Problems of agent class in current state of game

[Lemon]

I would be for 2) -> Every team that usually has a gunner (as of now, demo and medic team), should take BP, as for the demo/medic can take communicator, toolkit, welder, whatever (s)he wishes for...
As for solo gunner, it depends on how good you can see or at least hear larvas. If you are good at it, you don't have to pick motion scanner. Because the moment you leave your area, is the moment a nest can come up and if the demo is already busy on the other side or tp was taken or... whatever the reason is... it's more or less "your" fault for not being able to kill it. In bad cases you could at least attack the enemies coming out and clear a bit of area around the nest. You could also take either bp, welder or toolkit - and with it, start to roam around.

[Dr. EVO]

evo stopped sharing information

[Dark]

I am planning to buff Agent a little bit soon.
What I had in mind is:
- reduce enemy detection range,
- make Distraction turn enemies for a short moment even after they already saw Agent,
- make supplies detection global.
What do you think of these?


Regarding supplies discussion you need to remember that Pandorium has tons of random factors involved. There will always be unpexpected situations and you can never be prepared for everything. Also all customization options are designed to leave players vulnerable in one way or another. Think of your builds and strategies in terms of risk management: "What do we do if...?" and "Which kind of danger do we want to be least concerned about?".

To add some useful information to that: I didn't intend backpack to be a replacement for Agent - it's a supplement. There's 3 main reasons for that:
1. Agent knows best who needs supplies.
2. Players with backpack can be used by Agent as "supply banks". He can share supplies with them when he is full or to entrust them with a player who is less likely to be killed.
3. Small supply pickups are best collected by a player with backpack for two reasons: they give 15 instead of 5 and they respawn every 10 seconds - faster than a lone Agent can collect them.

To summarise, I would suggest all the methods to keep a reliable supply economy:
- have Agent and try to leave him crates, caches and large pickups,
- have 2-3 backpacks per game in your teams and collect all the small pickups you find,
- consider supply use and savings when picking weapons and utility equipment (this includes considering choices of all other players),
- try not to waste your supplies (this includes relying on your teammates when they can do something cheaper than you).

[armageddon]

I like all of those ideas, but I'm kind of on fence about the global supply detection range?

I feel like if the supply detection range was global for agents 2 things would happen....

1. You would only need or want 1 agent per game. Yes while the detection range increase would be awesome, all you would have to do is have one agent that pings supplies for people with backpacks?

2. Global supply detection would kidn of honestly be OP. It would be easy to access a situation and say, "there's lots of supplies here and enemies here so all i need to do is go this way." I think this would remove a lot of risk and reward for players.

Maybe if global supply detection is something you're looking to add perhaps we could explore the idea of an active terminal that only agents can use? Perhaps these terminals are only located in high risk areas but instantly reveal all the supplies on the map for the agent or maybe even the team?

Thoughts?

[Lemon]

I do like armageddon's idea with the terminal... Basically like a supply scan for the while station. but then again, you need to hack it and sacrifice your backpack, wouldn't you? A new active ability for agent could also be added instead of it... maybe?


Btw, what about making only medium supplies being detected global while little supply drops have a the same range as the one he has now... or maybe the other way around, so he can see little drops global but medium drops in the same radius as the one he has right now?
Is that even possible or naaah?

Also, there is another thing, where I don't know if other people can agree with me on this:
If you put a box down, it comes for those who saw them as a green supply box on the minimap. A good marker for you to see where a box has been placed down. BUT... you can't tell when it's back full or still takes a while. Sometimes I sit for about 30 sec on 1 box because I thought the box should be refilled by now or is about to be, but actually someone I didn't saw took it already and then I'm wasting time.

In Pro matches, this shouldn't happen, I know, but we all know we are not onlyy playing pro games...


Also, another suggestion for agent himself:
Maybe make it possible for (only!) him to see the "refuel timer" on his own boxes? Or maybe even the big supply boxes as well? Or would that be to op?

[Tsengvvn]

i'm glad that Dark have a plan for agent, that will sort things up with some other matters.

i would also like to pin point that when other classes have backpack equipped or not, agent faces a problem that is: other classes taking supply right before agent came in, they wasn't aware he was near them so no one to blame, but it does hurt economy for the agent and the supply needed guys. when that happens few does share the supply with agent if have bp but not all.

i would suggest to add some kind of system that makes everyone aware that the agent is nearby and those are his supply.
1) make supplies become darker or have some kind of status change which meaning agent is in very close proximity.
OR
2) let agent have ability to mark his territory to pin point his routine on map,not active GPU like medic have but some kind of A - B C-D way points. the way points might bother others so maybe make it togglable on map with the click of buttons near the map (if those are changeable), and chat text keep notifying that agent routine has been established so others can check it when they want. or let the way points have fade out and fade in time on map, since after choosing which side to stay as agent you will probably won't move anywhere else until the end.

PS: and after reading all what i wrote here, first one actually is better idea than second. second one can be just replaced with use of chat with pings and team awareness on those, plus way points would not allow other players pick a single supply at that location even if agent is dead but team mates are too busy to notice it.

PSS: eh ,half of the text are pointless wall of text

[IgRA]

Nice what you mind buffing agent. I agree with first suggestion. IMO distraction needs buff to area of effect size. I agree with arma, global detection hurts investigative part of agent. I still think what many of his weapons need some sort of buff, like, at some combat aspects agent is the worst out of all classes, examples are bosses, large zombie groups spawned all of a sudden next to him, cliffs. Those problems can't be fixed with customisation, or agent has must-have equipment to use those, or they are too situative to use.

Lemon shares my thoughts about caches markers on map. This thing is quite strange, only your own caches aren't showing when they are charged, ally's or preplaced are darker when empty. I think to fix you can just make agent's caches same color as others, don't think thing what this cache is placed by you is information what we need.

I think what we can just have agent always showed on map for everyone. His job is similiar to medic and agents need to split up as well. It would fix many problems with supplies.

[StelarSiX]

[Lemon]

I don't mind getting survivors as agent, but my problem with them is they are to slow to keep up and die because I leave them behind (more or less on purpose). Not to mention, the survivors have all loud guns, they will trigger everything around them when they shoot only once.
All you can hope for is bringing them to the mc or the next medic/engi, but that's about it.

[Tsengvvn]

player with communication can be seen on map? ♥♥♥ survivors here i come.