A deployable that applies an overshield to everyone in range for a limited time could be cool - heavy assault style, maybe not as powerful. Personally I'd like to see some extra structures - small bunker type things to act like firing pits. Unfortunately this would be way too easy to exploit. In my opinion the engineer should have two roles. One is obviously repairing vehicles. The other should be to help secure and fortify locations - stuff like MANA turrets (if they were good and you could let other people use them), the ammo packs, deployable shields, and whatever. Maybe even adding tank blocks as an alternative to anti-tank mines would be pretty sweet. Since bases are made of swiss cheese as it is - even the "heavily fortified" ones like amp stations - giving engineers much better tools to carry out the roll of fortifying a position would be pretty awesome. The engineers could also even fortify the areas around deployed sunderers to make it more challenging for people to destroy them - you'd get this sort of two way assault game where the defenders of a base also have to focus on readying a counter attack on the little 'outpost' the attackers have set up with their deployed sunderer.
THIS! ^ Well what I was thinking is a shield generator that just regens your shield slowly but I like your idea more as it would give a bit of protection without affecting healers at all. Genius. Perhaps maybe as some have listed a deployable cover option would be cool too. I remember playing an Engineer in Global Agenda and they were great. They had a deployable wall and it worked wonders, getting somethin like that would be amazing.
I think the the primary problem with mana turret is the lack of muzzle flash re friendlyfire - and the silly glowing shields. If you need to make them glowy - then at least the protect the person in the turret from forward fire. Really this should protect from sniping (force an inf. to snipe from the rear or side) and from other bullets. Also, why isn't there an AV/AA version? It doesn't have to be amazing damage... just something... the other option would be to allow CE turrets to be a "platform" where you have certs for the base (ammo amount, reload speed, defense options, etc) and then have to mount a gun on it... you really could use weaker versions of any of the vehicle guns... half a basalisk or a pounder... some sort of AA etc. Only allow an engineer to have one build on him at a time. The other interesting thing would be making them able to deploy ones that others could use. But then you'd have to track an inventory item and treat it like a vehicle. Yet another thing that we should be able to do is construct some sort of passive cover... shield walls that are high enough to crouch behind... pill boxes - that sort of thing. Maybe some sort of deployable roadblock type stuff, but this shouldn't be instant and might not really be feasable. The strength of the engineer needs to be adaptability in the field. The ability to help fortify a position and hold (by resupplying others with ammo for example) should be the primary role.
Um, the current model of turret is severely weak and no one ever uses them because you have to go into harms way and have no way to protect yourself. Standing on those is an instant death. So a cheapy auto-turret that never kills anyone but does some damage without you dying instantly sounds miraculous. Maybe they just do shield damage, I'd be okay with that.
there will be AA and AV MANA turrets. Auto-turrets are pretty lame IMO. Course so are lock-on weapons and glowing IRNV sights so w/e I also believe deployable shields are in the works as well.
See, you'd still get lots of people QQing about "lazy engies setting up and running" or something along those lines. I think it's good to have to man the turret, but it could definitely do with more versatility or power.
I agree that in an ideal game maning the turret is great, but one rocket to the face kills you. Soooo... why would i ever get in it? There are always 2-3 heavy's even in small skirmishes. It's completely useless unless people are dumb as rocks and don't have or change to a heavy. There is not enough defense for the risk. Do I sit in the open with a neon shield that does very little, or behind a rock or wall and poke and shoot. It's a no brainer, the stationary turret mechanic does not work in a game like this, with hundreds of people, without massive protection. So it's not a question of is the auto turret cheap but why is a completely broken mechanic like a skimpy shielded, over heating, inaccurate, immobile manned turret actually in the game. Eng are ALWAYS, in every situation, better off with their more accurate, more mobile, everlasting bullets (ammo pouches) of their primary weapon. Hell, most people just put up the turret to extend the corner cover with the shield and just use their primary weapon (and that's not an example of the shield being good, just better than nothing).
They do provide some protection, but they leave that slot open for your head...which infiltrators can easily target. And they don't seem to provide any protection against explosions from the front.
What happens every time I try to man a turret is I get headshotted or exploded, and I've never gotten a kill with it. It's kind of pointless really. It has only two minor uses: distraction(rarely works) and tiny placable cover(not very effective). Never man it. I'd have been much happier if this was automated but weak(think Roland's turret in borderlands), or good AA/AV, or they just gave us mines for free instead. Heck I'd be happier with a small deployable sandbag pile I could crouch behind...
I only use the turret for distractions, but the following would make it actually useful as intended. 1. Remove the coloring or at least make it team based and reduce the glow effect so it's not a "Free XP Beacon". 2. Make the shield full frontal so explosives are needed to take out the operator (it's not like there is a shortage of explosives on the battlefield anyway). 3. Make it operable by any team member. Never understood why it wasn't in the first place. Why give me 5 in the hud if I can only deploy 1 at a time and I'm the only one that can man them. Also would like to see a deploy-able Shield variant, either Omnidirectional of say 10m for outdoor field repair work, or a directional wall of 3x3... great for protecting doors and creating dynamic choke points.
LOVE the ideas for remote control turrets. I still have to operate it but I'm not such an easy kill target.
I have tried the turret but it's never been effective for me: -In exchange for losing mobility and all of the danger that comes with that (headshots are easier, the delay in getting out of the turret makes it hard for you to get away in time, etc) you get very little in return. -The turret seems weak. It should be noticibly stronger than any personal machine gun (i.e. not on a MAX, vehicle) because it is stationary. I realize that as an engineer there is a trade in power and suviability for utility, but any gun that has to be mounted on a stand like that should be stronger than any gun you can hold and shoot. Otherwise, why don't i just strap the better hand gun to the tripod, or lose the tripod all together and gain mobility? -Since you have to stand still the sheid shoud cover your head from the front. Also, it's cool that it glows but it makes you a bullseye. -The turret needs a larger fireing angle. I'm not asking for 360 rotation, but I often feel like I can't put it anywhere that covers all of my forward vulnerability. Also, many railings obstruct it so it is hard to use behind cover or looking down/up. There are a lot of ways it might be fixed but in any case it is too hard to use right now.
As much as people moan I've racked up kills in a kill corridor plenty of times with the thing. Admittedly I don't use it for anything but defence or holding a choke point but that's what it's reasonably good at. Especially with the flak armour buff last patch. I do admit the headshot weakness is a little...odd... but then again it means a sniper is a direct counter to your invincible shield. Would have been *nicer* if the enemy almost had to flank you or come at you in a push that overwhelms you. Edit: Turret responsiveness does need buffing though. I can place it, it'll spawn then for a good two seconds it'll sit there like a lemon going "Nope. No turret for you.....Aww, Ok Sadface, here you go." Where you can place it, and ammo boxes, does need to be fixed though. I mean ammo boxes can't be destroyed and turrets are huge enough anyway so I don't see the point limiting it to flat ground-ish. Oh, and I do dislike how it is conveniently high enough that the mass implemented railings in game are just enough to block half your shots with it.
I have a lot of success with the turret when placing it on hills above enemy infantry concentrations. When they are shooting from below they can't really get at your head and the shield can soak up a huge amount of punishment.
You must be on a server with terrible snipers. Headhunting a turret on the hill top is the easiest shot to make. You are silhouetted perfectly.
If it was just snipers or people with good aim I'd mind less, but you are locking yourself down in the face of rockets and infinite grenade spam as well. I can only imagine the decimator has made it worse. Ok, how about this? We deploy the turret and then get a targetting laser so it shoots at what we tag. Still have to put ourselves in danger that way. Or maybe it just shoots at what we shoot at.
I think it should just shoot at things that are spotted, no need to add another mechanic in that regard. That way you couldn't just leave them around bases to defend when nobody is there, people would actually have to be around and actively spotting enemies, but you could still have some extended support as long as that was the case. Edit: I just thought of an added benefit of automated turrets, you could easily divide between anti infantry, anti air, and anti ground vehicle by making them only target those things specifically instead of having to worry about players using the anti-vehicle turret to dominate infantry.
My turret suggestion: 1: make them customizable vehicle style. want shelding for anti light arm fire protection... or not, for more stealt rapid fire bullets or slow long range bullets, anti armor or air lock on missile. zoom or termal optics... these are kinda personal preferanse and its bad if all end up the same. flashlight and horn... well, i would love a horn that screamed "get out of my firing line!!" and giraffe cammo because its op!! 2: Ally usable, 10% as shared xp. im an engineer... and while i like to stand and shoot my enemies... im kinda more usfull somwhere else--- repairing vehicles, max's, base turrets and generators. also theres lotsa snipers thats gonna feel usless, and those rockets from the heavy just aint many enought unless i deliver those ammo boxes. i also gotta deliver a betty to some dorways around generators and controll points, and maybe a mine for an sunderer that spitt out bad guys. i have enought of stuff im supposed to do... if i could make an nice turret in an nice place and get 10pt each time he killed something... it would kinda been nice. Because enginer is much about not getting the big points there and then... but see all the small payments of planned support reach nice amounts over time.
