Defining the role of Light Assault

Electrofreak · 2012-06-09, 09:30 PM

So, a few threads recently have highlighted some confusion over the role of the Light Assault. Specifically this came about due to the ammo supply role that development is currently reconsidering.

I'd like to see a discussion as to what precisely LA should be. I see LA as a shock trooper, jumping over walls or other forms of cover to soften up facility defenders. At their prime outside, but hindered indoors. Experts at bypassing the area-denial weapons deployed by engineers and an effective counter when outside to units like the MAX that have limited mobility.

But should LA be something else? Should their abilities be geared towards providing intel? Dropping ammo? Or perhaps they should be a light counter to aircraft, vehicles and infantry (just as the Heavy Assault are heavy counters to the same) due to their exceptional mobility on the battlefield, allowing them to avoid being run down by tanks or strafed by aircraft. Or should they be specialized further to counter engineers using EMP to disable deployables and mines? Or do they have enough as is?

Call me crazy, but I'd like to see a return of the Rocklet Rifle, exclusively for LA in addition to their current armament. For those that didn't play the original, it was a 6-shot dumbfire rocket revolver that did average damage versus vehicles or infantry and could be loaded with flak rounds to harass aircraft. This would allow LA to assault a base, clear deployables and skirmish with light vehicles and aircraft, softening the defenses of a facility so that combined arms can break through.

I'd like to see what everyone else's thoughts are on Light Assault and exactly what their role should be on the battlefield.
What will their abilities be? What could they be putting their cert points into aside from their jetpack?

Bags · 2012-06-09, 09:33 PM

I like your paragraph. They're good for assaulting via jumping on the walls, or buildings, death from above. Weak indoors when their maneuverability is hindered.

Hmr85 · 2012-06-09, 09:34 PM

LA should be a shock trooper first and foremost. Its primary role is bypass enemy defenses and cause havoc behind enemy lines. I see them as more in line with guerrilla warfare type tactics.

I agree with Grognard on a previous thread. They should be Grenadiers also with a whole arsenal of explosives to help them reek bloody havoc behind the lines. At least that is how I see them.

Edit 1: The Rocklet Rifle as mentioned above would be a nice addition to the class also.

Dagron · 2012-06-09, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by Hmr85

LA should be a shock trooper first and foremost. Its primary role is bypass enemy defenses and cause havoc behind enemy lines. I see them as more in line with guerrilla warfare type tactics.

I agree with Grognard on a previous thread. They should be Grenadiers also with a whole arsenal of explosives to help them reek bloody havoc behind the lines. At least that is how I see them.

I completely agree with the guerrilla part and that they should definitely get another role to choose, like many classes have. As of right now, the one clear role they have seems very limiting (playstyle-wise).

As for that secondary role being granedier, i'm not sure but it sounds good... i also want to see other suggestions before i can form a better opinion.

Knightwyvern · 2012-06-09, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

So a few threads recently have highlighted some confusion over the role of the Light Assault. Specifically this came about due to the ammo supply role that development is currently reconsidering.

I'd like to see a discussion as to what precisely LA should be. I see LA as a shock trooper, jumping over walls or other forms of cover to soften up facility defenders. At their prime outside, but hindered indoors. Experts at bypassing the area-denial weapons deployed by engineers and an effective counter when outside to units like the MAX that have limited mobility.

But should LA be something else? Should their abilities be geared towards providing intel? Dropping ammo? Or perhaps they should be a light counter to AA or AV (just as the Heavy Assault are heavy counters to the same) due to their exceptional mobility on the battlefield, allowing them to avoid being run down by tanks or strafed by aircraft. Or should they be specialized further to counter engineers using EMP to disable deployables and mines? Or do they have enough as is?

Call me crazy, but I'd like to see a return of the Rocklet Rifle, exclusively for LA. This would allow them to clear deployables and skirmish with light vehicles and aircraft, softening the defenses of a facility so that combined arms can break through.

I'd like to see what everyone else's thoughts are on Light Assault and their role on the battlefield.

Over in the "ammo" thread we've started to discuss the possibility of the LA being the "grenadier" class, along with being the "blitzkrieg" class. Fits in quite well, and with an appropriate selection of grenades and utilities, would give the LA more flexibility in-role. Possibly even moving some of the grenade abilities over from the Engineering class, seeing as the consensus seems to be moving towards the Engineer as the ammo support class.

Electrofreak · 2012-06-09, 09:40 PM

Aerial grenadier isn't a bad idea at all. I was hoping to see them enter more of an AV/AA role as well but perhaps there's enough of that already through HA and MAX.

EDIT - And I just want to see the Rocklet back again.

TheInferno · 2012-06-09, 09:52 PM

I see the Light Assault, from the information we have, as a first-in, very fast attack unit. It has the ability to strike from different directions and flank very well, and take paths that no other unit can due to it's jump pack, be it using the regular, Icarus, or even Drifter jump pack. It'd be interesting to see a platoon of these guys jump off a mountain and glide into a base.

In heavy combat they need to either use extremely good tactics or be backed up by heavy assault troopers and other units like medics and engineers. Still, one on one they can be effective combatants against other LAs, Medics, Infiltrators, and Engineers. Going up against a Heavy Assault and especially a MAX will require skill, but is not impossible, based on skill and probably a bit of luck.

This is based on my knowledge of other shooters, as I never actually played Planetside. Still, I hope this makes some sense.

Also, I spent so long writing this two pages have probably passed since I started writing it <_<

Knightwyvern · 2012-06-09, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by TheInferno

I see the Light Assault, from the information we have, as a first-in, very fast attack unit. It has the ability to strike from different directions and flank very well, and take paths that no other unit can due to it's jump pack, be it using the regular, Icarus, or even Drifter jump pack. It'd be interesting to see a platoon of these guys jump off a mountain and glide into a base.

In heavy combat they need to either use extremely good tactics or be backed up by heavy assault troopers and other units like medics and engineers. Still, one on one they can be effective combatants against other LAs, Medics, Infiltrators, and Engineers. Going up against a Heavy Assault and especially a MAX will require skill, but is not impossible, based on skill and probably a bit of luck.

This is based on my knowledge of other shooters, as I never actually played Planetside. Still, I hope this makes some sense.

Also, I spent so long writing this two pages have probably passed since I started writing it <_<

A very good summary of what I think is intended as the LA's main role; however, the problem most people have I think is that it seems to be a very specialized role with little room for flexibility. That is what the real issue is; trying to figure out what to give them to make them fun in different and secondary ways. I.E. the grenadier suggestion which I still think is the best idea so far.

Dagron · 2012-06-09, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by Knightwyvern

I.E. the grenadier suggestion which I still think is the best idea so far.

It does sound fitting and fun, so i really like it...
But it's not the best idea we have so far: it's the only idea so far.

I wish i could put another one on the table, but i'm having trouble coming up with anything.

TheInferno · 2012-06-09, 10:08 PM

Hmm, I can see that. Maybe I'm just too used to Battlefield 2142 and the like (oh god a Battlefield player shoot him now

) but when I played Assault (specifically BF2142), the main thing I did was, in essence, move forward and attack, primarily using my rifle, flanking and taking points. Of course, 2142 Assault also had medical abilities which I did use when someone needed a revive or our entire squad had low health, so...

I can see a grenadier being a cool thing, but my only point is this: does it necessarily need another role other than high-mobility attack class? That alone, while narrow at first glance, could possibly be used in tons of different ways. That tower we saw? I could see normal troops surging from the bottom while a squad of Light Assault units use jump jets and attacks from the middle or top, thereby forcing the enemies between a rock and a hard place. I could see them moving quickly to help units in need of supporting fire. I could see them as the mortar that holds the bricks of a heavy assault squad together.

I mean, the big point of the Heavy Assault is the fact that it can do a lot of damage and take down vehicles, right? You could basically describe that as a different version of the light assault, one that has traded mobility for firepower and staying power.

I don't know if this is making any sense, and I would not object at all to giving the Light Assault some more stuff, I just don't really see the urgent need for it. I'll have to see how it plays in beta, of course. I do want it to be an awesome and fun class to play, since it's tied with medic for the class I want to play the most.

EDIT: Also, do we know if the underslung grenade launcher uses grenades as PS1 did (or so I hear) or does it have it's own ammo pool? If it's the latter, do you need to buy those too, or are they like rifle ammo?

Electrofreak · 2012-06-09, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by TheInferno

I see the Light Assault, from the information we have, as a first-in, very fast attack unit. It has the ability to strike from different directions and flank very well, and take paths that no other unit can due to it's jump pack, be it using the regular, Icarus, or even Drifter jump pack. It'd be interesting to see a platoon of these guys jump off a mountain and glide into a base.

In heavy combat they need to either use extremely good tactics or be backed up by heavy assault troopers and other units like medics and engineers. Still, one on one they can be effective combatants against other LAs, Medics, Infiltrators, and Engineers. Going up against a Heavy Assault and especially a MAX will require skill, but is not impossible, based on skill and probably a bit of luck.

This is based on my knowledge of other shooters, as I never actually played Planetside. Still, I hope this makes some sense.

Also, I spent so long writing this two pages have probably passed since I started writing it <_<

Well, Light Assault didn't really exist in the original PlanetSide. There were Medium Assault weapons you could certify in, but they were essentially just carbines and shotguns. There were no jet packs in PS, except on the Vanu Sovereignty MAX units. This caused a lot of controversy because it meant that they could be used in a guerilla role that other MAXes could not participate in, and allowed the VS MAX to get into positions that other infantry could not.

As can be imagined, there were many tears over it and it's why PS2 is introducing a new infantry role based upon the ability to jump-jet.

Resolve · 2012-06-09, 09:42 PM

They should be a shock trooper with some sort of rocket rifle specialty.

Dagron · 2012-06-09, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

Call me crazy, but I'd like to see a return of the Rocklet Rifle, exclusively for LA in addition to their current armament. For those that didn't play the original, it was a 6-shot dumbfire rocket revolver that did average damage versus vehicles or infantry and could be loaded with flak rounds to harass aircraft. This would allow LA to assault a base, clear deployables and skirmish with light vehicles and aircraft, softening the defenses of a facility so that combined arms can break through.

Originally Posted by Hmr85

The Rocklet Rifle as mentioned above would be a nice addition to the class also.

Originally Posted by Electrofreak

And I just want to see the Rocklet back again.

Originally Posted by Resolve

They should be a shock trooper with some sort of rocket rifle specialty.

Haha, sounds interesting, do say more.