Forged Alliance Forever

Re: Sparkyes

2012-05-05T18:09:24+02:00

Aside from the role and usefulness of the sparky, I'd say that jamming should have some improvement anyway. It's just as you said: the icons all behave the same and you can easily pick the real unit out.

Statistics: Posted by Plasma_Wolf — 05 May 2012, 18:09

Re: Sparkyes

2012-05-05T17:57:34+02:00

The Radar images won't come back as you say. To recover the images you have to completely loose radarsight of the jamming unit. That only works by moving out of radar range or using a stealth field. Either option is pretty unreliable on a battlefield. Flying the Sparky out of radarrange is pretty much effort just to get images back that will be gone again soon. And a StealthGen isn't seen often for that purpose.
Also in an arty-battle they will be hardly a bother because those images dont fake buildings. And you will use long range arty primary against enemy arty, PD and eco. Only secondary against units.

Thats only under the presumption that jamming really bothers the enemy. I don't think thats the case anyway. You cant really fool anyone with jamming who has played this game till medium level. The images all behave the same, with the real unit at the center. So if you have just a little practice you will identify the real units with ease and a high rate of success.

If you prefer a Sparky on the frontlines over a T2Engi is up to you, the point still stands: the Sparky doesn't really do something that would give him a unique role. You can live and play without him, without loosing any benefit you would have otherwise.

To give him that role you would have to either improve the jamming or increase his radar range. If the Sparkys radar would actually be T1radar range he would actually be worth something to support your frontline by giving some intel.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 05 May 2012, 17:57

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-19T00:02:21+02:00

Engys don't have 30DPS

And they dont need dps? You want to fight with Sparkys?

Well if you are good enough to manually target individual units within groups of units kudos to you. But if you are going to target with all of your units, that's overkill. However, if like most people, you let the units fire for themselves, the units will not know which are the real radar signatures.

Not if you send a T1Scout for visual and the signatures are gone. Like statet but ignored.

8/10 times! Wow so that's a real number right? Not one you just pulled out of your backside? If so how big was your sample size?

Ho, of course you can play only maps with chokepoints where you dont have mexes all day long. wont hinder you. You can change the numbers to your preffered mappool.

But the sparky can do all of these things. Rather than having to build four or five different units (which represents a serious opportunity cost) you can build a couple of sparkys.
I mean honestly who expands with T2 engys?

Who expands with Sparkys? You see them widely used? You wont have any Radar or Mexes if you use Sparkys for expand. Can throw the same question at you?
Anyway, because every of his dutys can be done by a unit you will have to build in any case. thats the point. i just gave an analysis why the sparky isnt widely used by players.

Is te Sparky perfect? No. But he's nowhere as useless as you are making him out to be, and his ability to do many things is his exact strength.

i dont make him useless, i said he does his job. but other units do the job too. so why having him only for jamming? he may be a little more flexible than other units, but if you know what you want to do you really need a sparky for the job?
I have a Battlefield to reclaim: There are multiple cheap T1Engis i have so i use them. No need to build Sparkys for that purpose. I want a Offbase? .....and so on.

Its just stating the situation to why the Sparky isnt commonly used. its not that he is doing his job bad. its that his jobs ca be done by uits which will be build in any case.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 19 Apr 2012, 00:02

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T23:17:17+02:00

pip wrote:
The sparky is fine. It has very high speed for an engineer, which makes it the best engy to reclaim stuff thanks to that speed and high HP that will make it harder to kill. What's more, while it reclaims, it has some radar jamming that can scare away while it can quietly reclaim and repay its mass cost in no time. Don't tell me it's useless to be able to reclaim on a battlefield more efficiently.

And on top of that it can build firebases also more efficiently because of this high speed. Sparky is definitely a useful unit.

I think drones/harbs are better reclaimers, but sparkies are indeed good.

Statistics: Posted by SJAndrew — 18 Apr 2012, 23:17

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T21:05:34+02:00

pip wrote:
The sparky is fine. It has very high speed for an engineer, which makes it the best engy to reclaim stuff thanks to that speed and high HP that will make it harder to kill. What's more, while it reclaims, it has some radar jamming that can scare away while it can quietly reclaim and repay its mass cost in no time. Don't tell me it's useless to be able to reclaim on a battlefield more efficiently.

And on top of that it can build firebases also more efficiently because of this high speed. Sparky is definitely a useful unit.

Whats the point having a Sparky for purposes of reclaiming even if it has high speed? I can have 4 T1Engis for him. I can send them into 4 different directions to reclaim.

What do i get from a little radar jamming, that everyone who is not a complete nutcase recognises as such? they will send a T1Scout and deal with the Sparky.

Whats the point to build firebases with a Sparky, when you will have to protect it the same way you need to protect a T2Engi, who can add Radar and Mex to the Base. I asume, defense structures have to be at a point which is worth protecting, which is a Mexpoint in 8 of 10 cases!

I don't want to say that the Sparky doesn't do his Job, but his Job can be done by many other Units who are cheaper, and still do the job without a recogniseable difference, while you will have to build them in any case.
you will always have to build fighting units you don't really need a Engineer who can fight.
you will always have to build T1Engineers to reclaim the map you don't have to use up building time in a T2factory.
you will always have to build a few T2Engis you can use one of them to build a offbase, while protecting it like you would have to for the sparky and getting access to some more important buildings.

There is not really a point in having a sparky other than the jamming, which is not really worth it against expierenced players.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 18 Apr 2012, 21:05

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T20:20:16+02:00

The sparky is fine. It has very high speed for an engineer, which makes it the best engy to reclaim stuff thanks to that speed and high HP that will make it harder to kill. What's more, while it reclaims, it has some radar jamming that can scare away while it can quietly reclaim and repay its mass cost in no time. Don't tell me it's useless to be able to reclaim on a battlefield more efficiently.

And on top of that it can build firebases also more efficiently because of this high speed. Sparky is definitely a useful unit.

Statistics: Posted by pip — 18 Apr 2012, 20:20

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T16:29:07+02:00

Why not buffing its radarRange to 115? You can even reduce the damage to 10 or 5 or even 0, who cares? Sparky will need protection anyway when he is on the battlefield.

If he had a acceptable Radar he would be a nice worthwhile support unit for the radar alone.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 18 Apr 2012, 16:29

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T16:07:05+02:00

How about we bump the sparky s HP, buildpower and cost up to T3 and then give it TMD? the same kind that's on the UEF cruiser?

Statistics: Posted by noobymcnoobcake — 18 Apr 2012, 16:07

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T15:58:21+02:00

If Sparkys RadarRange wouldn't be 30, but 115 i could definitely imagine to use him for a little intel on the battlefield while reclaiming.

-Instead of sending 4 T1Engis for reclaim only.

-Or a real T2Engineer for building stuff with a little army for protection. Which the sparky most likely would have needed too in most cases.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 18 Apr 2012, 15:58

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-18T07:38:41+02:00

I don't know if Firebeetles are fine, or could be made slightly easier to use, but I'm sure they have nothing to do with Sparkies.

Statistics: Posted by pip — 18 Apr 2012, 07:38

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-17T20:16:08+02:00

Getting slightly OT and back to the firebeetle. How about giving it stealth?

Statistics: Posted by SJAndrew — 17 Apr 2012, 20:16

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-17T18:00:35+02:00

No. Jesters were just as useless in 3599 in a competitive 1v1 scenario. Bomber costs have not changed this.

Jace wrote:
but then again talking about the completely thrown over air issue is again off topic.

You're the one who brought it up.

Statistics: Posted by uberge3k — 17 Apr 2012, 18:00

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-17T14:06:08+02:00

now here comes the next, do you want to tell now that jesters arent a strong unique unit to cybrans?
oh right, some not very wise people put the energycost of bombers down to the cost of a spyplane, so jesters are now weaker than bombers.
but then again, isnt it already decided that bombers, spyplanes and so on will have an overwork. i cant imagine to keep them the way they are. so jesters will become strong again anyway.

but then again talking about the completely thrown over air issue is again off topic.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 17 Apr 2012, 14:06

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-17T13:39:52+02:00

Jace wrote:
Anyway Cybrans have Jesters, so there has to be a weak point in another area. thats the transport. point.

Putting "Jester" in the feature column for Cybran is like putting "screen door" in the feature column for a submarine.

Statistics: Posted by uberge3k — 17 Apr 2012, 13:39

Re: Sparkyes

2012-04-17T10:07:01+02:00

aside from not being weak, this doesnt belong here, dont you think?

Anyway Cybrans have Jesters, so there has to be a weak point in another area. thats the transport. point.

Statistics: Posted by Jace — 17 Apr 2012, 10:07