first off I would like to say this game decieved me heavily when I first got it. I assumed the scout to be a sniper clas (after a ltitle looking around I realized how wrong I was!). What I know about a scout. They can hide and move around reletively undetected (depending on walls and what have you). They can sabotage buildings to disrupt the enemy. They CAN be used to shoot targets from longish ranges. Things I learned about a scout. 1. Scouts are amazing for ambushes. SMG 2 at close ranges is devestating and on maps like escort where you can hide in many corners and tunnels it makes it easy to stay hidden and jump them when they run past. 2. Scouts are useful for setting up hidden bases. Example: Emp_Slaughtered, You can have a scout sneak behind the enemy NF starting base, set up and build an armory, switch to engi and build a barracks, then take their old main with reletive ease. (A spawn point and ammo). 3. Scouts are decent at giving information to a team. I probably missed some stuff but I think I hti the main points of what a scout is. Now I asked myself what was a scout meant to be and I came up with just a few things left that were nto currently here. I wanted to know if I was thinking of this correctly or not. Purpose of a scout. 1. Recon/surveying enemies 2. Disrupting the enemy via sabotoge and ambushes. 3. Creating chaos behind enemy lines to draw forces from the front. broad points really. The scout seems to be meant to disrupt and cause chaos more then anything else.from what I have read here on the forums they were not truly meant to be snipers, but more, spec ops/spies. They seem like a cross between Spies from TF2 and Spec Ops from Battlefield 2. Anyway I apologize if this is jumbled up. I am tired, anyway tell me am I right or wrong? and what have I msised or added that shouldn't be there?
I was askig if I got it all actually. Scouts are, from what I know, usually frowned upon when you play one. So I wanted to know what they could do and if I missed anything. I do apologize however for asking such a question in this forum because it was clearly off topic.
Sanguis, you're right about them. It's just that 90% of those who choose to be the scout thinks its a sniper class. That hide is to hide them from fire so they can sit in their bush and snipe.. And that around 50% of the scouts sux at sniping.
You are right. The problem is that, while they are what you say they are, other classes are simply MORE effective then scouts are. If scouts go engy/rifleman/grenadier they often can contribute more to the team than they could as scout. While they do have advantages, usually playing as scout is not fun for you, your team, your commander or the enemy (scout rifle can do one shot kills). It takes skilled players with a specific scout tactic in mind to actually make the class usefull. unfortunately most scouts just ... use the scout rifle, while ignoring everything else. So with some new empires update i think he'll be made 1) more usefull (more necessary for the team) 2) more fun to play with No one seems to know in what way though, but he will be improved at some point. I think (hope) the scout rifle will be removed. Actually i hope it will get replaced with some other, fun weapon/gadget that only the scout can use. I also hope the scout will become a lot more important for spotting the enemy, if necessary by removing the 'enemy spotted' function from all other classes. But whatever will change, it'll be a while.
I always thought it would be nice if scouts could place cameras but that was just me. The only true usefulness I have ever seen on a map with scouts on it was setting up a base somewhere secret (but that involved them turning engi after they built the armory). and the other is to have one just screw with them and draw 2, 3, or 4 peopel from the front and run around in circles trying to kill you. I tried sniping as a scout and even when my crosshairs where on a target it onyl hit about 50% of the time so i just stick with the SMG anymore, generally it saves me more then a scoped rifle. honestly something simple that may help is have SMG 1 be the standard weapon. When people see the scoepd rifle I think they thin it means they have to snipe, and that a SMG is just a "Oh crap" kind of situation.
In the next version the engineer will be the standard class, instead of the scout. That alone will reduce the problem a bit.
that sounds like a good idea. I was just saying that if you switched the weapon you may get less of the "Ima hidez and teh snipz" kind of players.
As Silk said, anything a scout can do, some other class can usually do it better. The only place that I can think of that a scout is more useful is getting that last shot during sudden death. However, playing scout can be great fun
This is funny coming from the man that sneaks onto every flag on Escort. Your blasted smoke-nades and getting lost on our own flag.
The only thing I use the scout class for on classic maps is killing scouts. :D And only if they are close to the base and I can change back to something useful as soon as they are dead.
I get tired of being gunned down by engi's as a scout >.> or worse grenadiers. or worse yet, jumping out of hide behind a rifleman and seemingly unloading an entire clip into him only for him to turn around and spray wildly and hit me twice and kill me... the only thing that makes the lass one not truly agrevating is because thats the purpsoe of the rifleman class.. DAMN YOU RIFELMEN AND FULFILLING YOUR ROLE IN THE GAME!
I hate rifles. I know how sanguis feels, an entire SMG2 clip with accuracy upgrade loaded into a still riflemans back at about 20m, he turns around and hits me once, i die.
just get rid of the sniper class altogether. Snipers always ruin games, no matter what game it is. Only time I ever use the scout is for flag cap maps where squad hide is so so useful to rush onto flags and dig in while the enemy team hasnt a clue you're there capping it right under their noses I think it's a pretty good and effective class right now as it is on infantry maps. On comm maps I think they could have more intel gathering skills/weapons/methods to make them a bit mroe useful. But no, I don't think they should be made into snipers as this will simply WORSEN the problem of noobs taking the "lone-wolf" approach to the game. This is one of the most team based games ive played. Let's keep it that way :D
