The Semi-Mostly-Pretty Much-Ultimate Engineer Makeover Thread*

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Blarg20011, Aug 27, 2013.

  1. Blarg20011

    To start with, let’s read the description of engineers provided by SOE:

    "When factory-built tanks and vehicles were replaced by relatively disposable nano-fabricated versions, non-combatant mechanics began training extensively in marksmanship and demolitions. Despite their recent shift in duties, Engineers have quickly proven themselves as effective soldiers, capable of either turning an ordinary warehouse into an impregnable fortress, or blasting the enemies’ fortresses to the ground. The Engineer excels in both traditional combat and support roles, but it's when they're on defense that they truly shine. Equipped with easily controllable carbines, the Engineer can put down targets in close quarters and even mid ranges with ease. Their ACE tool, however, is where the bulk of their utility lies. Capable of generating a variety of turrets, shield generators and the like almost instantly, Engineers have the ability to both defend a position and create staging points for assaults. In addition to their ACE tool, Engineers can also repair friendly vehicles and MAXes with their Nano-Armor Kit, as well as lay down anti-vehicle mines and C4 to destroy enemy tanks."

    Ok, now let's look at a couple parts of this closely. To start,

    "Capable of either turning an ordinary warehouse into an impregnable fortress, or blasting the enemies’ fortresses to the ground."

    Currently neither of these is possible, and while the whole blasting fortresses to the ground part may never come true, turning warehouses into fortresses is certainly possible, which leads us onto the next section of text:

    "Capable of generating a variety of turrets, shield generators and the like almost instantly, Engineers have the ability to both defend a position and create staging points for assaults."

    We can deploy two turrets, which I consider a couple, not several, no shield generators, and no "the like," barely more ability to defend a position than an HA, and not nearly as much as a MAX.

    The engineer class is not living up to its description or my expectations, and has been almost completely relegated to pilots and UBGL users. Not to say the class is under powered in any way, (looking at you UBGL and AV turret) it’s just that it seems to have lost direction, or never really had any in the first place.

    To this end, I propose some changes and additions to the engineer arsenal. To start with, a couple of things that I think are absolutely necessary for the engineer class to live up to its name.

    · An (actually good) AI MANA Turret is necessary, close the headshot hole, increase the damage, or else something. Its current form is far too situational.

    · Let the engineer unlock the MANA turret so that others can use it. It is ridiculous that only the player who set it up can use it.

    · Switch ammo box to F key, OR, allow us to deploy multiples if we don't have an explosive. Currently ammo boxes are rather broken in that, even if you have one equipped in your ammo slot, you can only deploy one box. So, as stated above, let us deploy it with F or let us deploy 2.


    · Deployable Cover- This has been suggested since the game launched, and very possibly before, can we please get it in the game soon, it would immensely increase the engineer's usefulness in defense.

    That’s it for things that we need, how about we get on to things that we want.

    · Spitfires- Check out plenty of good ideas for the Spitfire in this thread: Autoturrets


    · Trap Grenade- Toss this grenade and it will zap any enemy that comes close with an electric arc, making for an excellent area denial tool. Some possible stats I cooked up real fast: Range (m) 1/2/3/4, DMG 75/125/175/200

    · Firebase Control Module (FCM)
    The FCM would be a deployable that allows other engineers to deploy double the standard number of deployables, so two MANA turrets, two (or four) ammo packs, etc. It would also have a resupply terminal. Possibly requiring two engineers to set up.

    · Final rank of ammo pack allows resupply of explosives



    I would love well thought out and reasoned counterarguments, but please do not troll and stay away from logical fallacies. Thank you.

    *I' pretty sure that "Ultimate _________" threads are a copy right of EliteEskimo, so this is only Semi-Mostly-Pretty Much-Ultimate.
    • Up x 2
  2. FateJH


    That's because we can freely place it and there's a hard limit on the numbr of turrets that can be placed (1). Even a minor change such as "don't remove the last one if someone is using it" begs for turret spam, blocking doors and stairs and all manners of catwalks, for both ally and friendly.


    Not really sure what this would accomplish. We really don't need an F ability on top of everything else. Additionally, there is often a case of too many ammo packs being available suhc that Drops end up being place too close to each other. We really don't need more Drop-ability the way the game currently plays-out.

    We used to be able to deploy two Ammo Drops using our turret's alternate fire mode but the devs indicated that was just an issue didn't address early. They always intended the alternate fire mode to dispense ammo, but not that it doubled the amount of ammo boxes you could put down. There was also a time where the alternate fire mode capped at a certain level but they removed that, reinforcing the reality that the turret was supposed to be the Ammo Drop when you were packing mines.


    As long as it doesn't give the server more work to do.

    Edit: I almost forgot. The devs indicated that they wanted players doing the shooting, not automations.
  3. KanoHe

    There were few certifications for engeneer in cbt year ago, those included a shield and a module of some kind. Devs dropped those ideas i suppose. They couldn`t introduce AA mana either devs are lazy or incompetent :(
  4. GhostAvatar

    I am not even going to bother read that wall of text. Frankly it looks like you are trying to argue semantics on a loose description of a class. But I have to say that the engineer is the class that needs a makeover the least. Engineer is currently the most versatile class in the whole game. And as such there are over classes that should be a bigger priority for a makeover. And this is coming from someone who mostly plays engineer and has spent over 658 hours of play time as a engineer.
  5. FateJH

    A thousand times, no. The developers may be good at some things, but they have no idea how to create support weaponry. The AV turret is proof of that; if they had created a far-medium range turret that did chip damage to vehicles - normal fire rates, a high percentage of normal Infantry damage levels, but it does AV damage - a Basilisk on stilts - then they would have created a good support emplacement. Instead, they create a monster that works better than the primary AV weapons - launchers and tanks.

    The only way I could see them actually making a AA Mana Turret is something atrocious to pilots and then never touching it for months. Air only needed one lesson in humility; spare them another unfair counter.

    ...

    It's kind of bad when you don't trust developers with their own game anymore. Is it you or them?
  6. KanoHe

    This problem could be easily solved by introducing secondary type of amunition to AI mana turret - flack ammo, with a higher elevation and and dmg dropoff ~1.25xBursters Thats all...
    As i said devs are lazy... or just uncreative :(
  7. Blarg20011



    :(, although I can entirely understand not putting AA turrets in.


    Well, first off, it's not that long,
    second, that isn't what I'm doing at all (okay, maybe a little),
    and third, if you don't want to read most of the text just skip all the yellow parts.

    Yeah, sadly agreed. When i heard about the AV turret I thought "Hmm, will it be a Basilisk on a stick or a Halberd on a stick?" NOOOOOPE, instead they give us this crap.
  8. EliteEskimo


    Where are the pretty pictures between paragraphs to make it attractive to the eyes and easy to read, where are the neatly numbered and underlined points?!?!?!?!? Where is there Ultimateness to even call it semi, or pretty much, and where is the mostly to even call it Ultimate? :eek:

    [IMG]

    There is no way in heck should engineers spawn AV turrets for others, because AV Turrets are OP and giving people OP things is even more OP than just having those OP things for yourself.

    Resupplying C4 and Tankmines from an Ammo Pack for free is OP as can be. There should not be something that allows you to spam something that can Instagib a tank all that you want. Give me a break man.....:rolleyes:
  9. Blarg20011


    Ahh, dammit, did I forget to include my section on nerfing the AV turret?! I did. There was supposed to be a section in there about how the AV turret is OP, and this increase in versatility and stuff would obviously mean that it would need to be nerfed, and that several other things would have to change, etc. Back to the drawing board I guess.
  10. Takoita

    Some mine changes (like removing lights from them) would be a good start, IMHO.

    Also, active deployables counter (preferably rendered in a boss way on your character's wrist instead of cluttering the good ol' HUD). Which would be a solid first step towards adding deployable types other than the goddamn AV MANA.

    And, however toungue-in-cheek that video about 'concerncs of UBGL community' was, the thing's projectile arc needs to be unnerfed. By remaining as it currently is, it pretty much denies weapon's uses other than 'camping from a high spot'.