Rally points need adjustment now that APCs are so prevalent

Suggestions
1

There is some cause for concern now that APCs are present in the game, and even fewer people are using rally points structures. They are currently at a massive disadvantage.

  • They are very audible, making them quite easy to track down.

  • A single point of damage will break them.

  • Often cause glitchy pathfinding because players will build sandbags directly on them to protect them, causing AI to often get stuck or behave unpredictably.

Suggestions to better balance them:

  • Reduce the audio cue to enemies. Their original volume was fine, it should go back to that.

  • Give spawn protection against EXPLOSIVE damage for a second or two (keep in mind, I’m suggesting this despite being a fan of placing a mine on an enemy rally, as it would help with balance, despite hurting my personal gameplay)

  • Give it the same HP as a soldier. This way it can’t be destroyed quite as easily.

I’m open to other suggestions!! The point is there needs to be clear benefits to each method (APCs and Rally Points) that put them on equal footing.

3 Likes
3

Woops, I misread

4

I meant that as implied, but yes you are correct.

A friend of mine mentioned that perhaps the trucks should only act as spawn points for a limited time after stopping, encouraging players to actually keep them driving rather than just park and bail.
That would help to eliminate the balance issue of them not making sound.

5

How about boosting the points you get for people using your rally point because you need to be a little bit more strategic when you build these things and when you look at the APC all you gotta do is just park that near the back lines and then you just keep popping out troops.

3 Likes
6

I only vote boosting the exp per soldier spawn, instead of 35 per squad is 35 per soldier

4 Likes
7

Alternatively, how about only 5 points for the initial spawn, but give assist points for them interacting with the objective? This way it incentivizes playing the objective at the same time.

8

Are you sure you and I are playing the same game?

Or are you allowing the fact you largely play in groups distort how you perceive what a normal match looks like?

mrw a guy fights his way and pushes the enemy beyond the objective and closer to their natural spawns, has to physically stand on or close to the rally and all that becomes worth nothing.

Shooting down AI bombers would be far more productive at this point.

A mined rally isn’t just a reward.

It’s a sign that a team has been pushed back close to the other team’s grey zone, or that the rally was placed too closely, too aggressively to the point.

If mined rallies are a running problem, that’s an issue with the quality of a team.

5 Likes
9

I can agree with that, since the audio range was increased I have paradoxically harder time finding them, I don’t know why.

10

Then I get 5 if the team is too dogshite, what a nerf

11

Truck gets 50 points, i build a rally its 36 points its BS, man made rally should be worth more or equal.

3 Likes
12

I don’t see cause for concern. What data suggests that fewer are using rally points?

I have a sneaking suspicion that more often than you think, an APC and a rally are placed by the same player (I do this whenever I can).

Nothing to see here unless there becomes a problem that many people see or that Darkflow has data on.

13

I don’t doubt it. I myself do to.

The thing is though that I’m seeing far more APC spawns that rally points, I’ve even caught myself not placing a rally as much anymore simply because of how much more effective APCs are.

APCs are just far more convenient, and despite being larger, can be a fair bit harder to find as they don’t make sound once parked.

I would just like to see Rally Points buffed enough that there is incentive to use them IN ADDITION to APCs. Which would really help out gameplay as a whole.

1 Like
14

Agree on this, why, i am pissed that they get 50 points, i get 36

1 Like
15

Interesting. This does not align with what I’ve seen.

Personally, I don’t feel they are more convenient. Finding them isn’t too bad as they are large and if you mark them they mark as a vehicle which other random map asset vehicles don’t.

16

Actually map vehicles still get marked by the ping.

17

I mean static ones that can’t be driven. They can get a mark just like a bush but they don’t light up like a vehicle.

18

A mine thats placed at a rally should detonate right away, waiting for a squad to spawn is pure spawnkilling and stupid as hell.

19

ok, got ya. I thought you meant the ones that could move.

20

To address this point:
If you are running across an area to set up a rally point with an engineer, you must

  • get across the open area, hoping to either not be seen, or at the very least not lose your engineer
  • find a decent spot where the rally won’t be seen and therefore one-shot
  • hopefully still have an engineer alive
  • spend the time to build the rally point

Whereas the APCs:

  • Drive in at potentially a rate of speed which the other team isn’t able to hit the driver
  • Have some mobile protection for your troops
  • You don’t even have to stop moving in order to let more people spawn in on it
  • Even if the driver is shot out, or leaves the vehicle, it still functions as a spawn point. (it doesn’t require setup time)
  • It requires an explosive or AT rifle to destroy, rather than a single point of damage (such as a single bullet)
  • If parked in a corner or hidden well, it doesn’t make noise and CAN be more difficult to find

My point is simply since APCs exist now and are better in almost every way, rally points could use a little bit of a buff in some way to keep them equally viable and balanced.

1 Like
21

No you don’t need to ungabunga in the open. You’re walking on legs, not limited to roads or vaguely wide enough passageways like vehicles are.

In abundance for every map.

If every squad has 1 or 2…

12 seconds isn’t exactly too long. Can be shortened with any additional engineers you have in your squad, as well as the corresponding perk.

It’s also faster than driving from the vehicle spawns into wherever you want the apc to finally be.

Through obvious open areas and, most notably on very cluttered maps, directly on roads leading up to, and usually with a clear line of sight of the objective.

The protection is moot as soon as someone with handheld AT or an automatic weapon starts shooting in your direction

If you shoot the driver out, everyone now knows where to look at to destroy a squad of soldiers and/or the apc itself.

Which every soldier has the ability to equip in their inventory

Is limited by vehicle accessibility. You can predictably find where trucks are parked, but rallies can be placed nearly everywhere. Including inside buildings, corners, a rock or even just a hole in the ground.

You also have to drive to where you want to hide it first, so you better hope wherever you have to go to isn’t blocked or heavily defended.

But fret not, I, too, can cherrypick the most obvious flaws and ignore the best advantages to compare the two in the most rose-tinted light.

It’s not like you have 1 APC squad excluding the premium variants compared to having an engineer or two in every squad.