http://planetside.wikia.com/wiki/Community_MAX_Suggestions I put the 2 of the most common suggestions i've seen since early beta (2 and half years) up because they were just off the top of my head and I needed something as a place holder. I'm not too experienced with max so it'd be nice if you nice people in the max section could come up w/ some stuff. I'm gonna be poking through the MAX revamp roadmap for things that were posted. If you don't know how to edit the wikia i can edit it for you if you post it. Please contribute and discuss!
I've wanted support MAXs since PS1, but I'm uncertain how balanced giving them a med tool would be in PS2... here's a few for ya, no guarantee they are interesting or worthwhile: Repair Tool can be equipped in weapon slot. Two repair tools equipped would not double repair speed, but you could overheat one and immediately switch to the other for continuous repair. Still cannot pilot a vehicle, but would be useful to have in gunner seats if you're running a dedicated crew -- still balanced against engineer because they can lay mines, use small arms, turrets, etc. and a double rep-tool MAX would not be able to do anything other than gun and rep the vehicle (losing resources if they switch to engie to help with a minefield). Sundie-Balls (multiple support sundies arrayed as a temporary/mobile base) could offer dedicated support crews to passing vehicles. AV/AA Platforms could run with fewer engineers (and thus more squad members having fun and getting xp) if the MAXs are supporting themselves. Ability Slot would need a few alternatives for a support build since the ES and NS options wouldn't be affective. Triage effect in two flavors; one heals infantry, one provides reps to other MAX units (not vehicles). Same very low level effect, but stacks between multiple MAXs. Drop Beacon - deploy your max, you become stationary and after a short time (10-15 seconds?) your team can begin dropping at your location. Can only be used by the squad leader or platoon leader, you have to BE one of those two when you equip the ability or it will not function - no promoting in the field cheese. Point Capture ability slot - the ability to capture a point is NOT equal to ES abilities at least, but running a full MAX squad should be an option, right? Right. One of these on your team and you won't need any of those useless softies in your MAX crash. EDIT: Oh, come to think of it... a slowly recharging burst rez could be balanced vs. medic on a MAX. In effect it is a recharging rez grenade that doesn't charge resources for ammo but takes 30 seconds or more to recharge after each use. Good for recovery after a fight, eh? Might be better as an ability slot, though... if it's an ability slot, I'd say recharge at 30 seconds is max rank after 6 or more ranks (starting it closer to 120 seconds).
I don't see any of the abilities really competing with other ability slots very well. If support maxes become a thing they either need increased defense and decreased offense imo. Make them all weapon slots tbh.
No. Mass a squad of MAXs with repair tools, the ability to cap points, drop beacons, 12 people with MAX Triage -- they are not supposed to be "balanced" against weaponry or current ability slots... they are supposed to be very effective when used in groups... and they would be almost excessively so as written. A few C4 and massed anti-V grenades can take 'em out just as well as any other MAX group, but suddenly you have a real barrier rather then just some softies bleeding all over the floor. RAW, they would be intended to provide vehicle support at forward deployment areas (the aforementioned sunder-balls) to make having fights over territory as well as bases a viable tactic. There are a lot of land choke points where you can put down an AA/AV battery (other than cheesing right in front of the enemy warpgate) that control huge swaths of land on each of the continents... I'd want a bit of a buff to repair xp, maybe more xp if you don't own the vehicle? but, we need something sturdier than an engineer to make that a consistently viable tactic.
