Welders as alt-fire on pistol
CaCa
Join Date: 2003-06-12 Member: 17319Members
Join Date: 2003-06-12 Member: 17319Members
I've thrown this idea inside another thread but I think it'd be a neat enough idea to debate on it's own:
I don't know if welders are to be implemented, but if they are I think it'd be cool and I daresay optimal if the pistol's alt-fire itself doubled as a welder. The current alt-fire is pretty much unnecessary anyway, in the grand scheme of things.
Say this comes already as default and is actually used to build structures <i>instead</i> of just pushing +use. I mean, it's kinda ridiculous that just by planting your hand in the ghost structure, it get's magically built... It'd feel more "interactive" if to build you have to actually whip your pistol out as a tool (that sounded kinky).
Then, for actual repairing and or welding doors n' stuff like that, you'd need an actual armory upgrade. Or maybe it's also default but repairing/welding doors (anything that isn't <i>building</i> structures) actually spends individual resources, like say, 1 point for every 5% welded or something.
This also has the advantage that UWE wouldn't need to model and implement a whole separate welder thing. Just merge it with the pistol. Makes total sense to me...
Whaddyall think?
I don't know if welders are to be implemented, but if they are I think it'd be cool and I daresay optimal if the pistol's alt-fire itself doubled as a welder. The current alt-fire is pretty much unnecessary anyway, in the grand scheme of things.
Say this comes already as default and is actually used to build structures <i>instead</i> of just pushing +use. I mean, it's kinda ridiculous that just by planting your hand in the ghost structure, it get's magically built... It'd feel more "interactive" if to build you have to actually whip your pistol out as a tool (that sounded kinky).
Then, for actual repairing and or welding doors n' stuff like that, you'd need an actual armory upgrade. Or maybe it's also default but repairing/welding doors (anything that isn't <i>building</i> structures) actually spends individual resources, like say, 1 point for every 5% welded or something.
This also has the advantage that UWE wouldn't need to model and implement a whole separate welder thing. Just merge it with the pistol. Makes total sense to me...
Whaddyall think?
Comments
my 2.
I agree the <i>repairing</i> function of alt-fire pistol welders should be researched or at least cost individual resources to use, so that part wouldn't be for free so the marines can go around repairing all willy-nilly. But the structure construction function would be default.
Anyway why not this instead of replacing the pistol slot altogether? Why would it be necessary to have a whole separate object? It just seems more optimal, and even fits in with the whole "transformable weapons" aesthetic.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/fd60d.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
But I think it should be limited to welding & repairing only power nodes (marine repairing of power nodes coming in build 175) and marine armor. And stop having med packs replenish marine armor (bcos it's too easy). MAC's required to repair all else.
Maybe as a rifle module you can buy tho, sort of like the gl module? Would make people have to choose to be a welder, or something else like the sg class.
Wow...
Just... Wow...
The game would slow to a halt if every marine could repair structures without significant sacrifice. A team of Gorges are hardly formidable in a fight. A team of Marines with Welders as their secondary are hardly impaired. A Welder would need to cost as much as the Gorge to balance the Marine's ability to sit around structures and keep them at 100%. This introduces more problems than it fixes just for the sake of "being cool."
This is the biggest issue that needs to be considered, I think. Tig said: "welders require the sacrifice of a weapon slot.", but which slot should be sacrificed in this case? In NS1, welders took up a 4th slot iirc, which iirc was also the slot for mines and grenades. All three things were optional, had a cost, and there was choice; so although the sacrifice wasn't large, you still sacrificed the ability to throw a grenade or place a mine. By having the welder serve only one function and take up a "whole slot", you also sacrificed your ability to defend yourself, for the short time that you chose to wield a welder.
At the moment, I'm actually keen on a welder attachment to the vanilla rifle (activatable with right-click). This achieves three things: You're still sacrificing better/other weaponry (melee knockback, grenade launcher, flamethrower, shotgun) for the welder; you make the rifle more useful over the length of the game (less obsolete); you can still defend yourself.
Macs allow marines to defend themselves without having to be concerned with time management or switching weapons. In fact marines aren't even required if the com is sneaky enough... and Macs are disposable. Also the com has a better idea of what structures need welding and it's more efficient to send a mac to the area then to order marines around, while waiting for them to acquire welders.
The devs want marines to have a way to repair power nodes, and likely ONLY power nodes:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Adding ability for marines to repair power nodes. They can do this with their “+use†key and reduce frustration with not being able to do anything when your Commander is away (Build 175).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is to fix a specific problem and it fits very well with the already existing notion that no "tool" is required to build new equipment the commander drops... just your "+use" key. So why not the same for repairing?
The problem is that new marine players will wonder why they can't just repair <u>everything</u> with the "+use" key. So i imagine down the road this behavior will be added (or perhaps research unlockable by the commander).
How about where you can't single handily repair a RT, but 2+ marines will allow you to?