AQ2World.com

Hello fellow AQ2'ers.
Some years ago I made up a list with suggestions on how to balance, or improve, todays AQ2. Although this list is probably never going to be realised, I think it's fun to share it with people and get some response. I suppose some of you may find this meaningless, but I love AQ2, and dreaming about how to improve it (or dreaming about how Action Doom3 would be) has become somekind of a passion. If you feel the same way as I do, please don't hesitate. Tell me if you love it, hate it, or have some suggestions of your own. Some of you might just find this a good read. :)

I've also taken some time to explain why I've come up with the following stuff. Suggestions are in bold text. Explanations are in normal text.


* MP5/10 Submachinegun
-Increase the MP5's rate of fire to 12 bullets per second (up from 10) so it finishes its magazine at the same time the M4 finishes its clip.
-Reduce the MP5's spread from 250 to 230.
Play a cw today, and you'll see mostly everyone with M4 as their spray weapon.

MP5 in auto, crouching:
250 * .65 = 162,5 spread
230 * .65 = 149,5 spread

MP5 in auto, running with lasersight:
250 * 1 = 250 spread
230 * 1 = 230 spread

* M3 Super90 Assault Shotgun
-Let players use the M3's mounted flashlight by typing 'flashlight'.
Have you ever taken a close look at the M3 model? There's a flashlight mounted on it. I want to use it when I enter the dark house in cloud.
-Reduce the M3 spread.
I feel the M3 needs a boost over distance. As it is right now, you have to run away each time you face someone just a small distance away.

* Handcannon
-The Handcannon should be able to shoot each barrel seperately.
-When you switch between shooting either one or two barrels at the time, there shouldn't be a "click" sound (like there is in AQ2TNG).
Obviously this "click" will make an enemy aware of you. And as you probably know, an effective playstyle with the Handcannon is a stealthy playstyle. Besides, a real shotgun has two triggers, not a button that can be flicked for either single- our double-barrel action.

* Akimbo Pistols
-Silencer works with Akimbo Pistols, and each Pistol gets a Silencer. Lasersight won't work with Akimbo Pistols.
Running and jumping around with Akimbo Pistols + Lasersight is going to be too powerfull. It will make it useless to go with a single Pistol whenever you can go Akimbo Pistols.

* Stealth Slippers
-When a player is wearing Slippers, he will switch between his weapons instantly (simular to the Quick-draw Holster in Action Half-Life). This also removes the Pistol, MP5 and M4's cocking sound.
-Players wearing Stealth Slippers wont emit any sounds when reloading their weapons (though the player who's reloading should still hear it himself, just to prevent confusion).
Stealth Slippers rule! Everyone should be listening to step sounds these days. Thing is, when you for example want to reload 7 shells into your M3, you're practically making an alternate step sound that people can listen to.
And face it. Whenever you're spottet, your slippers are useless.

* Bandolier
-Let players with a Bandolier choose two unique weapons to spawn with. This feature, accompanied with a grenade and IR vision, will make the Bandolier fairly usefull.
-Improve IR vision so enemy players turn bright red and friendly players turn bright green. Todays IR vision makes some skins look almost the same.
-Introduce a self made weapon priority list, so that if you have two weapons on your "back" and you press your 'use special' button, the weapon that has the highest priority will come up in your hands. As it is now, there is a default weapon priority list. And if you dont know it, you will have no idea wether it's your Shotgun or Sniper Rifle that shows up in your hands when you press your 'use special' button.
The current weapon priority list is MP5 -> M4 -> M3 -> HC -> Sniper. From the highest too the lowest.
A sprayers' priority list would for example be M4 -> MP5 -> Sniper -> M3 -> HC.
While a snipers' priority list could be Sniper -> MP5 -> M4 -> M3 -> HC.
My list would probably be M4 -> Sniper -> MP5 -> M3 -> HC.

* Silencer
-Increase the MK23 Pistol and the MP5's accuracy when used with a Silencer (i.e. same accuracy when running as you would have if you were walking, and same accuracy when walking as you would have if you were standing still). This feature will also effect Akimbo Pistols if my suggestion about them working with the Silencer is taken into consideration.
If you walk around with MP5+Silencer, your accuracy would be the same as if you were running with a Lasersight.
Perhaps your bullets don't tell the enemy where you are, but your footsteps does. This change will reward you for sacrificing your speed just to be able to use the Silencer efficiently.
-A players' skin when using Silencer should become alot darker so spotting them becomes harder (they won't become darker if their weapon can't be equipped with the Silencer).
People come up to me and say "Blue Vex, in the good old days gl_modulate 1 was default, and the Silencer was more usefull". Personally I prefer playing with gl_modulate 3, but that ruins the Silencer. With this change I'm trying to bring back that old Silencer advantage while still maintaining the good feeling of playing with gl_modulate 3.

* Kevlar Helmet
-The Kevlar Helmet could possibly come with a pair of Thigh Pads to protect against leg damage from the Pistol, MP5 and M4. Beeing shot in the Thigh Pads by a Sniper Rifle only reduces damage.
-Kevlar Helmet gets renamed accordingly.
-Kevlar Helmet model & icon in-game also gets modified accordingly.
-Kevlar Helmet should reduce damage from Pistol, MP5 and M4 alot more than it already does.
Alot of people are suggesting that the Stealth Slippers could protect you against leg damage, but that just doesn't seem right. Slippers are after all made of a non-protective fabric. With this change, the useless Kevlar Helmet added in TNG becomes usefull. Also, the ugly Kevlar Helmet model gets replaced with a real Kevlar Helmet + Thigh Pads model.
Right now, getting hit in helmet+chest with M4, is equal to beeing hit in chest+chest. If you don't call that sucky, get out of here. :)

* Gameplay
-Fix a rare bug where a fresh Sniper Rifle will come with 5 rounds instead of 6.

-Fix a bug that occurs when reloading the Sniper Rifle and the M3 in a specific way.

-Fix the bug where you're able to drop two weapons if you drop your weapon the moment you die.

-Fix the bug where you're able to drop your knife as an observer when you enter a server.

-Fix the bug where if you WALK (cl_run 0) either forward or backwards and strafe at the same time, you emit step sounds.
I hate this. If you want to walk properly in AQ2, you have to move in a funny way.

Now find some1 who wants to do this

That would change aq2 totally, but not a bad ideas at all..

Blue Vex wrote:derf, derf, derf.

As I've told you before those changes would be really interesting to see. However it would be as a mod to aq2. (modding a mod seems smart.)

aq2´s weapon balance is almost perfect. theres no need for new firemodes or incresed firing rates in my opinion.

but... m3+flashlight?

where are the zombies ggaahhh

JoKi wrote:aq2´s weapon balance is almost perfect.

imo, atleast 80% of wars are only dealing with ssg and m4, so why does nobody use the other weapons, if they are almost perfectly balanced?

Blue Vex wrote: ... but I love AQ2, and dreaming about how to improve it (or dreaming about how Action Doom3 would be) has become somekind of a passion.

Me 2 for last 3 years

coders: pick a TNG sourcecode and make new mod or sth... I want to try that out 2

imeiz wrote:

JoKi wrote:aq2´s weapon balance is almost perfect.

imo, atleast 80% of wars are only dealing with ssg and m4, so why does nobody use the other weapons, if they are almost perfectly balanced?

m4/kev tankers
m4-mp5/laser harasser
ssg/kev roof campers
m3/kev fence defender

no need for a silencer, slippers or a bandolier...
you are to vulnerable... and theres enough ammo on the ground
"dropped first hand..."
most ppl have forget that bandolier has a nightvision too...

a flashlight? for what?
m3 is a closecombat weap. why using it over distance?
theres a pistol in your inventory...!

JoKi wrote:aq2´s weapon balance is almost perfect. theres no need for new firemodes or incresed firing rates in my opinion.

but... m3+flashlight?

where are the zombies ggaahhh

almost perfect ?

Only m4 and sniper are used by all players. a player that cant hit with m4 switches to mp5.

m3 can be used at a map like cloud, kumanru or monastery or something. HC's are way to risky to play with in a cw, though its fun.

-Arild

wait 2years and the aq2skill is on another level
nearly everybody will use hc...

no.

I already responded to alot of the things mentioned in this particular post, on another thread. For reference, I quote the original reply below, although in some cases, my opinion has changed since then.

II. Weapons and Items (TNG)
Before I start, I would like to say to the ‘purists’ - as in, the people who would like to keep the original balance of the orignal seven weapon and five items (not counting the helmet). Don’t speak out to chances just yet, first, because I believe if we let AQ2 evolve, even in this respect, it might result in (even) better gameplay and in players staying instead of quiting (see I, above). Also, we could have seperate servers for everyone’s wishes, the amount of empty servers at any given time proves that this shouldn’t be a problem.
About the weapons, I agree on the increased rate of fire for the mp5, but not on the shotgun issue – since I think giving the shotgun another type of ammo it will increase the range and versatlity of this weapon, making it TOO powerful. I would also like it if you choose akimbo and laser or silencer u get that item on BOTH pistols, and I would like to see semi-automatic enabled on akimbo as well. Nato rounds, for the m4, should penetrate the vest from close range, but changing that will probably be the worst thing for the game – triple-kevs will kill snipers, and even now, its not that hard to hit head with m4, let alone three friggin’ kevlars.
Almost all of the items suggestions are good ones, in my opinion, but I have some suggestions of my own. New kevlar thigh pads that protect against from leg-damage from bullet-wounds (except from the SSG), but not from falling damage.
Another thing: remember punch? A flop, I think, but if there are coders and artists out there I would like to see a weaponbash cmd WITH animation for each weapon (except for knives of course, duh). How great would it be to able to pistol-whip someone to death in glorious animation.

A few more things:

On the damage inflicted on people when u fall/jump on them
I think this should also lessen the damage you're receive, as the other player breaks your fall. That way, you could hurt them (and kick their weapon in the process), not break your leg and then quickly kill them. I like this fantasy because it is in the spirit, I mean fast and flashy.

On the 6x zoom function
I take it you want to remove it since it is hardly ever used, Blue Vex? Why don't you use the lens commands instead, or alternate the use of the weapon and lens commands to achieve your needs.

Full and empty weaponry
Everybody is so used to weapons that you pick up being either completely full or completely empty, that it has become a fundamental part of player's tactics, especially on publics, where people are willing to take extra risks just for frags (e.g. dropping your weapon right after your first kill). But why is this anyway, does it take so much to keep track of the everyone's ammo after they've died (or dropped the weapon)?

I'll probably think of some other stuff later tonight and come back and add some.

JoKi wrote:a flashlight? for what?
m3 is a closecombat weap. why using it over distance?

M3 loaded with shells is a close range weapon, while an M3 loaded with slugs is a mid range weapon. The flashlight can be used for purposes like in my example. Did you ever read it? :)

n99 wrote:I take it you want to remove it since it is hardly ever used, Blue Vex? Why don't you use the lens commands instead, or alternate the use of the weapon and lens commands to achieve your needs.

I want to remove it mainly because its hardly ever used, as you say, and I do take advantage of the lens cmd's. Thing is, if I'm in 2x with the Sniper Rifle and i press my lens 1 button followed by immediatelly dropping the Rifle, my Pistol gets set to semi-automatic mode. The lens cmd is the reason for it. Since the Pistol always get set once to semi, and not first semi and then back to auto, I want to try and remove the 6x option to see if that solves that problem.
I hope you understood that one. ;)

I think it's the maps that is the main cause of which weapons that are used.
But I also think that the weapons could use some tweaking.

lets convert every cs map to aq2 B<