Currently the mana turret isn't really a weapon conducive to the user's health. It is a silver platter free kill offered to snipers, rocket launchers and even vehicles. I may find one time a day I feel comfortable using it, and really as players get better I can see that this will lessen more and more. Can we change this? I'm not looking for invulnerability or an AI controlled turret. I can see how that would be too much, but this is basically our ability slot and should be better then it is currently to be of as much use as a protection shield or AoE regeneration. Well my suggestion is make the turret remote controlled. You place it and then flee to a safer location in a limited range, say 20 feet. I feel this keeps it from being overpowered while still allowing SOME survivability. Place it by a rock, crouch and hide behind that rock and your character is now rooted the same way they would be as before while their screen is replaced by the turret camera. Benefit to the developer: this gives the ability some more depth for cert options later. You could add things like remote range increases for certs or wider firing arch, something you couldn't do visually with the turret as it is now. Another benefit to the developer is the ability becomes easier to balance if it is deemed too powerful or not powerful enough because it adds other elements that can be tweaked. If it is too powerful you can lower the turret health, making it easier to kill to small arms fire... without making the Engie feel too squishy since he isn't going to die when it does. If you feel the Engie is dying too fast you can increase the remote control range so they can find more cover options. So many balancing options now available. I hope my idea is considered, thank you.
I think this would be an awesome idea. What I hope is that sometime in the future we'll get options, to have a turret like the current one, have a slightly weaker one like you mention, and the weakest, AI turrets. That would really help flesh out the role. Adding on to your idea, certs to increase the amount you could place, and toggle between them, would be very nice too.
I really like this idea. Default, have to stand on the turret. 100 certs = 1-3 meter remote. 150 certs = 4-6 meter remote. 200 certs = 7-10 meter remote. There's tons of situations where even a 1 meter remote would provide me with plenty of fun! A big glowing turret slowly swiveling to attack my enemies, with me tucked right around the corner. Each faction has a giant glowing target for a turret, they would be targeted the same as now, only with a little safety for the operator
Another idea would be a second turret that a buddy can control or some way in concealing the turret from being sniper bait
Don't mind the way it is now. It has its moments. Could use some tweaking here and there. The thing needs to be adjusted so it can be placed on slopes. Anything over a 10 degree angle and the game poops its pants. Assaulting up a small incline (and I mean small) or defending on top of a hill and enemies are trying to advance it up and you want to place it on a very small downward angle? Nope sorry, turret needs to be placed on level ground. Good luck walking around like a moron trying to find a useful place to deploy it while so many awesome spots have to be passed by. Someone mentioned lessening the glow on the shield. Make it more transparent so it doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. That would also be nice.
i just wish they would have atleast let us test the AT Turret and the Shield turret before banishing the idea of them.
So thats what happened to the AT turret. I wondered where that went... The mana turret needs some tweaks. Right now it feels really gimmicky, with its mediocore damage output and its difficulty with placement.
It still blows my mind that a HA rocket OSK's the Engi on the turret, but does little damage to the turret itself...exactly what IS that shield doing besides making me visible to every enemy in the Hex?? The nice little aiming notch for snipers kinda sucks, too. Bad enough it's so pitifully easy to hit me, but they just HAD to add in an aiming crutch??
It would be perfectly fine if you could put it in strange places and use it to ambush, but as it stands it can only be placed upon the flattest of land and even then it's fiddly about where it'll be allowed to place.
Let's try to keep this thread on topic, talking about the OP's idea. There are plenty of other places to complain about the MANA turret.
I think I'd rather have the weak automated short-range turrets people from PS1 sometimes suggested during beta. The remote-controlled turret just seems too exploitable compared to other options in the game. Stick a turret out, shoot, repair, supply ammo, stick out another turret if destroyed, and repeat. I'd rather not have to encounter a situation where I just run into a bunch of turrets shooting at me with no one I can return fire at because they're behind cover. At least with the PS1 turrets that were suggested [in a now-deleted posted] they were of short range and very weak on their own with wide spread. Just a deterrent or harassment tool of sorts. Usually I just deploy the turret somewhere and leave it unmanned. It's essentially deployable cover, and rather effective when there are multiple unmanned turrets next to each other despite the limits on how close they can get. That said, I think the ability to trade in the stock turret for something created solely to provide cover would be great. No offensive capability, just a slightly wider shield area and still destroyable from the front so that it's not the go-to option for all fights.
Not really exploitable. If you are doing something else like placing ammo or securing the area, it doesn't do anything. It is still a manned turret for my suggestion. And what I'm proposing isn't a situation where you turn a corner and find multiple turrets with no way of attacking the engineers. One manned turret per engie. You can still shoot the turret, destroying it and taking the engineer's defenses out. I'm proposing that they are weak defensively and easy to destroy, that they no longer need a shield since they aren't protecting a user. To get past the turret you shoot it like you would an AI mine. Idealy they would be small like that too, a small offensive disc you place on the floor or wall and the attacking force would have to shoot them accurately or splash damage around it to move past unharmed (like a mine). I do think that would make us more useful and would be happy with that as well. Global Agenda had an ability like this on their robotics class and it was great.
In beta there was a uncertable turret option for both a anti tank, and a purely cover based turret, that was essentialy JUST going to be a shield you could hide behind, but they scrapped both of the ideas before we even got to try them.
what is needed? Directional damage resistance is what's needed. Engineers manning MANA turrets currently suffer from the following issues: Explosions: An engineer will typically die to any single explosive device fired at him. Most of these are at ranges or in such a fashion as no return fire is possible, such as tank shells, rocket pods, and shoulder-launched missiles. Grenades also function in this capacity and it only takes one. This also inhibits the misconception that the turret makes good cover... unless you think rubbing nuts against something that is summoning every grenade, rocket, and tank shell is going to help you get over your suicide fantasies. Headshots: There are only two things you can hit when firing at a manned MANA turret: The turret, and the engineers head. The turret should be bar-none the best at recieving a charge, but instead, the engineer just dies as 'spray and pray' works in the enemies favor. Lack of Damage: I regularly see 2 second TTK's, and this is a major issue.. the turret should be a lawnmower, but I get better performance out of a rifle, and that's not even counting mobility. Right now, the Turret only functions well in the incredibly rare chance that the enemy doesn't see you AND walks in front of the turret.. and, quite honestly, I get better results with a shotgun under the same circumstances. In fact, it offers absolutely no advantage whatsoever.
