Which Firefall weapons concepts would you like to see carried to Ember?

DemonSlayer873

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2016
579
351
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Varna, Bulgaria
#1
Firefall had some of the most unique weapons i've seen in a game. From weapons shooting toxic clouds to weapons shooting shielding balls and im sure that we all loved at least 1 of them. So i wonder which ones would you like to see in ember(if any) and why.

http://www.strawpoll.me/10904164 (you can vote for multiple ones)
(the forum doesnt seem to allow more than 10 choices so i had to use strawpoll)
 
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#4
Charge Rifle

Sniper Rifle (obviously)

Shock Rail (either splash damage effect on second hit or by default, like the precision at short to mid-range. An alternative to the Recon's signature/primary weapon, with less range but good accuracy)

The Recon's signature/primary weapon.

Energy Sword (different effects - like life-steal, different elements, different colors)

Elemental effects are good in general, but only if they're are added effect, so the weapons do a base non-elemental damage, while the elemental-effect is also immediately applied, its application either being chance-based (by a percentage) or guaranteed with every shot. Effects do not stack, but the time the effect is applied is prolonged with every shot. There should be certain unique weapons or modded ones that do have stacking effects. Maybe.
 
Likes: Alan Jones
Jul 26, 2016
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#5
Honestly... none of them stand out enough to want their continuation.

I want weapons done like Doom (2016).
 
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TankHunter678

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2016
369
311
63
#6
The only weapon that I would want continued would be the 1.3 Thermal Cannon. Due to its sheer flexible nature that let it work with just about any build you could throw on your frame.

Hope I could replicate it in Ember.
 

Daynen

Active Member
Aug 3, 2016
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#10
Frankly, most of FF's weapons were good, practical, innovative or thematically fitting. A few need re-tuned, and I think the role of the primary and secondary weapons needs to be re-evaluated. I honestly preferred the ORIGINAL trailer where the conventional ballistic weapon was used more often and the more powerful primary weapon was more limited by ammo; it gave the game a very real opportunity cost for using the bigger gun--something launch-Firefall completely threw out the window with infinite alt-weapon ammo, terrible alt-weapons that were CLEARLY not intended to even be FIRED and just took up a spot as a damned stat-stick, and ridiculous ammo counts for some primary weapons (and let's not even TALK about how ludicrously cheap ammo packs got.)

Specifics? Ok.

Machine guns: yes. all my yes. I was a dreadnaught main. Every other frame I worked up existed for the sole purpose of unlocking perks I wanted on my dreads. Give me huge weapons with big ammo counts and ludicrous fire rates; I'll gladly take movement speed penalties.

Sniper rifles: yeah, I guess these need to exist, but they don't need to completely outperform every other weapon in the game. there need to be times when a headshot just isn't the answer; that way snipers don't become the "DPS" option while everyone else is relegated to being their bullet sponge or healing B%*^#. Up their headshot damage bonus if you must, but for god's sake penalize them against something so they aren't absolutely required all the time. And fix the damn charge rifle; look at Widowmaker from Overwatch for an example of how a "charged sniper rifle" is SUPPOSED to work.

Medic guns/poison guns: I like these because they're versatile. Dragonfly was easily my favorite biotech frame because it could lean so easily toward healing or offense. My melee Dragonfly was easily one of the most hilarious frames I ever played--bouncing from target to target and cutting them in half is ALWAYS fun. Healing needs to be costly somehow, though; otherwise we get the medic/heavy combo going on, and that WILL get dull at some point.

Plasma cannons: of course. Every shooter needs it's grenadier, and the assault was it. Splash damage with an arcing projectile is a great way to develop aiming skills and battlefield awareness; HOWEVER, it does NOT need to have extreme range, splash, power AND ammunition on a frame that ALSO has the best aerial mobility in the game. Have you SEEN a firecat? They never come down.

Lightning guns/repair beams: I know I'm mentioning these in line with FF's classes, but that's the frame of reference we all know. In truth, I actually don't want a lot of 'turret master' action going in. I actually hated the Bastion in FF; it was the laziest, dullest and most unnecessary frame in the entire game, and the bastion players were the whiniest bunch I'd ever seen. Emphasize the variety of function in their primary weapon instead; a lightning gun that can chain to targets, repair objectives or machines, maybe supercharge a frame or some other secondary function would be FAR more interesting to play than yet another multi-turret menace who just plops down a dozen guns and unfolds a lawn chair.

One overarcing design choice I would like to see is this: make conventional weapons that need physical ammo to fire, and contrast them with battery/energy based weapons that have to draw power from the frame to generate ammo. Ammo is costly, but battery weapons can drain your frame of much needed functions. check out the Armored core series for an example of how this relationship can work and when each trade-off is worth it.
 

Daynen

Active Member
Aug 3, 2016
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#11
Also: yes, melee weapons. Various types of solid and energy types would be good, as long as each has an associated challenge in using it, related to my point above.
 
Likes: Alan Jones

TankHunter678

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2016
369
311
63
#12
something launch-Firefall completely threw out the window with infinite alt-weapon ammo
Secondary weapons in Firefall had infinite ammo until the infinite ammo was removed at one point because people were attacking incursions from a range where the turrets spread meant that players could attack the incursion without fear of death. This was also before incursions had shields to force players to actually engage them up close. Oh and incrusions always had 30~40 chosen running around protecting them so incursions took a long time to deal with unless you had 10~15 people doing the event.

However the removal of secondary infinite ammo resulted in less of the world being explored. Your range of operations was restricted by the availability of a resupply station. As at the time ammo packs were expensive and mobs did not drop ammo. You either brought an engineer for a deployable resupply station or you stayed within short running distance of copas outlying functional resupply stations (they needed engineers to repair them ~ every 5 min due to mobs).

So the infinite secondary ammo was returned and the weapons given more strict range. Incursions eventually got shields as well.
 

Daynen

Active Member
Aug 3, 2016
184
246
43
#13
Secondary weapons in Firefall had infinite ammo until the infinite ammo was removed at one point because people were attacking incursions from a range where the turrets spread meant that players could attack the incursion without fear of death. This was also before incursions had shields to force players to actually engage them up close. Oh and incrusions always had 30~40 chosen running around protecting them so incursions took a long time to deal with unless you had 10~15 people doing the event.

However the removal of secondary infinite ammo resulted in less of the world being explored. Your range of operations was restricted by the availability of a resupply station. As at the time ammo packs were expensive and mobs did not drop ammo. You either brought an engineer for a deployable resupply station or you stayed within short running distance of copas outlying functional resupply stations (they needed engineers to repair them ~ every 5 min due to mobs).

So the infinite secondary ammo was returned and the weapons given more strict range. Incursions eventually got shields as well.
yup. It was a flip-flop for a very specific oversight, and it made the game worse for wear each time. it was a change made for the wrong reasons both times, IMHO.

As for 'limiting our range?' That is, perhaps counter-intuitively, a GOOD thing. Limiting our effective range forces us to make important choices and face the consequences. This phenomenon is often known as "gameplay." It also means players will actually take time to experience the world and what's in it, rather than zooming from one end to another at a moment's notice before crying "DONE, BORED NOW." Does it mean you might run out of ammo and suddenly have a very hard time succeeding? Why yes it does! This phenomenon is referred to as "a challenge."

Regardless of WHY it was changed, though, the fact remains that secondary weapons with unlimited ammo and terrible performance meant that they were literally just a piece of your final stat-puzzle, rather than WEAPONS with actual functions; this is a deplorable game state, especially for a game whose GUNS are a MAIN SELLING POINT. Like many bad game design decisions, it was a drastic, pervasive change made only to counter an exploit by canny players, rather than for any semblance of common sense.
 

Alfonso

Commander
Jul 29, 2016
39
14
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#14
HMG type but I hope model design will be more practical and realistic.

Multi-barrel design benefits HMG with conventional ammo because loading, firing, ejecting can happen at the same time. What I didn't like in many FPS game was the spin-up time of multi-barrel rotary guns. They can be spinned without firing for testing or just for show but M61 Vulcan or Goalkeeper in real life don't need spin-up time. I blame id software for putting spin-up time on chain gun in Quake 2 and plated false image of rotary gun to many gamers.

HPMG or HLMG, these futuristic HMG don't actually need multi-barrel design since those guns don't use gunpower and cartriges. The laser lance of HLMG is what laser weapon should look like.
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Supreme-Commander-01-75731645 At least, that will look cooler.
 
Likes: Destination

Alfonso

Commander
Jul 29, 2016
39
14
8
#15
Secondary weapons in Firefall had infinite ammo until the infinite ammo was removed at one point because people were attacking incursions from a range where the turrets spread meant that players could attack the incursion without fear of death. This was also before incursions had shields to force players to actually engage them up close. Oh and incrusions always had 30~40 chosen running around protecting them so incursions took a long time to deal with unless you had 10~15 people doing the event.

However the removal of secondary infinite ammo resulted in less of the world being explored. Your range of operations was restricted by the availability of a resupply station. As at the time ammo packs were expensive and mobs did not drop ammo. You either brought an engineer for a deployable resupply station or you stayed within short running distance of copas outlying functional resupply stations (they needed engineers to repair them ~ every 5 min due to mobs).

So the infinite secondary ammo was returned and the weapons given more strict range. Incursions eventually got shields as well.
In Planetside(the first one), a player character had a backpack and you could put anything as long as they are within the size of the bag.(heavier unit had bigger bag). For example, you could fill your back with a couple of different weapons or just ammos and grenades. I like that kind of system because that will make me to choose and take the consequence at the same time.
 

Vedemin

Deepscanner
Jul 27, 2016
161
164
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#17
Yeah, I had a nice day ^^

Anyways, I'd like to get ALL of Firefall weapons :) At least primaries. They were designed really good and fulfilled their roles. Secondaries were shitty in power, but good in design overall. Auxiliaries were also very nice, but since I am a swordsman, I was disappointed not to see aux weapons as another slot so we could run around with a sword drawn slashing people :D
 

NightStroke

Base Commander
Base Commander
Jul 26, 2016
135
231
43
#19
Old r36, Charge rifle, sniper rifle, Old thermal cannon alt-fire, fuel sprayer(the firecat weapon before the oil spraying aspect was removed), 1.6 Fusion cannon, most of the biotech weapons from 1.3, an engineer weapon that makes your turrets prioritize targets(it existed in the itemDB, never released), laser mg, lmg, heavy machine gun(with shield), shock rail, plasma cannon(both the 1.3 version and the multiple-round burst version from 1.5-6ish).
 
Likes: Sagesmith
Jul 26, 2016
1,461
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#20
The idea to swap out a rechargeable grenade or a melee weapon was pretty cool.
One sword had a higher critical if you backstab enemies which made one hit kills possible. High risk with high reward. I like that.

fuel sprayer(the firecat weapon before the oil spraying aspect was removed),
That was fun to use. It took awhile to get a hang of it though. It made the firecat more unique.