Originally Posted by Bravix
-Equip knife, like the current PS knife
-Secondary (noisy) mode must be on
-Must attack from behind
-Animation of kill.
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Make the animation short but add in both Melee Boost implant -and- a specific skill tree (knife and other related branches).
Between PS1, TF2 and 2142/BFBC2 I've spent a good amount of time focused on sticking knives in people's backs. In my opinion, I've got a pretty good handle on what works too well, what strikes a balance and what simply doesn't work at all.
BF: Too easy. Quick-knife instagib just makes close engagement boring and, frankly, would be far too strong for a fully invisible unit.
TF2: Equip and back only but still instagib. It rewards the stealth unit for getting to that place unexposed. However, there are still chainstabs. TF2 has, for most knives, the regular Name Knife Name kill marker. PS2 will probably have this and it will be a tell but that alone wouldn't be enough in the huge distraction of the field. However, I think the addition of the knife noise is enough to get anyone who is paying attention to turn around and the infil would then be hosed if they stuck around.
PS1: The current 2 stab model just doesn't work. Yes, you can get someone who isn't paying attention but after the first stab, most players twirl around and hose you. I'm of the opinion that if you've put in the time to get to zero range on your target, have put in the certs and the implant slot, having a 50/50 or less chance at a kill is laughable. The reward for the time required for the action is out of whack. Not that long time should = instant success but I believe people are looking at the actual difficulty of the stab in the wrong way.
For games with slow stab mechanics, the difficulty isn't the stab. The difficulty is the set-up. Getting into the right place. Getting up on your target. Timing the shot so it actually lands in the weak spot. This is even evident in single player games. I'm running Deus Ex 1 for the first time and going for a no-kill completion so I'm doing a lot of creeping, waiting and then whacking guards in the back of the head. The whack? Easy. The setup? That's the hard part. This is only more difficult when you're dealing with real, paranoid humans behind the toon.
The argument that instant kills, with a high setup attack, make for easy play is myopic. If it is easy, I challenge anyone to get the 1000 backstab TF2 achievement without using a bot server. The reality is far, far more difficult than it is made to sound.
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Léon: The rifle is the first weapon you learn how to use, because it lets you keep your distance from the client. The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn.