[Suggestion] LA tools to flesh out the Class

Differing from the multiple existing LA tool slot suggestion threads, I wish to propose tool slots which aren't half-baked and might actually be something SOE would put in-game. The best way to get a tool for the LA is to add tool-esque modifiers to the LA class which would require very little coding on SOE's part. Ideas:

1- Medi-Nanite Auto Injector: Heals 0.5-1% or so Health per second, damage does not interrupt heals. Allows LA to go behind enemy lines without severely punishing their survive-ability for equipping c4 instead of medkits.

2- Nano Munitions Dispenser: Replenishes ammo for equipped weapon (primary and secondary only, no UB, c4, or medkits) at a very slow rate (about 1 bullet per second, replenish time balanced between different mag sizes). Allows the LA to lonewolf without relying on sparse engy ammo packs in enemy territory.

3- Dead Man's Switch: All dropped c4 automatically explodes upon death. To make this not obviously OP, c4 must have already existed for the minimum arming time before LA death AND c4 must be equipped weapon at time of death (second part may be a bit much).

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Didn't want to hijack your thread, but I proposed stimpacks, weapon firerate boosters and jetpack afterburners in another thread. I like the Health Injector, but I'm not a fan of the munitions dispenser. Ammo belt is there for a reason. Dead Man's switch is cool, but the second part IS a bit much.

Promote solo and/or no-skill gameplay. Too weak to be a tool.
1,2 - If you're so far away from your allies that you can't occasionally retreat to resupply or find a medic, then you might as well not exist at all for all your faction cares.
3 - I don't like abilities that rely on their user to be dead. Besides, I don't even get this ability. You can't use it for suicide bombings (which I don't like), so you can use it for what?.. Can't imagine a situation where player would've thought: "Oh, it's situation X. Time to use Deadman's Switch!".

These aren't even half baked, they're raw.

Actually it's not easy to find a proper tool for the LA because everything that is recon should go to the infiltrator and everything that is construction parts should go to the engineer.
Something I could imagine would be some sort of "climbing hook": The LA that can stick a durable rope to a place allowing his team members to (slowly) climb up (only one player at a time). Certing into it would expand the length and the lifetime of this rope (and maybe at the last rank two players can climb on it at the same time).

This would unlock entirely new tactics when attacking watchtowers, biolabs or tech plants (you can bring a lot more players to the tower platform without battling up the stairs but they must be defended by the first wave of LAs because they are helpless and vulnerable while climbing up the ropes).
You may get some XP (like 2) for every player that climbs up the rope and leaves it alive at the upper end (or climbs down and leaves it alive at the downside end).

1. Restoration kits
2. Ammunition Belt
3. This isn't Call of Duty.

No, people need to stop suggesting grappling hooks because LAs have jet packs!

With such an argument you could also say medics don't need a healing tool because they already have that healing aura, healing grenades and revive grenades.

The tools should be something that is useful for the team, not the LA alone. and a grappling hook would be REALLY useful for other classes that DO NOT have jetpacks.

And how would that work? A little prompt that enables people to hop on a LAs back as he grapples onto a wall and slowly ascends?

Just READ MY GODDAMN POST.

I clearly gave a mechanism how it could work, do you have ADS or what?
Seriously.

So instead of having to have several LA to control rooftops, we'll have squads employing just 1 LA to launch 6 HA,3 medics and an engie to a rooftop raining launchers and explosives from above without actually ever needing Jet Packs to get there.

An Assault subtype will be delegated to "support". TBH it will do one thing - make SLs ask for LAs on a more regular basis. But will give LAs no more than they have now. On the contrary, more people will encourage everyone else to believe that LA is just another niche support class.

Even less reason to actually actively play LA and even less to care what your LAs are doing as long as them ropes are hanging. There is no need to allow classes that do not have jet packs to get to rooftops. Otherwise why bother switching to a class that does have jetpacks?

No. No team rope thingies. For personal use maybe, in the event you want to attach to a vehicle. But still overlaps with JJ. And since we are looking for a team utility - no.


A team based tool should not just extend the ability of a squad - it should encourage the commonality and volume of the class in a squad. At least that is a tool that I hope we get. There is never enough medics or HA, and frequently so engineers. Overloading with MAXs is even a good idea.

But Infiltrators and LAs are only needed for very small, fine details and frequently can be done without.

I like the idea of having tools related to a Forward Observer. Direct some tank and max fire where it can be used.

The battles are too fluid to highlight targets, and it's already achieved by spotting and squad marks or smokes.

I will agree with this statement but I believe the base concept of forward observation can be worked with and brain stormed into something that can be useful.

Observation and recon is just not an LA motto. Even when hiding behind enemy lines, we do not observe, we hunt.
Infiltrators handle the slow and methodical part of observing and reporting from safe distances. LA flanks and kills targets in compromised position, and message "enemy is here" is carried out by spotting mobile units, and putting smoke in immobile targets like sunderers.
I just can't see how "enemy is here" would be useful to LA himself, and why would he bother to use it instead of just running around shooting things.
I guess a tool to see through walls would be useful, if not imbalanced.

Yes.
Especially considering that we are unbound by Z axis like the rest of the classes, being able to know exactly where your enemy is with magical X ray vision would be overkill.

But I think it would be just as useful and also more justified to know where your closest faction members are without having to do 360 turns like a raving junkie.

I posted the following in the roadmap LA thread yesterday:

A lot of people will go "Wha, why? No, super buff drugs and grappling hooks plz". But I strongly believe that this will help more LA to work together in OR out of squads and will increase the potency of mixed squads utilizing LAs as those will be able to effortlessly patch up holes in their formation without wasting time on organizing the whole squad. Simply, the lack of lines at a particular side will hint that that flank is fairly weak.

Not bad, that's a new one, but wouldn't this lead to HUD clutter? Why not just introduce 3D Radar?

I liked this one from Star Trek: Elite Force 2. The game itself was crap, but it had some innovative ideas. Namely, there was a tricorder tool. By default, player had 2D Top Down radar, like we have in planetside 2. With tricorder in your hand, radar turned to 3D mode, and you could use tricorder itself to perform various tasks like scan or hack.

I guess we could use a tool like this. Scan ability could include two modes:
1) HS/NV mode, mines, explosives and players are detected and highlighted with silhouettes and/or icons
2) See-through mode, with very limited range, and you don't really "see" through walls, you only see heat signatures, like in Red Faction with Rail Drive, in this video from 17:10

And, of course, you would get a 3D Passive Radar, which works same as the current one, but in 3D. Like in this video. Notice how radar in top right corner changes when player equips the tricorder.

Unlike some other ideas, this tool would actually help LA at what he does - flank and attack weak points.
This will help the LA to get some idea of how is enemy positioned before attempting an assault.

But I guess it isn't enough "team oriented" to make squad leaders desire to have some LAs in their squads. I mean, look at infiltrator, he can hack and detect enemies, and they barely get spots themselves.

Honestly I think the best way to make LA more useful for the team is to adjust base design such that objectives are harder to reach by foot and positioning is more important. I think the interlink facility on Hossin has some examples of this, but a few other examples:

Capture point in a courtyard and an AI base turret over looking it on a second story. - It is an obstacle that demands answering, can be easily reached with height advantage, and can be destroyed using something LA has access to (C4).

More multi-level buildings. Not just towers, but something with a third story, more balconies.

Mini-generator that protects an Amp station tower (on the walls) so that it makes attacking the base easier with it down, yet not required to take the facility.

A sniper nest in the center of a large outpost (which would not be connected to the spawn room).

I don't want to over emphasis height and simply elevate all objectives (that would be silly), but it is just a simple way to help correct the problem and mostly to give an example.

Yeah, you'd have to play with the opacity and thickness of the lines and definitely add some sort off an OFF switch. But GRO did it and it's not that bad. Maybe less credible since its a TPS, not FPS. But I'm confident that with all the modern UI examples the artists could paint something both informative and not as much disorientating.

I can't imagine getting accustomed to a 3d radar though. It does make a lot of sense from both balance and utility perspective though. Since the information is still stuck in the corner of the screen so you still have to be careful when you check your radar. Just can't imagine how'd you attempt to align your heading with a targets location on the radar whilst checking the screen if anything is in sight. Seems really uncomfortable in 3 dimensions. (Maybe I am interpreting it wrong - would the enemy blob be in the center of the 3d radar when you look right at it?)

See-through walls is not as bad as most people would think. Blacklight did it, and the tool is becoming a lot more common in modern shooters. It is only bad when only some people have it. This is where it will really rain tears.

Game needs more terrain all together. But asking for a base change is a big thing and likely will end up same as Esamir walls. Really bad.

No, it will be more like this:

No matter if you look upwards or downwards, XY plane will not move, and neither will the height difference. XY planes shows you the horizontal distance to the target, and you can judge where the target is on Z axis in relation to you by height difference line.
You would use 3D radar just to check where the enemies are in general, and you would use tool's scan modes to find out precisely where they are.

Infil can detect enemies but fairly useless in close quarter combat. if spotting the only major benefit, everyone can just use their eyes.

LA, however, can be more effective in killing infantries. having a detection tool on top of that, i would say, more desirable by a team.

so LA can be more supportive in a close-combat roles, and infil can stay perched up in that hill for longer combat.

i like the idea.


but i'm still sticking to my own from the other thread: overcharge (i see its been mentioned somewhere too).

make jetpacks faster and longer with long cooldowns would increase the one skill that other teammates expect an LA to do best the most: flanking, killing and disrupting.

its like fairies on steroid.

I have said it before and I shall say it again, a net-gun would be best for light assault. It would shoot an enhanced net that entangles enemies and prevents them from moving. It would play to the light assault's strengths and would provide a team aspect as well.