I think the recharge rate is fine as well as the durability. What it needs is better team synergy, which is entire point of the new MAX abilities (Lockdown = group stationary defense, ZOE = group point offense, Aegis Shield = group point defense). As it is now it's an above average lone wolf ability that has no real advantage over the Charge. Ideally the Aegis should be a frontline shield to either push or hold an offensive/defensive line. For example: a line of NC Aegis shields protecting attacking troops in a Bio Lab, holding the frontline. The Aegis should be much wider, capable of providing an angle of defense much in the way the TR's lockdown provides an angle of offense. Think the shield in the FUSE trailer: (Skip to 1:09) Should be uni directional wide enough to cover 2 players on either side, so capable of defending half a squad (MAX included). Team mates can fire through it. Pair that with a 25% speed nerf while using and you have a useful TEAM ability. Wouldn't really be OP, since if you keep the durability the same it makes the shield exposed to more fire, dropping it quicker. The quick recharge is necessary to keep a defensive line held much like the TR's non-cooldown lockdown.
The shield is only really effective if it allows you to close the range in at least 50% of senarios, it probably needs to be strong and cover more for that to be the case.
That is a horrible idea. First off, if all MAXes provided "aura" benefits when using their abilities the game would just be broken and silly. The idea that the should could protect friendly troops that could still fire out of it is simply OP in conception. Seriously. Three Aegis shield MAXes switching roles when their shields go down would be invincible. Simply invincible. The current angle of defence of the shield is similar to the angle of attack on the lockdown ability - only you are more mobile. Paired with the extremely high damage absorption of this shield and quick recharge the thing is already a beast. If the current state of the shield is implemented on the regular servers you will come to see that after a couple of days almost all indoor fights with NC will have every corner filled with Aegis Shield ScatMAXes. Also, nearly invincible AA MAX burster Nests.
Basically, there are currently two major reasons to use charge. One is to close the gap near instantly and get a kill. This is a offensively based way. The second reason is to escape incoming fire or enemies to try and survive. This a defensively based way. The Aegis Shield allows you to use the shield in two ways. One is to allow you to close in on a target, for instance when you are attacking an objective, without taking armour damage on the way there. This is the offensively based way. The second way is to prevent damage when you know there is incoming fire, for instance when you are defending an objective. This is the defensively based way. Are there benefits for using charge for Scat MAXes over shield? Yes - the shield is not a straight upgrade to the charge ability. But the point is the shield will be quite versatile already in its implementation on test server, increasing its abilities further beyond the very strong abilities it has now is silly. That said, I could see there being an omni-directional shield that can take less damage then the Aegis Shield option. This would be a fair trade off - lowering damage sink capabilities for full coverage.
Have then changed it not to allow reloads? That's the only really defensive issue. Otherwise it's all about closing the gap one way or another, and it has to do that at least as well as charge to be worth anything. In PS1 the ability was all around cover, which is strange because Lockdown is better in PS2 than it was in PS1, but the MAX shield so far is much worse.
This is the best way to make the ability balanced and make it so it actually has a purpose in groups with less then 6 maxes.
That is a poor example. First of all the striker is the best anti air and vehicle weapon in the game. It makes you better despite its drawbacks. The shield makes you slower, which nearly defeats the purpose of the shield ( avoid damage) and sets you up for a C-4 kill which is the big killer of maxes. Basically since the design ( slow, poor avoidance, glowing) run counter the intent ( more survivability in exchange for killing power) the shield needs to be a better than absorbing 4 shotgun rounds. One nublet can easily blow the shield. and now the heavy just has one arm for offense.
Striker is best only on aircraft. For GV u have disadvantage to lock him 3 or 4 sec until he cover behind rock or something. Yes 5 rounds is good but really? lock on on our dumb fire specific not looks like another anihilator rocket launcher? I want back our dumb fire SWITCH!
Vehicles spend most of their time moving across open ground your argument is moot. Strikers deserve nerfs. I won't bother with the aegis shield. supersprint is an ability too useful to ignore. As MAXes are huge bullet magnets it's better you stay in cover as often as possible.
After not only using it myself, and also fighting against it on my TR, I find that it definitely has its uses, and it's quite a viable offensive option while in large groups. Using it on an Esamir event today, I ended up taking fire from 8 different hostiles, soaking the damage instead of it being passed to my softer, squishier allies nearby. However, this doesn't mean its without some rather large flaws. My biggest issues I have with the shield are: You're still able to be hit in the feet from the front. When crouching, the shield actually covers even less surface area of your MAX, and you are thus even easier to hit from the front. As you are moving even slower , it would at least be nice to be completely protected from frontal attacks (which the shield should honestly do in the first place, even when standing.) You're still able to be hit in the feet from the front. It restricts the MAX suit's mobility too much in my opinion. The ability to run would be nice, even if it means the shield shakes around a bit. YOU'RE STILL ABLE TO BE HIT FROM A FRONTAL ANGLE BECAUSE YOUR FEET ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THIS OTHERWISE GIGANTIC SHIELD. I would like for one weapon to be fire-able at a much lower fire-rate, but that's just my personal opinion. That's my two cents.
One of my biggest issues with it at the moment is that at night, your visibility drops to near zero due to the contrast between the big blue and the darkness. This makes fighting VS in their default camo a massive issue. I actually do like what it brings to the table in regards to multiple MAXes working together though.
Use it while your going up against a tank with dual falcons/ravens. It could give you just enough health to finish it off.
Problem with your scenario. Explosions still take big chunks of your HP since they go through the shield. To be able to do what you described against a tank you have to be able to fire your ravens and if you're somehow alive after emptying both clips at the tank, you're gonna have to reload and the tank will still be up since even both clips hitting won't destroy it. Let's assume for the sake of arguing that the tank missed a shot and only got you with splash damage on the next, you put the shield up while reloading giving the tank a big blue glowing target to aim at, now you will take more explosion damage. What to do now, if I lower the shield after reloading my Ravens I die, so I can't fire, I can't get to safety 'cause of the movement penalty with the shield equipped, all I'm doing is delaying the inevitable. I have had grenades lobbed at me I turn and face the shield right at the grenade, BOOM, still take damage through the shield. All these big elaborate scenarios you guys are listing here aren't viable in game. Go ahead and try it, make a video and post it here. The shield is only good for CQC against infantry with dual shotguns. That's it. Now, the other factions get a boost to any loadout they use, we get one.
As much as I have this in mind whenever the situation would fit it (and there's a lot), I think you're giving NC way too much credit in terms of teamwork; You'll pull a max in the biolab, the nearby engineer will just stare at you with his mines out, you're using #2 voice macro for support, look back to the doorway to witness an enemy infantry push through the door, get killed by that engineer with the mines because he dropped it at your feet before another NC's bounced grenade explodes near you. ..Yes im speaking from experience on that one. Despite that, i still like the shield because I cling to the hope that one day Ill get to take part in an NC shield phalanx D: On a small side note particularly since the burster nerf I would have thought TR got gimped in the specific max ability department, you're rendered immobile/a sitting duck with only the environment to mitigate damage for you, worked out that way in PS1 as well.
Why did you bump this thread? Why? It was meant to die in the endless waves of threads. Also that guy gave NC way too much credit, ScatMax and Phoenix are pretty bad in comparison to what TR and VS got now.
Biggest issue with Aegis, is lack of ranged weaponry to use whenever you stop using the shield etc. This goes both for AV and AI. EDIT: Other then that, i'd say its mostly a lack of coolness. making it stop explosions hitting the guy behind the max, and perhaps giving a shield bash could both make it actually work as a shield, and give the shield some fun uses other then pure utility.
