Reducing ammo would actually work really well, since then you'd be busy most of the time running back to a powered zone with an armory which takes time. (sure, you will be royally screwed if marines pop an armory next to your hive, but if they manage that the hive is probably pretty much lost anyway (considering power is up and turrets might just as well be dropped) )
SewlekThe programmer previously known as SchimmelJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16247Members, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Developer
<!--quoteo(post=1812455:date=Dec 2 2010, 07:25 AM:name=peregrinus)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (peregrinus @ Dec 2 2010, 07:25 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1812455"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The GL fix is going in the right direction. Not convinced its enough though.
Main thing is you can't shoot a GL at the ground infront of you to kill anything that attack you.
What about the flamethrower? Isn't it being fixed too? It's even more powerful than the GL!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
resource costs are getting reworked a bit and if i remember correctly the flame effect will be changed (no blindness when burning?)
Currently 5 people can get the GL at once and storm a hive. They then can take out everything in sight very easily.
Once this becomes a luxury item, things will change hugely.
Do remember, that this will become a lot more insignificant once the ARC comes into play. Because you will not need these weapons so much for taking down buildings - especially hives.
Adding some type of cooldown for switching between using your rifle fire and grenade launcher, despite it being an attachment might solve a few issues. It will make sure that a solo marine can't rambo around with the GL attachment, given he wont' be able to shoot at close range skulks instantly without hurting himself in the process.
GL = skulk or gorge cleaner. Like NS1 either you take out buildings or you be fragging some skulks/gorges. Not much else it was good for (and probably should stick like that).
I think changing the damage might make it more balanced (like the radius damage. It seems like even if a skulk is 6 m away he gets instant killed by 1 gl shot). <!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b> Then again the disadvantage is that you can only hold up to 6 grenades and in NS1 you can hold a heck of a lot more. Making it pretty useless when it comes to structure raiding (will ruin the gl + jetpack strategy) </b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
After playing a solid 3 hours of NS2 157 tonight, I personally feel that the GL is balanced. The aliens crushed Marines pretty much every time, and more often than not we didn't let them get GL's. When they did get GL's, they were able to push us back a bit, but not absolutely destroy us like they were able to in 156.
GL's are still good at displacing sniping Lerks and far off (and unwary) Skulks, but Fades counter GL's quite effective with their blink ability.
Also, I disagree with the assertion that the GL upgrade shouldn't be superior to the basic MG in every way.
It is a purchased upgrade, with the goal of making the MG a more versatile weapon. I don't think it should have any tradeoffs, personally. The MG w/ GL doesn't trump other weapons (e.g. shotgun), necessarily, so it isn't the only weapon you'll want to use. It doesn't replace all other weapons in the Marine arsenal, just the one it is meant to upgrade. I don't see a problem with that really, but I see why you could.
I like the idea of a cooldown for swapping between LMG and GL, however it doesn't change the fact that the marine-team still effectively have both available in full capacity every few seconds (theoretically at least, unless the cooldown is really long). It's not really "giving anything up", just temporarily inconveniencing yourself for possibly even greater gain. It's not a good trade-off imo, but it's a start.
<!--quoteo(post=1812378:date=Dec 2 2010, 05:45 AM:name=FocusedWolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (FocusedWolf @ Dec 2 2010, 05:45 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1812378"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->bla<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Every single one of your posts (quite obviously) is hugely biased in favour of marines and coloured by your difficulties and I feel that it's detrimental to every discussion you take part in, please go play some aliens.
<!--quoteo(post=1812923:date=Dec 3 2010, 10:42 AM:name=FluffyM)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (FluffyM @ Dec 3 2010, 10:42 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1812923"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Every single one of your posts (quite obviously) is hugely biased in favour of marines and coloured by your difficulties and I feel that it's detrimental to every discussion you take part in, please go play some aliens.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Aye i find the marine team to be only way i enjoy NS2 at the moment. Although back in NS1 days i did play on the aliens team on occasion, currently their is really nothing to do on the alien team, except crash the server with hydra spam or lerk-spawn-camp-gas marine start or go gorge and drop hydra in marine start or wait for the marines to get flamethrowsers or kill the com at the start of the game or bite a power node so it's harder to see. This sort of ###### makes gmod+wiremod seem like a wise use of time.
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited December 2010
You don't enjoy skulking tier 2 marines to death then? I personally love that part of the game, low level skulk taking out big bad marines underestimating skulks (inexperienced marines are even tastier :P)
* a large dose of lag spoils my evil plans mostly though...
The changes are great, a much more balanced weapon now and with further tweaks it'll be a weapon used to do its job. I primarily play Kharaa and feel the Grenade Launcher should be a situational weapon, it needs to be good at its job but it also needs to be expensive.
Comments
(sure, you will be royally screwed if marines pop an armory next to your hive, but if they manage that the hive is probably pretty much lost anyway (considering power is up and turrets might just as well be dropped) )
Main thing is you can't shoot a GL at the ground infront of you to kill anything that attack you.
What about the flamethrower? Isn't it being fixed too? It's even more powerful than the GL!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
resource costs are getting reworked a bit and if i remember correctly the flame effect will be changed
(no blindness when burning?)
they could keep the gl atatchment but make it do considerably less dmaage than an actual gl.
Also thoguh the alien team need some changes early on, because they can dominate the game quickly with a savvy commander.
Currently 5 people can get the GL at once and storm a hive. They then can take out everything in sight very easily.
Once this becomes a luxury item, things will change hugely.
Do remember, that this will become a lot more insignificant once the ARC comes into play. Because you will not need these weapons so much for taking down buildings - especially hives.
I think changing the damage might make it more balanced (like the radius damage. It seems like even if a skulk is 6 m away he gets instant killed by 1 gl shot).
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b>
Then again the disadvantage is that you can only hold up to 6 grenades and in NS1 you can hold a heck of a lot more. Making it pretty useless when it comes to structure raiding (will ruin the gl + jetpack strategy)
</b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
GL's are still good at displacing sniping Lerks and far off (and unwary) Skulks, but Fades counter GL's quite effective with their blink ability.
Also, I disagree with the assertion that the GL upgrade shouldn't be superior to the basic MG in every way.
It is a purchased upgrade, with the goal of making the MG a more versatile weapon. I don't think it should have any tradeoffs, personally. The MG w/ GL doesn't trump other weapons (e.g. shotgun), necessarily, so it isn't the only weapon you'll want to use. It doesn't replace all other weapons in the Marine arsenal, just the one it is meant to upgrade. I don't see a problem with that really, but I see why you could.
<!--quoteo(post=1812378:date=Dec 2 2010, 05:45 AM:name=FocusedWolf)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (FocusedWolf @ Dec 2 2010, 05:45 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1812378"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->bla<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Every single one of your posts (quite obviously) is hugely biased in favour of marines and coloured by your difficulties and I feel that it's detrimental to every discussion you take part in, please go play some aliens.
Aye i find the marine team to be only way i enjoy NS2 at the moment. Although back in NS1 days i did play on the aliens team on occasion, currently their is really nothing to do on the alien team, except crash the server with hydra spam or lerk-spawn-camp-gas marine start or go gorge and drop hydra in marine start or wait for the marines to get flamethrowsers or kill the com at the start of the game or bite a power node so it's harder to see. This sort of ###### makes gmod+wiremod seem like a wise use of time.
* a large dose of lag spoils my evil plans mostly though...