NAR vs Nimitz: NAR: Activated ability with a somewhat lengthy cooldown period, with diminishing returns when you use it while above a certain HP threshold. Nimitz: Always there, requires no activation, will work the same regardless of how much HP your vehicle has. Apples and Oranges.
NAR is not an activated ability. It is as passive as it gets. And his has no diminishing returns, it always heals a percentage of the vehicles maximum HP a second.
That's pretty awesome. But you have to wonder: If the series of ramparts hadn't had ramparts and those tanks had just supported their allies, wouldn't they have provided almost the same service? You are confusing NAR (Nanite Auto Repair https://planetside.fandom.com/wiki/Nanite_Auto_Repair_System) with Fire Suppression (https://planetside.fandom.com/wiki/Fire_Suppression_System). A positive approach is wonderful but I'm hesitant to make suggestions. My previous suggestions all got butchered: The Forwards Station, a Medic deployable that allowed people in a certain radius to spawn there, was removed and altered into the Router instead. I suggested the Vanguard to have it's 1000 extra health replaced with a shield to both counteract the extra repair time it would take to get the vehicle to 100% health and to provide a nice passive ability for the Vanguard. Unfortunately they butchered the numbers and made it take a slot. I suggested that either the main gun or a secondary for the Vanguard should be able to charge up for extra damage and velocity and the ability to pierce through enemies including vehicles. It's actually on the PTS right now with more advantages than I had initially proposed and it's numbers look incredibly balanced and fair... And it's a topgun for the VS while the NC gets a gun that's in every single way except muzzle velocity a downgrade to the Halberd. On the other hand... At least things are added, and they can be modified. So I'll give it a try. NC utility: Mounted AV missile. Fires one or two crosshair-guided missiles for extra damage. passive: Ammo conversion. Changes the ammo from a shell to shrapnel that is fired in a shotgun pattern and keeps part of the shell's properties. AP shrapnel is the fastest and most damaging to vehicles (but with reduced damage except against light vehicles like Harasser), HE is the slowest but has an AOE on impact for each piece of shrapnel etc. Use X or C to change ammo (these are unused buttons while in a vehicle). Passive: Powerful Engine. The Vanguard is supposed to be the heaviest tank that requires the strongest engine. Allow the Vanguard to deal the most damage when ramming other vehicles while receiving less damage (less, not nothing). Additionally allow the Vanguard to push away vehicles at an appreciable speed. For example after a ram the Vanguard is able to push any other MBT away at 30km/h. Passive: Reversible gear. Allows the Vanguard to drive backwards as fast as it can do forwards. This is an ability that hasn't been given to any other tanks and the Vanguard lacks a unique mobility/movement advantage. New main gun: Light Auto Canon (LAC). There are already auto canons in the game in the form of the Saron, Enforcer and Viper. We don't have one that is designed to take on infantry without AOE or engage aircraft. The LAC would fire several high velocity projectiles that deal good damage against infantry, aircraft and light vehicles (Harassers and Flash's). With a high elevation range it would be able to attack aircraft. Deals reduced damage to Liberators and Galaxies as they are much easier to hit. HEAT canon upgrade: Very high elevation range. Reduced damage against ESF (so it can't OHK them and gives them a chance to escape). This would allow the HEAT canon to be used against Liberators and Galaxies primarily. Increased damage against Liberators and Galaxies so this can function as a triple-A battery. Additionally it would give Newbies a better reason to pull vehicles and it would offer some protection against C4 fairies and infantry in high positions. Utility: Assault shield. Creates a large shield similar to the current Rampart in front of the Vanguard but much wider and with it's own healthpool. Allows the Vanguard to protect nearby allies tanks and infantry while they move up but leaves the sides and rear of the Vanguard open to attack. Possibly the Vanguard could have it's velocity reduced while the ability is active. TR Same new main gun (LAC) and HEAT canon upgrades as the NC. Utility: Mortar barrage. Fires several mortars at the crosshair. Holding the trigger will fire the mortars farther away from the crosshair, allowing the Prowler to hit targets behind cover. A single barrage cannot OHK infantry or vehicles, it is meant to either finish damaged/wounded enemies or flush them out of cover. Howitzer capabilities. When deployed the owner can exit the vehicle and purchase a target designator from his own tank. This can be used to paint a target after which the Prowler will fire in a similar fashion to the Flail. Deals the same damage as it currently does ofcourse. VS Same new main gun and HEAT canon upgrade as the NC and TR. Passive: Height stabilizers. Gives the player control over the height of the Magrider's hovering. Space increases the height and C or Ctrl decreases the height. A bit of a risk/reward can be added: The lower the Magrider goes the slower it moves, the higher it flies the faster it goes but it also becomes less stable as the shape of the ground has a larger effect on it. Utility: Nanite Assembly Pad (NAP). The Magrider can place a large pad on the ground by pressing B when the Magrider is standing still. When holding the "F" button for 5 seconds the Magrider is disassembled with it's occupants and re-assembled at the NAP, effectively teleporting it. If the NAP is destroyed and the Magrider tries to teleport it'll be destroyed and count as a kill for the one who destroyed it. Replace your pad in case it's destroyed. Since the NAP is much lower and less visible it allows you to set up ambushes much more easily at the risk of it being destroyed when you aren't looking. Alternatively you could use it to escape if you manage to find cover and enough time. Damage resets the counter. Passive: Plasma burn. The Magrider can charge his shot, infantry caught in the blast are set on fire. Tanks that are directly hit receive a short but low DOT. I'll think of other stuff later.
I'm sorry to bring my jaded pessimism here to cloud up your enthusiasm, but this would have most likely been a bunch of guys trying out a new ability on the Prowler more than anything. Clearly it would require a degree of communication and teamwork to effectively provide cover to the infantry and support for the tanks, which would just push it well outside the realms of practicality. The ability just isn't very useful. Furthermore, a series of sunndies ferrying infantry across the same land would have been faster and arguably more effective. Cheaper, easier, much more versatile, and not restricted by techplant availability or faction. I don't support this idea personally. But moreso I have to warn about the possibility (and indeed likelihood) of one or more factions receiving traits which are more or less useful/applicable to a larger number of realistic situations. SAWs verses CARVs or Orions, shotgun MAX verses MG MAXes, Chaingun (read: bullet spam-cannon) verses the worse primary shotgun in the game buckshot spam-cannon verses a splash spam-cannon, slow heavy grenade launcher verses AV chainguns, high DPS brick verses pancake verses slim tube, they serve different purposes yet exist as equivalents. Needless to say some of these things are better and worse than the others based on their inherent traits and limitations and I have little doubt the developers would continue to perpetuate this trend.
Summary: Wrel once again oversees a game design update that: 1. Give NC something interesting and somewhat effective but not OP 2. Gives TR a gimmick that actually reduces TR effectiveness but might be useful in 2% of situations 3. Buffs VS 100% of the time it's used. Sounds about Wrel...err I mean...right.
Things certainly have a way of panning out differently than they probably should yet I remind myself all I need to make it work is to have fun with what is rather than what could be. This certainly does not mean you should keep your mouth shut and smile at everything, merely saying that it is unlikely the devs will respond well or internalise criticism as constructive if they are presented as overly negative and confrontational way. I appreciate the time you put in to come up with the suggestions and believe the more they see (thus can pick up on) the better the chances are we'll see the changes we (you or whoever) want to see. I also realise I'm annoyingly optimistic and often end up trying to come up with every piece of silver linings there are but then again the best ideas tend to come to life when the optimist and pessimist meet, i.e. in between it all. For now though, I think I need to explore the new patch more.
You do realize Magburner has been basically useless in a fight for a very long time, and it's only real use has been getting to fights slightly faster? As opposed to TR and NC, who both have abilities that are effective mid-combat.
How many times have you seen a Prowler or Vanguard end up on top of a building or the peak of a steep-sloped mountain? Little to none. This is because Magburn allows the Magrider to do the one thing no other tank can - get into unique positions. If you think that the only use that ability has had is to 'get into fights slightly faster' then you've clearly not been using it to its full potential.
heh. Saw what I saw bro and I didn't see what you're saying here. Teamwork is OP. Always has been, always will be. This gives another option for teamwork that the NC and VS don't have. If TR fails to use it effectively I'll be disappointed.
Not to mention it can be used to "power slide" around other tanks in close quarters (do it all the time on mine), act like .75 ADS weapons when playing peekaboo, etc. Basically any time you need a sudden burst of speed immediately before or after a quick change of direction.
Correct guess. True. My point is, being able to go faster everytime you hit the ability IS a benefit. TR deploying a shield might not always be, and given it increases the tank hit box, well...that's a trade off. VS mag burn has no trade off. In fact, going faster makes you harder to hit, not easier. Maybe Wrel decided it was too obvious a problem to give VS a hit box increasing item in the cash shop for a VS only weapon and instead decided to allow TR players to increase their hitbox on the own... How about DBG gives the Mag Prowler abilities and the Prowler Mag abilities...just for a month? Call it, the Faction Exchange Program...for make benefit greater faction understanding...
