Squad Leader Archive
Thread: Where's the 60 gunner
SebastionGrey wrote:
No, no... I agree totally. There is no reason why I should have to bee a carbineer just to be able to inflict damage.
When you think about it, a squad is like a gang. Who's the leader of a gang? He's no pansy. He's a leader because he's a BADASS. And he knows what he's doing.
Having our own gun (handheld, with no help from anyone else) would be the jam. Give that gun extra perks when used with a group. And I think the tripod gun is cool, but guess who'll be #1 target? I remember reading about WWII. The average lifespan of a machinegunner was 7 seconds in battle. KnowwhaddI'm sayin? When you can't move in battle, you are LITERALLY a sitting duck. The last person who needs to be in the cloning room is the leader.
I disagree.A gang is not a professional fighting unit (a squad). The leader ofa squadis charismatic, intelligent, and perceptive. He can certainly be badass, but that's not why he's the leader. He's a leader because he knows how to accomplish goals given any set of squadmates by extracting all possible contributions from his crew.
The essential skills for a leader are (should be) in the Squad Leader tree. If you want to be a badass too, pick up another tree.
Back on the original topic, I think the idea of an E-web support blaster, crafted by a weaponsmith, is very nice. Ranged Support IV would be an ideal place for the certification, because Suppression Fire really isn't that great.
"No one is more professional than I. I am a noncommisioned officer, a leader of soldiers. As a noncomissioned officer I realize that my two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind, the accomplishment of my mission, and the welfare of my soldiers" - from the U.S. Army Non-commisioned Officers Creed.
None of the skills we corrently have help to do either, As a Military leader, you have to think quick, and develop skills that help you to not only keep your troops alive, but to complete your mission. I think that an AOE weapon would give us an edge in doing both. I also know (from experience) that it's not the weapon, buit it's the person behind it. It's not just the squad, but the leader giudes it, that accomplishs the most. not only the 'squad blaster' but other skills need to be brought into this profession to increase our ability to fight, and win.
But should we be considered a "Military" Leader?
Granted we are not Band leaders or Architect leaders... but we are not strictly soldiers. We are more of a combat leader, a mix between a safari guide andboat captain. I do think we should get abilites are are more useful in the GCW... but that should not be our only role.
Anyway back on topic. What makes a better group experience? Killing the target as fast as you can with your SL weapon? Or using tactics by setting up a Heavy Repeater in a strategic area say to guard your docs and entertainers.
Example of the use of a e-web/heavy repeater:
- Knock out Turretsso you can place the blaster
- Setup e-web in strategic point near the entrance of the enemies base.
- Provide cover fire for troops rushing into the base
- Keep aDoctor or two behind the gunners
- Provide coverfire to the wounded troops rushing back or the doctors who have to go out and dragdowned players.
- Defend the e-web from commandos and theirgrenades
Plus these could be used in the SL specific mission idea. You have to defend a bunker for 30 mins or so... set one of these up and you have a better chance.
Too unbalanced, how about one-use only? lasts about same amount of time asa camp and u cannot redeed it
That's a cool idea.But I don
t like the idea of one of our abilities requiring an artisan to make it accessable to us. Sorry don't like it at all.
AlthoughI joined the Squad Leader profession just for the support of it and not too much for the combat... I like the ideas of adding a special gun or attack to SLs that only they can use. The group gun is a good idea as well.
My favorite of the ideas is the group state givers such as group bleed, and group stun or even group KD though I think that's asking too much.I did want to mention some other ideas I haven't heard yet that would be just as effective for support and yet not be considered overpowering:
How about an AreaWarey? (I think that's how it's spelled.) The warey (a brawler skill) "pauses" the target for about 10 sec. That would be the best support whether it is to just pause them from attacking your group members OR to keep them at a distance a little longer to allow more firepower before they close in to attack. OR simply to couple with /retreat. Stop them in their tracks giving your group time to get out of there. This ability doesn't cause any direct damage and can be very effective.
Just to throw other ideas as well... /AreaWarningShot or /AreaThreatingShot??? I could see those being useful as well.
And just one last idea... /GroupCenterOfBeing ???
Thanks and I do hope many of this forum's idea are considered. There are many great ideas presented.
Emma Coshton <SGO>
Pompeii, Lok - Intrepid
Squad Leader / Pikewoman
My favorite of the ideas is the group state givers such as group bleed, and group stun or even group KD though I think that's asking too much.I did want to mention some other ideas I haven't heard yet that would be just as effective for support and yet not be considered overpowering:
These are Carbineer specials... Chargeshot 2 is supposed to work as a AoE KD right now, but it is bugged. And we are working on getting action shot 2 as a AoE bleed (currently it bleeds your target but hits everything else around it in a cone, no bleed)
Smugglers havet the AOE shot that pauses the enemy for 10 seconds, it is called panic shot. and I think the ability you are talking about is War Cry.
A good special for a squad leader automatic weapon would be aoe intimidate.
I ask why it is you feel that the squad leader should not have a heavy support weapon that only he can set up but everybody can use? Make it high damage, high armor penetration. It can't be moved and fired, it can be destroyed by targeting it, in order to use it you have to be standing in one place, once you move you can no longer use the weapon, it requires you to be the leader of a squad to set it up. Don't make it a one use limited time thing. If you have to take the time to set it up and tear it down and cannot shoot it while moving why would you want to make it a one use weapon?
Some people say that we shouldn't have a squad weapon because we are not the ones who are supposed to carry or fire a squad weapon. I say we are the only class that is required to have a squad to use any of our abilities, so what class better to have a weapon that requires more than one person to set up and operate?
A squad leader supports a squad. Through leadership, tactics, strategyand access to a larger organization (be it his safari company, the imperial army, the rebel forces, jabba's organization, gang resources, or any other larger organization that would support or hirea squad/team.)
Give squad leaders the tools to represent this. Crew Served Weapons, and specials for those weapons. (I'd also like to see group transportation, and artillery support)
One thing I have been debating about. Whether this should act as a one time setup, such as a camp kit where it dissapears when you disband it. Or if it should act like a harvester where you can place it and then pull it up when you are done.
I like the second idea better as it could act just like a normal weapon where it can be experimented on and such. Plus it would decay like a weapon would, with one addition. It would also act like a turret with one big health bar, so it could be shot at and destroyed. This way we don't have to have a crate of these things and use them up.
Weaponsmiths would team up with another profession to create this. Architects (like tailors to make merchant tents)? Then this "deed" or kit can be carried aroundby the SL and set up when needed.
Yes, I love the idea of a heavy weapon for the SL.
I think itcould be a structure handed to the controler to place at his waypoint (and retireve if it survives the battle), set up, enterand ready fire. I really think it should be maned by a low comabt player, an engineer of sorts could take the controls (Master Artisan perhaps). Just as Yeraze said, why would a commando want to walk away from their battles, and even , why would a SL want to remove the Commando from the field? Anyway the Engineer gains 'crafting' XP for building/using the weapon. But the weapon would have to come with a radial menu to choose various types of fire, supression fire, heavy targeted busrt, bunker bombs for structures, Sonic shells for dizzy effects,Frag shells for bleedetc... This will give a bit of gameplay to the user. The variety of shells/actions is directly related to the skills of the engineer.
Theycould be built in the same way as generating a camp, but only in battlefields, or perhaps only directly on the SL's given waypoint. This would stop the controller running off with it.
How about the Scoutbeing able to see the exact waypoint of any target. That way, with their camo they can sneak close enough to check the Waypoints of vital structures/enemies and /tell the squad leader. They can then direct the engineer to fire this cannon. Followed by the rest of the abmush.
Because the weapon fires from such a large range, once the first shot is fired there has to be some kind of notification as toits roughlocation to squad leaders of the opposing force. And therefore organise an effective retaliation. Saying that it would have to be very rough, as if they're following the sound of the cannon.
I really don't think the SL should have any kind of additional standard weapon. That's not why you have a SL. I think having the SL gain access to a control room in the HQ and use a satelite view to command the battle from realative safety (Natural Selection anyone?). Placing waypoints, assigning targets and issuing commands from this perspective gives a fun and more co-ordinated battle structure. Also if you integrate the military status of your reb/imp faction you gain even more commands and authority over battle.
As for the E-Web idea: What about the Bounty Hunter gets this?
Now I'm running up the Tailor tree I have seen some of the problems associated with the Artisan Profession. But they all regard your long term issues.
First of all GCW:
There are so many player vendors now, it's hard to get noticed as a skilled artisan, especially when everyone is able to craft the same stuff essentially. One way I see to avoide this is to be given missions from NPC's, in GCW's case recruiters, that lead onto draft schematics of Very rare items that can assist in the GCW. Weapons, Structures, Droids, Food, Equipment for SL to give a greater ability to command. Having access to these items will allow an artisan to gain notoriety, and more imprtantly individualism. Having to craft resources/items for a rebel base, gives the base a better equiped and prepared NPC army. This is exactly the same for PvP GCW, however, there need to be more items that fall apart, so having a series of artisans at HQ providing all the renewable resources for the soldiers is a possibility.
PvP alternative:
I think this is a very hard one. But allowing a certain degree of customisation to the master professions allows a real feel of character in your Avatar. Everyone has access to these skills and because we have such a large community doing the same things means everyone sells the same services/products. Integrarting Very rare items as draft schematics will allow different Tailors, for instance, to sell individual items or versions of generic items to draw customers. Allowing there to be crafting guild abilities like morphing parts of items with others (long shot I know) but I guess it sould be possible for guilds to research technology by having a control panel in the Guild Hall where people can drop off any of their XP points into a pool. When this pool is full (I guess about a weeks worth of XP harvesting for the entire guild) a technology becomes available, for a short period of time perhaps. This technology can be used in the crafting process to improve stats or provide properties unkown elsewhere. After a suitable period of time has passed for the artisans to take advantage of the tech, it gets used up. Perhaps that can be controlled via a suitable material gets developed with a finite supply.
Another method to enhance competition between crafting skills is to run a league table of successful crafters in the area, planet, galaxy. Winners are announced, and awards granted. Mind you this can be done already in a well organised city. How do we measure a successful crafter though? Thoughts?
Bazaar:
Hmm, I quite like what we have, but the items need to be correctly catagorised. And certainly a type of query function would be nice to find items holding certain properties etc...
Crafting:
Something really needs to be done about some of the crafting trees. My Tailor needs to constantly make Ribbed Shirts to get anywhere initially. Have more variety and a gradual ladder that rewards us with a greater XP generator when we achieve the next leg of the ladder. The progression should relate to a successful salesman, not an individual who's got all day to craft.