Make paratroopers useful

[TheNamelessWonder]

Because right now hardly anybody will take them over EMPs. Heck, the EMP dev is even cheaper than the paratrooper dev. As they stand, paratroopers are like officers but a bit quicker and horribly overpriced. EMPs are actually useful. So either:

1) Make the EMP development more expensive and/or take longer, and by enough to deter some from picking them. Double the cost or something.

Or...

2) Make paratroopers suck less. Drop their price, or make them fire a little earlier, or give them a little more firepower.

Because now, they straight up suck, while EMPs can be useful. For most it isn't a hard choice to take EMPs and never consider paratroopers.

 

[Souls]

Paratroopers -- Do something!

Paratroopers -- Do something!

Anyone in their right mind can see that Paratroopers need a clear buff. They've completely died out with the coming of EMPs, seeing as EMPs are cheaper, both in terms of development and unit price itself.

My suggestion isn't a buff of the unit itself, but of the development, rather. I don't have any set values (which is why I'm semi asking for help with this one ) but my idea is to either decrease the price or development time of Paratroopers, increase the price or time of EMPs, or both.

EDIT -- Delete this. Someone else stole my idea!

 

[Souls]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

I'm for decreasing the price and time of the Paratrooper dev and increasing the price/time of EMPs. You get to pick between rushing the route or getting a unit that's nifty against PA.

 

[TheNamelessWonder]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

I'm for decreasing the price and time of the Paratrooper dev and increasing the price/time of EMPs. You get to pick between rushing the route or getting a unit that's nifty against PA.

And really delaying EMPs wouldnt cause serious hurt, because they come out well before PAs do.

 

[CLem]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

i totally agree, emp development is too cheap, officers and paratroopers are way over priced.

 

[Max]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

The speedy development of EMPs was put in place as a necessary counter to the mass PA tactics of the round start. If this is changed dramatically, I fear PAs will become overpowered at the start again

However, I am all for making the paratrooper unit stronger! I suggest adding more health, less armour, so that it can be used as cheaper (but less deadly) lethal flak than the ranger unit.

Alternatively, how about making it fire faster? This would make it more effective as a rushing unit to be used in conjunction with the harrier unit. Perhaps make it fire before apaches, so that it may get a shot in before it all dies Or, again alternatively, make it MUCH cheaper... although if it was cheaper than officers that would be a bit strange... but nevermind!

 

[Maxi]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

Merged topics.

I like Max's idea of the possibility to flak harriers.

 

[Bobbin]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

Merged topics.

I like Max's idea of the possibility to flak harriers.

Ha! Thats why it didn't work when i was trying... you did it at the same time as me...

Git

 

[CLem]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

The speedy development of EMPs was put in place as a necessary counter to the mass PA tactics of the round start. If this is changed dramatically, I fear PAs will become overpowered at the start again

yeah it is to counter PA tactics, but PAs are normally out either friday or saturday this week, and i think any high ranked alliance with emp players will have their emps ready WAY before the first PAs are out, like yesterday or something.

but i do agree that Paras need either made cheaper (same with officers), or buff up it's health/armour, 46k for paratroopers that drop like flies, i mean seriously..PBs are 22.5k, same eta, fire faster and does a lot more damage..i really don't see the logic there.

 

[DarkSider]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

I don't think nerfing emp's would balance this.
I like the old suggestion with moving emp's on a diferent route (preferably rpg) where it doesn't make such a killer combo with another AD unit to totally cripple robo-PA's that are used less this days making SO's a bit too powerfull.
If not, boost paratroopers killing ability either by increasing damage or decreasing price. They have poor flak killing ability and cost a bomb.

 

[Charlie_B]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

Ahha, but Vamps came into play and they helped nerf the boost in SO

I don't agree with increasing the strength or decreasing the price of paratroopers much. At the early stages of the game - particuarly if you're not at the top, so dev times are generally longer - there are quite a lot of players who buy up on officers and take a bit of time to get their next unit (especially if that's HW). I've not seen the battle in action for a long time but at least in theory paras are helpful to give you the upper hand against these officer players due to their lower init.

At the same time it does seem that very few people prefer paras to EMP - largely because the EMP can be used all round while the para isn't powerful/cost effective enough to be a great unit, even though it had a nice rushable ETA.

I'd definately agree with those who suggest changing the dev times/costs - perhaps swap the two? I havent paid enough attention to the start of the game recently to be able to know the finer points of the dev balance.

 

[Augustus]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

I don't think nerfing emp's would balance this.
I like the old suggestion with moving emp's on a diferent route (preferably rpg) where it doesn't make such a killer combo with another AD unit to totally cripple robo-PA's that are used less this days making SO's a bit too powerfull.
If not, boost paratroopers killing ability either by increasing damage or decreasing price. They have poor flak killing ability and cost a bomb.

No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route. I'm in agreement with the Paratroopers comment, they are the sign of a noob. Make em stronger so they are decent flak, or fire before rangers so they aren't just an overpriced 'Officer' type unit. I'd go with the flak option as there isn't much to do that job apart from Rangers.

 

[Haplo]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

Pff they already are usefull as they are the earliest counter measure against officers (louds only distract). Admittedly when ninjas are out they become obsoloete, but when you look at the price tags on both devs you'll notice that ninjas come wayyyyyyyyy after paras. Of course later on in the round they are useless.

 

[wrath]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

maybe make paratroopers an effective flakk stripper

 

[TheNamelessWonder]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

Pff they already are usefull as they are the earliest counter measure against officers (louds only distract). Admittedly when ninjas are out they become obsoloete, but when you look at the price tags on both devs you'll notice that ninjas come wayyyyyyyyy after paras. Of course later on in the round they are useless.

For what they cost, and given that you have to forgo EMPs for them, being able to kill officers on offense (since your officers already fire first on defense) isn't enough of a reason to go them.

 

[CLem]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route. I'm in agreement with the Paratroopers comment, they are the sign of a noob. Make em stronger so they are decent flak, or fire before rangers so they aren't just an overpriced 'Officer' type unit. I'd go with the flak option as there isn't much to do that job apart from Rangers.

that is BS, harrier route was already perfectly capable to attack robos even before emps where even introduced.

 

[Souls]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route. I'm in agreement with the Paratroopers comment, they are the sign of a noob. Make em stronger so they are decent flak, or fire before rangers so they aren't just an overpriced 'Officer' type unit. I'd go with the flak option as there isn't much to do that job apart from Rangers.

that is BS, harrier route was already perfectly capable to attack robos even before emps where even introduced.

Problem is, the Ranger route has to be specifically ratio'd to combat either SO and Thug or Robo; you can't have a perfect balance without leaving a weakness to any other route. Giving paras a status boost and price decrease (as well as Officers) would certainly boost the flak factor for the heavy hitters, but that's not the way I'd like things to go, personally. Increasing the price of EMPs to even 10 billion would work perfectly fine, as well as increasing the ETA of the development.

 

[wrath]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route. I'm in agreement with the Paratroopers comment, they are the sign of a noob. Make em stronger so they are decent flak, or fire before rangers so they aren't just an overpriced 'Officer' type unit. I'd go with the flak option as there isn't much to do that job apart from Rangers.

that is BS, harrier route was already perfectly capable to attack robos even before emps where even introduced.

maybe so but emps are good for alliance play as the lower the threat of PA's which cause much damage early on

 

[Augustus]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route. I'm in agreement with the Paratroopers comment, they are the sign of a noob. Make em stronger so they are decent flak, or fire before rangers so they aren't just an overpriced 'Officer' type unit. I'd go with the flak option as there isn't much to do that job apart from Rangers.

that is BS, harrier route was already perfectly capable to attack robos even before emps where even introduced.

Only when your fully teched! Which will take a while compared to someone getting CW's as Harriers are at the end of the tech branch(besides P-unit before anyone nit picks). And PA's still do a fair bit of damage to Harriers if there's enough of them.

 

[CLem]

Re: Make paratroopers useful

i think you are not understanding my post, my comment was purely based on this "No! You cant do that!One of the few advantages of going the already fragile Harrier route is that EMPs make it a robo killilng route. Without them you remove the whole point of the Harrier route"

As a route (you know, all techs are done and stuff, not at the start of the round when everyone are teching), harrier route is a great robo killing route no matter what you say. Without either rangers or harrier that will remove the whole point of the route, but emp is not essential, it is just an icing on the cake. And emp with harrier is just pure ownage against PA robos.... barely even a fair fight.