[Suggestion] Phoenix shield, a compromise

Funny you should say that - I was trying to defend a Sunderer in a garage on Esamir using its Basilisk and despite hitting the rockets, they still managed to hit home more often than not.

That said - I can confirm that when i'm on the other end and using a Phoenix, if it gets hit the camera goes all over the place (feels like the shell is tumbling) at which point I usually bail and try again.

So maybe the 'out of control' Phoenix shell continues in a straight(ish) path ? I'll have to test some more.

The "out of control" phase is temporary, after a while the shooter regains control of the missile and can steer it against something else: in a crowded area there are other targets.

That's why I suggested to have it destroyed after 2-3 hit.

The best advice as an experienced tanker myself i can give you is: Just RUN, RUN for your life, or you will be dead. Get killed continously by a laughing phoenix spawnroom warrior? Deal with it!

And why are you even playing against NC and NOT for NC like the majority is doing?

Or we could just remove terrible mechanics that allow some players to kill other players while remaining completely invulnerable.

There is ONE rule that should always be followed in a pvp game, and that is that no one should be able to attack without the threat of retaliation.

This game is chock full of spawn room warriors, which is the dumbest mechanic ive ever encountered in a pvp game.

If your spawn is getting camped then you LOST. Retreat to the next base and regroup.

In fact they should change entirely the way bases are taken. Bases should be like onions. You work your way through the layers taking points and when you get all of the points the base should just flip. This sitting around for 5 mins while the enemy is pinned down and shooting out of spawn rooms is just awful.

I mean its super duper awful. Who even thinks of these things?

And then gun becomes unable to be used without 8x the work, 8x the people, for not even the same result
Or we could fix the gun & remove the spawn-shield, so NC isn't handed the only ES Launcher that requires more people than AA does against ESF's.

Read the damn thread, basically.
It exchanges the odd spawn-shield firing for the weapon to become practical.

Completely agree.

Kind of agree. The problem with this game is it severely lacks cooperation, and zerging take infinitely less coordination than arranging a counter-attack. I think the real solution is allowing a smaller group to more easily attack flanks and pull enemy away from the zerg. That hybrid lattice looks like a great way to do it.

That's a great idea. Have maybe 5 capture points on the outer layer, and you need 3 to advance, then 3 on the inner layer and you need to hold 2 to advance, then dominating the spawn gives you the base. Taking the 2nd layers could drop the spawn shield and also disable new sentry guns protecting the spawn, keeping camping from being an initial problem.

lol invisible heavies would negate any way of shooting them while using their missiles

People shoot invisible infils all the time, and they can even move while they're invisible....

Bottom line, people only really use the Phoenix in spawn rooms because you're such a sitting duck. I hate fighting from spawn rooms so I see only two options to make the Phoenix mechanic useful if they can't shoot from behind a shield.

• Make the heavy a harder target. Either by letting him ADADAD while shooting, or let the launcher deploy a cloak when controlling a missile.
• Let the HA soak up more hits while controlling a missile. My original idea. Just let the launcher provide a shield while controlling the missile.

Either way, this is only 3 seconds max that the HA has this advantage, and he can't move or shoot while having it. I think either option could be balanced. And either option is infinitely better than what we have. It's either that or change the mechanic. Probably to another stupid shotgun.

I keep hearing this on forumside. I keep NOT seeing it in planetside. I'm sure it happens during spawn suppression, but the spawn room is not ideal at all to use this weapon.

Stop propagating this myth.

the reason they shoot infils while they are cloaked is BECAUSE they are moving and you can easily see them when they are doing so. if a crouched infl was standing still behind some cover, you would never be able to hit them.

I see it all the time. if there are any tanks within 300 meters of the base, you just get a bunch of people using the Pheonixes to snipe them

You are immobile.
You are deaf.
You are blind.

Anywhere but spawn this is basically suicide.
I make it a point to enjoy the free kills that are phoenix users outside of spawn.
They do not try that again outside.

Spawn room is ideal, only for the safety.
Since no retaliation is possible, nor is the perfect target able to be shot by the opposing side before firing.
It might have severe issues actually hitting anything due to proper positioning from there, but it's infinitely better inside the room than outside, due to the vulnerabilities imposed by the weapon.

In a perfect situation outside, sure the spawn is inferior.
However, that situation requires the enemy to be complete idiots, the user be guarded, and the terrain to be blessed for the event.
In a perfect situation.

In practical play, the Phoenix is an easy kill, and is easily countered by a repair tool.
Hence why so many of us happily exchange the spawn-room for a practical weapon.
As... dear lord is the phoenix not practical.

I personally believe another solution would be more appropriate than cloaking(which I have posted on page 1)

Cloaking would in theory conceal a Phoenix user's EXACT position, but it wouldn't fool anyone who tracks the disco show to it's origin. If you had ever used a Phoenix yourself, you'd know it's user cannot crouch while guiding which makes the cloak fairly easy to see with current cloaking mechanics anyway.

I would love to have Phoenix nests against me as a deep venturing stalker, but seeing others just complain and do nothing is so frustrating. One of these days I'm gonna drop in and kill those TV staring NCs myself if TR and VS truly have become too disabled to put up a fight

you cant though, because they are IN THE SPAWN ROOM

And removing ability to shoot them from there is the point of this thread... Every post here hypothizes on this being the case, while all that's up for argument is how to balance Phoenix back into viability if this change took place.

As reload bug was fixed, there aren't many NC's even using it and even then it'll now be a boredom contest between heavies and engineers again. I personally like most suggestions here in exchange for spawnroom shooting since it's currently so restricting and situational. With reload bug I understand how some people got caught with their pants down, but now that we're back to normal I don't see why people have problems in reaching basic cover from stiff phoenix missiles

Or we could fix the main issues. Those being zero visibility/ awareness while the missile is in flight, and being stuck flying said missile even if you know you're being hit.

Allow the Phoenix user to manually detonate or leave the missile to travel in a straight line, at any time and have the edges of the screen flash when the user takes damage. That solves most of the problems of being completely blind and utterly stuck until the missile hits of runs out of steam. Then it just needs the ability to be dumbfired returned to it as it had in PS1. Really, which idiot on the development team thought it was a good idea to give the NC the only ES launcher that is functionally useless indoors?

Major issues of the Phoenix fixed.

Oh and any TR whining about the Phoenix is a hypocrite who I will happily TK as often as required to shut them up. You whine about the Phoenix but abuse the hell out of the Striker having a 1000 meter or longer range and call it "balanced."

That's the most funny thing about it. Phoenix is OP? Great, show me where to sign and we'll trade for your Striker. No, you want to keep your Striker?

The point im trying to make is that being able to fire out of a spawn room is a TERRIBLE game mechanic.

I personally dont think such a weapon should exist in6t he first place as it violates the ONE RULE of pvp games. If anything it should be laser guided and given 500 meters range and a damage redux.

Striker is pretty useless at anything but close range.

I'd be fine with everyone having a striker!

And i would never use a pheonix, i hate spawn room warriors and will never be one!

And the point I've been making across this thread, has been the weapon is near suicide outside the room, and I as well as many others would trade the odd-as-hell shooting-from-inside-spawn for more practicality for the weapon.

The weapon is a stationary guided-missile.
It isn't based on the spawn-room-firing mechanic.

Define damage redux, as if you didn't guess from my numerous replies on this topic, I'd happily take a less suicidal approach to the phoenix.

Ah... Striker is an AA proximity-lock launcher that has murderously long range.
And refer to Striker Valks for fire-power.

Phoenixes are't designed for spawn-room warriors either.
It's just the present state of the weapon, that it's the most sane to use inside, and insane to use outside