Sparks - In need of some TLC

(KUST__LunarTM) #21

[quote=“inscrutableShow;183880”][quote=“IAmYourDad;183875”][quote=“KUST;183872”][quote=“IAmYourDad;183866”]She needs to get some actual primary weapon, not secondaries.

But since SD won’t do that give her the katana so that she can actually be useful in cqc.

And no, Revivr is a sad excuse of a railgun. It’s not a reliable damage dealer. It’s not a primary,

pesudo or otherwise.
[/quote]

Aim for the head. One of my favourite shots was on chapel, nailing a Proxy in the head right before she reached the EV at the beginning of the game.[/quote]

Headshotting with the Revivr does not address the fact that it is not that easy and consistent. Headshotting with a single shot weapon that has to be charged and be in the medium ish distance to do any heavy damage will never be more consistent and reliable than using any other primary weapon that is actually a primary.
That is a fact.
Even Rhino has an actual primary, and his special weapon can actually be used as a primary in close to medium distance.
[/quote]

The thing is, she’s not supposed to ever have to fight. Sparks’ intended playstyle is to hang back and revive anybody that dies. The damage dealing side of the REVIVR was never intended to be the main aspect of her playstyle. The secondaries she has are fine for dealing with flankers. She’s not actually supposed to fight large amounts of enemies.[/quote]

You have to admit, getting headshot kills with the REVIVR is very satisfying.

(ClemClem7) #22

@inscrutableShow
Maybe sparks is not design to fight or heal and only revive, but then she’s not as useful as every other mercs. If she can only do 1 thing, she has no place in a game were a useless merc in 5v5 can make you loose. I know she’s a very good reviver, but if you have to choose only one medic, go sawbonez or phoenix. They can fight, heal and revive.
Sparks is only good when used by very skilled players, and phoenix and sawbonez are just more useful at equivalent skill.

@KUST__LunarTM
Getting headshot with sparks and win a 1v1 is rewarding af and is what makes me still play sparks at the current state of the game. But if I have to make a lot of support xp in few minutes or support a team alone, I’ll prefer a phoenix who can carry the team.
A second-medic-only has not her place in a game where every player must have a particular role. Sometimes it’s fit with the game, but most of the time, it’s not the good choice.
Just count the number of sparks you see ingame, and the number of other medics.
For pubs, you can play her without penalise your team, but in comp, it’s way more difficult to put her in your squad over a more efficient medic.

(KUST__LunarTM) #23

Personally, the two medics I’d take with me into a comp battle is Sawbonez and Sparks. A good Sparks focusing mainly on revives, can make a team near invincible.

(ClemClem7) #24

If you can have 2 medics, sparks is good for focusing on reviving, but if you must carry all the team alone, sparks is not equal to all other medics.

(Cuck) #25

if sparks were not intended to fight, then why SD decided to nerf her charge augment and not buffing her healing packs?

her healing packs should give like 60 hp but reduced effect if she use it herself like sawbonez medbag.

that way, sparks will be able to ressurecting people and give a decent HP back.

(_retired_) #26

WHAT on earth I just read here?

Fastest merc in the game that can self heal has nice snap shottie while able to revive from distance (!) without delay and you delusional folk want him buffed because you cannot play him?

Reading these and some other earlier by other players I realize why this game is so badly balanced.

Because people are absolutely insane and want most ridiculous things.

(Cuck) #27

[quote=“retired;184578”]WHAT on earth I just read here?

Fastest merc in the game that can self heal has nice snap shottie while able to revive from distance (!) without delay and you delusional folk want him buffed because you cannot play him?

Reading these and some other earlier by other players I realize why this game is so badly balanced.

Because people are absolutely insane and want most ridiculous things.[/quote]

most ridiculous things?
you mean like phoenix insta heal a whole team?
or aura protecting the whole team?
or SAWBONEZ?

sawbonez can throw his medpack then quick tap the guy then he gets to nearly full health in near instant.

and what we got for sparks?
chirp shoots dudes become gray from getting shot by a proxy

meanwhile sparks in which some people say shouldnt even be in an engagement, in which SD implies she shouldnt be in an engagement because “hurr shes so powerful she can rez people from distance” cannot , i repeat, CANNOT handle the whole team as a team medic alone (meanwhile sawbonez, aura and phoenix laughs at the concept of sparks)

having an ability with more range than usual is one thing, friends getting gibbed and cannot be rezzed is another.

she is fast, thats why if she can hand out 60hp healthpacks it would be very nice instead of trying to rezz some gray dudes (because now her quick charge now 10% instead of 15% or 30%).

(_retired_) #28

[quote=“Cuck;184581”]most ridiculous things?
you mean like phoenix insta heal a whole team?
or aura protecting the whole team?
or SAWBONEZ?

sawbonez can throw his medpack then quick tap the guy then he gets to nearly full health in near instant.

and what we got for sparks?
chirp shoots dudes become gray from getting shot by a proxy

meanwhile sparks in which some people say shouldnt even be in an engagement, in which SD implies she shouldnt be in an engagement because “hurr shes so powerful she can rez people from distance” cannot , i repeat, CANNOT handle the whole team as a team medic alone (meanwhile sawbonez, aura and phoenix laughs at the concept of sparks)

having an ability with more range than usual is one thing, friends getting gibbed and cannot be rezzed is another.

she is fast, thats why if she can hand out 60hp healthpacks it would be very nice instead of trying to rezz some gray dudes (because now her quick charge now 10% instead of 15% or 30%).

[/quote]Yes, delusional and ridiculous.

Phoenix doesn’t insta heal whole team, happens never. When your team exactly is so close to each other?
Aura can deliver the station but it can be destroyed and is rooted to the spot.
Sawbonez can give heals but medpacks require time to kick in and all these medics have to RUN TO THE TARGET in order to revive. Those three don’t laugh to the concept since they must danger themselves go to revive the person in question.

Teams should have usually two medics.

IF you cannot heal the team alone as Sparks it’s not your or Sparks fault, it’s the fault of your TEAM.

Sparks is reviver, she isn’t supposed to heal but small amounts.

And now you want to give her uber powers of healing, like insta 60hp packs besides SHE CAN REVIVE ON RANGE.

If team has able/good Sparks that team has clear advantage over other team especially in map like chapel.

You just have to admit that you suck as Sparks and aren’t able to use him like you should OR your team sucks since they don’t take another healing medic.

[quote=“Cuck;184581”]having an ability with more range than usual is one thing, friends getting gibbed and cannot be rezzed is another.[/quote]You mean like any other medic? You mean like Sawbonez somehow can more easily rez people than sparks so they don’t get gibbed.

Why I’m even talking to you? yes, I shouldn’t, Because I could go insane.

(ClemClem7) #29

Just because sparks can be used to revive some people don’t make her the best medic.
Sparks is only able to revive, and it’s not enough in a game like dirty bomb.
All others medics can fight because of gun, primary guns, they have. And they can heal. And revive.
I agree sparks can revive long range and it’s a good advantage. But the time you charge the revivr, you can walk to the body and revive him like any other medic, most of the time the revive she does is a close revive. Because if your team-mate is killed behind enemy lines, he is gibbed at the time your revivr is charged. And if not, you must expose yourself to the enemy to aim at the body, without a way to defend yourself if an enemy engage you. Only in chapel you can stay far enough of the battle and being able to revive almost everyone. In any other map, you must go at less than 5m of the body, where a walljump can put you just next to the body, and then you only need defibrillator.

Yes, revivr is confortable to revive without going in a dangerous position sometimes.
Yes you can kill everybody in the map if you aim well (and they’re all bad at aiming because you can’t OS at long range)
No you can’t secure a revive as every other medic can.
No you can’t deal with an enemy who manage to get close to you/flank you as every other medics can.
Yes you are the weakest merc with the worst firepower.

@retired
If you say she’s balanced, try too play other medics. They are OP in comparison.
I can say that because I’m a sparks main who play her now just for the fun, because I can do better with all other medics, and when I say “better” I mean “awesomely better at both healing and fighting without a great drawback in revive because walljump-charged defibrillator makes you able to revive someone very easily without going in an extremely great danger”.

(Equanimity) #30

You’re not factoring in that you can precharge your revivr, and always should, when allies are taking fire. INSTANT REZ as soon as they fall. there is no “oh you could walk up and rez in the same time”. It’s fucking INSTANT if you time it right. Unless the enemy gibs them in a fraction of a second. Not to mention the potency of the revivr itself as a weapon if your aim is true. Her mobility and the empire-9 being nearly as effective as a standard SMG at close range, not to mention her bat and “near instant heal me up to full” health packs make her a tough fighter. There are people who are literally gods playing her. She does NOT need a buff.

(Weekendwarrior) #31

She’s good at reviving and not much else. But reviving doesn’t always help unlike healing which the other medics do much better.

Sometimes when people die they go to the toilet or afk for a short while and they just get shot down again. Or sometimes an inexperienced Sparks will rez teammates with 1-3 seconds left on respawn timer, get shot down again and get long spawned.

Just being able to revive well is not enough, even in that aspect she was nerfed with the revive hp fall off :neutral:

Just revert the revive hp fall off nerf and buff her primaries slightly will do wonders for her.

(Szakalot) #32

what he said^

if anyone thinks that defibs are just as fast as sparks reviver they clearly are not the best sparks players, no matter whether they main her or not. 45hp insta heal on teammates is nothing to shun at either, sparks can bring a 100-120 hp character to full health FASTER THAN A SAWBONEZ HEALTHPACK

(ClemClem7) #33

Faster than a sawbonez health pack ? Really?
Do you compare sawbonez healthpack with sparks ones? On the healing, sawbonez has one of the best, and sparks has the worst.
Sawbonez can heal to top in almost 1s everyone almost every 20s, when sparks can heal 40Hp with direct hit every 10s and can’t drop all her pack instantly.
To heal 120 Hp:
Sawbonez takes 1 pack and 1 second at cover, 20 s cooldown
Sparks takes 3 packs and 1 s to drop it (approximately), 30s cooldown
Then sawbonez has 2 more healpack, when sparks only has one more.
The only good thing is the self heal. And it’s the only use of these healthpack.

For the instant rez, I agree you can do it. But other medics will heal these people, when you must wait for them to get killed before rez them.
I’m ok revivr is faster than defibrillator, but you can’t run with a charged revivr. As you can’t with defibrillator and unlike guns, with which you can run and then shoot instantly. Revivr need to be charged before shooting, and fully charged before hoping kill someone at close range. And if you miss because of aimpunch, (because in the time you charge the revivr, people can shoot at you or wait for you to expose yourself), you need to recharge the revivr and hope for the enemy to not kill you when you shoot at them.
Revivr can be use as a weapon, yeah. But it’s one of the hardest to use, if not the one.
In pair with her small Hp pool, it’s not a point to say she’s a good fighter. I’m ok she has a good secondary, the problem is that she has it as her primary. The empire9 is absolutely not like a smg. Give her a smg and I’m ok.

I agree people can say she’s OP, because when you’re against her, she seems OP because revive.
Just count the number of sparks you see in your games, in comparison with other medics. She seems OP because now, only good sparks players play her. Because she’s too hard to be used by anyone else. And if you need to be ultra skilled to play her, you can do better with other medics at equivalent skill.

When I say I main sparks, it was to say that I’ve a lot of playtime with her. So I know what are her problem, how to play her and what I can do with other medics with less playtime (so theorically less experience)
The problem is that she’s not as useful as other medics.
I did an other thread not long time ago, where people were constructive. I just try to defend my opinion since people like you seems to want her to be nerf a lot more. Better remove her from the game. Because more nerf and she will be a civilian with no ability.

(Szakalot) #34

please count how long it actaully takes for sawbonez medpack to bring someone to full health. Im not sure about the exact rate, but its somewhere in the 40-50hp/sec range, so basically aura station rates.

Direct hit from a sparks medpack is INSTA 45hp that doesn’t get canceled by taking damage. You can top-up most mercs with 2 direct hits at 90hp total a lot faster than a single medpack from sawbonez will heal for the same amount.

Yes sawbonez medpacks are probably the best all-round healing ability, that doesn’t mean that sparks healing isn’t extremely potent.

Regardless, in competitive play the current approach is to keep all the medpacks for herself, so sparks can always retreat and spam 35hp ‘healing pulses’ on herself under fire, and tk-revive friendlies to bring them up to full/almost full hp without wasting medpacks.

(ClemClem7) #35

The problem here is that sparks must kill someone before heal him (in comp). Other medics can do it (knife+rez), but they heal them beause healing make no time with someone dead in the team (sawbonez must heal out of the battle, but as he can heal 3 mercs at time, he’s efficient af). Sparks must kill them in order to heal them, it’s not normal. And if you play pubs, you can’t even heal someone properly.

If you’re good enough, you can kill a sparks before she can retreat and selfheal.
And the revivr is good at reviving, but as we must use it as weapon (because no other primary), it can surcharge and then you loose your way to revive someone. Others medics can’t loose their defibrillators. Because of the “effenciency” (apart from the first fully charged shot which can’t kill at long range) of the revivr for taking down enemy, you must spam it, and then it surcharge. And now, the time it take to full charge the revivr (with the decrease of the augment quick charge) is way too long. And as it’s ok to revive people, it’s not enough to kill people. Aura has shootguns, which are almost good to kill people, sawbonez has the best fighting skills, and phoenix has good weapons too. Only Sparks is not able to fight well and can only hope for her team to carry.
She’s not playable as other mercs are. She’s not Underpowerd, she’s just not as playable as other mercs. SD need to rebalanced her, not to make her OP as she was a long time ago, but some nerfs weren’t needed in some last updates.

And to compare Revivr to other primaries, there is no primary which need charge. Surcharge can be compare to reload. But at the same time, Revivr has travel time. And when you chrage your shoot, you can’t run (already said, but it’s an important point).
So yes she’s able to fight in very good hands, but good hands can take other mercs in order to exprim their skill, because the efficiency of sparks is too low in comparison of the skill needed to play her.

Idk about the healing rate of SB, but it seems to be very quick on non-medics mercs. Can top fragger within almost a second.

(aminuseternal) #36

I feel like Sparks needs either a health buff, or to have some of her long distance capabilities buffed. With the rev gun drop off mean you have to get closer, which you know would be fine, but that brings you in the range of stickies and frag grenades, which then you have to hope they are a bad fletcher or fragger, because any direct hits will still one shot you, even with unshakeable.

The instant med packs are powerful in the right situation, but after Aimee’s release she cannot keep up with restoring debilitation, and requires the snitch to be taken down as fast as possible which takes away from trying to rez or heal people. Its a minor thing sure, and she’s not supposed to be a healer, but it’s just something that comes up.

It just seems like SD doesn’t really know what they want to do with her. The gen2 loadouts really didn’t bring as many augments as I would have hoped, mainly sticking to quick charge and “medic-focused” abilities. It seems that SD looked at everyone using the 383, and decided to put quick charge or potent packs or extra supplies on everything that didnt have them, which actually took away from all of her survivability augments.

Sparks actually IS the fastest merc in the game with the original 181(having both springy and flying pig) Which the Gen 1 loadouts actually favored a more mobile Sparks so you could get in and out of combat easily with double time or srpingy, or flying pig. However, all of the gen 2 loadouts are focused on the rev gun and health packs, wich is completely contradictory to the balance changes.

Her combat abilities have really been nerfed in that aspect, I would have much rather of had augments like bomb squad, guardian angel, or untrackable. (All of the other medics have at least one loadout with bombsquad or untrackable) If they want t okeep her how she is she needs to have some more combat survivability. Just giving her ten extra health would mean you could actually survive explosives with unshakeable, but all of these second gen loadouts all favor ranged medic play.

its just none of it makes any sense. :confused:

(SirSwag) #37

Sparks is my most played merc and I have to say she’s certainly a shadow of her former self. I don’t want it to be back in the days where she was the best sniper in the game, but she certainly needs some love.

(Xenithos) #38

The only thing I would do to Sparks is reduce the cooldown of her health packs ever so slightly. OR reduce the time it takes her to throw one. Physics on the health packs still have me feeling weird.
It’s probably just me though.

I might be up for increasing her run speed just a little bit, but eh, she’s pretty fast already.

(Weekendwarrior) #39

I really want Sparks to pull our her Revivr again after throwing a medpack instead of the weapon that was equiped before the revivr

Idk why they changed that

(BananaSlug) #40

majority of players here are just pub players, all you need on pub is ok aim and being random, with that i am easily getting godlikes