This forum has a few themes right now: Nerf the AR, Patch want/needs, and Scout suit modifications.

I see that people who are using Scouts are not happy with what little they have to work with. They want more equipment slots, or more CPU, and more speed, etc...

I thought the purpose of light frames was to be stripped down suits that purposely can perform LESS simultaneous functions on the battlefield. They are like the opposites of Logi or Heavies I thought?

Scouts have speed and stealth, which means they run around the back of the enemy and plant Uplinks to ambush the enemy, sneak to an objective and begin hacking it, scan the holy sh*t out of everything, and maybe get a few kills then run for cover again. Or, they actually scout the enemy and use a mic to tell their team where they are at.

I know some people use them for shotguns, because you need every advantage you can get with those broken guns, and the fact that hitboxes sway terribly in this game makes Scouts very effective when they are dancing all around you. Bullets shoot right through them like they are ghosts; but they die instantly if they are 10 metes away from you... I can't tell you how many times I catch a Scout in the open, in the thick of the battlefield running head on right at me, and all I can think is "really dude, props for trying, but you're dead... NOW" I shoot, they die. sometimes I even have o back up 5 steps. This is an example of a scout playing foolishly to there equipment function.


So, Why are Scout users asking for more, when their frames are specifically made to do less? This doesn't mean they aren't effective, they just have different roles. Sure, Heavies would like to have equipment slots so they can stand on Triages, Logis would like sidearms AND more slots, mediums would like to have Scout speed without sacrificing health and stealth themselves. I personally would like more to my Caldari Medium frames(and yes I use the SCR w/ Caldari because I'm stubborn) but that's all in the name of balance.

I never used an actual Scout frame before; only Basic Light. I do fine with them of what can be expected. I hack more objectives, and I get more support WP. In fact, I'll leave with this example:

The only time I ever played General John Ripper and Levi Thunder our team was destined to get stomped. I was having a terrible day with connections, so I was only using free fits that day. One of them was The Gallente Hunter Fit, a stealth(ish) Light frame. As expected, my team was getting destroyed in a hurry, we went down by 15 clones in the first 2 minutes. So, I put on my light frame, and ran all the way around the map, and climbed up a wall and planted Uplinks right behind them. So ever death from there on, they got ambushed. I then ran all the way around them again and did it to them a 2nd, and 3rd time.
I finished 2/4 but had 1200+ in Uplinks because I placed them in detrimental positions for the enemy. I called in my HAV (and actually left it there for my team to drive) and before you know it, we won the match. All thanks to ME! All thanks to using a Light Suit as intended.

Then I really have to ask, why are you using Scouts at all then? Why are you purposely gimping yourself?

I was pointing out the name of the two different suits, that have 2 different roles. Assaults are made to kill, and not a whole lot more, they are made to be on the front lines.

Scouts aren't made to do that. They are made to be behind the enemy lines, doing scout things. Sneaky things. Ambush tactics.

Assaults assault. Scouts scout.

Scouts can't scout if they have the same base scan radius of every other suit. Boost it to 20, and I'm a content Scout.

Because killing is a secondary function for a Scout?

If killing is intended to be a secondary Scout function ...
1) CCP should make every effort to remove "assassination" references from their Scout descriptions.
2) CCP should budget to lose *250 dedicated players who've been waiting patiently for promised "Dev Hugs".
3) AR-514 should pat itself on the back for forever ridding itself of a game with depth and a skilled opponent.

If infiltration and recon are to be the Scout's primary functions ...
1) Make the Active Scanner Scout-only equipment and undo the nerf to our base scan range.
2) Undo the nerfs to our speed and stamina, and make us more capable at evasion.
3) Undo the nerfs to our EQ and slot configs so we can perform our AR-514-prescribed role better than a Logi.

* 250 ... yep, that's all of us. Wonder why there aren't more Scouts?

Consider the extent of Scout Nerfs since Chromosome:

• Our Slot Configs were directly nerfed
• Our EQ Slots were directly nerfed
• Our PG/CPU outputs directly were nerfed
• Our Scan Radius was directly were nerfed
• Our Stamina pool was directly nerfed
• Our Base Speeds were directly nerfed
• Our Alpha potential was indirectly nerfed (with massive buffs to medium/heavy eHP)
• Our Evasive abilities were indirectly nerfed (by improved hitscan mechanics)
• Our Hitbox advantage was indirectly nerfed (by aim assist)
• Our Mobility advantage was indirectly nerfed (with buffs to non-scout mobility)
• Our Strafe advantage was indirectly nerfed (with buffs to non-scout strafe speed)
• Our Tools of assassination were nerfed and broken (SG / NK detection remains unreliable)

The "Buff Scout" threads of early Uprising were welcome and supported (even by non-Scouts). When our ranks dwindled and our performance sagged, even CCP acknowledged the problem. Cmdr Wang promised future Dev Hugs, and every build since we have waited. Everyone agreed that the Scout was sick and needed something substantial.

Five builds later, we've all become more and more accustomed to the Scout imbalance. AR-514's sense of entitlement has been nurtured and encouraged. It took some time to take hold, but now the "Scouts aren't supposed to kill" mentality is commonplace. So much so, that when a Top 100 player -- who happens to be a Scout -- smashed someone, that someone stomped off to the forums in protest...

"How dare a Scout be able to kill me?"

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We Scouts have adapted and the TacNet changes have helped. But our blades remain dull, our suits remain imbalanced, and our roles remain better performed by others.

• We account for only 3-5% of the playerbase and only 2% of the Top 100.
• 38% of us (including CPM Nova Knife) have been largely inactive in 1.5.
• 25% of us haven't bothered to play 1.5 at all.
• 75% of newbro Scouts give up before reaching 1,000 kills.

The Scout is still sick, and more work must be done. We're very much looking forward to a meaningful buff, whether or not AR-514 thinks it appropriate.