What is your suggestion?
A: Give both heavy classes an ammo box similar to the helix medical station. Friendly troops can go up to the ammo box (use a hl2 crate asset or something similar, could just be a supply crate if the box animations slow down the server) and retrieve 50 bullets of reserve ammo, per a cool down. SU/MACE could sabotage boxes and cause people who use the box for ammo to explode when shooting or get set on fire. If someone takes ammo from a box, their cool down remains active for any other boxes to avoid stacking exploits.
How would this benefit the server?
A: I personally believe that ammo boxes would make the support aspects of playing the class much more viable. Currently heavies are the most straight forward class for removing fortifications, anti vehicular combat, and suppressing enemies. With all that on their plate, its easy to see why the ammo box SWEP is often neglected. For certain areas of combat it is especially important to have the ability to replenish ammo. It keeps the game running more smoothly when people do not have to go out of their way to die, just to start playing again. The addition would also increase team work between heavies and their team, which is always a bonus. Expanding player's horizons for what they're able to accomplish with the benefit of their team has precedent to be beneficial to the server's overall health and community.
I already see some counterarguments posted as to why ammo boxes are not a good idea;
- They could increase FOB camping by making it impossible for the defenders to run out of ammo
Due to the fact that defenders can only replenish from one box at a time with a cool down, and they only receive at most a magazine of ammunition, I think that it is much more balanced. In the event that the defenders abuse the box; they cannot spam it and shoot attackers at the same time, taking them away from combat. I also think the boxes cool down should be longer (maybe 5 to 7.5 seconds) than the ammo SWEP, to keep it viable as a mobile tool.
- It could slow down the game by having team mates retreat for ammo
The game is already slowed down by combat scenarios that require more ammo than you spawn with. Especially if you need to re spawn to be able to fight viably again.
- Ammo boxes / ammo management are better relegated to another class, as heavies already have a wide plethora of abilities.
I'll take a page out of traditional team shooters, in that classes with heavier weapons (like the support class in Battlefield) generally also have the ability to replenish that ammo in some way. Since they already have the ammo kit, I think it makes sense to increase the utility of it to a viable level, similar to the healing stations given to HELIX and RES Medic.
- The universal cool down script would be hard to implement
Unfortunately this may very well ring true. While I do have some scripting experience inside LUA and Python, I am not a very experienced programmer. I do know that most ways of tracking such a variable would require some scripts that are resource intensive on the server's side. My best pseudo code for this solution is to keep two arrays (for each team), and then add players who've used the box into a black list which disallows them from using the boxes until the timer runs out. This is only my suggested way of implementing it however, there may be another; better way to do it that I don't possess the knowledge of.
+1 The only thing the current ammo box is useful is to replenish spent Rocket launcher ammo, while I've been playing BALLISTA the ammo box is basically the thing I use the least and if I do use it its usually to refill my own ammo. People die way to quick to worry about ammo most of the time and the only guys I know who regularly needs it are the ones that run with the full auto drum mag makarov. The ammo box that can be placed down would be a lot more useful since teammates can use it anytime they want without you needing to be there + I like the sabotage idea.
Personally, I actually like the current ammo box we have, lets us gain ammo on the fly anytime (perfect when using rockets and just quick reloading) and the cooldown of it when giving to allies is fairly small. With that said, having a ammo crate being able to be placed in a similar manner to that of a health station could be pretty cool. Maybe Sentry or Shield/Rebel Equilvent could get it? Doing this would make ballista/heavies shine more in assaults and SenShield better in defensive.
A: OTA SHIELD T-CMD Tritium
Discord Username:
A: BONE#7382
Steam ID:
A: STEAM_0:1:214243595
Workshop Link: (If applicable)
A: N/A
What is your suggestion?
A: Give both heavy classes an ammo box similar to the helix medical station. Friendly troops can go up to the ammo box (use a hl2 crate asset or something similar, could just be a supply crate if the box animations slow down the server) and retrieve 50 bullets of reserve ammo, per a cool down. SU/MACE could sabotage boxes and cause people who use the box for ammo to explode when shooting or get set on fire. If someone takes ammo from a box, their cool down remains active for any other boxes to avoid stacking exploits.
How would this benefit the server?
A: I personally believe that ammo boxes would make the support aspects of playing the class much more viable. Currently heavies are the most straight forward class for removing fortifications, anti vehicular combat, and suppressing enemies. With all that on their plate, its easy to see why the ammo box SWEP is often neglected. For certain areas of combat it is especially important to have the ability to replenish ammo. It keeps the game running more smoothly when people do not have to go out of their way to die, just to start playing again. The addition would also increase team work between heavies and their team, which is always a bonus. Expanding player's horizons for what they're able to accomplish with the benefit of their team has precedent to be beneficial to the server's overall health and community.
I already see some counterarguments posted as to why ammo boxes are not a good idea;
- They could increase FOB camping by making it impossible for the defenders to run out of ammo
Due to the fact that defenders can only replenish from one box at a time with a cool down, and they only receive at most a magazine of ammunition, I think that it is much more balanced. In the event that the defenders abuse the box; they cannot spam it and shoot attackers at the same time, taking them away from combat. I also think the boxes cool down should be longer (maybe 5 to 7.5 seconds) than the ammo SWEP, to keep it viable as a mobile tool.
- It could slow down the game by having team mates retreat for ammo
The game is already slowed down by combat scenarios that require more ammo than you spawn with. Especially if you need to re spawn to be able to fight viably again.
- Ammo boxes / ammo management are better relegated to another class, as heavies already have a wide plethora of abilities.
I'll take a page out of traditional team shooters, in that classes with heavier weapons (like the support class in Battlefield) generally also have the ability to replenish that ammo in some way. Since they already have the ammo kit, I think it makes sense to increase the utility of it to a viable level, similar to the healing stations given to HELIX and RES Medic.
- The universal cool down script would be hard to implement
Unfortunately this may very well ring true. While I do have some scripting experience inside LUA and Python, I am not a very experienced programmer. I do know that most ways of tracking such a variable would require some scripts that are resource intensive on the server's side. My best pseudo code for this solution is to keep two arrays (for each team), and then add players who've used the box into a black list which disallows them from using the boxes until the timer runs out. This is only my suggested way of implementing it however, there may be another; better way to do it that I don't possess the knowledge of.