More merc specific Augments?

(Reddeadcap) #1

What are your thoughts on more merc specific augments, maybe ones that change their special abilities in interesting ways as they don’t seem interesting enough for a new merc entirely, here are a couple just out of my head:

Broken Arrow: Skyhammer’s airstrike is slightly scattered making what would obvious death a safer spot and obvious cover less so.

Flag Man: Skyhammer’s airplane comes in parallel to the direction he is facing rather then perpendicular.

Bigger Bang: Arty’s splitting shell is replaced with a powerful single bomb.

Delayed Fuse: Arty’s bomb falls, exploding a tad after hitting the ground

MIRV: Bomblets from Arty’s shell scatter in a wider area, covering more ground but delivering less direct damage.

One more blast: Gives mercs with multiple explosives the ability to call down, toss, launch, deploy one more bomb.

Short fuse: (possible Lock on replacement for Fletcher) bombs are armed faster for a quicker detonation, allowing for possible air bursting st closer ranges.

Splitting Lens: Kira’s laser splits into multiples smaller ones, doing less damage but covering more ground.

(Mr-Penguin) #2

Cool. With more augments means more loadout cards though.

(Reddeadcap) #3

@derpypenguinz19 True, but there are at the moment many augmentations that make no sense for the merc with it.

Fail-safe for Arty, seems pointless as you should be no where near your own artillery strikes.

Spares for fire supports,
When they can provide ammo for others and themselves

Lock on for Fletcher does nothing

Flying Pigs doesn’t function

Pineapple Juggler can only be used correctly against one merc, and that is questionable.

I could be wrong on this one, but potent pack for Sparks could also do nothing as its meant to increase healing speed from a healing station and Sawbones packs it makes sense but since her packs heal instantly it is pointless, unless the effect for them is that they heal more.

Looter for Vasilli, which would mean in most cases, killing enemies over long distances giving their allies health/ammo.

The augmentation that makes enemy mines more visible could do so in a way where a warning is visible above the mien rather than a ring around it along with making the direction enemy Bushwhacker turrets are facing visible as well.

(Gi.Am) #4

While some of them sound pretty cool indeed I don’t think that it would make sense from a developing standpoint for several reasons.[list]
[] Those augments are not simply modifing a single number of a existing effect they need to be programmed and balanced not only against the orignial effect but also against other abilities (which takes resources away from more importan stuff).
[] No matter how well you balance them people will perceive some effects as better than others. Giving the impression that you need a certain loadout card, just to be on the same level (P2W argument).
[] Also people already seem to have problems countering 100% predicable merc abilities the griefing and OP calls will increase quite alot if an Airstrike gets different exploding pattern based on different loadouts.
[] Lastly creating new mercs gets harder since cool ideas that could be realized as a new Merc are already used as modifier abilities (I mean there are only so many ways to do highdamage area denial when it comes to future fieldops)
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