Infiltration (and sniper) Ideas

[BadAsh]

I would really like to see a few things reworked with the infiltration suit.

1. I�d seriously consider letting them have 2 pistol slots. I don�t see this as being overly powerful and it would make it more convenient for the Infiltrator to switch from the pistol weapon to a REK tool or a grenade as needed. You still have VERY limited inventory space and still won�t have a rifle slot available. However, this will reduce the perpetual inventory to pistol holster swapping that must be done now. I don�t see this as a power increase. I see it as an alleviation of an annoyance in suit design.

2. I Lattice Link Benefit changes made with that last patch are a bit much IMHO. The LL Radar now allows for Spitfire turrets and Motion detectors to be able to detect you even if you are crouch walking and or using the silent run implant. An infiltrator can�t carry enough firepower to clear a few turrets or motion sensors. So these are now impassible barriers of death for any infiltrator. Couple this with any and all (including crouch walking and silent running) movement now showing on the enemies mini-map and base infiltration is nearly impossible. The strength of an Infiltrator is to trick the enemy to not knowing you are there. This is simply not possible now if they have a Lattice Link Base.

3. This is not really an infiltration change, but an idea for a new type of suit. I�d like to see a special �sniper� camouflage suit that would have 2 pistol slots and 1 specialized sniper rifle slot, and Agile armor inventory space. This suit would have a partial cloaking ability where you are completely visible when moving and have a �ghost� image (like that of a moving infiltrator) when completely stationary. Real world snipers are masters of camouflage and I think that would be a nice touch to the game. After all most snipers are stationary and unable to easily watch their back while focusing on a target. This would help make them blend in a little better and not be such Reaver bait that they are now are. Finally, this suit should be bundled with the Infiltration suit certification.

BadAsh

[Kyonye]

third one sounds cool but its too restricting. that specialized rifle slot is only made for the sniper rifle if i understand you correctly. everything in the game can be used by everyone. what if i wanted to use the camo suit but have no cycler, or guass, or pulsar to back me up. i'm not a pistol user at all. i don't carry them, i have enough weaponry to knock out 30 troops. i would be running around gunless in enemy territory. if you just said to make a camo suit, and write out some good drawbacks, since everything needs drawbacks, and make it universal then i'd say you have a good idea going there.

[Bad Mojo]

I have enough trouble not being shot by 5 snipers I *can* see.

[BadAsh]

third one sounds cool but its too restricting. that specialized rifle slot is only made for the sniper rifle if i understand you correctly. everything in the game can be used by everyone. what if i wanted to use the camo suit but have no cycler, or guass, or pulsar to back me up. i'm not a pistol user at all. i don't carry them, i have enough weaponry to knock out 30 troops. i would be running around gunless in enemy territory. if you just said to make a camo suit, and write out some good drawbacks, since everything needs drawbacks, and make it universal then i'd say you have a good idea going there.

I see is as a trade off. If you want the partial-cloaking while stationary ability you give up normal rifle weapons for sniper only. Hell, the trade off for the infiltration suit is 1 pistol ONLY. Also, the sniper rifle only slot would ensure this remained a sniper suit option and not an alternative to Agile armor for all others in the game. I'd want snipers to have it, not every foot soldier. In this way cloaking would be limited to infiltrators and partial cloaking would be limited to stationary snipers.

BadAsh

[Zompton]

#3 is a fantastic idea that i have disscused in the past, i want to see that happen.

[TheRagingGerbil]

Been playing my sniper a lot lately and I'm having no problems. If I was partially invisible...I'd be a god.


My infil on the other hand...it's more frustrating playing him as of late.

[Spee]

I was actually thinking along the same lines, today. Except, replace the sniper with a supressor slot, and make it so infiltrators are completely visible with the weapon drawn and moving. No change to armor.


I say this because you cant hear the supressor at medium distances. It's got a silencer on the thing, so, whats the point in having firepower thats stealthy if you're completely visible?


The gun kills about as fast as an AMP, so I doubt it would be overpowered.

[BadAsh]

My infil on the other hand...it's more frustrating playing him as of late.

That's because you lost your "infiltration" abilities with the last patch. Lattice link benefits now show ALL movement in the enemies mini-map and deployables detect you even when crouch walking and or with silent walk turned on.

Infiltrators are now useless when the enemy has a series of bases with LL benefits. You are still an effective "wilderness stalker" picking off snipers, engineers patching up their rides, and strays... so long as you remember to AVOID the SOI. If you step into the SOI every moron and his retarded cousin will be headed directly to you with darklight on.

The best way to "sneak" into their base now is to just walk in the front door with Rexo and HA. Since they know you are coming and can see you anyway, might as well see you killing them :)

BadAsh

[Jagd]

Actually, it's a bug and everything shows up on your radar. This has nothing to do with FLB, and as long as it returns to the way it is supposed to work (only Interlinks reveal crouching cloakers) it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Invisible snipers!? No thanks!!!

[BadAsh]

Been playing my sniper a lot lately and I'm having no problems. If I was partially invisible...I'd be a god.

I'd agree with your "god mode" thought, except that you can't do jack to MAX units, vehicles, or aircraft... I've noticed that many snipers (myself included) wear Rexo while sniping. If they encounter enemy troops or vehicles they switch to a more effective weapon and have at them.

With a partially cloaking sniper suit you would not have this option. Your power is camouflage, whereas with a Rexo sniper his power is in heavier armor and the versitility of a powerful back up weapon.

BadAsh

[Madcow]

Actually, it's a bug and everything shows up on your radar. This has nothing to do with FLB, and as long as it returns to the way it is supposed to work (only Interlinks reveal crouching cloakers) it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Invisible snipers!? No thanks!!!

Yeah, they've already stated they're working on this one, too. Thank goodness. You'll still be seen on the radar if they have an interlink which is directly linked to your SOI and there is a spitfire or motion sensor nearby, but obviously the further out in the SOI you are the less chance a CE is wasting his deployables.

The worst part about the current bug is that you don't get the little radar warning in the bottom right of your screen letting you know that you're detected unless you get close enough to an enemy base to get near a motion sensor/spitfire. You're revealed but it's not letting you know you're revealed. That's just evil.

I still think they should allow infil to walk past spitfires/motion sensors undetected even with the Interlink but that's looking like a losing battle.

[Laeritides]

I think you should be able to walk past a spitfire as long as there is no motion detector near by. A spitfire should not be alble to fire on you if you are walking past it, unless you are detected by a montion sensor.

[Jagd]

Here's how I would like to see radar work:

Crouch-walking and silent run hides everyone (not just cloakers) from Motion Sensors and Spitfires, as long as there is no Interlink.
Interlink facility reveals all moving players, but stopping and crouching temporarily hides you, so you have at least a chance at getting out a jammer.

As for buffing snipers... Come off it, the single most powerful weapon in the game and you can be invisible? Saying that you are completely visible while moving is not a large enough counter-balance, because you have to be completely still to have any accuracy so essentially any sniper who is doing his job would be invisible. How could this ever be construed as fair or balanced? They are already "invisible" to 99% of their targets, simply due to the extreme distances they are firing across.

[BadAsh]

Actually, it's a bug and everything shows up on your radar. This has nothing to do with FLB, and as long as it returns to the way it is supposed to work (only Interlinks reveal crouching cloakers) it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Invisible snipers!? No thanks.

The bug part is everything showing on the mini-map. The intentional modification is with LL benefits combined with deployables. That part is documented in the release notes for the patch. In any event... this IS the current reality of infiltration and it's bee like this for what? A month now?

My idea was "partially invisible" snipers and not invisible snipers. It's a huge differance. Troops on the ground (the snipers targets) would have no problem seeing and engaging the sniper. However, vehicles moving at faster speeds might overlook the partially hidden sniper and not swoop down for a free kill...

The worst thing about sniping is that when you manage to hike over to a good mountain with a view, and scale the damn thing using surge to squeek past some of the steep paths... then have some boob fly by in a Reaver and come back for the easy kill... you can't run far enough fast enough and you can't fight back. Your ONLY hope is that he does not see you... PS has no "prone" position or anything else you can do to lower your profile or hide in any way whatsoever.

True invisibility, I agree, would be too much. Partial cloaking would be appropriate I think and make hunting down a sniper more interesting.

BadAsh

[MuNsTeR]

sounds awesome

[BadAsh]

As for buffing snipers... Come off it, the single most powerful weapon in the game and you can be invisible?

I�ve been killed by snipers 4 times.

One time as an infiltrator moving in to kill a sniper and he managed the miracle 180 degree spin and fire for the kill, one time as an infiltrator I got sniped from across the map, and Two times I was previously wounded and got finished off by a sniper before I could heal and repair. I have never been completely taken down by a sniper while wearing Rexo or Agile armor (wounding hit and follow up kill shot). Conversely I�ve killed probably 300 snipers. So that gives me about a 75 to 1 kill ratio vs. snipers with ANY other weapon (most of my sniper kills are with a pistol!). Also, the sniper rifle is next to useless against MAX Units or any vehicle. Not very impressive for �the single most powerful weapon in the game�.

Heavy Assault, Tanks, and Reavers on the other hand fair a bit better :)

BadAsh

[Jagd]

Sorry, I meant to say it's the single most powerful personal weapon in the game. 2 shot kill, and it wipes out your stamina as well as giving you 75 health damage and removing a whackload of armor. However impressive you think your hypothetical kill ratio may be, there is no way to confirm or deny it, so your point really has no relevance to me. Sniping is widely hailed as one of the most balanced aspects of Planetside, whereas invisibility in the game always comes with a massive downside-- negligible inventory space and severely limited weapons (Inf suit), or just complete and utter defenselessness (AMS).

From an airman's perspective, unless we have squadmates screaming about snipers on a particular hill, we are far too busy with our full time job hunting enemy tanks, AMSes, AA MAXes and aircraft to waste our time on a lone grunt sniping on a hilltop. If we do go out of our way to hunt down a sniper, and that sniper can't be bothered to keep an AV weapon in his kit let alone unzoom from time to time to keep track of his surroundings, he deserves the quick and painless death he receives.

To sum up, 2 shot kill + invisible = unbalanced, and 3 shots from 1 hill = suicide.

[Indecisive]

No, not two pistol slots, too overpowering.

I say add that special gernade slot, and a built in rek to the suit, it IS the infil suit after all...what else are you gonna use it for?

[MuNsTeR]

IT SEEMS ilike they made them so much more visible so they need to do that or something like it

[1024]

infils seriously need some lovin'.

[Firefly]

I have one word to augment the sniper idea.

PRONE.

[Hamma]

infils seriously need some lovin'.
Hopfully we will find out more about this during the interview.

[TomManiac]

Partial cloaking for snipers would be nice. This would at least give you some protection from Mosq/Reavers. It's already annoying enough to get killed by sneaky Infiltrators.
And to get this protection you would have to give up a secondary weapon (I'm usually in Rexo with Deci as second weapon).... which makes you a Sniper with protection from flyers but without protection against anything else. This would basically generate two different classes of snipers which would be a nice touch to the game (and make hunting down snipers more interesting too).

[shadowseed]

Hmmm, i think infiltrators do need there role "sexed up" a bit.

1) I agree, although, it might be a good idea to have a hard-carried REK as the second slot (much the same way the weapon on a max suit is hard-carried). Cos, lets face it, i bet 99.99% of infiltrators carry a REK anyhow.

2) Not so sure about this one. I think its fair enough that infiltrators can be lit up on radar if they are walking near a motion detector, or shot by the turret. Thats what the jammer grenades are for. I DO thing however, that a jammer grenade should perminatly disable the turret and motion detector, not just for a short while. I think silent run implants should also nullify the motion and turrets ability to see you.

3) Naaa, that's too much. It would be fun, but its removing the skill elemant of being a sniper, and making your shots without being marked.

Have a look at my thread about infiltrator ideas...