One MAX to rule them all.

[FortunadoAE]

I mentioned in my "lower tech" topic some random MAX ideas, but I feel like it needs a topic of its own.

-One MAX suit. Because you shouldn't be able to jump in and out of suits like it's a jump rope.

-Equippable weapons(arms) for a MAX suit. And by arms I mean... their arms. Big silhouettes so people can see what kind of pain you're bringing.

-In addition to two arms, a backpack. Make 'em a bit more configurable.

-Lose auto-run. Auto-run is for losers!

-Add auto-run back in as a special ability. I always thought the NC shield was weak. Let NC run! (Heh, get it? Auto-run is for losers...)

-If NC can run, then VS can leap. Not jetpack fly in the air, but a good healthy jump. TR's ability was always neat so let that stay where it is.

-Some on-hand arm ideas: AI, AV, AA of course. And maybe let 'em handle regular weapons? With the sniper rifle being terribly inaccurate of course. Admit it, a one-handed jackhammer would be cool, even if it was less accurate.

-Some off-hand arm ideas: More AI, AV, AA (if you're TR, gimped options if you're NC, and VS just has to make due with one gun arm), and of course arms that match your other certs. An arm to repair stuff... arm to heal people. A cloaking arm! But only for TR since they would depend on the dual offense more (and you can only do it while planted to be ambushtastic)

-An arm that let you fly around like a mossie. Okay, kidding, not every cert would have a corresponding MAX feature.

-And the ultimate off-hand idea: Shields! Big ones that you actually carry. And of course a chainsaw so you could pretend you were Ash. I'm only half-serious about the chainsaw.

-Backpacks! The VS jetpack of course to get that super leap back. Ammo for everyone. More ammo for TR, though, since they need it. Maybe NC can get their shield back with a pack? MAXes never really had inventory issues so this could be an interesting way to force a tradeoff there. You can have a jetpack, sure, but you won't have as much ammo as normal.

-Dispensers that automatically gave out appropriate ammo to nearby squadmates would be interesting too. MAXes would be interesting in a support role. They'd have to be limited to basic support functions though... no advanced medic stuff.

[LordReaver]

One MAX to rule them all, One CUD to find them, One Softy to bring them all in, and in the darkness bomb them.

[Geist]

That's actually a good idea. The BFR was horrible, we all can see that, but there were a few parts that were pretty good, such as the customization. Not many people took different weapons, but the fact that the option was there meant a lot to me.

If they could integrate some of that customization on the MAX, then that would be awesome.

[CutterJohn]

No autorun would destroy the field use of MAXs. If you want to keep them from autorunning through bases, just make them damage themselves when they smack into walls at 40kph.

I agree with more configurable though, and being able to choose the 'special' based on your needs.

[DviddLeff]

One MAX suit with interchangeable weapons is what I have in my Infantry Armour Overhaul (http://sites.google.com/site/planetsideupgradeproject/phase-2/infantry-armour-overhaul).

Let them equip any weapon they are certified to use. Perhaps not the Bolt Driver though, unless head shots are implemented.

[Furret]

I like this a lot. Give MAX's three hardpoints to do what they want with.

Arm
AA
AI
AV
All three with 2/5 power of each

Torso
Backpack (same size as current MAX's backpack)
Support (Repairs and heals people [No revive] and can slowly trade MAX armor for vehicle armor [engie can bring the smaller engie gun and save a rifle slot] and dispenses ammo slowly)
Shield (deflects bullets until shield is destroyed [~1000 damage?])

Legs
Autorun
TR leg spike thingies
VS booster boots

^^pretty much same as OP, just a few personal edits and better organization =D^^

Thoughts?

[FortunadoAE]

LordReaver: Heh, can you imagine PS being a sci-fi satire of all the fantasy MMOs?

That's actually a good idea. The BFR was horrible, we all can see that, but there were a few parts that were pretty good, such as the customization. Not many people took different weapons, but the fact that the option was there meant a lot to me.

If they could integrate some of that customization on the MAX, then that would be awesome.

Yes! I think everyone liked a lot of the *thinking* behind BFRs. It was just executed on too grand of a scale.

No autorun would destroy the field use of MAXs. If you want to keep them from autorunning through bases, just make them damage themselves when they smack into walls at 40kph.

I agree with more configurable though, and being able to choose the 'special' based on your needs.

That's a really good idea. Perhaps the NC could have a different edge, then.

One MAX suit with interchangeable weapons is what I have in my Infantry Armour Overhaul (http://sites.google.com/site/planetsideupgradeproject/phase-2/infantry-armour-overhaul).

Let them equip any weapon they are certified to use. Perhaps not the Bolt Driver though, unless head shots are implemented.

Some good ideas in there! I think adding a flat cone bloom to all weapons while in MAX would be best. It'd be super noticeable with a bolt driver, but not as noticeable with a sweeper shotgun.


^^pretty much same as OP, just a few personal edits and better organization =D^^

Thoughts?

Hey, stream of consciousness is a great way to organize things. :p

My system would have the three hardpoints (good word!) on the two arms and the backpack. Legs is a good idea, but I skipped it because it's harder to communicate visually (ie I can see this enemy has two chainguns, but I can't see whether or not he has auto-run).

I also think there should be nuanced differences between the factions. VS always have a primary weapon in the dominant hand, with no options for dual-wielding. TR on the other hand (har har) tend to depend more on loading a weapon up on each arm. NC would be somewhere in between.

In the end VS would have MAXes with more utility, TR would have MAXes that were more like support fire spam machines, and NC would be somewhere in between, again probably having the best indoor MAXes.

Of course, we'd have to limit dual-wielding to just the MAX weapons... I would hate to see a double-deci, planted TR MAX.

[TRex]

I'd just like to have tonnes more ways to kill them.

Like in the terminator:salvation movie when the guy runs across the magnetic minefield. I'd love to see a max rush running from a tower to a backdoor and watch all the magnetic mines jumping out of the ground onto them and watching them panic for a few seconds then explode.

Or being able to put tripwires on the ground , some explode but more often the max falls over and unable to get up again. Would be hilarious to watch .

Likewise putting a rail across a doorway so maxes if walking would be just stuck unable to enter. If they autorun through the door ..SMACK ..Max is on his back again. Normal grunts this wouldn't affect them since they can crouch or dismantle the rail . Maybe have a booby trap version .

Another one is to be able to put like a sticky magnetic oil spill on the ground and watch as they spin around aimlessly like Duracell bunnies. You could drop some oil mines on the ground , go find a tree to hide behind , then wait with your ESAV and play Duck Hunt , only with maxes. ( Maybe listen to the Benny Hill theme tune while this happens)

[Firefly]

The BFR was horrible, we all can see that, but there were a few parts that were pretty good, such as the customization.
I didn't mind the BFRs because I am a 'Mech junkie. What I did mind was having them inside a base. They should've stayed outside, and there should have been much better/costlier control-methods to keep them in the hands of only the most dedicated BFR pilots (ie not cheap and easy to obtain, etc).

[Oty]

Or being able to put tripwires on the ground , some explode but more often the max falls over and unable to get up again. Would be hilarious to watch .


I love that idea :rofl: so funny, as long as a max could somehow dismantle it if it saw it in time, and still shoot in his line of sight when laying down (like an angry turtle on his back fighting off predators with a shotgun) and could be helped up again by teammates. Normal infantry falls aswell, but gets up a second later but is vurnurable during his "downtime".

I'd love to set a trap around a corner with some other guys aswell, when defending a base, then getting the attention of a max, making him follow, jump the wire, he falls, we all jump on him while he cannot move, he desperatly fires at everyting, a bit of caos, he goes down, the war continues... :)

[Senyu]

Liking this to. Though as a Vanu I want more Adv Tech type things. The leap....meh I could deal with it but hovering and flying is dam cool. Im heavily in support of the shield idea. And interchangle arm/weapons. Thought on healing not sure if that should be done, I can see a repair arm but not healing. Unless it was less offensive more supportive MAX build. And a big no to cloaking MAX's.

[FortunadoAE]

Liking this to. Though as a Vanu I want more Adv Tech type things. The leap....meh I could deal with it but hovering and flying is dam cool. Im heavily in support of the shield idea. And interchangle arm/weapons. Thought on healing not sure if that should be done, I can see a repair arm but not healing. Unless it was less offensive more supportive MAX build. And a big no to cloaking MAX's.

-The leap/jetpack idea is a proposition: You can have the "Lite" version of the ability at all times. But to get the full thing, you have to give something else up. So you can jet around, but you'll have less ammo than you could have had otherwise.

-Interchangeable arms are great because A)It's a (relatively) small model and B)All of the functionality code is already in basically. So if a healing MAX is a bad idea, it's something you can easily discover and discard in testing.

-The ambush cloak could be fun! It'd have to have some limitations, though, of course. Again, testing. But lining up with 4 of your MAX friends and timing a cloak right when a bunch of enemies run into the base... and then simultaneously decloaking and opening fire. THAT would be cool.

[Senyu]

-The leap/jetpack idea is a proposition: You can have the "Lite" version of the ability at all times. But to get the full thing, you have to give something else up. So you can jet around, but you'll have less ammo than you could have had otherwise.

-Interchangeable arms are great because A)It's a (relatively) small model and B)All of the functionality code is already in basically. So if a healing MAX is a bad idea, it's something you can easily discover and discard in testing.

-The ambush cloak could be fun! It'd have to have some limitations, though, of course. Again, testing. But lining up with 4 of your MAX friends and timing a cloak right when a bunch of enemies run into the base... and then simultaneously decloaking and opening fire. THAT would be cool.

Okay the sacrifice for jet ability I like.

Like you said tests should be done, as a support role for repairing/healing a MAX being a small portable heal/repair is kinda cool. They should repair/heal faster but unable to perform advance methods and use only the basic perhaps?

The cloak would require serious sacrifice I imagine or use more slots than other items/abilities.

[FortunadoAE]

Okay the sacrifice for jet ability I like.

Like you said tests should be done, as a support role for repairing/healing a MAX being a small portable heal/repair is kinda cool. They should repair/heal faster but unable to perform advance methods and use only the basic perhaps?

The cloak would require serious sacrifice I imagine or use more slots than other items/abilities.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking for healing/repair... even hacking, if that could work. Kinda hard to imagine a MAX with defibs out, pounding away on a guy's chest. "Live, damn you!" :lol:

Cloaking is really another example of the leap/jet idea. Anchoring is taking an extra precious couple seconds to push a tactical advantage. Adding cloak on top of it takes even more tactical planning and adds an even bigger time sink.

I think it'd be less useful than it sounds initially-- you'd really have to plan to make it work. Indoors, that second to decloak would make it so any infantry who saw you could get out of the way pretty easily (except for really long hallways).

You'd also be vulnerable from behind to those with darklight (or those that run into you). You'd have to decloak and THEN de-anchor to get mobile again.

And yeah, the last disadvantage would of course be that you can't use the TR ammo backpack. Or any other backpacks (ammo dispenser, command module, etc).

So, let's recap:

VS: Quick/vertical repositioning: Leap by default, Leap+Jet with pack
TR: Tactical positioning: Anchor by default, Anchor+Cloak with pack
NC: ???

I still can't think of a good two-step special ability for NC. Their ability, shields was easily the lamest idea of the three and wasn't really as tactics-related as the other two. You can kinda see where my auto-run idea came from (another positioning advantage if only they have it) but some compelling arguments have been made against taking out auto-run in this thread.

A simple "shields, then stronger shields with the pack" might work, but it seems so uncreative. Then again I guess it is the boneheaded NC we're talking about here. :lol:

EDIT: I've got it! The problem with NC's ability is that it didn't add any teamplay elements, really.

So their shield pack upgrade would project a duplicate shield onto any teammates within 5m. So if you're rushing in with your buddies, you can project a dupe shield onto them for a few seconds. Balancing points would be shield power for the teammates, along with duration time. Great for defense against pushes, and of course for pushes too.

That way each empire's ability becomes much more useful when used in concert with others.

[Furret]

Hey now, don't hate on the blue and yellow. =p

NC has always been about delivering a lot of firepower in a short period of time, so how about a 'pack' that helps that.

Maybe an arm reinforcement that allows their guns to shoot larger rounds, but with a longer time span between shots. Depending on the damage increase it could mean the difference between killing the enemy instantly, or just barely leaving him alive but firing faster. If you're able to switch between two different calibers almost instantly, it could allow the MAXs to work through different types of infantry at a quicker rate depending on how many shots it takes to kill and the time necessary.

[FortunadoAE]

Hey now, don't hate on the blue and yellow. =p

NC has always been about delivering a lot of firepower in a short period of time, so how about a 'pack' that helps that.

Maybe an arm reinforcement that allows their guns to shoot larger rounds, but with a longer time span between shots. Depending on the damage increase it could mean the difference between killing the enemy instantly, or just barely leaving him alive but firing faster. If you're able to switch between two different calibers almost instantly, it could allow the MAXs to work through different types of infantry at a quicker rate depending on how many shots it takes to kill and the time necessary.

That's a cool idea. Ammo holding/reloading always takes up space in the design of a gun. If you could delegate that all to one arm, you could theoretically have a bigger gun. So one arm shoots, one arm pops in the next shot between every round.

Anyone who thinks the reloading/rechambering process isn't or can't be cool doesn't watch enough TV/movies. *chk chkk*