Sole Fenychs
Sinq Laison Gendarmes
Gallente Federation
482
   |
Posted - 2014.06.04 14:36:00 -
[1] - Quote
Note: Specifics are just random thoughts. My point is more about the general ideas.
What if Assault bonuses weren't bound to their factional weapons?
What if the Assault wasn't a weapon plattform for their faction, but rather a general weapon platform that doesn't get punished for their weapon selection?
I mean, doesn't that make sense? Shouldn't an Assault have free choice in weaponry, considering that they are supposed to be the backbone of the team?
What if Assault bonuses were factional flavors, but independant of the equipped weapon?
Gallente are close combat fighters - Give them bonuses for exactly that situation. Less recoil and better reload is what is needed when you get close and personal.
Minmatar are the hit and run faction. So give them higher rate of fire across the board, to allow them to frontload their damage.
Caldari are the ranged faction. Give them less dispersion.
And Amarr... Really, I have no idea. You could give them a defensive bonus. At the very least, if they still do the overheat thing, their skill should apply to *all* infantry weapons with overheat mechanics.
What purpose would this serve?
Well, it would help differentiate the Assault from the Commando. Commandos are built on weapon synergy and their damage bonus is locked to their faction. Each Commando is a synergy package, where you get the most out of it by having at least one faction-aligned weapon. The lack of grenades and slots in general also plays into that idea.
They are defined by their guns and restricted by their guns.
Assaults are jacks of all trades, on the other hand. They are faster than Commandos, allowing them to run away if needed. They can get fluxes or AV grenades when necessary. Hell, they can put on Dampeners if there's a specific situation, like scanner tank assaults. In theory, they could even equip cloaks for a tactical sneak attack.
In fact, I'd propose to have general behavior bonuses to each assault. Don't just think of assaults as "the dudes that do less damage than Commandos and are slightly faster". Think of them as "the guys who are selected when you don't know what you will run into".
What bonuses would you give to Assaults to make them the jack of all trades? And how many bonuses would you give them?
If I went for crazytown - seriously, take these ideas with a huge grain of salt - , I'd give each Assault two factional bonuses. Weapon bonuses would make up one half, as described further up.
I'd give Caldari a minor equipment PG/CPU bonus, (far less than the Logi) to allow them to fit cloaks with less tradeoffs (but still with tradeoffs) than the other factions. It's an equipment bonus to not force them into actually using the damn thing. It also adds a dynamic of Caldari Assaults adding minor equipment support.
A percentage-based (to discourage reppers) damage resistance bonus to Amarr to make them the true assault bricks. Assault bricks are awesome at bringing their guns to bear on targets in sight, without feeling the need to evade after half a second. That half second of additional lifetime really pays off in stand-up fights. The calmer playstyle also allows repping team mates to actually bring their reppers to bear without their target running around like a chicken on fire.
A minor detection range bonus on Minmatar, because they are the most scout-like Assault, and a fitting bonus to Bio modules. I wish detection wasn't shared with team-mates for the sake of this.
And Gallente would get two close-combat gun handling bonuses. This would allow them to best support the squad in frantic close-combat situations, where the reppers really shine and external repairs are hard to pull off. This would make them the most mundane Assault, though. |