Beginner Weapons

[NightHawk043]

This is only a half formed Idea, so I'd welcome any opinions.

Since Legions has such a steep learning curve, many new players just give up because they struggle to learn the weapons while learning movement at the same time.
What I'd quite like to see is there to be a set of "beginner" weapons which will give them a leg up.

For example, the beginner rocket launcher would have a slight amount of either auto-aiming, or auto-homing (not much mind, what I mean is that they have to shoot fairly accurate, but rockets that would normally miss by a hairsbreadth would curve slightly and hit the player), which would then be countered by having a decreased damage and greatly decreased knockback.
The idea is that the weapon would be easy for new players to pick up, but thanks to it's other weaknesses wouldn't be useful to an experienced player. (I.e. they couldn't use it to easily MA incoming cappers, as while there would be a slight knockback, which might slow the capper down slightly, it wouldn't slow them down much.). When the players were getting good at the weapon, they could then switch up to the more powerful regular rocket launcher.

What are peoples opinions on something like this?

 

[Volt Cruelerz]

In order for this idea to work properly, it would need to have greatly reduced firepower. I don't even have that good of an aim relative to some players, and I've been playing for a while and am certainly much better than newbies. That said, even in my case, it might be beneficial to go for that. It would probably up my accuracy to 80% or so, and even with a reduction in damage, that is going to much be much preferred to the alternative misses.

As was mentioned in the IRC, this could further divide the pros and everyone else. Those with superb accuracy will dominate with the heavy rockets, but everyone get's a minor homing assistance? I like the idea of trying to get them into the game in baby steps, but I don't think this is the right way to do it. A target practice mode remains as what I believe to be the best way to train newbies.

 

[mausgang]

I don't think having different weapons for new players is the right way to go. Either they would eventually become dependent upon the even slightest amount of homing, they would switch eventually, or they would have to be phased out automatically from the new player weapons, and I don't see how that is going to turn out. For the automatic "You have to use big boy weapons now" method, what would be the criteria for making the decision on when a player is good enough that they have to use standard weapons? Its better to have the new player, as frustrating as it is, learn how to use the standard weapons, and if there's a way to have a practice mode with targets either stationary or moving to hit, then that's all the better for helping them learn the best ways to use the weapons. The odds are that new players will depend on the auto-aim or homing corrections to the point where they don't want to use the higher damage weapons if it means they are more likely to miss. Legions is just a steep game to learn but once you become good, that makes the success all the sweeter.

 

[Volt Cruelerz]

Right. Honestly, relative to other things, I'd think a series of training levels would be pretty easy to incorporate. Have targets move around the field that you must kill. The beginning levels would be easy, but eventually, they'd speed up. Its really more about leading your targets and predicting their paths more than anything else. If you had targets move in irregular (yet still predictable orbits), that would really help newbies.

That was kind of a derailment wasn't it...

Back on subject, I don't think beginner weapons should exist for the reasons mous and I have listed. They'll simply cause dependence, to the point where only a tiny fraction of the community uses the normal ones.

 

[Dacil]

Legions is just a steep game to learn but once you become good, that makes the success all the sweeter.

woooord!! and many people never stop getting better or they have one weapon they are weak in using which just gives them another goal to work towards!

 

[ColoredSpades]

To overcome the steep curve of Learning, here's some semi-detailed ideas.

Targeting- Moving targets In which you start off with targets on the ground, but as time progresses, your targets become more and more airborne, as well as more far away.

Movement- You start off on the top of some ramp or mountain or some sorta of inclined plane, as the beginning of your obstacle course(OD and weapons are turned off for authenticity purposes). You skii down the ramp , over/under/through your obstacles and have to have reached a certain speed at the end point.

Just my opinion on how it should go.

 

[Crisis12096]

I like the idea of a practice mode more then handicap weapons. New players should be introduced to some form of a tutorial so they can practice the weapons in a new player friendly enviroment.

 

[Siantlark]

woooord!! and many people never stop getting better or they have one weapon they are weak in using which just gives them another goal to work towards!

Or they stay sucky. Like me!

I'm not sure I like the concept of Beginner weapons though. Most of my complaints have already been stated so I won't repeat them but I am lending my Nay vote here.