Cross Atu: What's a good way to buff the Logi?
El Operator: Nerf Scouts.

Cross Atu: What's a good way to buff the Commando?
El Operator: Nerf Scouts.

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Scouts have jobs too, cupcake. Cloak was intended to help us do those jobs. It was not intended to replace those jobs.

And what might that be?

Grenades would be nice BUT me personally I'd rather have the second equipment slot from Scouts over the nades. Commandos DON'T and CAN'T have the speed or profile advantages Scouts do so the 2nd equipment ability being moved to this group would very much help them fulfill whatever specialized niche the fit is crafted for (AV, reinforcement, location offense or defense etc) without it being the same imbalance just on a different frame.

Besides, most anyone who isn't drunk on whatever they serve in the barbershop can see that the fastest, lowest profile suit class with some of the best regen stats and the ability to tote a light weapon, grenades, a sidearm AND 2 equipment sets just on paper is imbalanced, let alone the gameplay that actually stems from it.

If you believe that Scouts having 2 EQ is bad for business, why not elaborate as to why?
Or is your basis buried in Meee One's biased whimpers and Apothekary Zaki's baseless whines?

Imbalance?

Let's take a stroll over to weekly killboard and have a look together at all those famous top slayers. Let's start at the top, and as we scroll along, name for me the dedicated Scouts you see. While we're here studying these top slayers, let's keep an eye out for "uber slayers" with KDRs over 10.0. This way we can know the most deadly of mercs and perhaps identify a statistical anomaly or two. Like Kaizuki Sniper (CA Assault) or the notorious Duna (obvious pilot is obvious). How many here among these "uber slayers" are Scouts? Can you find one?

PS: I'm not claiming that Scouts are perfect, nor am I suggesting that their balance can't be improved upon. But I certainly don't think that removal of an EQ slot can be justified on the grounds "imbalance". There is no indication of imbalance sufficient to warrant such a radical, game-changing measure.

TL;DR: Finetune Scouts? Absolutely. But put down the nerf bat; it is not needed.

You know you like this post.

Commandos, IMO, should be force-multipliers like Logis. The difference would be that while Logis' multiplicative effect stems primarily from equipment supply/support Commandos' multiplier lies in pure force. More damage, faster and for longer periods while also being able to sustain more damage than Lights or Assaults (generally speaking).

That being said, and again I'm a Logi primary and only Minmanndo when I -mando, The extra firepower element and versatility of 2 light weapons with the existing bonuses does very good. Fitting is always a bi+ch so the CPU/PG suggestions are spot on IMO, if theres to be a slot parity aspect I'd think that slotting them in-line with their respective racial Assaults versus their racial Heavies would be better.

Grenades would be nice BUT me personally I'd rather have the second equipment slot from Scouts over the nades. Commandos DON'T and CAN'T have the speed or profile advantages Scouts do so the 2nd equipment ability being moved to this group would very much help them fulfill whatever specialized niche the fit is crafted for (AV, reinforcement, location offense or defense etc) without it being the same imbalance just on a different frame.

The question is not simply "how can we buff commandos", rather it is "what are commandos lacking to define a specialized role on the field.

You guys remember commandos on the game Command and Conquer? How about a crazy epic remote explosive buff they are slow with big hit boxes, but if they make it up to your tank with some explosives your done.

I've got a present for you! 8D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdDy05ug3VM

If the a damage buff to remote explosives large enough to kill tanks would be considered to op they could also increase radius increasing the risk; Proximity explosives could be an issue.

I am pretty sure it would go something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx-obtKU1jM

Not a problem!

Thats the point they don't need speed if they only need one remote explosive to do the job. Unless they are sneaky the commando will die and even once they get it planted they will probably be killed.With my scout I can sneak up and drop 1 remote explosive before I am noticed so this would really only screw with tunnel visioned tankers or tankers sticking to close to cover. I have seen videos of commandos with cloak though what fun that would be.

I am well aware of the speed difference, my scout also can't one or two shot a tank with a REs. There are of course other methods you could use like dropping one from a drop ship on top of a tank or trying to make it to the tank with a lav.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of2HU3LGdbo

I think commandos either need to become light suits and be about disrupting the enemy behind their lines, similar to how this remote explosive discussion is; or have them remain heavy suits, and emphasize shocktroopers, and deal massive damage with light weapons and regen quickly.

A heavy trying to place RE on a tank is ludicrous and not what the suit was made to do.

let's consider you can only have one match per district per day.

The top PC corps aren't exactly the majority of players. Each corp has designated teams who do PC battles.

PC corps are not the majority of the players.

PC combatants do not make up the majority of PC corp players.

so while I'll admit 1% is an exaggeration, realistically you have one in 20 working PC at the most.

back to the topic at hand:

No one really agrees what the commando should be because everyone USES them for different purposes. no two answers have been alike, which tells me that the construction of the commando line was TOO open and the bonusing too generic.

I would like to propose we set the primary purpose of the commando is the sustained application of focused destruction, allowing it to operate in a shocktrooper/doorkicker role as well as a fire support platform

to accomplish this I propose

5 slot layout, with a different layout than the sentinels so the commandos are less limited at either end of the fitting spectrum.

Gallente/Amarr share 2H/3L

Minmatar/Caldari share 3H/2L

PG/CPU increase to account for new slots and roles

Universal Role Bonus: 50% increase to shield recharger/energizer and armor repair efficacy. If Commandos are expected to perform in sustained engagements their recovery is going to be a lot more important than a Sentinel's ability to soak fire. This will allow "rep tanking" that doesn't involve a logi, and cannot be spiked above the incoming DPS of ANY weapon. It is intended to allow the dropsuits to fade behind cover and recover rapidly whetehr between engagements or to avoid fire by timid opponents who won't chase.

Gallente:

3% bonus to plasma damage per level
3% bonus to suit base and sprint speed per level

The gallente are CQC fighters, pure and simple. if they cannot get into contact range, they're useless.

Amarr:

3% bonus to laser weaponry damage per level
3% bonus to stamina amount and regeneration per level

Amarr run longer, stronger and are the slowboats of the dropsuits, they're also the hardest to out-endure.

Caldari:

3% bonus to Rail weaponry damage per level
3% bonus to weapon charge speed per level (excluding Sniper Rifles)

Caldari Commandos are the long-range fire-support platforms. Their purpose in life is to reach out and touch someone. What they do best is hit harder and fire faster than their brethren.

Minmatar:

3% bonus to Explosive Weaponry per level
3% bonus to projectile weaponry per level

Minmatar are defined by the fragility of their armor and shields, the speed of their dropsuits and their unnatural ability to hit harder than nearly any other racial equipment in existence. They're the race who tanks by ganking you before you can react.