The Grenade Launcher's Role
Raneman
Join Date: 2010-01-07 Member: 69962Members
Join Date: 2010-01-07 Member: 69962Members
The Grenade Launcher: An end game weapon that gives the marines the magic of explosives.
<img src="http://xesdrive.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/stuntacademy-week3-day4-315-of-356.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
What the grenade launcher is expected to be.
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ad/M-80_Red_Tube_3_Gram_Salute.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
What the grenade launcher actually is.
The grenade launcher right now is either used for two things: attacking groups of aliens or taking out structures. It's good at neither.
A direct hit from a grenade launcher would be something you would expect would ###### you up pretty badly. But when it takes 3 to kill a hydra, and 50 to kill a hive, you have a problem.
The grenade launcher seems to be aimed at structures. At the moment, a shotgun blast will take down the health of a hive by 4% or so, while a good, direct grenade hit takes the health down by 2%. The shotgun is twice as good at the grenade launcher at taking down structures, and even more so for other reasons.
You could try to kill some aliens with it, sure. But good luck hitting an alien closing the distance on you, especially a fast, small one, with a grenade with a timer. A direct hit is nearly impossible, and even that takes a few hits to kill a fade.
What is the grenade launcher designed for?
<img src="http://xesdrive.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/stuntacademy-week3-day4-315-of-356.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
What the grenade launcher is expected to be.
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ad/M-80_Red_Tube_3_Gram_Salute.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
What the grenade launcher actually is.
The grenade launcher right now is either used for two things: attacking groups of aliens or taking out structures. It's good at neither.
A direct hit from a grenade launcher would be something you would expect would ###### you up pretty badly. But when it takes 3 to kill a hydra, and 50 to kill a hive, you have a problem.
The grenade launcher seems to be aimed at structures. At the moment, a shotgun blast will take down the health of a hive by 4% or so, while a good, direct grenade hit takes the health down by 2%. The shotgun is twice as good at the grenade launcher at taking down structures, and even more so for other reasons.
You could try to kill some aliens with it, sure. But good luck hitting an alien closing the distance on you, especially a fast, small one, with a grenade with a timer. A direct hit is nearly impossible, and even that takes a few hits to kill a fade.
What is the grenade launcher designed for?
Comments
but I'm sure the devs know what they're doing and will change it somehow once they get time.
edit: fixed ugly typo
And it sucks at it too.
Or maybe buff the LMG itself when it gets the upgrade. It's semi useful right now but it has a lot room for improvement
Dunno how it should be done - with better proximity fuses, larger splash dmg, better dmg vs structures.
It could have some kind of shell-shock effect against smaller aliens - like lerks and skulks - not very lethal but good at flushing them out of vents.
GL on the other hand can lob grenades into a room, blow up everything in it, and it can do so from outside the door.
Just because you can't do all of that on your own with one grenade launcher doesn't mean it's a bad weapon.
Well I agree with that theory, but just the theory. Although the GL isn't as bad as people are making it sound, it has a horribly low ammo count and does way less damage than one would expect. It could at the least use a bump in ammo. I would also like to see increased damage, but keep in mind if it becomes too powerful, multiple people using them could potentially be abused hard.
However with a gorge or a crag there its use is great diminished. I would like to see faster reload time or a toggle that allows us to shoot multiple grenades without reloading.
I could be mistaken but given their lack of damage and the fact you can only shoot one round at a time gives me the impression that they want multiple people using them rather than just one.
Either way, I do think a slight increase in it's efficiency is warranted. In most games only one or two people have them near the end and then it doesn't feel like they're getting much done. And considering they cost 30 resources I feel like they're already a weapon that has a high cost.
Yes, because you aren't supposed to be using it on your own.
Use it in concert with other people, if one marine could waltz into an alien base and blow it up then bases would be kinda pointless, the whole idea of it being an addon weapon is that you can kit out three or four people with them and still have a combat effective team.
Take a couple of grenadiers, and a couple of shotgunners, and a flamethrower guy, you'll blow everything up. If you need ammo, the comm can teleport it out of the sky.
Wow I thought it was implied by what I wrote that I understood they will get used in groups. Ok, so I guess you missed the whole point of what I was saying but currently the GL is underpowered <b>even in groups</b>. However, because group grenade spam can become a problem if made too powerful, it shouldn't receive a huge boost, but at the very very least have clip size increased.
Just because GLs should be used in groups doesn't make the current implementation useful in such scenario currently.
It's a pretty cheap upgrade on its own, once you add in exosuits and jetpacks as well as that nerve gas upgrade which I remember seeing somewhere in the tech tree, marines using it will be more than capable.
Besides its strength is in blowing up large numbers of objects, for individual objects shotguns are better, this is not bad, it's balance. If they have a room full of objects a couple of grenadiers can overcome crags and gorges healing it. I've seen this happen so I find it hard to agree that it's weak.
<!--quoteo(post=1855043:date=Jun 21 2011, 07:11 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Jun 21 2011, 07:11 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855043"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Question is though, wouldn't it be more efficient to just get a bunch of shotguns instead? Cheaper and nearly as effective, certainly more so in groups vs fades.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Possibly, although rushing in with shotguns gets you killed if there are defences in the room, grenade launchers are excellently equipped to deal with hydras and whips. Shotguns (or anything, really if you get enough marines) are good against undefended objects but for things that can fight back, indirect weapons like arcs and GLs are better.
That I would agree with, grenade physics are a bit off, if they land on the floor it would be nice if they had a bit more friction, so you can actually aim it at something.
If anything there should be a detonate on impact mode like there was in NS1. It might be in NS2 but I haven't used the GL enough. I do remember in NS1 that if you hit a hive, defense chamber, offense chamber, etc. it would blow up on impact. It should have the same capabilities.
Besides, most grenade launchers do detonate on impact IRL. I know this is a video game but messing with the physics just so grenades don't slide and pop around so much is a little messed up imho. They should just be able to detonate on impact.
You can't make it detonate on impact in general though, otherwise you would have a gun that does massive damage to everything near what you shoot it at.
Which is not a good thing when most of the other side is based on movement and dodging. You can't add a weapon which does massive damage and can't be dodged.
You can't make it detonate on impact in general though, otherwise you would have a gun that does massive damage to everything near what you shoot it at.
Which is not a good thing when most of the other side is based on movement and dodging. You can't add a weapon which does massive damage and can't be dodged.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well if it does detonate on impact with an enemy or structure, then I don't see what the big issue is with the physics of it all. Just aim better, I guess? I mean unless it's bouncing off the side of the hive and exploding on the ground I don't see the issue.
Because you aren't supposed to be using it as a direct fire weapon, its appeal is that you can fire it around corners, or without exposing yourself to fire for very long.
So it's kind of hard to aim it perfectly at objects, so it would be appreciated if I could aim a timed grenade at the general are of a stationary object and have it detonate there. It shouldn't be powerful against alien lifeforms, but needs to be a bit easier to use against smaller buildings. Currently it has a bit of a habit of bouncing off weird things with too much bounciness and can easily end up going miles behind the thing you're aiming at.
A little more traction on the floor would make it easier to use.
i am a quake pro and i know what i am talking abut
<!--coloro:red--><span style="color:red"><!--/coloro-->I'm a mod and I know what I ban for, 1 week ban, next will be perm. -Zaggy<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
<a href="http://youtu.be/vg6H7GrHwuI?t=24s" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/vg6H7GrHwuI?t=24s</a>
That is what the new question is. Why can't the game auto aim for you since shooting takes absolutely no skill?
As well, the marines get to shave precious seconds from the time the aliens hear "Structure under attack!" and the point that said structure is dead.
That's the main problem I see with it. Why should I use it? Shotties kill things better, single structures included, and are cheaper, a single flamethrower can really help negate the two main threats to a marine squad (Fades and Lerks spamming spores) and you only need one to get a huge benefit out of, and the only thing the grenade launcher is undeniably better than, the regular rifle, is free.