Opinions on the Sentry

[IceWendigo]

What would be good is not so much to just make it stronger (more like scout/warrior) but to improve it slightly in general but to improve it dramatically for a specialized theme. (I still have not figured out what could be it's 'specialty')


ex: it could have a lot of ammo for use of specials (mine, etc) and regenerate much faster than any other Scion its size...

HOW ABOUT?:

// COMBAT MODE /////////////////////
maxHealth = 2100   // a bit more health than current (vs 2000)
maxAmmo = 3000    // much more ammo than current (vs 2500)
addAmmo = 8.0     // very good ammo regeneration (vs 3.0)
addhealth = 2.0      // minimal health regeneration  (vs 0.0)
armorClass = N
radarSignature = 0.2  // btw what does that do? (vs 0.3)
rangeScan = 350.0    // greater range scan, still less than scout at 450 (but better than the current 250)

// ASSAULT MODE /////////////////////
[MorphTankClass]
addAmmo = 4.0     // moderate ammo regeneration (vs 0.0)  
addhealth = 10.0   // excellent heath regeneration  (vs 3.0)
maxHealth = 1900   // more than current Assault health (vs 1500)
maxAmmo = 3300  // even more ammo  (vs 2500)
armorClass = L        // but tougher in assault  (vs N)
radarSignature = 0.1 // btw what does that do? (vs 0.3)


whith those stats (althought not more powerful purely on damage) would you take a Sentry over a scout or a warrior every now and then?

What could the Sentry's niche specialty be? (could it be an ECM ship? see invisible units? more stealthy vs radar have a lower radar signature?).

[FoxBlade]

The problem with a sentry is that we dont want another tank.

radarsignature is its ability to be picked up on radar. 0 means it cannot be targetted. in the customization screen for vehicles and their weapons, you see radar, heat etc. signatures. missils that home into radar will be much more effective with a higher signature rating.

adding more armor to assault defeats the purpose.

the way your thinking IW is similar to what the FE makers had on their mind.

the reason why you would use a sentry instead of a scout? more ammo for blink, and more maneuverability. also, more health.

its just the whole power that it lacks issue. thats why gauss had its damage upped in FE also.

[Red Devil]

I've just been going over the stats for these units and they all have the same build times, even for custom units.  Is that alright?  Shouldn't a unit that is bigger and heavier and uses more biometal take more time to build as well as cost more?  I think they should.


ISDF
====

scrapValue = 15
scrapCost = 45
customCost = 60
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 15.0
maxHealth = 1200
maxAmmo = 1000
addAmmo = 3
unitName = "Mtr Bike"

scrapValue = 15
scrapCost = 50
customCost = 50
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 15.0
maxHealth = 1800
maxAmmo = 1500
addAmmo = 1
unitName = "Scout"
aiName = "ScoutFriend"
aiName2 = "ScoutEnemy"


scrapValue = 20
scrapCost = 55
customCost = 65
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 15.0
maxHealth = 3500
maxAmmo = 2200
addAmmo = 5
unitName = "Tank"


---------------------------


SCION
=====

scrapValue = 10
scrapCost = 45
customCost = 50
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 15.0
maxHealth = 1200
maxAmmo = 2000

addAmmo = 2.0
addHealth = 0.0

unitName = "Scout"

---------------------------

scrapValue = 10
scrapCost = 50
customCost = 50
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 20.0
maxHealth = 2000
maxAmmo = 2500

addAmmo = 3.0
addhealth = 0.0

unitName = "Sentry"

---------------------------

scrapValue = 15
scrapCost = 55
customCost = 65
buildTime = 15.0
customTime = 15.0
maxHealth = 3500
maxAmmo = 3000
addAmmo = 5.0
addhealth = 0.0

unitName = "Warrior"

[SilverB1rd]

I think starting to switch build times would be to much of change over what has already changed. Lets just get the stuff have has changed already balanced out first.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

sentries are not better manuverable in anyway scouts are much much faster and so easy to cmd a scion scout

just slight difrent from isdf (the mastering level) but scouts are defently maunverable better...
and by the time u blink back to base with your all might big ammo supply i can drive my scout btb get a pod and go back and do more damage..
sentries will get slaughterd in late games when they get the gauss cannon
because the isdf already have tanks most of the times, and if not tanks then at least full scouts
shadowers will slaughter any sentry no metter what shield
while laser will slaugher any sentry without absro and chain scout will slaughter any sentry without deflection

i find sentries totaly uselss because even dmg to light and non armor units scouts and wariors does more dmg and are basicly better in everything else
(speed, ammo)

giving a cannon to sentry is bad idea
why not give a cannon to msl scout? and maybe a cannon to mortar bike?
giving it a cannon will make it a faster warior with less ammo
whats the point in that?
i find it dumb and defently not needed

i cant think of a way to improve it though, i think its just a useless ship

[Der Vampyr Engel]

Crap Phoenix , giving a Cannon to a Sentry is a good idea I KNOW I HAVE PLAYED WITH ONE ALREADY within the editor with a ship variant and , it was brilliant, it was finally a unit to be reckoned with. Also I think speed it up as well, and I think give the scout  some Ion Cannons.

The only thing I will agree with you about is that the Sentry is way too weak to be some kind of ship above the Scout, if that is the case then put the Sentry in the Recycler, give it a rocket point and give it the same speed as the ISDF Scout and basically that would be it    .

Besides, in the ODF's you can change it to anything  and you can change the ammo and the armour so I don't about it being like a faster Warrior with less armour, dosen't have to be especially if you add a couple of rocket HPs to it, and keep the special weapons on it like the Seeker and it comes into its own.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

omg are u looking at what u posting?

ya give scout ions
and give isdf scout cannon
and give everyship cannons and 2 guns

SF had some realy weird ships and guess what? no1 liked that

[Huscar]

Having 3 gun would be nice .

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

thats at least sounds better... but i still find them preaty useless

[Der Vampyr Engel]

Well Sorry Phonenix but when it comes right down to it, if I put that in my mod and you don't like it "aaaawwwwwwwwwwwww my heart bleeds" I have played Starfleet Platoons one off mission and I thought it was OK and the Rainforest mod would be excellent if it didn't have that overbuild at the end Same with the Borg Mod , but at least THEY BUILT  A MOD.

Look, if you don't like the Sentry, make a mod WITHOUT THE GODDAMN SENTRY in it or simply make it an equivauent of the ISDF scout, I notice you don't go as mad with the ISDF Scout settings, faster than the Sentry with a rocket hardpoint 2 machine gun points and a minelayer on it.

The point of this thread I think is for our thoughts offically and I think unoffically to see how it can be improved, not state the bleedin' obvoius about the Sentry, we all know the Sentry is crap compared to the other ships,

OK then what would you do to improve it?

[Aegeis]

I dunno, early game sentries are damn good units but soon as the isdf get better ships you better pack that sentry away and don't bother building it.  That's my opinion.  Leave it as is.

[Huscar]

Is it possible to make multiple guns shooting at the same time then? If yes and you still think it's useless make 4 of them ! Or make the ion gun be better against high armour vehicles in combat mode, why make other tipes of HP? You can make a gun as powerfull as a cannon! How about making the sentry more manouvrable than the scouts for almost unacessable terrain chase? This way they could provide a backdoor to a base, at least they will have some use, scouts will be bumping on all kind of things and so they would be detected sooner. Otherwise, you could give it very high health so it would be a defender or maybe distraction.

[Aegeis]

Man!  Stop trying to make 1.3 patch a mod.  We want it to be just like it has been for the last what 4 or 5 years.  If you wanna change sentries so bad then please just make a mod.  Its so easy nowadays with the recycler variant thingy.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

agreed
no need to make 1.3 mod... fix only the bugs.. sentry being useless is not a bug

and gfu u loved starfleet... from what i saw in list
once a month SF game when it was at is "best" 1 game a month with 10 more 1.2 on the list...
put it in your mod... realy.. i realy wont care.. u can play with it alll day long...
gl finding ppl that will play with ya

and ya they built a MOD
not a patch to a current game like what we are trying to do here

[Der Vampyr Engel]

Whatever PhoneniX, anyway, if your talking about the patch I say just give it a few more weapons, make it like the Stoli or Bobcat, actually make it usefull throughout the game instead of the first couple of minutes, otherwise swap it with the Scout and rename it  Scout and  have the Scout renamed as Sentry because even in defense mode, the current Scout would be better as a fast defensive/offensive vehicle for ataacking based and defending the recycler than the Sentry is.

Apart from that I like 1.3 quite a bit