I've figured out how to break a stalemate

1.grab engi
2. take underbarrel smoke
3. lay ammo pack down
4. Endlessly spam smoke on enemy position
5. Watch your faction now actually try to push and the enemy scatter because they can't see each other
6. ???
7. Profit

I've always wondered why more people don't utilize underbarrel smoke with engis, it's one of the only things in the game that can obscure vision and be spammed ENDLESSLY. I just did this at a tech plant fight vs the TR and it was hilarious to watch, I got no exp for it but I was satisfied knowing I just ruined a comfy farm for some people lol.

Last couple of times I went sniper I had someone throw smoke grenades in front of me. It was really annoying.

yes it really is lol. I can't imagine what 5-10 engis constantly spamming smoke on a base would be like, might break the game.

I can just see the "NERF UNDERBARREL SMOKE!!!1!" threads now

Oh, so you're "that guy". I mean, seriously, it seems like I can't go through a fight without somebody spamming those things. It's like there was a "buy one, get them all free" sale.

Oh well. If nothing else, it's an excuse to keep my IRNV scopes close at hand.

Did they fix the thing where on Low graphics the smoke is a tiny pathetic puff that doesn't obscure anything?

I've listened to some great fun in proxy chat while using smoke. It's by far the most underrated weapon of mass rage.

Honestly, they should.

The problem with the underbarrel launchers are two: the first is that the output is not worth it by itself; and, the second is ammunition is short so reloading is necessary is necessary. To the first point: smoke doesn't spread that much or last that long from a single canister; the underbarrel grenade launcher is a better shotgun than the shotguns; and, the underbarrel shotgun only fires one shell at a time (and is bested by the UBGL). To the second point: both the clip size and the ammunition pool size are too stifling for the individual drawbacks of the component.

For smoke grenades, they "work" but they also require firing multiple grenades just to cover a sufficient gap. The fact that graphics settings changes the coverage just means an Engineer has to throw down more grenades; if the graphics settings also completely lets players neutralize smoke, which it does, then it's a lot of nothing.

For the underbarreled launcher, it's basically a one-bullet one-direct-hit-kill slug shotgun with arc and an arming radius for AOE that isn't really worth it.

For the underbarreled shotgun, there's the UBGL.

The best place they can start for improving the underbarreled attachments involves increasing the pool size for all the weapons. The shotgun retains the ability to reload from an Ammunition Pack, but the other two give it up, but, with their pool expansion, are not too inconveneienced. The smoke launchers can not be pre-empted by the ini file and the smoke actually spreads outwards and lingers. The grenade launcher goes back to doing AOE damage, but exchanges for its direct damage and has no arming trigger (you can hit yourself and allies easily). The shotgun does multiple - at least two - shots before needing to reload and, as mentioned, can still resupply easily. I believe these are the easiest things that can be done just to make the attachments handle better; and, they dosn't require lengthy development work or new coding, manipulation of the smoke's shader notwithstanding.

How to really break a stalemate:

1.grab engi
2. take underbarrel smoke + mines
3. spawn ESF w/Ejection seats, Valkyrie with Squad Deploy, or Sunderer/Harasser with Smoke
4. crash into enemy Sunderer, ejecting at the last second and firing smoke on the way down
5. lay down mines and throw grenade amidst the exploding vehicles, smoke, flaming wreckage, and rendering delay
6. ???
7. Profit

(bring IRNV to mop up survivors afterward)

but what about in tech planets and biolabs

I was using the smoke in a tech plant lol

I don't know, personally I'm at a point in playing this game where I care less about a weapons viability on any faction and I just want exciting and enjoyable fights. When I'm sitting at hvar tech plant and the TR are sitting above in the balcony preventing VS from easily pushing, and the VS are sitting content below not pushing, blatantly farming at the TR are, and they've been doing it for 15 minutes straight. I start to think of ways I can quickly move things along lol.

Lol and i feel warm inside knowing you handicap yourself with IRNV because of my smoke. It's the circle of planetside.

I prefer my own method. Sneak from behind and kill every enemy in sight.

Or just strap a few bricks to your trusty wraith/fury flash, equip EOD HUD and go hunting for the enemies bubble sundies.

Are you kidding? I love stalemates, It's where I get most easy kills! Just spawn a lightning, drive -inside- the base with Prox Radar and spam bullets on enemy bold enough to come close. 15+ streaks are easy like that... And if the situation doesn't progress means you can keep going as much as you like~

It's boring when it all becomes a "run to base, cap, spam bullets on enemy spawnpoint untill conquisted, repeat to next base"

And that is why I was running only NV scopes when that thing hit live.

Also I think most MLG wannabes have modified their configs to not show smoke and flora.
Among other modifications propably.

IRNV is a handicap? Saywhatnow? It's the sight I run roughly 80% of the time, it's great at highlighting spandex-wearers and infiltrators that think they're slick.

C4 packed wraith (if that still works?). Drive into sunderer, set off the c4, profit.

For some reason, I feel like IRNV scopes are easiest to control the recoil when using too. I love the dang things.

Helps me pick out non-moving targets in the distance, let me see through shields with ease. They're just fantastic.

Hear hear! I always assumed the super thin crosshair was what helped when aiming, could see everything on either side and exactly what pixel you mean to shoot at.

i hate smoke, specially because i benefit a LOT from it. usually i just stand my ground and pick targets off not even bothering to strafe.

Smoke should cloud vision much less than it does now. but it should screw up IFF and make spot markers not work. maybe then it would add gameplay.

Please never stop doing that, my VS HA always has a "Spam the **** out of the enemy with IRNV max ammo Lasher" loadout specificly for that scenario