Development Cycle Archive
Thread: IC 1-9: Combat Roles; Pikeman
lets try this again
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
What defines thePikeman role in combat?
- Pikeman should be THE tanks of the melee proffesion. Pikeman are usually used as foot soldiers (as the title suggests) and there role should reperesent that.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
- Pikeman should be able to hold off many melees attackers at a single time. Surviving punishing blows and dishing them back out to there attackers. (ill explain more in the interaction with other proffesions).
What offensive abilities?
- A pikeman's area attacks are a great compliment to the proffesion and reflect their role in combat. However other than the sweeps, the area attacks arent incredibly usefull. A pikeman's area attacks in the Offense Line of the proffesion should be powerfull attacks that make a group of enemys think twice about getting in melee combat with them, not a slight inconvience to them.
- On another note our class should be able to dish out serious damage to single enemys as well. The difference between Pikeman and other combat classes as it stands is they all have better damage modifiers than we do. Why is this? Some thought needs to be put in the multipliers for pikeman specials as well as for other melee classes. Our most powerfull attacks are less damaging and slower than other melee proffesions. This is a serious flaw in the combat system. A pikemans attacks should be slower and more damaging than a fencer or tera kasi but quicker and less damaging than a heavy swordsman.
What defensive abilities?
- As stated a Pikeman should have a very solid defense. The ability to use his weapon as a shield of sorts to block incoming melee blows is his bread and butter. An increase of Toughness Modifiers and a truly working Block are needed if Pikeman are to stand a chance in melee combat.
What unique abilities?
- Area Bleeds and the ability to hold an oppenet at bay would be a great addition to the class. A "pin" maneuver or something of that effect is needed to make the Pikeman a usefull and unique addidtion in a group not a liability as he is now.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
- The Area Bleeds and "pin" maneuvers would be an incredible asset in group combat as well as the revamp of their area attacks.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
- As the primary defensive combatant in a group of melee fighters he should be the backbone of there defense.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
- Pikeman should need the other melee classes to deliver quick decisive blows ( tka and fencer) and inflict punishing blows (swordsman) upon an enemy or group of enemys.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
- Pikeman should be the frontline soldiers of a war. Fending off attackers while the more agile melee attackers maim the enemys ranks and the ranged oppents wreck havoc among the enemys beyond the front lines.
Problems with the Pikeman Proffesion
- Accuracy Modifiers - Awful Accuracy makes us an easy kill in any situation as it is hard enough to hit most other proffesion with there superior defenses as is. The modifiers to our weapons are crippling the proffesion
- Block - Another defenesive disaster. Blocking attacks should not ignore a Pikemans armor. This has made our defensive abilitys worse, not better. 51% armor and no block skill is better than any modifier to Block with the current system.
- Range of Damage on Weapons- This is a huge disadvantage to the proffesion especially with Melee Migitation in effect. Our weapons need a slightly less range of damage to be an effective tool. in PvP.
-Defenses- Seroius though needs to be put in why the quicker more agile combatants have the ability to shrug off more damage than someone who takes an incredible amount more damage than they do. Fencers dodge at an insane rate taking no damage, Swordsman take the damage ( and therfore should have farily high toughness as well ) and dish out a unblockable Counterattack, Pikeman Block incoming damage but take 50% of the attacks damage without a reduction for armor and TKA does all three at an a fairly high rate. This system needs tweaked.
- A horde of others i have forgotten during this rant.
All in all i love Pikeman and with a littel TLC it could be the class it was made to be. All us Pikeman are wondering when we are gonna get some answers and hope this is our chance.
OK.. I'm going to try to make this as quick and to the point as I can make it.
Pikeman CAN BE.... the dude that sticks out his pike and prays to god he jabs something, thus we'd be slow as dirt, but if we happen to stab you, your having problems.... this pikeman will have high bleeds, really high damage, slow, but effective against BIG things, not so effective against small things
ORRRR
Pikeman CAN BE... the cool ninja with a bo, like the ninja turtle who wore purple, the darth maul, the staff.... in this case... we'd be fast... think of a sword... I stab I retract I stab.. think of a staff... I spin, I spin, I spin... I'm not having too much down time here am I... THIS pikeman shouldn't have high bleeds, but be more of a knockdown SPEED fighter.. heaven forbid we do something cool. You want a slow class with lots of power... I gave you the heavy swordsman... so ok.. my staff isn't bleeding you, it's not piercing your armor... but it's hitting you a LOT... have us be the offencive fencer.... so your class breakdown would be as follows:
tk-overall
fencer-fast defencive but weak
pikeman-fast, less defencive but is getting more damage done
if I'm spinning my staff am I missing as much as a guy stabbing and retracting his sword?? no.. so high accuracy would make sense.... now here's the real question that I CAN'T answer, developer who asks me questions....
WHICH ARE WE????
as of this second, in the game, you give us staffs and reinforced combat rods and metal rods, which makes me think ninja pikeman...
but then you give us lances?? and things that an old calvary knight, weighed down with 50 tons of armor should be carrying... you give us crappy accuarcy mods on these weapons, and in my opinion your not giving us the damage they deserve... your giving us both bleeds and knockdowns, which could be ok... since I have this huge stick... but it's hardly class definition...
now if your asking what I'd want.. I'd want a fast pikeman, who can hit stuff and spins around a lot like a ninja... not a slow clumsy 15th century pikeman who's praying for a lucky stab... but ultimately your going to decide what I end up as.
chee
Thunderheart wrote:
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
What defines thePikeman role in combat?
A pikeman should be the crowd controler. In a room, or small space, we should hold our ground by putting others on it. Area attacks, area states (bleed, stun, dizzy). KD got hooped and took with it our best move. Pikemen should be in the front of the pack, or the middle of the room. A group should say "Let's get a doctor, and for cryin' out loud make sure we have some pikemen!" First to go, last man standing.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
In a word, tough. Beat on a pikeman all day long, he smiles and knocks you flat.
What offensive abilities?
High damage, area attacks second to none. The ability to keep bad guys at bay. We have a weapon taller than us, yet have the smallest range.
What defensive abilities?
The ability to go into full on block mode. Similar to CoB, but when the fan gets hit, the pikeman does not. No or minimal damage dealt, but blocks all incoming. Maybe with different weapon, like a staff.
What unique abilities?
The ability to go into full on block mode. Currently block works as well a wet T-shirt.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
I see Pikemen as protectors. Large weapon, in the front or in the center of the action. Gun types tend to stay at the fringe and deal damage at their ideal range. Our ideal range is up close and personal.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
As primary damage takers,Pikemen would require a fair bit of attention from ranged combat medics.We would keep the gun guys on their feet, allowing them to deal damageand keep the evil hordes off the doctors and medics. Allowing other profs to do their jobs, by doing ours.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
Pikemen should gain a defensive bonus, as they are grouped together. 2 pikemen back to back gain X, 3 pikeman gain X+Y, 5 pikeman in the same room would be so rare that everyones head would explode. Other melee players would also get a defensive bonus, but at a reduced level. Who knows better the mind of a Pikeman, but another Pikeman. I also think that Riflemen are the kindred spirits to the pikemen. In a supportive role, 64m behind them, covered up and sneaky, dealing big damage to the pikemans foe. We are up close, they are death from afar.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Aside from being the front line, Pikemen are ideal as structure destroyers. The LVA has been written as being able to open metal as easily as paper. This would prove very effective in attacks on Turrets, AT-STs, AT-ATs, etc.
Request For Comments:
I have stayed away from all our current woes. Novels have been written on what does not work. Yet a core of Pikemen persist. We are the smallest group, and the least mastered. At least until Holocron told them to. We enjoy being in the thick of things. Seeing the bodies piled up around us. 2 master Pikemen fighting in a small space, back to back, is a thing to behold. Not seen very often, as we are too few. When in a group, I am the first one out to the bad guy, and the first one to run to the aid of a fellow. Even after mastering many combat professions, melee and ranged, when things got really bad, out came the pike. It was always what I was holding in the clone. Probably because the high HAM wiped me out! (No, bad, wasn't going to go there...)
biwan: MohrWhat defines thePikeman role in combat?
Their weapon defines the profession the Pike should deal big damage ranged...think the Crimson guard guys that protect the Emperor... that's the main reason i wanted to become pike...and main reason i stay as a pike....i always thought pikes we're superior since the emperor chose them instead of other proffessions..
What basic combat elements should they possess?
being able to hit from a ranged position and deal the most damage out of melee professions but at a lesser speed...being able to Sweep as needed with little or no limit...
What offensive abilities?
currently offensive abilities are very little due to the EXTREMEly high ham usage..but mainly leg hirs and bleeds
What defensive abilities? Sweep!!
What unique abilities? Sweep!! and AOE attacks!! being able to deflect damage ...darth maul was amazingbecause he had INCREDIBLE defense..blocking and dodging attacks and counter-attacking..
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?ability to sweep groups of Mobs or single mobs .. dizzy stun effects
How could/should they interact with other professions? no comment yet..
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants? no comment
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Emperor's elite guard?
I'll prolly catch some heat back in the pikeforums but I'd like to start off in that I don't belive pikemen should be able to attack from a vehicle, a mount? Maybe, but not a vehicle.
I find it unusual that the profession was created and now the players of the proffession are being asked what our roles and capabilities are, nonetheless this is direct attention so it's better than nothing
.
As stated above the weapons availible to us are essentially what should mark our current role. The LVA is the closest we have to a true pike and thus should be unweilding, slow, difficult to control but when it hits the damage should be insane...not insane by a 3.5 mod, insane as in holy **edit** did you see the hit he just laid on %tt? On the other end of the spectrum we have basic lance and down which are more along the lines of a quarterstaff or bo, which is insanely quick and easy to strike with givin the proper training (RL). A post was in the pikeforum which demonstrated this showing the attack patterns of a quarterstaff...givin the motions we preform during combat, primarily specials, we seem to be oriented around that method of fighting. Although the auto-attack does have animation true to a more 'infantry pike' effect.
Looking through the weapons, and imposing acctual effects as such would tend to show that the acc mods are fair to this extent...however...If it is to be said that with an extremely heavy LVA, counterweighted and all, you are going to naturally miss alot, then our damage needs to be seriously adjusted. The range from min to max on our end game weapons makes us utterly useless in PvP due to mitigation. Factor that in with the toughness and def. mods from other melee's and you should be able to see our main issue in that arena.
Our toughness should easily be in range with a TK if not higher. In historical conflicts pike is the front line, a solid unit of pikemen is to be enough to utterly devistate an onslaught of calvary units. Even sparring with a quarterstaff brings abuse to both partners with fore-arm, shin blocks not to mention the occasional heavy jab to the chest. Thus imo we should have high toughness, high block, med counterattack, low dodge.
HAM of course is out of line, the combat pass is being worked on so I'll stay away from the fact that we kill ourselves.
To sum it up and to garner my opinion on what pike is givin andwhat has been...
Pike I see as the ultimate tank template, swordsman second. With that to compare the two, swordsman would be the more offensive.
Ultimately the role is variable due to the weapons we have. I would expect higher acc and speed from a staff, low speed/acc from LVA/VL but the chance to land massive damage (you know, the massive damage we are said to be able to dish out...) High block on both, high posture change on both. Pikemen should be defensive first, with a high KD resistance...after all, historically we stood to heavy mounted units at full charge that could hit with enough energy to impale horse and rider on the same stick. Area attacks are our focus, but we can't do too much after all that aggro is on us. If RIS is supposed to be Med armor such as the word goes...then for our hassle we should be handed out sets
. Also high dizzy resistance, after all we go through all this spinning back and forth. Maybe a taunt mod or a seperate area taunt could come into play.
As I've said multiple times the weapons you've provided us should attest to some degree of versitility. Not be outclassing any other meele but as it stands there isn't a thing we can do that someone else can't do better, although our bleeds are nice...when they land...
Accuracy should be an issue with the heavy weapons, but the damage and the damage range need to be delt with. A test should be done with one of your creative developers. Take a 6ft length of pipe and affix 30-40lb counterweights on each end...with the 'staff' upright rotate it to bear bottom end swinging behind and over, then on to the receiving end of what ever you might want to bash. The physics should speak for it's self, now imagine a foot long ultrasonic axe blade on that receiving end. Another fun trick is to take that weighted staff and use it to fend off co-workers four at a time (I will of course release all liability on the suggestion to SOE). Then shortly after take an unarmed co-worker and try to fend off two. It should take no time for you guys and gals to start coming up with your own applications.
Thanks for the opportunity for us to get all this out, I don't envy the job you guys got. The game is amazing, but the little things can bring down an empire.
Easy now
I posted this elsewhere and was told it should be here, and why not...
I think the Pikeman trees should be 1:General Polearm Defense - fairly standard stuff id make it on the lower end of tankdom(You'll find out why later) 2: Lancing - footman and mounted lance types, id give a charge special that ties in with the burst run and gallop commands, has to have a target, increases it's speed a bit(not just uphill) and reduces timer (maybe 5 mins for master) I'd make a lance work like a pike if not charging but change the stats to make a pike much preferable. 3: Stave fighting - these weopons would be fairly fast with low damage, specials (only usable with a staff equipped) would be purely defensive, including a COB type one that is more effective than COB, though while its in effect id make attack speed slower 4: Pikes - these would work much likes pikes probably were meant to now, high damage; slow; heavy on AOE moves with potent bleeds; and be fairly inaccurate. I'd give defense vs. charge mods with a pike
so pretty much melee= Fencer - most defensive; Swords - highest dps; TK - balanced; Pike<probably change that name>choose offense or defense but not both at once and not as good as1h or 2h
okay okay, so now we actually know we have your attention, so lets see if i can't make this count....
What defines thePikeman role in combat?
What basic combat elements should they possess?
#1. As far as staffs go, i think we should be able to tangle enemies. Keep them busy withought haveing to deal with the brunt of their damage. I think they should compliment a special move, so that the current staffs can be used withought ajusting speed or damage. I will duscuss the concept of the move i have in mind in the designated section.
#2. Pikes and offensive weapons. Pretty straight forward here. I think we have it pretty good as it is. FIx the accuracy, tinker with the special moves. This is where the area attacks come in. We should do very large amounts of damage. Not as much as swordsman, but a tad faster, they should obviously have a notably higher DPS.
What offensive abilities?
What defensive abilities?
Defenseivly, i think we should be hard to hit, becouse we have a big stick between us and our enemies, but once we are hit, we shouldn't be able to take it too well. This could be simulated by having a high amount of +block+(assuming we take no damage with it), and a high melee and ranged defense, but relativly low toughness. And since we have the lowest toughness of all melee, we are already half way there.
What unique abilities?
I think we should have a defensive stance that we can enter into while holding a staff or vibro lance, that could do one of many things.
here are the options thatcould make a valubale pikeman stance....
We would block 100% of the time and can do no offensive attacks what so ever.
We block a near 100% of the time but can auto attack.
We block 100% of the time but always a small portion of the damage still got thru (1/10 or so..very small).
The stance does not end untill we move our character.
The stance does not end for a set amount of time.
The stance does not end untill we have blocked a set amount of blows.
Our enemy would be free to do what ever the want. They can stop attacking and move on at anytime. PvE value....
We cannot do special attacks for the duration of the move.
The move can be canceled by a special attack(i like this idea, so we can suprise them). PvP value...
Any "ranged weapon" that is fired from outside of our defense radius...is significantly more likely to escape our block.
so there is an idea for a stance....other unique abilities i am not too interested in. Maybe another ability to where we can "pin down" one oppenent, and do some damage. Basicly a move that hurts them and delays them i think would simulate this effectivly. This move could be done with ALL weapons.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
In a group we should be able to tie up the opponents, so the rest of the group will be more able to make free actions and think about their actions. But as far as being in a group goes we should provide no offensive support taht acctually helps them....i mean, we can get our licks in, but aside from the mob dying faster, that isn't of much use.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
One idea, is that any Master Weaponsmith/MasterXXXXX, should be more proficient in making those weapons, i am not a weaponsmith so i dont' know how you would do that, but taht would make a greater variety of weaponsmiths, and effectivly increase player made polearms to some degree. I think this as a general rule would make the game much better. So that no one great weaponsmith will have all the business, and weaponsmiths can specialize and be unique.
other than taht, unless you are going to actualy make all of the classes mingle, depending on what mix you make, i dont' see taht tehre is much more to suggest.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
no ideas....
We should need medics, and entertainers, and weaponsmiths and others as usual by all means though.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Defenders, we could get missions form the faction terminals that tell us to protect people....and once do so many, or get a high enuff rank + master pikeman....maybe....maybe...maybe, you could let us have royal gaurd uniforms?
Common guys, taht would make up for all the hard feelings of sucking for so long....common...do it! DO IT!!
Maybe a special pikeman set of missions that once compleated we get teh uniform. The last missions could be to protect the emporer...if we fail the emporer will protect himself, and be fine....maybe we could only get one chance to do this, or not....but make them very rare....an pikeman exclusive....becouse....Thunderheart, listen to me carfully, becouse i mean this with all sincerity. About 90% of pikeman won't mind getting teh short end of the stick(get it?) as long as we look frickin cool doing it.
thats all i got....my fingers hurt...make our class cool and i will love you forever.
Ark Mindspear, Kauri,Pikeman since week one.
excellent idea, I really like it and hate myself for notthinking it myself.
ArkMindSpear wrote:
What defensive abilities?
Defenseivly, i think we should be hard to hit, becouse we have a big stick between us and our enemies, but once we are hit, we shouldn't be able to take it too well. This could be simulated by having a high amount of +block+(assuming we take no damage with it), and a high melee and ranged defense, but relativly low toughness. And since we have the lowest toughness of all melee, we are already half way there.
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
* What defines the Pikeman role in combat?
The Pikeman should have multiple roles, not just one - this gives us the same flexibility as a profession that all of the other professions have. For example, a Carbineer does knockdowns, or status changes, or damage dealing. Pikeman needs to have several roles to choose from for any battle scenario, just like everyone else.
We should be able to go to a highly defensive mode at the expense of offense in melee. We have a big **edit** stick that we can use to better keep enemies at bay. We have longer reach than any other meleers(in symbolic terms), and if we really wanted to we could keep them out. This gives us a valuable PvE role that allows us to tank for groups, and potentially a handy PvP trick that isn't unbalanced.
We should be able to go fully-offensive, lashing out with tons of area attacks at fairly high speeds. When we do this, we should rightfully become more vulnerable, but overall we ought to be able to make the area in our proximity a VERY unhealthy place to be. Again, this area-effect power must come with vulnerability to ranged fire.
Our standard fare should be lashing out with lesser attacks fairly quickly, reflecting the fact that while other weapons are doing more damage with their single striking edges, we have TWO striking edges available to us.
* What basic combat elements should they possess?
Above all else, the idea of speed. Here's an exerpt from a post on the Pikeman boards on this subject:
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Every MMORPG I've seen treats polearms as slow weapons, thinking you can't use a staff quickly on the offensive - this is totally untrue. In fact, in pure combat terms a staff is the absolute FASTEST weapon you can use in close combat. If you don't believe me, go to a tournament for armed martial arts sometime and watch a person who's good with a bo (staff), then look at someone who's good with a katana. The highly proficient bo user can swing that thing around so fast that it blurs in the air, and can tag targets far faster than any sword can. It's a highly accurate weapon with precise balance - far better than any sword could ever be.
A lot of it has to do with the fact that you have 2 viable striking arms, instead of just one. So with some wrist agility, which anyone proficient will have, you can hit twice with a single motion whereas a sword can only strike once. A sword must be drawn back by the arms to strike again, or at least pulled with some force to the side on a slash - a major shift in the user's balance. Yet a person wielding a bo can literally render a full-force strike by simply shifting their posture and making small movements of their hands.
Don't believe me? Watch the duel at the end of Episode 1. I'll grant you that the fighting there is highly stylized, and shouldn't be taken for reality, but it's based on very real martial arts styles. The Jedi are using combined forms of Kendo and Epee-fencing, with a touch of something else I can't identify. Darth Maul is using an eastern bo style from Japan crossed with a spear technique from China. See how fast and effortlessly Darth Maul moves by comparison, and how fluidly he moves through the stances of the kata? Look at how little actual motion his body takes along the way to achieve his ends, and how fast he transfers between offense and defense.
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The Pikeman should, bar none, be the absolute fastest attacker out there, and use skills that reflect it. Fast weapon by any standard, plus fast reflexes. We become capable of blocking frequently BECAUSE we are so fast. We can launch lots of area attacks BECAUSE we are so fast. We launch quick little precise strikes as our standard fare BECAUSE we are so fast.
The price we pay is that we are extremely vulnerable to ranged fire, and that we can't stay on the offensive for long before having to switch to the defensive to regain strength. I mean, if you're holding a dinky little dueling sword, it's a lot easier to dodge an enemy's guns than if you're holding a big stick. The regenerating HAM system allows this to happen - fast Pikeman area specials at a high Action cost, forcing us to engage in flurries of offense followed by periods of defense - no constant flurry of attacks.
So we start the fight with a flurry of blows, and if that doesn't work we have to go on the defensive for a while, and throughout we're susceptible to ranged fire. This is a fair compromise to make, I think.
* What offensive abilities?
When on an offensive flurry, high attack frequency, mostly area attacks, coming at a big Action cost. For our standard fare, many lesser strikes. We should be at our best offensively against many targets - we shouldn't be as good as any other melee 1v1.
* What defensive abilities?
Major weakness against ranged attacks, but the ability to block most incoming attacks from meleers by going into a defensive stance(like CoB now, but on steroids).
* What unique abilities?
A pin move that does 0 damage would be good, as a group-friendly tool. Basically just keeps the targeted enemy on the ground once knocked down.
I see a lot of interest in an Charge/Impale move, that lets us close the distance to a target and get in one really nasty shot all in one special. Obviously, that'd have to have a heck of a Action cost.
Lots of interest in mounted combat, and we are a fairly logical class for it given the continuity. Lots of occasions, in the movies and otherwise, where you see a guy on a vehicle or creature's back with a spear of some sort. Might be exceptionally hard to implement, though - the issue of vehicles stopping or not when you make the actual hit, etc.
Possibly a bonus for multiple Pikemen grouped in terms of melee defenses. Add a modifier called Group Pikeman Melee Defense that starts at +5 and goes up to perhaps +10 at Master. Two grouped Master Pikemen therefore get +20 to their melee defense rating when in defensive mode, and five grouped Master Pikemen(like that'll ever happen) would get +50 to their melee defense rating when in defensive mode. So the advantage only applies to the Pikeman when they're in their fully-defensive stance, and not when they're attacking.
* Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
We should be the primary tank in PvE, basically just focusing on self-preservation. When we switch to an all-out offense, it should be in order to save the group from those "Oh crap!" sort of moments when many attackers join the fray - sort of a mana-dump in area effect melee.
Again, when grouped with other Pikemen they should get conditional defensive bonuses.
Also, the pin move would be a handy tool to keep the bad guy down for faster killing by the group.
* How could/should they interact with other professions?
With other Pikemen, higher conditional defenses when grouped.
With other meleers, the other melee classes do the high 1v1 damage to take out the targets we're tanking in defensive mode. Teras Kasi applying many diverse states rapidly, but not doing massive damage. Fencers applying myriad bleeds to the different pools, sapping the target's strength with rapid precise strikes. Swordsmen inflicting massive wounds, but slower than the rest of us.
With ranged classes, we'd be vulnerable to them in PvP. In PvE, they basically would blast away at the target as we tank it, and they'd be doing the major damage in that respect.
Definitely a need for medical support - even in the best conditions a Pikeman will probably get beated on a LOT.
* What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
Again, vulnerable to ranged fire, but others would depend on Pikemen to tank meleers. When things got bad and many targets entered the fray, the Pikeman would be able to "mana-dump" their Action bar and lash out with many rapid area-effect strikes. Definitely we'd need ranged support in PvP to keep us alive against enemy snipers. Lots of medical attention over time as well, since we're likely to pick up major damage. Other meleers to apply the states and effects and major single-target wounds that we can't.
Defensive grouping bonus for being with other Pikemen.
* What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
I see the best analogy within the GCW of continuity and the Pikeman encapsulated in the Imperial Guards(those red-robed fellows). While the stormtroopers are out there as the primary line of defense, shooting up the incoming threat, the Emperor keeps these guys with lances stationed at his door, ready to handle a rush of attackers if they break through.
The same should be the case for our role in the GCW. When defending a base, we should be the guys guarding the door of the final chamber, prepared to take on the final rush of the attackers. Just us and the Pikeman next to us, area-attacking to try to kill off the mass of invaders before we go down, in a last-ditch effort. Offensively, we should be the guys who get sent in to break barriers, clearing out stubborn nodes of resistance. The last place we should be found is in the open air giving all of the ranged types in the world a clear field of fire...
Of course, a quest for Imperial Master Pikemen to get the Imperial Guard robes would be SO nice as well.