The Current Status of LA

Discussion in 'Light Assault' started by DeltaZzZ, Jan 23, 2016.

  1. DeltaZzZ

    Hello all! I'm DeltaZzZ (as you can tell from the left hand side), and I am a Terran Republic LA main on Connery, and this is my first forum post. Since having started playing off and on since 2012 on my garbage HP Laptop, I've upgraded since to a better computer and have been playing actively. Also, due to technical reasons I haven't been on for a while so this view is coming from pre-January gameplay and watching videos on recent changes. But on to the important things! Also, this view will be updated as patches role out and critiques are made to it. That way, one day when the DEVs are scouring through the forums, they can find a polished, final draft of this list with feasible changes on it.

    The State of LA
    Light Assaults currently are in a pretty interesting state. Given the heavy shield changes, I feel as though they have become a more viable infantry class. They can kill heavies more effectively, thereby giving a better meaning to the secondary infantry class.

    The Problems with LA
    While the changes to HA have made the LA more viable, we need to alter it in order to give it a wow-factor other than jetpacks, something specialized to give it meaning. But in order to do this, we need to categorize a role for each class. I'm going to be trying to use RPG-esque terms :p.

    Heavy Assault- Primary DPS/Primary-AV and AA/Primary Tank

    Medic- Primary Support/Minor DPS

    Infiltrator- Primary Rogue/Secondary Support/Tertiary DPS

    Engineer- Primary Support/Minor DPS/Secondary AV

    Light Assault- Secondary DPS/Minor-AV/Secondary Rogue

    MAX- Specialty DPS/Specialty AV and AA/Specialty Tank

    DPS- Total infantry killing power
    AV and AA- Total vehicle killing power
    Tank- Total resistance
    Support- Ability to assist teammates however the situation calls for
    Rogue- Ability to cause chaos behind enemy lines, "guerrilla" style
    Specialty- Only for maxes as they are finite

    As you can see LAs have the least variation, having no primary roles. This makes sense, as they were never designed to. I believe the DEVs went for a standard infantry class, the equivalent to a DPS class in an RPG. However, there are problems in RPGs when Tanks (HAs) out damage AND outlast DPS classes. You might argue "Well Delta you're an idiot! This is no RPG!"

    WRONG

    Any game with classes with specific roles is an RPG, as an RPG by definition is a "role-playing game".

    My fixes

    Fixing Light Assault won't be a very easy task. Most players, including myself, have become accustomed to a specific playstyle, that if changed, will spark outrage. So lets look at the problems they have and see how we can fix the,. For all intensive purposes I am comparing them to HA, being that HA is pretty much the LAs big brother that's better than them in every way.

    #1. Offensive capabilities compared to HA
    Now begrudgingly I have to admit, this is a problem that shouldn't be fixed. Now way in hell should carbines out damage LMGs, and we shouldn't have anything close to the amount of survivability they do. Instead, I propose a different way of solving it with playing around with gadgets.

    -Add extra C4 to the LA
    There needs to be a way for a LA to solo kill a Sundy and sometimes other vehicles. I know you will argue that it will make them OP, and that with the right amount of teamwork it is easily doable. But think about having a Sundy be holed up on the side of a mountain with tanks, lightnings, spitfires, and hordes of infantry surrounding it. You're going to need one hell of a push to take care of that Sundy, and the nature of Planetside pugs just doesn't fit the bill.

    -Reserved for later sensible solutions


    #2. Mobility
    LAs have the best mobility in the game, in terms of verticality and horizontality. However I feel like there can be more done with them to give them.

    -Increase default speed
    You guys know that Adrenaline Pump buff? Yea, get rid of it, but add a default 15-25% boost to LAs and infiltrators. Those guys are meant to be the fast movers of the army and what good does it do if without it, they move like any regular grunt?

    -Buff the defaults
    PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO IT. PLEASE. I have them maxed out and still feel useless on the battlefield many a time. Put them at 25% less total verticality than Icarus and 25% less total horizontality than the Drifters. I believe all jetpacks should be in ratios like this (v=verticality and h=horizontality)

    Standard: Base v and h
    Drifters: 15% less v 25% more h
    Icarus: 15% less h 25% more v

    #3. Reserved for future spaces as more ideas and fixes come up
    • Up x 1
  2. Akashar

    You have good ideas, mine was to give a second item to LAs, so that they can carry c4 and medkits for example. Not an extreme buff but would definetely add to the class.
    I don't understand your hate for default though, your buffs seem wayyy to powerful. They're good as they are.

    Having played battlefront (boo me) I think we can take something from there (booo me harder): Jetpacks that give extreme horizontal speed over a few seconds, like one big jump, but don't get you very high in the process. It should take you very fast from one tower to another above the gate of an AMP station for example, at the same speed the jump pad would. And height speaking, you would go over a sundy but not much more.
  3. DarkStarII

    I was thinking that LAs could have access to AV grenades and concussion grenades.
  4. FunBotan

    fxd4ya
  5. Iridar51

    HA nerf isn't a buff to just LAs, it's a buff to all other classes.
    And shields is not the only thing HAs have over LAs, there's still higher killing ability and versatility. LA just can't do that many things, that's the issue.
  6. DeltaZzZ


    I don't believe LAs need more killing potential, I hate to say this, but they were never designed to. They were designed to be the people who cause chaos. That is why I feel like they need a change to gadgets and jetpacks. The jetpack change would allow them to really capitalize on mobility which is their strong suit. I also believe that LAs should have access solely to AV nades, giving them more of a vehicle killing potential, along with extra C4. Also, if anyone wants to make an edit, please feel free to write the idea down in the comments, have it discussed a bit, then if the community decides to, I'll put it on the list.
  7. Corezer

    expand jetpack abilities:

    • Combine Jumpjets and Drifters, press F to switch.
    • Allow Icarus to press F for a mostly forward boost mode (like the bug when you spawned on a slope) of about 30 degrees up.
    • Press crouch for a (once per press) boost assisted descent allowing you to better react to attacks while in the air, uses x% fuel

    create LA play space:

    • LLU bases (an objective that has more to do with being able to move rather than being able to hold a position)
    • More bridges (forget towers, when you're moving west after capping scarred mesa, LA owns the bridge battles)
    • Split shield generators (3 on a 45 second timer rather than one on a 2 minute)

    Buff grenades:

    • Flash timer change is good, but more importantly it needs full blindness across it's radius (with a reduction in duration as you get further away) because as it is now, I can't trust a bounced grenade when there is a chance that even if it hit you it didn't do anything.
    • Smoke grenade should be a contact grenade that creates a dome full of smoke (like a shield dome) upon detonation which makes enemies inside glow like if they were in a friendly shield dome. This allows offensive use without having to coordinate IRNV scope use with your team, it is also faster acting unlike current smoke which is throw, wait 15 seconds for smoke to build up to maybe a puff if the enemy is using low settings.
    • Up x 1
  8. Demigan

    Your fixes are extremely bad. Any idea to enhance the LA should enhance it's role as a mobile assault.
    Giving it double the C4 improves the LA's capability to kill other tanks, but there is absolutely no reason for LA's to be capable of soloing a Sunderer. It also gives the LA only a small extra boost in his versatility.

    Speed is a fickle thing in PS2. At too high a speed infantry hitboxes misalign (best seen when using jumppads), which is one of the reasons why adrenalin pump doesn't go above 10% sprint speed.
    Now the LA could benefit from things like increased speed while ADS, walking, crouching and that kind of thing.

    You have no idea how jumpjets work. Current Icarus has a lower max height than defaults, Drifters have at least triple the range of a default. This would mean that to keep current vertical speed the same, you would have a massive speed in the horizontal direction, and you have also nerfed the vertical climb height of defaults immensely.
    Besides that, defaults are fine.

    Corezer has the right idea's. Improve the versatility of the LA and add new objectives and capture mechanics that require mobility and infiltration rather than hitpoints, DPS and rockets.
  9. SarahM

    Twice the C4 could work if it was a pseudo resupply kind of deal: You cary 2 C4, but you can activate a backpack or something, which makes you go crouched and stationary for 30 secs or so and gives you another pair of C4. Ofc, you would only ever have 4 C4 total and refilling the backpack would require a respawn or infantry terminal and cost nanites like normal.
  10. veiledcascade

    I consider the role of LA to be the role that breaks down the enemy defence and gets in behind the enemy to disrupt and cause mayhem. This is something a Single LA can do in a base defence or attack, A group of them can do serious damage to an attacking force or to a defending force.

    I feel the class already does this very well.

    But changes to versatility could be considered but would have to very well thought out, For example doubling C4 carried would be bad, or giving them anti tank mines would be interesting as an alternative.
    Altering Jet pack function as mentioned above...that is interesting and would improve overall versatility and choice for the LA.

    As a class I feel it requires the least change as it already performs it's role very well.