Startup weapons

[coldwarkid]

Many professions have more than one weapon route that's practical for them. With some classes it's because all weapons are equally expensive for them to equip, with others it's because they get more than one cheap line. Adventurers are a good example of this. 1H-edged and pistol are both viable routes for them to take, but the only startup option is the pistol.

What I'd like to see is a choice of startup weapons. Some of them are already fine - the soldier's startup rifle is pretty much perfect for a backyard weapon, for instance - but some of them definitely aren't and a choice could improve people's situation so much. Offer each profession a targeted choice of weapons on character creation. Obviously all should be in usual ballpark for damage-over-time for this class of weapon.

• Adventurer: Solar-powered Pistol, Cheap Carbon-Plastic Survival Blade.
• Agent: pretty much OK with the current rifle (but see below)
• Bureaucrat: likewise, OK with the SP pistol (but see below)
• Doctor: as bureaucrat
• Enforcer: as well as the current baseball bat, Big Stick (2h-blunt), Dull Carbon-Plastic Spear (piercing), Cheap Carbon-Plastic Survival Blade (1h-edged) and Cheap Carbon-Plastic Katana (2h-edged). Update Thug's Delight while you're at it.
• Engineer: as well as the current pistol, add in Cheap Solar-Charged Grenade Launcher. Make it slow, with higher damage but the same average output over time.
• Fixer: no problems I can see with the current SMG.
• Martial Artist: Jab of the Snake, Solar-Charged Carbon-Plastic Bow (bow, aimed shot, fling)
• Meta Physicist: no changes required
• Nano Technician: no changes required
• Soldier: perfectly fine with the current rifle. Currently it's the best backyard weapon anyway, so no need to muddy the waters.
• Trader: OK with the current shotgun.

Of course, people make mistakes and one of the purposes of the training grounds is to allow people to play around with their character in a consequence-free environment, so it might be helpful to add in a weapons shop in the backyard that sells all of the above for a nominal fee. I'd suggest about cr25-50. There's a building process for solar pistols in 14.6 and an upgrade process that turns them into a buffing pistol, so perhaps a level cap on the shop would be appropriate.

Finally, I'd say that the solar pistol could definitely do with a fling IMO. It's pretty much useless ATM.

Cheers,

~R~

[_______________Vydas]

Great idea .

[Jynne]

The solar-powered pistol is worse, damage-wise, than base (no IP spent) MA skill. For any profession.

[Whiteboog]

id prefer the startup weapons to be lame, it makes it more fun when you find a decent one or buy one off someone, also most people just use their hands anyway

[_______________Vydas]

Originally posted by Whiteboog
id prefer the startup weapons to be lame, it makes it more fun when you find a decent one or buy one off someone, also most people just use their hands anyway

I don't think the proposal is to make them be any more powerful. It's just to offer one of each type for the profession's key weapons skills (if you can even call them that). Everyone already has access to MA, but for example, a starting 1he advent might find even a starter 1he better than the pistol.

[Jynne]

Originally posted by Vydas


I don't think the proposal is to make them be any more powerful. It's just to offer one of each type for the profession's key weapons skills (if you can even call them that). Everyone already has access to MA, but for example, a starting 1he advent might find even a starter 1he better than the pistol.

That was my point though... anything is better than the startup pistol. Punching naked with no IP spent in anything is better than the startup pistol.

Come to think of it, if you aren't an adventurer, punching naked with no IP spent in anything is better than most of the ql200 pistols, too.

The solar powered pistol is a cruel joke on newbies.

[Demenzia]

Yup, I agree on this. When I created my Advy, I knew that I'd make her go 1He, whatever the sword (I went Sol Exec when they apeared in game though... heh), and though putting points into brawl solved the thing for the first few levels... I guess I'd have liked a kind of sword to toy with even at level 1. Downside would certainly be that it'd allow new players to make even more mistakes in their choice of weapon, but it can't be worse than putting IPs in a pistol skill you won't use anymore after a few levels.

[coldwarkid]

The solar pistol's definitely the worst of the bunch, but the Trader's startup shotgun and the Agent's rifle aren't much better since, IIRC, neither has a fling. This might be appropriate for an Agent, but it's tough learning how to got that aimed shot off successfully. All three could do with having a flingshot added really.

The basic proposal is, as Vydas pointed out, to have a greater variety of weapons out there in the backyards so that you can start your character as you mean to continue, rather than having to swap lines partway through your career. However, if the basic melee weapons are to have the usual assortment of specials in line with the current baseball bat, it only seems fair to overhaul the existing weapons to keep them up to speed. It's not going to make anyone uber, after all.

Cheers,

~R~

[Spizmack]

I'll BUMP to this

[skybert]

If I read this right, it is a suggestion to give all lvl 1 chars a choice of route they want to take when it comes to weaponry. Am I right? If so, I LOVE the idea!

-edit- fixed a typo, but I suppose I made more in the process

[coldwarkid]

That's the idea. Lots of classes have several viable weapon routes, but are channeled into just one of them in the backyard. It'd be nice for those classes to have some choice of startup weapons, and for everyone else to be able to purchase an alternate weapon cheaply to allow newbies to experiment.

To make the backyard shop viable, take the profession restrictions off the startup weapons. Make dual-wielding in the backyard an option (the solar-powered pistol only goes in the right hand ATM and has high dual wield reqs) and add flingshot to some of the less viable weapon options.

Just a quick update: since crossbows seem to have gone from being junk to being absolutely brutal this patch, better add one of those in too. Offer it as a choice to the Agents and make it slower than the rifle but harder hitting.

Cheers,

~R~

[GameTek]

Every Prof at any lvl should be able to pick up ANY weapon and use it. Of course not as good as if you had points in that type of weapon. I think its that Cookie Cutter mentality that is killing the uniqueness of this game. Why shouldn't an agent want to pickup a bat and swing.... or even a beam.... this whole IPR crap is useless. Weapons should be grouped... and then you should be able to use any weopon in that group.... makes it more fun.... just my opinion

[_____________Xed LRK]

I agree LatinTek, I don't understand why a certain no of points in a skill is needed just to equip a weapon - it should work so that anyone can use any weapon, but the more IP in that weapon class, the more damage you do (and the more likely you are to score a hit with it).
This wouldn't change much - because a lvl 100 adventurer who has never put a point into rifles will have trouble hitting a white whale on a black background with one; but then a Agent of equal level could take down a bumble bee from a mile away (maybe thats a bit extreme, but it highlights my point).

[__________Wraith God]

Hehe, I like the grenade launcher for the engi. *BOOM* Ooops, just blew up my pet, damn!