Add Entrenching Tools for Combat Engineer

[Surrealistik]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary):

Per the subject.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole):

Starts the Engineer off with entrenching tools for digging tunnels (per the pickaxe), clearing away snow, and making earthen walls/barricades; invaluable when setting up temporary bases/outposts across the river and bypassing/softening Alien defenses in the caves.

Such a tool could also be provided in the general armory vendor as standard issue, given that Engineers should be focused on their sentry and barricades/obstacles when not in transit.

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

Add telescoping entrenching tools to the Engineer vendor. These can fit in webbing and the toolbelt. Also Combat Engineers should totally have 5 slot rigging.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):

Minor object addition/spriting.

[mrturkeytoe]

+1 I like the idea of entrenching tools being standard heat, and maybe give squad engis the five slot webbing instead of three. Possibly add a modified form of webbing in the vendors that can only hold on of these collapsable/telescopic tools?

[Boltersam]

+1. Aside from the tools already used, it would be nice to have earthen walls acting like snow barricades that could be made by engineers.

[Bigchilly]

+1, we won a round due to flanking with pickaxes, but it took fucking 30 minutes due to only having like 2 pickaxes.

[Toroic]

+1 from me.

I think it'd add some interesting play/counterplay, and is very lore friendly.

[Surrealistik]

I honestly wouldn't mind if Standards get this too; Engineers should generally be babby-sitting their sentry and setting up temp blockaides, so they may not have time to dig.

[qDan]

Awesome idea, strong +1. I think it will be great if entrenching tools will be available in different forms for standard marines and engis, so combat techs will be able to make stronger 'reinforced' dirt\wood walls and more advanced stuff.

[Tristan63]

Shovels also have a sharp end just like US marine ones.
yeeeeh bois
+1

[Renomaki]

Shovels for trench digging should be standard issue for EVERY Standard marine. Then EVERYONE can get involved in base defense!

1+

[TopHatPenguin]

Shovels for trench digging should be standard issue for EVERY Standard marine. Then EVERYONE can get involved in base defense!

1+

This would be great and would mean that standards no longer have to stand at a supposed Fob location waiting for defences from one engineer, instead they create their own. Plus 1

[Surrealistik]

I added a note awhile ago to the OP that I would be in favour of Standards getting such tools.

[Jroinc1]

Eh. If you give it to standards, you're giving EVERY PLAYER the ability to create barriers that MUST be acided and cannot be broken any other way. Plus, I can already see a 10+ 'rineswarm chewing through rock and eating the ENTIRE caves area in like... 2 minutes.
+1 to engi's, -1 to standards (for balance reasons).

[TopHatPenguin]

Eh. If you give it to standards, you're giving EVERY PLAYER the ability to create barriers that MUST be acided and cannot be broken any other way. Plus, I can already see a 10+ 'rineswarm chewing through rock and eating the ENTIRE caves area in like... 2 minutes.
+1 to engi's, -1 to standards (for balance reasons).

Perhaps to counter the mass of standards 'Digging for victory' you could have engineers in each squad start off with 4 entrenching tool packs, 2 packs for each engineer and 2 to give away to standards in the squad which means that while the engineers setup power and the sentry, the standards can make some earthen walls outside.

[Surrealistik]

Better yet, give Engineers a bunch of extras that they can hand out as needed, or that subsequent Engineers that join can pick up.

[Jroinc1]

I'd be fine with giving them extras. One for each engi, then one for a standard? I'm seeing these like flamers (situationally useful piece of equipment that a standard or two in the squad probably got) in that way.

[Surrealistik]

I'd say ~6 per vendor, because I want there to be entrenching tools for Engineers that subsequently join without having to beg the RO to order more which they won't in practice because they have better things to do/spend points on.

[Jroinc1]

I'd say 3, because 24 is 'RINESWARM levels, aand there are some free ones planetside, and the RSR can make INFINITE drills. Besides, if you latejoin, someone still has the ones they took planetside, right?

[Surrealistik]

I'd say 3, because 24 is 'RINESWARM levels, aand there are some free ones planetside, and the RSR can make INFINITE drills. Besides, if you latejoin, someone still has the ones they took planetside, right?

Probably not. Your odds of retrieving specialist gear from the battlefield are slightly less than being struck by lightning.

Also I very much doubt that Engineers are in practice going to loot and throw around all the spares in their vendors.

[Jroinc1]

It's not spec gear. It's a hellova lot less flashy to melt than a juicy SADAR lurking there, and if it's taken by 'rines, it'll still be in use.
As for not throwing around the spares... maybe not. But why take the chance. You got 12 tools to share among the server, plus 3+2+2=7 pickaxes planetside (plasma cutters get melted freq, but picks usually left), plus as many drills as the RSR's little heart can handle. That's a LOT.

[Surrealistik]

By 'specialist' gear I don't mean the actual role of specialist, I mean gear that is reserved for soldiers with specialties, like the Engineer, Medic, etc...

Also if Engineers don't toss around the other useful stuff they have in their vendors haphazardly, I just can't see them emptying it to distribute shovels to the rest of their squad.

Personally I don't think planetside stuff should be considered for the sake of determining the amount to stock the vendor with.

[Neray]

+1, oh boy, we need those.

[Helgraf]

+1 What everyone else said, maybe some spares for standards but not too much.

[Snypehunter007]

Old, lack of continued interest.

Locking.