Changing The Jetpack
MrMojo
Join Date: 2002-11-25 Member: 9882Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-11-25 Member: 9882Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">for the better</div> Since this was an issue during both 1 and 2, plus the other 2.01 and 3.0 builds, I'm posting this here.
Everyone knows this. A group of aliens will keep attacking the cc, getting high levels, while the marines try to weld. A single jp/hmg or jp/shotgunner will escape and fly to the hive. There, he will empty most of his ammo into the hive while the entire alien team tries to get him. The hive will be down to 50%. He wll come again, and again. The hive will go down.
You could say that only a skilled jetpacker can do this, but sadly this isn't true. I know I'm not skilled. I'm average, I'd say, and I hardly ever used a jetpack. Even so, I could fly around the hive rooms for what seemed to be forever, emptying clip after clip into the hive. The aliens simply couldn't get me.
The problem, in my opinion, is the jetpack itself, and also the hive design. Many hive rooms are ideal for jetpack flying, such as co_faceoff, co_ulysses, co_pulse, and many more. Faceoff is the worst, I'd say, since both vents right outside the MS lead you all the way to the hive, and you can even shoot it from the vents.
Let's focus on the jetpack itself, however. To get jetpack, you need level 1 armor > level 2 armor > jetpack (2). That's 4 points, which are easy to get in 5 minutes, or even less.
What I propose is to change the jetpack fuel supply to somewhat higher than 2.0 levels. Also, slower recharging would be good as well. To balance out these things, the jetpack would be available at level one, for one level.
This way, people would have the ability to go for early jetpack and, if they're really good at it, they could still evade players, but not for so long.
Everyone knows this. A group of aliens will keep attacking the cc, getting high levels, while the marines try to weld. A single jp/hmg or jp/shotgunner will escape and fly to the hive. There, he will empty most of his ammo into the hive while the entire alien team tries to get him. The hive will be down to 50%. He wll come again, and again. The hive will go down.
You could say that only a skilled jetpacker can do this, but sadly this isn't true. I know I'm not skilled. I'm average, I'd say, and I hardly ever used a jetpack. Even so, I could fly around the hive rooms for what seemed to be forever, emptying clip after clip into the hive. The aliens simply couldn't get me.
The problem, in my opinion, is the jetpack itself, and also the hive design. Many hive rooms are ideal for jetpack flying, such as co_faceoff, co_ulysses, co_pulse, and many more. Faceoff is the worst, I'd say, since both vents right outside the MS lead you all the way to the hive, and you can even shoot it from the vents.
Let's focus on the jetpack itself, however. To get jetpack, you need level 1 armor > level 2 armor > jetpack (2). That's 4 points, which are easy to get in 5 minutes, or even less.
What I propose is to change the jetpack fuel supply to somewhat higher than 2.0 levels. Also, slower recharging would be good as well. To balance out these things, the jetpack would be available at level one, for one level.
This way, people would have the ability to go for early jetpack and, if they're really good at it, they could still evade players, but not for so long.
Comments
JP is hard to counter so you want to change it (affecting not only NS:C but NS as well since they devs are keeping both games the same). You want to give it *more* fuel at the cost of refueling speed (so if they can get to the hive, they can do damage more easily now?) AND you want to make a lvl 4 upgrade available at lvl 1?!
Bring on the scorpians and tanks.
Maybe, <i>maybe</i> implement the more fuel and slower recharge rate, but ABSOLUTELy do not bring it to a level one upgrade. Keep it where it is and maybe nerf it a bit, but it isn't that big of a deal.
As a lerk I can generally take out every non-gl-spamming jetpacker that can get into our hive.
Nerfing the jetpack will make it useless against competent players. Introducing it earlier is about as counterproductive as you can get with your intentions.
Because of the aliens lack of ranged weapons they need a solid counter to jetpacks that doesn't come at the hive 3 level (webs). Acid rocket wont cut it because it takes 8 rockets to drop an l3 la marine. Spore doesn't last long enough and resupply essentially makes spore useless.
I've heard the idea of umbra affecting jps fuel consumption. Perhaps if a jetpack flew into an umbra cloud his jp would stutter and he would have to wait till he was out of it before he could fly again. This would also promote umbra usage (which I don't see happening too often) from lerks and would have positive effects on NS Classique.
I did it 8 or 9 times yesterday. More or less entire marine camping spawn, more ore less entire alien team attacking marine spawn, me flying to the hive with a lvl 3 shottie a jp and often times lvl 0-1 armor. I get a minimum of 2 shots off before I die, even with 2 it takes me a maximum of 5 spawns to kill the hive by myself, with no damage from anyone else that I was aware of.
By the way I chalk this up to maps being too small and nothing else.
I did it 8 or 9 times yesterday. More or less entire marine camping spawn, more ore less entire alien team attacking marine spawn, me flying to the hive with a lvl 3 shottie a jp and often times lvl 0-1 armor. I get a minimum of 2 shots off before I die, even with 2 it takes me a maximum of 5 spawns to kill the hive by myself, with no damage from anyone else that I was aware of.
By the way I chalk this up to maps being too small and nothing else. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Please tell me how to get a JP with LVL 0 or 1 Armor <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->