EMP weapons and countering heavy tank rushes from GDI

[Mystic~]

Does Nod need another way to counter heavy grouped GDI tank rushes? I am thinking on maps like Walls, Islands, Complex and maybe X-Mountain specifically.

In Kane's Wrath the Raider Buggy can emit a small EMP weapon, with a cool-down effect and would something similar make the buggy in Ren-X more useful than it is currently and ensure it is used more throughout the game? Maybe we could also equip the GDI Humvee with a tow missile (as this usually gets discussed due to C&C Generals) as a way to equal out offerings or maybe some sort of group heal radial bonus... could give them both a little more armour than they have presently so they don't crumple under light fire.

The argument I suppose will be there's still the EMP grenade, but infantry are always vulnerable attempting to get close enough to a tank ion time to use it as well as get some shots in before being hammered, and often waiting in a base choke point is too late to stop something from building and rolling in, especially now we have offensive/defensive command powers that can be used. 

What about EMP mines? What about cloaking specifically Nod anti-tank mines from distance so they can't so easily be detected and destroyed? These things might also spare the valuable cp being used on things like EMP airstrikes, which can also be hard to do if having to concentrate on so much other stuff going on around you.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Mystic~

[Nexus51325]

I like the emp mines idea !

[Yeetler]

EMP mines would be very cool.

3 EMP mines for 500?

[yosh56]

Not sure I can get behind any of it. 

Buggies already are the best at what they do, save for being dominated by Ramjets in late game. They're the highest damage anti infantry units in the game, sans sniper rifles. 

Adding an EMP to them really wouldn't help much considering Nod already can just spam EMPs pretty safely with LCGs and Ravs, and if you're going to drive a buggy on an ambush mission you're probably better off trying to just use a flaming buggy. 

EMP mines seem a bit much considering AT mine spam already deters tanks, or at least slows them down enough since they have to deal with them, or run through them. Stopping entire columns with a static object just comes off as another easy punish. EMP grenades at least require a semblance of skill to time right. The commander EMP strike isn't even used primarily to stop tanks so much as de-mine buildings. Timing it isn't the easiest thing in the world...which is why it's as strong as it is.

EMP mines would either have to be invincible like proximity mines, which creates an annoying stalemate situation, or destructible...which to be like AT mines would kind of only be fair to also EMP friendly vehicles when destroyed. If they costed money... maybe. Then again if they cost money, they'd be more prominent on the winning team on every stalemate map, since they would have more money to throw away. 

 

Also I'm just kind of against nerfing vehicles any more than they are by the player number. Infantry already overpower vehicles to a pretty significant degree in numbers. 

At best, maybe giving a slight EMP effect to Rav/Sydney's mines might work.. but only like 2 second stun or so.

 

 

 

 

 

[isupreme]

Do we really see very many big armor pushes anymore?    Lately, with a few exceptions, all i see is a struggle over the field until an infantry rush thru tunnels kills a building.

I would like to see more mass armor rushes not less because we made it even more difficult.

Maybe I am not in the games where it happens a lot..... ?

Edited September 9, 2019 by isupreme

[yosh56]

20 minutes ago, isupreme said:

Do we really see very many big armor pushes anymore?    Lately, with a few exceptions, all i see is a struggle over the field until an infantry rush thru tunnels kills a building.

I would like to see more mass armor rushes not less because we made it even more difficult.

Maybe I am not in the games where it happens a lot..... ?

It happens, but it's been less prevalent since people have so many infantry to work with nowadays. I'm really against nerfing armour any more than it is as well. 

[Mystic~]

I still see quite a lot of large GDI tank pushes that win games and I don't mind this, but I think there should be a viable counter, especially for Nod and if locked in base. I would love to see more well coordinated and original smaller infantry and tank rushes as well, but that isn't always possible in public games with many inexperienced players and I agree we see a lot of large infantry rushes ending games now, particularly on Field and Under.

I won't push the EMP buggy thing anymore, but in the strat games it was a way of stopping heavy tanks and only GDI had EMP grenades. I was sort of imagining a buggy driving past something like a mammoth tank and being able to create an EMP pulse alongside it in order to disable perhaps engine and guns? As long as it remained alive it was capable of permanently disabling a tank due to re-charging ...but now my imagination just has me thinking napalm drops or thermite grenades for Nod and delta-force dirt bikes with rockets again for GDI.

The EMP mine thing I can see working - When placed a single EMP mine which is hidden by stealth would be capable of disabling a single tank (rather than a group, maybe too strong) but we kept them as also capable of being destroyed if revealed - give it to Ravshaw/Dozer or maybe one for an SBH and/or if you have to balance 'cool things' give Sydney/Mobius one that does volt rifle style electrical damage over time only. Although the main goal here was to give Nod another tool for stopping or slowing down large tank rushes and I had Islands in mind as this is usually the most frustrating, but also some other maps like Tunnels, Lakeside or Arctic Stronghold where things can easily snowball. Once enough tanks can peak round those rocks and shoot or just drive in with a buff on Islands it's often a guaranteed building destruction.

I don't dislike the current tank mines, but on some maps they're far too easy to see and destroy, which is where I thought Nod could have a stealth mine advantage because they lack heavy tanks and they need more options to ambush more, especially because the SBH is so weak. You can really spam them on maps like FIeld and Walls where they are really effective so I'm not against an upper limit of say 8-10 for ordinary tank mines. For GDI at the very least make the mine the same colour as the environment (snow, sand, dirt or dark) or even seem like a flat heap on the ground.

Anyway, thanks for commenting. I would support the stunned tank idea even for existing mines on either side.