Make flashbangs great again!

[Infernus]

Summary:
Give smoke grenades and flash bangs some useful effects. Nerf them so they don't end up wiping the whole marine squad when misused. Promote more tactics for marines.

Benefits:
Gives more tactical options to marines. Gives them a valid useful weapon to fight against huggers, carriers, and aliens dropping huggers to easily infect them by running close to marines.

Details:
Let's say you have a hallway filled with facehuggers around corners and dense objects, or very small rooms packed with huggers behind walls (When does this not happen?) where only option is to get hugged as soon as you step inside (unless they have flamethrowers, which are mostly depleted very, very qucikly), and there are carriers and other classes waiting behind obstacles with huggers in their hands, waiting to slap one of them at your ugly face.

Since there is no way to counter them without lolrushing and getting hugged by simply running into them, marines could throw flashbangs to temporary stun facehuggers on the floor, in alien's hands and on carriers back (Like when you take one off of someone's face). The stun duration would affect the distance from the flashbang. (Huggers close to the bangs would get stunned for longer time, while the ones further from it would have shorter stun duration.)

This would give marines enough time to push forward or re position themselves to eliminate the huggers otherwise inaccessible by bullets (Behind a corner), while aliens would either have to retreat or deploy their robust tackles, slashes, and spits until their huggers regain consciousness.

Aliens with frenzy aura could protect their carried huggers from being stunned by flashbangs.

Smoke grenades could act as area denial. If aliens runs trough it, carried hugger would drop on the ground and get stunned. Since smokes don't last long, it will only be useful in few ways (Like retreating or pushing trough narrow hallways). Might be a special type of smoke made by researchers
___________________________________________________
Now, the important thing: How to stop dickheads from killing the whole squad with flashbangs?
Easy. Remove the AOE stun and replace it with pain damage and temporary blindness/blurriness, which is also affected by range. And also, decrease the range of effect. Have them ordered by RO, but not in boxes so you could carry them all and throw them like a mad man.


Implementation:
For every hugger in range of the flashbang effect, have them switch to "stun" status for the duration of time. That time is calculated by (example) 8 seconds - 1 for every tile away from the flashbang. Same effect for huggers in alien's hands and the ones on carrier.

For humans, Pretty much the same minus the AOE stun, but add pain damage depending on range and eye blurrines. If you can live with a FF grenade, then you can surely survive a FF flashbang, as the pain would go away in few seconds.


Please note:
This is not a suggestion to mainly nerf aliens, but to prevent the hugger mechanics where the only options it to get hugged to remove it and promote more tactics by both marines and aliens. The values are not final here and are open to discussion.

Also don't use that excuse that "oh boy, another alien nerf" will make xenos unplayable. Nothing is stopping them to just behead someone on spot, since 60% of hugged people end up dead the very next moment. Huggers are not the only viable source of tactics, and the stun they would get by flashbangs would be very short.

[MauroVega]

Sounds fine +1

[Derpislav]

Nothing to add, just +1.

[coroneljones]

Sounds good
+1

[Boltersam]

Would make us aliums work harder for hosts, but it's not BANG! Nerf. +1.

[Azmodan412]

I am not sure this would be a GOOD idea. Flashbangs are designed, in real life, to work against things with EYES by emitting a blinding light that disorients the victims. Xenos don't have eyes. Huggers don't have eyes. The Hybrid doesn't count, nor does the Raven.

My regrets, but -1.

[LordeKilly]

I am not sure this would be a GOOD idea. Flashbangs are designed, in real life, to work against things with EYES by emitting a blinding light that disorients the victims. Xenos don't have eyes. Huggers don't have eyes. The Hybrid doesn't count, nor does the Raven.

My regrets, but -1.

Quick question, what part in any of the alien movies did a marine shoot a predator in the face with a rocket, or break Ravager armor with his knife? It's a matter of balance, not a matter of, "muh relisms."

+1 out of spite you friggin nerd

[MikeHdez97]

I am not sure this would be a GOOD idea. Flashbangs are designed, in real life, to work against things with EYES by emitting a blinding light that disorients the victims. Xenos don't have eyes. Huggers don't have eyes. The Hybrid doesn't count, nor does the Raven.

My regrets, but -1.

azmodan but did you know the flashbangs produce a loud bang? i am pretty sure the aliens can hear in the lore
+1 by the way ;D

[Aeleto]

Flashbangs were removed because a baldie or two would get them, and destroy the whole squad. PLEASE, NOT AGAIN.

[Wickedtemp]

-1
Marines already have area denial weaponry. Incendiary nades.

[Rey]

It seems well structured and thought out, I can see the marines making some cool moves with this. I approve, +1.

-1
Marines already have area denial weaponry. Incendiary nades.

3x3 area, only spec and engineers get them. Doesn't really help when the whole screen is filled with hugger eggs.

[Jeser]

WOW, finally someone made really good and smart suggestion for flashes and smoke, goddamn! I really like it, finally these pieces of marines' equipment will become usefull! Totally +1 for it!

[Aeleto]

Flashbangs do more harm than good to marines, they were removed for a damn reason. I am okay with the smoke suggestion, though.

[Infernus]

I just noticed I made a mistake in typing that sounds like flashbangs would stun and add pain to the marines. Fixed it.

[Eonoc]

+1 Nothing to add, sounds great.

[Deadlymight]

Really good idea! Flashbangs right now are a nightmare for the marines. I lost count of the times when some chucklefuck flashes a whole squad of marines and pretty much GG for everyone. These modifications should make it quite usefull.
+1

[MrJJJ]

Could have sworn i posted here

+1 MAKE THE FLASHBANGS GREAAAAAAAAAT, like they were before, but better, it was always a hilarity using them XD

[Snypehunter007]

Old, lack of continued interest.

Locking.