Implants

[CutterJohn]

What changes do you hope for implants?

Firstly, I would approve of easier access to change them. I would probably even agree with changing them on the fly at respawns, or at least doing so with a time limitation, like once every ten minutes. I never much saw the point of it only being possible at bio stations or in sanc.

For changes though, I like the idea of making them more multipurpose, and more of them effective in vehicles. There were a few implants that were just straight up good for almost all situations, and many were never used, or used in very limited circumstances.


Audo Amplifier - Will make a label of an enemy visible through walls/ceilings/etc, rather than just minimap, but range is greatly reduced while moving. Enemies who shoot are detected from a longer range for a short time. Works in vehicles as well, but infantry detection is greatly reduced, while vehicle detection range increased. Infantry shooting weapons are still detected and displayed.

Darklight Vision - Allows you to see cloakers, through doors, and lets you see laser designators(without darklight you would just see the spot). In vehicles, you have a doubled range, but only for seeing cloaked vehicles.

Enhanced Targeting - Functions as per normal while offline. While online, it adds a firing arc/bouncy grenade measuring tool, and drains 5stamina/s.

Melee Booster - Changed to Muscular Enhancement. Effect changed to boosted melee damage, reduced cof bloom while shooting, and stabilized weapon mounts on vehicles. Stamina drain 10/s, 5/s while in a vehicle.

Personal Shield - Same for infantry. Interfaces with MAX suits and vehicles amplification units, adding roughly 25% extra armor. Only the drivers applies in vehicles.

Range Magnifier - Same, but also adds 25% reduced ranged damage degradation while zoomed, and 25% extra range.

Regeneration - Improved to also repair armor at a rate of 1% per, along with the health. Also interfaces with vehicle and MAX circuitry to provide repair at a rate of 1 stamina per 1% armor while motionless and 2stamina per 1% armor while moving. Effect is disrupted when taking fire, and causes a stamina penalty.

Second Wind - Same.

Sensor Shield - Same. Effect now applies to vehicles. Sensor shielded vehicles are quiet, but not silent. They will not set turrets off unless they shoot. Small sensor shielded vehicles will not set mines off(Protip. Use yer emp mines)

Surge - Same for infantry. Boosts vehicle speed, torque, and acceleration.


You'll note most of these changes affect vehicles.. What can I say. I'm a vehicle whore. But I think these changes would keep many of the lesser used implants from being so situational, or just make their value greater so they can compete with the [currently] more valuable and useful ones. I think the vehicle ones on the whole would be pretty balanced. Players would have several difficult choices, because they are all pretty good.

[BlazingSun]

Firstly, I would approve of easier access to change them. I would probably even agree with changing them on the fly at respawns, or at least doing so with a time limitation, like once every ten minutes. I never much saw the point of it only being possible at bio stations or in sanc.

I don't think that is needed.

For changes though, I like the idea of making them more multipurpose, and more of them effective in vehicles. There were a few implants that were just straight up good for almost all situations, and many were never used, or used in very limited circumstances.

Why would an implant in your body effect the performance of a vehicle (example: your wish for surge). This makes no sense. Vehicles could have their own short boosts, that you can select ...




One thing I would like to change is the stamina system (which is closely tied to the implant system) - beeing unable to run was annoying and the stamina regeneration was way too slow. I hope for some adjustments here - boosts like surge should still be limited in time though.

[CutterJohn]

Why not? Or would you prefer vehicle only implants?

[DviddLeff]

Implants sit on a knife edge in my mind.

If they are too useful they simply break gameplay. Second wind and personal shield almost break infantry combat for example.

Also as they are earned they give a clear advantage to veteran players over new ones.

[Bruttal]

second wind is useless inless you wait that long ass time to recarge before going into battle. most the time if your a grunt you only get darklight and enhanced targeting to come online before your dead agian.

[CutterJohn]

If they are too useful they simply break gameplay. Second wind and personal shield almost break infantry combat for example.

Eh. Its not particularly broken if literally everyone can pick it up. Rexo doesn't break infantry combat. Its just a choice. Cert it if you want to be more effective. Same with Pshield. And I'd prefer bringing the rest of the implants up to its level of usefulness, rather than reduced.

Also as they are earned they give a clear advantage to veteran players over new ones.

Lets not pretend having a bunch of certs isn't a clear advantage. But I wouldn't mind if the implants were retconned into armor mods, or simply given at BR0, so that all had equal access.

[Vancha]

Eh. Its not particularly broken if literally everyone can pick it up. Rexo doesn't break infantry combat. Its just a choice. Cert it if you want to be more effective. Same with Pshield. And I'd prefer bringing the rest of the implants up to its level of usefulness, rather than reduced.

This is a similar argument to "Rexo+HA+AV is fine, everyone can pick them up!" Balanced or not, it's bad game-play. I like the idea of giving implants passive and activation uses though.

I've said before that I think implants are something that could be heavily revisited for PSN...I think there's far more that could be done with them to add another layer to character building (but still without messing up the almost-equality between BR1 and max-BR characters.)

As far as the implants from PS go though, I think audio amp and sensor shield could do with some love, and the health-based implants will hopefully see more use so long as the self-healing function of the medical/engineering applicators are limited or removed.

[Tikuto]

Infiltration suits can be so much more powerful than they are now yet completely hindered by Darklight. I have said before as part of gameplay, fictional tech and a new/evolved stealth experience:

Make Darklight a free helmet feature for everyone - Not an Implant - with a strong distinctive visual effect.

Considering everyone being able to see invisible players, they'd not be so affective after all. Well, this is a new game--think again. The infiltrators could survive longer, be more effective and fast. Less weight, more parkour, evasive manoeuvres. Neuro-circulartory 'Melee' Boost [passive] or [auto-active] with improved comprehension. The use of Darklight would still have its immediate and progressive-frequency limits and would actually be visibly able to see who is using Darklight (visual effects), which would be so much better than an icon beside their name.

That is very important. The distinctive and very powerful visual effects of Darklight.

[Hamma]

Personally I always felt like implants was a kind of half baked feature thrown in. I really wouldn't care if they were around again in PSN. Darklight needs a place, but it doesn't have to be an implant.

Some of the various implant features could be built into certain armors for example.

[DviddLeff]

The thing with implants is they should be there to give you a new role... I liked how they gave each person in a squad another specialisation; I was the guy with audio amp to warn of approaching enemies, while another guy swept for cloakers with DL.

New roles, rather than enhancing others is what I want to see implants for.

Here are some new ideas from my upgrade project:

Thermal Vision (sees through flora, does not reveal cloakers)
Night Vision (avoids using flash lights)
Vehicle Target Tracker (allows the user to track vehicles in their HUD, displaying the vehicles health, armour and status even when not under the cursor)
Re-breather (allows the user to breath indefinitely underwater)
Trajectory Visualiser (shows trajectory of grenade style weapons)

[Vancha]

Helmets instead of implants? Darklight, thermal vision, enhanced targetting, rebreather, trajectory visualizer, audio amp...all things that could be provided by head-gear.

[DviddLeff]

It would work and you could have different helmet attachments to show it visually without resorting to random hovering icons.

[Raymac]

As much as I hate those cloakers since I use a Phoenix so much, I like how not everyone can have Darklight. If we could all flip it on, cloakers would never have a chance to do anything. They already have it pretty rough as it is.

I think the implant system is fine for the most part, but I do like some of these ideas of changing what the implants actually do. (just leave my advanced targeting alone. It's priceless for air cav)

[DviddLeff]

I don't understand why people don't all use enhanced targeting; I haven't removed it since I got to BR6.

[Hamma]

Ditto.

[Aractain]

Maybe if it poped up pin ups of various Planetside fems? Or just removed everyones clothes like the x-ray specs from WoW? (Those are halarity defined until you get to goldshire... then things get serious).

[Tikuto]

As much as I hate those cloakers since I use a Phoenix so much, I like how not everyone can have Darklight. If we could all flip it on, cloakers would never have a chance to do anything. They already have it pretty rough as it is.

I think the implant system is fine for the most part, but I do like some of these ideas of changing what the implants actually do. (just leave my advanced targeting alone. It's priceless for air cav)
This is a new game we're talking about. New things can happen... :groovy:

[Aractain]

I would actualy rather have darklight as a weapon mod (like a torch addon that shines a beam of 'darklight' around). It looks cooler and is slightly less powerful but can't be jammered.

[Tikuto]

It'd illuminate the cloaked target somehow. With X-RAY and NEON, the detector equipment would reveal the bloodied inside organs of the infiltrator in a neon color. Bypassing the cloaked 'skin' with X-RAY, shining NEON onto the target at the same time, which reveals the inside of the cloaker's body: revealing the cloaker:

Inspiration from forensics (Infiltrator wounded at home):
http://edu.glogster.com/media/5/25/69/49/25694999.jpg

edit: I think i've just theorized how it works already...



I would actualy rather have darklight as a weapon mod (like a torch addon that shines a beam of 'darklight' around). It looks cooler and is slightly less powerful but can't be jammered.You know, that may actually be plausible. How it would work would be interesting to know too. I'd still rather everyone has it available.

Expanding on this, I had in-mind a "Neon Painter" that sprays on nearby players (anyone including infiltrators). This would encourage use of Darklight and even confuse players to the Infiltrator's advantage or the non-Infiltrator's advantage.
OMFG. AWESOME.

Speaking of fluorescents and neons I found this on the internet. hilarious.
[link (http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/japanese-neon-lamp-fights.html)]

[Vicini]

What changes do you hope for implants?

Firstly, I would approve of easier access to change them. I would probably even agree with changing them on the fly at respawns, or at least doing so with a time limitation, like once every ten minutes. I never much saw the point of it only being possible at bio stations or in sanc.

I like this, if you respawn, your going to make a new mans so why not have presets like everything else and make your new mans a new man.

For changes though, I like the idea of making them more multipurpose, and more of them effective in vehicles. There were a few implants that were just straight up good for almost all situations, and many were never used, or used in very limited circumstances.


Audo Amplifier - Will make a label of an enemy visible through walls/ceilings/etc, rather than just minimap, but range is greatly reduced while moving. Enemies who shoot are detected from a longer range for a short time. Works in vehicles as well, but infantry detection is greatly reduced, while vehicle detection range increased. Infantry shooting weapons are still detected and displayed.

Vehicles...
Gunner: "Wait i think i heard something..... *Rumble of engine* ... *Rumble of engine* Ok were good to go, i don't hear footsteps!"
Pilot: /facepalm
Enemy Troops outside: "Lol, Audio amp."


Darklight Vision - Allows you to see cloakers, through doors, and lets you see laser designators(without darklight you would just see the spot). In vehicles, you have a doubled range, but only for seeing cloaked vehicles.

Dark elf role play: Can see in dark conditions at extended distances, might be cool for switching on and off for tunnel fights or for leaving the well lit base to the outdoors in night fight. Be cool to see vision reduction if used in well lit areas. anything more then a slight visual upgrade will need this renamed to superman powers.

Enhanced Targeting - Functions as per normal while offline. While online, it adds a firing arc/bouncy grenade measuring tool, and drains 5stamina/s.

Melee Booster - Changed to Muscular Enhancement. Effect changed to boosted melee damage, reduced cof bloom while shooting, and stabilized weapon mounts on vehicles. Stamina drain 10/s, 5/s while in a vehicle.

I like this, similar to anchors

Personal Shield - Same for infantry. Interfaces with MAX suits and vehicles amplification units, adding roughly 25% extra armor. Only the drivers applies in vehicles.

Vehicles might need an eng cert to give perks like this

Range Magnifier - Same, but also adds 25% reduced ranged damage degradation while zoomed, and 25% extra range.

might lead to some odd maths which might have firefights set in miles vs feet

Regeneration - Improved to also repair armor at a rate of 1% per, along with the health. Also interfaces with vehicle and MAX circuitry to provide repair at a rate of 1 stamina per 1% armor while motionless and 2stamina per 1% armor while moving. Effect is disrupted when taking fire, and causes a stamina penalty.

Eng cert should do this

Second Wind - Same.

Sensor Shield - Same. Effect now applies to vehicles. Sensor shielded vehicles are quiet, but not silent. They will not set turrets off unless they shoot. Small sensor shielded vehicles will not set mines off(Protip. Use yer emp mines)

these might seem to fit well for a person sized person but a jeep sized man... Eng should have more toys/ buffs it could potentially give

Surge - Same for infantry. Boosts vehicle speed, torque, and acceleration.

see above

You'll note most of these changes affect vehicles.. What can I say. I'm a vehicle whore. But I think these changes would keep many of the lesser used implants from being so situational, or just make their value greater so they can compete with the [currently] more valuable and useful ones. I think the vehicle ones on the whole would be pretty balanced. Players would have several difficult choices, because they are all pretty good.

So it looks like these would be way easier and more beneficial if they were just options that someone who was super eng cert'd out could preform but for the average trooper you could see how these might say get into a vheicle to maximize these implants vs stay on the ground an fight on foot.

[Traak]

Expanding on this, I had in-mind a "Neon Painter" that sprays on nearby players (anyone including infiltrators). This would encourage use of Darklight and even confuse players to the Infiltrator's advantage or the non-Infiltrator's advantage.


Plasma.

[Traak]

They could remove SW, PS, and AA and I wouldn't shed a tear.

[Tikuto]

Plasma.Oh yea lol... :doh:


Still can look for new things and I thought that that stuff used in forensics and Darklight helmets would be cool. :groovy:

[Sifer2]

Lots of people seem to want Darklight to be common. When i'm kind of the opposite opinion. I think there should be more awesome alternative eye implants to Darklight. So less people take it. I thought Infiltrators were well done in Planetside. Actually being able to sneak an not be found is something i've never been able to do in another FPS even with cloaking since its usually too easy to spot or doesn't last long.

Stuff like the aim assist the OP mentioned for grenade arcs. Or being able to see targets through walls that were marked by someone. When you have choose between those or Darklight it would be much better IMO. I don't think Infiltrators need to be made better at combat at the expense of everyone being able to see them cause then they are just light armored soldier not an Infiltrator.

[Vancha]

Agreed. I'd actually prefer the opposite...have them removed from a combat role more than they were in Planetside, and given more to do in a support capacity besides sabotage.

Edit: Or at least/rather have their combat consist more of an assassination/trapping/guerrilla warfare thing, instead of running up to people and unloading a pistol clip or lobbing plasmas.

[Effective]

I hope
They remove pshield

Nerf Darklight warm up timer (if they nerf the offensive capabilties of cloakers, plasma nade wall camping anyone?).
Buff the sensor shield warm up timer (if they remove the interlink benefit this won't matter as much).