My solutions and idea on how to make the onos and more tank based class rather than hit and run:
Onos are more hit and run than fades are now which is quite gimp due to it's size. 90% of onos players I see don't even attack a base, they run in, stomp, eat someone, then run out. It's usually not even someone with a comm dropped weapon because they get easily torn up under extended fire. Extended fire can be about 2-3 seconds with of HMG fire from a lone player. Unacceptable.
0 Onos Needs A Tank-Like Skill! - Give the onos some armor possibly and make the head only take half damage. This will encourage it to rush in head first into fire but the sides remain vurnable. You could also make it only take half damage with it's 3rd hive charge ability due to it's adrenline rush or turn the charge skill into the fade's old metabolise and have it turn damage for a very short period of time into adrenline or health. The onos severely needs a skill that would reduct or reduce damage because of the extreme damage per second (DPS) of marine gunfire. Raising it's health/armor up even higher is iffy on getting the right amount.
0 Stomp Has To Be Changed! - I feel while this skill is useful, it plays into the onos hit and run tactics and that's not what the onos should be doing. That's the fade's job. Onos job is to take down lone to small groups of marines or put a dent into larger groups and base wreck. Stomp should either do a disorentation effect like in TFC, knock whatever gun is currently in the marines hands on the floor away from them a good bit so they have to run a few feet to pick them up again, or tune it so it's more of a teamwork skill as in the onos cannot move during the duration of the stomp until the marines are freed. This will require the onos to have teammates around him to kill off any marines he stomped. If by chance the disorentation/knock guns on floor route sounds like a good idea, stomp should have it's range changed to be a point blank area of effect ability where everything around the onos in a short range gets hit to avoid backpeddling spam. This also encourages the onos to run into a crowd of marines and stomp.
0 Devour HAS To Be Changed! - I also feel devour needs to be changed. While it fits in with the onos' character it's radically changed the onos since 1.04 from being a feared base wrecking, marine destroying beast into a cloaking around the corner, stomping, eating pansy. While nice for picking apart heavy groups with, onos still have a good chance to die going up against even 2 heavies with HMGs if the HAs know what they're doing. I propose a new tank-like skill. Something to tone down or soak up for a second or two the mass amount of marine firepower being thrown at it. Maybe an ability that drains adren moderately but cuts bullet damage by 1/3rd. It wouldn't be too hard to come up with something.
0 Gore Could Use A Small Boost - As previously stated, gore could use a tiny boost so it's used more often. I see devour used way more often due to it's one hit kill potential so gore falls under a secondary weapon catagory. It should do 95 to 100 damage and retain it's blast damage on marine structures.
Possible new abilities to give the onos should devour/charge/stomp be move or seriously altered:
*Barge* - Onos bounds towards it's targets similar to a skulk's leap but MUCH shorter range. Marines in the way of the onos impact destination are knocked down and forced to get back up, stunning them. (Prevents onos from "Stomp Spamming" and enforces teamwork/tank status.)
*Absorbtion* - Onos that use this ability for an extremely short period of time 1-2 seconds, all damage taken will go to health or adren in small amounts. Similar to the original metabolise ability for fades. Requires a TON of adrenline to use so it cannot be abused. (This skill would perfectly fit in with the onos' tank status and help it immensely in surviving heavy gunfire and possibly help people pick adrenline over celerity for onos.)
*Shell Plate* - Not actually a weapon but a "shield" so to speak that covers the onos body with a thick plating that reduces damage greatly around it to 1/3rd to 1/2. Draw backs? The Onos cannot attack unless he switches weapons, leaving himself vurnable if he chooses to do so. (Onos tend to draw fire when rushing into the room with a pack of aliens so this can be helpful in extending the onos life line and providing a bit of skill in the class perhaps with some quick weapon switching.)
*Fling* - Onos impales a marine and flings him across the room. Leaving him wounded and bleeding and dying slowly unless a medpack is dropped. Ability has an extremely slow rate of fire to prevent abuse. (This would make an excellent devour replacement. Marine is taken out of action and put a good bit of distance from the onos but can be brought back with the help of the commander should he get to him in time.)
The only problem with devour is that there's a great incentive to get away while it does it's work. If you remove the ability to get away (as per CombatJoe's suggestion) then that incentive goes away as well. Besides even with a high level of regeneration, an Onos that can hardly move is simply another word for "Target". This means that the Onos doesn't dare use it in large groups of marines. This seems to fit the criteria wanted exactly.. powerful against small groups, not able to take out the team by itself.
I still think we should remove any type of paralyzing ability from the Onos and give it Metabolize instead. Combine that with CombatJoe's solution for Devour and you have your tank from hell. Regen + Devour + Metabolize = The Cow That Would Not Die. Taking one of those out would have your team celebrating.
I like the idea of taking out/changing devour since it sucks for the marines. it's one thing to have a distorted view, or be webed for a few seconds, but watching the inside of an onos for 20 seconds is just aggrivating. if the onos is to change at all, i hope devour goes first.
Comments
Onos are more hit and run than fades are now which is quite gimp due to it's size. 90% of onos players I see don't even attack a base, they run in, stomp, eat someone, then run out. It's usually not even someone with a comm dropped weapon because they get easily torn up under extended fire. Extended fire can be about 2-3 seconds with of HMG fire from a lone player. Unacceptable.
0 Onos Needs A Tank-Like Skill! - Give the onos some armor possibly and make the head only take half damage. This will encourage it to rush in head first into fire but the sides remain vurnable. You could also make it only take half damage with it's 3rd hive charge ability due to it's adrenline rush or turn the charge skill into the fade's old metabolise and have it turn damage for a very short period of time into adrenline or health. The onos severely needs a skill that would reduct or reduce damage because of the extreme damage per second (DPS) of marine gunfire. Raising it's health/armor up even higher is iffy on getting the right amount.
0 Stomp Has To Be Changed! - I feel while this skill is useful, it plays into the onos hit and run tactics and that's not what the onos should be doing. That's the fade's job. Onos job is to take down lone to small groups of marines or put a dent into larger groups and base wreck. Stomp should either do a disorentation effect like in TFC, knock whatever gun is currently in the marines hands on the floor away from them a good bit so they have to run a few feet to pick them up again, or tune it so it's more of a teamwork skill as in the onos cannot move during the duration of the stomp until the marines are freed. This will require the onos to have teammates around him to kill off any marines he stomped. If by chance the disorentation/knock guns on floor route sounds like a good idea, stomp should have it's range changed to be a point blank area of effect ability where everything around the onos in a short range gets hit to avoid backpeddling spam. This also encourages the onos to run into a crowd of marines and stomp.
0 Devour HAS To Be Changed! - I also feel devour needs to be changed. While it fits in with the onos' character it's radically changed the onos since 1.04 from being a feared base wrecking, marine destroying beast into a cloaking around the corner, stomping, eating pansy. While nice for picking apart heavy groups with, onos still have a good chance to die going up against even 2 heavies with HMGs if the HAs know what they're doing. I propose a new tank-like skill. Something to tone down or soak up for a second or two the mass amount of marine firepower being thrown at it. Maybe an ability that drains adren moderately but cuts bullet damage by 1/3rd. It wouldn't be too hard to come up with something.
0 Gore Could Use A Small Boost - As previously stated, gore could use a tiny boost so it's used more often. I see devour used way more often due to it's one hit kill potential so gore falls under a secondary weapon catagory. It should do 95 to 100 damage and retain it's blast damage on marine structures.
Possible new abilities to give the onos should devour/charge/stomp be move or seriously altered:
*Barge* - Onos bounds towards it's targets similar to a skulk's leap but MUCH shorter range. Marines in the way of the onos impact destination are knocked down and forced to get back up, stunning them. (Prevents onos from "Stomp Spamming" and enforces teamwork/tank status.)
*Absorbtion* - Onos that use this ability for an extremely short period of time 1-2 seconds, all damage taken will go to health or adren in small amounts. Similar to the original metabolise ability for fades. Requires a TON of adrenline to use so it cannot be abused. (This skill would perfectly fit in with the onos' tank status and help it immensely in surviving heavy gunfire and possibly help people pick adrenline over celerity for onos.)
*Shell Plate* - Not actually a weapon but a "shield" so to speak that covers the onos body with a thick plating that reduces damage greatly around it to 1/3rd to 1/2. Draw backs? The Onos cannot attack unless he switches weapons, leaving himself vurnable if he chooses to do so. (Onos tend to draw fire when rushing into the room with a pack of aliens so this can be helpful in extending the onos life line and providing a bit of skill in the class perhaps with some quick weapon switching.)
*Fling* - Onos impales a marine and flings him across the room. Leaving him wounded and bleeding and dying slowly unless a medpack is dropped. Ability has an extremely slow rate of fire to prevent abuse. (This would make an excellent devour replacement. Marine is taken out of action and put a good bit of distance from the onos but can be brought back with the help of the commander should he get to him in time.)
Discuss?
I still think we should remove any type of paralyzing ability from the Onos and give it Metabolize instead. Combine that with CombatJoe's solution for Devour and you have your tank from hell. Regen + Devour + Metabolize = The Cow That Would Not Die. Taking one of those out would have your team celebrating.
I like the idea of taking out/changing devour since it sucks for the marines. it's one thing to have a distorted view, or be webed for a few seconds, but watching the inside of an onos for 20 seconds is just aggrivating. if the onos is to change at all, i hope devour goes first.