Melee Cert Tree?

[Biscuit]

In response to the latest dual commentary video Planetside 2 - Dual Commentary Livestream with Matt Higby and TotalBiscuit - YouTube

mark at 1:15

at the beginning higby mentioned If you want to cert in stabbing somebody to death you pick this spec/tree.

Does that open up the possibility of Different type of melee weapons? (generally different type of combat knives and knife customizations/attachments).

overall, what options will be open for those who favor in getting up close and personal?

[Sledgecrushr]

Please dear god make that a yes.

[Envenom]

Real men use guns. Big ones.

(Seriously though, I don't think we have enough info to answer this yet)

[GreatMazinkaise]

That might well unlock the powered firing mode for the knives or access to the melee booster implant. Planetside also had katanas for Black Ops. I'm not sure how powerful the katanas were, but with melee booster/powered knives it was possible to two-shot most armor types (the TR version was really loud though, so stealth wasn't happening).

Beyond that I don't know how much more you'd really need to kill things with melee attacks. Hopefully no OSOK backstabbing occurs.

[Sledgecrushr]

Just...but...this guys is so freakin cool its just oozing badassery and I dont really care too much that he is a bullet magnet I just want to march through the fog of war hacking down all the pew pew masses.

http://images.wikia.com/warhammer40k/images/b/be/5._The_Black_Templar-by_kingmong.jpg

[Biohazard]

Swords for maxes?
TR - chainsaw
NC - Vibroblade
VS - Lightsaber
Lest do it! :D

[Pepsi]

Introducing... the MAX melee cert!
http://images.wikia.com/gurennlagann/images/1/1c/TTGL13.jpg

[Conq]

What!? Black Ops... with Katanas?

/facepalm

I would certainly love to see more realistic melee weaponry added. More knives, bayonets, batons and perhaps even a bludgeoning arm for MAX units but please steer away from bad anime stereotypes.

[GreatMazinkaise]

What!? Black Ops... with Katanas?

/facepalm

I would certainly love to see more realistic melee weaponry added. More knives, bayonets, batons and perhaps even a bludgeoning arm for MAX units but please steer away from bad anime stereotypes.

Yes, they had them:

http://gds.gamersinfo.net/gallery/58381/medium/1187649618-11353.jpg

I thought it was more of a green glowy energy katana, but apparently they looked like that.

[SpcFarlen]

I think it would be a cool tree to go down, more so with infiltrator. I jsut feel like going melee makes the most sense for them. It is the perfect silent take down, and i feel it suits that kind of ninja vibe i got off all their models.

[Gonefshn]

I hope this sort of stuff doesn't make it in honestly. Sorry guys.

[SpcFarlen]

I hope this sort of stuff doesn't make it in honestly. Sorry guys.

Care to elaborate? Im just curious.

[Sledgecrushr]

So you are goIng to tell all these guys with tomahawks that melee shouldnt be included?

http://theboarandstag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/us-Spec-Ops-and-Tomahawks.jpg

[Greeniegriz]

So you are goIng to tell all these guys with tomahawks that melee shouldnt be included?

/snip

[/IMG]

I think as long as it isn't over done (i.e. no Space Marine power hammers/chain swords (big ones), 8ft Bastard swords, and light sabers) i'm all for it.

Perhaps make the infiltrator class the melee specialist?

Cheers,

GG

[GreatMazinkaise]

Cloakers have always been the melee specialists (because if you're not invisible it's pretty suicidal). I imagine they'll retain that function.

[Greeniegriz]

Cloakers have always been the melee specialists (because if you're not invisible it's pretty suicidal). I imagine they'll retain that function.

Fair enough, then KEEP the infiltrators the melee specialists. :)

Back to OP question: Maybe add a cert for melee attack speed? Surely there would be one for strength/damage? Or it allows you to retain a 25% cloak?

Cheers,

GG

[CB McNasty]

Hahaha i can just picture now stabbing someone then waiting cloaked to get the medic thats coming to revive him. Boy that would be frustrating... Love it

[Sabot]

meh... don't know how I feel about this. If you're in range of hand-to-hand combat you've done something very wrong in the first place.
However, as this is a game I guess some people like trolling around with a friggin knife in a gun fight ;)

[Gonefshn]

Care to elaborate? Im just curious.

Not necessary, not fun imo.

You should be dead long before you get that close to anyone with a TTK thats faster than PS1. You need to have a system with larger health pools for melee combat to be engaging otherwise its just quick knife with a different coating (animations/weapons).

Melee works when you can fight for a period of time and get in multiple hits, block, etc. but in PS2 you'll be shot dead long before that can happen.
I also just think it doesn't fit the world it would look dumb to me to see people purposely playing as melee characters.

[SpcFarlen]

Not necessary, not fun imo.

You should be dead long before you get that close to anyone with a TTK thats faster than PS1. You need to have a system with larger health pools for melee combat to be engaging otherwise its just quick knife with a different coating (animations/weapons).

Melee works when you can fight for a period of time and get in multiple hits, block, etc. but in PS2 you'll be shot dead long before that can happen.
I also just think it doesn't fit the world it would look dumb to me to see people purposely playing as melee characters.

I just see it as a high risk high reward type of thing. Similarly if you cert into shotguns. You will not have the range of any other projectile weapon, but up close its a force to be reckoned with. I see going melee the same way.

By no means is it supposed to be on par with a riffle. Which is why i said it fits well with infiltrators because they have ways to get behind people with their cloak.

[meiam]

Well during the day, no melee don't make much sense, maybe if there was really tight corridor, but it doesn't seems like it.

BUT night time is a whole other spectrum, melee kill are quiet and they don't flash, so no alerting everyone about you're position.

Also, cloaking + backstab are awesome, I hope there's some sort of sort that make you're character actually smart about how to stab so it doesn't end up being you have to be super close to the enemy to get the stab in.

[CuddleMeLoki]

Maybe a bayonet type thing?

[SpcFarlen]

Im not saying melee is the only tool they will have. Maybe limit them to only using a pistol or an smg. So it more or less defines their role only in CQC.

[Sledgecrushr]

To me it really depends on how stout the higher end armors are going to be. When a heavy hits his personal shield are all sides just going to take a five second break? Look at it this way, the way video games represent modern armor is all wrong, you put two guys in a room in good head to toe modern bulletproof armor amd they will end up beating each other to death with there rifles. In the civil war the death to injury rate was almost 1-1. In iraq our injury to death rate is 7-1. Armor is getting the best of bullets, mostly because no matter how fast they are going they are still very light. Now if you hit someone in armor with a Ten pound hammer and it should drop him like a pile of bricks no matter how much kevlar they are wearing.

[SoNaR]

chainsaw/flamethrower MAX anyone?

[PlaceboCyanide]

Given the armor design of the NC max I very much want to see a cash shop Katana, even if i never use it :D:p

[Aaramus]

If they include melee then there needs to be some kind of cash-shop customisation for your melee weapon. Obviously your melee damage and speed is the same as everyone else, just one person is using a chainsaw and the other a bayonet.

[Soothsayer]

I'm not interested in having knives any more powerful than they were in PS1.

Melee always degrades from core gameplay when your game is about firearm combat. The reason I say this is pretty simple, if you're using melee, you're not using your gun. That's not an opinion, that's 2+2=4.

Melee works in arcade games where people have a chance to block or grapple or react in some way other than dying instantly. PS2, to my knowledge, has none of those things.

[Sledgecrushr]

I'm not interested in having knives any more powerful than they were in PS1.

Melee always degrades from core gameplay when your game is about firearm combat. The reason I say this is pretty simple, if you're using melee, you're not using your gun. That's not an opinion, that's 2+2=4.

Melee works in arcade games where people have a chance to block or grapple or react in some way other than dying instantly. PS2, to my knowledge, has none of those things.

Dying instantly helps the action move along in a modern shooter. If someone hits you with a big melee weapon you should die instantly.

[Soothsayer]

Dying instantly helps the action move along in a modern shooter. If someone hits you with a big melee weapon you should die instantly.

You seem to be assuming that a big melee weapon is necessary. I'm saying, let's not even put a big melee weapon in. People will be dying plenty quick enough even without a cartoon hammer.

[Kriegson]

Two things should be able to cert into melee imo. Infils and MAX's.

Why MAX's? Because getting hit with an MAX is akin to getting hit with a truck. It should damn well hurt.

[Sabot]

shouldnt being run over by a sundy with with ram count as melee?

[That one noob]

I would gladly trade in my sniper rifle for a ninjato.
Just so I could live out my childhood fantasy of being Snake Eyes.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/SnakeEyeslive.jpg

[The noob]

Well, the melee booster certifications were in the infiltrator tree as seen in the video, so boosting your melee or unlocking the ability to backstab would likely be something only they can do, so they can specialize in melee if they wish to. They can swap out their primary weapons for a longer lasting, more transparent cloak as stated in the video, so it makes sense.

[Antivide]

I'm getting Commando Pro flashbacks.

NOOO, NOT THIS AGAAAAAIN. THEY'RE IN THE TREES.

[JHendy]

Imagine a being locked into a close quarters tower fight with a bludgeoning-arm equipped MAX unit.

The simplicity of a heavy steel ball on the end of a mechanical arm really does belie the horror of its function.

Makes me think of the flame throwing tanks of WW2. Simple in design but truly disturbing in function.

[Shotokanguy]

I hope I have options, regardless of class.

If I'm running around in my Rexo and all I have is a rocket launcher, I'm going to be reluctant to fire that at point blank range. Let me bust out a quick series of punches or knife slashes to fend off those annoying Vanu and TR getting in my face.

[GreatMazinkaise]

I hope I have options, regardless of class.

If I'm running around in my Rexo and all I have is a rocket launcher, I'm going to be reluctant to fire that at point blank range. Let me bust out a quick series of punches or knife slashes to fend off those annoying Vanu and TR getting in my face.

Well, I'm sure they'll still let you use the MAG Cutter regardless of class, but you're probably better off switching to your Gauss Rifle, even at that range.

Knife dueling was not unpopular back in the day, but it's not something you want to do in a serious fight.

[Sledgecrushr]

Well, I'm sure they'll still let you use the MAG Cutter regardless of class, but you're probably better off switching to your Gauss Rifle, even at that range.

Knife dueling was not unpopular back in the day, but it's not something you want to do in a serious fight.

If a max is swinging a steel ball through the air then the force generated should be like getting hit with a small artillery round. MAXs are big and strong, that steel ball could be a hundred pounds and being swung with a thousand pounds of force. This could break a lightning, or with a couple of shots tear open a mbt.
Melee MAX should be in.

[The noob]

If a max is swinging a steel ball through the air then the force generated should be like getting hit with a small artillery round. MAXs are big and strong, that steel ball could be a hundred pounds and being swung with a thousand pounds of force. This could break a lightning, or with a couple of shots tear open a mbt.
Melee MAX should be in.

Well, you do have duel flame thrower maxes, so that's the closest comparison at the very least.

[Biscuit]

I hope I have options, regardless of class.

If I'm running around in my Rexo and all I have is a rocket launcher, I'm going to be reluctant to fire that at point blank range. Let me bust out a quick series of punches or knife slashes to fend off those annoying Vanu and TR getting in my face.

Go Batter up Style on your enemies skull with the back end of the rocket launcher?

Options indeed

[Sledgecrushr]

Flame throwers are point blank anti infantry weapons. Probably not good against heavies and probably worthless on other MAXs. I hope if not now then in the future that they will include a robust melee system.
Edit* it doesnt even have to be robust, a shield to block on one arm and a melee with your other. The weapon skins and animations, it would take a bit of time but worth it in this sci fi world imho.

[Kilmoran]

As someone who has taken much time within the field of melee... I have to say that I am excited about how it will evolve. I feel PS 1, for the most part, did it right. I do with I could throw my knife a short distance at times, but the knife was never truly meant to be a primary weapon. In PS 2, it may just be. There are many, many reasons to bring a knife to a gun fight... but that does not mean a knife is equal to said gun if used in the exact same circumstances. Just a like a mine is not equal to a gun, depending on the circumstances either.

[Satexios]

As someone who has taken much time within the field of melee... I have to say that I am excited about how it will evolve. I feel PS 1, for the most part, did it right. I do with I could throw my knife a short distance at times, but the knife was never truly meant to be a primary weapon. In PS 2, it may just be. There are many, many reasons to bring a knife to a gun fight... but that does not mean a knife is equal to said gun if used in the exact same circumstances. Just a like a mine is not equal to a gun, depending on the circumstances either.

In other words, watch your back ;)

[Blue]

Having a skill tree for melee is sort of a must IMO because there will be one for everything else in the game. I think having a couple side grades (silent chain blade) etc. could be cool. I don't expect to see many people playing as only melee characters. There were many many times that I was in/around an enemy base using boomers or scatterpistol and ran out of ammo so had to switch to knife.

If they make it so that a specialized melee soldier has specific hitboxes for silent takedowns etc, and any time of "quick knife" would be barely damaging to an armored soldier, I think it would eliminate knife trolls and create a unique dynamic in the game.

[Tcakes]

I'm completely ok with a knife kill/assassination especially if it's like a back stab a la bf3 for example. this makes sense to me and for you "realistic" space army folks you know you have to agree, or at least nod at the logic. I don't see it happening to maxes. I definitely don't want to see someone running about like a whirlwind ginsu of death like the mw/cod games. but hey, if i see that it's my fault for letting that person get that close without putting a few bullets in each of their face holes.