[Suggestion] What I Feel Is Lacking

Summary

Introduction

So I've been maining infiltrator since beta and I've played just about every style. In the beginning, something seemed a bit... incomplete. It felt like something was missing, and over the months that feeling's only gotten stronger. Finally, though, I've been able to put my finger on it.

This is something that a couple other classes lack, perhaps some moreso than the infiltrator, but I'm just going to focus on this in relation to infiltrators. Simply put, infiltrators seem to lack a way to contribute to the squad, platoon, outfit, or empire as a whole. In fact, they're not geared for team play at all.

Being a relatively solo-oriented class is actually a big part of what appeals to me about infiltrators, but since the focus of this game is about working with a team, I do spend a large amount of my time with a squad. It's in these situations that I feel... not burdensome but not very helpful either.

I mean, infiltrators can hack, they can scout and provide recon and intelligence, but in this game those are all more mild luxuries than actual contributions. What I mean by this is... well... let's take engineers for example. A good engineer or two in the right place at the right time can make all the difference. They can repair generators, maxes, vehicles, etc. They can lay mines and the like.

A good infiltrator or two in the right place at the right time... could usually be replaced with light assaults or any other class and still accomplish the same things in most situations.

When I'm playing an engineer I feel like I'm helping out my squad, my platoon, my empire. I'm giving something back. I'm contributing to our success as a whole. I feel the same when I play medic and heavy assault, and sometimes on my MAX (though I'll admit that LA's are lacking in this dept. even more than infiltrators I think).

I don't feel this when I'm playing an infiltrator though. Really, I've found that when in a squad (and especially when leading one), I'm better off playing something else. Perhaps this comes down to a lack of infiltrator-skill on my part. I'm not the best, I'll be the first to admit, but I don't think I should have to be to... help my team, you know?

So basically, summed up and boiled down, I feel infiltrators do not have the same impact, the same level of contribution, and the same teamwork dynamic as other classes and there is no reason why we shouldn't. Now I don't mean to say the class is too solo-oriented or anything and I'd never want to do away with that as that's a large part of why I like it, but I think the addition of group play related abilities and the like would be lovely.

Proposed "Fixes"

I'm no game designer, but over the past several months I have come up with a few rudimentary ideas of what could fill this empty space. I've likely overlooked various effects they may have on the class and the game, but I've tried to keep them as balanced, simple, fitting with the class, and fun as possible.

Before I get to them, however, I'd like to go in to further detail about something I touched on earlier. Basically, I feel as though in many ways (not all, however) infiltrators lack a serious niche. Let me put it to you this way. How often do you hear someone shouting "where are the medics?" or "we need more engis!" Now how often do you hear the same for infiltrators?

See, infiltrators only really have one thing they can do that no one else can and that's hacking things. Unfortunately, hacking doesn't do much, at least not compared to PS1 and in many circumstances can be reverted without an infiltrator, but even then, an infiltrator to hack something back is just one change of clothes away.

Many of you may now be looking to point out the cloak, the sniper rifles, the recon dart, etc. Sure, no one else has any of those, but they have things that serve virtually the same purpose, though are perhaps less efficient. Sniper rifles are for killing, and everyone can kill. The darts are for spotting enemies, which everyone with eyes and a Q key can do. The cloak is for stealth, which can be done by anyone simply by avoidance tactics.

Again, infiltrators aren't alone in this. Light Assault, again, springs to mind as a class more in need of a niche than infiltrator, but that's irrelevant. Basically, I feel as though all the infiltrator's "niche powers" aren't useful enough to really give the infiltrator a proper niche. This could as well be solved by adding "teamwork centered abilities" and the like, which, as promised, I will now delve in to.

Idea 1 - The Spotter's Scope

This is fairly on the self explanatory side and I have seen it suggested, in various forms, by numerous people over the course of development and post-launch. I will, however, go in to the specifics as I envision them. First off, it could either be an actual tool, replacing the recon dart, or simply a passive thing. I would personally lean for the former.

In practice it would require, very likely, either a nerf to everyone else's spotting, especially in terms of range, and/or a serious upgrade to the infiltrator. Basically, what this tool would do would simply improve spotting done by the infiltrator by a large degree.

Furthermore, one possible option would be to give the infiltrator the ability to use it to tag certain targets. This would act perhaps like something between a waypoint and a priority target from the squad leader tree. At a really basic level, however, it could perhaps just act as a long-lasting spot. The infiltrator could tag, say, a sunderer, and it would stay spotted for quite a while.

If one wished to get really fancy, possible upgrades (assuming it is an actual tool, used (I'd imagine) like binoculars) might include improved zoom, scaleable zoom, IRNV, etc. Not to mention the obvious improvements to gameplay mechanics. Might also include a range finder perhaps.

Idea 2 - Mass Cloaking

I envision this as using the cloak slot and working very similar to the combat medic's AoE heal. Basically, it would provide all friendlies (or perhaps only limited to squad) within a certain radius of the infiltrator, a minor form of cloaking. It would be pretty slight compared to the main cloaks, but would still hide those affected from radar and spotting, while allowing them to fire. Alternatively: firing might break the cloak.

It would drain nanites pretty swiftly, much like the medic's AoE heal, but the rate at which it drains and/or recharges could be upgraded.

Idea 3 - Large Base Security Systems

This idea would take a bit of doing to integrate properly and runs a high risk of simply making infiltrator either OP or simply required, which isn't good. Still, if implemented right, it does have some potential I think. Basically, you know how whenever you're taking a base, or simply ruining everything in it, there's a lot of indicators that let the enemy know what you're up to?

I refer specifically to voice that says things like "generator compromised", flashing icons on the minimap, and even "Enemies detected." on the map. What I propose is that various components of these warning systems, these "security systems", could be disabled, though perhaps only temporarily.

I'm thinking various terminals deep inside the bases which an infiltrator could hack to help disguise his group's presence. To keep it balanced, I'd say each "system" (alarm voice, minimap indicators, etc.) would have its own terminal, and they would all be more or less spread out throughout the base.

Each terminal would take longer to hack than your average one, and perhaps even include some minigame of some sort, though that seems unlikely. For some systems though, like the population/activity monitor on the map that says "Enemy squads detected.", disabling it completely I feel would be out of the question.

Instead, I'd suggest it simply displaying something like "UNKNOWN". The enemy would know someone had gotten in to the security systems, it wouldn't just display "No activity.", but whether one bored infiltrator or eight platoons awaited them, they wouldn't know.

Again, I'd say that this only be temporary. After a time the system's automatic back up might bring the systems back online. In addition, infiltrators and perhaps engineers (or even all classes save MAX) of the defending faction could "repair" the security systems terminals and restore them to working condition

Conclusion

I'm aware that not everyone shares my views and opinions on these matters. In fact, I know some might vehemently oppose them, and that's fine. All I'm saying is to me, based on my experience, with my playstyle, this is what I feel is lacking and how I'd suggest fixing it. I wouldn't rate this as high priority either, but still, some of this might be nice to have some time in the future.

What do you all think? If you think that infiltrator isn't lacking in this way, please share why. If I can feel like I'm not lacking like this without having to wait for some updates in the far flung future, I'd be glad to hear it.

Also thank you for taking to read my massive longwinded thread. Sorry it got so out of hand.

I'm just going to repeat what I said in the other thread:

Add to that the fact that SMGs will mean that infiltrators will be much more at home inside building rather than half a kilometre away on some hillside and I think that an infiltrator or two have a useful role in any infantary squad.

SMGs will make us, at best, capable of the same damage output as every other class with weaker shields and no combat utility like the Medic or HA. That isn't "desirable", it's merely "adequate".

I don't propose that squads are going to start stacking infiltrators to "infilcrash" rooms and dominate biolabs, merely that smgs will mean that bringing an infiltrator into a base is going to be less of a trade off between utility and combat ability.

Ah, but that's the thing, isn't it? We're still the only class in this game with virtually no scaling based on numbers. One Infiltrator versus twelve gets the job done slightly slower and nothing else. If there's ever more than one in your squad, he exists as a contingency plan in case the first dies. On the other hand, multiple Light Assaults can outnumber people entrenched in otherwise impossible to reach areas, multiple Medics can keep the entire squad alive much more efficiently, not to mention each other, and multiple Engineers can at least drop their number's worth of MANA turrets and ammo packs. HAs scale so well in groups with their Annihilators that it's starting to dominate the whole game.

This is why squad-based utility is not going to be enough for the Infiltrator. The ability for a single Infiltrator to accomplish things that an entire squad could not is made necessary by the class's design, yet not accommodated in the overarching game mechanics at all. In many cases, working even with other Infiltrators is a significant risk that shares the consequences of punishment between everyone involved, but none of the rewards.

Numbers scaling is indeed the area that I feel infiltrators are weakest in at the moment/after smgs come in. But to say that there is no scaling is wrong. I have see times where it was impossible to advance across an area because of the saturation of snipers. This is seriously devalued by the lack of incentives for defending and porous bases, but it sill exists.

The problem is trying to find some area that is not already covered by other classes where infiltrators could provide a large numbers scaling bonus while not warping the entire game (say by tightening base defences) to fit this need.