[Merc] Crocodile

(gg2ez) #1

[i]“You’re so… weak”.

Crocodile, like his namesake is a rugged, insensitive killer. Before the Dirty Bomb conflicts, Crocodile spent time in the Egyptian Ground Forces and gained an excellent track record - no matter how many bullets were fired in his direction, Crocodile never seemed to topple. Complementing his unwavering physique, Crocodile wears an intelligent liquid armour suit into battle, adding even more survivability to his already abrasive physiology.

Assault, 180HP, 360SP.

Primary Ability - Solid Skin

Crocodile hardens his armour, greatly increasing his resistance to damage, however, greatly reducing his mobility as a consequence.

Whilst Solid Skin is active it will take 60% of all incoming damage until it accumulates a total of 200DMG after which Crocodile will take all following incoming damage normally. During Solid Skin’s use, Crocodile will be unable to jump, walljump, or sprint. Upon activation, Solid Skin will remain active for 10 seconds, after that a cooldown of 25 seconds will begin.

Secondary Abilty - Jaws

Crocodile throws down a leg-hold trap that locks it’s victims into place and does 60DMG when stepped on. Jaws can be broken by dealing 40DMG to it. The cooldown for Jaws is 30 seconds.

Primaries - Ahnuld, Rhemburg, Hollunds.
Secondaries - Caulden, DE 50., Simeon.
Melee - Beckhill, Stilnotto, Kukri

Appearance - Hailing from Alexandria, Egypt, Crocodile posesses a dark, earthy skin tone and inky black hair. His facial features include a thin, defined nose, a rigid jawline, and bright, yellow eyes. Crocodile can be described as tall and atheletic.

Crocodile sports an armoured vest that comes equipped with shoulder protectors and a kevlar hood.

Author’s notes: [spoiler]So… I know a guy, he really likes to talk about “tank-tics” as if “tanks” actually exist in this game - they don’t. Each weapon in the game is capable of scoring headshots, greatly increasing (doubling) the DPS of a gun to the point where it is no longer logical to assume that “tanks” make an actual difference in high-level play. Enter the solution: Crocodile - no offensive abilities, just pure defense.

Crocodile’s “Solid Skin” ability allows him to sponge up 200HP worth of damage at a rate of 60% damage, to put that into perspective, for every 10DMG dealt to Crocodile, 4DMG goes towards his health and 6DMG goes towards his armour - this means that it will take around 33 headshots from the minigun to take out Crocodile’s armour and even after that he’ll still have around 48HP left to soak up any damage - and this is assuming that the Rhino is going to get 100% headshots, which is very unlikely.

Now, Crocodile probably sounds unhealthily tanky right now, borderline OP even, and that’s where “gameplay balancing” comes into effect. When Crocodile uses Solid Skin, he becomes slow and his movements are very single-planed due to his inability to jump or sprint which also makes him a very easy target to track, this opens up a lot of potential for him to get headshot, however, a good Crocodile will know how to maneuver themselves to dodge effective shot placement. Another balancing factor is his weapons. Crocodile’s weaponry is all very short ranged, this means that Crocodile has to get close to do any real damage, and with his speed and low maneuverability, getting close will either be really difficult or really dangerous.

To break it down further, Crocodile is basically an effective meat shield in high-tier matches that also specialises in destroying campy Rhinos in CQC. [/spoiler][/i]

(inscrutableShow) #2

Soo… He’s supposed to be the most OP meat-shield in history, without any sort of versatility whatsoever? Sounded like a good idea at first, but as I thought about it, that’d be half way between OP and useless (kinda like Rhino but worse). I mean, a dude with 180 HP that can lower incoming damage at will? Seemingly balanced by barely being able to move whilst enabled, but that would just turn him into a basically unkillable meat-shield, with no other potential use.

(gg2ez) #3

@inscrutableShow Y’ know what half-way between OP and useless is? Balanced.

If you lend power to one aspect of something, you have to detract away from other aspects and that’s what this concept demonstrates - a sincere lack of offense and mobility but a f*ckton of denfensive capability. If you “thought about it” a little bit harder, you’d be able to see that being an “unkillable meat-shield” in itself is many potential uses - you’ve just gotta be creative.

  • Guard the C4
  • Plant the C4
  • Shield the C4 planter
  • Clear mines
  • Clear turrets
  • Repair the EV
  • Deliver the Objective
  • Return the Objective
  • Block off a narrow area
  • Blast shield
  • Destroy a camper (my favorite)

All of these actions are performed at a much higher success rate when denfense is prioritized.

Even if he seems ridiculously tanky, he’s far from unkillable too. At the speed his ability puts him at, he’s like a cheapshot for Fletchers, Kiras, Fraggers, Stokers, and Arties.

(Sabertooth) #4

[quote=“gg2ez;178182”][quote=“inscrutableShow;178145”]

  • Guard the C4
  • Plant the C4
  • Shield the C4 planter
  • Clear mines
  • Clear turrets
  • Repair the EV
  • Deliver the Objective
  • Return the Objective
  • Block off a narrow area
  • Blast shield
  • Destroy a camper (my favorite)

All of these actions are performed at a much higher success rate when denfense is prioritized.
[/quote]

He might be tough as a Croc but he is slow as turtle. He will mostly die before: Getting to C4, Getting from mine to mine, reaching the turret, reaching the sniper, delivering the obj… :smiley: With his immense ammount of blocking (freakin 300DMG) the penalty to movement would have to be like 330 leaving him with 30 movement speed. Heck I woudlnt ever play such a slow merc even if he could get 20 headshots, whats the point in that?

(gg2ez) #5

[quote=“Sabertooth;178231”]
He might be tough as a Croc but he is slow as turtle. He will mostly die before: Getting to C4, Getting from mine to mine, reaching the turret, reaching the sniper, delivering the obj… :smiley: With his immense ammount of blocking (freakin 300DMG) the penalty to movement would have to be like 330 leaving him with 30 movement speed. Heck I woudlnt ever play such a slow merc even if he could get 20 headshots, whats the point in that?[/quote]

But the penalty isn’t -330SP, it’s the inability to jump or sprint, which in a game where movent is the key to survival, is very fair penalty. Don’t forget that the ability isn’t active when you spawn in, which means you can freely move around at 360SP until you actually need to tank some damage. Get to the C4, then activate it.

(Sabertooth) #6

[quote=“gg2ez;178241”]
But the penalty isn’t -330SP, it’s the inability to jump or sprint, which in a game where movent is the key to survival, is very fair penalty. Don’t forget that the ability isn’t active when you spawn in, which means you can freely move around at 360SP until you actually need to tank some damage. Get to the C4, then activate it.[/quote]

Hmm well thats kinda too much of a pentalty then… There is no point in this merc when Turtle is gonna B released with pretty similar ability yet probably even better since the shield would také the dmg instead of actual merc… Yes I know his shield is immovable but still… I appreciate your effort though and I know its hard to come up with something original.

(gg2ez) #7

[quote=“Sabertooth;178248”][quote=“gg2ez;178241”]
But the penalty isn’t -330SP, it’s the inability to jump or sprint, which in a game where movent is the key to survival, is very fair penalty. Don’t forget that the ability isn’t active when you spawn in, which means you can freely move around at 360SP until you actually need to tank some damage. Get to the C4, then activate it.[/quote]

Hmm well thats kinda too much of a pentalty then… There is no point in this merc when Turtle is gonna B released with pretty similar ability yet probably even better since the shield would také the dmg instead of actual merc… Yes I know his shield is immovable but still… I appreciate your effort though and I know its hard to come up with something original.[/quote]

You suggested that he gets a -330SP speed reduction but no jumping or sprint is “too much of a penalty”? You don’t seem to be getting the whole picture here: even though he has low-mobility, he has a massive amount of defense and even though he has a massive amount of defense, he has low mobility. It’s a double ended statement and you have to view it from both ends.

When comparing Croc to Turtle, don’t forget that Turtle’s shield doesn’t kill people.

(Sabertooth) #8

[quote=“gg2ez;178256”]You suggested that he gets a -330SP speed reduction but no jumping or sprint is “too much of a penalty”? You don’t seem to be getting the whole picture here: even though he has low-mobility, he has a massive amount of defense and even though he has a massive amount of defense, he has low mobility. It’s a double ended statement and you have to view it from both ends.

When comparing Croc to Turtle, don’t forget that Turtle’s shield doesn’t kill people.[/quote]

Dont get me wrong, Im not trying to argue with you. You made a list of things that this merc should excell at like carying an OBJ, covering a C4 and others… Im just saying that while you carry OBJ you cant shoot anyways, while covering C4 you dont have to stand right on it (thats why its better to use Turltles shield) U usually cover C4 from a different position and only chargé for it if you see someone getting nearby. In other situations if people see someone using this merc they will be prepared and they will mostly focus you down, so thats why I think that mobility is a very bad penalty… Maybe you should think of something else, because honestly who would play a big walking wall which everyone would know cant dodge a thing and is there for only one specific reason like protecting a C4… He would have very low use I think. But ofc thats just my opinion, maybe if you tweak the penalty for something else, like really really bad aim while maintaining normal movement it could work.

(Freezer_Boss) #9

Looks a bit like the ballistic armor in COD bo3 (for battery)

(Brycko) #10

The main difference between this guy and Turtle is that (as far as we know) Turtle’s Shield is virtually invincible to all small arms fire and (as a deployable) doesn’t have a time limit. Croc, on the other hand, isn’t; he’s mobile (but slow) but he’s vulnerable to all typical damage, and his armour has limited health and time.

This is, however, assuming his armour does have a time limit in addition to a health limit. A time limit would be a good addition because there isn’t always going to be a Rhino, Nader, Fragger, Skyhammer etc… to eat away Croc’s health. It also reduces the OP ability factor and differentiates Croc from Turtle, giving each different defensive advantages.

In essence I’m recommending adding a time limit to Croc’s armour ability.

I think the rest of it is really cool, although maybe vary up his armory a bit; Otherwise he’ll just be a Rhino without a minigun. As Croc stands now, with his ability activated, he’s alot like a Rhino without a minigun, and I’ve seen Rhinos get decimated by Agile Proxys and Fletchers.

Here’s another idea; IF (and thats a big if) you added a timer to croc’s armor ability, this could help rebalance the situation: adding a (small) but constant health regen during the ability. Solves the problem mentioned above, and makes him slightly tankier. Considering that the only medic that regens health constantly over time is Aura (and it’s immobile), a small health regen could help sustain his tankiness until his ability timer would run out.

Think this: https://playhawken.com/game-guide/mechs/heavy-mechs/brawler but with a time limit. Seems fair to me. I know it’s from another game, but it’s about the most fair tank I’ve every encountered in a game. The weapons don’t kill fast but they do kill with enough time, and he is really tanky, but faster classes could easily outflank and destroy him. He protects his team because he’s big and absorbs the damage, and he doesn’t always need a medic but the rare cooperative combo was super awesome.

For primary weapons I would suggest the Hollunds, the Hochfir and maybe the Dreiss, as they’re all weapons that take time to kill someone with but have large mags, which means they can sustain fire for longer.

I think the rest of it is actually well balanced and thought out + I love the idea of an Egyptian merc. Can’t wait to see concept art for this. :slight_smile:

(fluorescentUrchin) #11

this is essentially my merc…
And cos you posted after me I claim plagiarism XD

(gg2ez) #12

[quote=“fluorescentUrchin;178520”]this is essentially my merc…
And cos you posted after me I claim plagiarism XD[/quote]

@fluorescentUrchin Oh sh*t. Didn’t take notice of that, sorry. I’ll rework the merc into something else later.

(gg2ez) #13

[quote=“Brycko;178304”]The main difference between this guy and Turtle is that (as far as we know) Turtle’s Shield is virtually invincible to all small arms fire and (as a deployable) doesn’t have a time limit. Croc, on the other hand, isn’t; he’s mobile (but slow) but he’s vulnerable to all typical damage, and his armour has limited health and time.

This is, however, assuming his armour does have a time limit in addition to a health limit. A time limit would be a good addition because there isn’t always going to be a Rhino, Nader, Fragger, Skyhammer etc… to eat away Croc’s health. It also reduces the OP ability factor and differentiates Croc from Turtle, giving each different defensive advantages.

In essence I’m recommending adding a time limit to Croc’s armour ability.

I think the rest of it is really cool, although maybe vary up his armory a bit; Otherwise he’ll just be a Rhino without a minigun. As Croc stands now, with his ability activated, he’s alot like a Rhino without a minigun, and I’ve seen Rhinos get decimated by Agile Proxys and Fletchers.

Here’s another idea; IF (and thats a big if) you added a timer to croc’s armor ability, this could help rebalance the situation: adding a (small) but constant health regen during the ability. Solves the problem mentioned above, and makes him slightly tankier. Considering that the only medic that regens health constantly over time is Aura (and it’s immobile), a small health regen could help sustain his tankiness until his ability timer would run out.

Think this: https://playhawken.com/game-guide/mechs/heavy-mechs/brawler but with a time limit. Seems fair to me. I know it’s from another game, but it’s about the most fair tank I’ve every encountered in a game. The weapons don’t kill fast but they do kill with enough time, and he is really tanky, but faster classes could easily outflank and destroy him. He protects his team because he’s big and absorbs the damage, and he doesn’t always need a medic but the rare cooperative combo was super awesome.

For primary weapons I would suggest the Hollunds, the Hochfir and maybe the Dreiss, as they’re all weapons that take time to kill someone with but have large mags, which means they can sustain fire for longer.

I think the rest of it is actually well balanced and thought out + I love the idea of an Egyptian merc. Can’t wait to see concept art for this. :)[/quote]

Well since it’s a bit too much like the merc @inscrutableShow posted, I’ll do the time limit thing you suggested - thanks for the idea @Brycko

(Also, I might do some art today).

(fluorescentUrchin) #14

[quote=“gg2ez;178614”][quote=“fluorescentUrchin;178520”]this is essentially my merc…
And cos you posted after me I claim plagiarism XD[/quote]

@fluorescentUrchin Oh sh*t. Didn’t take notice of that, sorry. I’ll rework the merc into something else later.[/quote]

@gg2ez hey don’t sweat it man, they both have strong points and weak points. I think if we both flesh them out a bit the differences will start to become clear. Besides, the idea of an Egyptian merc is really dank

(Dysfnal) #15

Good luck getting kills with shotguns as a high health merc with even lower sensitivity

I do understand that’s not the point of it, but still, an assault merc with no value as an assault? Cmon man give him a more offensive ability and reduce the effectiveness of his shield

(Naonna) #16

This slightly reminds me of the complaints when Phantom’s armor-shield was enough to make shooting at him useless. (Until he ran up and stabbed you with the then-3-tick-damage katana.) - Basically it seems as though the first ability is a temporary 200 hp health bar where you are allowed to shoot back, even with minimal motion.

The trapping ability has to be done very carefully. I’ve many posts concerning my views on removing enemy player mobility. If the traps can be spotted like proxy mines, I see less of a problem.

(gg2ez) #17

[quote=“Dysfnal;179090”]Good luck getting kills with shotguns as a high health merc with even lower sensitivity

I do understand that’s not the point of it, but still, an assault merc with no value as an assault? Cmon man give him a more offensive ability and reduce the effectiveness of his shield[/quote]

@Dysfnal What other class would he fit into? Tanky dude that explodes thing with shotguns in CQC and crushes the legs of his enemies with powerful traps, sounds Assault enough to me.

(Dysfnal) #18

@gg2ez he’s too slow and has no dps at range, the trap would basically be a proximity mine that you need to manually finish people. I’m not saying he’d be OP, I think he’d be horrid. Giving him the br though would be op

Give him smgs and he might have a place

(HunterAssassin5) #19

the closest comparison for SS is Phantie’s cloak in it’s current form, so I’ll compare the two.

phantie’s cloak armor is a second health bar acting as a buffer for his actual health bar, while SS is a damage divider, meaning you still take damage and will need healing.

you will be unable to sprint, jump or walljump while using the SS, while in the case of the cloak, you can still move normally with the catch that the more you move, the more obvious you are and the faster the power bar depletes.

you can still fire your weapons while using the SS, while in the cloak’s case, you disengage the cloak the moment you attack.

phantie gets psuedo-invisibility, armor AND EMP field soon for having to move slow to remain stealthy and extend the duration of the cloak and being unable to attack without disengaging the cloak.

SS gives you damage reduction and lets you continue to fire your weapons while not being able to sprint, jump or walljump.

i don’t know how long it takes for 40% of enemy damage to reach 200 damage, so i can’t say for sure how effective it’ll be, but maybe give him an ever so slight boost to his base movement speed so he walks slightly while using SS? also maybe its a good idea to give him something automatic as a primary.

as for the secondary, i’ll comapre it to overwatch’s junkrat’s bear trap, since i played with him a lot. the ability to lock enemy players in place could be pretty powerful. that said, though, it’s more or less a probably less effective version of the proxy mine. the prox detonates if you get close enough to it, dealing quite a lot of damage, while the trap requires the enemy to step right on top of it to activate, and all it does is postpone the problem, not remove it. probably since it’s not electronic, it wont have a distinct SFX like the prox, but i doubt i’ll rely on it too much.