I would like to move the Cluster into the close range ground pound mechanic that you used the old GL for. Do you think it doesn't fit that role yet?
I've played four full games with
only the Cluster Grenade today, and roles really, did not come into mind. It was already tough to adjust shots for the grenades to land where they're supposed to, but to convert it, into a Compressed Cluster?(is what I call, when referring to the method of releasing clusters, just before the grenade hits the ground) It's just not possible in Legions. Now, before you say that's untrue, let us remind ourselves why, the old Sentinel based Cluster Grenade was
tolerated, even though it had so much destructive power. Because it was useless on uneven ground.
90% of all the dueling(if not all), done in Legions, is done around/on walls, towers, bridges, ledges etc. People would constantly jump from one pole to another, one pillar to another, one tower to another. This isn't Tribes where the player's maneuverability is restricted, where speed is based on momentum acquired. That's why even the Mortar doesn't work as expected by you people, it's just too easy to fly way, hide, and most importantly,
get to higher ground. It's pretty much like, standing on a staircase. You can maybe rarely be able to hit the enemy on
that particular step, and we all know how many of such structures exist in Legions. Back to the point; no Legionnaire would be stupid enough to want to fight a ground pounder/Grenadier/Cluster noob(my favorite name, given to me, from IA days), on even ground. That said, if the player still insists on clustering the enemy standing on the step-like structured wall, on the FrostByte map, the cluster would just bounce and explode(you may wish to try base dueling with Grenade Launcher and it's
variants, to get more clarity, especially on a FrostByte base) in all directions, doing negligible to no damage at all.
So now, the only other option would be, to use the Cluster Launcher,
the old fashioned way. That is, to shoot the grenades without releasing the clusters. By not using the cluster aspect of the Launcher, the weapon and it's damage are utterly useless, for the amount of effort put in. To me, breaking the Grenade Launcher into two, is the same as breaking it completely.
Someone here said, to delete the weapon completely. I might have told you to do the same, but I have a better idea. The Cluster Launcher, in Raider's hands, is but a shell of it's original. And as long as it stays with that class, it will never cease to exist that way. Therefore, I request the developers, atleast for the sake of existing HoFs and other budding ones, to return the Cluster Launcher to the Sentinel, and in it's full power. Just add an extra Loadout for them, which consists of the Cluster Launcher, instead of the Mortar. I'm saying this, because Sentinel users, who have used the Cluster Launcher, have developed a unique way of battling with it, and having variants, in the heavy weapon they use, isn't a bad idea at all.