DUST Search - Giving the Assault Suit a More Defined Role [Renewed]

Summ Dude wrote:

So a while back I wrote up a sort of thesis paper on Assault suits, and how they might be changed to more solidly fit a definite role. Unfortunately, I received no blue tag. But, with Rattati around now, and with him specifically suggesting improving the Assault suit, maybe he'd be willing to give this a look.

It feels like the Assault suit hasn't really had a defined role to fill for a while. So I got to thinking: what should the designated role of Assault suits be?

For a good starting place, let's check the in-game description:

Quote:

The Assault dropsuit is a versatile front-line combat suit that combines excellent protection, good mobility and sufficient equipment hard points for mission-specific customizations.
Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice. Its ability to carry anything from small arms and explosives to heavy anti-vehicle munitions and deployable support gear makes it the most adaptable suit on the battlefield.

So, as has been said time and time again, it seems the basic idea of the Assault suit is to truly be the "jack of all trades, master of none". So it should be the least niche suit; able to perform many different roles effectively, but not really excelling at any one. But I'd like to take this a step farther, specifically analyzing this line:

Quote:

Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice.

This seems to imply that the Assault suit is also good at switching locations quickly, as well as being prepared for many different scenarios. From this, we could extrapolate that Assault suits are meant to be very good at dictating when and where their engagements happen, and always being able to switch to a more advantageous position during engagements. Given all this, I've come up with this as a more solid designated role: The Adaptable Shock Trooper. Able to move swiftly both between locations and their role on the battlefield. The suit with unmatched flexibility, also able to get in quick and hit the enemy hard and fast when need-be.

So, now that we've got an idea, how do we change the current Assault suit to fill this role?

Step 1: Modules- In order to truly be the most flexible and adaptable suit, I believe that the Assault suit needs to have the most module slots of any suit. I would recommend moving around the medium suits' (including Assaults and Logis) slot layouts, giving Assault suits one more module slot than Logistics suits. Having the most modules available means you can customize your suit for whatever specific scenario you want, or make some hodgepodge in between specific specializations. This reinforces the flexibility aspect of the suit's role.

Suggested Medium Suit Slot Layouts-
Assault:
Amarr: 1LW/2S/1G/1EQ/3H/5L
Caldari: 1LW/1S/1G/1EQ/5H/4L
Gallente: 1LW/1S/1G/2EQ/3H/5L
Minmatar: 1LW/1S/2G/1EQ/4H/4L

Logi:
Amarr: 1LW/1S/1G/3EQ/3H/4L
Caldari: 1LW/1G/3EQ/5H/3L
Gallente: 1LW/1G/4EQ/2H/5L
Minmatar: 1LW/1G/4EQ/4H/3L

So this leaves all medium suits with 13 total slots at PRO. All of the Logis get 7 module slots, except for the Caldari which gets 8, due to not having a bonus Sidearm or Equipment slot. All of the Assaults get 8 module slots, again except for the Caldari, which has 9. The Amarr Assault gets an extra Sidearm; this is in line with the Amarr Logi, and allows the suit to constantly have a weapon ready to switch to. The Gallente Assault gets a bonus Equipment slot, in keeping with Gallente's philosophy of preserving life. The Minmatar Assault gets an extra Grenade slot, as the Minmatar love explosions, and it's arguably the best with grenades due to it's speed.

Step 2: Stats- Since all Assaults and Logis now have the same total slot counts, to keep things balanced they should have the same basic "level" of advantages in their base stats. Personally, I'd recommend letting Logis keep their superior hack speed, scan distance, and scan precision that they have now, while also giving them slightly more base HP than Assaults. Then, let Assaults keep their higher speed, stamina, and stamina recharge rate, while also giving them higher base melee damage.

So now Assault suits would be inherently more mobile and agile than Logi suits, while Logis would be more innately bricked out; of course an Assault could still out-tank them with modules, if they wanted.


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Meee One Algintal Core Gallente Federation 916	Posted - 2014.07.19 09:00:00 - [1] - Quote Summ Dude wrote: So a while back I wrote up a sort of thesis paper on Assault suits, and how they might be changed to more solidly fit a definite role. Unfortunately, I received no blue tag. But, with Rattati around now, and with him specifically suggesting improving the Assault suit, maybe he'd be willing to give this a look. It feels like the Assault suit hasn't really had a defined role to fill for a while. So I got to thinking: what should the designated role of Assault suits be? For a good starting place, let's check the in-game description: Quote: The Assault dropsuit is a versatile front-line combat suit that combines excellent protection, good mobility and sufficient equipment hard points for mission-specific customizations. Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice. Its ability to carry anything from small arms and explosives to heavy anti-vehicle munitions and deployable support gear makes it the most adaptable suit on the battlefield. So, as has been said time and time again, it seems the basic idea of the Assault suit is to truly be the "jack of all trades, master of none". So it should be the least niche suit; able to perform many different roles effectively, but not really excelling at any one. But I'd like to take this a step farther, specifically analyzing this line: Quote: Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice. This seems to imply that the Assault suit is also good at switching locations quickly, as well as being prepared for many different scenarios. From this, we could extrapolate that Assault suits are meant to be very good at dictating when and where their engagements happen, and always being able to switch to a more advantageous position during engagements. Given all this, I've come up with this as a more solid designated role: The Adaptable Shock Trooper. Able to move swiftly both between locations and their role on the battlefield. The suit with unmatched flexibility, also able to get in quick and hit the enemy hard and fast when need-be. So, now that we've got an idea, how do we change the current Assault suit to fill this role? Step 1: Modules- In order to truly be the most flexible and adaptable suit, I believe that the Assault suit needs to have the most module slots of any suit. I would recommend moving around the medium suits' (including Assaults and Logis) slot layouts, giving Assault suits one more module slot than Logistics suits. Having the most modules available means you can customize your suit for whatever specific scenario you want, or make some hodgepodge in between specific specializations. This reinforces the flexibility aspect of the suit's role. Suggested Medium Suit Slot Layouts- Assault: Amarr: 1LW/2S/1G/1EQ/3H/5L Caldari: 1LW/1S/1G/1EQ/5H/4L Gallente: 1LW/1S/1G/2EQ/3H/5L Minmatar: 1LW/1S/2G/1EQ/4H/4L Logi: Amarr: 1LW/1S/1G/3EQ/3H/4L Caldari: 1LW/1G/3EQ/5H/3L Gallente: 1LW/1G/4EQ/2H/5L Minmatar: 1LW/1G/4EQ/4H/3L So this leaves all medium suits with 13 total slots at PRO. All of the Logis get 7 module slots, except for the Caldari which gets 8, due to not having a bonus Sidearm or Equipment slot. All of the Assaults get 8 module slots, again except for the Caldari, which has 9. The Amarr Assault gets an extra Sidearm; this is in line with the Amarr Logi, and allows the suit to constantly have a weapon ready to switch to. The Gallente Assault gets a bonus Equipment slot, in keeping with Gallente's philosophy of preserving life. The Minmatar Assault gets an extra Grenade slot, as the Minmatar love explosions, and it's arguably the best with grenades due to it's speed. Step 2: Stats- Since all Assaults and Logis now have the same total slot counts, to keep things balanced they should have the same basic "level" of advantages in their base stats. Personally, I'd recommend letting Logis keep their superior hack speed, scan distance, and scan precision that they have now, while also giving them slightly more base HP than Assaults. Then, let Assaults keep their higher speed, stamina, and stamina recharge rate, while also giving them higher base melee damage. So now Assault suits would be inherently more mobile and agile than Logi suits, while Logis would be more innately bricked out; of course an Assault could still out-tank them with modules, if they wanted. While this sounds almost agreeable you're not taking into account the future modules that enhance equipment,that the logistics class would be compelled to use. So -1 on unequal slots. -or- -1 for less logistics slots.