Sparky Rationalization

Dragun101

So piece of trivia: The Sparky cost is the cost of:
1 Snoop
1 Striker
3 t1 Engies

Has BP of 3
T1 Engie,
Radar Range of a Snoop
DPS of a Striker.

Valki

I fully agree with @FtXCommando , I would also like to add that you need to learn and practice stuff. Low-rated people too. A plan that involves bringing multiple units is a plan that is too complicated for a medium-low rated to try, if it is just "1: build 1 expensive engineer, 2: then execute plan" people will be more likely to try and practice it.

I would go further than this by the way... but that is probably where my good ideas end and my bad ones begin.

FtXCommando

I am glad that someone decided to list sparky jamming as some massive utility force that it carries, though. Only directly harms them in situations where you're trying to proxy drop and does nothing against any dude that can realize how engie gray boxes surround something they're building. Almost like a blueprint adjustment that makes you build more sparkies would actually make the jamming not shit-tier faction diversity and might even see positive externalties there.

veteranashe

Give the sparky a full t1 suite, along with current T2 suite it has

Gives utility and qol on drops and base building, can build t1 facts on proxies
Yes can reclaim dead expansions fast, but a transport can too

Will not replace the T2 engie

Can rebuild your base in last ditch type situations with t1 power etc

Can ring mexes, qol

TaxesAreTheft

This is the most amusing thread I've read in a long time - full of straw man arguments. Without going into the argumentation of the other.
I'm glad the radar buff will make it. But FtX is correct from my point of view.
The Sparky is a cool faction idea and its stats are good, but the lack of essential blueprints leads to it not being used.
Does he need a buff to be used? Yes. But if we keep buffing his stats it doesn't change anything, see the thread.
Give him the changes (including factories) that keep players from using him is logical. By not being able to build power and maxes he even has a stronger identity as aField Engineer. Since he can now really do his job on the front, but does not help to improve your Eco.
And for the doubters, if he should be too strong, nerfs his stats.
I appreciate the thoughts of FtX that try to make the game better and I would like us to be a little less timid in our approaches.

Azraaa

I wholeheartedly agree with FtX's statement here, this adds a lot for UEF and doesn't really make any GIGA balance changes.

ComradeStryker

@taxesaretheft said in Sparky Rationalization:

Give him the changes (including factories) that keep players from using him is logical. By not being able to build power and maxes he even has a stronger identity as aField Engineer. Since he can now really do his job on the front, but does not help to improve your Eco.

If I may add, the point of the Sparky is to be an aggressive engineer. More specifically, a front-line engineer. It's literally in their name! "Field Engineer"! Their role is to be within the mix of your units, (especially with the Jamming ability). A Sparky is not a backline engineer. Building front-line factories should be an ability it has, rather than leaving that job to standard T1 engies in the back.

~ Stryker

TankenAbard

The Radar buff is what the sparky needs the most. Being able to build guns and shields is great, but can be useless if you can't see what's coming.

Xayo

-deleted-

TaxesAreTheft

@comradestryker said in Sparky Rationalization:
It's literally in their name! "Field Engineer"! Their role is to be within the mix of your units, (especially with the Jamming ability). A Sparky is not a backline engineer. Building front-line factories should be an ability it has, rather than leaving that job to standard T1 engies in the back.

I totally understand your point. We simply load the term field engineer differently. For me, engineers at the front secure reclaim and build intel, possibly a firebase. Therefore it is logical for me that he should build T1 factories because we don't build T2 reclaiming factories that build Sparkies for that.
Since the most dangerous part is gaining reclaim (when not factory reclaiming), not building the factory. I simply see it as a quality-of-life change, which is good, because currently, the unit sucks.
For me, he is aggressive, because he can not be used for base/eco building.
That was my main point towards people who say Sparky is not allowed to be buffed because he may replace T2 engis.

My point of view is based on the belief that every unit should have a practical purpose and if you guys fear balance issues I would like to add, that if this would we the case, we may buff other factions in their identity or nerf his other stats.
I favour a buffing balancing approach, especially if we are able to give more features not stats. This way FaF feels cool and fresh and is able to deal with (upcoming) competitors.

@tankenabard that's true, I'm really happy to see this change