I'm making this post partly out of a desire to bring LA up to par, and partly out of boredom. After musing for some time, I've come up with a few things that would be incredibly fun and useful for Light Assaults... and that I doubt will see the light of day. Still, I liked them, so I'll list them anyway. For Science! (All of these would occupy the utility slot, preventing the use of C4 or medkits.) NS "Maelstrom" Rocket Rifle A fun idea I came up with in answer to a specific problem: MAX spam. A good MAX rush has very few counters other than a slightly larger MAX rush. I figure that, if we must make Light Assault a kill-focused class, why not give them a unique tool to hunt the armored baddies? To that end, the Maelstrom. Designed specifically to counter the heavier armor of MAX units, the Maelstrom rapidly fires small, self-propelled nanite warheads, sheathed in an ablative coating. On contact, the rockets penetrate the MAX's armor before unleashing their deadly payload on the squishy pilot within. While able to rapidly down MAX pilots, the Maelstrom's armor-penetrating coating causes it it pass directly through soft targets (infantry) causing minimal damage, and its nanite payload is ineffective against vehicles. Additionally, the Maelstrom is severely weakened by kinetic armor. The Maelstrom would provide a specific counter to MAXes, while also providing them an additional reason to fit kinetic armor rather than flak. A MAX with flak could ignore C4 and vehicle fire but would be vulnerable to small arms and the Maelstrom, while a MAX with kinetic armor could shrug off the Maelstrom and infantry fire, but be susceptible to C4 and vehicles. Likewise, a Light Assault could only chose effectiveness against kinetic or flak armor. The Disruptor Bomb Many Light Assault players, myself included, are well familiar with the "C4 fairy" playstyle: fly over something important, drop some C4, and pray that you can fire it off before being filled with many bullets. While great against armored targets, C4's heavily reduced blast radius means it's not that great at dealing with groups of enemies. However, giving Light Assaults the means to slaughter groups of players would cause no end of trouble. So, I propose an alternative. The Disruptor Bomb functions like a mix of EMP and concussion grenades, on a larger scale and with longer duration. A Light Assault would be limited to carrying only one or two such bombs, which would be thrown and detonated like C4. However, these would do only token damage. Instead, a Disruptor Bomb would leave an entire group of enemies slowed, disoriented, and without shields. While a Light Assault could use this to score a quick kill or two, the real strength lies in team play: drop a bomb, then watch your allies tear into your victims... assuming you can throw and detonate it before you're spotted and killed. (If balance is an issue, it could easily be changed to a simple EMP or Concussion effect.) Naturally, this weapon would have a similar resource cost to C4. NS Target Painter Light Assault seems to become less effective the larger a fight is; the more people there are, the more likely we'll be spotted and get to play clay pigeon. We can try to C4, but getting close to anything important in a large fight is next to impossible, even with a team. This last idea could give us an option. The Target Painter is, as its name subtly suggests, a mid-range infrared laser designed to coordinate fire. Naturally, the Target Painter wouldn't deal damage. Instead, after firing at a vehicle, soldier, or location for a second or two, a special lock-on target would be created there. Not only would lock-on rocket users lock that location faster (even if there's not a vehicle there), but it would also provide a lock for nearby Liberator and tank main guns (which would simply adjust their firing arc to hit the target). Note that, because this is Planetside, the artistic Light Assault would have to keep painting the area or the lock would disappear, and doing so would likely add some form of "kill it now" visual. Still, the Target Painter would give Light Assaults a good way to bolster the effectiveness of others in large fights. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are any of these going to ever come close to being added? Probably not. Are they balanced? I think they're pretty close, but chances are I'm at least slightly wrong. Would these be incredibly useful and fun? Indubitably. That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading, and feel free to share your desire to see these things added, or to tell me just how far off the deep end I've gone. Happy hunting!
this what they need http://battlefront.wikia.com/wiki/EMP_Launcher just modify the ammo type and its good to go also add a emp time bomb and a c4 time bomb, deployed like the normal c4 but have works like a grenade but stick to target, no detonator is needed
would switch to that right away. I think the purpose of the detonator was to allow the target to kill the LA and thus "dispose" of the explosive himself, but I don't see how a time bomb would be straight up better. it will just be a non-throw-able anti-vehicle sticky grenade that occupies the utility slot rather than the grenade slot. if it needs to cost morethan 100 infantry recources each, no problem. as long as I get to damage my target even if he killed me after I placed an explosive on him.
agreed,the point of time bomb is actualy make sure the bomb explode even you die,since you said the bomb isnt counterable, maybe make it have more ammo than c4 but just a bit lower damage to counter the un-disposalbility of the bomb, i say give it 2 at start,need 2 to take out max, 4 to bring a sundy burning.
When I read about the rapid rocket gun I thought that it would be an awful idea. I like it though, mainly hinged on the kinetic armor thing. It seems pretty situational to me, which is I suppose the purpose of weapons in this game. I'd rather this go in a tool slot though, and perhaps have different variations that make it worse at MAX killing and better at other things, so it's not completely useless as a tool should you not have a large amount of MAXes to fight. While it seems balanced in this respect, I can only imagine the unholiness of whatever SOE version that would be released if they actually ran with the idea.... along with the unholiness of the "SPAMMABLE ROCKET THING KILLED MY MAX NERF!!!!11!!" threads that would pop up all over the forums, whether they're OP or not. I mean the stupid C4 threads are still very much active even after its been nerfed to heck and back.
No, that would be terrible for Light Assault. Think about it. Give that to us, and we'll have the means to mow down entire groups of infantry. Balance concerns aside, that would draw everyone to play Light Assault. It'd take explosive spam to a whole new level, and Light Assaults would be hit with a devastating retaliatory nerf, as is the usual answer to overused things (ZOE, HE Prowlers, Liberators, etc.). That's why I made sure the Disruptor Bomb wouldn't kill anyone. It's a team support and zerg-breaking device, both of which Light Assault lacks. I thought about the idea of a timed bomb. In fact, I almost proposed something similar to the 15 Second Bomb from Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie); a very powerful explosive that, upon activation, announced "I'm a 15 Second Bomb! I will detonate in 15! 14! 13!..." The idea was to serve as a crowd disruption device rather than a killing machine. Ultimately, though, I realized that anything that would detonate automatically would draw far too many cries of "OP! Nerf! NERF!" to be reasonable. I've tried to keep these ideas feasible, on the off chance someone actually likes them. That's why I proposed that the Disruptor use current C4 mechanics; it requires several seconds and a lot of risk/luck for the LA to pull it off. Would I like an automatic explosive? Indubitably. Will we get an automatic explosive? Not a chance. Thus, the trigger.
NS "Maelstrom" Rocket Rifle -C4 is already very powerful utility and such an utility on LA is already dumb. 1 LA can pretty easily kill a MAX because it can go anywhere and make a surprise attack. The MAX cant look to every direction all the time and eventually it either get killed by C4 or Dumbfire. MAX has already enough counter weapons, it doesnt need more. I dont doubt it would be fun with LA but it definitely wouldnt be fun to MAXes. The Disruptor Bomb -If this makes everyone change C4 to this, then I'm totally up to it. Actually I'd suggest to remove C4 from LA and give this instead. NS Target Painter -We dont want more lock-on based weapons. Vehicles have already very difficult time in this Infantryside 2 and this would make it even more frustrating to play a vehicle. Would those weapons be fun to the LA? Yes. Would those be fun to other people? No. Thats why I dont like of them. This game already favors LA and HA alot and Engineer AV Turrets. If the game needs something, it totally needs more specialized roles and not counter weapons against MAXes/Vehicles. Infantry deals with infantry and vehicles are there to keep outdoor clean for infantry.
Ever try to use C4 on a MAX rush? Chances are you'll just end up playing clay pigeon. When there are large numbers of enemies, the Light Assault's only advantage, mobility, is dramatically reduced in effectiveness. No other class suffers such a drastic penalty in large fights. That's why I suggested the Maelstrom. MAXes more often than not simply run Flak armor, which protects them from every effective MAX counter in the game other than more MAXes. The Maelstrom would give them more incentive to run Kinetic armor, at the risk of a lucky explosive shot, while also giving LAs something to do in large fights. Remember, all these ideas would take the place of C4, meaning an anti-infantry, Kinetic armored MAX would likely slaughter a Maelstrom user. And if several LAs coordinate to bring down a MAX with C4 and Maelstroms, then they deserve that kill. That's taking it a bit far. This is supposed to be the C4 of the infantry world; hard-hitting and effective against groups, but difficult to deploy and costly to try. LA's been nerfed enough already, and there's no need to rehash the C4 threads here. Bear in mind, the Target Painter would create its own lock-on point, and expose the Light Assault creating it. The idea was for it to be less of a direct buff and more a "shoot here!" beacon to coordinate fire on a tactical level. IR smoke would still stop it, meaning it'd only make a huge difference in coordinated, anti-tank teams who could volley fire. The main idea is, again, zerg-breaking: a Light Assault could use this to bring ordinance on a critical Sunderer or tank column, but only so long as both the LA and those shooting stayed alive. It's not another lock-on weapon, it simply lets smaller numbers be more effective. If by "fun," you mean "whatever lets someone get plenty of kills without threat," then I agree. However, Light Assault is lacking. We're only really effective in small fights, and even then there's little we can do. There's a reason "Medic, MAX, Engineer" is such a common squad layout; Light Assaults sole job is killing, and in that we're outclassed by MAXes and Heavies. I've tried to create weapons that could counter the most common threats in game (zergs and MAX spam) without becoming farming nightmares. Each of these is dependent on teamwork, coordinated fire, and clever positioning. They would make the most of the LA's mobility while keeping it focused on disruption and causing chaos. As an avid squad/platoon player, I know firsthand how effective large numbers of MAXes are. I know how few ways there are to stop or even slow simple, overwhelming numbers. I've seen how ineffective Light Assaults are in squad play and large fights, both as one and as other classes. We have only a handful of real roles in combat, and bring almost nothing to help the team. In a large-scale, combined-arms, team game like Planetside, that makes us the most useless class in game.
you guys seriously think something like this will be OP ? ok, then add a 'bomb' indicator to alert players inside the bomb explosion radius similar to grenade indicator.
For the most part I love these suggestions from Malcmodnar. The Maelstrom seems like a good armor piercing small arms fire that is weak against nanoweave and kinetic. Of coarse with the addition of the crossbow with explosive tips, this thing would need to out preform the crossbow. My questions, what is the Maelstrom magazine size, will it have headshot multipliers, and how effective is this against maxes, and what is the reduction in damage from kinetic armor, is this going to be effective against other light armor targets (like the flash, ESF, harassers)? The explosive crossbow is 8 shots to kill with in a certain range, but the explosive cross bow has only 3 rounds per mag and it has a low rate of fire and is less effective against flak armor. Just some info that might be helpful- the max has 2000 health, small arms fire does 20% of normal damage against a default max and 12.5% damage against a kinetic armor max. The Disrupter Bomb sounds like a good alternative than C4 if you are attacking infantry. I think this should take the utility slot. I think you could also make different variants of this such as Very strong EMP variant that does the equivalent of multiple EMP grenades and has a longer duration than emp grenade, I think it should also pierce cover a little bit, like it only has the effect and duration of one EMP grenade if the person is not in line of sight. I think people in line of sight should have energy drain for a period of time no matter what class they are(normal EMP grenade only drains infiltrator cloaks and the instantly start to recharge). FYI multiple EMP grenades make the screen very fuzzy so this will badly hamper any one vision if near center. Very strong Concussion variant that does the equivalent of multiple Concussion grenades and has a longer duration than a concussion grenade, should also pierce cover but with lower effectiveness like it only has effectiveness and duration of one concussion grenade. FYI multiply concussion grenades reverses the controls, so the people will walk and aim the opposite way than they try to. Flash variant that has a much wider range and effect time than normal Flash grenade, it will also have a slight concussion effect so people don't run around like chickens with their head cut off. The target painter looks like a very nice tool for the light assault. I think it would also do well for the infiltrator. You said it will allow faster locks, will this also help the striker? and if it does help the striker will it help the NC phoenix get a hit like giving them a flight path, and will it help the lancer by showing what bit of target is showing? Will it tell tanks/dumb fire rockets/liberators how much to arc and lead the target base on the targets current direction and speed the target. If so I think this would bring a whole new level to teamwork and it would help teammates get hits on armor.
I hear people saying that the Light assault is weak in large fights, I personally think that it is not the light assault is ineffective in large fights but that single light assaults are weak in large fights. If you have a team of light assaults fighting you, you will learn how effective they are. The ability for a team of light assaults to jump over walls and buildings allows them to get to locations faster than any other class and since they are in a group it is harder for enemies to take them out. A team of light assaults can hit you from multiply directions at once so while you are aiming at one, there are 10 others on different buildings that can shoot you. All the one your aiming at needs to do is get your attention and hide while his teammates kill you out while you have tunnel vision. The only real counter to a team of light assaults is ether a team of other light assault, air craft bombardment, or enemies with clear shot at all roof tops (like snipers on a mountain). Light assault teams also have a better chance of having some survive to c4 vehicles. If you are soloing light assault c4, if you get seen your chance of successful c4 is much lower and you don't have enough c4 to take out a sundy. If you are in a light assault team then even if you do get seen they can only kill one of you at a time, and you have enough c4 to kill more than one vehicle and even blockade sundies. I don't see enough people using drifter jets even though they a very useful, you can use them to slide on the ground, travel long distances, stay in the air longer, climb hill that normal infantry can't walk up then you can use the altitude to go long distances. They are even more effective when in place with high verticality, such as towers, jump pads, elevators, tech plants, bio labs, amp stations. In amp stations with walls that have elevators, you can use the elevators to go any where in the amp station without touching the ground, and the jump pads you can use to get momentum and altitude. From the top of tower bases you can drifter typically to any of the capture points without touching the ground. Bio labs you can cover a lot of ground when you jump off or you can use the jump pads to get altitude and moment allowing you to drift to the capture point just from the jump pad. Tech plants you can jump of the top of to go to generators or nearby enemy vehicles. I really don't understand why people get so mad about light assaults having c4 since c4 cost a lot of resources, it has a long delay before it can be detonated, it is hard to place on moving targets, and is only close range. And if you get attacked by a light assault team, then you die to teamwork, not the c4.(even though on the death screen it says c4, but you know what I mean) . One tactic that I don't see often is the drifter jet+c4+galaxy combo. It is even stronger now that the galaxy can spawn squad members. If you can pull it off then you can slaughter enemy tank zergs. You fly the galaxy to max altitude so it can't get lock on from ground, and is harder to shoot with flak, and enemy air don't always fly that high. If the galaxy does get attack you can have people spawn in and man the guns, and you can use the altitude to boost your speed for retreating. For when you don't get attack you can drop a bunch of smart bomb (drifter light assaults with C4) on to enemy tank zergs. Is it overpower tactic, no. I can easily be countered by people who look up. It is harder to lead targets that high up from the ground, but you can scare the enemy galaxy away as long as you don't get c4 on you. You can also attack the galaxy with aircraft which gives you the chance to chase the kill, but you will take damage from the gunners and the galaxy will retreat to its warp gate leaving you deep into enemy territory. If you scare the galaxy away it can still come back and drop a payload then retreat. You can counter the light assaults themselves as they come down. Snipers can shoot the light assaults on their way down and as they get closer they can get shot at by all the infantry and will be close enough for high angle vehicle weapons like the basilisk and the walker to shoot them down. The advantage of this tactic is most enemies won't look up and most zergs are dumb.
Glad to hear some support for this! Not sure about specifics. These ideas were just fun little mechanics I thought might give LAs more to bring to the table. I'm reluctant to try and come up with rates of fire, damage, magazine sizes, etc., since those are all significant balance factors, and I lack both the experience and information to figure out what those would be. I honestly didn't think about light armor damage. I'd say it's not a terrible idea for it to work against light armor, mostly because it's next to impossible to C4 them, but I suspect that might be straying too far into HA rocket territory. Better to let it be good for one thing than trying to spread it around. And as for explosive bolts, was anyone actually using those? I didn't really take them into account since they're mostly ineffective anyway. I see how there might be some overlap, but this would only provide a more attractive alternative to LAs, and wouldn't hurt other classes use of it too much. Eh, Infiltrators already have enough toys. Let them stick to recon. Quite frankly, this is the least developed of my ideas. The idea was to provide firing arcs only to heavy artillery - tank guns, Liberator cannons, and the like, while also letting anti-armor rocket launchers coordinate fire more easily, and also be of limited effectiveness against infantry (though with their small splash radius, most rockets would probably only be useful for suppression). The lock-on thing was just a bonus, and isn't the main purpose of the weapon (in hindsight, I probably shouldn't've listed it at all). It would mostly be there to assist in combined-arms combat. I agree with you for the most part. I think what tools we have are fairly well balanced (as much as I despise C4's detonation time, I can understand arguments for it). The only problem is diversity. LAs don't play well with other classes; if a platoon wants to use LAs in a large fight, they often need to dedicate an entire squad to doing so. No other class needs to have an entire team of only that class to be effective/ Yes, it can be deadly if it works, but, in most situations, those players would accomplish more as a combined HA/Medic or Medic/Engineer team. We have to work alone, because of which our lack of tools is all the more pronounced. Additionally, no other class has a special ability that weakens so quickly with the scale of a fight. Heavy shields fare well in all but the most lethal shootouts, Medic healing is useful no matter what, Engineers just have more to repair the more shooting there is, and Infiltrator cloaks actually work best in large fights where there's too much going on to notice a faint shimmer. Light Assaults, on the other hand, only need to be spotted once to be much less effective, and this happens much faster the more enemies present. My suggestions were to let us have more impact in a shorter time without just making us overpowered in the extreme. It's nice to see so many wonderful walls of text.
What if spotting an light assault would only give info to a limited number of people. Spotting light assault helps you fight them in one and ones and in small fights, but in big fights it is like an eat me symbol for twenty teammates to murder the light assault. I wouldn't worry about the Maelstrom going too far into heavy territory if they could damage light armor, since it still wouldn't do any thing to heavy armor. Making the Maelstrom do damage extra damage to light armor would only make it a better than shooting it with small arms fire, it wouldn't really defeat the point of rockets. I understand your choice of not giving stats for your suggestion since that requires balancing. I actually use that explosive crossbow since it is the only side arm that damages heavy armor. It also does more damage than small arms against light armor units. I put it on my anti vehicle light assault and my engineer (I haven't got the AV turret yet so it is the closes thing I got to anti armor for the engineer). Now if the painter only works like an advance spotter, then I don't know if it would be that widely used. You can often do the same thing with the spot button. It seems it may be useful for helping arc shots at a distance but there is only so much distance that would be helpful since things wont render if your really far a way. It might be under used thus. Maybe make it better than normal spotting by it leaving enemies spot longer, and have it auto spot enemies in sights. I know that I basically only showed what a team of light assaults can do, not what they can do with other classes. While going up against a team of light assaults is overwhelming, a light assault can still help teammates by distracting enemies. Having light assault attack the base the same time an other ground force goes in. You said that medic/heavy combo would accomplish more than a mass light assault attack. What is even more effective than one or the other is a smaller one of both. If you have a heavy/medic combo in coming in then you can then send a few light assaults to take out enemies focus on the medic/heavies. If you use the Light assaults as a way to hit the enemy from two directions then you may find the class more effective. You really only need one light assault to get some flanking effects, get on a building and shoot enemies engaging teammates, now the enemy ether turn toward you and get shot by teammates or continue on and die to you. It is always effective to have at least one of every class since they each has its advantages.
I myself am an avid user of the light assult class and think these additions would benifit the class well my only sugestion would be to make a la only primary weapon that focouses around ambush tactics because I find the la to be most effective in ambush attacks.
