» Thu Dec 31, 2009 4:20 am
I don't use it. Stealth Enhance, I mean. Sure, I did for a while, have it up to lvl III and everything, but I stopped using it.
I cloak a lot (I really like the Stealth Kills), but I now use Blind Spot most of the time. Why? Because nobody does and everybody is too reliant on the Radar thingee. It's crazy how often I have had people running right into me because the radar said I wasn't there.
Anyway, I'm against both options. In fact, I'm also against lowering the energy consumption for movement during stealth mode, ledge grabbing and sliding (btw, there is a module that already lowers that quite a lot). The tactical considerations of every suit module and their inherent energy consumption is one of this game's most essential features. Intelligent energy management is one of the things elevating C2 over the likes of COD, and adding more freedom to movement under stealth would in my opinion ultimately lower the level of gameplay. In addition, I also oppose the buffing of "counter stealth" modules, which would have the undesired effect of making Stealth Mode less of a threat than it should be.
In short, Stealth Mode should be deadly, but at a price.
If someone gets the drop on you, using Stealth smartly, you should die. Still, that same guy should not be able to just around the map cloaked all day unnoticed: So even with SEIII he's still victim to Maximum Radar, that footstep thing and Cloak Tracker. And if he messes up and doesn't kill you, he's got no energy left after the attack and is, essentially naked before your gun.
Enabling two Stealth Modules would unbalance the game mechanics. Lowering the Energy Consumption in Stealth would cheapen the Stealth experience.
I would also, respectfully, dispute the fact, that usage of SEIII is in any way a prerequisite for enjoying the game. Indeed, the very fact that people still enjoy the game before they get it up to lvl III should be evidence enough. And the fact that many people do use it, does not necessarily make it the only viable option. It is just a more obvious option. Since Stealth Mode is one of the major game mechanics, people can more readily discern the immediate advantage of modules like Stealth Enhance (or Armor Enhance, for that matter) than other, more obscure modules. Most people who come from the campaign to the MP will undoubtedly notice the major difference between Alcatraz and the common Nano Suit dude is the amount of energy available, especially during Stealth mode. So when they see a module that is available early and promises them something more akin to the single-player energy resources during stealth, they don't look any further. And once they get used to it, they rely on it too much to be able to compensate for its lack when trying another module.
90% of people might use Stealth Enhance, but not because they enjoy the game more in cloak; they just don't know how else to enjoy it.
If I was asked for a solution, I would make Stealth Enhance unlocked only at, say, level 20 (and lower the upgrade requirements accordingly). At the same time, I would open up the more obscure Stealth Modules a lot earlier, forcing people to walk the road less traveled by, and that would make all the difference. Everybody can see at a glance how he would benefit from Stealth Enhance, but with some of the other modules, only time and experience will truly unveil the gems hidden beneath their muddy surface.
In closing, I honestly pity everyone that never used anything other than SE long enough to see why it might be worth to try something else. Sure, some of those modules are maybe less obvious in their benefits, and some of these benefits might even be fully negated by the often horrendous lag in MP games, but as with every weapon in our arsenal it takes practice to become perfect and, thus, productive.
Except, of course for the modules that even a monkey could use effectively, for they only enhance abilities you already posses.
Open your minds, people.
*sadface*".
