadly, because of my poor hand-eye coordination and poor aim i was unable to click on the upvote button.

(Congrats for your HAs stats, by the way.)

no, im usually Engineer as u can see
https://www.planetside2.com/players/#!/5428010618036233921/stats