Tactics is thematically broken.

[UjellyTrollicus]

Let me start out by saying that i love this game, and I really enjoy the trooper class, so this isn't me just bashing the game like 90% of the threads on this site.

 

title says it all vanguards are thematically broken. Theme plays a HUGE roll in this game if you have not noticed, and it isnt just story, it also affects aesthetics, and gameplay. Bioware went to great lengths to insure that playing as a jedi knight would feel like playing a jedi knight, they did this with every class to make each of them look, and feel like they should, but for one class they failed at that.

 

as a tactics specced vanguard you will be shooting almost as much lightning as most inquisitors do. there is something wrong with a trooper, a class meant to be the soldier of the old republic when 90% of what they do in combat is shoot lightning at people.

 

if you don't think this is an issue then imagine if the jedi knights riposte was replaced with a skill where the jedi pulls a blaster pistol out of their robes and shoots someone, not a very jedi thing to do is it?

 

 

my solution?

 

replace ion pulse, and pulse cannon with 2 new skills, they would function exactly the same, just with different names/animations.

 

for example

 

Ion Pulse becomes Shrapnel Round, a shotgun type ability that sprays chunks of metal/pellets at the target, give it a nice muzzle flash, and maybe some smoke and you have a pretty nice looking ability

 

Pulse Cannon becomes Shrapnel Barrage, think mortar volley, but where mortar volley is a volley of explosive rounds, shrapnel barrage will be a volley of shrapnel rounds. it would function identical to pulse cannon, and rounds fired = how ever many ticks of damage PC has.

 

neither of this abilities would be at all far fetched for a trooper to have, they clearly have grenade launchers in their rifles, this is just a different type of munition for them, and in my opinion shotguns fit troopers much more than lightning bolts do, they are also perfect for the short ranged nature of the vanguard.

[Riulassher]

Funny, I find it hilarious when I melt Sith Inquisitors with my lightning abilities. A victory of science over magic.

 

And energy cells are cheaper than keeping a pet Sith.

[Kozor]

Lol, Tactics is broken in a much more important way than a "visual theme".

[ElTorqiro]

Yep, you're right about the skills. Not many of them seem to actually fire "blaster" type fx.

 

Don't get me started on the "poop" noise of High Impact Bolt and the Shield tree capstone.

 

I'd like to see the following changes:

 

- Ion Pulse changed to one of

- Tracer Round, fires a bright phosphorous tracer at the target, burning it

- EMP Dart, fires a taser-style dart at the target, electrocuting it

 

- Pulse Cannon changed to one of

- Suppressing Fire, fires a stream of blaster bolts in a wide arc, like an AoE version of Full Auto (yes I know Commando has something similar - so?)

- EMP Net, fires an electrified net over the target area, electrocuting enemies

 

- High Impact Bolt sound fx needs to be less "poop" and more "zzzzzzt"

 

 

Since it's unlikely we'll see any name changes, I'd at least put the above up for animation and fx changes

[Darguth]

See, I *love* the aesthetics of my Trooper. If I could change one thing it would probably be Mortar Volley. Shooting mortar rounds out of my rifle seems silly. But then again...PEOPLE SHOOT LIGHTNING OUT OF THEIR HANDS IN THIS GAME. I can suspend my disbelief.

 

Ion Pulse makes up maybe 10-15% of my standard abilitiy usage, tops. Most of the time I'm shooting lasers, HIB, throwing grenades, and hitting people in the face with my stocky rifle. Seems pretty Trooper-like to me. The occasional use of some lightning-like effects is totally fine with me. I don't know how that's sillier than laser bolts?

[Lynkilen]

You no take pulse cannon!

 

 

I find them both to be pretty cool abilities but i can see your point especially with the inq's being all about the lightning, Ahh sweet irony.....

 

Maybe they and other abilities should change animations depending on cell's used.

 

So with Ion cell they would look exactly like now, get turned incendiary with Plasma and the mentioned shrapnell with HE glowing brightly to indicate energy dmg.

[ReSeNt]

Dude, I got to say, your idea of Shrapnel Round sounds freakin awesome. Bioware's animations are so good, I know they could make that look really cool and satisfying. I do find Vanguard a bit odd while shooting out lightning and fire (Incediary Round).

 

Probably not something that will happen but, maybe something like your companion customizations but equipped on yourself for abilities to change them. That would be alot of fun.

[Guurzak]

Ion pulse and pulse cannon do elemental damage, ignoring armor. Shrapnel effects would logically be kinetic, which would make me sad. Come up with an armor-penetrating alternative and I'll sign on. (Explosive flechettes doing internal damage?)

[Indecisiv]

You could always just rip off us powertechs and use an undermounted flamethrower attachment. Edited January 5, 2012 by Indecisiv

[zibbitz]

Seeing as your rifle is a completely electronic device that shoots out wepoenized light I see no reason why it wouldn't be able to shoot electricity as well. In fact, the mortar shoots seem more out of place to me since it's the only material thing that comes out of your gun.

[grandmasterub]

Maybe if the animation just looked more like a sun wave from the original sw instead of lightning bolts... Ion pulse could easily just be a large blue beam... heck the ion cannon round on hoth could be the model.

[EpothosII]

I love the lightning effects of Ion Pulse and Pulse Cannon. But, that may be because I know that lightning cannons are a thing in the Star Wars universe.

 

Actually, in SWG, one of the bounty hunters main weapons was a light lightning cannon. So when I saw that I had a few abilities with that theme, I was pretty happy.