Primary versus Secondary Ability

(crimsonCrocodile) #1

As a new player, I frequently get a little confused with the two merc abilities. It feels unintuitive to me that I deploy my Ammo Boxes with 1 ability key while Health Packs require the other one (don’t know which is Q and which is E, I have those mapped to my mouse).

I feel it’d help if we could have the two abilities of the medic classes (Aura and Sawbones) switched around. That would keep it more consistent: Most mercs seem to have one offensive(ish) and one defensive(ish) ability, and for medics, I would consider the defibrilators more offensive (especially since they can also be used to attack). So let us use these with the same button we use for an airstrike, while keeping stations and boxes on the other.

(D.C.V.) #2

So much this. Come on Splash Damage, it can’t be too hard to implement an option to choose which is the primary and which is the secondary skill.

In order to avoid confusion, I have to use Q & E for ammo classes and Mouse4 & Mouse5 for everyone else… I support your idea 100%.

(Szakalot) #3

So much this. Come on Splash Damage, it can’t be too hard to implement an option to choose which is the primary and which is the secondary skill.

In order to avoid confusion, I have to use Q & E for ammo classes and Mouse4 & Mouse5 for everyone else… I support your idea 100%.[/quote]

its not as obvious as it seems.

‘q’ for sawbonez is THROW medpack

‘q’ for skyhammer is THROW airstrike marker

‘q’ for fragger is THROW grenade

Best just learn it, srsly how long does it take to get used to these settings? You can also use ‘4’ and ‘5’, which is often better, esp. when throwing nades and the like

I do agree though that we should be able to pick our own customized merc-specific binds.

(crimsonCrocodile) #4

[quote=“Szakalot;24962”]its not as obvious as it seems.

‘q’ for sawbonez is THROW medpack

‘q’ for skyhammer is THROW airstrike marker

‘q’ for fragger is THROW grenade[/quote]
Well, I can see your point. I still consider the Defibrilator the more offensive ability, and that’s the factor I’d go by, but you could make an argument based on a different premise.

I agree that merc-specific hotkeys would make everybody happy. They’d be an optional additional feature which you could leave alone entirely or configure for the mercs which you don’t like the default setup on.

(DB Genome editor) #5

So much this. Come on Splash Damage, it can’t be too hard to implement an option to choose which is the primary and which is the secondary skill.

In order to avoid confusion, I have to use Q & E for ammo classes and Mouse4 & Mouse5 for everyone else… I support your idea 100%.[/quote]

its not as obvious as it seems.

‘q’ for sawbonez is THROW medpack

‘q’ for skyhammer is THROW airstrike marker

‘q’ for fragger is THROW grenade

Best just learn it, srsly how long does it take to get used to these settings? You can also use ‘4’ and ‘5’, which is often better, esp. when throwing nades and the like

I do agree though that we should be able to pick our own customized merc-specific binds.[/quote]

How can you argue that throwing an airstrike marker is a closer equivalent to throwing a medpack than throwing an ammo pack?!? And how do you justify Aura’s station being on a different key than Kira’s station?

If anyone is concerned about inconsistencies in purpose for the mercs that have a single ability, then why not have the offensive ones all on the same key and the deployables / packs on the other. So Fragger would use Q for his nades (offensive) for instance, while Proxy would use E for her mines (deployables), and Fletcher would deploy stickies with E (deployables) and blow them up with Q (offensive).

(Szakalot) #6

[quote=“Djiesse;25655”]

How can you argue that throwing an airstrike marker is a closer equivalent to throwing a medpack than throwing an ammo pack?!?[/quote]

I’m not. my point was, other things were thrown as well.

And how do you justify Aura’s station being on a different key than Kira’s station?

If anyone is concerned about inconsistencies in purpose for the mercs that have a single ability, then why not have the offensive ones all on the same key and the deployables / packs on the other. So Fragger would use Q for his nades (offensive) for instance, while Proxy would use E for her mines (deployables), and Fletcher would deploy stickies with E (deployables) and blow them up with Q (offensive).

lets look at them all then.

Sawbonez: q - medpack, e - defib
Aura : q - hp station, e - defib
Skyhammer : q - airstrike, e - ammo pack
Arty: q - arty , e - ammo pack
Vassili : q :heart:
Bushwhacker : q - turret
Fletcher : q - sticky bomb, e - detonator
Rhino : q - minigun
Nader : q- nade launcher
Proxy : q - proxy mine
Kira : q - lazor, e - ammo station
Fragger : q - grenade

Its all over the place, sure - but so are abilities! why sticky bomb isn’t in the offensive group, seems to me more offensive than a deployable lol. Should proxy’s mine be put to ‘e’ as well as ‘deployables’?

What about some of the mercs that are not out yet. Which is more offensive: smoke grenade or infrared goggles?

My point being: you have to learn each merc individually, and i dont really see how you forgot your playing skyhammer, when throwing medpacks at EV, etc.

Absolutely agree that it would be nice to customize it merc-specifically. Awesome stuff from QW, loved it there.

A bigger problem imo is the inconsistency of ‘q’ vs ‘4’ and ‘e’ vs ‘5’.

Pressing ‘q’ as fragger will make you throw the grenade. If you want to cook it, you have to hold ‘q’ which is very awkward with WASD movement layout. Pressing ‘4’ on the other hand would make you pull out a nade, which you cook&throw with LMB

(Gi.Am) #7

It’s not all over the place guys. Look at the list again it is simple. Unique Merc ability on Q (Healingstation, medpacks, grenades, airstrike, lazors…) . Secondary / Class abilities on E (Revive for medics, give Ammo for firesupport)

(crimsonCrocodile) #8

That kind of makes sense, and kind of doesn’t. I could accept the overall reasoning, though if you classify ‘ammo dispensers’ as a class ability, you should do the same with ‘health dispensers’ for consistency’s sake. Which would leave the medic classes with 2 class abilities.

I just hope we’ll get the chance to map the abilities individually in the future :).