The new Lerk, my experience and suggestions (yours too!)
thefonz
Join Date: 2011-06-22 Member: 105847Members
Join Date: 2011-06-22 Member: 105847Members
(I am now OFFICIALLY HATING the log in problems I am having. I had to retype this ENTIRE post because I got logged out while typing it, clicked post, and lost everything.)
First off, let me link you to another thread I posted that shows how I think of the Lerk now. It will likely explain the though process behind my suggestions to you.
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=117104" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=117104</a>
Ok, lets begin.
<ul><li>I keep bumping into ceilings and marine heads/chests when flying. Also, accidental landing are a bit too sticky.</li></ul>
The new descending gas really encourages the Lerk to fly above marines and gas them. Here is the problem. From my experience, while many rooms have plenty of vertical space for the Lerk, most hallways do not. A good part of this is my admittedly limited flying experience, but i also feel that the level design plays a large part. I'm not saying that all hallways need to be made 20 feet tall, just a bit more room would be nice. And please still include low points in the hallways, air ducts, hanging lights, pipes, ect. The combination of generally taller hallways with a low point or two provides a better natural choke point for the Lerk's flight. Currently to me it feels like the whole hallway is a choke point to the Lerk, resulting in my many crashes, and many painful deaths. The higher hallways would make it easier for the Lerk to gas in hallways, while the low points would provided the needed height choke to lower the Lerk and make it easier for marines to track and shoot it.
This suggestion also requires thought into how the low points would affect skulk movement/hiding on the ceiling of a hallway. Thought I don't have time for right now, sorry. Anyone else?
As for the sticky landings, it just feels wrong. Yeah I landed, but it was by accident, I'm still spamming the crap out of my space bar! I think the problem lies in that the Lerk loses its flight momentum as soon as you touch ground. That's good for intentional landings, but bad for accidental ones. I would prefer accidental landing to feel more like skipping off the ground (more like skipping a rock across a pond). I don't have a good idea how to get the game to tell an accidental landing from and intentional one. Maybe, if space is held or recently pressed when the Lerk hits the ground more momentum should be preserved. This would also allow skidding landings if the Lerk held space on lading but didn't flap to take off again.
<ul><li>The Lerk bile bomb feels goofy and it is hard to understand what you are doing with it.</li></ul>
Ok, let me be clear. I know its brand new, and nowhere near final. That said, it is super confusing.
First off, it took me few minutes to realize I couldn't do it from the ground. Can it at least be performed from a roost? Never tried it that way. I would prefer it be doable from the ground too. using an arc similar to the air drop, just angle upward a bit so that the max you can shoot is is a few feet. NOT the B199 gorge bile bomb trajectory.
Secondly, the way it does damage confuses me for multiple reasons.
A) It does less initial damage now and more damage over time, right? It feels much weaker the the B199 gorge version. I think it is actually faster to kill an extractor with spikes and the bile bomb. Can someone confirm/deny?
B) Because I generally can't look straight at a structure and see its health when bile bombing, I really have no idea if I am being effective. Particularly when flying over a base and bile bombing, I can't even see the structures animate when they get hit because I am flying past them. A bigger, more glorified hit indicator for bile bomb would solve this easily.
Lastly
<ul><li> Please bring back shotgun spikes as a hive two ability.</li></ul>
Why? One word. <b>Dogfights</b>. Also useful for strafing, but more importantly, <b>DOGFIGHTS!</b> Take a Marine with a jet pack and a shotgun, add a Lerk with shotgun spikes. Now hand me a paper towel because I drooled all over myself.
If this is to be considered, let me add this suggestion. Give shotgun spikes a longer cool down than they had in previous builds. They would be more of a hit and run attack, perfect for dogfighting and strafing. The cool down should be long enough to prevent the following situation from happening. A Lerk sneakily lands behind a Marine, goes bang bang bang with its shotgun spikes in under two seconds, and flies away laughing, leaving another pissed off, dead Marine behind. I get the feeling that that situation was a part of why they got removed. Would love to see em come back with a longer cool down. <b>Dogfights</b>.
That's all I have to say, anyone else?
First off, let me link you to another thread I posted that shows how I think of the Lerk now. It will likely explain the though process behind my suggestions to you.
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=117104" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/in...howtopic=117104</a>
Ok, lets begin.
<ul><li>I keep bumping into ceilings and marine heads/chests when flying. Also, accidental landing are a bit too sticky.</li></ul>
The new descending gas really encourages the Lerk to fly above marines and gas them. Here is the problem. From my experience, while many rooms have plenty of vertical space for the Lerk, most hallways do not. A good part of this is my admittedly limited flying experience, but i also feel that the level design plays a large part. I'm not saying that all hallways need to be made 20 feet tall, just a bit more room would be nice. And please still include low points in the hallways, air ducts, hanging lights, pipes, ect. The combination of generally taller hallways with a low point or two provides a better natural choke point for the Lerk's flight. Currently to me it feels like the whole hallway is a choke point to the Lerk, resulting in my many crashes, and many painful deaths. The higher hallways would make it easier for the Lerk to gas in hallways, while the low points would provided the needed height choke to lower the Lerk and make it easier for marines to track and shoot it.
This suggestion also requires thought into how the low points would affect skulk movement/hiding on the ceiling of a hallway. Thought I don't have time for right now, sorry. Anyone else?
As for the sticky landings, it just feels wrong. Yeah I landed, but it was by accident, I'm still spamming the crap out of my space bar! I think the problem lies in that the Lerk loses its flight momentum as soon as you touch ground. That's good for intentional landings, but bad for accidental ones. I would prefer accidental landing to feel more like skipping off the ground (more like skipping a rock across a pond). I don't have a good idea how to get the game to tell an accidental landing from and intentional one. Maybe, if space is held or recently pressed when the Lerk hits the ground more momentum should be preserved. This would also allow skidding landings if the Lerk held space on lading but didn't flap to take off again.
<ul><li>The Lerk bile bomb feels goofy and it is hard to understand what you are doing with it.</li></ul>
Ok, let me be clear. I know its brand new, and nowhere near final. That said, it is super confusing.
First off, it took me few minutes to realize I couldn't do it from the ground. Can it at least be performed from a roost? Never tried it that way. I would prefer it be doable from the ground too. using an arc similar to the air drop, just angle upward a bit so that the max you can shoot is is a few feet. NOT the B199 gorge bile bomb trajectory.
Secondly, the way it does damage confuses me for multiple reasons.
A) It does less initial damage now and more damage over time, right? It feels much weaker the the B199 gorge version. I think it is actually faster to kill an extractor with spikes and the bile bomb. Can someone confirm/deny?
B) Because I generally can't look straight at a structure and see its health when bile bombing, I really have no idea if I am being effective. Particularly when flying over a base and bile bombing, I can't even see the structures animate when they get hit because I am flying past them. A bigger, more glorified hit indicator for bile bomb would solve this easily.
Lastly
<ul><li> Please bring back shotgun spikes as a hive two ability.</li></ul>
Why? One word. <b>Dogfights</b>. Also useful for strafing, but more importantly, <b>DOGFIGHTS!</b> Take a Marine with a jet pack and a shotgun, add a Lerk with shotgun spikes. Now hand me a paper towel because I drooled all over myself.
If this is to be considered, let me add this suggestion. Give shotgun spikes a longer cool down than they had in previous builds. They would be more of a hit and run attack, perfect for dogfighting and strafing. The cool down should be long enough to prevent the following situation from happening. A Lerk sneakily lands behind a Marine, goes bang bang bang with its shotgun spikes in under two seconds, and flies away laughing, leaving another pissed off, dead Marine behind. I get the feeling that that situation was a part of why they got removed. Would love to see em come back with a longer cool down. <b>Dogfights</b>.
That's all I have to say, anyone else?
Comments
Edit: I also keep bumping into marines heads/the ceiling in tight corridors hope it gets fixed.
space bar to start flight.
flight = steering and momentum
occasional flap for a little boost in the direction pointed.
Watch a hawk or seagull fly.
I used it all the time and it was great. Three hits from a short/medium range is usually enough to kill a marine. And if you happen to get behind a marine you can usually kill them before they get a single bullet into you. Can't do any of that now.
the damage is done over time, but linear. it is stackable, so when you throw 2 bombs instead of one it will do twice as much damage. we should maybe increase the effect intensity when stacking it up so it's easier to understand that multiple bombs do more damage
Yes x2.
I use the lerk as a harassing unit, and like it for that, but it's the non-skulk lifeform I have a lot of time and practice with. Most people find it underpowered and not armored enough for a serious firefight, which is odd considering the cost is so high (and at least my grenade launcher usually has 2-3 owners before it disappears).
I too think that limitation is unnecessary. I get that UWE wants the lerk to stay in the air, but why force a playstyle? Sitting on the ground is the most comfortable alternative when no marines are around. And you can still do it, all it takes is to press jump before bile bomb. Not to mention you can roost on a wall 10 cm above the ground and launch bile bombs. So if it doesn't improve anything, why have it at all?
Also the bile damage is laughable. Took me 15 bombs to kill a single turret (all direct hits).
For comparison: It takes 12 seconds to kill a turret with spikes, 50 seconds (!!!) with bile bomb.
That means bile bomb is pretty much redundant in its current form.