Better Stealther Gameplay

[Warborn]

1. Rationale
Cloaker gameplay in PS2 should emphasize stealth, tension, skill, and an experience very much unlike what standard infantry roles offer. PS1 cloakers were a lost opportunity, where the stealth aspect was incidental to racking up a bodycount in competition with everyone else running around on two feet. With only a few changes, PS2 infiltrators could offer unique and diverse gameplay experiences that set them apart from their PS1 predecessor and makes them a valuable part of PS2 infantry synergy.


2. The Goal
Make cloakers in Planetside 2 offer up an experience more akin to Splinter Cell, Thief, Hitman, or other stealth-action titles. Games where combat is more of a last resort, and the best players are the ones you never knew were there. However, like those games, combat should be an option, albeit one which the class is not designed to excel at but would still provide a unique challenge.


3. Planetside 1 Infiltrator Problems
a) Weak weapons. The pistols and knife were both weak and the infiltrator, appropriately flimsy when fired on, was hard-pressed to kill even an agile soldier before being gunned down. The only really reliable way to get kills was through combat engineering, which severely pigeon-holed stealthers. However, the reason getting kills was tough with pistols knives was primarily the result of...

b) Excellent stealther countermeasures. Darklight was rampant because infiltrators were very frustrating if you did not otherwise have a way to detect them. Most infantry used darklight I imagine, and certainly the limited impact cloakers had was evidence of the power of this countermeasure. So while this all but ruined cloaker gameplay, it was also a necessary evil due to how unfun facing cloakers would have been.

c) Lack of objectives. Bases had either the generator or the CC as their focal points, and both were very easily defended. Certainly a cloaker was all but powerless to dislodge a MAX guarding the CC, and even a single infantry with darklight would generally be more than a match. This was a problem that was an issue for the game in general, though, with the multi-hour meatgrinders trying to breach the defenses to these areas being testament to that.


3. The Changes to Infiltrators
a) The knife would be lethal when used from behind on infantry by a cloaker. However, a couple caveats. First, backstabing enemies would decloak the infiltrator and lock them into a kill animation. The cloaker would be vulnerable during this period. The kill message displayed would be delayed by a certain period of time, perhaps that soldiers chat even muted (no longer than 30 seconds or so). The idea is to allow effective, stealthy eliminations of lone individuals but to make backstabing easily thwarted if done recklessly.

b) Pistols would have limited ammunition and their use would decloak the infiltrator for around 5 seconds or so. They would be used mainly for destroying deployables, engaging enemy cloakers at range, finishing off badly wounded enemies, or creating distractions/getting someone's attention. The idea is that if an infiltrator were to engage a healthy enemy soldier at range with their pistol, they would become open to return fire and would die very quickly to enemy assault rifle/shotgun/whatever fire. Infiltrators who want to be assassins would be better served trying to kill people with their knives.

c) Smoke grenades. If detected cloakers would have one or two smoke grenades they could use which, when hit, would instantly create a cloud of smoke to facilitate their escape. Would need very limited use, but giving them something to make being spotted not a guaranteed death every time would be good.

d) Infiltrators would be more visible when moving, would retain third person camera view to peer around corners undetected. Finding a balance here would be tough, but in general you want to make moving while being looked at A Bad Thing, make the gameplay revolve around stealthy movement and skillful play, but not make it either too easy to rush up to people and knife them or too hard to move anywhere without being seen and killed.

e) Hacking would be a uniquely stealth class ability. CCs could be captured by anyone, towers too, but every structure would have weak spots only stealthers could target to create interesting effects. Only cloakers could hack enemy vehicles, and either set them to self-destruct or flip them to friendly-owned.

f) Anti-infiltrator measures would be given to infiltrators. The role of infiltrators during defensive battles would be to hunt enemy infiltrators and prevent them from doing their thing. I am not yet sure what would be the best way to do it, but I keep thinking something like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory's multiplayer would work best. Some way to detect enemy infiltrator activity, devices, etc with maybe a scanning accessory of some sort? I don't know. Either way, the idea is to promote a real sense of cat-and-mouse, where in addition to sneaking past infiltrators you have to outwit your hunters who themselves are invisible killers.

g) Motion sensors would be an infiltrator-only device, smaller than previously, something you could shoot at a surface maybe. Would provide radar of enemy movement for friendlies in a small area. The area has to be fairly small though -- the idea is to have effective infiltrators planting a bunch of them over a contested zone to give friendlies recon.

h) Other recon tools. Sensor jammers that deny enemies radar but also block out motion sensor benefits, noise makers, really just some of the stuff from Sam Fisher's arsenal in the hands of infiltrators.


4. Changes to the Rest of the Game
a) Every facility, tower, outpost, or whatever would have a series of panels which could be hacked by infiltrators in order to create various effects. Unlocking certain otherwise blocked access ways, turning off defensive systems like base shields, increasing spawn times slightly, restricting vehicle access, disabling other special features, etc. These would be the objectives for infiltrators. They would be many, varied, and spread all around the interior and exterior. Defenders would want to guard as many as possible, but the more impactful panels would be deeper within bases. Hacking one of these panels would create their particular effect for ~5 - 10 min or so, depending on balance/hacker skill/whatever.

b) Darklight would be removed from the game entirely. Clicking a button and seeing through stealth kills the stealth gameplay. All anti-stealth features would be consolidated into the infiltrator class itself. Everyone else has to rely on sight/hearing and the like.

c) Hacked enemy vehicles could be set to explode after a delay as an alternative to simply switching sides.


5. Stuff That Would Be Cool
a) Infiltrator-only access areas. Vents, hatches in rooftops, sewer-like areas, etc. Make them have small doors that can be hacked open but only an infiltrator can fit and the door seals afterward. Would allow a variety of hidden entrances to otherwise locked-down bases. Not meant to be a perfect way to evade defenses, but it's better than trying to run in front of a dozen guys guarding the main door.

b) Grappling hooks or something. Maybe a super-jump ability. Something to increase mobility a bit, allow better flexibility in terms of negotiating terrain to find other access points, but you wouldn't want it to compete with jetpacks much either.


6. The Result
Infiltrators become stealth, espionage, and sabotage specialists. They would be instrumental to weakening a base's defenses potentially without killing a single enemy. Their hacking ability would give significant penalties to a poorly defended base, while their deployables could provide useful benefits to allies. Unlike in PS1, their success would derive from their ability to move stealthily rather than their luck at not having someone flick darklight at them. On the other hand, they would be actively hunted by their enemy counterparts in a tense game of counter-espionage. While players who want a real challenge could play more of a combat role and attempt to assassinate enemy infantry with their knives, most infiltrators would find their combat ability mainly used as a last resort in order to gain access to a sensitive part of an enemy based being defended by only one or two enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, being detected would be slightly less lethal, as infiltrators would have limited escape methods to help them avoid death should they make a mistake or be uncovered by an enemy infiltrator.


Preemptives: Yes, I know you liked playing an infiltrator in Planetside 1. Yes, I know you got like 30 kills for every death. Yes, I know you want it to be the same as it was in the original. I am here to tell you you are wrong. Stealthers in PS1 were rarely played and when they were they were totally lame. Who started playing the game, saw invisibility suits, and thought: "Oh, sweet, I will plant automated turrets behind people and then run away as my turret kills them!" Nobody did. Everyone wanted to be a space ninja. Well guess what: This is space ninjas.