My corpmates and I had a little discussion going in our forums about jetpacks. So I searched around the discussions to see what folks thought of the idea. I personally would like to see some type of jetpack variation introduced into the game. As a futuristic shooter it only makes sense that this type of technology would exist.
Of course despite that some players seem to feel such an item would hurt the gameplay too much and create some kind of unfair advantage. I played with jetpacks in both Killzone 3 and Starhawk. Both systems were unique from one another but each brought an interesting dynamic to the game. I felt the controls in Starhawk were easier but I also think the third-person perspective helped a bit too.
I think introducing jetpacks into Dust 514 should be done so long as it is done right. First it should be approached as a means of mobility and not as a weapons platform. That means there are no weapons built into mechanic. This approach lends itself to introducing an actual dropsuit that acts as the jetpack system as opposed to a vehicle or piece of equipment. By introducing it as a dropsuit type you can also impose the necessary limitations that prevent it from becoming OP.
A natural counter also needs to be introduced so that jetpacks can be taken down effectively. I suggest a small handheld variant of the the swarm launcher. Something that has faster tracking and speedier rockets that will be effective against nimble jetpacks. Of course the damage of the rockets would be minimal against armored vehicles or a dropship and could only lock onto personnel in flight. I would suggest making the mini-swarm a sidearm class weapon.
Obviously the skill requirements should fall somewhere between that of dropsuits and vehicles. Because the mechanic is mobility based and its inherent value should be to get from point A to point B in a manner not possible for foot mobiles, then the limitations of the suit should include the following:
- No equipment slots. This prevents the placement of drop-uplinks or nano-hives.
- Two side arm weapons slots only. Combined with lack of equipment, reduces weight enough to allow short flight times. This will also prevent jetpackers from carrying long range weapons and making maps more of a snipe-fest than they already are, while at the same time allows the carry of a mini-swarm to engage enemy jetpackers.
- Increased signature during flight combined with a relatively low signature when on foot. Promotes use of the device for infiltration. Also allows lower signature and longer flight times to be a product of better level suits.
- Activation of jetpack is a multi-step process to prevent its use as a cheap evasion tool in close-quarters combat.