Spears and pouncing.

[Whistle]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary): When spears are wielded in two hands, completely block knockdown from runners and hunters.
Spears have a huge history of being braced to prevent cavalry and infantry charges to great effect.
Instead of knockdown, it will force the wielder back one space while the hunter/runner occupies their previous tile.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole): When wielded in two hands the user will be unable to be pounced from the front or sides from the nimble/sneaky xeno, disarming them without a second chance.
This will allow for more actual combat in an environment rife with stun spam. (hugger combat and machine spit unaffected)
This will allow for the spear to enter it's own niche within the combat circle, at current I never see their use.
The main drawback for melee is, off the top of my head, one, you have to approach a ranged unit without dying/knocked down, two, the opponent has close range abilities that knock you down disarming you near instantly and possibly stun locking you, three, huggers.
This removes one of three drawbacks making it slightly more viable.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc):

More melee situations, always fun.


Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it): More awkward coding.
Spear=wielded block knockdown?
not too sure.

[Helgraf]

I like the idea but since its only for pouncing they can either just run up and hug you or bring a spitter along to knock you down unless the block knockdown is overall and blocks anything that can knock you down. All in all, Neutral

[Whistle]

I like the idea but since its only for pouncing they can either just run up and hug you or bring a spitter along to knock you down unless the block knockdown is overall and blocks anything that can knock you down. All in all, Neutral

Nope, blocking the spit would make it too powerful for a weapon that you can find laying about the temple.
Just looking to give them a bit more power and a unique niche in the weapons list.
Blocking spit makes them unrealistic and op.

[Helgraf]

Nope, blocking the spit would make it too powerful for a weapon that you can find laying about the temple.
Just looking to give them a bit more power and a unique niche in the weapons list.
Blocking spit makes them unrealistic and op.

Still, this would seem situational. After all, they still can just run up to you instead and hug you like I said before. If I may though, I suggest when they do pounce you and yoy have the spear wielded, make the pouncer take some damage in the attempt. If that does happen give it a message saying you thrust the spear at them as they pounce, if possible of course, I change my decision to +1.

[Shyguychizzy]

+1 Indeed this will be a nice little weapon feature for the spear, for instance, a survivor might actaully have a chance against a runner or hunter.

[Toroic]

This seems like a pretty heavy nerf to runners and hunters, and further raises the learning curve for xenos, who already struggle to accumulate playera and retain them.

-1 from me.

[MrJJJ]

This seems like a pretty heavy nerf to runners and hunters, and further raises the learning curve for xenos, who already struggle to accumulate playera and retain them.

-1 from me.

"Heavy Nerf"?
Did you read this at all?

[YungCuz]

Besides who would even want to use the spear anyway, Its literally just a thing sitting in front of a temple that no one even goes by unless the last xenos are hiding there.
Neutral since it has potential but doesn't have much use besides blocking.

[MrJJJ]

*ahem*
I feel like this thread deserves more respect, spears need more use yo

[SpanishBirdman]

*ahem*
I feel like this thread deserves more respect, spears need more use yo

They really don't, there's a reason modern soldiers don't use spears. It turns out assault rifles are just better. Making spears more viable than guns is bad for muh immershuns and just generally silly.

[MrJJJ]

They really don't, there's a reason modern soldiers don't use spears. It turns out assault rifles are just better. Making spears more viable than guns is bad for muh immershuns and just generally silly.

Melee is STILL a bad idea, and always will be even if you can block pounces with a spear

[Renomaki]

Honestly, it would make more sense to have it be applied to the bayonet than some random spear you find laying on the ground.

It would give them more use, at least, although I can understand why some xeno players would be against it. Pounces are one of the ways to close the gap with a gun totting marine. Make that harder, and all of a sudden melee based aliens will struggle to deal with guns.

I myself think that this would need a fair bit of experimentation if it were ever to be implemented, due to the nature of the request in general.

[Boltersam]

Okay, how about we have an RNG chance for a marine to stop a pounce with a bayonet, and a guaranteed chance with a wielded spear?

Doesn't seem that bad, as long as the block doesn't stun the Xeno in question.

[Whistle]

Honestly, it would make more sense to have it be applied to the bayonet than some random spear you find laying on the ground.

It would give them more use, at least, although I can understand why some xeno players would be against it. Pounces are one of the ways to close the gap with a gun totting marine. Make that harder, and all of a sudden melee based aliens will struggle to deal with guns.

I myself think that this would need a fair bit of experimentation if it were ever to be implemented, due to the nature of the request in general.

They cannot have a rifle in one hand a spear in the other, Spear has to be wielded in both hands, meaning they have to actually fight close quarters regardless.

[Renomaki]

They cannot have a rifle in one hand a spear in the other, Spear has to be wielded in both hands, meaning they have to actually fight close quarters regardless.

Now, allow me to link you to a fairly badass scene from StarCraft 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UziEGCVXWY4 (Mainly starting at 0:15)

Now, after seeing that, what do you think would be cooler more logical for a marine to do?

Ready his bayonet and stab the FUCK out of a runner as it pounces him? Or suddenly drop his gun for a primitive, handmade spear and attempt to stab it as it pounces him?

Honestly, if you redid that scene with that space marine suddenly dropping his HEAVY ASSAULT RIFLE for a mingy spear to fend off the zerg, it would seem a lot more silly than badass, and even out of character.

I'm not against spears being used to fend off xenos, but to see marines use it when they have SADARS, Smartguns, shotguns and pulse rifles, then it would just get ridiculous and sorta ruin immersion. Keep in mind this is the same server that prevents standards from being able to use Smartguns due to roleplay reasons, so I'd assume that if such a feature were added, marines wouldn't really be allowed to use handmade spears unless they were survivors, where that would make more sense.

[Whistle]

The original suggestion does not reference bayonets, this is for the spear, which was primarily considered for survivors and such.
While I would support your suggestion, I feel it having it's own thread may be worth the time.

[Snypehunter007]

Lack of response and interest.

Asking this to be reviewed for locking or acceptance.

[Swagile]

This isn't really needed because hunters won't go after survivors until they have huggers as they can't exactly kill them due to the fact that queens disable harming early on. So pouncing survivors literally has no purpose anyway. And if survivors use spears when runners can just disarm them then pounce and/or just drop a face hugger near them then disarm spam to distract them anyway, then this suggestion is even more useless.

For marines? There is no purpose in stopping a pounce with a spear considering if your using a spear, they will just pounce near you, disarm spam you then hugger you and/or decap you considering xenos are superior in melee combat in almost every way.

[Snypehunter007]

Asking this to be reviewed for locking or acceptance.

[forwardslashN]

I wouldn't mind giving this to survivors, honestly, if it's some RNG chance.