Forum Discussion

4 years ago

Solved

Knockdown Shields should actually work

As the game is now, knockdown shields are useless because people can strafe around your shield and even though you are looking at them your character has a pivot speed slower than a rotating house. They just shoot you even though on your screen you have your shield in front of you.

I propose 1 of 2 fixes, each having their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Make the downed player actually face where the player is looking to prevent walk arounds.

This has a couple of issues, namely, players that are downed may spin to prevent accurate shooting. Used with movement it could throw off peoples aim on a downed target. Players may also be able to spin fast enough on mouse to shield all around them.

2. Make knockdown shields a bubble covering the entire downed player.

Why even have knockdown shields if they aren't going to shield the player? With the larger shield in early seasons, it was much harder to walk around and kill a target. I feel like this was a good thing, as the shield level meant you could withstand more damage which incentivises people to fight the living instead of thirsting. If you want to take out a downed player you need to be ready to focus time and ammo on them. This solves many macro issues Apex currently has and will over time will make poor choice players rethink the pointless thirst. This game is about teamwork and winning, not an individual's score, and I feel the devs have catered too much to the solo player. This would also be a first step in fixing solo queue mentality, but wouldn't fix it alone. This option IMO may reduce player cheesiness and toxicity.

I vote for option 2, obviously. What do you think? Have a third option?

discussion

Cro_Pittt
4 years ago
@PraetorOfOlea I don't understand why it should be harder to finish a downed target instead of an alive enemy. I already won the fight, so i should be rewarded for that, not penalized using all of my ammo to finish you. And if you actually play decently they are fine as they are now, nobody will finish you if you stick with your teammates and remain close to them, it'd be a suicide. If you get knocked in the open or far from your team, that's on you.
As for Gold knockdown, it should be removed from the game at least in ranked, it does not reward the actual team that won the fair fight.

11 Replies

PraetorOfOlea
4 years ago
Currently, when I have a gold knockdown, I try to use the shield itself as little as possible to not give it away that I have it. With option 2, not only are you actually rewarded for bothering to pick it up (all items should enhance player ability to some degree) but you are also much harder to thirst. It's WAY too easy to pick off a gold KDS player by running around them, which removes the incentive to try to self res. Getting a gold item should be a reward, not a detriment. Blue and purple KDSs might as well not even be in the game because of how easily they are circumnavigated. Forcing the enemy to actually deal 900 damage to you with a gold or purple means they are at risk of third party as well, increasing gold KDS players survivability further (the entire point of a KDS.) Gold armor lets you heal 2 for one, and the KDS is not nearly as good in comparison, considering it takes longer to self res than to get help from a teammate.

Let ability penalties compensate for their abilities alone and let incentives actually be incentives.
dSKyNafinchin
Hero (Retired)
4 years ago
@PraetorOfOlea Personally, I'm ok with how they are now. I don't think they ever intended the knockdown shields to be a guaranteed life saver. I have always seen them more as a safeguard against an uber thirsty enemy finishing you off right away, before your teammates have a chance to contest the fight and potentially save you from death. I feel like they are only as good as they are supposed to be. I'm curious to see how other people feel though.
hayhor
Hero
4 years ago
@PraetorOfOlea I like how they work now. Someone you knock should not be hard to finish off. And right now if you knock someone at distance with a blue or better knockdown shield they are hard to finish.
PraetorOfOlea
4 years ago
@hayhor I disagree but I respect your opinion.
PraetorOfOlea
4 years ago
@dSKyNafinchin When they enlarged the shields early on I think they were intended to be a life saver. The game was new so maybe they found this to be an issue, but IMO, I'd rather they remove and rework the core system than leave a useless relic in place.
Cro_Pittt
4 years ago
@PraetorOfOlea I don't understand why it should be harder to finish a downed target instead of an alive enemy. I already won the fight, so i should be rewarded for that, not penalized using all of my ammo to finish you. And if you actually play decently they are fine as they are now, nobody will finish you if you stick with your teammates and remain close to them, it'd be a suicide. If you get knocked in the open or far from your team, that's on you.
As for Gold knockdown, it should be removed from the game at least in ranked, it does not reward the actual team that won the fair fight.
Cheese9Man
4 years ago
Making it harder to finish downed players will only make you less prepared for the incoming third party. I respectfully disagree with this suggestion.
PraetorOfOlea
4 years ago
@Cro_Pittt @Cheese9Man Good points to you both.
Cro_Pittt
4 years ago
@PraetorOfOlea One thing they need to do is to actually make them work properly, because sometimes as it stands now bullets can randomly go through them.
PraetorOfOlea
4 years ago
@Cro_Pittt This is because your downed turn speed is capped and you may be looking at the enemy but your player model is slowly pivoting. I hate this and it makes it easy to thirst, circumventing the shield.